Thursday Performance Art âÄì Keith Hennessy/Zero Performance Southern Theater 1420 Washington Ave. S. $22 7:30 pm In this postmodern world of Nintendo Wii and âÄúAvatarâÄù we often forget about the simple pleasures in life. You know, like watching a man in a fake beard and aviators sing an aching ballad with a stuffed rabbit in hand or watching that same man, stark naked, sitting in a chair with listening to Nirvana blasting in the background. Performance artist Keith Hennessy does all that wholesome hoopla and more in his live show âÄúCrotch (all the Joseph Beuys references in the world cannot heal the pain, confusion, regret, cruelty, betrayal or trauma âĦ).âÄù Have yourself a ball (Warning: You just might see one). Art âÄì Art Form 1040: Re-Arted The Gallery @ Fox Tax 503 1st Ave. N.E. Free Art Form 1040 adds a refreshing twist to the traditional, boring olâÄô art gallery by featuring a collection of works by local artists that have been tweaked by contemporaries. ItâÄôs a chance to see the work of some wacky cats like Deuce Seven get flipped into something even wackier. Music âÄî Nick Jonas & The Administration State Theatre 805 Hennepin Ave. $37 7 p.m. The youngest Jonas brois also the first to distribute his already minimal creativity into a âÄúside project.âÄù Only $37! Judy Collins Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant 1010 Nicollet Ave. $30-$65 7 p.m. Judy Collins has made a name for herself by providing gorgeous interpretations of folk songs by artists like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell with swan-like eloquence. In 2008, Cohen, Rufus Wainwright and Dolly Parton returned the favor, releasing a Judy Collins tribute album. The Dakota Jazz Club should provide a proper arena for her gracious folk. Friday Carnival âÄì Saint Paul Winter Carnival Rice Park 109 4th St. W. Free You donâÄôt have to be an eight-year-old girl to enjoy magical unicorns sculpted from ice. Gentlemen and ladies everywhere come to the frosted banks of the mighty Mississippi to indulge in bitter ice carving battles, frostbitten parades and, of course, the endless liquor that fuels the Winter Carnival. You donâÄôt need a coat when youâÄôve got a booze jacket. Um, booze. Play âÄì Rock âÄònâÄô Roll Park Square Theatre 20 7th Pl. W. 7:30 p.m. $15-40 When one thinks of rock âÄònâÄô roll, Czechoslovakian political drama rarely comes to mind. Yet somehow the two meld together beautifully in Tom StoppardâÄôs play about the two decades leading up to the Velvet Revolution. Overthrowing communists has never been so groovy. Music âÄî Dessa, Jeremy Messersmith, Cecil Otter and Aby Wolf Fine Line Music Cafe 318 1st Ave. N. $10-13 9 p.m. FridayâÄôs Fine Line performance is bound to be a literary affair with poetry-sacked musicians Dessa and Jeremy Messersmith. Dessa, whose cerebral hip-hop philosophy has landed her a position as professor at McNallyâÄôs hip-hop scholarship program, spits challengingly abstract rhymes that keep the listener on their toes. Music âÄî Fourth Annual TC Hip Hop Awards First Avenue 701 1st Ave. N. 8 p.m. $10/12 The fact that the Twin Cities have their own award ceremony to celebrate their hip-hop happenings serves as one of many testimonies to the undisputed greatness of the TC hip-hop scene. Among others, I Self Divine and Unknown Prophets will be spitting live. Best album? My moneyâÄôs on Brother Ali. Comedy âÄî D.L. Hughley Rick BronsonâÄôs House of Comedy 408 E. Broadway 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m. Instead of analyzing the recession, as he once did for CNN on âÄúD.L. Hughley Breaks the News,âÄù he is now a victim of it, getting laid off for the third time in three television show endeavors. At the time of this release, his stand-up at BronsonâÄôs House of Comedy has not been canceled. Saturday Art âÄì Get Lucky Soo Visual Arts Center 2640 Lyndale Ave. S $20, 35 Like gambling? Like art? Like winning art by gambling? Well, youâÄôre in luck, my friend, because the SooVAC is hosting their annual fundraiser, and theyâÄôll be raffling off a work of local art for five dollars. ThereâÄôs music, food from The Red Stag and plenty oâÄô drinks to be had, but, man, wouldnâÄôt it be sweet to win that raffle? Art âÄì Art Shanties Medicine Lake 9699 17th Ave. N., Plymouth, MN Free ItâÄôs kind of a haul, but the wild Art Shanties project thatâÄôs happening on Medicine Lake cannot be missed. Various local folkâÄôll be setting up twenty different shacks out on the lake that function as everything from a sauna to a planetarium. Minnesotans are truly strange people. Music âÄî Modern Radio 10th Anniversary Extravaganza Cedar Cultural Center 416 Cedar Ave. S. $10 5 p.m. Two things are clear surrounding this event: 1) Modern Radio, now almost a teenager, is among the top tier of local record labels and 2) this show will be radical. Vampire Hands, STNNNG, SKOAL KODIAK and The Plastic Constellations are playing. Music âÄî Red Pens, Zombie Season and Minor Kingdom 501 Club 501 Washington Ave. S. 10 p.m. FREE Red Pens, who were responsible for the best local album of 2009, are hot as coals barreling into the next decade. Zombie Season, who didnâÄôt have too shabby of a 2009 themselves, will be joining them. Music âÄî Motion City Soundtrack First Avenue 701 1st Ave. N. $20 5 p.m. Twin Cities pop punk sensations! If you enjoy Mark HoppusâÄôs and easy-as-1-2-3 sing-alongs, this oneâÄôs for you. Culture to Consume Watch this: WeâÄôre like Barack Obama; weâÄôre with Coco. If you are too, make sure to faithfully tune into what Conan is calling âÄúThe sometime at night show with some white guy.âÄù In prime time news, Tina FeyâÄôs âÄúLesbian Yellow Sour FruitâÄù is back via âÄú30 Rock.âÄù Phew. Listen to this: WeâÄôre excited for âÄúA Badly Broken Code,âÄù the debut of local Doomtree rapper Dessa. Pitchfork isnâÄôt so into EditorsâÄô âÄúIn this Light and on this Evening [3.7 score],âÄù so maybe RJD2âÄôs âÄúThe ColossusâÄù should be your soundtrack for the first week of classes. Read this: While âÄúEat, Pray, LoveâÄù scribe Elizabeth GilbertâÄôs new release âÄúCommittedâÄù is getting plenty of buzz, weâÄôll be checking out âÄúThe Ticking is the BombâÄù from the cynical but compassionate Nick Flynn (âÄúAnother Bullshit Night in Suck CityâÄù) and âÄúThe Unnamed,âÄù from the witty, disenchanted Joshua Ferris. Eat this: Orecchiette with Braised Rabbit at Bar la Grassa is an unforgettable experience, as is The Bulldog N.E.âÄôs âÄúGood MorningâÄù dish âÄî eggs, ham and American cheese piled burger-style on an English muffin with tater tots. Drink this: One of the best local breweries is right near campus. Check out the Black H20 Oatmeal stout at Town Hall on Seven Corners. Click this: Support local blog journalism by checking out the best of the decade lists on Culturebully.com. Get mad, feel understood and then nab MP3s by the likes of The National, Jens Lekman and Panda Bear.