Our Critics' Picks

THURSDAY 12/20

First Star I See TonightSTARLITE DINE & DANCE CLUB’S 55TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY Music trends come and go, clubs open and close, recording media morph from vinyl to 8-tracks to CDs to iPods, but through it all, the Starlite Dine & Dance Club soldiers on. Head north of the city on Dickerson Road past Old Hickory Boulevard, where downtown’s CCM dye jobs and skinny jeans give way to work boots and cowboy hats, and you’ll come to this unlikely Nashville institution, where 86-year-young Mary “Sis” King has been running the show since 1952—an era when rock ’n’ roll was knee-high to a grasshopper and Rosanne Cash was just a gleam in Johnny’s eye. Starlite is open nightly: Dennis Gulley and the Nightshift Band offer up classic rock, country and Top 40 hits Thursday through Saturday, while DJs and karaoke occupy patrons Sunday through Wednesday. 7 p.m. at Starlite Dine & Dance (3976 Dickerson Pike); band goes on at 9 p.m. —JACK SILVERMAN

One-Man ShowA CHRISTMAS CAROL If there’s an actor in Middle Tennessee who can imaginatively portray the 34 diverse characters contained in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol—and consistently maintain focus for the viewers sitting in front of him—it would probably be Mark Cabus. Busy producing and directing for his newly formed company Naked Stages, Cabus resurrects this Herculean one-man undertaking, last performed in 2002 to serious press acclaim. Besides offering holiday-conscious audiences a rare theatrical treat, this event also serves as a fundraiser for Naked Stages‚ with live music and food also on the bill. Dec. 20-22 in Belmont’s Black Box Theater —MARTIN BRADY

MusicNICK GIACONIA W/MATTIE GROVES, DAVE PERKINS & SPECIAL GUESTS When Nick Giaconia says, “I want to get loud, I want to sweat—trust me I will—and above all, I want to have fun,” he’s not just blowing smoke. He’s making a sacred vow to throw himself into rock ’n’ roll one last time, and—considering how taxing it is for him to sing these days—it’s a safe bet he means it. Two years back, a surgery left Giaconia with scar tissue intermittently paralyzing one of his vocal cords. Since then, trying to sing on any given day has been like shaking a magic 8-ball. Giaconia released a solo set titled Center of the Earth in the mid-’90s and recorded an album as Mattie Groves (named for the murder ballad) in 2000 that featured the energized guitar crunch of “Spaceman” and plenty of solid, spiritually inflected rock. With Dave Perkins—known for his fierce, deeply felt guitar attack and lots more besides—and a cast of other stellar players (Chris Donohue, Pete Wasner and Billy Thomas), Giaconia’s finale will be a truly memorable night. 8 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsley —JEWLY HIGHT

ComedyDOUG BENSON Best known as a talking head on VH1’s Best Week Ever—where he makes America chuckle with his “Pop Culture Bachelor” routine—and as the subtle, actually funny dude on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Doug Benson is also a world-class pot head. A cast-member in the off-Broadway show The Marijuana-Logues (a take-off of The Vagina Monologues)—“I left a bag of pot in my jacket when I dropped it off at the dry cleaners. It was that Marvin Gay weed: weed that’s so strong that after one hit, you’re like, “What’s going on?”—Benson recently starred in a documentary entitled Super High Me. Set to be released in 2008, this film tell the story of Benson not smoking pot for 30 days, then smoking insane amounts of weed for 30 more. He claims neither segment was all that hard—though he did gain 10 pounds during stage two. Dec. 20-23 at Zanie’s Comedy Club —LEE STABERT

FRIDAY 12/21

MusicMAURA O’CONNELL W/TIM O’BRIEN & DARRELL SCOTT O’Connell’s expansive voice has always gained part of its power from the Irish singer’s generous spirit and big heart, so it’s no surprise she’d participate in an all-star benefit concert for beloved journalist and filmmaker Molly Secours, who’s been battling cancer without medical insurance. Adding luster to the lineup will be acoustic music ace Tim O’Brien and soulful songwriter Darrell Scott. Organizers also say a well-known local performer more accustomed to filling theaters than clubs will be appearing, but a contract over an official local appearance won’t allow the star’s name to be publicized. Suffice it to say that the show will be a Christmas present to fans of acoustic music. 9 p.m. at Station Inn —MICHAEL MCCALL

Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls! Yippie-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker!IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE/DIE HARD Those six words are existence in a nutshell, dontcha think? And in some ways, they’re kinda the same movie: lone do-gooder hits a rough patch with his family right at the height of Christmastime, faces a crisis prompted by a greedy jackal, and proceeds to show everyone how one man can affect countless lives—Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey by lending a helping hand to every citizen in cozy Bedford Falls, Bruce Willis’ John McClane by hanging, shooting and blowing up a posse of terrorists in a skyscraper one floor at a time. They’re both Christmas offerings this weekend at the Belcourt, where yearly showings of Frank Capra’s tough-love Yuletide favorite have become a family tradition (and where something a bit weirder was needed for the midnight crowd). Just ask yourself which better suits your mood this holiday season—an angel getting its wings every time a bell rings, or the body of a bad Santa turning up with a note attached that says, “Ho ho ho.” It’s a Wonderful Life shows through Dec. 27; Die Hard screens midnight only, Dec. 21-22 at the Belcourt —JIM RIDLEY