Item World: Bruce Dern likes Cabela's, Scott Hansen to retire, Matt's Bar honored, more

Bruce Dern's new film, "Nebraska," unfolds in a Midwestern world of flannel shirts and worn work boots. While Dern grew up in Chicago with a chauffeur, butler and governess — his father's family was politically prominent, his mother's owned the Carson Pirie Scott department store — he's no stranger to small-town prairie life. "I know the area. My mother-in-law lived in Owatonna. I've spent $2,000 at Cabela's," he told I.W. It was the hometown of his wife, Andrea Beckett Dern, and he visits occasionally to see his in-laws. "I've been there maybe 10 days over the years," he said. When shooting for "Nebraska" commenced in Billings, Mont., he discovered a Cabela's there. "I didn't realize it's in other states, also," he said, waxing enthusiastic about the store's ski-pole walking sticks and mosquito-net caps. "I'm not a sportsman, but I like stuff."

Colin Covert

A few weeks ago, Scott Hansen did something he's never done in his 36-year comedy career: He walked out of his own show. Hansen has been diagnosed with arthritis of the spine, making it difficult for him to be on stage for very long. "It's hard to sit or stand," said Hansen, who is credited with helping to make Minneapolis a major comedy player. "I don't want to put myself in a position where I could fall or get hurt. It's not worth it anymore." Hansen, 59, will do his last New Year's Eve show at the Maple Tavern in Maple Grove, a few corporate gigs and then officially retire his stand-up act in the spring. But don't think the ever-resilient Hansen is going to stop going for laughs. He plans to concentrate on writing and developing sitcom ideas. "I'm not going to roll over and play dead," he said.

Neal Justin

University of Minnesota officials have announced that one of the early shows at Northrop Auditorium after its $88 million facelift will be Osmo Vänskä

conducting the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra on May 2 in a re-creation of the first program that the orchestra played in Northrop. Could Northrop, the longtime home of MnOrch, possibly become a home for an alternative to the now-locked out Minnesota Orchestra? "It's a fascinating idea," Northrop director Chris Tschida told I.W. "I'm so busy trying to get Northrop open. We'll keep all possibilities open."

Jon Bream

Mary Abbe

The Jon Hassler Theater in Plain­view, Minn., is closing. Named for the esteemed writer who grew up in the town of about 3,300 northeast of Rochester, this little drama house on the prairie founded 14 years ago drew critical praise for the quality of the more than 60 plays staged there. The rising costs of putting on shows factored into the decision to close, said Dean Harrington, CEO of the Rural America Arts Partnership, which runs the theater. But that was only one reason. "Also part of our mission was to produce challenging work, and there was some audience for that in this area, but not enough to make it a satisfying endeavor," Harrington said. The Hassler will continue operating on a rental basis through 2014, to honor commitments to high school and community groups that have booked events there.

Kristin Tillotson

Having worked with such Rock Hall of Famers as Elvis Costello, Solomon Burke and Allen Toussaint, L.A. producer Joe Henry is not bashful about reaching out to artists. "I wrote Bonnie Raitt's manager a cold letter and said if she's ever interested in a conversation, I'd sure like to have one," Henry told I.W. "I was on the phone with her about five days later. "And their collaboration, "Slipstream," won a Grammy this year. On Henry's fantasy list is Prince. "My dream scenario is that Prince thinks he needs me," Henry said. "I wrote a letter to Prince a few years ago. He didn't respond."J.B.

Maxim magazine has released its list of the Best Dive Bars in America, which includes Minneapolis' Matt's Bar. Maxim gets points for the correct spelling of Jucy Lucy, but lost us almost immediately after that with an East Coast slap that the national press can't seem to resist. It calls Matt's a landmark, "which is what polite Midwesterners call decrepit old bars that look like your grandma's basement." Dear Maxim: Stay out of the bar-review business and get back to splashy layouts of B-level hotties.

It was at a family Thanksgiving dinner years ago that Leo Kottke said he learned his "real name." His 7-year-old niece told him he was "Eeyore." "It hasn't remained Eeyore," the Minneapolis guitar god told a hometown audience at his annual Thanksgiving-time concert at the Guthrie on Monday. "In spellcheck, I've become Eyesore."J.B.