Benjamin Button @ Courthouse AMC

I had a great spur of the moment opportunity to watch the Curious Case of Benjamin Button tonight, and Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett both had amazing performances. The storyline was superb, and the 160 minute film flew by. It reminded me of Big Fish and The Fall in different ways. Its a really amazing tale that I full heartily recommend for anyone.

On a side note, I also just found that that Listrani's in Courthouse hosts Standup Comedy nights! They have free open mic nights hosted by All Stars Comedy on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Mr. Greengenes @ Clarendon Ballroom

Ballroom was packed tonight as many Arlingtoners celebrated their last non-work night out before Christmas. The cold weather kept the rooftop closed and crowded people onto the sticky dance floor and the basement which was DJed by Pat Premier.

Cover band Mr. Greengenes made another appearance to the Ballroom, after their last show for DC101's Bad Holiday Sweater party a few weeks ago. They made loud and solid covers of Oasis and Blink182, but then angered the crowd with their Eagles flag waving.

Salsa Dancing @ Lucky Bar

Got the chance tonight to catch the weekly class of salsa dancing in the second level of the Lucky Bar. The 8 to 9pm class is free and full of people with no previous experience, so its perfect for beginners. The instructor does a good job of keeping the class moving quickly without leaving anyone behind.

After the class is over the floor opened up to general dancing including salsa, maranga, and two other styles of dancing that I can't remember the names of.

As the night progressed the floor became more crowded with dancers, and you needed to watch out for the occasional flying elbow or spinning lady!

Ten Out Of Tenn @ Iota

I've been looking forward to Ten Out Of Tenn returning to Iota all week and they exceeded my expectations. They are in the middle of their Christmas tour, with half of their songs being their takes of holiday tunes ("Santa's Lost his Mojo" to "Silent Night") mixed in with their usual songs.

I'm almost speechless at how talented and enthusiastic the group is on stage. This is to date the best live show I've ever attended. Plus I was able to gush to K. S. Rhoads and Andy Davis about how awesome they are afterwords!

Buying their CD's afterwords involved getting a deal on all their current albums, as well as a free CD by Erin McCarley. They were also in the Christmas spirit with their shoes for sale. For each pair of Ten Out Of Tenn decorated shoes you buy, a pair of shoes is donated to a child in Ethiopia.