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Cover Story

They Just Had An Idea

by Geoff Kelly

“I just had an idea,” sings Elska on her debut record, Middle of Nowhere, “so bright and so clear. And it’s totally mine.”

Week in Review

Back Pay For Seasonal Workers? Dead in Committee

by Geoff Kelly

Foiled Again: Jeremy Zellner, Workin' 9 to 5

by Buck Quigley

Five Republicans and a Democrat Foil Mark Poloncarz

by Geoff Kelly

Special Report

Buffalo's Billion: A Review

by Jim Heaney, InvestigativePost.org

There’s a lot to like about the blueprint for spending $1 billion in state aid to revitalize the Western New York economy that was released Tuesday. I’d feel better about the plan’s prospects, however, if Governor Andrew Cuomo hadn’t used its release to announce a heavily subsidized deal to bring 250 jobs here that smacks of the business-as-usual, smokestack-chasing approach that has failed us in the past.

News Analysis

Creativity and Money

by Bruce Fisher

Old Joseph Pieper was right. Shortly after World War II, Pieper wrote a little book called Leisure, the Basis of Culture, based on deep learning in the classics and Saint Augustine, but all that heavy scholarship has a happy ending: Play, he said, is heaven-sent.

Music Interview

Mr. Niagara Falls

by Cory Perla

Mr. Las Vegas, Mr. Entertainment, whatever you call him, Wayne Newton was born to be a star. After tens of thousands of Vegas shows in a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Newton will receive a unique honor this Friday at the annual “Niagara Holiday Lights” on Old Falls Street, when he’s given the key to the city of Niagara Falls at 5pm.

Theater Week

The Fabulous, Extraordinary, Hilarious, and Wonderful Ruth Williamson (First Time Ever in Buffalo)

by Anthony Chase

James Clow Returns to Shea's

by Anthony Chase

The Holiday Guys

by Anthony Chase

Theater News

Stagefright

by Javier

Now you see him, no you don’t. Stage and screen star Justin Kirk’s (pictured left) new TV show Animal Practice was canceled in October and the three unaired episodes were released on line a couple of weeks ago.

Art Scene

Paintings by A. J. Fries at Big Orbit Gallery

by J. Tim Raymond

Comic art by John Jennings and Stacey Robinson at Hallwalls

by Jack Foran

Classical Music Notes

Christmas Time in the City

by Jan Jezioro

Although Christmas is still almost three weeks away, fans of Christmas music have already been able to enjoy two weekends of holiday-related musical events. But not to worry, if you missed these concerts, as there are a whole slew of Christmas themed musical events still to come.

Film Reviews

Hitchcock

by M. Faust

Lay The Favorite

by M. Faust

Listings

On The Boards Theater Listings

Movie Times (Friday, December 7 - Thursday, December 13)

Film Now Playing

Featured Events

See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of featured events, including our editor's pick for the week: the Queen City Market, this Saturday the 8th at Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, Porter Hall.

Book Review

...And the Ward Was Good

by Jack Foran

The key chapter in Timothy Bohen’s new history of the First Ward, Against the Grain, comes late in the book, when he’s about getting ready to sum up. Chapter 12 of a total of 15. It’s called “The Ward Remembered.” It’s the best-written chapter in the book, the liveliest and most spirited, and thoroughly authentic-sounding.

Puck Stop

New NHL Cities?

by Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell

This dreary and depressing work stoppage showed some very familiar patterns this week, as well as a couple of new developments. Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller continues to vent his outrage towards those greedy and obstinate owners who refuse to negotiate fairly and show the players “respect.” Apparently a guaranteed contract northwards of $30-million for Miller is not respectful enough. So carry on. Nothing new to see here.

Offbeat News

News of the Weird

by Chuck Shepherd

The Wolong Panda Training Base in Sichuan, China, released a series of photos to China Daily in October to mark the graduation from captivity, and into the wild, of the 2-year-old Tao Tao. Sure enough, Tao Tao and his mother, Cao Cao, were shown frolicking in the woods, accompanied by trainers each dressed in full-length panda suits, including panda heads, as they appeared to demonstrate climbing trees and searching for food.

Horoscopes

Free Will Astrology

by Rob Brezsny

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you thoroughly shuffle a deck of cards, the novel arrangement you create is probably unique in all of human history; its specific order has never before occurred. I suspect the same principle applies to our lives: Each new day brings a singular set of circumstances that neither you nor anyone else in the last 10,000 years has ever had the pleasure of being challenged and intrigued by.