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Go boldly ... for free. In honor of its 10th anniversary, Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton is offering free admission to locals on January 4. So put on your Trekkie uniform, take your Nevada ID and deep-six yourself into the 24th century. The Klingon Encounter, Quark’s Bar and Restaurant and the Borg Invasion 4-D await. startrekexp.com
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Celebrate doom. It’s 2008, and with every new year comes the depressing fact that Earth as we know it is coming to an end. Yet while some religious fanatics and generally happy people fear this, local artist Biggs doesn’t seem to mind the impending doom. Hell, he celebrates it. In The Day the Sky Exploded, a group art show at the Box Office (1129 S. Casino Center Blvd., January 4, 6- 10 p.m.), Biggs and friends journey into the realm of sci-fi and deal with space, aliens and most importantly, the apocalypse. It’s a one-night exhibition of the end of life as we know it. Sure, it sounds kind of odd. But after the ham’s gone cold and cranky Aunt Virginia’s left your home, what else could possibly be better than celebrating the end of the world? Our thoughts exactly.
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See critical favorites. The Clark County Library is once again sponsoring a Critic’s Choice film series, with local writers showing their picks for underappreciated films of 2007. The Weekly’s own Josh Bell kicks off the event (which runs each Tuesday in January) with Joey Lauren Adams’ warm, low-key drama Come Early Morning, technically a 2006 release, but one that played briefly in Vegas in early 2007. Other selections will include The Lookout, Black Snake Moan and The Hoax. January 8, 7 p.m., free. 507-3400.
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See a Monkee DJ. Maybe you want to hear “Last Train to Clarksville.” Or learn, Storytellers-style, the tales behind The Monkees’ biggest hits. Or snag some signed memorabilia. Or simply be in the presence of the man who publicly blasted Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner last summer for “single-handedly keeping [The Monkees] out of the [Rock and Roll] Hall of Fame.” Or perhaps, like us, you just won’t be able to sleep soundly until you’ve witnessed Peter Tork spinning records, as he’ll do at the end of what promises to be a most trippy Thursday night at Beauty Bar. Peter Tork & Shoe Suede Blues. January 10, 10:30 p.m., $15. Beauty Bar, 598-1965.
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Go prehistoric. Run screaming from a giant, fanged Tyrannosaurus Rex or a lumbering 75-foot Brachiosaurus at Walking With Dinosaurs, The Live Experience, at the Thomas & Mack January 9-13. Designers and scientists collaborated to create 15 life-sized dinosaurs and the story of their 200-million-year domination of life on Earth. Tickets to the theatrical production range from $32.50 to $72.50; show times vary. unlvtickets.com or dinosaurlive.com