7+1 Edited by Jarrod Gollihare

Top Pick

Hard New Year. If you feel the need to be severely rocked this New Year's Eve, there's only one option for you. Blank Slate, 1st & Detroit, will feature young metal gods Crooked X in concert along with pop-rockers The Effects, indie rockers Callupsie, leftfield rock combo the Malan Darras Orchestra, modern rock mainstays Midwest Kings, and newcomers Ganem. Call 794-7891 for details.

Last Chance for 2007

Thursday, December 27

Sometimes good things come in small packages. (Or frames.) Case in point: Color Connection Gallery's holiday exhibit "Small Treasures," featuring miniature paintings by gallery artists Robert Reed, Diane Salamon, Jeannie Graham and Shirley Ward. Show ends on Dec. 31.

Friday, December 28

Human beings everywhere are--generally speaking--kinda weird. But that's OK. In fact... it's normal. Installation/video artist Lucy Gunning has spent years exploring "the idiosyncrasies of human behavior" in her intriguing and challenging pieces. Her latest piece, "Focus 4," was unveiled at Philbrook Museum, 2727 S. Rockford Rd., earlier this year. Exhibition ends Dec. 30. Visit www.philbrook.org for more information.

Saturday, December 29

Local musician Michael Ray Little set a tall order for himself: produce one new CD per year beginning in 2007. Well, the year's almost up... and Little has made good on his word (for the time being). The CD release party for his new release, Flying Boy, will take place tonight at Cain's Ballroom, 423 N. Main. Lauren Little and Brandon Yoder will open the show. Doors open at 7pm.

Sunday, December 30

Tulsans just love their plaid, it seems...and their '50s and '60s music, too. This explains the annual return of the ever-popular stage musical Forever Plaid to Tulsa Little Theatre, 1511 S. Delaware, 2pm. Featuring Justin Boyd, Tracy Watson, Mike Pryor and Mark Powell, with Bruce Wilkin and Jim Bates supplying live music.

Monday, December 31

Choices, choices. It's New Year's Eve and the entertainment options in town are myriad. You could head over to the New Year's Eve Celebration at the Jazz Hall, 111 E. 1st, and spend the evening with smooth sax master Grady Nichols onstage with vocalists Starr Fisher, Jenny Labow and Mary Cogan. 9pm. Or you could party downtown at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 100 E. 2nd St., at their Annual New Year's Eve Gala Dinner featuring I.J. Ganem "Mr. Entertainer" in the Tulsa Ballroom, and "Imzadi" in the Promenade Ballroom. Dinner is served at 6:30pm. Or how about popping in at Million Dollar Elm Casino, 951 W. 36th St., for live music from Jump Suit Love and a champagne toast at midnight? Better make up your mind...

Tuesday, January 1

It's New Year's Day. You're supposed to ruminate about your experiences in 2007 this afternoon, and mull over your plans and expectations for 2008. If, however, you can't recall anything after your eighth champagne cocktail last night, you have no idea who wrote "Little Poke Monkey" in felt marker on your forehead (or why), and you woke up in a strange motel room bed next to an actual, honest-to-God pony this morning... wearing nothing but a fez... you're allowed to skip all that contemplative stuff until tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 2

"El Grafico Popular," the current exhibit at Gilcrease Museum, 1400 Gilcrease Museum Rd., is showcasing 40 lithographs, monotypes and relief prints by one of Mexico's most beloved and accomplished artists, Alfredo Zalce (1908-2003). Call 596-2700 for more info.

Thursday, January 3

For Oklahoma City based artist Eric Humphries, disparity is important. His renditions of true historical atrocities, depicted cartoon style, are shocking and thought-provoking in their stylistic contrast. His latest exhibit "Atrocities: Man's Inhumanities," opening today at Living Arts of Tulsa, 308 S. Kenosha Ave., promises to shed new light on the worst of mankind. Call 585-1234 for more information.

Once a Year CD. Tulsan Michael Ray Little made a resolution to produce one new CD every year beginning in 2007. His CD release party for Flying Boy, the first fruit of this vow, kicks off on Sat., Dec. 29 at Cain's Ballroom, 423 N. Main. The CD release party features opening performances by Lauren Little and Brandon Yoder. This show is for all ages and tickets are $5. Doors open at 7pm. Visit cainsballroom.com for more.

Have A Plaid New Year. Jinx, Frankie, Sparky and Smudge, will be onstage at Tulsa Little Theatre, 1511 S. Delaware, New Year's Eve at 9pm, for Forever Plaid, as well as on Sat., Dec. 29 at 8pm and Sunday, Dec. 30 at 2pm. The Forever Plaid cast includes Justin Boyd, Tracy Watson, Mike Pryor and Mark Powell with Bruce Wilkin and Jim Bates providing accompaniment. These performers bring great '50s and '60s music and hilarious staging together to provide an unforgettable evening. Tickets range from $20-$30 depending on the performance day. Call 744-7340 for tickets or go to tulsamusicals.com.

Can a Kid do That? Dean Wyatt, artist, Owasso resident and president of Tulsa Artists' Coalition is setting up his acrylic abstract pieces for public viewing through Dec. 30 at the Performing Arts Center Gallery, 110 E. 2nd St. Gallery hours are Mon.-Fri., 10am-5:30pm, and during Chapman Music Hall events. It's free and open to the public. Go to tulsapac.com for more.

A Grady Nichols New Year. It's a great night of music in Tulsa during the New Year's Eve Celebration at the Jazz Hall, Mon., Dec. 31. Oklahoma Jazz Hall Legacy Tribute honoree and national recording artist, saxophonist Grady Nichols joins with the soulful vocal gifts of Starr Fisher, the pop stylings of Jenny Labow and the bluesy, earthy style of Mary Cogan. A New Year's Eve package is available that includes hotel accommodations at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, dinner, tickets for the concert and shuttle service to and from the Jazz Depot, 111 E. 1st St. The doors open at 9pm. Go to okjazz.org or call 596-1001 to order tickets.

Midnight Kiss. So many parties and only one night. It's the night whence new traditions are resolutely made in a champagne haze, sealed with a kiss at midnight. Do all this and more at The Crowne Plaza Hotel, 100 E. 2nd St. during the Annual New Year's Eve Gala Dinner on Mon., Dec. 31. Dinner begins at 6:30pm and the evening's festivities include entertainment by I.J. Ganem "Mr. Entertainer" in the Tulsa Ballroom, "Imzadi" in the Promenade Ballroom, casino style gaming in the Tulsa Foyer, party favors and a champagne toast at midnight. The New Year's Eve hotel package includes room accommodations, overnight covered parking, early check-in at 11am on Mon., a breakfast brunch and late check-out 2pm on Tues. for $239 per couple. Upgrade to the Premiere Package, which includes a prime rib buffet dinner for $289 per couple. You must be 21 years and older. And don't forget to "Dress to Impress." Call Pat Navarro-Stunkard at 560-2218 to make reservations.

New Year's Jackpot. Make New Year's Eve a "Million Dollar Evening" at Million Dollar Elm Casino, 951 W. 36th St., Mon., Dec. 31. Celebrate in style and earn free play during the New Year's Eve party that includes free shuttle service to downtown hotels, a dinner buffet, live music by Jump Suit Love and a champagne toast at midnight. The party starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are $30. Buy tickets at gettix.net or call 877-246-8777.

Santa Smalls. The holiday exhibit "Small Treasures," hosted by The Color Connection Gallery, 2050 Utica Square, will run through Dec. 31. The show features miniature paintings by gallery artists, and includes a 15 percent discount on all artwork. Featured artists are Robert Reed, Diane Salamon, Jeannie Graham and Shirley Ward. Call 742-0515 or go to colorconnection.com for more information.

Holiday Basketball. Its slim pickins for sports this week with the Tulsa 66ers, ORU Golden Eagles and the Oilers all playing out of town or celebrating the holidays. Never fear, the Golden Hurricane is here. TU women's basketball team will give Stephen F. Austin the run around Sat., Dec. 29 at 2pm. TU Men's Basketball gets low with Mississippi Valley State Sunday, Dec. 30 at 2pm. Both games are at the Reynolds Center on the TU campus, 800 S. Tucker Drive. Go to HYPERLINK "http://tulsahurricane.cstv.com"; http://tulsahurricane.cstv.com or call 631-2381 for tickets.

Feels Good to be Bad. It just wouldn't be the holidays without a Dirty Carny Side Show. Dec. 27-29 brings 40 bands to the Otherside Event Center, 69th and Lewis, on two stages no less. Featuring great and/or local bands such as Hollywood Harlot kicking the party off on Thursday, After Eight starts out on Friday and One Night in Paris wraps up the gig on Saturday. Call 488-0100 for more.

2007: Going Out in a Haze of Glory. We all pay for our mistakes on New Years Day. That's why everything is closed Jan. 1 because everyone is too hung-over to move. Don't let that stop you from heading down to 230 E. 1st St. to The Blank Slate's New Years Eve Party because Crooked X, GANEM, Midwest Kings, Callupsie, The Effects, and the Malan Darras Orchestra are ringing in the New Year Mon., Dec. 31 and we always have New Years Day to recover. Tickets are on sale at Starship Records and Tapes or call 585-8282.

Southside Shindig. It's the Largest New Year's Eve party in Tulsa! According to The Otherside Event center, that is. The Otherside Event Center celebrates New Year's Eve in style by opening all three clubs for the night. Party like it's 2007 at Otherside, Club Fever and Crush Lounge, 69th and Lewis, at the same time while listening to six bands simultaneously. Actually there's more than one stage and each band including Hero Factor, Uninvited Guest, Citizen Mundi, Wade Quinton, Travis Kidd and PDA will be playing till the balloons drop and the champagne pops. Tickets are $20 advance and $30 the day of the party. Go to OKCtickets.com or call 488-0100 for more.

Not Going South. The Great Leap Northward is the title of the latest painting by Oklahoma City based artist Eric Humphries, who is opening "Atrocities: Man's Inhumanities," Thurs., Jan. 3 at Living Arts of Tulsa, 308 S. Kenosha Ave. The reception is from 5-8pm on Thurs. and the show will be up through Jan. 24. Humphries' works are characterized by cartoonist renditions of true-life historical atrocities, such as the Mai Lai massacre, the bombing of Hiroshima and the war in Iraq. The Living Arts show is sure to be much of the same as Humphries will be showing, among many others, a four canvas series over the Sept. 11 attacks entitled Heaven, Hell and the Earth, which explores all aspects of the terrorist attacks on New York, including the motives and perspectives of the terrorists themselves. Call 585-1234 for more information.

Tales from the Trail. "Oklahoma Statehood: A Cherokee Perspective" reveals the struggles and ultimate triumphs experienced by the Cherokee people over the last 100 years. The exhibit at the Cherokee Heritage Center in Park Hill focuses on the important legislation and political environment that led to Oklahoma Statehood. Learn about the important historical legislation including the Curtis Act, Dawes Commission, The State of Sequoyah Convention and more. For more information call the Cherokee Heritage Center at 456-6007, or visit CherokeeHeritage.org. This exhibit will run through April 19, 2008, but will be closed the month of Jan.

Cosmic Adventure. Explore the universe at the planetarium's newest show, Infinity Express. Actor Laurence Fishburne narrates as the show explores the mysteries of the universe with images taken by the Hubble Space telescope that take the audience through the life and death of a star, into the depths of planet Mars and beyond. Infinity Express will show at the James E. Bertelsmeyer Planetarium, 3624 N. 74th E. Ave., through Nov. 2008. Tickets are $6. Go to TulsaAirAndSpaceMuseum.com or call 834-9900 for showtimes.

Look Again. Trained as a sculptor, Lucy Gunning has, for the past 15 years, focused on film and video installation works that examine the idiosyncrasies of human behavior. Gunning's work exudes a sympathetic curiosity as she underscores the strangeness that often lies at the heart of apparently normal human behavior. The understated simplicity of Gunning's filmed scenarios--a woman imitating the sound of a horse (The Horse Impressionists, 1994) or drunken businessmen trying to navigate their way home through London's Liverpool Station (Esc, 2004)--gradually reveal subtle psychological insights, tensions between fantasy and reality and levels of complexity within her chosen subject. Gunning's work de-familiarizes the familiar by disrupting and undermining social conventions and expected behavior through play and humor. For her newest project, "Focus 4," Gunning developed a new work that was unveiled at Philbrook, 2727 S. Rockford Rd., and will be on display through Dec. 30. Call 749-7941 or visit www.philbrook.org for more information.

New Old World. Oklahoma native Olinka Hrdy, (1902-1987), was an artist influenced by Cubism, Bauhaus abstraction, Art Deco and Czech Embroidery. During her studies at OU, she produced wall murals that got the attention of architect Bruce Goff, who commissioned a cycle of nine music themed murals for his 1929 Riverside Drive project. This led to future commissions including the stage curtain and entryway mural for the Historic Brady Theater. She traveled from New York to Wisconsin where she studied at Frank Lloyd Wright's school in Spring Green, to Hollywood as an industrial designer following World War II, before coming home to Prague, OK, where she remained until 1987. Constructivism, art deco and Czech folk art are exhibited in "Oklahoma Moderne: The Art and Design of Olinka Hrdy" at Price Tower Arts Center, 510 Dewey Ave., Bartlesville, now through Jan. 13. $4 admission. Call 336-4949 or visit pricetower.org for more information.

Better Living through Architecture. Philbrook Museum of Art presents "Frank Lloyd Wright and the House Beautiful," through Jan. 20. This exhibit is a visually rich showcase of Frank Lloyd Wright's passion for creating a new way of life through architecture. With approximately 100 objects, the exhibition includes furniture, metal work, textiles, drawings, publications, and accessories from the collection of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ, and other public and private collections. The exhibition is the first devoted to the noted architect's decorative and graphic designs since the '70s. Philbrook Museum of Art is located at 2727 S. Rockford Rd. For more information call 749-7941 or visit "http://www.philbrook.org"; philbrook.org or artsandartist.org.

Popular Mexican Art. An exhibition of works by Mexican artist Alfredo Zalce (1908-2003) continues at Gilcrease Museum. Alfredo Zalce, "El Grafico Popular" includes forty artworks from one of Mexico's most creative and accomplished artists. The exhibition focuses on his work as a printmaker, consisting of lithographs, monotypes and relief prints. "El Grafico Popular" provides a unique look at one of Mexico's most celebrated and enduring artists. The exhibition runs through Feb. 24, 2008, at Gilcrease Museum, 1400 Gilcrease Museum Rd. Call 596-2700 for more.

Oklahoma Life. Gilcrease Museum's new exhibition, "Charles Banks Wilson: An Oklahoma Life in Art," not only showcases the museum's holdings but will also include a number of artworks from private collections and several new paintings that have never been on public view. Charles Banks Wilson is one of Oklahoma's premier artists whose artworks have been collected and exhibited around the globe. Gilcrease Museum holds one of the most comprehensive collections of Wilson's work, ranging from his early years as an art student and illustrator to his extensive series of Native American portraits and scenes of Oklahoma life. Working in a variety of mediums, Wilson is an accomplished illustrator, muralist, lithographer, sculptor, and teacher. His work has been widely acclaimed for its attention to detail and insightful composition. The exhibition continues now through March 9, 2008.

Tulsarama Relived. Through March 31, 2008, "Flashback '57: Tulsarama & The Buried Belvedere" allows patrons to see the items in the time-capsule plus other artifacts and images from 1957. Tulsa's History Museum is located at the Tulsa Historical Society, 2445 S. Peoria. Hours are 10am-4pm, Tues.--Sat. For more details, call 712-9484 or go to tulsahistory.org.