WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22, 2010 >>>

1. The Coen Brothers adapted yet another classic western - Charles Portis' dark comedy True Grit - in which a young girl teams up with two weird-ass lawmen to avenge her father's murder in the Wild West. The film screens at 2:10, 4:35, 7 and 9:25 at The Grand Cinema.

2. The Nutcracker - with its sugarplum fairies, dancing snowflakes, and magical toys - is a holiday tradition for many families. But most kids can't fully appreciate the whimsical ballet set to Tchaikovsky's score - they're too stuck on the name. Years ago, when a friend's mother announced that she wanted to take a group of us to experience the timeless work, we fell into peals of laughter as soon as she was out of earshot: "The Nutcracker! We 'bout to see somebody's nuts get cracked! NUTS!" The silliness died down in the weeks before the performance, and when the curtain rose, we were captivated - eyes wide and glassy, mouths gaping. But it wasn't the ballet that had us transfixed - it was the constricting tights on the male dancers. "Hey," whispered a friend sitting next to us. "I guess we know now why they really call it The Nutcracker!" Create your own memories at 1 and 5 p.m. when the Tacoma City Ballet stages its version inside the Pantages Theater.

3. Comedian W. C. Fields once quipped, "Never work with animals or children." Fortunately, Tacoma Little Theatre ignored his admonishment and stages Annie at 2 p.m. TLT not only chose a classic story, they put together a cast that is great to watch. This cast is so good, in fact, they received a standing ovation on opening night. Read our full review of the show here.

4. Chances are you've now suffered through the dreaded office holiday party - unless your company is so parsimonious that the party isn't happening. Either way, please accept our sympathies. These company soirees force you to mingle with the same jejune folks you see every day while pawing a plate of thawed shrimp and sipping watered-down martinis. Bored if you do, damned if you don't. Reward yourself tonight with a real party, rockabilly fans. The Baxters - formerly The Dempseys - will fill Jazzbones at 7:30 p.m. with bass fiddle stunts, instrument swapping, a flaming trumpet with enough a good-humored repertoire to pull us away from the bar (ha ha ha, good one). 

5. Geeks Who Drink pub quiz at 8:30 p.m. inside the Ram Restaurant and Brewery on Ruston Way consists of eight rounds of eight questions and is played in teams of up to six people. Questions are read aloud by the quizmaster; teams write their answers on provided sheets and turn them in at the end of each round. The team with the most points after eight rounds is the winner. Oh, and there's drinking involved, too.

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