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WEEK'S BEST BETS: Dec. 31 to Jan. 6
Ring in the new year
The city’s 175th year will close with the resounding boom of fireworks and entertainment downtown on New Year’s Eve. There will be free ice skating at Manhattan Square Park, a Big Wish Globe fire ceremony and fireworks at midnight. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., an all-ages gathering at Rochester Riverside Convention Center will feature DJ music, inflatable buildings, a free photo booth, carnival games, strolling entertainers and the ever-popular KazooFest. Balloon artist Larry Moss is slated to build another sculpture during the city’s downtown New Year’s Eve festivities. He will build a snowman snowball fight scene out of balloons and take suggestions from onlookers. Moss has been recognized by Guinness World Records for the largest non-round balloon sculpture, and he created the first piloted balloon sculpture. Visit cityofrochester.gov for details.
Political satire on stage
The Capitol Steps return for a 15th annual show at Nazareth College Arts Center. The equal-opportunity political satire group presents "Obama Mia" this year. The show features nonpartisan political satire, champagne, noisemakers and live music. The 6:30 p.m. show sold out, but tickets for the 10 p.m. show were still available. Visit naz.edu for details.
On the big screen
"It's Complicated" is about Jane (Meryl Streep), who hooks up with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin), who is married to a younger woman. Jane also finds herself attracted to another man (Steve Martin). "Nine" tells the story of fictional film director Guido Contini and his struggle to find harmony in his professional and personal life as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent and his mother. The star-studded cast includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Kate Hudson. Find movie times.
Geva has comedy on deck
Geva Comedy Improv ushers in 2010 with a New Year's Eve celebration featuring live music, actors, prizes, a champagne toast at midnight and an after-show dance party with the music of DJ R-Kive. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. in the Mainstage of Geva Theatre Center, and ticket prices range from $15 to $20. Visit gevacomedyimprov.org.
Movies aplenty at Dryden
The Dryden Theatre invites you to laugh in the new year with films by The Three Stooges and The Marx Brothers. On New Year's Day, "The Hurt Locker" kicks off a series of films by director Kathryn Bigelow. Critics laud the 2009 film's suspense and storytelling. A look at soldiers’ life on the front lines in Iraq, it earned Golden Globe nominations for best film and best director and Screen Actors Guild awards for outstanding performances. It screens at 8 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Also this weekend, the Dryden presents a Rochester exclusive screening of "Black Dynamite," a spoof of 1970s blaxploitation and low-budget movies. The film has been heralded as one of the funniest movies of 2009. It plays at 8 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday. For details and full lineups of films, visit dryden.eastmanhouse.org.
Art with 'Wow' factor
"Fan Formation - Eye Pattern" (at left) by Fred Weingarten is one of more than 180 photos in the third juried theme show of Image City Photography Gallery, called "WoW!!" Works by nearly 100 photographers were chosen for the show, which runs Saturday to Jan. 24. Artists' receptions will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. The gallery is on University Avenue in the Neighborhood of the Arts and is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Visit imagecityphotographygallery.com for ticket information.
On the small screen
If you'd rather ring in the new year in your jammies, cuddled on your couch, your TV can bring the party to you. "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest" begins at 10 p.m. on ABC. "New Year's Eve With Carson Daly" kicks off at 10 p.m. on NBC and "Billboard's New Year's Eve Live" at 11 p.m. on Fox. Hosted by Alec Baldwin, "Live From Lincoln Center" begins at 8 p.m. on PBS and features George Gershwin's "An American in Paris" and Aaron Copland's "Old American Songs." CNN and Fox News also plan live coverage of New Year's events. For more information, visit tvguide.com.
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