TUESDAY, NOV. 9, 2010 >>>

1. Leonard Pitts Jr., the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose thoughtful and at times provocative column is syndicated in newspapers across the country, will speak at 7:30 p.m. inside Schneebeck Concert Hall on the University of Puget Sound campus. Expect to hear his thoughts on teacher unions, citizen journalists and "gospel of unadulterated hate."

2. Violinists Maria Sampen and Jennifer Caine, violist Tim Christie and cellist Sally Singer perform Gabriela Frank's six-movement suite for strings "Leyendas: an Andean Walkabout" beginning at 7 p.m. as part of Classical Tuesdays in Old Town inside the Slavonian Hall. This colorful work reflects the composer's Peruvian heritage and travels.

3. Bowling is a game devised for drinkers. You get up, you roll a ball, you sit down. You pound some beers and watch other people do the same. Then you repeat this cycle, all while wearing stupid shoes and knocking stuff down. It's like alcoholic heaven. The Chalet Bowl in Tacoma's Proctor District sweetens the deal every Tuesday night with $2 games, $2 shoe rentals, $2 food items and $2.25 Rolling Rocks.

4. The granddaddy of all open mics - Victory Music Open Mic - runs from 7-10 p.m. inside the Antique Sandwich Company.

5. Comedians Brad Brake, Erick Hurst and host Ralph Porter perform at 8 p.m. as part of Ha Ha Tuesdays at Jazzbones.

LINK: Tacoma Art at Work events!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Tequila Tasting: The Weekly Volcano foodie group Nosh League will be tasting Don Julio tequila this Thursday at Masa. Blanco, Reposado, Anejo and 1942 will be paired with goat cheese and chorizo stuffed arepas, steak and roasted yellow tomato crostini, bacon wrapped mesquite grilled dates and spiced candied pineapple skewers. The cost is $20 per person. You must RSVP on the Nosh League site here.

International Chowder Day: In celebration of International Chowder Day, Duke's Chowder House is giving free chowder to its Email Club members. To jojn, click here.

Happy Hour Back On: Doyle's Public House has reinstated its $3 Happy Hour featuring Cheese Quesadilla, Irish Potstickers, Tater Tot Nachos, Chicken Sliders, Scotch Eggs, Small Caesar Salad and Grilled cheese and Tomato basil bisque - all for, you guessed it, $3. Doyle's happy hour runs 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday. Discover more South Sound happy hours here.

Future Things Are Coming: Brix 25 restaurant in Gig Harbor will host a Fielding Hills Winery for a four-course winemaker dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11. The cost is $85 person. Reserve your spot at 253.858.6626.

Food Matters: Cocoa farm experts suggest a single bar might one day run more than $7. Nooooooooooooooooooo!

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

TEASING YOU SOFTLY WITH THIS SONG >>>

Weekly Volcano scribe Zach Powers interviewed Tacoma emcee John Crown for this week's issue, which hits the South Sound streets this Thursday. Crown recently released his first project, an EP entitled Before I Wake You Up.

"It's a precursor to John Crown the emcee," he told Powers. Here's an excerpt from Powers' feature story:

The songs are not brand new. For roughly a year in 2007-08, Crown was one of Tacoma's busiest live performers, and while he removed himself from the scene for three years to give his full attention to his newborn son and escape the politics of local hip-hop, he still felt as though the songs he wrote at that time deserved to come out before his new material.

"It's the not the best quality music, but it's a period of my life that I enjoyed," he explains. "I hope it's good enough for people to want to hear more."

Powers will dive deeper into Crown's achievements and the EP in Thursday's Weekly Volcano. Until then, we have uploaded the song "The Lilly" from Before I Wake You Up for your enjoyment. Check it out in this post's sidebar.

GET YOUR GLASS DOWN THERE >>>

Have you seen the TV ad for the Museum of Glass? It's cool.

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Sure, you don't mind the way Uncle Fred unsnaps his trousers after dinner and then calls attention to it with that special moan. No, you don't mind sitting next to Auntie Mime who wear's grandma's grandfather's step-daughter's wigs and tugs on your ear every time you utter a word. Fine, you'll pull your grandpa's finger. But here's the thing: why? Grab your immediate family and head to a restaurant this Thanksgiving:

Stanley & Seafort's: Besides a traditional turkey dinner with housemade trimmings ($25), the Tacoma restaurant will serve Chili-Smoked Tiger Prawns, Filet Mignon Wellington, Herb-crusted Prime Rib, pumpkin pie and much more on Thanksgiving day. Reserve your spot at 253.473.7300.

Thanksgiving Buffet: Rub shoulders with your fellow man on Thanksgiving Day with in C.I. Shenanigans' buffet line. Discuss the Pilgrims or the morning football game while dishing up chilled poached prawns, steamer clams, alder smoked slamon, veges, salads, fruits, pumpkin and pecan pie, and, of course, turkey, ham and roast beef from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The cost is $4.99-$28.99 based on your age. Reserve your spot at 253.752.8811.

Untraditional Thanksgiving: Babblin' Babs Bistro hosts a five-course Thanksgiving dinner - skipping the turkey for pork loin steak, Alaskan cod, stuffed ancho chile and more - from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 25. The cost is $55. Reserve your spot at 253.761.9099.

Pacific Grill: The downtown Tacoma fine-dining establishment will serve a four-course prix-fixe Thanksgiving Day dinner from 2-7 p.m. The $34.95 dinner ($15.95 from children 12 and younger) will include Roast Prime Rib, Shellfish Chowder, Thanksgiving Dinner Plate, Loaded Baked Potato and much more. See the full menu here. Make your reservation at 253.627.3535.

Thanksgiving To Go: Salty's at Redondo Executive Chef Gabriel Cabrera is cooking Thanksgiving To Go. Your order needs to be by Wednesday, Nov. 17. Click here for the menu. For more details, call 253.336.6533.

What other South Sound restaurants are serving Thanksgiving Day dinners?

WEDENSDAY, NOV. 10, 2010 >>>

1. Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza in Lacey wants wishes the South Sound would turn into a giant snow globe, sealed off and insulated from the rest of the world - but with a whole lotta beer drinking and pizza eating going on. To help prepare for such an event, they'll host a Prepare For Winter Party at 7 p.m. featuring a bunch of Fish Tale Ales, Leavenworth Biers and Alpine Experience, plus ski and snowboard flicks and raffle prizes. We like how they think.

2. While the suits put the final touches on their morning presentations, the kids will head for a mini-wacky-wiki-Waikiki inside The Den at urbanXchange in downtown Tacoma. The Tropical Trio will lay down some kitschy-koo Hawaiian fusion for some mongrel carefree vacation sensation from 4-6 p.m. Humahumunookienookie bitches!

3. The Tacoma Food Co-op and University of Puget Sound Sustainability Advisory Committee presents a special viewing of the documentary King Corn at 6 p.m. in the Rausch Auditorium inside McIntyre Hall on the University of Puget Sound campus in Tacoma. The event is free, however any donations to the Tacoma Food Co-op would be cool.

4. Botanical busybody David Douglas was attacked by millions of stinging nettles as he explored the Pacific Northwest in the 19th century. He didn't care. He discovered hundreds of western plants, most notably the iconic Douglas Fir. Author Jack Nisbet documents his journeys through forests and marshes, up mountains and across rivers in his book The Collector: David Douglas and the Natural History of the Northwest. At 7 p.m. inside Wheelock Library in the Proctor District, Nisbet will discuss and sign the book.

5. Rock the Dock Pub & Grill's Old School College Wednesdays features DJ Contagious spinning '80s dance tunes. It sometimes gets nutty at Old School College Wednesdays. See what we mean here.

LINK: Lots of Art at Work events today

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT - NOW WITH MORE SUPER GROUPS >>>

A Rhapsody In Bloom Florist and Cafe Latte Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Kevin Jones. All Ages. 7 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Working Man Wednesday, with Unhailoed, Lefthead, Keg. 21+. 9 pm.

Kamel Toe Bar and Grill Tacoma - Parkland. Jam Night. Features members of Kashmire, Soul Stripper and special guests. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Billy Farmer & Rockin' Chair Money. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Wild Flag (Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss, Mary Timony, Rebecca Cole), Western Hymn & Royal Baths. All Ages. 8 pm. $7.

Sax Restaurant and Lounge Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Tim Hall Band Blues Jam. House band set followed by an open jam. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Hilltop. Maurice The Fish Records Showcase. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

ENJOYING ART AT WORK MONTH IN THE DARK >>>

As of this posting, only 20 days remain of Art At Work, which has Tacoma cramming its every cranny with arts-related activities throughout November - which includes film. You will find something watchable among the eclectic batch of films planned for the coming weeks.

Maybe future literary historians will dub the last decade "Harry Potter Era." Sorcerer's Stone came out in 2001, and next summer's Deathly Hollows: Part Two closes out the monolithic franchise. Until then, HP fans can unite (hopefully in costume) at the Moore Library this Saturday Nov. 13, 1-4 p.m., for a free Half-Blood screening [place clever inside joke here].

Hitchcock always finds his way back to our town; eventually we all reacquaint ourselves with his films. Vertigo may have puzzled critics and fans upon its 1958 release, but today this deeply moving film about desire and identity ranks among the director's masterworks, and for me one of the greatest films. It plays at 3 p.m. Nov. 14 in Broadway Center's Theatre on the Square.

Last month the History Museum began a new series, Community Cinema Tacoma, making it one of only 75 venues in the country screening diverse documentaries before they air on PBS's acclaimed Independent Lens. Deep Down's tale of a Kentucky community in schism over a coal mine has "universal applications," says public programs curator Susan Rohrer. She looks forward to a good turnout at 6 p.m. Nov. 18 for Deep Down.

On Nov. 20, The Grand Cinema continues its long-running Click! Family Flick program. This month's free installment is 2004's star-studded feature Shark Tale. Take the kids and show them Scorsese voicing a fish with massive digital eyebrows. It begins at 10:30 a.m.

Thirty-five years ago a film called The Sound of Music forever changed our views on singing nuns. About his ebullient costar Christopher Plummer commented: "Working with [Julie Andrews] is like being hit over the head by a Valentine's Day card." Yes, Nov. 27's Sing-Along at the Pantages will be unbearably saccharine, but how else can do you expect us to fend off National Socialism without deploying dance and three-part harmony? It begins at 3 p.m. followed by the downtown tree lighting at 6.

LINK: More Tacoma Art at Work events

104.9 FM NOW HAS MORE X >>>

If you tune into the Funky Monkey 104.9FM you will not hear any monkey noises. As of today, the local neu-rock radio station went off the air. In its place is GenX 104.9FM. A Funky Monkey wake will reportedly be held tonight starting at 8 p.m. inside Hell's Kitchen. The vibe will be funky, to say the least.

The following was posted today on the GenX's website:

To Our Monkey Nation

The time has come to say goodbye and thank you to all of our loyal fans.  For the last 11 years you have tuned in to our little station while we brought new rock music to the south sound. We have had the pleasure of meeting many of you at our events and love hearing the stories of how The Monkey has been the sound track for your lives. There is nothing like making someone's dreams come true and introducing them to their favorite rock star.  Those are the memories we'll take with us forever.  Thank you for the support you've shown us by coming out to our events and supporting our causes like Rock For Racks.  It was widely known that Monkey listeners are the most passionate radio listeners out there, and for your endless enthusiasm, we thank you. We lasted a LONG TIME with some mega-massive and mega-awesome rock radio stations around us in this great city, and for 11 years we bit at their ankles & had a blast. We will never forget how fortunate we were to have been a part of The Monkey.  So for now, lock up your monkey shirts, hats, & stickers because they're officially collectors items! Thanks again for being the best listeners in the world! Think of us fondly and please keep local music alive and in your hearts.

To put it simply: WE'LL DO IT LIVE! Now, say it with us if you will...

Be safe, be dangerous --- but most importantly ... and always: rock onwards, and continuously. Thank you

WE REMEMBER >>>

On behalf of Swarner Communications, I would like to thank all veterans of all wars who fought in the service of the United States. To all of you, and especially to those who died fighting for our country, you are remembered and honored.

For stories and events centered on Veterans Day, please check out northwestmilitary.com.