The next words out of his mouth, however, were, “And no, we don’t have a location in mind yet.” The crowd sighed.

The news of the center’s needed expansion was nothing new at the time. In October 2008, the Walton Arts Center Council announced the completion of a facility feasibility study which cited the need for $180 million in expansion and proposed a 2,200-seat theater, a 600-seat multi-use space, and a 100-seat black box studio.

“Clearly, location of new facilities is a very hot issue,” said Willem Brans, vice president of Arts Consulting Group, Inc., the organization hired to conduct the three-phase study. “And while we had hoped to make a more specific recommendation, we do not believe that there is a clear answer at this time.”

Brans’ team did, however, indicate that the most opportunistic location would be either adjacent to the current WAC facilities in Fayetteville or near the site of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.

Tonight, many of those same reporters who sat on the Baum Walker Hall stage last April awaiting some insight into the center’s new location, will gather once again – with fingers crossed – in hopes that some more solid information will be provided this time around.

A media advisory was issued yesterday with a subject line of, “Walton Arts Center holds press event to announce criteria and timeline for new site selection.”

The time? 5:45 p.m. today. The place? The Walton Arts Center lobby. The news? We shall see.

For questions about any of the following meetings, please contact the City of Fayetteville’s administration office at 479-575-8323 or the Washington County Quorum Court Coordinator at 479-444-1701.

If you notice that a public meeting is missing, please let us know and we’ll get it added.

“Turned out the restaurant only had a minor equipment issue, and there was no fire,” reads the 4029TV website.

The City of Fayetteville Fire/Police Dispatch Logs note that shortly before noon, a “Structure Fire” was reported at 430 W. Dickson, the address of Hog Haus Brewing Co.

Within about ten minutes, multiple fire trucks and police officers were on the scene. Before leaving, fire crews raised a ladder and took a look around the roof of the building.

We took some photos but it was 4029TV that got the scoop on the incident.

It was just over a year ago that the restaurant caught fire and parts of the roof had to be removed in order to put out the flames.

Read it at 4029TV

UPDATE: We just heard back from the Fayetteville Fire Department. Officials say that some melted wires created a smoke smell which caused the false alarm.

If the above slide show doesn’t load, visit the entire set on Flickr.

The 22-track compilation was put together by Eric Jensen of KXUA 88.3FM and Art Amiss. The bands featured are mostly from Northwest Arkansas and include The Counterlife, Egyptr, Fire Don’t Care, Genome Chomsky and Perpetual Werewolf, to name a few.

The first 100 people who attended the show this past weekend received a limited edition CD with handmade packaging.

The digital download is available at the KXUA website and includes a track list, band bios, and digital artwork of the CD label and poster from the show.

Visit the KXUA website to download the compilation.

Arkansas Punk! track listing

1. A+ Setup – Relax About the Afterlife
2. The Drunkards – Kill The Boppers
3. The Moving Front – Accessory to Empire
4. The Bling Grenades – Watching You
5. Well, Well, Well – Build a Religion
6. The Chicklettes – Bobo Weekend
7. Perpetual Werewolf – Our Bodies Work
8. The Ozark Mountain Nightmare Band – This is Mutiny
9. Miniature Colossal Men – I Wanna Have Sex With Dee Dee Ramone
10. The Plaid Jackets – Jerkface
11. The Kill Crazies – Blow You Away
12. What Army – Deliverance
13. Magic Hassle – Speed Dealer
14. Fire Don’t Care – Dis-Allusion
15. Lethal Red – From Beneath The Grave
16. The Fuck-Tards – Lafayette House
17. The Pullout Method – Your Face Looks Better With Blood On It
18. Egyptr – Bit Lip Red
19. Genome Chomsky – If You Want War…
20. The Counterlife – Spy vs. Spy
21. The Malls – Take Dope (live – 1980)
22. Soophie Nun Squad – You’re Too Young For The Living Dead

From what we can see outside our window, the snow still isn’t sticking to the roads but that could change as the temperature continues to drop. Be careful out there, Fayetteville.

Oh, and don’t forget to check the Flyer Wire which is now pulling in tweets and Flickr photos related to the weather. To contribute, just tag your tweets and photos with #nwasnow10.

Here’s what we’ve got:

Monday, February 8, 2010

Pesto Cafe: Darren Ray

The Perk: Open acoustic jam

JJ’s Grill n Chill: Will Brand

The event is organized to encourage the production of diverse varieties of Arkansas heirloom seeds, some of which are in danger of becoming extinct.

Those attending may trade and distribute heirloom food crop, herbs, and ornamental seeds. Hybrid seeds will also be traded and distributed.

From the release:

If you have no seeds to swap but want to learn more, come along to mingle with gardeners and farmers who can provide great insight about heirloom seeds.

There will be a short presentation about seed saving at the beginning of the event, followed by demonstrations, seed distribution, and a seed savers exchange.

The seed swap is sponsored by the Fayetteville Community Gardening Coalition (FCGC), the University of Central Arkansas’ (UCA) Conserving Arkansas’s Agricultural Heritage (CAAH!) Project, Washington County Cooperative Extension Service, the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and Ozark Natural Foods.

For more information, call Katy Deaton at 479-409-4431 or Dr. Brian Campbell at 501-450-3178.

After a 1-3 start in SEC play, Arkansas won their fourth straight game Saturday afternoon, beating Auburn in overtime 82-79. Arkansas improved to 5-3 in conference play and moved into sole possession of first place in the SEC west with the win.

Courtney Fortson led the Hogs with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, and the sophomore point guard scored 10 of the Razorbacks last 11 points in overtime to seal the victory.

“We’ve been fortunate in this stretch. We’ve been down in every single basketball game, and fortunately for us, we’ve played our best toward the end of the game,” Coach John Pelphrey said after the game.

Arkansas was able to get the win despite losing top inside player Michael Washington for the final eight minutes of the game and the overtime period. Washington was hit in the shin with 8:09 to play, and did not return.

“We’ve been dealing with adversity all year,” Fortson said of losing Washington. “As long as we stick together, anything can happen.”

Freshman forward Marshawn Powell filled in at center, and Arkansas went with a four-guard lineup down the stretch with Washington out. Powell scored 19 points in the game, with 17 of those points coming after halftime.

Arkansas trailed by three points with 1:07 left to play before Powell was fouled on his way to the basket. Powell converted the layup, and the free throw to tie the game at 65.

Powell also got a steal on the next Auburn possession, and a Fortson layup on Arkansas’ put the Hogs up by two points with 15 seconds left.

Auburn went for the win on their final possession of regulation, but missed on two three point attempts that would have put them ahead before Andre Malone was able to put back the second miss to tie the game with 1.8 seconds left.

Fortson took over in overtime. The sophomore scored 10 points and added two assists resulting in layups for Marshawn Powell which accounted for 14 of the Hogs’ 15 points in the extra period.

Arkansas went up by seven points with 23 seconds left in OT on a driving layup by Fortson, but a pair of Auburn three-pointers by Frankie Sullivan and Tay Waller, missed free throws by Clarke and Fortson, and a costly turnover by Stefan Welsh gave the Tigers a chance to tie the game at the buzzer.

Sullivan’s half-court shot as time expired was on target, but bounced off the back of the iron, and Arkansas was able to escape with the victory.

Arkansas improved to 12-11 heading into the final eight games of the regular season. Next up, LSU comes to Walton Arena on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.

LSU is winless in conference play this year with an 0-9 record, and are coming off an 81-55 loss to Kentucky on Saturday.

Renovations to the 1800 square-foot gallery are already underway. The intention is to connect the gallery to the adjoining Rosen Memorial Rose Garden and Bradberry Amphitheater by creating an outdoor entrance to the gallery through the garden. Currently, visitors must enter the gallery through the main doors in the lobby.

Also included in the renovation plans are new maple hardwood flooring, and a new coat of paint for the walls and ceiling of the gallery to create a more conducive space for visual arts exhibitions.

“We are thrilled that Artosphere is giving us this opportunity to re-conceive both our garden space and Joy Pratt Markham Gallery,” said Terri Trotter, chief operating officer for Walton Arts Center. “By connecting the garden to the gallery, we can create a whole new space for events, receptions and exhibitions, and better utilize two beautiful areas of our campus.”

The renovations will prepare the space for a visual arts exhibition that will launch and run during the Artosphere Arts & Nature Festival. The exhibition, “Beyond Sublime: Changing Nature” is still in development, but will feature works of photography, painting, sculpture, and installation intended to connect viewers to the beauty and mystery of the environment in a way that challenges habitual perceptions and definitions.

“Artosphere is intended to connect artists and audiences in an exploration of the natural world, our place in it, and how we can live more sustainable lives,” Trotter said. “Our newly renovated gallery, connected to the beautiful garden, (will be) an exciting environment for those conversations.”

For questions about any of the following meetings, please contact the City of Fayetteville’s administration office at 479-575-8323 or the Washington County Quorum Court Coordinator at 479-444-1701.

If you notice that a public meeting is missing, please let us know and we’ll get it added.

For questions about public meetings, please contact the City of Fayetteville’s administration office at 479-575-8323 or the Washington County Quorum Court Coordinator at 479-444-1701.

“I have completed my review of the matter,” wrote special prosecutor H.G. Foster in a letter to Judge William Storey. “Based upon the investigation of the University of Arkansas Police Department , test and reports of the Arkansas State Crime Lab, and other information developed in the case, it is my finding that there is not sufficient evidence to warrant the filing of a criminal charge.”

In a statement released on behalf of the players accused – Marcus Britt, Glenn Bryant and Nick Mason, the three say they believe an apology is due.

Read it at nwahomepage.com

As a result, work will begin this summer on a series of improvements to the high school campus including a new, identifiable face to the campus that fronts Martin Luther King Blvd. as well as a 1,200-seat performing arts center and a 3,000-seat, walk-down gymnasium.

The architectural team of Hight Jackson, DLR Group and Marlon Blackwell presented two options for the project and ultimately, the board voted 7-0 in favor of the option that the team believes will offer the least amount of disruption to students while the new facilities are being constructed. The plan is also expected to include an overall cost savings.

For full details on both options considered, see our story from last week.

Shown above: Full, 10-year master plan vision for Fayetteville High School

If it had to be in less than one word, I’d say “gros”, or “gro.” I hope I never have to describe the weather or anything else in less than one word. That’s ridiculous.

Weather this gross is the reason seasonal affective disorder exists. The only cures that I know of for this gray, muddy mess in Fayetteville are face-scorching guitar solos, hot dance beats, or giant mounds of chips, salsa and beer.

Luckily for all of us, there is no shortage of any of those things in Fayetteville this weekend. I think we’re going to make it.

Friday night, Cross Canadian Ragweed returns to town for the first of two shows at Georges Majestic Lounge this weekend. Zack Walther will open the show, and Oreo Blue will play happy hour from 6:00-8:00 p.m. All of these shows will contain at least three face-scorching guitar solos.

The Sugar Free Allstars also make their triumphant return to Fayettenam (their words) Friday at Smoke and Barrel. They’re from Oklahoma City, but they stop in every once in a while to make sure we’re keeping Fayetteville funky.

There’s an art show at Ultra Studios Friday night and Big Bad Gina will be playing a free show from 6-8 p.m. as well. There’s more on that show here.

Finally, Baby Armie and Rev. Stiles will present Bombay Brouhaha Friday night at Speakeasy. It’s a Bollywood-themed dance party featuring music from vintage Indian and Pakistani films as well as bhangra, Punjabi, and other music from the region. Remember those hot dance beats I told you about? More on that here.

Saturday morning, Hope Cancer Resources present their 12th annual Le Chocolate Feast at the Northwest Arkansas Mall. Over 10 local restaurants will serve various creations of chocolate. Admission is $10.

Tomorrow night, Art Amiss and KXUA will release a compilation featuring over 20 Arkansas Punk bands at Smoke and Barrel. $5 gets you a copy of the compilation, as well as admission to see The Plaid Jackets, Genome Chomsky, The Magic Hassle (featuring David Slade and Matt Quinn of American Princes), and Fire Don’t Care.

Also on Saturday, the Backwoods Betties will be taking on the Mo-Kan Roller Girls at Starlight Skatium. If you don’t have tickets, you’d better get ‘em. The last bout sold out.

SARPA hosts its 5th annual fashion show “Starry Night” at the Fayetteville Town Center Saturday. Also, there are two shows at Walton Arts Center, with Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny at 11:00 a.m., and Cyro Baptista’s “Banquet of the Spirits” at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

On Sunday, there are some brunch tunes to check out with Kevin Baker at Greenhouse Grille, and DJ SoulFree at Common Grounds.

There’s some kind of big football game going on that a few of you will be watching on Sunday afternoon, and Guta is at George’s for Monster Mug Night.

More stuff is listed below and as always, if we’ve left anything out, feel free to share it in the comments. What are you doing this weekend?

Friday, Feb. 5

Jose’s: The Odds

Qdoba Mexican Grill: The Phosphones

Teatro Scarpino: DJ Omar

Arsaga’s on Crossover: The Blacktop Boys

UARK Bowl & Ballroom: Dinner & Movie: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Speakeasy: Bombay Brouhaha: A Bollywood Dance Party

Rogue: Bent Grass Green – Happy Hour

Ultra Studios: Path Hennon’s Herstorical Reflection, Big Bad Gina

Grub’s: Boom! Kinetic

Boom Boom Room: Pretty Pink Boa, Well well well, Plaid Jackets

George’s: Cross Canadian Ragweed, Oreo Blue, Zack Walther

GoodFolk: Darlene

Greenhouse Grille: Adele and the Matts

JJ’s Grill n Chill: Kelly Road

Smoke & Barrel Tavern: Sugar Free Allstars

Saturday, Feb. 6

Qdoba Mexican Grill: Skinny Jazz Quartet

Jose’s: Jamie Wolfe

NWA Mall: Le Chocolate Feast 2010

Starlight Skatium: Roller Derby: Backwoods Betties vs. Mo-Kan Roller Girlz

Fayetteville Town Center: Starry Night: 5th Annual SARPA Fashion Show

Smoke & Barrel Tavern: Arkansas Punk! CD release

Rogue: 1 oz.Jig

Arsaga’s on Crossover: Buddy Shute

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks: Garden Cleanup

Boom Boom Room: People in the Paper

George’s: Cross Canadian Ragweed, Zack Walther

Greenhouse Grille: Jed Clampit

JJ’s Grill n Chill: Wes Hart & Karl

Teatro Scarpino: RJ Mischo, Pat Bryant

Walton Arts Center: Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny

Walton Arts Center: Cyro Baptista’s “Banquet of the Spirits”

Sunday, Feb. 7

Common Grounds: DJ SoulFree, Jones & Leah

George’s: Guta

Greenhouse Grille: Kevin Baker

Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall: Paige Grilliot Voice Recital

Pesto Cafe: Shannon Wurst

In an effort to up the awesome of the DJ scene even further, KXUA 88.3FM and Baby Armie (Ants in My Trance) along with Rev. Stiles have put together Bombay Brouhaha, a dance party featuring 70s Bollywood themes and Bhangra / Punjabi jams. Yes, Bollywood.

Things kick off around 10 p.m. tonight at Speakeasy (509 W. Spring St.) and anyone over 21 gets in free. Ages 18-20 can still get in but will need to fork over a $5 cover.

We got in touch with Baby Armie and he was kind enough to answer a few questions about tonight’s event.

Bombay Brouhaha poster

Fayetteville Flyer: It’s at Speakeasy, right? What’s the turnout usually like there?
Baby Armie: Yep, it’s at Speakeasy. Lately that venue has had some really well attended dance parties (Art Amiss New Year’s Eve, Beat Bachs’ Halloween). Speakeasy has operated largely off the radar of the live local music scene until recently. I’m the resident DJ there these days, and lately we’ve been working to organize specialty events and parties like this one. Often times these events bring DJs to the forefront.

FF: Why Bollywood?
BA: Bollywood is a very polarizing form of media. Lots and lots of people hate it (including many people I know), but like any genre of film/music, there’s so much variety and so much to explore. I think people in this country are generally unaware of how much the genre offers, and one of our aims with this party is to give those people a thorough and proper introduction.
The era and style of Bollywood I’m most interested in is ’70s and ’80s disco, funk, and groove. There are so many warm, silly sounds to be found there—lots of warbly synths and strange instrumentation. I’ll be spinning stuff primarily from that era at the party. Our friend Vivek will be throwing down some newer Bollywood.

FF: You’ve got 180 confirmed guests on Facebook. Can Speakeasy handle it?
BA: We’re really surprised and pleased by the positive response we’ve gotten. We’re just basically nerding out and throwing this niche party. We didn’t expect to get those kinds of numbers. And yes, Speakeasy can definitely handle it, so come one, come all.

For a sampler mix of tonight’s music, visit Ants in My Trance and download “Bombay Brouhaha: Party Sampler Mix.”

Hennon attended the University of Missouri Kansas City before moving to Arkansas to continue her work as an artist. Her works have appeared in juried shows in Northwest Arkansas, Vermont, Virginia, and New York. Hennon also organized “Woman Vision,” a month-long art show with evening performances and weekend workshops that focused on women’s empowerment throughout the 90s.

The show on Friday, “Herstorical Reflection” is a retrospective of Hennon’s paintings and drawings from the 1960s until the present.

“Painting is about finding rhythms between color, shape, form, and feelings,” Hennon wrote in her artist statement. “My art is also about geometry, archetypal energies, and the thin borders between abstraction and realism.”

The show will also feature music from Big Bad Gina, and is free to the public.

Ultra Studios Presents Path Hennon’s Herstorical Reflection + Big Bad Gina – 2/5/10 from Scribe Marketing on Vimeo.

For questions about any of the following meetings, please contact the City of Fayetteville’s administration office at 479-575-8323 or the Washington County Quorum Court Coordinator at 479-444-1701.

If you notice that a public meeting is missing, please let us know and we’ll get it added

Here’s what we know about tonight’s events:

East Square Plaza

East Square Plaza, located at 1 E. Center, will present a free acoustic showcase featuring local musicians Effron White, Stephen Floyd & Alex Flippin and Virginia Avenue starting at 5 p.m.

Also, there will be tables set up in the lobby to receive donations for Mayor Lioneld Jordan’s WE CAN! food drive and the Fayetteville Animal Shelter’s pet food drive. The shelter will also be bringing some animals who need a home. Maybe you can find a new friend tonight?

Fayetteville Underground

Fayetteville Underground, located in the downstairs section of East Square Plaza, hosts two major art openings in the Revolver and Hive galleries as well as various works and fine crafts in the Vault and E-Street galleries. All exhibitions will last until Feb. 27.

© C.E. Nelson

Strangers and Not So Strange – Craig Earl Nelson
Fayetteville Underground, Hive Gallery

Craig Nelson’s latest work is a series of intimate and piercing close-up portraits taken while using only natural light from the windows of local bars. The largely hand-held shots are taken using Fujifilm instant, peel-apart pack-film with a Mamiya RB67 Pro-S medium-format camera.

Your chances of seeing some familiar local faces in this project are pretty good. Just take a peek at Nelson’s website for a teaser of tonight’s opening.

© Kat Wilson

Habitats – Kat Wilson
Fayetteville Underground, Revolver Gallery

For years, Arkansas artist Kat Wilson has been known for her Habitats series of photo portraits, in which she poses household furnishings and possessions surrounding her subjects. Inspired by Old Masters’ portraits, Habitats, according to Wilson, is “a study of objects people keep dear to their hearts.”

Wilson’s work has been shown in New York, California, and of course, Arkansas, where she has shown four times at the Arkansas Arts Center’s Annual Delta Exhibition, winning a Delta award this year. She has been published in Oxford American, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and others.

I.M. Spa

© Angela Peace

I.M. Spa, located at 25 N. Block Ave, will host an artists reception for Angela Peace Photography. As a full-time instructor at NWACC, Peace teaches Introduction to Computers, Photoshop, and Web Design. In the past few years, however, Peace has become a student of Arkansas wilderness photographer Tim Ernst. “I caught his enthusiasm for tramping the back woods of Arkansas,” writes Peace on her website. “Under his tutelage, I have frozen my fingers for the perfect shot of spring wildflowers, waited for the light to emerge to capture a compelling waterfall, and enjoyed the collegiality of other students as Tim taught us to develop our shots.”

ddp gallery

ddp gallery, located next door to East Square Plaza at 7 E. Mountain, is about to restructure its operations from retail sales to art dealing and special events after tonight’s First Thursday event.

“I’m re-strategizing activities at the gallery,” says owner Dede Peters. “The commercial art gallery world is changing, and I’m following suit. While I thoroughly enjoy presenting exciting art to the public, a rotating monthly exhibition schedule is proving to be too ambitious for one person. I’m looking forward to working closely with artists, collectors and design professionals, as well as producing art events here at ddp gallery.”

To celebrate this change, Peters is offering a 15% discount on almost every single art work in the gallery. In other words, this week is the time to make a purchase to help support the arts here in Fayetteville.

Parking

To ease parking needs, the paid parking lot next to East Square Plaza (to the east) will be open for free parking tonight. There are also two large city lots that are free after 5 p.m. to the west of Block Avenue between Mountain and Meadow.

* We were just goofing around, Mother Nature. We know who’s boss. It’s you. You’re the boss. We promise. Cool?

STS9, The Disco Biscuits, Blue Traveler, and a whole list of other bands were part of that first announcement, but we know from experience that these things come in waves. Last year, there were at least three official announcements.

We were alerted about this latest announcement by a tweet that came from the official Wakrusa Twitter account. At around noon Thursday, Wakarusa announced 40 more bands. There are some pretty enormous names on this list.

Here’s what we’ve found:

Wakarusa artist announcement Round 2

Widespread Panic
Umphrey’s McGee (2 sets)
The Black Keys
Robert Randolph and the Family Band
7 Walkers featuring Papa Mali and Bill Kreutzmann
State Radio
Dub Tribe Soundsystem
Fishbone
Mark Farina
Todd Snider
Mother Hips
Ott
Tortured Soul
Future Rock
Spacemen
MiM0SA
Pimps of Joytime (2 sets)
That One Guy (2 sets)
Ekoostik Hookah
Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band
Giant Panda
Guerilla Dub Squad
Great American Taxi
Constellations
The Dirty Heads
Lynx & Jamie Janover
Jay Nash (2 sets)
Supervillains
The Moondoggies
The Bridge
Backyard Tire Fire (2 sets)
The Heavy Pets
Spoonfed Tribe
Sunshine Jones
Kinetix
Truckstop Honeymoon (2 sets)
Oakhurst (2 sets)
Ben Miller Band
Somasphere
Radio Hiro

Wakrarusa Initial Lineup

STS9
The Disco Biscuits
Slightly Stoopid
John Butler Trio
Blue Traveler
Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa
Bassnectar
Railroad Earth (2 sets)
The Machine performs Pink Floyd
JJ Grey & MOFRO (2 sets)
Lotus
Rebelution
ALO
Tea Leaf Green (2 sets)
Boombox (2 sets)
Black Joe Lewis (2 sets)
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (2 sets)
EOTO
James Zabiela
Split Lip Rayfield (2 sets)
Hayes Carll
Sub Swara
Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band (2 sets)
Trampled by Turtles (2 sets)
Wookiefoot
Mishka
Big Gigantic
Truth & Salvage Co.
Fort Knox Five (2 sets)
Mountain Sprout (2 sets)
Band of Heathens
Last Waltz Ensemble (2 sets)
Cash’d Out
Earl Greyhound (2 sets)
Bluetech
Uglysuit (2 sets)
Passafire (2 sets)
Simplified
Hoots & Hellmouth (2 sets)
Resident Anti-Hero

Today’s announcement brings the grand total of announced bands to 80+. Over 100 bands are expected to play the festival this summer, so that means there are still more bands to be announced.

What do you think of the latest additions?

Take today, for instance. Nearly half of the to-do items for this evening weren’t even on our main calendar yesterday.

The big news of the night is that it’s time for another First Thursday Fayetteville event on the Square. Last month, the weather was ice cold but that didn’t stop many folks from showing up. We doubt tonight’s wet weather will have much effect, either. We’ll have more on First Thursday later this morning.

The Garden Room on Dickson is hosting a Revelry Jewels show from 6-9 p.m. Revelry will be donating 20% of all its proceeds to Northwest Arkansas Women’s Shelter. Drinks, appetizers and of course, jewels.

Stillwater’s Flatland Travelers will play twice this evening. At 6:30 p.m. they’ll be at Sound Warehouse and then a few hours later, they’ll play again just up the street at Opal Fly’s Feelgood Lounge.

The North Mississippi Allstars are back in town tonight at George’s Majestic Lounge. Thankfully, The Black Crowes don’t require Luther Dickinson’s presence at all times. City Champs and Kory Montgomery are also on the bill. Doors open at 7 p.m.

But that’s not all. Smoke & Barrel has Trembling Earth from Chicago, Walton Arts Center wraps up The Drowsy Chaperone and Brewski’s hosts DJs Robe Flax & Bizar.

The list:

Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010

Fayetteville Underground: First Thursday February

George’s: North Mississippi Allstars, City Champs, Kory Montgomery

JJ’s Grill n Chill: Russ Hutchison

Walton Arts Center: The Drowsy Chaperone

Opal Fly’s Feel Good Lounge: Flatland Travelers

The Garden Room: Revelry Jewlery Show

Brewski’s: DJs Robe Flax & Bizar

Smoke & Barrel Tavern: Trembling Earth

Sound Warehouse: The Flatland Travelers (in-store)

I can say with guaranteed certainty, not much. The fact is, only those films with a director nominated stand any chance at actually winning best picture. Furthermore, when it comes to the winner, we are really only looking at two or three choices. I won’t tell you who is going to win and why right now, though. If I did, what will I talk about for the next month?

The Oscar nominations weren’t half bad. In fact, I was a bit surprised at how good they actually were. Sure, there were a few missteps and oversights, but there were also some jaw-droppers. Either way, you have a month or so to get all caught up before the big show in March. It might actually give you a brief escape from the Olympics, which will be starting up before you know it.

On that topic, this year marks a very odd year for the Oscars. Due to the Olympic coverage, all of the precursor awards were pushed up into January and the Oscars were pushed back to March. It’s very strange and it will be interesting to see if momentum changes during the Olympic weeks. Of course, we will have no way of really knowing this because all of the precursors have already been handed out. I will say that the last time a schedule was adjusted due to the Winter Games, it was the year “Crash” beat “Brokeback Mountain.” Very few people actually saw it coming, but there was scuttlebutt around the blogs about momentum. It’s just worth noting that a similar thing could happen this year. I suppose what I am saying is, if you are an “Avatar” fan, don’t start celebrating yet!

Best Picture nominees: Avatar, The Blind Side, An Education, District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, and Up in the Air

The big shocker here is that “The Blind Side” is on this list. Are you kidding me?! That is almost embarrassing. It probably booted out smaller films like “The Messenger” and “Crazy Heart” or even the superior “500 Days of Summer.” The fact that, due to these new rules, we will actually have to refer to “The Blind Side” as a Best Picture nominee is ridiculous. I mean, did my grandmother and her friends get ballots to the academy?

That being said, the rest of the list is pretty damn good. I suppose it doesn’t matter that “An Education,” “District 9,” “Up,” and “A Serious Man” have no chance in hell. They were the beneficiaries of the enlarged category and so be it. I am happy to see “An Education” get the recognition that it deserves. I suppose that I would have preferred if “Julie and Julia” or some other stuff got on the list, but it’s still a good list with a variety of different types of movies. We have our second-ever animated Best Picture nominee in “Up” and a sci-fi wonder in “District 9.”

The real race here is between those movies that were represented in the directing category as well, and that would be “Precious,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Up in the Air,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and the just-won’t-sink “Avatar.” A note about “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker”: I find it surprising that “The Hurt Locker” was able to tie for the most nominations, and almost as surprising that “Avatar” didn’t get more nominations. I think that might foreshadow the momentum with “Locker” but we have a month to consider that.

Best Actor nominees: Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”), Jeff Bridges (“Crazy Heart”), George Clooney (“Up in the Air”), Morgan Freeman (“Invictus”) and Colin Firth (“A Single Man”).

First, this is a very predictable list and was the list that every pundit already knew. However, it still shocks me that “Invictus” is getting any (albeit, little) support. It also shocks me that this is the only nomination for “A Single Man” in a year that could have seen nods for writer/director Tom Ford and actress Julianne Moore.

However, I am pleased with the inclusion of newcomer Jeremy Renner. In the end, we all know that the other two names on the list are the ones that will battle it out. I would even venture to say that we know which one is going to win.

Best Actress nominees: Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”), Carey Mulligan (“An Education”), Gabourey Sidibe (“Precious”), Helen Mirren (“The Last Station”) and Meryl Streep (“Julie and Julia”).

I’ll go on record right now and say that Meryl Streep should have this thing in the bag. She is working at a level that no other actress (of any age) is working at. She is being rewarded with her sixteenth nomination (a record) and should get this in a cake walk. However, we all know that “shoulds” are not necessarily “wills” and Sandra Bullock is winning awards left and right. I would argue that hers is the weakest in the category and came at the expense of better actresses like Emily Blunt and Abbie Cornish. However, popularity can be big, and Bullock is popular. That will make the battle between her and the way-overdue Streep interesting.

If Streep were to have competition, it should come from Mulligan or Sidibe, who were both fantastic. Their relative newcomer status, however, will hurt them and simply reward them with the nomination itself.

Best Supporting Actor nominees: Matt Damon (“Invictus”), Woody Harrelson (“The Messenger”), Christopher Plummer (“The Last Station”), Stanley Tucci (“The Lovely Bones”) and Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”).

Most people know who is going to win this (and should) so I won’t address that now. What I can say is that I’m disappointed in the academy for voting for previous winner Damon. This is so cheesy and he has done so much better work. I had also hopped that Tucci would be remembered for “Julie and Julia” instead of “The Lovely Bones” but I am pleased that he was at last remembered for anything. I also would have preferred to see Alfred Molina or Peter Sarsgard of “An Education” instead of Damon, but in the end, it’s an OK list. Of course, there is Waltz, who is just brilliant and will face off against veteran Plummer.

Best Supporting Actress nominees: Penelope Cruz (“Nine”), Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air”), Maggie Gyllenhaall (“Crazy Heart”), Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”) and Mo’Nique (“Precious”).

First off, there is no surprise here with Farmiga and Kendrick as everyone predicted them already. The surprises in this category came from Cruz (a deserving winner last year) and Gyllenhall. Not many people predicted Gyllenhall to get the spot over Samantha Morton (“The Messenger”), Dianne Kruger or Melanie Laurent (“Inglorious Basterds”), or academy favorite Julianne Moore (“A Single Man”), but no one can complain too much, as Gyllenhall is a well-respected actress that has paid her dues and now gets to enjoy the same nomination process that her brother did a few years back for “Brokeback.” She benefited in the process, the same way that Marissa Tomei did last year on the coat tails of a Best Actor nominee.

The other surprise is Cruz. I love Penelope Cruz and thought her work in last year’s winner “Vicky Christina Barcelona” was fantastic. However, “Nine” flopped and fell faster than AOL stock. I am sort of surprised that she made the short list. She is good in the film, but it is still “Nine.”

And then of course, there is Mo’Nique. Anyone who has read ANYTHING that I have written on this website in the past six months knows my feelings on Mo’Nique. She gives the single best performance (male or female) of the year. DONE!

So in the end, “Hurt Locker” and “Avatar” tied with nine nominations, followed by “Basterds” with eight, and “Precious” and “Up in the Air” with six. Predictable? Yes, but also interesting, eclectic, and even – dare I say it – pretty good.