WE SEE DEAD PEOPLE SELLING SKULLS >>>

Today you can see Death - no doubt nattily attired in his customary black robe, jazzed up with spiky shoulder pads and heavy Frankenstein boots - skulking around Hell's Kitchen in downtown Tacoma. Yes, Seattle's dark-themed marketplace Mourning Market will hole-up in the joint beginning at noon, and Death jumped out of a Mini Cooper parked by the curb, but most downtown denizens will figure, hey, maybe Hell's kitchen opened early today.

The live music venue transforms itself into the quintessential creepy crafts shop today, which most know isn't a big stretch. Around 25 vendors (none of them selling garlic) such as Devout Dolls, Madame Talbot's Victorian Lowbrow, Morbid Anatomy, VooDoo Doll Designs, Enchanted Corsets and Fine Apparel, Killer Décor, Rusty Door Photography and The Skull Shoppe will be selling creepy crafts and steampunk gadgets.

So get your Christmas shopping done early you freak.

Mourning Market

Sunday, Nov. 14, noon to 5 p.m., 21 and older
Hell's Kitchen, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
253.759.6003

TODAY AT THE OLYMPIA FILM FESTIVAL >>>

Zach Carlson and Bryan Connolly, editors of Destroy All Movies!!!: The Compolete Guide to Punks on Film, will screen two films highlighted in their book – Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1981) and Times  Square (1982) at 7:30 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater as part of the 27th Annual Olympia Film Festival. Ladies and Gentlemen features a teenage Diane Lane going from generic teen to a fishnet-clad quasi punk rocker with some serious eye makeup. Times Square follows two teenage girls who set New York on fire in the ultimate street punk battle cry.

It's not exactly great cinema, but it's totally enticing viewing.

Side note: You might recognize the names Carlson and Connolly from previous OFF All Freakin' Night horror film marathons, which is part of this year's festival, too.

LINK: Today's OFF films

1. Exquisite Disarray Publishing will host a poetry event at 7 p.m. in the Olympic Room of the downtown Tacoma Public Library. A reading and awards ceremony, Tacoma-raised, Northwest poet Jeremy Halinen will read from his work, What Other Choice, and also be recognized as the winner of the 2010 First Book Poetry Contest. What Other Choice - available for the first time today - features Halinen writing about, Movingly and frankly about his experiences as a young gay man in Washington State," according to the press release. Should be a worthy evening.

2. The most dominate cartoon force ever to roam the sacred streets of T-Town, the bearded and venerable R.R. Anderson, officially releases the much-anticipated 100 Tacomics: The Secular & Apolitical Cartoon Life of Tacoma and her Moral People(s) today at King's Books. An easy-to-reference and sure-to-offend collection of Anderson's work from the last four years (funded by the Tacoma Arts Commission!), R.R.'s new book promises to finally set the world on the path toward redemption and revolution - or at the very least look good on your coffee table.

3. Join acoustic guitar master Vince Brown (also a master of most things stringed) with the Greta Jane Quartet at the Royal Lounge in Olympia tonight.

4. Score some Free Shorts today from the Olympia Film Festival - in the form of the traditional Free Shorts Program. Starting at 1 p.m. the collection of all-over-the-board short films - each 7-15 minutes in length - promises to be eclectic, perhaps bizarre, and most definitely entertaining.

5. It's movie night at Le Voyeur in Olympia. Grab some chicken fried tofu and hang out.

HUMAN FLESH WITHOUT THE HASSLE OF RUFIES AND A KILL-KIT>>>

Apparently a company called HUFU has been offering a "healthy human flesh alternative" since 2005. This was news to me. The human tofu is shaped like curled up sausages and according to HUFU CEO Mark Nuckols, it tastes a lot like beef.

Already checked off on my list of "creepy things I've eaten":  alligator, rattlesnake and horse. Human flesh, however, is nowhere to be found ...

* Also, while on a trip to Tokyo I ate an entire bird head. Only later did I learn it was only meant for decoration and my Japanese dinner companions were too "polite" to say anything. WTF?

So, despite the fact I'll eat pretty much anything, the taste of human flesh has long eluded me. And now with my discovery of HUFU, not to mention the previous restraints of morality, legality, and Kuru disease flung to the breeze, it seemed like game on.  

Unfortunately ... just like every time I've attempted cannibalism, things just didn't work out.

The Hufu website is inaccessible and even snopes.com calls the entire thing a hoax.    

So, what's a girl with the palate for the bizarre to do? Hmmm.. Montana's 2011 Testy Festy is coming up soon. I think I smell a road trip! 

FOLLOW THE CARP >>>

Last week we published an article about the current funding threat to the Pierce Conservation District - largely due to a lawsuit concerning the legality of the assessment fee used to fund the district. While our article focused on what the potential damage to Pierce Conservation District would mean for our community and whether or not it will occur, some of you emailed us wanting to know more about the actual lawsuit that has led to this domino effect. It is a class action lawsuit contending that the property levy collected by both Pierce and King County's Conservation Districts are illegal. The group responsible for the lawsuit, and others like it, is Citizens Alliance for Property Rights (CARP) - a conservative group based in King County.

For the full scoop on CARP and this lawsuit check out this Blogging Georgetown post. They have been following CARP and the King County Conservation District for some time.

THE STUFF RR ANDERSON BELIEVES IN >>>

RR Anderson will officially release his new book, 100 Tacomics: The Secular & Apolitical Cartoon Life of Tacoma and her Moral People(s), tonight at King's Books. As if that wasn't enough, there'll be free ice cream.

Here's a video of RR Anderson stumping in front of the Tacoma City Council to get you pumped.

NOW WITH MORE PUBERTY >>>

Straight off his total panning of Unstoppable, Volcano film critic Rev. Adam McKinney will be forced to sit through the latest Harry Potter movie this week - with his review of the film scheduled to print in Thursday's paper.

This Potter flick, of course, is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Not sure how good it will be - but judging from the trailer it seems Harry Potter gets an ever-so-slight touch of five o'clock shadow in this installment. Exciting.

While we're on the Potter tip, it's worth mentioning there will be a large Harry Potter release party Wednesday night at the Temple Theater in Tacoma.

ALEX COX IN THE HOUSE >>>

As an avid reader of Roger Ebert, I am well aware of Straight to Hell. Director Alex Cox, after making the counterculture classics, Repo Man and Sid & Nancy, directed a series of films that were viciously panned by Mr. Ebert. I have yet to see Straight to Hell, but now I finally have an excuse besides the admitted allure of Ebert's pan: Straight to Hell Returns, as it is called, is coming to the Grand Cinema on Dec. 13 - with a few new minutes added to the running time.

But do you know what the best part is? Alex Cox himself will be in attendance.

This is really very exciting. The director of two of the great movies of the ‘80s is coming to Tacoma? It seems so.

Now all that's left is for me to watch Straight to Hell. I'll get back to you on that...

MAN OF ACTION >>>

Look, Marty Campbell doesn't mess around. When dude aims to get something done - he gets that shit done. He's like Nebraska's offense with Tommy Frazier at the helm.

Today Campbell was getting the word out.

Campbell's Buzzard's Discs (voted Best Independent Record Store in the Volcano's 2010 Best of Tacoma) is moving back to its original location - which just so happens to be Campbell's other iconic Tacoma business, Stadium Video (voted Best Place to Rent a Movie in Best of Tacoma 2010). You've probably heard by now. There was a press release. There was Exit 133 breaking the story this morning. There were the carrier pigeons Campbell dispatched. And then there was the TNT's follow up blog post, which went a little more "in-depth", revealing economics were a strong factor in the move.

The word is officially out. Buzzards and Stadium Video - as of Jan. 1, 2011 merged as one yet again. Local movie rental and local record shop in one stop ... Does this mean the roof gets fixed? Only time will tell.

Here are a few pictures:

Tacoma Weekly Senior Editor John Larson, or a man who looks suspiciously like him, was either on his Tacoma video store beat today or looking for a copy of the Washington State Cougars 1997 season highlights video.

DVDs from Buzzard's Discs will end up on this wall, which is to the left of the counter after you walk in.

Open space for CDs

Ignore the media types behind the curtain.

Will this mural change in January? Find out in the next round of news stories.

FRIENDLY REMINDER >>>

That's right. In six short days Doug Martsch, his beard, and the rest of moderately legendary Idaho band Built to Spill will be back in Olympia for the first time in a long time - playing an extremely worthy benefit show at the Capitol Theatre with Calvin Johnson's Hive Dwellers and Scarf. The show, which is presented by Friends of Mia and will valiantly raise money for local families dealing with cancer, will mark the last stop on a lengthy Built to Spill tour - and will surely be memorable. The Volcano's Rev. Adam McKinney is currently putting the final touches on a preview of the show to be published in this Thursday's paper. 

Until then, watch this ...

More info on Sunday's Built to Spill show in Olympia can be found at the Olympia Film Society website.