Anyone know what happened to Tanglewood Bar & Grill last week?  I walked in to the Lakewood joint over the weekend â€"  the wall is down opening up the room similar to the former Porter and Stouts that occupied the building for years.  And they changed the name to Rudy's Bar & Grill. â€" Brad Allen

Tacoma deputy prosecutor Mark Lindquist will debut his latest masterwork, “The King of Methlehem,” Thursday, May 17, 6 p.m. at the downtown Tacoma Public Library.

Let’s not get confused by the fact that Lindquist is a lawyer. The man is a literary genius â€" especially true for those of us with the attention span and memory to recall the seminal “Never Mind Nirvana.” He is way more down than Dale Whateverhisnameis, and far more deserving of our pop adoration.

In 2004, Lindquist was named trial team chief of the drug unit for the Prosecuting Attorney in Pierce County â€" perfect preparation for “The King of Methlehem,” which chronicles the anti-tweaker crusade of Detective Wyatt James. The book is replete with T-town references, showcasing the ugliness right alongside the stuff we all know and love. Wyatt lives in a loft apartment on Pacific Avenue. The book gives nods to Syrens and the Murray Morgan Bridge. Wyatt’s girlfriend works at Cutters Point Coffee, and both are avid readers of Exit133.com. Local boosters are encouraged to buy the book, but should not expect a coffee-table showcase of the local renaissance. This book is about reality, folks â€" wrestling stranger-than-fiction truths into another beautiful work of fiction. â€" Paul Schrag

[Tacoma Public Library, Thursday, May 17, 6 p.m., no cover, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma, 253.591.5666]

You know how sometimes you watch a particularly crappy movie and you think to yourself, “Even I could make a better film than that!”? Apparently, the people at Tacoma’s Grand Cinema agree with you, and that is why they gave folks with a video camera and $50 a chance to write, shoot and screen a five-minute film at the Rialto Theater in Tacoma. Films will be screened, and prizes will be awarded at the “72-Hour Film Competition” at the Rialto tonight.   â€" Sarah Kahne

[Rialto Theater, Thursday, May 10, 7 p.m., $8-$10, 310 S. Ninth, Tacoma]

I have one question as I walked into The 54 club on South Tacoma Way. Well, two thoughts, actually. One is where the hell is the kitchen equipment, booze and sound equipment? The more important question is â€" will the Weekly Volcano still be sponsoring the (hed) PE show at The 54 June 2?

Concert promoter Joey G â€" who books shows at The 54 through his company The Show Media â€"  told the Weekly Volcano:

Mid-week The 54 owner Robert Spinden backed up a U-Haul to the back door of the bar and loaded kitchen equipment, the safe, and most everything else in the club.

While this was all taking place at midnight the sound guy discovered what was going down and secured his equipment, too.

Concert promoter Joey G indicated that even though the 54 was making a profit, Spinden broke his five-year lease, leaving Joey holding the bag for several bands and concerts scheduled for the summer.  Joey is scrambling to help the landlord find someone else to lease the building so they can fulfill the contracts they have with the bands.

Joey G has also posted information on his Web site. â€" Brad Allen

The Rialto Theatre was pretty close to packed last night as a crowd assembled to watch the fruits of 72 hours of labor by over 30 teams of individuals.

These teams accepted the challenge of creating a short film â€" no longer than five minutes total running time â€" in 72 hours, containing certain parameters.

The finished short film was to contain a Tacoma Landmark, something being thrown, tossed, or dropped, the line of dialog “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate,” and a hat or cap as a prop.

Films were created by young teams â€" a group from Annie Wright School received the hastily assembled “youth film” award for their funny and intriguing look at OCD â€" and more experienced teams.  There were existentialist films, German, French, noir, zombie, action, documentary, scary, grim and laugh out loud hilarious films.

Through all 33 films at the 72-Hour Film Competition, there were themes that resurfaced, like, “Tacoma as a violent city,” “Tacomans as carriers of hip flasks (and guns),” “Tacomans as smokers,”   and yes, here it is, “Tacoma as a gritty city.”

It’s impossible to say which was my favorite.  I loved that "Euphoria" reminded me of my UWT student days (as did "The Applicant," in terms of setting and angst.)  I loved that "South 5" examined the “Tacoma is violent” question and came up with a brilliant proposal as to why that is.  I loved "The Tower" for its awesome use of the Museum of Glass as a backdrop, along with their use of the hat as the prop. I loved "Vinny Vegas" for its use of the B&I as a Tacoma Landmark, as well as the use of the Java Jive toilets as a setting.  I loved the story developments in "Black and White," "Letchworth Road," "Fries That Bind," "$5 Watch," "The Woodsmen are Dead," and "Our Movie."

I adored the filming of the movie "The Knitters," "Obituaries," and  "Excruciating Eyeball" with its monkey in a pope’s hat and dancing (sniff…sniff… is that Bauhaus I smell? Or is it Dada?) and German language had me cackling (and coughing) like a fiend.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to judge the best film (I won’t tell you what I had marked on my ballot) because apparently, the real judges had the same problems with calling one “best” that I did â€" the first vote, all five judges had picked a different film.

In the end, the judges chose one of my favorite movies, "The Knitters," for Best Use of Dialogue.  "Tintinnabulation" was picked for both Best Use of Location (First Pres. bell tower where the protagonist proposes) as well as Best Use of Action (the ring gets flung as the bell rings, surprising the propose-er before he can get the words out.)

Best Use of a Prop was "The Tower," where we wonder â€" is the man ill, or does the hat have magical powers, for real?

Ultimately, the judges’ collaborated pick for the best film was "Letchworth Road," while the audience favorite â€" also a close race â€" was "South 5."

If you missed the Rialto showing, Click! Network Channel 1 will be showing the film for only one week starting May 16, and The Grand Cinema had a DVD of all the films that they were selling in the lobby. You could probably beg the Grand to either sell you one, or to show the films again.  Marty Campbell told me he was buying one for Stadium Video. You may be able to beat the crowd and rent it there. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

I fell asleep with the wee one in her bed last night, snuggling as we listened to a CD of "Barbie Movie" songs.  I woke up multiple times through the night, hacking up bits of lung, occasionally going into the kitchen to drink OJ straight from the carton, wincing as the acid burned my sore throat.

By 4 a.m., I was almost ready to give up the sleep attempts, then when the dogs asked to be let out at 5, and then when the wee one herself woke up at 6, I knew I’d chalk my night up to “crappy sleep night.”

What I didn’t expect was “Crappy Mother’s Day Eve,” with my daughter puking not once, but four times, once in the aisles of Target as we attempted to get her medicine for her aching head.

I didn’t expect that I’d break out in hives as I shopped for mothers day gifts, I didn’t expect that I’d run out of gas â€" in the mower and in the cans â€" midway through  mowing the lawn, nor did I expect that bastard gerbil would draw blood from sick kid’s finger as I mopped the kitchen floor.

By rights, I should have the loveliest time, ever, tonight at the Pacific Grill’s Taste, because dammit all, I deserve to.

But will I feel like a winner of the crappy mom award for leaving my sick kid with her grandma, while simultaneously winning the crappy daughter-in-law award for the same reason? â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Contrary to popular perception, writing is actual work. No matter the frivolity of the piece, even if it’s the Weekly Volcano’s blog, you can rest assured true blood, sweat and tears were spilled during its composition. Perhaps not as much blood, sweat, etc, on this blog, as say in a novel, or a poem, or an essay, or a radio jingle, or Brad Allen's phone number on a cocktail napkin but... This is not the point. The point is that now it’s time for you to meet the women behind the magic, and learn about the craft.

It’s time for you to meet the READERGIRLZ.

Four successful, regional authors of books for young adults  â€" Lorie Ann Grover,
Dia Calhoun, Janet Lee Carey, and Justina Chen Headley â€" celebrate strong young women who stand up for themselves, take risks and have the guts to dream. These author superheroes will discuss their work, read a little and will pour blood, sweat and tears into signing as many books as they can. â€" Suzy Stump

[Wheelock Library, Tuesday, May 15, 6:30 p.m., free, 3722 N. 26th St., Tacoma, 253.591.5666]

There are languid summers, and then there are the summers where you realize there are just too many interesting things to do for you to fit in any relaxing. 

Your Washington state summer could be a mad scramble to pack in activities and entertainment if you’re so inclined, since nary a weekend will pass between Memorial Day and the first whispers of fall without some multi-day spectacle or another. 

So log June 24 into your datebook as the day you seek alternative conscious ways of living through music, performance art, DJs, fashion, visual arts and food as the Urban Arts Festival pitches its tent at Fireman's Park in downtown Tacoma.

Righteous. â€" Brad Allen

Bobble Tiki often escapes the mayhem by heading for the mountains with a case of Grey Goose and a box of Scharffenberger chocolates and the entire DeLillo collection and "Baraka" on DVD. Now that the White River Amphitheatre states that they can provide Bobble Tiki with the “ultimate concert experience,” Bobble Tiki might veer toward Auburn instead. â€" Bobble Tiki

Live Nation reports: Live Nation and White River Amphitheatre are pleased to announce the launch of www.RiverGiver.com, the amphitheatre’s new how-to website for attaining the ultimate concert experience.

Go to RiverGiver.com for event traffic hints and interactive directions that offer the best possible route information from your starting location. There is also a page dedicated to the amphitheatre’s convenient, free shuttle service to/from the Auburn SuperMall that gives pick-up locations and the shuttle start times for each concert.  Rivergiver.com also features parking map/information and all the details on the Early Entry Gate tickets, available at any of the 74 Puget Sound Les Schwab Tire Centers, allowing for those ten extra minutes to grab that great seat on the lawn, or an early snack.

White River Amphitheatre’s 2007 season kicks off Saturday, May 26 with Brad Paisley, Taylor Swif, Jack Ingram and Kellie Pickler.

Old-school metal holds a dear place in my heart, and I’m proud to say I never condoned the crap that those doll-faced boys spewed out in the ’80s.  Saxon, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were more to my liking, as they didn’t water down the music but rather poured gasoline on the flames.  With screaming-for-vengeance vocals, razor sharp guitar riffs, and thunderous drumming, 3 Inches of Blood plays the type of metal that would make Rob Halford proud. 

3 Inches of Blood joins Ozzy Osbourne and Static-X, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Lordi, Behemoth, Mondo Generator, Nile, Ankla, Circus Diablow, The Showdown and others for Ozzfest July12 at the White River Amphitheatre and July 14 at the Gorge Amphitheatre.

Tickets for the noon show will be distributed through ticket codes at monsterenergy.com, jagermusic.com, fye.com, livenation.com and ozzfest.com.  Beginning June 12 cans can visit Livenation.com/ozzfest to enter their codes for tickets.

3IOB is preparing to unleash its third thrashing, Fire Up the Blades (Roadrunner Records), next month, although you can catch the band this Saturday twice at Hell's Kitchen. â€" Tony Engelhart

[Hell’s Kitchen, Saturday, May 19, Two Shows: with Book Of Black Earth, Darkness Stole The Sky, Left Alive, 5 p.m. all ages; with Violence Unfolds, Severus, Mos Generator, 9 p.m., 21+; $10 each, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]