Friday, February 4
Simon Singh, author of The Big Bang: The Origins of the Universe, will be hanging out on campus today. (4 p.m., Ida Noyes Hall)
The 45th Annual University of Chicago Folk Festival starts tonight at 8 p.m., with Creole ensemble the Ed Poullard Trio, bluegrass ensemble the Flint River Boys, gospel gurus Geraldine Gay and pastor Donald Gay, fiddler Fred Stoneking, and Irish fiddlers John Daly and Cleek Schrey (who actually went to high school with Libby). Workshops, dances, and jam sessions will take over Ida Noyes during the day on Saturday and Sunday. Evening concerts tonight, Saturday night, and Sunday night are in Mandel Hall. (All weekend, $7 per concert with UCID, Mandel Hall and Ida Noyes Hall, see http://www.uofcfolk.org)
Birth will be playing at Doc tonight instead of Vodka Lemon. Sexy Beast director Jonathon Glazer’s latest film tells the creepy story of a woman (Nicole Kidman) who meets a 10-year-old boy. What she’s doing meeting 10-year-old boys is her own business, we guess, but more importantly, this one says he’s the reincarnation of her deceased husband. (7, 9, 11 p.m., $4, Max Palevsky Cinema)
Off-Off Campus opens their winter 2005 revue, The Bipolar Express. (9 p.m., $4, University Church)
Mel Brooks’s Tony Award-winning musical The Producers opened last night at the Auditorium Theatre. It runs through February 20. (8 p.m., $25-82, 50 East Congress Parkway)
Yet another band featured on The O.C.—Earlimart—plays Schuba’s tonight. So drink up; it’s the end o’ the workweek. (10 p.m., $10, 3159 North Southport Avenue, 21+)
Or, if you’re not 21 yet (sad day), you can still head to the Metro to see indie rock act Secret Machines. (9 p.m., $15, 3730 North Clark Street)
Saturday, February 5
Who’s to question a legitimate love of discounted Burberry items? The Organization of Black Students wants to take you to the Lighthouse Place Outlet Mall. (10 a.m., $18 for the charter bus, e-mail letrice@uchicago.edu to sign up)
OMG! Aaron Carter is playing House of Blues. Ex-New Kid on the Block Jordan Knight is among the openers. Sad, sad, sad. (7 p.m., $30-32.50, 329 North Dearborn Street)
Fizz hosts a Mardi Gras Party for the Emergency Fund. Music, raffles, three hours of open bar, and—of course—a good cause. (8 to 11 p.m., $35, 3220 North Lincoln Avenue)
Czech it out! The University Chamber Orchestra performs Myslivecek, Husa, Suk, and Mozart’s Prague symphony. (8 p.m., free, Fulton Recital Hall)
Naked Theater presents 24 Hour Playz: seven plays written, rehearsed, and performed all within a time frame of one day. (9 p.m., free, Bartlett Arts Space)
Archer Prewitt, of The Sea and Cake, is playing the Empty Bottle; Early Day Miners open. The show is celebrating Prewitt’s latest solo release, Wilderness. (10 p.m., $10, 1035 North Western Avenue, 21+)
Sunday, February 6
So you sent in tapes for Survivor—no replies—and you don’t have enough experience for The Apprentice. Don’t worry, pal. Aussie producer Mark Burnett’s latest “reality” series is focused on finding The Next Great Superstar (i.e. a new singer for INXS). Schuba’s is hosting open call auditions today. Bring three songs to sing and a musical instrument if you so choose. All genders welcome. (8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 3159 North Southport Avenue, 21+)
Things just keep looking better and better for the fine state of Massachusetts. Sports-wise, that is. It’s Super Bowl XXXIX, buddies. You can catch the game on CBS starting at 5 p.m., but really, don’t the festivities last all day?
Monday, February 7
Head over to Roosevelt University—no, not to tease them because they have class and you don’t—but for The Promise of Public Housing exhibit, which includes pictures from the Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Historical Society. The exhibit reveals the promise and complexity of the public housing debacle in Chicago. (Runs through March 11, Gage Gallery, 18 South Michigan Avenue)
Nobody Knows, Japan’s entry for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars last year, will screen for free at Landmark Century Centre Cinema. Get there early to get a seat. (7:30 p.m., 2828 North Clark Street)
Tuesday, February 8
We can hardly believe it—the 100th episode of Gilmore Girls airs tonight on the WB. Emily and Richard renew their wedding vows, and hopefully Richard will shave off that god-awful mustache. Luke and Christopher will be going head-to-head for Lorelai, who’ll be wearing a really nice dress. Also, Rory is finally getting some action from a Yalie named Logan. Hey, he’s not married! So you hafta cheer for this one. (7 p.m., the WB)
Matt and Jenn’s fave Ann Brashares (author of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series) will sign books at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville. Come on, isn’t it worth a trip on the Metra to meet one of STD’s literary idols? (7 p.m., 123 West Jefferson Avenue)
Wednesday, February 9
Before Sunrise and Before Sunset will play as a double feature at the Gene Siskel Film Center. So romantical! (6:15 p.m., $12 for both films, 164 North State Street)
As part of the American Poets Reading series at the Poetry Center of Chicago, listen to Joel Craig, Kristy Odelius, and the University of Chicago’s own Srikanth Reddy read selections from their works in the Ballroom of the School of the Art Institute. I wonder if their poetry will have that many prepositions. (6:30 p.m., free, 112 South Michigan Avenue)
University Theater presents Hamletmachine by Heiner Muller and Love! Love!! Love!!!, an original piece directed by Hannah Kushnick. (8 p.m., $7, Francis X. Kinahan Third Floor Theater)
Open Skate Night tries again, hoping this time it won’t be 50 degrees. Free skate rental, hot drinks and snacks, and memento photo. (9 p.m., free, Midway Ice Rink)
Thursday, February 10
Pianist Jason Sherwin plays Brahms and Schubert for the Noontime Concert Series. Libby’s favorites! And she’s not even being facetious! (12:15 p.m., free, Fulton Recital Hall)
Poem Present presents Joanna Klink of the University of Montana at Missoula. (5:30 p.m., Classics 10)
The Second City will give a free performance (thank you, Noctis Sero!) at Mandel Hall. (7:00 doors, 7:30 performance)
Doc’s Contemporary Iranian series continues this week with A Moment of Innocence, Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s film which reenacts a pivotal moment in 1974 when he was shot while stabbing a policeman. Following in the footsteps of films like Abbas Kiarostami’s Close-Up, A Moment of Innocence navigates the space between documentary and fiction. Kaveh Askari, of the Committee on Cinema and Media Studies, will introduce the film. (7 p.m., $4, Max Palevsky Cinemas)
