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If you build it, they will come. That's basically what Matt Meyer says. The director of entertainment at the Spokane Arena and the First Interstate Center for the Arts recently had a revelatory conversation with a booking agent. Meyer told the agent about how he is scouting for a 3,000-capacity, general-admission venue.

When chatting with Flaming Lips singer-songwriter Wayne Coyne in September about the band's then upcoming date at Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox in March, Coyne's pal, Miley Cyrus, entered the conversation. Cyrus, 28, veered in another direction after befriending the Flaming Lips in 2014.

“Hillbilly Elegy” (2020, R), based on the bestselling memoir by J.D. Vance, stars Gabriel Basso as a Yale law student drawn back to his Northern Kentucky home by his meth-addict mother (Amy Adams). Haley Bennett, Frieda Pinto and Glenn Close also star, and Ron Howard directs. (Netflix)

Susan Moss Bourne lives in the country outside Kingston, Idaho, where she spends much of her time hiking and gathering lichen, moss, antlers, pine cones and flowers for handmade wreaths. For the last three years, she has been making wreaths to use, sell, donate, gift and inspire.

In 10 minutes of music that’s as fresh and energizing as the album’s central symbol, Spokane hip-hop artist Jango explores themes of togetherness, isolation and pride versus fear in his latest release, “Espresso and Shine.” Navigating dizzy and deep soundscapes sculpted by executive producer Benn Suede, Jango (born Elijah Kilborn) muses.

“Astro’s Playroom” comes installed on every PlayStation 5, and at first glance you might mistake it for a demo or even a tutorial to introduce you to the DualSense controller. While “Astro’s Playroom” succeeds in that regard, the delightful 3D platformer is much more than simply a technical showcase: It’s a must-play.

As announced last weekend, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed another event: Christmas Tree Elegance, which was scheduled to run Dec. 1-13 in River Park Square. Christmas Tree Elegance, organized by the Spokane Symphony Associates, is a free-to-attend fundraiser for the Spokane Symphony. The 2019 event raised more than $400,000.

Already in its seventh touring year, “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” continues to surprise audiences with its stark juxtaposition of artistic styles. At 7 p.m. Dec. 19, a version of the celebrated holiday dance spectacle, recorded at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, will be streamed online for audiences at home across the country.

Perhaps it’s because music acts were forced off the touring circuit, leaving unplanned time to work on albums and other projects, but 2020 has been a bountiful year for holiday music. This column covers many of the full-length albums, although I left out the EPs and singles for fear the column would reach “War & Peace” length.

It’s been a while since the 2013 animated walkabout with the close-knit caveman clan “The Croods,” and the question is: Was the wait for sequel “The Croods: A New Age” worth it? This is directorial debut of longtime animation story artist Joel Crawford, who worked on the “Kung Fu Panda” movies for DreamWorks Animation.

With the second wave of COVID-19 upon us, my morbid mind realized now was perhaps a better time than ever to try out the video game adaptation of “Pandemic,” a highly successful board game where players assume the role of scientists managing a global virus outbreak. Life imitates art and all that.

Although there are still a number of weeks until 2020 finally(!) sinks into the annals of history, I’d wager that “Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales” will be remembered as the year’s most ingratiating family-friendly video game. It is a feel-good, unabashed spectacle that controls well, looks great and has a hyper-efficient story line.

Eric Edelstein has finally come out of the closet ... to do an interview. The character/voice actor turned his coat closet into a recording studio after the coronavirus left the Gonzaga alumnus sequestered in Hollywood. "I was turning lemons into lemonade," Edelstein said while calling from his Los Angeles home.

No top-tier recording artist has performed in Spokane as often as Sir Elton John has over the last 20 years. John, who released his latest eight-CD box set, "Elton: Jewel Box," on Nov. 13, has performed at the Spokane Arena in May 1999, April 2011, September 2014 and March 2017.

What do you get for the music lover who has everything? A ticket to something they've never heard, or seen, before, like Northwest BachFest's virtual "Across the Miles" series. The series, which features virtual concerts from and interviews with a variety of performers, launched in October with “The Intimate World of Cole Porter.”

Can an 8-year-old have musical pillars? Sure. Raheem DeVaughn already had a few by that age – Prince, Bob Marley, Earth Wind and Fire – and he says he’ll never forget the Sunday afternoon when one of them toppled: April 1, 1984. “I had gone to the movies with my mother,” DeVaughn says of that moment.

There’s a quiet, breathtaking power to Alexander Nanau’s documentary “Collective,” Romania’s Oscar entry this year. A propulsive urgency propels the film along derived not from manipulative storytelling techniques, but simply facts, information carefully observed, imparted plainly and with a lack of melodrama.

The Flaming Lips have canceled their March 19 concert at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox. In an email, Fox staff said though the show has not been rescheduled, they look forward to welcoming the Flaming Lips to the Fox in the future. Refunds have been issued to those who bought tickets with a debit or credit card.

LOS ANGELES – Eight months into the pandemic, the American Alliance of Museums on Tuesday released its second survey exploring the consequences of COVID-19, and predictions for the future are bleak. Many museums might not be able to rebound from the dire financial strain brought on by months of COVID-19.