Farpoint sci-fi convention, Jim Gaffigan and some Oscar-worthy short films — the best of Baltimore's A&E scene this week

Farpoint ConventionFor the 26th time, fans of imaginative fiction (fantasy and sci-fi and maybe a few other derivatives) gather to swap stories, wear costumes, hear from authors who have kept the genre vibrant, rub elbows with some celebs &#8212; this year&#8217;s guest list includes actors Wallace Shawn (&#8220;The Princess Bride&#8221;) and Rob Paulsen (&#8220;Animaniacs&#8221;), among others &#8212; and otherwise geek out in all the best ways. Farpoint is the rare fan-run convention, which makes things a little looser, a little more intimate and a heckuva lot of fun. Feb. 8-10 at the Delta Hotel by Marriott, 245 Shawan Road in Hunt Valley. $15-$60 per day, $25-$92 for a three-day pass (free for kids under 6). farpointcon.com.Comedian Jim Gaffigan will be at the Lyric for three shows Feb. 7-8.Jim GaffiganThe comedian, actor, author and essayist (hope you&#8217;ve been lucky enough to catch his appearances on &#8220;CBS Sunday Morning&#8221;) brings his Quality Time tour to the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave., for three shows &#8212; 7 p.m. Feb. 7-8, 9:30 p.m. Feb. 8. $35.25-$225. modell-lyric.com.Baltimore Dance InvitationalFeaturing top talent from the area&#8217;s best professional dance companies, including Dance Baltimore, Danse4Nia, Full Circle Dance Company and others. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Gordon Center for Performing Arts, 3506 Gwynnbrook Ave. in Owings Mills. $18-$20. jcc.org/gordon-center.&quot;Saturday Night Live&quot; alum Sasheer Zamata will be at the Creative Alliance on Feb. 7.Comedy Night: Sasheer ZamataAn evening of laughs from the &#8220;Saturday Night Live&#8221; alum and celebrity ambassador for women&#8217;s rights for the ACLU. 8 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. $17-$23. creativealliance.org.Motortrend International Auto ShowFive hundred examples of the world&#8217;s coolest, most advanced cars will be assembled at the Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St., for the closest thing to automobile heaven you&#8217;re ever likely to find in these parts. Ever dreamed of driving a Lamborghini? It&#8217;s here. Looking to take a Bentley home? Start here. Never seen an actual McLaren? It&#8217;s here. Vroom vroom, y&#8217;all. Noon-9 p.m. Feb. 7, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Feb. 8-9, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 10. $8-$12, free for kids 12 and under. autoshowbaltimore.com.A program of Oscar-nominated documentary shorts, including &quot;Period. End of Sentence&quot; (above), opens at the Niarchos Foundatiom Parkway on Feb. 8.Oscar-nominated shortsMaybe you&#8217;ve seen most of the Best Picture nominees (including &#8220;Roma&#8221;? We&#8217;re impressed). But we&#8217;re betting you haven&#8217;t seen any of the nominated shorts, which could be a real disadvantage when it comes to winning the Oscar pool. Thankfully, two of our city&#8217;s best movie houses are looking to remedy that situation. Beginning Feb. 8, programs of the Oscar-nominated animated and live-action shorts will be playing at The Charles, 1711 N. Charles St. $9-$12. thecharles.com. And up the street at the Niarchos Foundation Parkway, 5 W. North Ave., a program of the Oscar-nominated documentary shorts opens the same day. $10. mdfilmfest.com. Now, which shorts do you think should win?Tetrarch plays the Ottobar on Feb. 6.TetrarchMetal mayhem, with &#8220;guitar goddess&#8221; Diamond Rowe laying it out there for all she&#8217;s worth. Also appearing: Seventh Seal, Inoculum and From A Nightmare. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St. $10-$12. theottobar.com.Violin Extravaganza!Violinists Keng-Yuen Tseng, Qing Li and Bin Huang are joined on piano by Chelsea Wang for a program that includes works by George Frideric Handel, Moritz Moszkowski, Hubert L&#233;onard and others. Part of the Sylvia Adalman Chamber Series. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at Friedberg Concert Hall, Peabody Institute, 1 E. Mount Vernon Place. Free. peabody.jhu.edu.&#8216;The Falling and the Rising&#8217;As a wounded soldier fights for her life, other soldiers tell their stories of &#8220;loss, homecoming, and ultimately, of hope.&#8221; Music by Zach Redler and Jerre Dye, presented by Peabody Chamber Opera. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7-9, 3 p.m. Feb. 10 at Theater Project, 45 W. Preston St. $10-$25. theatreproject.org.The Gin Blossoms will perform their debut album, &quot;New Miserable Experience,&quot; at Baltimore Soundstage on Feb. 8.Gin BlossomsHard to believe these guys released their first major-label album, &#8220;New Miserable Experience,&#8221; 27 years ago. But glad you can relive those heady days when the Blossoms experience was new, on Feb. 8, when the band&#8217;s current lineup performs that landmark album (including the single &#8220;Hey Jealousy&#8221;) live. 8 p.m. at Baltimore Soundstage, 124 Market Place. $28-$99. baltimoresoundstage.com.

Farpoint sci-fi convention, Jim Gaffigan and some Oscar-worthy short films — the best of Baltimore's A&E scene this week

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