Features*

Elton John-Billy Joel concert canceled

The Elton John & Billy Joel Face 2 Face concert scheduled for Nov. 28 at Verizon Arena won't take place as planned.
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Going green the right way for Christmas decor

The use of greenery in Christmas decorations is traditional, as Helaine R. Williams writes in Saturday’s HomeStyle section
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Movie Review: Planet 51

Astonishing animation isn’t matched by storytelling

The computer-generated renderings, co-produced by Spain’s Ilion Animation and the United Kingdom’s Handmade Films, is stunning in its detail and creativity.
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Movie Review: New York, I Love You

New York, I Love You is the second installment (after 2006’s Paris, j’taime) in a proposed series of portmanteau films about big cities and little serendipitous romances.
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Movie Review: An Education

An Education is about the British preoccupation with status, about the aspirant bourgeois and the outliers who exist beyond convention, in a moveable feast of booze, sex and petty criminality. It’s a surprisingly gentle film given it’s about a precocious 16-year-old honor student’s affair with a cad twice her age - an affair that occurred in a time and place where indiscretions had large consequences.
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Movie Review: The Blind Side

The Blind Side 86 Cast: Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Tim McGraw, Ray McKinnon, Kathy Bates Director: John Lee Hancock Rating: PG-13, for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references Running time: 126 minutes
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Home movies

Recent DVD releases: Betty Blue (not rated, 186 minutes) This is the director’s cut of Jean-Jacques Beineix’s 1986 sexy, tragic drama about a young handyman (Jean-Hugues Anglade) and a beautiful waitress (Beatrice Dalle) who begin an erotic escapade that grows into a genuine relationship, then tumbles into madness. The DVD includes director’s commentary.
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Film clips

At area theaters 78 AMELIA, PG Hilary Swank plays aviator Amelia Earhart and Richard Gere plays her partner and eventual husband, publisher George Putnam.
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ON CHRISTIANITY

DEAR REV. GRAHAM: Does God ever give up on a nation, because it keeps shutting Him out of its life? — E. McD. DEAR E. MCD.: God can withdraw His protection from any nation that turns its back on Him. It happened with ancient Israel, and it can happen to us.
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Screen gems

Searching for an Arkansas connection to the movies you’re seeing? Watch for Little Rock resident filmmaker and actor Ray McKinnon in The Blind Side, opening today.
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Box office

Disaster hammered the weekend box office as the doomsday epic 2012 debuted at No. 1 with $65.2 million domestically and pulled in $230.4 million worldwide.
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HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY

Happy birthday. You have definite ideas about how to improve the world. You will be inspired to try what hasn’t been tried before. You will create your own work and then gently influence others to promote and/or pay you for it in December.
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HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: A note about the life span of smoke detectors. We as consumers have been told for many years that if the batteries in smoke alarms are fresh and if the alarm sounds when tested by poking the button on the system, the unit is working properly.
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Check your knowledge

1. Name the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray. 2. Otis, Fiorello and Tomasso are characters portrayed by Marx Brothers Groucho, Chico and Harpo in which one of their movies ? 3. Mildred Gillars committed treason during World War II by broadcasting Nazi propaganda. By what name was she known?
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Movie Review: Precious

Movies come, movies go. A rare few arrive like gifts, sent by some cosmic messenger to awaken compassion and empathy. Such is the movie Precious : Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, which qualifies as the most improbably beautiful film of the year.
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Wonderful animation, woeful plotting in ‘Planet 51’

In terms of animation, “Planet 51” is out of this world, writes reviewer Karen Martin in Friday’s MovieStyle section.
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Weekend Calendar

The Weekend Calendar lists events from around the state that are occurring the weekend after publication. To submit an event for publication please use our calendar form at www.arkansasonline.com/events/submit. For more event check our searchable events database at www2.arkansasonline.com/events/.
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THE WEEKEND TEN

The

Verizon Arena presents “Holiday Celebration on Ice,” with Brian Boitano and champion ice skaters performing to music by REO Speedwagon and Rick Springfield at 7 p.m. today. Tickets are $46.75- $61.75. Call (800) 745-3000 or visit Ticketmaster.com. See full story, Page 3E.
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It’s in the bag at Five Guys Burgers

Five Guys Burgers and Fries makes darn good burgers. They’re juicy, tasty and a decent value for the money. We’d definitely put them in the area’s top burger tier.
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Fast Forward

Things to do next week and next month.

NEXT WEEK Arts: Artblast, a hands-on art festival for those from 4 to 18, will explode from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Hot Springs Convention Center, 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. Tickets are $5. Call (501) 625-3992 or visit artblasths.org.
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THE TV COLUMN: It’s nearing sweeps’ end and axes are swinging

Here we are in the last half of November sweeps and that means the layoffs have begun.
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ON CHRISTIANITY

DEAR REV. GRAHAM: The hard economic times haven’t hit me like they have most people, but I’m getting tired of churches and organizations begging me for money. After all, I’ve got to think of my own future in case things get worse. Am I just being selfish? — Z.A.
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ENTERTAINMENT NOTES: Skaters, singers rock the ice

Finally, an answer to “What would Brian Boitano do?” the question characters ponder in the notorious film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
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TELL ME ABOUT IT: Split daughters up to unify

DEAR CAROLYN: As a mom of three girls, is it in my job description to try to ensure my daughters are close? My two oldest (10 and 8) are absolutely inseparable, which is great, but they have never had much interest in their 5-year-old sister.
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HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY

Happy birthday. Your already good taste improves, and so, it follows, will your choice of location, environment, people and things. This heightening of awareness will affect every area of your life. Confessions of love and affection happen in December. There’s a move in May. The best months to invest are March and July. Leo and Gemini people adore you.
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