Philadelphia Weekly

Toni Morrison

"One realizes that there was no civilization that did not rest on some form of enslavement, whether it was Athens or Moscow, England or France. Owning the labor of people was a constant in the world, so that was not the unusual thing. The unusual thing was coupling it with racism, which came much later. So for me it was the ideal place to see how all of this began." So says Toni Morrison of placing her latest novel, A Mercy, in the 1680s. The story resuscitates Beloved's themes of slavery through a narrative that weaves together the voice of four women abandoned in unique ways. Morrison, the first black woman to win a Nobel Prize for Literature, chisels every sliver of fat off the bones of a story, forcing us to dig through the sinewy musculature of our demons to reveal where the brittle bones of family, societal and human histories intersect. She's also a mathematician, algebraic in her deductions of our infinite ability to rationalize the wretched things we do to one another and ourselves.

William Eggleston in the Real World

William Eggleston, 69, is the father of color photography. Unreliable, hard-drinking and taciturn, he's a curious subject for a documentary film, not unlike other eccentric artists/doc subjects like R. Crumb. Michael Almereyda (Nadja, Hamlet) is determined to plumb the depths of Eggleston's artistic soul, though, which is lost onscreen between mumbles. But the blazing beauty of Eggleston's images on a large screen is worth the trip.

Tropicalia Art Show

busstopboutique.com

On Black Friday, instead of sleeping outside Circuit City crossing your fingers for the latest Rock Band expansion kit, visit Fourth Street and sip on a Mai Tai while viewing the amazing art of Anabelle Rodriguez. She'll show her new collection of artwork and accessories at Bus Stop. Bonus: The store will have a 15 percent off sale on all fall boots, so technically you'll still be partaking of holiday shopping.

Stella

It's kind of a shame to write about Stella by opening with reference to The State. Sure, all the guys in the comedy troupe were part of The State, and that show was funny and doesn't yet have a DVD release. But Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain have done nice Internet sketch work since The State's cancellation. As it's required by law, though, here goes: Since MTV apparently won't ever get around to releasing The State on DVD, here's the next best thing: Stella! They're absurd, they're smart, they're the Three Stooges in suits. If you go, please tell Michael Ian Black he needs to go back on those VH1 I Love the ... shows, because, oh man, are they awful without him.

Doug Benson

Doug Benson is a huge stoner. He's one of the creators of The Marijuana-Logues, an off-broadway hit co-written by Arj Barker and Tony Camin. He won the Stoner of the Year award in 2006. He made Super High Me, described as "like Super Size Me with weed instead of McDonald's." He smoked pot with Sarah Silverman, man! It's a good thing Benson discovered pot because his jokes about weed are the only ones in his repertoire that are even halfway decent. But that doesn't change this fact: Doug Benson is probably the highest-profile American in favor of relaxed marijuana laws (besides maybe travel writer Rick Steves). Hell, Benson is risking public scorn and maybe even prison just to make his stand-up bearable. You should go see him just because of how fucked-up that is.