Cinema Revolution 2nd Anniversary Party
Varsity Theater

I love me some underground movies, and video store Cinema Revolution’s got ‘em. According to Michelle Lee, its most striking characteristic is a distinctive smell. “A bad smell? What kind of smell?” I ask. “No: a good smell. It smells like you’re about to rent movies,” she replies. Appropriately enough, they’re celebrating their second anniversary with a party at the Varsity featuring various bands with cinematic-styled soundtrack leanings, and Spaghetti Western String Co. is heading up the bill. They’ll be performing their original score to the French film “The Red Balloon,” as well as a whole set of music that could certainly hold its own against any Hollywood soundtrack. Joining them will be the Blackthorns, who are apparently to the Spaghetti Western String Co. as Venom is to Spiderman, and Zerkalo, an experimental electro-acoustic performance group whose name means “mirror” in Russian. All the music will be accompanying films, so expect a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. 9:30 p.m. 21+. $8. 1308 4th St. SE, Mpls. 612-604-0222. Steve McPherson

Luke Zimmerman CD Release
400 Bar

I gotta be honest: the first time I saw Luke Zimmerman, I wasn’t blown away. Of course, that probably wasn’t his fault. Martin Devaney and I were out on a short acoustic jaunt, sharing the road with Luke and his crack band, and that first night in Appleton, Wisc., didn’t exactly bode well for the rest of the tour. Basically, we played in a sports bar, which is far from the ideal venue for either Zimmerman or Devaney’s heart-on-sleeve songwriting. Over the course of the shows, though, I found myself humming Luke’s songs as I browsed the kitsch at Cracker Barrels and truck stops between shows. By the end of the trip, I was firmly convinced that Zimmerman’s songs might not be the kind that hit you over the head with danceability and fireworks, but they are the kind that grow slowly on you over time, ripening gradually. His new disc, Twilight Waltz, doesn’t disappoint, and in this age of Myspace pages and iTunes previews, you should know not to judge the man on a 30-second snippet. Pick up the disc, pour yourself something mellow and let it creep up on you. 8 p.m. 21+. $5. 400 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-332-2903. McPherson

British Television Advertising Awards
Walker Art Center

As good as the British Television Advertising Awards consistently are, it kind of makes you wonder when English TV viewers actually manage to get to the water closet. This year’s crop of incredibly dry wit (with some sobering PSA’s mixed in) keeps the level of quality as high as it’s always been. For good measure, this time around there’s a Minnesota twist. The ITV Best Television Commercial of the year features Garrison Keillor serenading while a Honda Diesel engine floats across an idyllic, animated landscape. 7 & 9:30 p.m. Through Dec. 30. $8/$6 members. 1750 Hennepin Ave., Mpls. 612-375-7600. Dwight Hobbes

The Protocols of Zion
Edina Cinema

“The Protocols of Zion” is scheduled to open this Friday at the Edina Landmark Theater. It’s part home movie, part historical analysis of the fraudulent Protocols, and major part road trip: to L.A. to interview Rob Reiner or some other Jewish Hollywood mogul (no one wanted to be interviewed); to West Virginia to see the headquarters and mail order business for the National Alliance (the American Nazi Party, they wanted to be interviewed); to Israel, Ground Zero, Palestinian neighborhoods in America, prisons to talk with Black Muslims and members of the Aryan Brotherhood about the only thing they share in common: their hatred of Jews. The problem of anti-Semitism is more complex than can be dealt with in the film, but Marc Levin sketches out some of the parameters. The basic premise, that there is a Jewish conspiracy to control the world through corrupting innocent Christians, would be laughable if you didn’t take the holocaust or Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ” seriously. It will probably have a short run. It’s worth seeing. Dec. 2–9. 3911 W. 50th St., Edina. 651-649-4416. Ed Felien

7th Anniversary Show!
The Triple Rock Social Club

Let’s get this right out of the way: I have no idea who any of these bands are, but that’s probably because while I have what I like to consider an expansive taste in music, it’s not quite expansive enough to cover the bulk of music I hear played on the bar side of the Triple Rock. Have I mentioned they have a phenomenal breakfast? I’d go more often, but sometimes I can’t take double-time punk and hardcore drumming that early in the morning. That said, I love the Triple Rock like rap kids love breaks. Its transformation from dive bar into hot music venue has been nothing short of astounding, and it now hosts some of the best shows in the cities. Despite their be-tatooed and sometimes intimidating appearance, the staff is kind, generous and just generally totally rocking. Apparently, this is a Chicago punk invasion show, so I’d expect loud, and lots of it. If it’s your kind of thing, you probably know more about these bands than I do, and if it’s not, at least make your way to the bar side to celebrate lucky number seven with the best tater tots since Ore-Ida. Featuring The Methadones, The Effigies, Arrivals and The Bomb. 9 p.m. $6/$8.21+. 501 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls. 612-338-6424. McPherson

No Coast Craft-o-Rama
Columbia Manor Golf Course

Tucked away on a lazy corner off Lowry and Stinson Boulevard in Northeast Minneapolis, Crafty Planet offers an awesome array of traditional and edgy goods related to domestic arts—from knitting and crocheting supplies, to stencils and fabrics, to handmade wares created by local artisans. Patricia Hoskins opened the store in 2003 at a time when the domestic arts were enjoying a national revival among a new generation of hipster grrrls. This year Crafty Planet has teamed up with Crafters Local 612 (with support from Bust and Altar magazines) to host No Coast Craft-o-Rama, a daylong event showcasing more than 50 vendors. Shop for the holidays or shop for yourself. Besides knitted and sewn items, look for one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry, toys, paintings, comics, ‘zines and more. DJ Jason from Radio K will be on hand and the Roe Family Singers are scheduled to perform throughout the day. Whether you prefer to knit nestled near the hearth or among a brazen gaggle of hipster hens, your creative DIY juices will be stirred. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free. 3300 Central Ave. NE, Mpls. 612-788-1180. Nancy Sartor

Charlie Parr
T he Viking Bar

If you missed Charlie Parr’s packed Rooster CD release party at the West Bank’s legendary Viking Bar, or just can’t get enough of his extraordinary old-timey tunes and hillbilly blues, come on down for a foot-stompin’, rebel-rousing good time. One of the greatest guitarists around, Duluth resident Parr’s treating us with a special trip down to perform at one of his favorite venues. Parr’s gritty characters come to life in haunting tales of tragedy, poverty and woe, soulfully played and sung with gravelly raw, haunting vocals and voracious virtuoso guitar/banjo skills. Parr’s excellent songwriting is inspired by work on the streets with the homeless, his parents’ stories and news. His wickedly powerful slide steel blues draw from the deep well of 1920s country blues legends like Bukka White, Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Willie McTell. Tonight we may be in for the additional treat of phenomenal harmonica player Dave Hundreiser, a train engineer from LaCrosse, Wisc., who’s inspired by the legendary Koerner, Ray and Glover. If you haven’t seen and heard Parr, you oughtta. If you have, you know what to do to chase away those Sunday night blues. 9 p.m. 21+. Free. 1829 Riverside Ave., Mpls. 612-332-4259. Cyn Collins

Al Franken
Barnes & Noble

Nobody debunks fictitious political spin quite like Al Franken. In “The Truth (with jokes),” his follow up to the best selling “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right,” Franken continues to expose the hypocrisy, lies and ineptitude of the Bush administration—denouncing its bullshit with his signature style of breezy prose and brazen wit. Franken is in town Sunday to promote the book, and Monday he’ll broadcast his Air America radio show live from the Pantages Theater. Franken plans to move himself and the show to Minnesota early next year, establishing residency should he decide to run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006. 3 p.m. Free. 3225 W. 69th St., Edina. 952-920-0633. Mon. Dec. 5, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. $25. Pantages Theater, 710 Hennepin Ave., Mpls. 952-946-8885. Sartor

Hockey Night
the Turf Club

Did I miss the memo? Recently, I’ve seen the band I’ve known as Hockey Night referred to as THE Hockey Night. I’m in no way disputing that they are in fact THE Hockey Night, but I just wonder if I was missing something. As I began to consider year-end “best of” lists and started to comb through the things that have survived various culls and remain on my iPod, I rediscovered Hockey Night’s excellent Keep Guessin’, and a spin through it was like reliving summer, something we all probably need to do right about now. Despite some issues stemming from the untimely demise of their label Lookout! Records, drummer Adam Harness assures me that Lookout! has remained supportive and Hockey Night have had a banner year, all things considered. Fellow road dawgs Askeleton will have just recently returned from an extensive tour in support of their newest disc, so expect the kind of road-weary shenanigans Skelly have become semi-infamous for. Damn. Ended that with a preposition. With Cave Deaths. 9 p.m. 21+. $5. Corner of University & Snelling Aves., St. Paul. 651-647-0486. McPherson

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Various locations

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is a writer, historian and activist with a history so rich that she penned a three (count ‘em: three)-volume memoir. She described her early life in 1997’s “Red Dirt: Growing Up Okie,” gave a firsthand account of myriad antiwar and civil rights movements in “Outlaw Woman: A Memoir of the War Years 1960-1975,” and now, in her new book, discusses how she found herself smack-dab in the middle of Sandinista Nicaragua during the the Contra War, which she monitored from 1981-1989. “Blood on the Border” may be the most directly political of the three, but in all of her work, Dunbar-Ortiz masterfully creates work where the personal is political, the political is personal, and all is well-written in a descriptive, conversational style. Her three local speeches should be enjoyable and interesting. Tue. Noon. Macalester College, 4th Fl. Lounge of Old Main Bldg. 7 p.m. Borders, Calhoun Square. Wed. Noon. Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Hennepin Dining Room. Call 612.823.3979. Michelle Lee