Denver Arts Week at various venues (Friday-Saturday, many events are free) Denver Arts Week is coming to close this week, but you still have time to get into the, ahem, arts of Denver. There are plenty of galleries around town doing special shows this weekend, but if we had to pick and choose, we'd recommend you get a 15-minute complimentary fashion consultation at Carol Mier Fashion, 754 Santa Fe Drive, or check out the free admission at many of the museums around town.
The Way of Things and Abstract Clay at Ice Cube Gallery @ the Dry Ice Factory (Friday, Free) You a big fan of fish and flora? If so, you'll probably want to kick it over to the Ice Cube Gallery and check out these works that are just that. You'll find plenty of both, from seaweed totems to metal fish sculptures.
Gregg Graffin at Tattered Cover LoDo (Friday, Free) Before you go see the Bad Religion show tonight at the Fillmore, you might want to make your way down to the Tattered Cover to get a glimpse of Gregg Graffin, the band's lead singer and songwriter, as he takes questions about his newest book, Anarchy Evolution: Faith Science and Bad Religion. Hopefully it'll give you a better understanding of all those sophisticated lyrics you've been ignoring over the years. Lipgloss at La Rumba (Friday, $5) Usually we wouldn't bother recommending Lipgloss, because if you want to go to Lipgloss, you'll go to Lipgloss; if you don't, you won't. That said, Denver's favorite destination for hipsters and rock royalty has a special guest DJ tonight in Pictureplane, so perhaps, if you're lucky, you'll hear some supremely wacky DJ hijinks to get your groove onto this evening.Midnight Movie: Maniac at the Esquire Sometimes a horror movie isn't satisfied being just another horror movie. It needs to be something more. In the case of Maniac, it means going so over the top with violence that it forced Gene Siskel to walk out in the middle of the movie. It's certainly one of the most horrifying horror movies to date, but if you've got the stomach for it, tonight is your night to see it on the big screen.
Gifts for Yule at Phipps Tennis Pavilion (Saturday-Sunday, Free) If you'd like to get all of your holiday shopping out of the way in one swoop before Thanksgiving even hits, you'll want to hit up the Gifts of Yule fair this weekend. You'll find plenty of handmade crafts, from knits to soap and so much more. Parking and entry is free, meaning you'll be able to save all your cash for gifts.
Denver's Next Improv Star at Bovine Metropolis Theater (Saturday, $5) If you typically spend your Saturday mornings sitting on the couch watching cartoons and eating cereal, you might want to get off your lazy ass and make your way down to the Bovine this morning to see a bunch of amateur improvisation stars try out for Denver's Next Improv Star. It's sure to be more entertaining than whatever is on CBS.
Double//Shadow at Beauty Bar (Saturday, Free) Denver's hipster dance scene has been stagnant recently; usually nights pop in and out of existence without leaving much of a mark, which is probably due to their similarity to so many other nights in the city. If you're looking for something a little different, you might find solace at Beauty Bar tonight, where James Yardley and James Holden will be debuting their new night. The premise is respectable: bring back the high-fashion nightly outings of old, toss some slow songs into the mix, have fun.
Thomas Hart Benton and Anthony Benton Gude at The Madden Museum of Art (Sunday, Free) The opening reception might have been a couple months ago, but that doesn't mean you still can't wander into the Madden Museum of Art and appreciate the square things with nice pictures on the walls this weekend. It's a father and son show, which is like, some type of holiday miracle.
Go UFO hunting anywhere in Colorado (Sunday, free) With Initiative 300 being rejected last week, there is going to be only way for you to prove to people how very wrong they were to shoot down the proposal: find and hunt aliens. You don't have to kill them, but you need to get them on video. Okay, bonus points if you kill them.
