"Happy holidays, Jeff!"
"And happy holidays to you, Mike. You seem to be in a good mood."
"That I am! I just finished my last writing assignment of the year, and am about to take off to do the last of my Christmas shopping!"
"So the What's Happenin' pages are done, then?"
"That they are! As usual for this time of year, we're treating readers to our special centerspread What's Happenin' on New Year's Eve, which gives the lowdown on the area venues that are hosting live music, karaoke, or DJs prior to midnight on January 1. We include information on what time the music starts, whether there's a cover charge, and what New Year's treats - party favors, appetizers, champagne - folks can look forward to, along with venue phone numbers and street and Web addresses for added convenience. Plus, it goes without saying that all of the bands and venues are also listed on the Live Music pages in the back of the Reader."
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL
The Reader's chief theatre reviewer, Thom White, saw and wrote about 52 area stage productions in 2011. I saw 39 and reviewed 12. Obviously, during our second-annual breakfast chat on the Year in Theatre, there was a bit to talk about.
In a rather perverse bit of scheduling, at least for me, last weekend brought with it the area release of exactly zero debuting films, while this past weekend delivered six ... on the same weekend, I should add, that I had a lengthy road trip out of town and appeared in four performances of a local stage production. But I'm not one to complain. Onward!
Music
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS
Going to the cineplex or IMAX this weekend? Every Friday morning at 9 a.m. you can listen to Mike Schulz dish on recent movie releases & talk smack about Hollywood celebs on the Quad City Rocker 104.9FM, with the fabulous morning team of 
THE MUPPETS
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 1
On November 25, the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse will debut Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, a holiday comedy based on one of the many children's books featuring author Barbara Park's feisty, funny, and unpredictable first-grader Junie B. Jones. It's the second Junie B. title that Circa '21 has staged in the past three years, and if you attend this new show and think you recognize its star from 2009's Junie B. Jones & a Little Monkey Business, you do: Sunshine Ramsey will again be donning Junie's dress to play a character some 25 years younger than the actress is.
