Arts & Culture

Despite what some believe, karaoke is fit for more than the bar townies or "American Idol" wannabes. According to Raina Lee, UC Davis alumna and author of the newly released Hit Me With Your Best Shot: The Ultimate Guide to Karaoke Domination, karaoke is fun for everyone.

Editor's picks:

All My Pretty Ones, The Beat Nun, Ellie Fortune

Sunday, 8 p.m., $3-5

Primary Concepts at 219 E St.

Del Castillo

Monday, 7:30 p.m., free

The Quad

If Green Day were cool, they'd be The Fratellis. There's only so far you can go with power chord anthems without sounding like you're kicking a dead horse.

There's also a certain fullness required to elevate a band's sound to a higher level, no matter how small a band's numbers or simple their instrumentation. Social Distortion was never able to get this right, and the White Stripes got off the train a while ago.

Before longtime art gallery owner Barry Smith opened the new Sacramento Art Complex between K and 21st streets in Sacramento, he looked up the noun "complex" in a dictionary.

"It's an interrelated but separate [group] of intellectually creative entities," said Smith, who has been an art dealer for 25 years. "I loved it, so I thought, 'Hey, what if I had a gaggle of artists around me as this synergetic entity?'"

When Kenyan-born Victor Sila first came to America 15 years ago, he wanted to be a Michael Jackson or Babyface-style R&B singer. However, he was rejected by every label he approached.

"It felt inauthentic, especially with my heavy accent," Sila said. "I was trying to be westernized, trying to do what I thought was the cool thing to do, but I was miserable and everyone else who heard me could feel it."

The eighth studio release from the 38-year-old legend is as much a Beck album as any of its predecessors, meaning that you can't really expect anything in particular. In this case, producer DJ Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton's funky, electronic beats contrast with Beck's grave lyrics and themes, creating a dichotomy that is simultaneously danceable and somberly beautiful.

Christopher Nolan gave new life to the Caped Crusader franchise with his 2005 adaptation Batman Begins. His second film about the comic book icon smashes all expectations of the much-hyped The Dark Knight. Serving endless climatic scenes and twisting the imagination with his unsettling use of darkness in the film, Nolan reminds the audience about the stuff heroes are made of.

Editor's picks:

The Dark Knight

Opens Friday at Regal Davis Holiday 6 on F Street

The Zim-Zims, Joe Finkel, Mistlefinger

Saturday, 8:30 p.m., $3

Delta of Venus

If the French language is the universal language of love, then movie lovers will fall in love all over again at this year's Sacramento French Film Festival.

Created to introduce the Sacramento public to French films, the seventh annual film festival will open Friday with its opening night reception and open wine bar at the Crest Theatre in Sacramento.

It's understandable, but it's stifling - Davis tends to house students throughout their college careers, but never for much longer. It's terrible for bands, in particular, which dissolve not long after their inceptions.

Ever wish to DJ at the famed Studio 54 in Vegas or dream about being an MC at the Hard Rock Café in Sacramento? Were you destined for the music industry and just need an opportunity?

Ever wish to DJ at the famed Studio 54 in Vegas or dream about being an MC at the Hard Rock Café in Sacramento? Were you destined for the music industry and just need an opportunity?

Editor's picks:

Emily Jane White, Garrett Pierce

Saturday, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia's Thai Kitchen

Eat Skull, English Singles, Gonglians

Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Delta of Venus

It's been seven months since Weezer's lead vocalist River Cuomo's solo release, three years since Weezer released Make Believe and 16 years since Weezer's inception. After five albums, one would think they would take a change in direction after such a long history as an alt-rock figurehead.

As a follow-up to 2006's Flatlanders exhibition, which presented the work of 46 artists residing in the Davis, Woodland and Sacramento areas, the Nelson Gallery is presenting its second biennial installment, Flatlanders 2.