Friday news and reviews

Here's your daily round-up. The major news of the day is that Garrison Keillor is going to let someone else play host to A Prairie Home Companion this month...

Art

Dave Whannel at Rosalux GalleryAfter the bleak, white landscapes we continue to see these past few months, it is only natural to be more than happy to experience something else, even if it is a but distorted.

- Shelby Meyers

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Children's book artists get personal

Seven Twin Cities children's book artists get an opportunity to exhibit their more personal work.

- Mary Abbe, Star Tribune

Movies

'Country Strong': A star is boring

Loaded with music-comeback clichés, 'Country Strong' ain't got what it takes to put Gwyneth Paltrow back on track.

- Colin Covert, Star Tribune

Review: 'Country Strong' is not at all as good as its ads pretend it isIf "Country Strong" were a country song, it would be "Crazy."

- Chris Hewitt, Pioneer Press

Nowhere man

In Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere," a bored, clueless movie star tries to reconnect with his daughter. We try to remain awake.

- Colin Covert, Star Tribune

Review: Sofia Coppola runs well on empty

The destined-to-be-remembered opening image of Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere" is a stationary shot of a Ferrari racing in and out of frame as it circles a track three or four times. It's kind of riveting, kind of beautiful and kind of dull, which kind of sums up Coppola's films.

- Chris Hewitt, Pioneer Press

Reviewed in brief: "Four Lions," "Summer Wars"

- Colin Covert, Star Tribune

Museums

Science Museum film to play at this year's Omnifest

Called one of "the most immersive films" in the Omnitheater's 33-year history by Mike Day, the museum's senior vice president, "Tropical Rainforest" took staff seven years to create.

- Tim Harlow, Star Tribune

Music

501 Club is out, Turf in transition

Minneapolis loses one of its best new venues, while St. Paul's favorite old hangout hangs on.

- Chris RIiemenschneider, Star Tribune

Rap show moves from the temporarily closed to the bye-bye forever

As for this weekend's now-canceled Turf shows, the big one found a new a home at, sigh, a club that's closing for good.

- Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press

Stage

Prairie Home first: A guest host to sub for Keillor

A Prairie Home Companion's Garrison Keillor will step aside as host for one of the show's upcoming appearances at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.

- Elizabeth Dunbar, Minnesota Public Radio

Keillor benches himself for one 'Prairie Home'

After 37 years, he'll let someone else host his show on Jan. 15, but he'll deliver "News from Lake Wobegon."

- Jon Bream, Star Tribune

'Glengarry' revival: Life of a salesman

David Mamet's iconic look at the Darwinian world of sales reps goes under the microscope again at Torch Theater.

- Graydon Royce, Star Tribune

24-Hour Play Project presents white-hot creations

Deadlines can be good for creativity. There's nothing like an editor breathing down your neck to get a writer off the couch and to the computer, at the very least to make all the shouting and screaming stop.

- Ed Huyck, City Pages

Not for the timid: New puppetry at the Walker

- Max Sparber, MinnPost.com

Twin Cities improv: The Mustache Rangers and Jill Bernard

- Max Sparber, MinnPost.com