Prepare for Starburst! How can you tell that the holiday season is nearing? The box sets get bigger and bigger. (Check out the new AC/DC set, if ya don’t believe us.) On Tuesday, “Farscape: The Complete Series Megaset” is being launched by A&E Home Entertainment and the Jim Henson Company. Here’s the breakdown by the numbers:

4 seasons
25 DVDs
29 episode commentaries
15 hours of bonus programming
90 minutes of deleted scenes
88 episodes
$149.95

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Down in Beacon, concert promoters Local 845 have been presenting a number of excellent performances at various venues around town – everywhere from the Howland Cultural Center to the Piggy Bank. Now they’ve got their eyes set on presenting the Beacon Riverfest, a free summertime concert series to held in Beacon’s Riverfront Park.

But in order to get the ball rolling, they’ve got to raise some dough. So on Saturday (November 14), the Riverfest 2010 Kickoff Party takes over the Howland Cultural Center with an all-star line-up of notable local musicians, including Jen Clapp, Todd Giudice, Al Hemberger, Dan Fisherman, Margaret McDuffie, Art Labriola, Stephen Clair and more – all onstage together. Admission for the very special benefit performance is $15.

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Don’t miss the current exhibit at The Limner Gallery in Hudson. Featuring the work of more than two dozen artists, “A Show of Heads” is a large group show that offers a jaw-dropping array of interpretations of portraiture, including Eric Boos’ “Bad Dog” at right. Heads up! The exhibition remains on view through Saturday, November 28.

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Jazz pianist, educator, and jazz history expert Lewis Porter will share insights and sounds of the late jazz greats Miles Davis and John Coltrane during his solo piano concert at Skidmore College’s Filene Recital Hall in Saratoga Springs at 7pm Sunday (November 15). General admission tickets are $5; seniors/students $2.

From 1-2:30pm on the following day (Monday, November 16), Porter will give a presentation on Davis and Coltrane in Skidmore’s Emerson Auditorium at Palamountain Hall, incorporating rare video and audio materials.

A renowned jazz scholar and Grammy nominee, Porter has authored and edited numerous books, including the acclaimed study, “John Coltrane: His Life and Music” (1998, University of Michigan Press), which was honored with the 1999 Jazz Research Award from the Association of Recorded Sound Collections.

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Okay, it’s Friday, which means we can get away with posting anything, no matter how silly. Here’s Marc Johns’ drawings on paper towels.