Today is the last day of 2007. Happy almost New Year!
Spend a little time today reflecting on the year gone by; then move onward and welcome the new year head on, without ever turning back. That's the key, folks — keep moving forward. Always move forward.
Here are a few items to help you reflect on the past year and send it off:
"Over the Coals 2007"
"Top Ten Tastes of 2007"
"Zagat and the Wisdom of Crowds"
"One Curmudgeon's Opinion: The Top Ten Films of 2007"
"Thumbnail Sketch: Wolves 2007-08 Season Preview"
Hopefully, you all have your evening mapped out already, having made your reservations weeks or even months ago. But for those of us who don't like to sign our names on the dotted line without first gauging how we feel that day, here are a few options for the evening's festivities that aren't quite sold out yet. Act fast, though, or you may end up quietly toasting on a rooftop somewhere — which might be a great option indeed.
It's Going to Be a Zoo Out There
Join the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory for a buffet dinner and live music by the Honeywagons, in the candlelit gardens of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory ($195 per couple). Reservations are required; call 651-487-8250.
Laugh It Up
If 2007 was a particularly difficult year for you (or a particularly good one, for that matter), you might enjoy sending it off in a fit of laughter. The Scrimshaw New Years Spectacular at the Bryant Lake Bowl ($20) promises "comedy, music, dance, special surprise guests, and more broken resolutions than you can shake a Scrimshaw at!" Catch the early show (7 p.m.) and head to the next location before midnight; or stay through the late show (10:30 p.m.) and laugh your way right into the new year.
New Ways to Welcome the New Year
Ever bring in the new year on skates? First Avenue is looking like a bold adventure this evening (8 p.m.) with their Solid Gold New Year's Eve Celebration ($15). Enjoy a performance by Guerilla Artfare, followed by a midnight roller skate dance and a free Champagne Toast. And if you find yourself up for a little Brother Ali action, you can sidle on over to the 7th Street Entry ($20).
Of course, you can always forgo the skates and bring it down to the basics with a Lingerie and Loungewear New Year's Eve celebration at the Varsity Theater (8 p.m.). I can't promise you boundless sex appeal in 2008, but at least you'll start off on the right foot. Enjoy music by Mark Mallman, The Alarmists, and Solid Gold, as well as a Lingerie & Loungewear Show by Eclecticoiffeur ($12).
Not sexy enough for you? How about live nude drag?! Celebrate the new year at Pi (9 p.m.) with a Dykes Do Drag burlesque performance ($5).
Nothing's Quiet on New Year's Day
"Naked / I'll stand naked / if you stand naked with me." Do you think they mean it? Somehow standing naked with the BoDeans sounds like a fabulous way to bring in the new year. The BoDeans are feel good music. Sure, they like to remind us of the horrors out there, but the music makes us bob, hop, and jump, regardless. "See / I can see / good things for you and I." New Year's Eve at the Fine Line (8 p.m.) might seem a bit on the pricey side ($100), but the cost includes appetizers, drinks, the BoDeans, and Michael McDermott. Bring it on!
Fine Dining
Of course, the most standard New Year's Eve option is simply a nice dinner somewhere, topped off with a Champagne toast at midnight. Sure, many of the finest dining establishments are already booked by now (the Dakota was sold out almost a month ago), but if you do a bit of leg work (finger work, in this case — meaning pick up that phone and make the reservation now), you ought to be able to find something. Word has it Cue at the Guthrie is serving up a five-course, European-inspired dinner with wine and a champagne toast at midnight.
See Jeremy Igger's Breaking Bread posts, "Where to Dine on New Year's Eve - Part I" and "Part II" for more fabulous dining options.
I firmly believe that music is for everyone — and there is certainly enough from which to choose this weekend — but if you're just not in the mood (perhaps puckered out from the holidays), you might prefer to kick back in a nice, dark theater for a post-holiday treat. We get so wrapped up in all the holiday obligations — all the shopping, the traveling, the visits, the eating and drinking and rejoicing (or tearing one's hair out) — that we forget what it's all about. No, I'm not talking Christ here. I'm talking about the Fatman, Santa. The man grew up in Finland, and it's time to get the story from the Finns. Learn about an orphaned village boy named Nikolas at a Twin Cities special premiere of 
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