Weekly Scenes & Screens: 11/18
Houston Zoo’s annual holiday light show Zoo Lights has returned for its 2020 season. Sip hot chocolate while you walk through tunnels of lights and visit Santa’s workshop from 5:30-10:30 p.m. until Jan. 10. Timed entry tickets must be purchased in advance online at houstonzoo.org/events/zoolights/, and face masks must be worn at the zoo.
Rice Cinema and Visual and Dramatic Arts department will continue their outdoor movie series this Saturday, Nov. 21 with a screening of “The Wizard of Oz.” Bring your chairs, blankets and snacks to Lot 6 (behind the Rice Media Center) by 6:45 p.m., and the movie will start at 7 p.m. In order to observe COVID-19 restrictions, you must RSVP for the event in advance at bit.ly/3py1anp.
The Center for African and African American Studies and the Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts will continue their visiting artist lecture series this Thursday, Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. with a talk from interdisciplinary artist Sondra Perry. Register for the Zoom webinar at bit.ly/3pyMJzp.
NEW MFAH BUILDING OPENING
The highly anticipated Nancy and Rich Kinder Building will have its grand opening on the Museum of Fine Arts Houston campus this Saturday, Nov. 21. The building will feature new international collections of modern and contemporary art, which you can visit for free Nov. 21-25 when you reserve a timed-entry ticket online.
More from The Rice Thresher
Spice it Up: Fall Playlist
Now that fall and the return of autumn seasonal drinks have finally rolled around, it is time to (pumpkin) spice up our playlists. Whether you use Spotify or Apple Music (and, yes, there is a correct answer), here are some good options to add to your queue. This playlist offers plenty of different genres and languages, ranging from Funk to Bossa Nova and from Korean to Hebrew that you may not have heard before.
Dining on a budget near campus
By this point in the semester, it’s understandable to begin lacking emotional excitement for servery food. We’ve all had our fair share of grilled chicken, caesar salads and fries, which have become somewhat repetitive for the palate. Luckily, Houston is a culinary extravaganza for lovers of all cuisines. If you’re looking for new, fresh bites, take a look at four affordable restaurants close to campus for your next meal.
Review: FINNEAS’s pervasive hopefulness and emotional songwriting shine in ‘Optimist’
“Optimist” expands upon FINNEAS’s melancholy songwriting and production skills to create a compelling and interesting debut album. FINNEAS is largely known for collaborations with his sister, Billie Eilish, who he produces and co-writes songs with. However, he also previously released an excellent EP, “Blood Harmony,” and an array of singles. FINNEAS’s first full-length album continues the lyricism seen in previous stand-out tracks like “I Lost a Friend” and “I Don’t Miss You at All,” albeit with a slightly different feeling reminiscent of Billie’s more introspective “Happier Than Ever.”
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