8 DAYS
TOPTV “Reign”
Thursdays, 8 p.m. (ABC)
In 16th century France, the virginal Mary, Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane), is swept up in palace intrigue. Her fiancé (Toby Regbo) cares less for her than he does for France, nattering on about the political advantage of their union. An evil queen (Megan Follows) plots against her, while her ladiesin-waiting indulge in Elizabethan-style naughtiness. All the French characters worry about English plots, even though, puzzlingly, they all speak with English accents. The new drama “Reign” is basically “Gossip Girl” in doublets and puffy sleeves – a soap opera about beautiful young people and their transgressive behavior. But it has an advantage over Gossip Girl, in that transgressive behavior was much more dangerous in the 16th century than it is in our own permissive times. Here, if Mary loses her head over some cute guy, she’s in danger of literally losing it. Three cheers for a setting that has a few social rules left to break. The series is watchable, thanks to all the lovely images of castles and carriages. The loveliest image of all is Mary herself. Even a hardened TV critic can’t help melting at the sight of Adelaide Kane’s dewy eyes, raven tresses and ruby lips. If I were Mary’s fiancé, France would be the last thing on my mind. — Dean Robbins
12
OCT. 17 - 23 , 2013
T H E R E A D E R ’ S E N T E RTA I N M E N T P I C K S O C T. 17 - 2 3 , 2 01 3
FRIDAY18 Oct. 18
BUILT TO SPILL W/ LEE RANALDO AND THE DUST & SLAM DUNK The Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St 9 p.m., $22, waitingroomlounge.com
Boise Idaho’s indie rockers Built to Spill are bringing their Northwest sound to Omaha. BTS is currently on tour in support for 2009’s There is no Enemy and will be joined by new band members Steve Gere (drums) and Jason Albertini (bass) who replace departing drummer Scott Plouf and bassist Brett Nelson earlier this year. If heavy, catchy guitar hooks are BTS’s call sign, then Neil Young and Dinosaur Jr. would have to be the band’s mothership. You can hear the influences in the way lead singer Doug Martsch croons like Young and strums the six string like J Mascis. Now that the band has been together for over 20 years, Martsch has no qualms in saying that their sound is better than ever. – James Derrick Schott Oct. 18
BAZINGA! NIGHT
Council Bluffs Community Hall 205 S. Main St., Council Bluffs 712.328.4992, www.bluffsart.org Bazinga! Night – named for the popular “Big Bang Theory” main character’s frequent exclamation — is a trivia event offered to the public as a friendly competitive evening. Bluffs Arts Council Board Member Bob Collins is excited to host the first annual Bazinga! Night. “We are inviting folks to organize a team and come out to have some fun,” Collins said. “You really don’t have to be a rocket scientist.” There will be several rounds of questions — of all types of subjects — and teams will compete for prizes. First prize is a gourmet dinner for 16 people catered by Bob and Elaine Fenner. Collins said the goal of the evening is strictly for fun and is not intended to be highly competitive. The donation amount is $120 for a team or $15 per individual who will be assigned to a team. Go online at www.bluffsarts.org to register your team – maximum of 8 people – or call the office with a credit card. Beer, wine, soda and snacks are included. – ES
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picks
BUILT TO SPILL
SATURDAY19 Oct. 19
OMAHA ZOMBIE WALK & OMAHA ZOMBIE BALL
The Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St Makeup from 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm Zombie Walk begins at 6:00 pm. Zombie Ball - 7 p.m., $7, waitingroomlounge.com Halloween themed events seem to dominate most of the October calendar these days and among the biggest of those events falls Saturday, October 19th. That’s the Omaha Zombie Walk and its nighttime counterpart, the Omaha Zombie Ball at the Waiting Room Lounge. The $7 ball is the afterparty for the walk and will feature bands and a zombikini contest, with the proceeds being donated to the Siena/Francis House. – Chris Aponick Oct. 19
calypso flavored musical fable, Once On This Island. Originally inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, the score transports the story to a Caribbean island where social prejudice has divided the land and a young girl on the island uses the power of love to bring together people of different social classes. Says musical director Rachel Hendrickson. “The show just erupts with this rich calypsostyle music. I love being able to work with talented directors and actors who truly make the story come to life.” Cast member Kenzi Alati agrees. “I love seeing old friends and meeting new ones, while getting to sing and dance,” she said. Tickets to Once on this Island, Jr. are not available online but, can be purchased at the door. – James Derrick Schott
MUSIC MIXED WITH MEANING: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, JR.
Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St. Saturday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 20 at 4:30 p.m $6, 402.345.4849, rosetheater.org The latest Teens ‘N’ Theater program at The Rose Theater tells the familiar story of forbidden love between people from two different worlds in the
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, JR., SIERRA SOMER, CAROLINE TODD, RILEY PEREZ & JACK MULLEN