Twin Cities Calendar - November 2011

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		1	2 Spamalot Valerie Plame Wilson	3	4 Luke Bryan	5 Aziz Ansari Clay Walker & Craig Morgan Maplewood Crafts Powwow
6 Daylight Savings Ends (Fall back)	7	8 Election Day (7am-8pm)	9	10	11 Veterans' Day	12 Golden Voice
13 Guns N' Roses	14	15	16 Al Jarreau	17 Lily Tomlin	18 Movie: Being Elmo High on Stress Hold Steady Jeff Foxworthy Maeflies	19 Book Arts Fest BSM Sale Jerry Seinfeld Miles Davis tribute Owl City
20 Charlie Daniels Band Vikings Zac Brown Band	21	22	23	24 Thanksgiving	25 Shopping Day (Black Friday) see below	26 Rosemount Crafts
27	28	29	30

Twin Cities Calendar for November 2011

	November 2	comedy Spamalot, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester (7:30pm, $39) -- here's Not Dead Yet & Dennis benefit Politics of Truth featuring Valerie Plame Wilson, Planned Parenthood, Minneapolis Hilton ($75+)
	Nov 2, 5, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25	basketball Timberwolves, Target Center (7pm)
	Nov 3, 5, 17, 19, 23, 25, 27, 28	hockey Wild, Xcel Center
	November 4	country Luke Bryan, Myth, Maplewood (8pm, $35) -- here's Rain Is A Good Thing
	November 4-6	fair Crypticon Monster Party, Sheridan Hotel, Bloomington
	November 5	comedy Aziz Ansari, Treasure Island Casino (8pm, $48) -- here's Roommates country Clay Walker & Craig Morgan, Grand Casino Mille Lacs (6pm, $27+) powwow Gathering for Our Children & Returning Adoptees, MAIC, 1530 E Franklin, Mpls (1pm & 7pm, free) craft fair Thanksgiving Craft and Gift Show, Maplewood Community Center (9:30am-4pm)
	November 6	time Daylight Savings Time ends (set clocks back one hour at 2am) show Wedding Show, Minneapolis Convention Center (11am-4pm, $15)
	November 8	politics Election Day -- Minnesota & League of WV
	November 11	holiday Veterans' Day
	November 11-12	religion Christian Community Fair, Minneapolis Convention Center (free)
	November 12	Vietnamese Golden Voice - Truc Tiểp Thu Hinh, Grand Casino Hinckley (8pm, $32) nature Swan Watch, Brownsville Overlook, Brownsville, MN
	November 12-13	ballet Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Northrop Dance, Orpheum Theatre -- here's the RWB channel
	November 13	metal rock Guns N' Roses, Target Center (10pm, $42+) -- here's November Rain
	November 16	jazz Al Jarreau, Pantages Theatre (7:30pm, $54) -- here's the Moonlighting theme
	November 17	comedy Lily Tomlin, Mayo Civic Center, Rochester (7:30pm, $61)
	Nov 17, 18, 20	play Of Mice and Men, Park Square Theatre, St. Paul ($38+, student matinees Nov 15-Dec 16)
	November 18	movie Being Elmo - A Puppeteer's Journey, Lagoon Cinema & Edina Cinema rock High on Stress, Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (9pm, $7) rock Hold Steady, VitaMN Anniversary, Epic (7pm, $30) -- here's Stay Positive comedy Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, & Larry The Cable Guy; Xcel (8pm, $50+) rock Maeflies, Bryant-Lake Bowl, Minneapolis (7pm, $10) -- here's Goodbye Sometimes
	Nov 18-19	comedy Jerry Seinfeld, Orpheum Theatre (7:30pm & 9pm, $50+) -- here's the Blackberry
	November 18-20	ballet Cinderella, Continental Ballet, Maplewood Community Center ($25) show Midwest Home Show, Minneapolis Convention Center ($8) dance TU Dance, O'Shaughnessy, St. Catherine University ($29) -- here's an interview
	November 19	art fest Book Arts Festival, Open Book, 1011 Washington Av S, Mpls (10am-5pm) comedy Comedy Jam - Shaquille O'Neal, Corey Holcomb, Capone, & DeRay Davis; State Theatre (8pm, $38+) sale Knightsbridge, Benilde-St. Margaret’s School, 2501 Hwy 100 S, St. Louis Park (10am-4pm) jazz Miles Davis tribute, JazzMN, Hopkins HS Arts Center (7:30pm, $27) electro rock Owl City, U of M Fieldhouse (7pm, free with student ID) -- here's Fireflies football Valkyrie v. Chicago Bliss, Lingerie Football League, Target Center (8pm, $23+) -- here's a recap
	Nov 19-Dec 30	xmas play A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Wurtele Thrust Stage, Guthrie Theater ($29+) -- an intro
	November 20	country Charlie Daniels Band, Mystic Lake (7pm, $35+) -- here's the Devil Went Down to Georgia football Vikings v. Oakland Raiders, H.H. Metrodome (noon, $23+) country Zac Brown Band, Target Center (7:30pm, $30+) -- here's Toes in the Water
	November 24	holiday Thanksgiving
	November 25	sales Shopping Day - Black Friday folk Singer-Songwriter Series - John Koerner, Bob "Slim" Dunlap, "Sneaky" Pete Bauer, & Chris Thomson; Patrick's Cabaret (8pm, $10)
	November 25-27	ballet Nutcracker, St. Croix Ballet, Stillwater High School
	Nov 25-Jan 1	xmas play Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol, New Century Theatre, City Center, 615 Henn Av #145 ($23) -- ad
	November 26	craft fair Christmas Crafts, Rosemount Community Center, 9:30am-4pm
	Nov 26-27	pageant Miss Minnesota USA & Miss Minnesota Teen, Burnsville Performing Arts Center
	Nov 26-Jan 15	play Charley's Aunt, Guthrie Theater ($24+)

Black Friday 2011 - Each year the Twin Cities Calendar compares advertised Black Friday sales. We also report trends and list special hours at the malls.

The Twin Cities Mall Hours

Eden Prairie Center 11/25 hours - 5am-9pm
Mall of America 11/25 hours midnight-10pm (list)
Maplewood Mall 11/25 hours - 4am-10pm

Ridgedale 11/25 hours - 6am-9pm
Rosedale 11/25 hours - 5am-9pm (some open at midnight)
Southdale 11/25 hours - midnight-10pm

Maplewood Mall and Rosedale are open an hour earlier in 2011 than in 2010. The Mall of America, Rosedale (certain stores), and Southdale are open at midnight this year -- several hours earlier than last year.

Black Friday (Nov. 26th) is the national shopping day that follows Thanksgiving. A recent Accenture poll shows 5% fewer people will buy on Black Friday, and 5% more will buy on-line. (It's probably the same 5%). People are also planning to spend the same or less than in 2009. A SymphonyIRI survey has shoppers promising that this year they:

$$$ - will not fall for extended payment plans [20%]
$$$ - will only buy items on their lists [33%]
$$$ - will use the Internet to compare prices [75%]
$$$ - will buy more functional items, less Chia-pet electronics [24%]

I'm looking at all the Black Friday 2011 ads, and I have to tell you, I'm not impressed.

Where are the big sales on HDTVs? Where's the peace on Earth? There are never any good deals on peace on Earth, but I'll keep working on it

Google has identified top product searches:

* Striped dress
* Ugg boots

Kohl's is offering 20% off an entire pre-Black Friday purchase using coupon code FANSNOV20.

NHK World reports Japanese HDTV manufacturers are losing money selling HDTVs through lower than expected demand and high competition with Chinese and South Korean manufacturers. Sony is forecasting a $2.2 billion loss from its TV division this fiscal year, the eighth straight year of losses.

Here was what we reported for 2010.

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