THEATER
The Stoop Holiday Hoopla:
The Stoop Storytelling Series gets supersized this week with a bigger venue and broader show. While this holiday jamboree will be less intimate than previous Stoops, the upside is that you can actually get a ticket. Previous shows quickly sold out. Speakers include Ace of Cakes' Mary Alice Yeskey (above) and Mayor Sheila Dixon. The hoopla starts at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Meyerhoff.
For more: stoopstorytelling.com
CONCERT
Ra Ra Riot:
This is great time to catch these "under-the-radar" rockers. The mellow band is polished enough to put on a great show, but not so popular to sell every one out. The band's successful debut (The Rhumb Line) has it running in the same circles as indie powerhouse Death Cab for Cutie. So enjoy Riot's relativity obscurity while it lasts. Show starts at 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Ottobar.
For more: : theotttobar.com
FILM
'A Christmas Tale' :
Leave it to the French to deliver a refreshing holiday movie devoid of sappiness and slapstick. Catherine Deneuve (above) stars as a saucy matriarch whose illness reunites her estranged and nutty clan - just in time for Christmas. Her brood includes Mathieu Amalric (the villain from the latest Bond flick) as the delightfully unhinged black sheep of the family. Now in theaters.
ART
'Storytellers: ':
Paperwork, a fairly new city gallery, expands its horizons this month, displaying the work of not only Baltimore artists, but also showing pieces from New Yorkers and Philadelphians. As the title suggests, the exhibition, featuring works on paper, paintings and video, is all about narratives. On display 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays through Jan. 30 at the Paperwork Gallery.
For more: paperworkgallery.com
DVD
'Generation Kill':
This bawdy Iraq war series never found a huge audience on HBO. But the slick and fast-paced production is worth a look on DVD. While it was hamstrung by our apathy of all-things Iraq, it's more a commentary on America's latest generation of grunts, not the war itself. In stores Tuesday.
GAMES
'Sonic Unleashed':
Poor Sonic the Hedgehog. He's been having a bad couple of years. His past few video game outings have been dreadful, so his handlers at Sega knew it was time for a turnaround. While Unleashed isn't a slam-dunk comeback for the furball, it returns the classic character to his speedy, centripetal roots. Out on Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
