1. Fresh off of his beautiful Twitter poem, Howard Sherman has continued updating a cross-country list of the “Best of Theater” lists for 2011. He says he’s happy “that many of the critics herein refused to be shackled by the limitation of ‘Top Ten,’ and often went beyond that arbitrary number, in addition to creating their own categories which applaud more than simply ‘the best.’ Good for them.”

2. The Doyle & Debbie show stars will perform on The Conan O’Brien Show on January 10 at 10 pm CST on TBS. Set your DVR/Tivo/Hulu queue accordingly. 

3. And here’s a couple ways to ring in the New Year, theater-style: On December 31, head to the New Philharmonic for “Viennese Pops New Year’s Eve with an International Twist.” They say that the “4 p.m. performance includes a celebratory glass of champagne (Tickets: $55 adult/ $53 senior/ $45 youth) and the 9 p.m. show features pre-show delectables  and concludes with celebratory champagne and New Year’s countdown ($65 adult/ $63 senior/ $55 youth).”

At Chicago Shakes, they’ve pushed the curtain time of Elizabeth Rex up an hour to 7 pm, and there will be champagne during intermission. Though watch yourself — because of the fireworks, Lake Shore Drive might be a mess. From our spot at Navy Pier, we can vouch for that.

Get out of here! It’s officially the holidays. We’ll be back January 3rd.

Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.