Out & About: Our writer's picks for the weekend
"The Misanthrope," at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays on the eighth floor of Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. Tickets are $15; $12 for seniors and students. Call (847) 931-0637.
Have any friends who hate celebrity gossip but harbor a secret love for the likes of Paris Hilton and her tabloid cronies? See how classic French dramatist Moliere dealt with the same issue in his time in Janus Theatre Company's production of "The Misanthrope" about a judgmental realist who falls for a shallow beauty of the royal court.
-- Scott C. Morgan, staff writer
The 19th Annual Polish Film Festival in America, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Copernicus Center, 5216 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. All-inclusive tickets cost $75. Tickets for opening-night screening only are $20. For schedules and reservations, call (773) 486-9612 or go to www.pffamerica.com.
"Hania," a new movie directed by Columbia College grad and two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, opens the festival. He also photographed his own film. "Hania" will be paired with the 3-D animated short "The Ark" by Grzegorz Jonkajtys.
-- Dann Gire, film critic
Dann and Raymond's Movie Club, 7:30 p.m. today at the Schaumburg Township Library, 130 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg. Admission is free. Go to www.stdl.org or call (847) 985-5860.
Join me and former James Bond novelist Raymond Benson as we take a poll of Hollywood's greatest political movies from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" to "Wag the Dog." We'll also show how to tell a red state movie from a blue state one.
-- Dann Gire, film critic
A Suburban A Fare Celebrity Chefs Brunch, 11 a.m. Sunday, Drury Lane, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. $90. (630) 293-5990.
Enjoy a sensational brunch prepared by more than 20 of the suburbs' top chefs and bid for culinary prizes at this pirate-themed fundraiser for the Holiday Meals on Wheels. The program, run by the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging, provides nutritious weekend and holiday meals to seniors.
--Deborah Pankey, food editor
Lee Rocker, 8 p.m. today at the House Café, 263 E. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb. $15 in advance, $20 a the door. (815) 787-9547. Also at 9:30 p.m. Friday at FitzGerald's, 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn. $15. (708) 788-2118.
Could the upright bassist for the Stray Cats have any more appropriate a name? The eternally pompadoured Lee Rocker is still a juggernaut, as he proves on his new solo LP "Black Cat Bone" (Alligator). Expect a few Cats classics at these suburban gigs, along with a heaping helping of Rocker's own brand of rockabilly, Americana and roots rock.
-- Jeff Pizek, staff writer