What's Happening This Weekend
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| What's Happening This Weekend |
And the award for best use of metallic materials goes to … the Aluminum Show, a strange theatrical and gymnastic performance by an Israeli dance troupe touring the U.S. In the category of best use of wheels this weekend, the race between the Monster Jam in Dallas and Atlanta’s derby girls is too close to call. For foodie fun, the blockbuster frontrunner is the South Beach Wine & Food Festival featuring Food Network stars such as Guy Fieri, Emeril Lagasse, Rachel Ray, Giada De Laurentis and other luminaries, but the indie darling is certainly Portland, Oregon’s Cartathlon, a food cart scavenger hunt and foot race.
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| The 83rd Annual Academy Awards |
Even if the charming and comely young celebs Anne Hathaway and James Franco weren’t hosting this year’s award show, when has tuning in to the Oscars never been worth its weight in tulle and jewels? See what shenanigans the young stars have tucked up their tux sleeves and, of course, who takes home the golden statue at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on ABC, Sunday 8 p.m. EST.
Even if you never step foot on the red carpet, look your best thanks to Rock & Republic's warehouse sale in Culver City (Feb. 25, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Feb. 26, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. & Feb. 27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.). Jeans, tops, shoes and more will be 90 percent off, with some items straight off the shelves of the company's retail store on Robertson Blvd. No meat dresses or swan blouses, though.
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| Wanda Jackson |
She may not be accompanied by Jack White for this next stretch of her U.S. tour, but Wanda Jackson was pleasing crowds and sassing in song long before the former White Stripe was born. Yet that collaboration is just one of the ways the "Queen of Rockabilly" has reimagined herself and her career over the years. Jackson has shared billings with Elvis Presley, recorded with Elvis Costello as well as the punk group The Cramps, and has always maintained devoted fans in the U.S. and abroad (especially in Japan with her hit song “Fujiyama Mama”) with her dazzling performances and quirky lyrics. Ms. Jackson plays in D.C. on Friday.
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| BYU Cougars at San Diego State Aztecs |
Ladies and gentlemen, Jimmer and the Aztecs! A hot indie band blowing up the blogosphere? Not quite. Just the Feb. 26 matchup between two of the nation's top men's college b-ball teams, and the marquee game of the weekend. Jimmer Fredette is the seventh-ranked BYU's star guard and National Player of the Year candidate. Last month, in the teams' first game in Provo, Utah, Fredette lit up the Aztecs for 43 points in a 71-58 Cougars victory -- San Diego State's lone loss of the season.
The sixth-ranked Aztecs currently have the best record in that school's history, the home court, and a chance to counter Fredette's brilliance with a balanced lineup featuring forward Kawhi Leonard and guard D.J. Gay.
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| South Beach Wine & Food Festival |
Celebrating its tenth anniversary this star-studded, four-day foodie fest (Feb. 24-27) in Miami is expected to surpass expectations by cooking up must-taste seminars and parties like Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack session and Gilt City’s Wine + Dine + Design soiree.
While most South Beach Wine & Food Festival events -- not all -- are already sold out (even with three-digit ticket prices), Miami restaurants are offering enough consolation prizes to satisfy the most discerning palates: At the swanky STK steakhouse, diners can enjoy a four-course meal prepared by celebrity chefs Ralph Pagano (of Hell’s Kitchen fame) and Rick Moonen (of Top Chef Masters). The surf-and-turf-themed dinner starts off with a cocktail party and continues with prime cuts and sustainable seafood paired with a variety of wine and spirits. At $150 a pop, tickets seem slightly affordable by comparison.
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| Noise Pop Festival |
The Noise Pop Festival returns for its nineteenth year, Feb. 22-27. Yo La Tengo, Kid Koala, Alexi Murdoch, the Concretes and Hunx and His Punx are only a few of the draws to San Francisco's premier indie celebration, which encompasses dozens of up-and-coming acts (Battlehooch?) as well as film and photography. See some people you've never heard of so you can brag about it five years later when they're huge.
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| The Aluminum Show |
All that glitters takes to the stage in this surreal theatrical telling of the life story of an aluminum tube conceived by Israeli dancer Ilan Azriel. Talented dancers, acrobats, sparkly costumes and stage props -- many made from repurposed materials -- puppetry and illusions create a charming albeit strange show for both children and adults.
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| Northwest Flower & Garden Show |
Despite Seattle's flurries of snow this week, the annual Northwest Flower & Garden Show opened Wednesday (and runs through Sunday) at the Washington State Convention Center, signaling the beginning of spring and celebrating the first buds and blossoms around town. The most magical part of the exhibit is the display gardens -- six acres of exquisitely designed scenes by the region's best landscape artists. For more of an educational experience than an aesthetic one, stop by one of the seminars (included in ticket prices) on topics like small space gardening, ideas for sustainability, advanced growing techniques and more. Tickets are $20 per day, but there are deals on half-day or muti-day passes.
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| Advanced Auto Parts Monster Jam |
JerryWorld, as Cowboys Stadium is called, isn’t just a grid-iron palace and the host to big name concerts. Certain to attract many living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is this Saturday’s Advanced Auto Parts Monster Jam. The traveling monster truck spectacle will include racing, freestyle events and legendary monster trucks like Grave Digger The Legend. Puny cars will be crushed by rigs and the cheers of fans will rival the machines' own throttling decibel level. For spectators in the pit, ear protection is advised. Expect to see mobs of little boys wide-eyed at the awesome power of trucks.
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| PDX Cartathlon |
Portland is a gourmand's paradise. Alongside the city's high-brow, critically-adored sit-down joints -– and equally beloved by locals -– is the city's vibrant food cart culture.
To celebrate the 503's affection for these numerous snack shacks, local weekly newspaper Willamette Week has teamed with the Portland Mobile Restaurant Group and the Food Cartel to launch the first PDX Cartathlon, Feb. 26. The event is billed as a "combination of a scavenger hunt, eating competition and urban foot race."
Contestants will scour the city, going from cart-to-cart searching for scavenger hunt items (presumably samplings will keep the trail hot). The top prize? A year's worth of free food from participating carts.
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| Atlanta Rollergirls |
Atlanta Rollergirls
The Atlanta Rollergirls prepare to duel this Saturday with season seven opening bouts. Matches begin at 5 p.m. with The Dirty South Derby Girls vs. The Memphis Hustlin’ Rollers, followed by The Sake Yuyas vs. The Denim Demons.
The venue is bring your own booze (no glass containers allowed), with all matches played in Midtown at Yaarab Shrine Center Auditorium. Prepare for some wheelie good action.
