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Jim's Big Dharma

Sometimes you get Internet serendipity. Yesterday, someone I follow on Twitter linked to Shambhala Times (which I admit is not on my regular reading list) and an essay by singer-songwriter Jim Infantino of the band Jim's Big Ego. He writes about songwriting, its practice and intent, and how that intersects with Buddhism. He writes, "In the same way that no song can pull us kicking (and) screaming from our cocoon without our willingness, any song can be used to help us become more mindful, if we are willing to hear it in that way." And somehow, he uses Lady Gaga to illustrate his point! It's an interesting piece. Then, a little while later, I got an email from the folks at notloB Folk Concerts promising an Infantino performance "solo and unplugged, on Friday, January 29 at the historic Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington Street, Newton." The suggested minimum donation is $15 but $5 for children under 12 and a $50 immediate family max.  25% less for museum members.  All donations go to the museum and artist. notlobreservations (at) gmail.com. Infantino's site is here; Jim's Big Ego is here; notloB is here.

Calling all robot artists

You know what I mean. Boston's "low brow destination," the Space 242 gallery in the South End, has issued an open call for "artwork depicting robots including paintings, drawings, comics, photographs, sculpture, multi-media." The work will be considered for the gallery's exhibit "I...YOU...WE...ROBOT! A Visual Homage To Our Inner Geeks," running Jan. 29 through Feb. 19. Kinda quick turnaround times on this, but you can email info (at) space242.com for a submission form. (Picture from here.)

U.S. premiere of Neil Gaiman short film added to Pops/Amanda Palmer New Year's extravaganza

Musician Amanda Palmer and writer Neil Gaiman are a couple, if so prosaic a term applies to anything Palmer gets involved in. Now the U.S. premiere of a Gaiman short film, called "Statuesque," has been added to Palmer's New Year's Eve gig with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. And, the film stars Palmer - and Bill Nighy! It's about "a love triangle between two living statues and an admirer who observes his object of affection every day among the Christmas shoppers, unaware that he too is being watched."  Palmer used to do the living statue thing in Harvard Square as The Eight Foot Bride. Also in the cast are Becca Rosenthal and Liam McKean.

And that's just the start. If you're expecting the same "Auld Lang Syne" and snoring Beacon Hill geezers at Symphony Hall on New Year's, this time you're in the wrong place. It's a whole night full of stuff - I think this is the real Edgefest. (Pictured: Palmer spicing up Lockhart's life at a Pops performance in June. Pops pic by Michael J. Lutch.)

Courtney Lewis, Discovery Ensemble at Sanders

You'll probably want to get a look at Courtney Lewis, the 25-year-old conductor and founder of Discovery Ensemble, while you can. I haven't heard the group, but word mouth on Lewis is impressive. The former Boston Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra fellow has just started as Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra, and so he's already dividing his time between Boston and Minneapolis. Smart money suggests that he's going places; his looks won't hurt his chances. But then, the Discovery Ensemble ("Bringing classical music to kids") is pretty special too, convening the 40-member orchestra for four programs a year, each including two in-school workshops, a matinee concert for kids at the schools, and a concert for the public. The latest public concert, “Bach Meets the Neoclassicists:  Music of Bach, Bartók, Stravinsky and Prokofiev,” is Jan. 17 at Sanders Theatre. Tix, $20-$35, went on sale today at www.discoveryensemble.com and  617-496-2222.

Coolidge to host a "Company Men" premiere

Well, one of them. The Coolidge Corner is one of eight theaters nationwide picked to host a Sundance Film Festival premiere screening. And the movie is "ER" producer John Wells' downsizing drama "The Company Men," which filmed here. Wells hits Brookline on Jan. 28 for the showing, which "Premiere" can be a pretty slippery term these days, and I expect there's a Hollywood red-carpet deal days beforehand. The cast includes homies Ben Affleck and Chris Cooper and Harvard grad Tommy Lee Jones, but there's no word if any of them will be at the event. Tickets will be available online at www.coolidge.org and at the  box office, beginning Jan. 4 for Coolidge members and Jan. 6 for the general public.

Morning reading: WGBH v. WBUR and more

If I was making up the front page today, I would have been tempted to put Alex Beam's hi-larious "radio wars" column on the front instead of the BU opera resume embarrassment. I was kind of disappointed he didn't find an opening to bring up Chris Lydon's former BUR salary, but nothing is perfect. ... Also in G is my theater column, "Theater company scripts say 'trim' and 'team up.'" I made a rookie mistake - I pitched a column idea that required eleventy-hundred phone  calls to do right. But it came out pretty good. ... Names and the Herald both do right by our local SYTYCD winner. ... Globe critic Sebastian Smee and blogger Greg Cook are still talking about localism, yokelism and other -isms. ... And Ryan has another hot tip, complete with a free listen.

"Sleep No More" extended

The American Repertory Theater has extended the demented theatrical experience that is "Sleep No More" for 16 performances, which will take it through Jan. Feb. 7. Click here to read my take after a visit to this spooky, non-verbal rendering of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" by Britain's Punchdrunk theater troupe in an empty Brookline schoolhouse. If you haven't been, go! Regular-price tix are $39, at the A.R.T. web site or 617-547-8300.

Morning readings: Davis curator, dueling Christmas Revels reviews and more

Greg tells us about the new curator at the Davis Museum. The Leger is still missing however. ... Apropos of our Sunday rant in the Globe about movie shoots here, in January the Boston Public Library is showing a series of movies shot here. ... Creativity is discovered in the Berkshires. ... The Globe notes that the Christmas Revels is awfully nice in a season of naughty, while the Phoenix says its one of the best Christmas Revels ever. Guess which link the Revels folks sent us. BTW, the Revels is holding 39th anniversary sale Wednesday & Thursday for our performances this Thursday & Friday. The $52 tix for Thursday and Friday performances will sell for $39. Use Coupon Code REVELS39 when ordering online at the Harvard Box Office. The Coupon Code discount will also be honored by the Harvard Box Office by phone at 617-496-2222 ... Why not treat yourself for Christmas with a HubArts ad? Just click on POST FLYER over the on the top right...

Yo-Yo to the Ma-x

The CD is slowly dying even with the classical audience, as Jeremy Eichler wrote in the Globe yesterday, but, um, holy crap! Look at this! Sony pinged me the other day looking for some PR for "Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box," a massive collection of music from the world-renowned cellist who calls Cambridge home. Usually I ignore such requests, but this thing is the classical music equivalent of the alien ship hovering over Manhattan in "V." The set includes 90 CDs – every original album Ma has recorded to date, plus two bonus discs with the first release of John Williams’ Suite from Memoirs of a Geisha for Cello and Orchestra. It's all been remastered with "DSD technology," whatever that is, and the numbered, limited-edition set comes in a velvet-lined box and features a 312-page book. The perfect Christmas gift for the classical music fan on your list, eh? Ready to hear how much it costs? Better sit down. The set lists for $632.99, but shop around: Amazon.com offers a link to one vendor  selling it for $499.40, while Borders.com wants $754.99. In fact, Ma's own web site started selling the first 200 numbered editions in late September, for $789. And there are higher prices out there. I've emailed to ask how many sold.

Help kickstart designer's Shakespeare & Co. book

Lenox-based designer Kevin Sprague is using the Kickstarter web site to raise money to publish a book on his work for Shakespeare & Company. Sprague is creative director for the Studio Two marketing and branding agency; Shakespeare & Co. has been a client since 1994. Sprague's Kickstarter page explains: I’ve created an exciting new book called “Imagining Shakespeare” that shows a comprehensive look at all of the award-winning photography, design, advertising and illustration work that I have done for Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass for the last 15 years.