December 05, 2008 - Big weekend in the OC, Oscar the grouch and a very (free) Bela Fleck Xmas

Christmas in the Studios is Saturday from 10:30am – 5:00pm at the National Transit Art Center (206-210 Seneca Street Oil City, PA - map) as part of the Oil City Christmas Past community celebration. Check out 20 artists who create paintings, photography, fabric art, paper art, jewelry, stained glass art and more.

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The Resident Artists of Pittsburgh Opera present a Free Brown Bag Opera on Saturday from 12pm – 1pm (2425 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh PA - map). For information: (412) 281-0912

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Check out a holiday movie at Oil City's Latonia Theatre (1 East First Street Oil City - 677-1260 - map)on Saturday from 1:30pm – 2:30pm. It's a showing of Great Rupert a (stay with me here) 1950 "classic" starring Jimmy Durante wherein a down on their luck family meets a squirrel who brings Christmas joy.

$3 for adults, children under 12 free. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

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The Venango Campus Independent Film Series concludes with a showing of The Darjeeling Limited on Saturday December 6, 7:30pm – 9:30pm at the Robert W. Rhoades Center Auditorium, Clarion University-Venango Campus ( map)

Starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman, The Darjeeling Limitedis an emotional comedy about three brothers re-forging family bonds. The eldest, played by Wilson, hopes to reconnect with his two younger siblings by taking them on a train trip across the vibrant and sensual landscape of India.

Free and open to the public. For questions regarding the series or any of the films, please contact Emily Aubele at 676-6591, ext. 1269.

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Diningverse is an Erie based website that:
allows you to explore local restaurant information, menus, photos and customer recommendations the way it was meant to be.

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The Conneaut Lake park debacle continues.

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Amazon has Pittsburgh-based Girl Talk's Night Ripper [Explicit] album on sale for $5.

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Dorothy Sterling veteran of the Federal Writer's Project and noted children's author has died.

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The NYTimes takes a look at Holiday albums.

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Stuffed animals from sweaters.

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Oscar speaks truth to power:

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Free and Legal Downloads:

Mogwai Live at Hammersmith Apollo on October 24, 2008


Guster Live at Telluride Bluegrass Festival on June 22, 2007


Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Live at M A C C on November 30, 2008 (includes several Christmas songs).

The Derrick examines Oil City Council's response to the idea of making support for the Arts Revitalization project vocal and official.

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Got too much time and money? The Clarion Area Chamber of Business & Industry is searching for an organization to take over the First Night New Year's Eve celebration.

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The Vindicator takes a look at the new exhibits at New Castle's Hoyt Institute featuring works by Sun Young Kang, Brenda Bates Clark, Michele Perelman and Jack Carlton through June 27.

And while we're talking about the Vindy, how about this headline,

"Oakland’s ‘Full Monty’: too long, but enjoyable"

I amuse me.

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Temporal Things blogger Ollie points the way towards The Black Oven, a blog that combines baking and black metal:

Despite their traditional significance, I consider red velvet cake to be one of the more menacing desserts. I assure you that lurking beneath the moist and dainty surface there is a wretched force to be reckoned with.

These confections are sinister entities, thinly veiled under a cloak of cream cheese innocence.

Deceptive, yet somehow charming, they will make you pray for Ragnarok.

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Threadless is now offering limited edition prints of some of their designs. Oh why, oh why must I be poor?

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Did you know Brother From Another Planet is in the Public Domain? I didn't either, but it is and you can watch it:

or download it. Free and legally, because that's how I roll.

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Fred Oakman, vocalist for Meadville's Signal Home, has developed a side solo project.

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Free and Legal Downloads

Robyn Hitchcock Live at Borders Books on November 2, 2004

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead Live at Waterloo Records on March 28, 2005

Guster Live at Fenix Underground on March 11, 2000