By Susan Granger

Susan Granger’s Top 10 List for 2016:

MOVIES: (in alphabetical order):

“Arrival”
“Deadpool”
“Florence Foster Jenkins”
“Hell Or High Water”
“La La Land”
“Lion”
“Manchester By The Sea”
“Moonlight”
“Sully”
“Zootopia”

ACTOR:

Casey Affleck in “Manchester by the Sea”
Ryan Gosling in “La La Land”
Hugh Grant in “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Michael Fassbender for “The Light Between Oceans”
Jake Gyllenhaal for “Nocturnal Animals”
Tom Hanks in “Sully”
Michael Keaton in “The Founder”
Viggo Mortensen for “Captain Fantastic”
Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool”
Denzel Washington in “Fences”

ACTRESS:

Amy Adams in “Arrival” & ”Nocturnal Animals”
Annette Bening in “20th Century Women”
Taraji P. Henson in “Hidden Figures”
Isabelle Huppert in “Elle”
Natalie Portman in “Jackie”
Emma Stone in “La La Land”
Meryl Streep in “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Tilda Swinton in “A Bigger Splash”
Alicia Vikander in “A Light Between Oceans”
Rachel Weitz in “Denial”

WestportREADS, organized annually by the Westport Library since 2001, has chosen “Bettyville” by George Hodgman as its 2017 selection.

“Bettyville” by Geroge Hodgman: “witty, tender memoir.” Contributed photo

The 2015 book tackles questions about the author’s identity as a gay man, as a writer and as a son. Described as a “a funny and heartbreaking memoir, it chronicles a complicated mother-son journey.” the library said.

Its publisher describes it as a “witty, tender memoir of a son’s journey home to care for his irascible mother—a tale of secrets, silences, and enduring love.”

A keynote talk with Hodgman​ is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in the McManus Room.

By James Lomuscio

There’s something new at Westport’s 23rd annual First Night this year – the Westport Center for Senior Activities debuts as a venue with its hosting of the Survivors Swing Band.

First Night buttons are on sale for $15. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

The performance on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. will kick off the alcohol-free New Year’s Eve event, which itself is a survivor. It and Hartford’s are the only remaining First Nights in Connecticut.

“We’re actually putting performers in there that we have used in the library in the past,” said Barbara Pearson-Rac, president of First Night Westport Weston.

Adding the new location gives the town’s seniors, who comprise more than 20 percent of Westport’s population, an opportunity to have the center open and active that night, she said.

By Susan Granger

Opening with a fabulous fantasy sequence of morning commuters caught in congested traffic on Los Angeles’ freeways, “La La Land,” Damien Chazelle’s dazzling contemporary musical chronicles longing, love and lingering wistfulness.

Aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) works as a barista at a café on the Warner Brothers’ studio lot, while brooding jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) is tired of playing background music at bars and restaurants.  They “meet cute” several times before they actually connect.

Encouraging one another to follow their dreams, their careers move forward. She writes a one-woman show attracting the interest of an influential agent, while he joins a touring rock band, fronted by his old friend Keith (John Legend).

Not surprisingly, long separations take a toll on their romantic relationship as the seasons change.

Westporter Nile Rodgers and his Chic band have been on the annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot 11 of the past 15 years. Today that run likely came to an end—but not in a way that pleased him.

Nile Rodgers greets fans at the Westport Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts last August.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

The funk band is not one of the inductees for the Class of 2017, announced today. But Rodgers, one of its founding members, is.

The Cleveland-based Rock Hall announced that Rodgers will receive the Award for Musical Excellence (not selected by voters) during a ceremony scheduled for April 7 in Brooklyn, N.Y

Rodgers joins Pearl Jam, Yes, Tupac Shakur, Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra and Journey (all voted in) as honorees.

Families constructed bird masks at a pre-show activity in the Westport Country Playhouse’s Sheffer Room today prior to the 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. shows of “A Very Electric Christmas,” part of the Playhouse Family Festivities series. The show is about a young bird lost at the North Pole. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Adele Cutrali-Valovic, orchestra director at Staples High School, turns to thank Luke Rosenberg, choral director, at the conclusion tonight of the final performance of the 76th annual Staples High School Candlelight Concert. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

By tradition, Staples music alumni tonight join in singing of “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “The Messiah” as the closing number of the last performance of the 76th annual Staples High School Candlelight Concert. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo