This weekend the Napa Valley Chorale presents its holiday concert at the Jarvis Conservatory. Under the direction of Jan Lanterman, the Chorale performs Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets, at $35, are available at the Jarvis Conservatory, at 1711 Main St., Napa. For more information, call 255-5445 or visit www.jarvisconservatory.com.

At 87, Rene di Rosa is still collecting new works by Bay Area artists.

On Sunday afternoon at the Napa Valley Opera House, a large audience — half of them children — were treated to a bit of theater magic presented by the Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater Company.

A golden lineup of entertainment awaits audiences as the Lincoln Theater in Yountville begins its year-long 50th anniversary celebration in January.

Harry Shearer, actor, journalist, author and commentator, will appear at the Napa Valley Opera House Friday at 8 p.m., to share his views on politics, the media and pop culture.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has named Dec. 8, 2006, “Larry Vuckovich Day” in San Francisco to honor the 70th birthday of the San Francisco-based jazz pianist, bandleader and concert presenter.

NEW YORK — “Letters From Iwo Jima,” the second half of Clint Eastwood’s two-part look at World War II, is the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures’ pick as the best film of 2006.

An accurate indicator of whether a game is any good is time. It may seem obvious, but if a game sucks you in enough to play for longer periods than you normally would, that’s a very good sign indeed.

The basic formula for rock hasn’t changed much over the past half-century or so: Take two or more teenagers, add drums, microphones and guitars, combine in garage and plug in. It doesn’t always work, but when it does the results can be mighty and long-lasting.

MEXICO CITY — Scenes of enslaved Maya Indians building temples for a violent, decadent culture in Mel Gibson’s new film “Apocalypto” may ring true for many of today’s Mayas, who earn meager wages in construction camps, building huge tourist resorts on land they once owned.

Anyone heading to the mountains to try skiing for the first time this season might want to take a page from the experiences of Zeke the Zebra, whose snowy adventures are recounted in a new children’s book from Dee Richards, a Napa artist and author.

It’s hard to believe a video game like “Final Fantasy XII” even fits on a single PlayStation 2 disc — it’s a gargantuan, epic role-playing experience.