You can feign indifference all you want, Ebenezer. Nobody's going to believe you. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know—18 different productions of The Nutcracker Ballet roll through town every Christmas season. You moan and you groan about how all those sugar plums give you a stomach ache, but we're not fooled. You love The Nutcracker as if it were a sack of gold coins. You hum Tchaikovsky's tunes in your sleep every night from Thanksgiving through the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve.

Skate Deck Show at 510 Second Street NW

Rocky Norton is a fast talker and a digressive conversationalist, but you've got to give the guy credit: He knows how to sell a show. And in this case, I have to admit, he's got a pretty damn amazing show to sell.

The great Houdini

UNM Continuing Education Auditorium

Abracadabra. On Tuesday, Nov. 30, Houdini, as played by Bill Martin, will offer audiences $100 if they can keep him contained with ropes, chains, handcuffs, locks and a straitjacket. It's a safe bet Houdini won't be giving away $100 that night, but don't let this dampen your enthusiasm for the spectacle of it all. As they say, it's fun to be fooled, at least every once in a while. After the re-enactment, Martin will step back on stage to present insights into the Houdini legend. This weird but intriguing show starts at 6:30 p.m. and lasts about two hours. $20. 277-6440.

Many books are written about Bob Dylan every year, and most of them, in one way or another, suck royal ass. Over the years, I've read at least half a dozen of them. Some were fairly well written. Many were pure hack jobs. All, in one way or another, were disappointing.