MUSIC - The Numero Group’s Eccentric Soul Review
In April, the Numero Group hosted their first Eccentric Soul Revue at Park West. Syl Johnson slayed and Twinight labelmate Renaldo Domino was there, too. But this week’s performance is no mere encore. For starters, Pastor TL Barrett and his Mt. Zion gospel choir will be stuffed in the balcony of Lincoln Hall, offering funky prayers to the heavens. Few concerts are so rare and lovingly curated. Listen to our podcast with Syl, then hear the man live. Lincoln Hall, 9pm, $30, 18 and older.

SHOPPING & STYLE - Beta Boutique sample sale
Lakeviewers are in luck this weekend as Bucktown’s brick-and-mortar Beta Boutique holds court in the old Ciao Bella space for a two-day sample sale. Expect the same goodies you find at the store, such as looks by local designers including dIETERbeNNET and Lara Miller marked anywhere from 40–90% off. Ciao Bella, 3829 N Southport Ave (betaboutique.com). El: Red to Addison. Bus: 9, 22, 152. Sat 7, 11am–6pm; Sun 8, noon–5pm.

FILM - Johnny Guitar
We’ll admit to having a soft spot for weird overblown Westerns from the 1950s (Anthony Mann, Budd Boetticher…love ’em), but trust us; Johnny Guitar is a crazy-great Western, with Joan Crawford as a saloon owner and Sterling Hayden as a guitar-strumming gin-for-hire. Music Box, 3733 N Southport Ave between Grace St and Waveland Ave (773-871-6604). El: Brown to Southport. Bus: 80 Irving Park, 152 Addison. Fri 6 at midnight, Sat 7 at midnight. Sat, Sun at 11:30am. Regular and midnight $9.25, first daily show $8.75.

NIGHTLIFE - The Goodness
Rude 1 hosts this party to push the hip-hop envelope past the drivel that makes up most mainstream rap these days. Monthly he keeps it real with a mix of high-brow beats and the odd bit of turntablism. This month he’s lined up Edan, whose obscure ’60s rock and psychedelia sampling productions have garnered him quite a following. Lava. 9pm, $10.

THEATER - Silent Nightmare—A Christmas Dirge
What, seriously?! Didn’t you just finish cleaning up yakked-up candy corn from last weekend’s Halloween party? Yep, it’s true: The Annoyance has 2009’s first Christmas show out of the gate. At least it has the decency not to be sentimental; this collection of twisted holiday shorts is for the resolutely tarhearted. Annoyance Theatre, 8pm, $15.

When she was in town this summer, Ellen Degeneres tweeted that she’d be giving away tickets in Millennium Park to the taping of her TBS special. Well, Ellen was back in town this morning, and this time she tweeted that she’d be in Water Tower Park—and that she was bringing a friend. She and Oprah were passing out the latest issue of O Magazine (which features Ellen as a co-cover girl) to about 1,000 fans. Here are some photos from the scene.

NIGHTLIFE - Basement Jaxx + MSTRKRFT + Modeselektor
On an almost weekly basis, the venerable Congress continues to blow us away with ravetacular bookings in world-class electronic music—everyone from the Prodigy to, ahem, Tiësto has graced its stage. Tonight, it welcomes legendary U.K. dance stylists Basement Jaxx. Almost anyone who’s fallen in love with dance music in the last decade has fond things to say about Basement Jaxx—especially its genre upturning album Remedy. Unfortunately the Jaxx full live show was a bit cumbersome to cross the pond this time around so the duo is going to sate us with a DJ set. Rockin’ Canadian electro team MSTRKRFT will be on hand to blow a few speaker cones, as will Modeselektor, which showcases its impeccable techno and equally sublime live visuals. Local talents Bald E, Jordan Z, Chris Widman and Moneypenny kick off the festivities. Congress Theater. 7pm, $26.50-$50. 17 and up.

THEATER - An Apology…
This weekend’s your last chance to catch Colm O’Reilly in this two-man, po-mo take on Faust. Our five-star review called Mickle Maher’s play “fantastically unique.” Theater Oobleck at Chopin Theatre, 8pm, $12 or pay what you can.

FILM - The Golem
There’s nothing quite like seeing a silent film with a live musical accompaniment. If you’ve experienced it, you know what we mean. If not, you should check out The Golem, a silent about a rabbi’s misguided effort to make a man from clay. Fulcrum Point will provide the music. Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theater, 77 E Randolph St, second floor (312-744-6630). El: Red to Lake; Orange, Pink, Green, Brown, Purple (rush hrs) to Randolph. Bus: 3, X3, 4, X4, 6, 10, 14, 26, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 151, 157. Metra: Elec Main to Millennium Station. Fri 6 at 7pm. FREE!

MUSIC - White Denim
The Austin outfit’s new Fits has a soulful, irreverent charm recalling Sly Stone if produced by Captain Beefheart. It’s a beguiling blend of Southern boogie à la ZZ Top, Minutemen-indebted frenetic postpunk freakouts and hints of soft rock. Lincoln Hall, 9pm, $12.

COMEDY - Shootin’ the Shit
Art imitates life as TJ Jagodowski and EJ Scott improvise a single scene about two dudes haning out in a bar. Annoyance Theatre, 4830 N Broadway (773-561-4665). El: Red to Lawrence. Bus: 36, 81. 8pm, $8.

Twilight: New Moon will be slipping onto the night sky and area theaters this month and turning every vampire fan into a howling maniac. We’ve begun collecting New Moon events so you can plan your lugubriously romantic month of bloodlust and make-believe accordingly.

November 9
Twilight Saga: New Moon cast tour – Fox Valley Mall, Hot Topic
Cast members Ashley Greene “Alice” and Kellan Lutz “Emmett” stop by Fox Valley on a 15-city tour which also features live performances from bands on the movie soundtrack (Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina, Sea Wolf, and Band of Skulls are all possibilities), and a question and answer forum with some cast members. Visit hottopic.com for more details.

November 19–22
Classic Cinemas’ Charlestowne 18 Cinema Theatre New Moon welcoming party
This movie theater’s premiere event features prize drawings (posters, photos and books signed by the Twilight stars, T-shirts and Bella’s bracelet) every two hours. Free goodie bags for the first 100 fans at the event. Patrons are invited to dress and compete in a Twilight costume contest held every day.

November 20
Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort New Moon Package
Twilight obsessives pony up for the V.I.P. treatment with an an exclusive screening and meet-and-greet with actress Ashley Greene from the movie via the Hilton Chicago. There’s a Hilton’s All-Access Package ($259) with luxury overnight accommodations for up to four people, four tickets to Bella’s Birthday Ball (6–8pm), transport by Windy City Limousine, private meet-and-greet and four tickets to a private New Moon screening. And there’s a Movie Madness Package ($199) that skips the meet-and-greet. For reservations, call: 630-529-0200

We will update this page as more New Moon events are announced.

Has anyone considered that Facebook can be torturous for those of us too busy or too shy to make time to hang out with our legions of virtual friends? Facebook fatigue has one potential cure in JBar’s Addiction Thursday party tonight, which “honors” those obsessed with Facebook. Partygoers can even drink “The Tag” and “The Poke Me” for $6 each and play Facebook trivia. What these people look like in real life is the most pressing question.

Here are five things to do.

MUSIC - Vic Chesnutt
Chesnutt’s particular genius is in making every detail palpable, every emotion inevitable. Tonight, he is backed by what should prove a fascinating band: Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto on guitar and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Lincoln Hall. 9pm; advance $18, day of show $20.

THEATER - Calls to Blood
Knowing that the twist that fuels James Asmus’s play, about a seemingly perfect marriage that goes downhill faster than a speed skier, is purportedly based on a real case makes us want to crawl into a hole and never come out again. That the play is both gut-wrenchingly tragic and very, very funny is a mark of the New Colony’s unique outlook. The New Colony at Royal George Theatre, 8pm, $25, seniors $20, students $15.

SHOPPING & STYLE - Manicure and Martini
Nothing goes with a manicure quite like a cocktail. Seven area spas gather to give weary patrons the royal (nail) treatment. Tickets include manis, Champagne, finger foods, one complimentary martini, a chocolate tasting, as well as a head and neck massage. Reservations are required. The Drake Hotel, 140 E Walton Pl (312-787-2200, thedrakehotel.com). El: Red to Chicago. Bus: 145, 146, 147, 151. Thu 5, 5–8pm. $55, advance $45.

NIGHTLIFE - 2020 Soundsystem
The brainchild of 2020 Vision frontman Ralph Lawson, 2020 Soundsystem is a DJ-meets-live act featuring Lawson and labelmates Dubble D and Argentine duo Silver City. Fed up with the typical DJ set and drab laptop live show, Lawson formed the group to enhance his performances and has since headed into the studio with them, releasing two albums that have both been met with generally warm reviews. It performs as part of Vision Nightclub’s new Art of Sound, an ongoing multimedia and events series that showcases progressive electronic music talent as well as live painting and visual projections. Vision. 10pm, $20.

FILM - The Hurt Locker
As part of your early preparation for this year’s Oscars race, check out The Hurt Locker. If this doesn’t get nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, we’ll eat an army-issue helmet. Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State St at Randolph St (312-846-2600). El: Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple (rush hrs) to State/Lake; Red to Lake; Blue to Clark/Lake. 8:15pm. $9, students $7, members $5.

The two members of electronic band Simian Mobile Disco played an energetic live set tonight—twisting the knobs of modular synthesizers and beat sequencers and controlling rhythms that issued forth from the club sound system at a bone-rattling volume. With an accompanying massive light show, it didn’t really matter whether or not you wanted to dance—it was a spectacular experience. The duo played mash ups and remixes of its own tracks that made you sway and bob your head instinctively. Check out the photos of SMD and opening act Phenomenal Handclap Band in the slide show above.

Photos: Amy Mokris

More bad news for the West Loop: This morning I received an e-mail from owner Allyson Holleb of handbag boutique Bess & Loie announcing the closing of her store at the end of this month. Next week (Thursday 12, 5–9pm), show your support by stopping by for the closing party, where items will be marked as much as 90% off. Fixtures and furniture will be available, too, but make sure to bring cash for that stuff.

In addition to the discounts available now through closing day, the major consolation is that while Holleb is shuttering the doors of her West Loop location, she’s still planning to stick around in other brick-and mortar-boutiques by hosting a self-described “shop-in-shop.” For her first stop, she’s bringing her bags to former neighbor, Lincoln Park newbie Erin Gallagher’s eponymous store (Erin Gallagher, 2034 N Halsted St). Keep an eye on Holleb’s website (where she’ll continue adding new merch) to find out more about these upcoming shops in a shop.

As an ex-Virginian visiting the state last month, I found the build-up to yesterday’s gubernatorial election slightly pulse-pounding. The state’s sitting governor, Tim Kaine, was a breath of a fresh air compared to the genteel old-boy-network govs like Chuck Robb we had growing up. Kaine, who had a career in fair housing law, benefited from Bush’s declining popularity and took the state house. But yesterday, things swung back to the right in Virginia where family-values conservative Bob McDonnell won. Just now I googled some background on McD to find out, physically shuddering, that we went to the same university, and worse, he attended my arch-rival high school, Bishop Ireton! As an occasional visitor to Virginia, I’ll only comment on one aspect of McDonnell’s campaign—his plans for addressing sprawl and traffic congestion in Northern Virginia. From what I read, and I find this telling, McDonnell’s feeble answer is more HOV lanes on the highways while his defeated opponent Creigh Deeds envisioned light rail and more mass transit and faced up to the fact that taxes might have to pay for such investment. Virginians are sensitive to the tax issue, evidently. So Virginians may think they are voting for conservative stability but what they really got was a guy who hasn’t a clue how to address the present—much less the future—but knows not to mention taxes, only bonds where fiscal matters are concerned. Well, Virginia, you got your bond-issuing social conservative. Enjoy every minute of that commuter traffic.

Here are five things to do.

NIGHTLIFE - Simian Mobile Disco + Phenomenal Handclap Band
There are few electronic artists that can shake a stick at Simian Mobile Disco’s live shows. Mixing a seizure-inducing lights show with its in-yer-face indie techno productions, the duo shames any DJ who considers standing on stage with a MacBook a “live” show. As an added bonus, funky dance troupe Phenomenal Handclap Band opens. If you haven’t worn yourself out upstairs at Metro, head down to the basement for an SMD DJ set alongside JDH, Dave P and the Chicago Workgroup afterwards. Metro + Smart Bar. 9pm; $25, includes admission to both shows.

THEATER - Young Frankenstein
Mel Brooks’s follow-up to the smash-hit The Producers got a lukewarm reception in its lavish New York production. Can a retooled version do better on the road? Original Broadway stars Roger Bart and Shuler Hensley must think so, since they’re on the road with it. We’ll find out tonight. Cadillac Palace Theatre, 7:30pm, $30–$95.

MUSIC - Ghostface Killah
The Wu-Tang MC’s latest, Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City, squarely focuses on lovelorn R&B, but it’s in no way soft. House of Blues, 9pm, $23, 17 and older.

FILM - An Education
An Education may not be perfect (we have issues with the ending), but it’s worth seeing just for Carey Mulligan’s star-making turn as a teenager in early 1960s London who experiences a taste of freedom by dating an older man. Some actors just have that magic “it,” and Mulligan is one. See Listings.

ART & DESIGN - “Site-Unspecific”
Up-and-coming sculptor Heather Mekkelson is among the artists in this site-oriented show opening tonight.
O’Connor Art Gallery, Dominican University, 7900 W Division St, River Forest. 4–8pm. FREE!

Last night around 6pm, I received a text tip from a friend saying that Truman College still had an armful of H1N1 vaccines, and there was no wait. (Chicago set up six free clinics at city colleges last week to administer the supply of two million doses it expects to receive from the federal government.) My son and I (who both have chronic asthma) happened to be just a few minutes away. I called my husband and daughter, and in 10 minutes time we all met our lovely friend. He himself had waited about two hours to get his dose, but patiently walked us through the various stations of paperwork and privacy-statement signing. Within half an hour, we received out doses (the options were shots or spray) and were back out the door. The nurses who treated us said that since the clinics opened last week they have gotten the process down. It showed: the staff inside the makeshift clinics were smiley and helpful  (the help desk staff inside the college, not so helpful, according to my friend, who told me they seemed unfazed by their lack of where-to-go, what-to-do information). My kids got lollipops, speedy treatment and kind words as they winced through the vaccines. So nice to see city services working smoothly and for us, not against us.

Your dancing days shouldn’t be a thing of the past just because you’ve got rugrats. Why not bring them along and show them how to bust a move or two? Baby Loves Disco, a monthly, afternoon dance party for ages 6 months to 7 years, has a live DJ, snacks, a juice bar and other kid-friendly add-ons that perhaps the late-night clubs ought to consider (face painting, temporary tattoos and a “chill-out” zone where everyone can take a break and get in some quiet time).

Sounds fun, right? Even more fun: You can win one of two family admission four-packs, a $120 value, to the next Baby Loves Disco event at Metro on November 22. Sign up for the weekly Time Out Chicago Kids online newsletter to be eligible. We’ll pick winners on November 16, so start getting your groove on now.