Monday, Nov. 7
The recently launched (or rather, dropped) exhibit of Italian prankster artist Maurizio Cattelan's objets d'arts, hung by thread from the ceiling of the Guggenheim Museum, continues until the end of January. Now's as good a time to check it out as any -- those threads are only getting looser!
Tuesday, Nov. 8
Stephen King's latest non-scary thriller "11/22/63," tells the story of a Mainer who tries to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy by traveling back in time through a portal conveniently located at his local greasy spoon. If it sounds like a plot that's begging to be moviefied, never fear. "Silence Of The Lambs" director Jonathan Demme already optioned the rights. The novel releases in print and electronically this Tuesday.
Joan Didion's latest memoir also releases Tuesday, "Blue Nights," a companion to her sorrowful 2005 memoir "The Year Of Magical Thinking," about her husband's death. Now Didion writes of her daughter's death soon after. The elegiac has inspired an "audiobook for the eyes" from Didion's nephew by marriage, the filmmaker Griffin Dunne, and may someday lead to a full-length Didion documentary.
WATCH Griffin Dunne's film documentation of "Blue Nights":
Wednesday, Nov. 9
Grab your gee-tars and American flags, because Wednesday is the night country music royalty rules the land -- or at least the slice of the land watching the Country Music Awards. Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban will battle Princess Taylor Swift for the ultimate title. Tune into ABC from 8/7 central onwards for the stirring conclusion.
Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" opens in limited release Wednesday (and wide release Friday). The sure-to-be-controversial biopic starring Leonardo Dicaprio as the FBI's first, famous director, and Armie Hammer (who played the Winklevii in "The Social Network") as his subordinate and purported lover, Clyde Tolson, delves into unverified rumors about Hoover's closeted homosexuality and penchant for womens' clothes. Nothing like a little "circumspect queenliness" to jumpstart the middle of the week.
Friday, Nov. 11
The movie that caused director Lars Von Trier to word-vomit about Nazis and his affinity to them hits theaters in limited release Friday. "Melancholia" tells the story of two sisters, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Cannes Best Actress winner Kirsten Dunst (who won for this role), as they confront the imminent end of the universe. Von Trier is said to have been inspired by the insight that depressives like himself would stay calm during catastrophes. A depressive's behavior during press tours however, is less predictable.