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Our movie and media Calendar appears every Friday\/Saturday on <\/em>C-U Blogfidential<\/span><\/strong> and caters to the downstate region anchored by Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA.<\/em><\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n MILESTONES | Happy Birthday to You!<\/strong><\/p>\n 1\/16: Zoe Southlynn-Savage (special events manager, Champaign Park District, Champaign, IL) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n FIELD REPORT DU HQ | From Wherever It May Be Said<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the deficits of living in the house on the edge of an American small town is that I don\u2019t have much at all to anticipate here of an artistic nature, other than what I might embark on myself if the mood strikes. Even worse, I came to the realization that it\u2019s very hard to work up inner excitement for upcoming movies, concerts, performances, opening nights \u2013 hell, anything<\/em> \u2013 when it\u2019s practically a given that I can\u2019t attend because of the family situation and what is now a long haul to travel in order to partake. This lessens my impulse on certain weeks to assemble the Calendar<\/strong>, even though I fight through it with a sense of duty if it can make a difference in the quality of consumption choices for you, dearest readers. I have to process the offerings of Champaign, Urbana<\/strong>, and the cities beyond every seven-ish days with a sort of objectivity in order to get the details composed, corrected, and posted, and then<\/em> I can appreciate how my former community has enough resources and bulk interest to ensure the shows must go on. Therefore, I offer a belated \u201churrah\u201d to send more than 140 miles from MFHQ Remote<\/strong> to the Champaign Park District<\/strong> for turning the elegant Virginia Theatre<\/strong>, which reached a milestone by opening its doors for business and culture the day of its centenary on Tuesday, December 28<\/strong>, into a vibrant venue for the 21st century. That itself is achievement, no matter who or what takes the stage on a given evening. I thank everyone passing through those doors on Park Avenue<\/strong> with purpose since the CPD took ownership of the Virginia 22 years ago this month to ensure its success<\/a><\/span>. And now, once again, I miss living in the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters<\/strong> one block away from the edge of West Side Park<\/strong> next to downtown Champaign, where one has an easy view of the Virginia in the near distance. A sigh has commenced as we speak.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n CONFIDENTIAL ALMANAC | Dates in Film Culture History<\/strong><\/p>\n 100 Years Ago<\/strong> \u2026 Wednesday, December 28, 1921:<\/em> A touring production of the smash hit mystery play, The Bat<\/span><\/strong>, is the thrilling attraction for the grand opening tonight of the Virginia Theatre<\/strong> on West Park Avenue<\/strong> in downtown Champaign, Illinois<\/strong>. Originally conceived as a portion of a sprawling complex that would have included a hotel, according to the research done by Perry C. Morris<\/strong> of C-U Theater History<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, the Virginia was first proposed by Charles \u201cC.C.\u201d Pyle<\/strong>, a manager of the Rialto Theater<\/strong> who recognized the need for a playhouse that could accommodate stage performances as well as larger weekend crowds. He partnered with A.W. Stoolman<\/strong>, a contractor based in Champaign, to realize the Italian<\/strong> and Spanish Renaissance<\/strong>-inspired venue that was designed by the architects C. Howard Crane<\/strong> and H. Kenneth Franzheim<\/strong> of Detroit with assistance from a local supervising architect, George Ramey<\/strong>. The Bat<\/span> is a comedic whodunit in three acts written by Mary Roberts Rinehart<\/strong><\/a><\/span> and Avery Hopwood<\/strong><\/a><\/span> and produced by the Broadway<\/strong> veteran team of Wagenhals & Kemper, under the direction of Colin Kemper<\/strong>, in which a spinster played by Kate Blancke<\/strong> is beleaguered by a series of strange events in the mansion she rents on Long Island<\/strong>. Pyle has already scheduled the Virginia\u2019s first motion picture program for the next three nights, which will feature the hilarious short subject THE BOAT<\/strong> with Buster Keaton<\/strong> and the acclaimed Richard Barthelmess<\/strong> drama TOL\u2019ABLE DAVID<\/strong> from Associated First National Pictures<\/strong> along with reels from Path\u00e9<\/strong> and International News Weekly<\/strong> and live overtures by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra<\/strong>. Films are to be accompanied by George May<\/strong><\/a><\/span> on a brand-new Wurlitzer Hope-Jones pipe organ<\/a><\/span> to lend an air of emotion and excitement. The Virginia would change ownership several times over the next 80 years and eventually be acquired by the Champaign Park District<\/strong> in 2000, listed on the National Register of Historic Places<\/strong> in 2003, and renovated in stages to restore its original glory for generations to come.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n NOW PLAYING | Champaign-Urbana Area<\/strong><\/p>\n @ AMC Champaign 13, Champaign, IL<\/strong> @ Phoenix Savoy 16 + IMAX, Savoy, IL<\/strong>
\n1\/18: Michelle Kaffko Ebner (owner, Organic Headshots, Chicago, IL)<\/p>\n
\nBANGARRAJU, BELLE (anim\u00e9), SCREAM, THE 355, AMERICAN UNDERDOG, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, KING RICHARD, THE KING\u2019S MAN, THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, SING 2, SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, WEST SIDE STORY (1\/14 on), Fathom Events presents \u201cBetty White: A Celebration\u201d (1\/17, 4 & 7 p.m.)<\/p>\n
\nBELLE (anim\u00e9), SCREAM, THE 355, AMERICAN UNDERDOG, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE, THE KING\u2019S MAN, LICORICE PIZZA, THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS, NIGHTMARE ALLEY, SING 2, SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, WEST SIDE STORY (1\/14 on), HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (1\/16, 3 & 7 p.m.; 1\/19, 7 p.m.), Fathom Events presents \u201cBetty White: A Celebration\u201d (1\/17, 1, 4 & 7 p.m.), REDEEMING LOVE (1\/20 on)<\/p>\n