Record sales continue to free-fall—sales are down about 13 percent from last year but that isn’t preventing the labels from unloading a massive amountof big-name product on what has been dubbed Super Monday.  Typically, new releases bow on Tuesdays, but because of Thanksgiving, next week’s superstar crop comes early to still get a four-day sales week.

Dora’s Brazilian Grill expects to be open by today. The new churrasco at 1331 E. Cary St. has been awaiting final city permits.  The restaurant will feature the traditional Brazilian rodizio format of a prix fixe meal ($26.95 for adults, $10.95 for kids 4-9 and 10 percent off for seniors 65 and older).

If you love the Lipizzaner horses, thank Gen. George S. Patton.  The majestic animals that dance in synchronization, leap as if flying and perform other stunning gymnastic feats were again on the verge of destruction and extinction last century.

If you’re thinking of letting someone else handle this year’s Thanksgiving meal, it’s time to contemplate your options and make a reservation.  Some choices:  Homemades by Suzanne is accepting orders for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner through Nov. 20. The meal, at $24.95 per person, includes cranberry and Mandarin orange salad, roasted or sliced turkey, sliced country ham, herb stuffing, whipped sweet potato casserole, homemade rolls and apple cranberry bread pudding, among other items.

Adigitally remastered version of The Rolling Stones’ “Live at the Max” concert is available on DVD and Blu-ray. The release celebrates the 20th anniversary of the band’s “Steel Wheels” tour; the film was the first feature-length IMAX film ever shot.  . . .  On Tuesday, Fuse will air a John Mayer concert live from the Beacon Theatre in New York. The show coincides with the release of his fourth studio album, “Battle Studies,“ also out that day.  . . .  A new Beatles documentary, “The Beatles on Record,“ will premiere on The History Channel at 10 p.m. Nov. 25. The special explores how the guys developed as musicians and songwriters.  . . .  Katy Perry makes her “MTV Unplugged” debut on MTV.com at 6 a.m. Monday. The clips are a preview of her album of the same name that arrives Tuesday. Included in Perry’s “Unplugged” session are acoustic versions of hits “I Kissed a Girl” and “Waking Up in Vegas,“ plus the new “Brick by Brick” and a cover of Fountains of Wayne’s “Hackensack.“

Not only did she turn out one of the pluckiest “Saturday Night Live” hosting stints in recent memory (her Shakira parody was dead-on hilarious), but Taylor Swift isn’t doing so badly in her day job, either.  Tickets to the 15 U.S. 2010 shows for the 20-year-old country-pop singer sold out within minutes last week, including her March 20 date at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville.

So many things happening in music this week, so much to grumble about.  So over the weekend, we hear that Steven Tyler is leaving Aerosmith, and Joe Perry is tweeting about finding a replacement singer.  Let that latter part sink in for a moment. Joe Perry. Rock-guitar hero. Tell ing Aerosmith fans about the band’s plans in 140 characters or less.

With songs such as “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “The Internet Is for Porn,“ it’s pretty clear that, despite the presence of puppets, “Avenue Q” isn’t for kids.  It is, however, a cheeky, hilarious treat for adults who appreciate clever writing incorporated into sprightly songs about looking for meaning and purpose in life.

Fans of Frank’s Ristorante in the Stony Point Shopping Center and the late Brother’s Pizza in western Henrico County will soon have a new addition to the family.  Bocca Toscana is slated to open next month in The Village Shopping Center (7021 Three Chopt Road).

You might know that Paul Shaffer wrote “It’s Raining Men.“  You might even know that he performed in the first house band for “Saturday Night Live.“  But did you know that he was briefly in the Patty Smyth-fronted’80s band Scandal and played the synth solo on its hit “Goodbye To You”?

If you’ve attended a classic-rock concert the past few years, you might have noticed that a significant faction of the audience for artists such as Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Billy Joel is composed of pre-teens and teens. Wait, aren’t kids supposed to think their parents’ music is eye-rollingly unhip? And aren’t parents supposed to be yelling at their kids to “turn that nonsense down” since the younger generation is expected to be listening to some newfangled band with the shelf life of an open container of milk?

Sometimes you forget Michael Jackson is dead, because he’s so alive in “This Is It.“  Other times, you’re struck with a profound sadness when you remember that what is on screen really is the last piece of history from an artist who truly cared about his craft and excelled at executing it.

Easy Street (2401 W. Main St.) is ending its 12-year run on Halloween night, but reopening Nov. 5 with a new name and a new concept.  Jake Crocker, general manager and part of a four-man management team, is keeping details vague for a few more days, but said the new concept takes a different approach from previous Easy Street incarnations.

It begins with Jon Bon Jovi flat on his back, his leg being stretched toward the ceiling by a burly leg-stretching guy.  Outside the room, in a cinder-block corridor of Madison Square Garden, the rest of Bon Jovi—guitarist Richie Sambora, drummer Tico Torres and keyboardist David Bryan—awaits the arrival of Their Leader.

In a little more than two weeks, Saffire the Uppity Blues Women will be a musical footnote—albeit one with a lasting imprint.  In its almost 20-year career, the trio of frank and funny ladies with a serious talent for smokin’ boogie-woogie blues released seven albums and played for tens of thousands at the Chicago Blues Festival and handfuls of music fans in smoky bars in Spain and South Africa.