I considered trying to mask the fact that these are actually shows I’m super excited for, but I might as well be honest: these kid-friendly theater programs look amazing. I blame the fact that I'm still secretly a kid.
Matilda – The Musical
Growing up, I was in awe of the Matilda film, starring Mara Wilson (Matilda), Danny DeVito (Mr. Wormwood), Rhea Pearlman (Mrs. Wormwood), and Embeth Davidtz (Miss Honey). Matilda was just a kid, but she walked to the library by herself, flipped a perfect pancake, tied the blue ribbon on her head in a precise bow, and even had telekinetic powers. Insert dreamy sigh. As I grew older, my love for Matilda grew, especially when I devoured Roald Dahl’s book (which the film is based on). I came to admire Matilda for her sass and smarts.
So when I saw Matilda would not just be coming to the theater but had been turned into a musical, all bets were off. Set in England, Matilda — The Musical now has everything that was wonderful about the movie, plus the added element of singing and British accents. What more could you ask for?
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Count me in as one of the critics who say that there are way too many bowl games in college football. With 35 bowl games on the schedule for 2012-13, there are 70 teams that will be playing in those games. Just due to the sheer amount of teams, you are bound to find some really great match-ups and some really, really poor ones.
The Good
BCS Championship Game: Notre Dame vs. Alabama - I don't know if there could be a more intriguing game than the Fighting Irish vs. Crimson Tide. Both programs have huge fan followings who will be helping to build up the hype for this one.
AT&T Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma - These two teams have perhaps the biggest gripes with the BCS. Both seemingly earned spots in a BCS bowl game but were not selected. Despite not being a BCS bowl game, the Cotton Bowl may be the best match-up other than the BCS title game.
The Bad
Hyundai Sun Bowl: USC vs. Georgia Tech - Now I could complain about how disappointing USC was this season, but let's look at Georgia Tech instead. They had a losing record! They were 6-7! Could someone explain to me how they are playing a postseason game?
Discover Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Florida State - I am firmly on ESPN Analyst Kirk Herbstreit's side—Northern Illinois does not deserve to be in this game. Florida State will probably blow them out and make what should be a big time BCS game into a laughing stock.
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As the days in November wound down, there was one thing that I kept hearing people say, "I can't believe its almost December already." Well, you can eliminate the "almost" from that statement because December is here with all the cold weather and holiday cheer you can handle.
For a lot of us, December also marks one of the busiest times of the entire year between holiday shopping, visiting family, decorating... well, you get the idea. So, if you are looking for something fun to do in between all the holiday chaos, here are some of the top events that are coming up in this month:
Concerts
The Rolling Stones: The aging rockers celebrate their 50th anniversary with three shows, including December 8 in Brooklyn and December 13 and 15 in Newark.
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Shania Twain in Las Vegas: Shania Twain begins her two year residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on December 1.
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Trans-Siberian Orchestra: TSO will continue its holiday schedule this month before concluding on December 30.
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Other Concerts in December:
- Bands, including Coldplay, Further and the Zac Brown Band, will be playing shows on New Year's Eve.
- Bryan Adams has a few shows in December. They start on December 10 in Tulsa, OK.
- Artist with tours ending in December include Aerosmith and Cheap Trick; Journey; 3 Doors Down and Daughtry; Eric Church; Leonard Cohen; Carrie Underwood; and Dave Matthews Band.
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If you're not attending a party or heading to Times Square on New Years Eve, then you're probably looking for something else to do besides sit around and wait for midnight to arrive. If so, you're in luck, because a number of artists and bands have concerts that night. In what's become something of a tradition, many of them schedule three or four day runs, usually in the same city. Below see some of the bands who have New Years runs.
- Phish - The jam band will have four dates at Madison Square Garden from December 28-31.
- Coldplay - Coldplay will play one concert at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, on December 29, followed by two shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, on December 30 and 31.
- Furthur - Furthur will perform three shows at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium from December 29-31.
- Zac Brown Band - Zac Brown Band's run is a little different than the rest. The country band will play the dates as part of their ongoing tour. The first is December 29 in Birmingham, AL; the second on December 30 in Cincinnati, OH; and the last on December 31 in Detroit, MI.
- My Morning Jacket - My Morning Jacket will play three shows at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, from December 27-29. They'll then head to Boston for a December 31 show at Agganis Arena.
- Willie Nelson - The country singer-songwriter will play two shows on December 30 and 31 at the Moody Theater in Austin, TX, as part of his ongoing tour.
In addition to the multi-day runs, there are several bands playing only on New Years Eve. Click here for a list of all the bands and comedians with performances on New Years Eve for whom we have tickets.
In just two days another Thanksgiving will be upon us. A day to enjoy family, an unreasonable amount of food and a full schedule of NFL football. While I would love to go on a 500 word rant about all my favorite foods from Thanksgiving (pumpkin pie, obviously), I figured I would instead create a perfect schedule to make sure you get the most out of your holiday.
Pre-12 p.m.
Assuming you are not the person preparing all the food, the morning of Thanksgiving is the time to sit back and rest up; you have a big day ahead of you. Eat something really light for breakfast—no heavy pancakes or waffles. The only exception is if you are offered a plate of bacon. Choose the bacon.
12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
With just 30 minutes until kick-off, assess the seating situation. If you are with a big group, seating can be at a premium, so be prepared to claim your spot. You don't want to be stuck standing.
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