MATT DRISCOLL: TWO TIMES THE ROSATI AT WEEKEND FILM FESTS >>>

Joe Rosati has to be one of the most lovable characters Tacoma has to offer. The one time lead man of the Shoboat in Ruston, turned bankrupt son living with his parents, turned actor extraordinaire, turned professional Ageless slinger â€" Joe Rosati has certainly staked a place for himself in the annals of the City of Destiny. Plus, he’s just an all around nice and funny dude. Every encounter I’ve had with Rosati over the last three years has started like a scene from The Lonely Guy â€" one of Rosati’s favorite flicks of all time.

“Hi, Jooooooe,” I say in a beaten and deadpan voice.

“Hi, Maaaatttttttt,” Rosati replies with an alarming Charles Grodin likeness.

Anyway, any chance I get to show Rosati some love I like to take. Just such an opportunity arises today.

Many are familiar with Rosati’s film www.myspace.com/limbothemovie ">Limbo â€" basically the story of how everything went wrong for Rosati after the Shoboat’s demise, and in the end how that ended up being right. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you check it out (and not just because I make a cameo in the film). Limbo will appear at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival, screening this Sunday, June 15 at the Central Cinema. The show starts at 9:30 p.m.

Also, Rosati will appear in the film Visioneers, which is part of the Seattle International Film Festival and will screen today at 9:30 p.m. and again Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Both of those screenings will take place at the Egyptian.

FILM
The Fall
In a Los Angeles hospital, circa 1915, a paralyzed stunt man (LeePace) enthralls an angelic little girl (Catinca Untaru) with an adventure story that her mind supplies extraordinary images for. The film is a mad folly, an extravagant visual orgy, a free-fall from reality into uncharted realms, directed by Tarsem (The Cell). A movie that you might want to see for no other reason than because it exists. There will never be another like it. The R rating should not dissuade bright teenagers from this celebration of the imagination. Four Stars â€" Roger Ebert
[The Grand Cinema, 3:45, 6:20, and 8:50 p.m., $4.50-$8, 606 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253.593.4474]

EVENT
Blues, Brews, and BBQs
In the beginning there was man, meat and fire â€" the fixings for early barbecue. Fast forward and not much has changed except each culture professes to have its own unique taste veiled in secret ingredients and techniques. The South Sound Blues culture likes their barbecue outdoors in a baseball stadium mixed with beer and the powerful Red Hot Blues Sisters fronted by the hot and soulful vocals of Suze Sims and the searing rock/blues styles of Teri Anne Wilson on guitar. It’s a friendly, lively culture. Go study them. â€" Suzy Stump
[Cheney Stadium, Friday, June 13, 6 p.m., $45 dinner and show, $20 show, 2502 S. Tyler St., Tacoma]

ROCK
Pablo Trucker
“We find it very difficult to characterize what we do,” writes Pablo Trucker on MySpace. “So we ask you to listen. We ask you to come to a show. We invite your descriptions because we would love for our songs to inspire dialogue and conversation.”
Fair enough, I say. How about this, Pablo Trucker:

“I totally dig you. I’m so happy I stumbled upon your spacious and atmospheric heartland rock â€" thanks to Myspace, Pablo Trucker. I think your guitar work is beautiful, and I don’t use such a left-handed term lightly. I promise. Even though your singer kind of sounds like the dude from Counting Crows on that one song, I think you’re totally cool, at least on the Internet. And the Internet never lies. I think your show at Bob’s Java Jive should be legit.” â€" Matt Driscoll
[Bob’s Java Jive, Twilight Drive, Pablo Trucker, The Hard Way, Friday June 13, 8 p.m., 2102 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.475.9843]

LINK: Cookie Mongoloid and others in the clubs tonight.
LINK: Discover when the movie starts here.
LINK: Let’s eat at a bistro today.

CARMEN JONES: TOP OF TACOMA >>>

Last night I blew off tons of steam at the Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe.  As you read this week in the Weekly Volcano â€" I've been hiding behind books and work for a few months. You also read that I emerged victorious.  My celebration came in the form of a free rock show with the Dirty Knockers, Tough Times and And Those Who Were Dragged on the Eastside. Here are a few snapshots:

I'm back!

LINK: Carmen Jones archives

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD

Melange \may-LAHNZH\, noun:
A mixture; a medley.

USAGE EXAMPLE: Bobble Tiki typically gets his day going with a mélange of vodka, half a grapefruit, some Pepcid AC, and a handful of Hostess powdered sugar Donette Gems.  Nutritionally, it doesn’t do much for Bobble Tiki, but mentally the mélange gets Bobble Tiki’s brain firing on all cylinders.

MORNING NEWS

TACOMA: Sound to Narrows info

OLYMPIA: Boating accident

SEATTLE: Women's professional football

UNITED STATES: Planet Green

JUST BIZARRE: Teenage fantasy come true

MORE STRANGE NEWS:That's a lot of rats

THINGS TO DO TODAY
FILM LISTINGS: Look here
MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening
SHOOT THE SHIT: Weekly Volcano forums

MATT DRISCOLL: FOR REAL >>>

The NY Times is reporting that newsman Tim Russert, famous for hosting "Meet the Press" every Sunday morning, has died of a heart attack. Russert was 58.

MATT DRISCOLL: THE RETURN OF NOTES FROM THE TOP >>>

Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson decided to throw the mutts a bone this week â€" after taking last week off from his usual Friday press briefings with the media â€" which means the weekly Spew feature Friday with Eric also returns today. Wearing a tan, outdoorsy North Face shirt (that looked soft enough to touch, but professional enough for a lovable City Manager on casual Friday thanks to its collar and long sleeves) Mr. Anderson, as usual, entered the room with a smile and held court for about 45 minutes this afternoon.

What did he have to say? That’s what we’re here for.

Quick hits

- The City Council sits on the verge of designating 658.6 acres of Tacoma as a Revenue Development Area. (For those who must know, and force me to type it out, that’s south 4th Street to the north; South 28th Street, Interstate 705, State Route 7 northbound, Wiley Avenue and Interstate 5 to the south; Dock Street Puyallup Avenue and L Street to the east; and Tacoma Avenue to the west.) The council is expected to hear the first reading of an ordinance to do just that next Tuesday, June 17, and according to Anderson authorize its submittal on the 24th.

It goes without saying that the city’s goal with creating a Revenue Development Area is to, well, develop revenue. According to a city news advisory which was circulated today, “The projected investment in public improvements will act as a catalyst to attract at least $400 million of new private investment in office development and support uses and the creation of approximately 2,000 livable wage jobs in international financial services and other fields.”

One of the tools that Tacoma is planning (should I say hoping) to utilize in the creation of this Revenue Development Area is called the LIFT program â€" Local Infrastructure Financing Tool- which is a state program overseen by the Community and Economic Revitalization Board that awards money to municipalities for things like parking infrastructure, right of way and streetscape improvements. If the Revenue Development Area is created, it will authorize the submittal of a LIFT application. According to Anderson, Tacoma hopes to receive $1million dollars per year from LIFT for the next 25 years- the maximum allowed by the program. That said, Anderson calls the LIFT application process “very competitive,” and expects 27-33 municipalities to apply for the funding.

- Remember that Danish architect Lars Gemzoe who was in town a while back to tour our fine City of Destiny and make recommendations about what could be do to improve it? Well, he had recommendations, all right. And he made them. According to Anderson Tacoma is currently reviewing several conceptual ideas that “incorporate Gemzoe’s recommendations” in an attempt to form a plan about what the hell to do with Tollefson Plaza. One of these plans reportedly involves closing 17th Street between Pacific Avenue and Broadway to make for a much bigger contiguous space for the plaza, though Anderson has noted in the past that vision would require considerable public outreach. “The goal here isn’t to screw up anybody,” said Anderson referring to the many shareholders in the future of Tollefson Plaza â€" i.e. all the surrounding businesses, museums, the UWT, Pierce Transit, etc. “We want to do this without injuring the interest of people. We want to be inclusive, not exclusive or destructive.”

“We want to make it more people friendly,” continued Anderson, who seemed particularly excited by the idea of hot dogs at Tollefson Plaza. “We want to end up with a place that’s really active.”

While nothing is set in stone, according to Anderson one of the themes reportedly being bounced around for the plaza involves honoring the history of Tacoma - focusing on the City of Destiny’s “unsung heroes.” Such an idea would most likely start at Tollefson Plaza, but it’s quite possible it could extend into other neighborhoods and other local unsung heroes. At least that was the feeling I was left with after today’s briefing. Anderson says he hopes to have a formal plan for Tollefson Plaza ready to submit to the City Council by this fall.

- Finally, as Jason Hagey of the News Tribune first reported earlier this month, the city has been discussing fencing off the railroad tracks near Ruston Way for this year’s Freedom Fair. While both permanent and temporary fencing had been discussed, it seems temporary fencing has been decided upon. Police and city officials desire the fencing for the obvious safety reasons, as well as in the interest of having limited entrance and exit points to this year’s Freedom Fair. While temporary fencing, according to Anderson, will cost in the ballpark of $15,000 and permanent would only be three or four thousand more, the temporary stuff was decided upon mainly because permanent fencing would require BNSF approval. This will no doubt come as good news to the one condo owner whose view will be impacted by the decision.

That’s all for this week, Tacoma. For local government junkies, Anderson says we can expect an excruciatingly long City Council meeting next Tuesday, with four public hearings scheduled to take place as well as a full regular agenda. According to Anderson, he plans on “bringing his sleeping bag.”

Good times.