Few beer events are more heart warming and exclusive than today's annual tapping of Bob’s Brown Ale from Georgetown Brewing Company. Once the brew is gone, it’s gone; never will it be sipped again â€" until the following year’s event.

Today, Bob’s Brown Ale hits the local pubs.  Check it here. â€" Steve Dunkelberger

The Tacoma Idol competition once again rides on the back of the Metro Parks Tacoma Summer Sounds and Comcast Outdoor Cinema series squeeze between live music and an outdoor movie. 

Auditions for the competition are set for June 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Proctor's Farmer's Market as well as June 29 and 30 from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Emerald Queen Casino Taste of Tacoma.

For more details, check it here. â€" Brad Allen

The Kent music club Club Corridor will move to Tacoma opening June 9 at 1216 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.   Drummer Stefan Elmer of Slowly We Survive says his band will perform at the new Hilltop Tacoma club June 16.  Stay tune for more information. â€" Angela Jossy

The concept ranks alongside the recent "72-Hour Film Competition" in the Too-Busy-for-Culture- Give-It-to-Me-in-a-Hurry Hall of Fame. The first annual Double Shot Theatre Festival takes 12 playwrights, 12 directors, one choreographer, one composer and some 40 actors, then gives them a mere 48 hours to write, rehearse, and stage 12 new original plays. Not even George Bernard Shaw worked this fast. The 12 plays unfold in a leisurely two hours, twice, Friday and Saturday night, so you don't have to sweat â€" they do. The festival is a partnership between the Northwest Playwright’s Alliance and the University of Puget Sound.  Neat. â€" Suzy Stump

[McIntyre Hall, May 18-19, 7 and 9 p.m., $8-$10, 1500 N. Warner, Tacoma, 253.879.3419]

American Idols â€" Live Tour 2007 will hit the Tacoma Dome July 27.  Blake Lewis, Chris Sligh, Chris Richardson, Gina Glocksen, Haley Scarnato, Jordin Sparks, Lakisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle, Phil Stacey and Sanjaya Malakar will chow down on their sponsor Pop Tarts' tasty toaster treats before singing in the gigantic concrete wooden (duh!) hulk that is the Tacoma Dome around 7 p.m.

Tickets are $39.50 to $70 and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster outlets. â€" Brad Allen

As your nightlife and foodie hunter, I'm always excited about upcoming joints and future hangouts to tell you about that are on the horizon and under construction.

I have no idea when these places will open, but just remember that my brown eyes are on the street to keep you informed, and you can watch 'em develop, too.

The latest gem that's caught my attention is Mary's Burger Bistro, an upcoming hamburger shop on the corner of 23rd and Pacific downtown. Natasha loves me some burgers fo sho! I've been taking special note of the progress in redeveloping this dainty, adorable spot each time I pass by it. So far, they've done a great job of fixing the building up by painting it a deep red, adding inviting accents and an awesome retro business sign. If the TLC they've given to the building is any indicator of how much love they'll put in their burgers, our tummies will be happy.

I've also been watching construction workers scurry around Caper's Downtown, a future soup, sandwich and salad restaurant that will offer lunch and dinner, at 7th and Pacific. People LOVE Caper's first location at 26th and Proctor, and now it's time for them to blow downtown up.

Then there's the building downtown that I'd previously only agree to enter with full-body protective gear: The Mecca, the old nudie movie theater. Construction crews are tossing all kinds of building materials and debris (watch out!) from each story to rehab the space that will become condos, commercial space and (yea!) a speakeasy spot for dinner and a movie brought to us by the proprietor behind the Harmon Brewery.

And in the northern part of town, I'm feeling a pizza chain in their future. Generally I'm a little skeptical when a business considers itself "world famous" until I realize that I think of myself in the same way. Word on the street has it that Nick-N-Willy's World Famous Pizza will open at 26th and Proctor. They promise hot, fresh pizza at a great value.

Lastly, here's one that we've been waiting for, but you should keep your own eyes on: Bombay Bistro at Sixth Avenue and Stevens. Bombay Bistro will offer great bargain Indian food.   

Watching this city grow gets more and more exciting as each week passes.

As always, I'd rather be a T-Town hustler. â€" Natasha

Hey Tacoma, get ready for a lesson in collaboration from a zealous nut on a pink motor scooter. It’s called the “Go Local Passport” campaign, and Patricia Lecy-Davis is the invisible thread that runs through this scintillating little fractal of community connections. Celebrate the kickoff today from 2 to 6 p.m. at Pierce Transit’s Theater Square, on Broadway by the giant, shiny salmon.

Full story here. â€" Paul Schrag

Zhang Baibo traveled here from China so Americans can view his secret during a Chinese Reconciliation Park fund raising event Tuesday, May 22. However, the artist expects Americans to appreciate his secret for the beauty it brings, not to figure it out.

Baibo, a 63-year-old artist considered elite in his home city of Qingdao, China, visits Tacoma, along with several other artist from China, to earn money for the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation. The foundation wishes to raise millions of dollars to complete a phased construction of Chinese Reconciliation Park along Commencement Bay in Tacoma.

The full story here. â€" David Kellogg

Seattle super duo Blue Scholars join Common Market and Gabriel Teodros for two shows tonight at Hell's Kitchen.

In homage to hip-hop’s empirical formula â€" one DJ and one MC, and duos such as Pete Rock and CL Smooth, Gangstarr and Blackalicious â€" the Blue Scholars embody the chemistry that made these groups so consistent not only on wax, but live on stage as well. What results is a blend of poetic, raw vocal delivery with melodic boom-bap and turntablism, painted with politics and preservation. Residing where hustle and struggle coincide, Blue Scholars craft the soundtrack for everyday folks with everyday problems seeking everyday release.  Check it. â€" Paul Schrag

[Hell's Kitchen, Thursday, May 17, 6 p.m. (all ages), 9 p.m. (21+), $10 each, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma]

Blue eyed soul is defined as R&B or soul music performed by white people, but only a handful of vocalists can truly pull it off without sounding ridiculous.  I am personally partial to women who can belt out a tune with as much passion as Aretha and artists such as Alison Monet, Lisa Standsfield, Joan Osborne; and as much as I hate to admit it, Christina Aguilera can do just that.

While Seattle’s own Carrie Akre is best know as a rocker, her explorations into soul-based music broke her out of the grunge cluster, which she first found fame with.  Hammerbox was possibly the most under-rated of the flannel wearing rockers who put the emerald city back on the musical map.  Dogged by A&M Records, the band dissolved as its front-woman fled to form the post-grunge band, Goodness, which lasted a couple of years before Akre decided to change direction.

Her first solo release, 2000’s Home, was a total departure from her punkish metal-driven past, as she incorporated string, piano, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and gently brushed drums to her self-penned soulful ballads.  Now rather than hiding behind a bombastic band, Akre’s powerful voice takes center stage.  â€" Tony Engelhart

[Jazzbones, Saturday, May 19, 8:30 p.m., all ages, $10-$12, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma 253.396.9169]