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By: Staff Writer

17/12/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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Strombo gets Canuckishly Christmassy

RANDALL KING / DVD

Dr. Fumbles

Among the million or so stop-motion sketches on the new DVD release Robot Chicken Season 4 is a knee-slapping funny/gruesome G.I. Joe bit: A new sniper recruit named Calvin rebels when, instead of being given a cool name ("I have a PhD, so it could be Dr. Killshot?"), he is dubbed "Fumbles," with deadly results.

ROB WILLIAMS / MUSIC

Icky Thump

Looking for a Christmas gift with a local flavour for the White Stripes fan in your life? How about the Under Great White Northern Lights limited-edition box set, which features a DVD documentary of their 2007 Canadian tour (remember, they played on a Winnipeg transit bus?), a DVD of their 10th anniversary show, a live album on CD and double vinyl, a 208-page hard cover book and more. Pre-order the set now for $199.99 at whitestripes.com and get yourself three free MP3s. What a deal.

BRAD OSWALD / TV

Strombo gets Canuckishly Christmassy

George Stroumboulopoulos has assembled a festively musical roster for The Hour Holiday Music Special (Monday at 9 p.m., CBC). Among those slated to perform are Michael Bublé, Our Lady Peace, Blue Rodeo frontmen Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, Anvil, Metric and more.

KEVIN PROKOSH / THEATRE

Munsch a bunch

Viva Prairie Theatre Exchange! The Portage Place-based company rolls the dice with a Vegas-themed musical revue called Munscha Meeya, opening Saturday and running to Jan. 3. The betting is that 6,000 youngsters in Winnipeg and another 17,000 around the province will take in the annual Robert Munsch story fest. Tickets available at the PTE box office or at 942-5483.

ALISON MAYES / ARTS

Gimli's not just for Guy

Some art pundits are hailing Ice Fishing in Gimli as one of the most significant works produced here in decades. Ten years in the making, it's an eight-volume montage bookwork by Rob Kovitz, an artist/writer who teaches in the U of M faculty of architecture. It's said to be a Manitoba saga of "drownings, freezings, murder and cannibalism," not to mention "esoteric ice-fishing techniques." You can peruse the 4,750-page "novel," entirely collaged from other sources, at Plug In ICA. To read more, visit www.treyf.com.

MORLEY WALKER / BOOKS

We're really the caring animal

American economist Jeremy Rifkin is expected to raise eyebrows among highbrows with his new tome, The Empathetic Civilization, due in early January. He argues that discoveries in brain science are forcing us to re-evaluate our self-image as aggressive and war-mongering.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 17, 2009 E2

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