FICE LIKES TO RIDE HIS BICYCLE, HE LIKES TO RIDE HIS BIKE >>>

Tacoma hip-hop artist Fice - named Best Hip-Hop Artist in the Weekly Volcano's 2010 Best of Tacoma issue - sent us his new song, "Beach Cruisers & Lemonade," produced by DJ Semaj.

Take a listen (click this post's headline if you don't see the song).

WHAT FILMS DO YOU FIGHT OFF THE COLD? >>>

No question about it: we done got screwed this summer. Never mind the fact that I write these words outdoors with a cloudless blue sky and blazing sun above me; I'm here to bitch about past grievances. It took us too many weeks to finally earn this weather, and from the look of things it won't last. That freak rainout last Monday only tells the fidgety fatalist in me that autumn isn't far away.

We do what we can to stave off the inevitable cold, and I believe movies can offer the great escapism we'll soon need. I combed my collection for a few titles that should keep you in a tropical state of mind regardless the season.

So here's my top five, ranked by temperature for your convenience (and they all hold up as pretty good films to boot). May they serve you well on those looong winter nights.

1. Dog Day Afternoon: "He's been very crazy all summer." I have yet to visit New York in the summertime, and after watching director Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon I don't really need to. Shot somewhat in documentary style, it quintessentially captures the city in vivid detail - the dirt, the teeming masses, and, yes, the heat. Robbing a bank would make any amateur sweat bullets, but Al Pacino's hapless Sonny launches his caper on a sticky mid-July day in Brooklyn. He holes up inside with his captives while outside waits red-faced Detective Moretti and globs of boys in blue. A riveting drama based on true events, the tension only rises as the sun goes down.

2. Summer Rental: "I'm Joe Public, welcome to my beach." I had to include at least one movie on this list that had "summer" in its title, but this comedy doesn't disappoint. John Candy, in one of his best roles, plays the Everyman plagued with hilarious misery as the rest of his family enjoys their Florida vacation. So much visceral pleasure comes from Jack Chester's many beach mishaps: the tomato-red sunburn against his white underarms, the squeal a sunbather makes as he accidentally dumps chilled water on her back. And don't think Summer Rental''s touching themes of family togetherness won't warm your heart.

3. Do the Right Thing: "Today's temperature's gonna rise up over 100 degrees, so there's a Jheri curl alert!" We return to Brooklyn again in Do the Right Thing, which also like Dog Day takes place over a single day. Writer-director Spike Lee uses a heat wave as the catalyst for a racism-fueled meltdown in an ethnic Harlem neighborhood.Cinematographer Ernest Dickerson recalls in the documentary Visions of Light, "The first thing Spike said to me is...‘How do we make the audience feel heat?'" They succeeded, making fire hydrants shimmer and red brick buildings explode on the screen. Combine this with an escalating tension between the characters and your TV practically melts.

4. The Arrival: "If you can't tend to your own planet, none of you deserve to live here."Back in 1996, Independence Day was the summer alien invasion movie, eclipsing all competition along with this little-seen sci-fi drama starring Charlie Sheen. In the film he sweats constantly, acts paranoid, and often rambles incoherently. Though not much has improved in fifteen years, I still enjoy his earnest portrayal of an astronomer who stumbles upon a global conspiracy involving hot-blooded ETs quietly turning up Earth's thermostat. A popcorn flick with genuine twists and an awesome finale set on a satellite dish in the desert.

5. Sunshine: "Detonation beyond all imagining..." And finally, it doesn't get any hotter than the setting for Danny Boyle's film. A team of astronauts ride a bomb with the mass of Manhattan toward our dying sun, hoping to jumpstart it and save Earth. They journey across a harsh realm of extreme climates, where no seasons exist save the absolute zero of outer space juxtaposed with our star's fathomless, near-maddening warmth. The hypnotic scene where a character freezes, then gets a solar cremation pretty much sums up this theme of humans' fragility in the cosmos. Check your face after two hours of Alwin H. Kuchler's visionary cinematography - you may have a suntan.

OK, your turn? What films do you sit close to during the winter months?

LINK: Catch a movie today

PAPA JONES BBQ IS ABOUT THE MEAT >>>

Papa Jones BBQ opened in late July on Tacoma's Hilltop. A modest dining room features stylish pendant lights, an order counter and a cheery atmosphere.

At Papa Jones it's all about fall-off-the-bone tender meat: ribs, chicken, hot links, brisket and rib tips. Anyone remotely into barbeque knows the importance of brown sugar. At Papa Jones brown sugar, garlic and other seasonings add a depth you can taste. Ranging from quite hot to a medium heat accessible to all, barbeque sauces will please most palettes. 

Destroyers of buns, sandwiches at Papa Jones are super meaty. The Slaw Dog is a tidy way to eat a hot link and coleslaw at once. Also worthy, a pile of saucy pulled pork on top of hand-cut fries on the menu warms this meat-lover's heart ($5-$8).

Side dishes like baked beans, macaroni salad, candied yams, red beans and rice are homemade (8- or 16-ounce, $2.75-$5). Fried okra was perfectly crisp in all the right ways and delightfully seasoned

Besides the pastry case full of sweet potato pie, pound cake, pecan pie and cheesecake, more baked goods are available with advance order.

Fish fry Fridays, gumbo and beef rib Saturdays and a Sunday dinner special that changes weekly (oxtail!) are little extras worth getting excited about.

[Papa Jones, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, 1-6 p.m. Sunday, 1902 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.572.2513]

LINK: More local barbecue

NEWSPRINT IS BETTER THAN THE INTERNET >>>

Scientists at Tulane University have made an exciting discovery.

"Scientists at Tulane have found a natural bacteria (dubbed TU-103) that produces butanol. While butanol-producing bacteria aren't new, there are a few important points about this particular bacterium. It is the first natural bacteria that converts cellulose directly to butanol without the cellulose needing to be processed into sugar first, and it can do this in the presence of oxygen, which kills other butanol-producing bacteria. The simplification of the process could significantly decrease the production costs of butanol. This bacteria could allow virtually any plant product, such as newspaper or grass clippings,to be used to produce fuel for conventional vehicles."

That's right. Instead of his famed Prius former Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma may soon be driving a car powered on nothing but old, faded issues of the Weekly Volcano.

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes from Lisa in response to Christopher Wood's Movie Biz Buzz blog, which focuses in on some blazing-hot flicks to help keep you warm this winter. Apparently, though Wood's list was full of sweltering summer films, it wasn't the kind of "hot" Lisa was hoping for.

Lisa writes,

A good list but when I clicked on the link I was expecting a different type of "hot" movies, because there's other, more fun, ways to stay warm during " those looong winter nights".

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

It's Go Time: The three-years contact between the Tacoma School District and its more than 2,000 teachers expires today. (News Tribune)

Buying Some Time: Tacoma City Council throws down a temporary ban on big-box stores based on public fear that the Tacoma Elks Club property could fill with shopping carts. (News Tribune)

That Takes Some Choot-spa: Rick Perry says he's thumbing through Charles Stanley's Turning the Tide. (Mother Jones)

No Floats For You!: GOP politicians banned from Wisconsin Labor Day parade. (Chicago Tribune)

We're Doomed: Climate change makes people batshit crazy. (Sidney Morning Herald)

Charlie Sheen: Comedy Central has released promo videos for his roast. (Comedy Central)

Happy Birthday: Goose and Maverick turn 25. (New York Post)

Dream Big: Like, boobies the size of basketballs big. (Dumb As A Blog)

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 31, 2011 >>>

1. It's time for another Wednesday Session at Jazzbones. This week, drop in on an "acoustic conversation" featuring Rane Stone of Klover Jane and Jar of Flies along with members of Doxology. There's no cover and the fun starts at 9 p.m.

2. Holy crap! Hump Day already? That must mean it's time again for Masa College Night. Expect flesh.

3. Jesse Partridge and Tom Murrett perform at today's Tumwater Farmers Market. Naturally, it's all ages and starts at 11 a.m. Find details on the Tumwater Farmers Market here.

4. Hungry? The Food For Thought Book Club meets tonight at Garfiled Book Company, as it does on the last Wednesday of every month. Here's a quick description of the club taken from the Volcano's Events Calendar: "Food For Thought is cooking book club. At each meeting we will discuss wonderful books, exchange recipes, meet interesting people, watch cooking demonstrations, and best of all eat!"

5. Today is the last day of August, meaning time is running out for you to play with James Grayson Sinding's "Words" in Tollefson Plaza.

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

WESTPORT RULES >>>

Thing: Fresh fish

Company: Boat Seafoods, Inc.

Boat: Howard H.

Float: 7

In: Westport, Wash.

Deckhands: Five total

Owned by: Barb and Douglas Fricke

Been fishin': Over 40 years

Nicest couple: I've ever met (for fishermen)

Steph DeRosa defends Westport, Wash., and come sclean on its fresh fish. Read her column here.

I WANT MORSO >>>

Disregard those stories that America is counting calories and those sworn statements that thin tastes better. The truth is, when it comes to calories, what really counts is the taste of those sinful creations ... go ahead and indulge; those sins can be confessed and penance served later.

I enjoyed one of the better cheesecakes in this area Sunday afternoon at Morso Wine Bar. Kicking back in the sun with a lovely Mercer 2009 Dead Canyon Ranch Cabernet, I topped off the weekend with its crème brulee cheesecake - a creamy delight. The Gig Harbor restaurant - with an awesome view - rotates its cheesecake creations every week or so, sometimes matching special events. It must have been National Awesome Crème Brulee Day Sunday.

What's Morso's secret?

"We use multiple types of cheese to keep it lighter, and use more of a cookie style crust than a thin cracker style crust," explains Morso owner Steve Lynn.

I just called Morso. The crème brulee cheesecake is on the dessert tray tonight. It must be National Awesome Crème Brulee Week.

[Morso Wine Bar, opens 4 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, noon Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, 9014 Peacock Hill Ave., at the head of the bay, Gig Harbor, 253.530.3463]

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's selected comment comes from Downtown On the Go in response to a Spew post from last week on downtown Tacoma's new bike cage in Park Plaza North Garage at 923 Commerce Street. The brand-spankin' new bike cage officially celebrated a ribbon cutting this morning.

Downtown On the Go writes,

If there is demand for the bike cage, we can add more spots in Park Plaza North and more cages in other garages. We love the Dero products and are looking into adding those as well. Thanks for the comments!