ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes from Jillian in response to Jennifer Johnson's dining story this week - a district-by-district guide to T-Town burgers.

Jillian writes,

while we're talkin' burgers, I'd just like to make sure the folks out there who enjoy peanut butter have had a change to try a peanut butter burger.
Peanut Butter Burgers originate at the Ram, but have not been on their menu for many years (though they can still make it for you). If you'd rather not head to the Ram, just ask your burger provider if they have peanut butter in their kitchen, and (if they have it) to put it on a bacon cheeseburger for you (with all the other toppings/sauces as normal).
SO tasty!

FRIDAY, OCT. 14, 2011 >>>

1. Show up at Jazzbones at 8 p.m. and you'll encounter a pulsing, breathing, three-pronged attack of art-meets-music. The gist of this gig won't be much different than the image the name conjures up, combining the mastery of the "violinistextremist" known as Kytami, billed as "perhaps Canada's most diverse and engaging fiddle player," the DJ skills of The Phonograff, a venerable turntable wizard with almost two decades of experience in the game, and reggae-bred mic-master Mista Chatman - mixing the varied ingredients into a sight and sound rarely seen.

2. Sorry fans of Pearl Harbor and The Prime Gig - the Gig Harbor Film Festival doesn't include "Gig" and "Harbor" flicks. Instead, the three-day festival will include today's screenings of Family of the Wa'a (10:25 a.m.), Paint (2:30 p.m.), A Relative Thing (5:45 p.m.), OxyMorons (8:45 p.m.) plus many more that include features, documentaries, shorts, and foreign films at the Galaxy Theatre at Uptown.  We have call into the festival folks regarding the rumor that For Whom the Bridge Tolls will screen.

3. This weekend bird lovers from far and wide will flock (get it?) to Tacoma for the 8th annual Bird Lovers' Weekend at the Museum of Glass. Events kick off today with bird-related art activities in the Studio, Oiva Toikka documentary in the Theater, "Birds by Toikka" glass bird-making demonstrations by Tero Välimaa in the Hot Shop and Professor Toikka;s new, limited-edition bird is available for purchase in the Museum Store.

4. Sandra Sunrising Osawa, whose prolific films and television productions tell the stories of contemporary Native Americans, will deliver the keynote speech at the Contemporary Native American Issues in Higher Education symposium at 2 p.m., in Philip Hall on the University of Washington Tacoma campus.

5. Criticizing a poet is like kicking a crippled child in the groin. It's not pretty, and it doesn't solve anything. That's what we love about tonight's Distinguished Writer Series, which hits King's Books at 7 p.m. After the featured poet - Ed Harkness, author of poetry collections Saying the Necessary and Beautiful Passing Lives -you can stand up on stage and let it all hang out during the open mic without a single vegetable whizzing by.

PLUS: Several events today listed in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Concerts go on sale today

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Tacoma School District: Deputy Superintendent Carla Santorno is being groomed. (News Tribune)

"Do That To Me One More Time": TCC music instructor convinced high school girl she could improve her singing by getting herself sexually aroused. www.thenewstribune.com/2011/10/13/1863929/teen-accuses-instructor-of-using.html#ixzz1alzxNcV5" target="_blank">(News Tribune)

Eat This Bank Of America: Credit union pays you to use your debit card. (Main Street)

"I Came Into This World As A Reject": Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit has signed a TV deal to star in a CBS comedy. (Deadline)

Radiohead: Headed into the studio this winter. (NME)

The Mummy Is So 1990s: Welcome to Slutoween. (Jazebel)

Ronly For The Rweak: Taiwanese death metal. (NPR)

Cool: Mixtape of the lost decade. (boingboing)

Wedgie!

Keep your eye on the ball today:

BECAUSE, LIKE, THERE'S NO TOMORROW >>>

As you know, the new Warren Miller film is headed our way in November. Like There's No Tomorrow will hit Tacoma's Pantages Theater Nov. 5-6 and Olympia's Washington Center Nov. 10-11. Warren Miller Entertainment - whose name is as synonymous with skiing and snowboarding as K2, Salomon or Burton - has been wowing crowds with its cinematic visions of extreme snow sports for 62 years. Its latest film continues the tradition of following the daredevil exploits of skiers, snowboarders and other powder-trashing riders across the globe.

Alas, like a finely crafted Burton snowboard, attending these film screenings doesn't come cheap: Tickets for the event are around $20 a pop. Unless, that is, you win one of the many, many pairs of tickets we'll be giving away at the Warren Miller Prefunc Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Harmon Brewery & Eatery in downtown Tacoma. That's right powderheads, the Weekly Volcano and The Harmon are teaming up to pump a little snow through your veins.

So here's the deal:

First, Harmon Volcano's Warren Miller Prefunc party will run 3-9 p.m. that Saturday. The Harmon's happy hour runs 3-6 p.m. as usual, which is nice. However, because it's a freakin' party, drink specials will continue through 9 p.m.

Second, we're hosting a raffle with past Warren Miller film DVDs and pairs of tickets to all four screenings of Like There's No Tomorrow in Tacoma and Olympia.

Third, there will be a "Best Snow Bum Costume" contest at 5 and 8 p.m. with a $50 Harmon gift card on the line.

Fourth, we'll be handing out a bunch of snow-related swag throughout the party.

And last, we've only just begun to think about the craziest that will happen the Harmon Volcano's Warren Miller Prefunc party. For certain there will be rowdy send-offs for those attending Like There's No Tomorrow that night at the Pantages. And there will be another rowdy welcome when those from the 6 p.m. screening return for more partying.

Have at, snow fans! RSVP to the event on Facebook here. Start planning your snow bum costume. Let's do this thing.

UPDATE ONE: Ben Union will perform live.

UPDATE TWO: One of the raffle prizes will be a $500 gift card to Sturtevant's sporting goods store.

UPDATE THREE: Another raffle prize we'll be giving away at the Warren Miller Prefunc will be a two night lodging with two lift tickets per night at Crystal Mountain Resort.

Warren Miller Prefunc

Saturday, Nov. 5, 3-9 p.m., no cover
Harmon Brewery & Eatery
1938 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
253.383.2739

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Amocat Cafe Tacoma - Downtown. Amocat Live! featuring the Amocat House Band. All Ages. 7 pm.

The Hub Tacoma -Stadium District. Paul Kroger. 6:30 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Tom Hutch CD Release Show, with Chris Forray, Mikel Parker, Kayla Knox, Reffer, Greg Double, Blue Nose Music, Archie Bellz, Hustle Ent., Big Luke, Controversy, T.A.C. 8 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Eklektic Presents Violin Vs. Vinyl, featuring Kytami, Mista Chatman & The Phonograph, Jay Tablet. 8 pm. $7.

• Show up at Jazzbones tonight and you'll encounter a pulsing, breathing, three-pronged attack of art-meets-music. The gist of this gig won't be much different than the image the name conjures up, combining the mastery of the "violinistextremist" known as Kytami, billed as "perhaps Canada's most diverse and engaging fiddle player," the DJ skills of The Phonograff, a venerable turntable wizard with almost two decades of experience in the game, and reggae-bred mic-master Mista Chatman - mixing the varied ingredients into a sight and sound rarely seen. Together, the group claims to be, "getting ready to bring their crazy ninja skills and infectious energy to you with a fresh new sound they're calling ‘Violin vs. Vinyl.'" Get it? You will. And you've never heard anything like it before. - Matt Driscoll

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Voxxy Vallejo, Mom's Rocket, Kurt Lindsay. All Ages. 8 pm.

• You have to give it to Voxxy Vallejo: the local old school rock band knows how to throw a birthday party for lead singer Sherrie Voxx Minter. It's become a time-honored tradition of sorts, or at least it seems, with the Weekly Volcano databases revealing public birthday parties for Voxxy at local clubs in town as far back as 2009. And, as we all know, 2009 was an eternity ago. Tonight, Voxxy will celebrate yet another birthday, but this time she'll have company - sharing the honor with the all-ages club set to host said birthday party, Louie G's in Fife. With a bill that includes Tacoma favorites Kurt Lindsay, Mom's Rocket, and - of course - Voxxy Vallejo, this is one night that's sure to rival any past celebratory effort. Some things just get better with age. The show is free, but throw down a donation if you're so moved. - Weekly Volcano

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Seastar. All Ages. 8 pm.

Massimo's University Place. The Cold 102's - Anthony Estrada's blues trio with Curtis Smith and Aaron Lehman - plays funky blues. 8-11 pm. NC.

Metronome Coffee Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Heidi Vladyka, Stephanie Anne Johnson and Josh Phillips. All Ages. 8 pm-11 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Side Show Spook-tacular, featuring The Gritty City Sirens, Dessi De Vine, Heather Hostility, Dean Jameson, DJ Buckets the Pony, the Fun Police, the Mesmerizing Magic Steve, Jeremy Gregory, Tacoma Eclectic Flame. 9 pm.

• A proper burlesque show - in the vaudevillian sense of the term, not the hipster reclaiming sense - is all about excess and spectacle. It's a variety show, featuring not just the burlesque dancers, but music, comedy and oddities. Tacoma's resident burlesque troupe, the Gritty City Sirens, will be throwing a Halloween-themed "Side Show Spook-tacular," which does well to reflect these different aspects of burlesque. In addition to the Sirens' always engaging performances, there will be appearances by Tacoma artist/juggler Jeremy Gregory, a fire dance display and magic. Thrown on top of all of this will be musical sets from DJ Buckets the Pony and the country/reggae/punk rockers, the Fun Police. It will be a night of sensory overload and, perhaps, just a little bit of spectacular chaos. - Rev. Adam McKinney

The Spar Olympia. Paul Mauer. 8 pm. NC.

Pantages Theater Tacoma - Downtown. The Musical Box performs Genesis The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway rock opera. 7:30 p.m. $29-$75.

• Concept records and rock operas aren't what they used to be. Hell, records in general aren't what they used to be. But Friday, the Musical Box - a Quebec-based Genesis tribute act that bills itself as the only band in the entire world to cozy up to Genesis and Peter Gabriel enough to acquire the performing rights and access to archives, audio tracks and the original images for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - will perform the classic rock opera, in its entirety, in Tacoma, at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts. – WV
  

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Jerry Miller Jam. 9 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

ZEROING IN >>>

Sure, it may seem easy to scoff at miniature golf, or "Putt-Putt Golf" as it's been called (and trademarked).

But that wouldn't be doing the sport justice.

Yes, I did just call miniature golf a "sport."

While that classification may seem debatable (and, OK, it probably IS debatable), there's some truth to it. It's no lie that plenty of people take miniature golf quite seriously. And it's also true that some people consider it a sport. Evidence of this can be found in the World Minigolf Sports Federation, a self-described, "umbrella organization of minigolf sports association's worldwide and continental associations in Asia, Europe and America." According to the organization's website, the World Minigolf Sports Federation puts on "biannual world championships for youth and elite players, as well as biannual Continental Championships in Europe, Asia and the USA."

Still not buying miniature golf as a sport? What if I were to tell you Anne Nitschke of Germany was the top rated junior miniature golf player in the world as of March 2011? Yes, there are miniature golf world rankings.

OK, OK ... I'll give the "miniature golf is a serious sport" shtick a rest for a moment, but even if you'll never consider it to be a legitimate athletic endeavor, it can still be a ton of fun - whether it's a child's birthday party or a first date. While some more traditional, outdoor miniature golf courses like the iconic Parkland Putters (10636 Sales Road S., Tacoma, 253.588.2977), may be slowing down for the season (Parkland Putters' four courses and 72 holes are open Friday, Saturday and Sunday-only through October, and Saturday-Sunday only in November), it doesn't mean miniature golf is history until next summer rolls around. Far from it.

David Ostrand, owner of Shankz Black Light Miniature Golf in Olympia, which specializes in black-light and 3-D play, says business has never been better - and not just because the kids can't get enough of Shankz's glow-in-the-dark appeal, 3-D effects and three different themes (underwater, jungle and dinosaur).

Rather, the older generation has also taken a liking.

"It's all over the board," says Ostrand of the people who frequent Shankz, ranging from kids to senior citizens. "At first it was mostly focused on the kids and birthday parties, but it was amazing how the adult group exploded."

Ostrand brought Shankz to Olympia four years ago, and says with help from his two daughters the business aims to make sure everyone leaves happy. Shankz's 18 holes mix various props and objects, not to mention the aforementioned black-light and 3-D effects. Ostrand says the course was designed by a company from Vancouver, British Columbia, and that he originally had the idea for Shankz after attending a family entertainment trade show.

"The artwork is so impressive," says Ostrand of the Shankz course and the 3-D and black-light features. "When you're at a movie you're sitting down. When you're here you're walking through it." Ostrand says his personal favorite is the underwater-themed portion of the Shankz course.  Glasses are provided for the 3-D views.

Most importantly, Ostrand says miniature golf is for everyone, not just the kids.

"Friday and Saturday date nights are big for us," he says.

Look for Shankz to welcome "Haunted Mini Golf" Oct. 14-30, with Ostrand promising, "blood in 3-D."

[Shankz Black Light Miniature Golf, 1520 SW Cooper Point RD #250, Olympia, 360.943.1715]

TURN UP, TUNE IN AND GET DOWN >>>

Slip on your Cleopatra Jones afro or your grandpa's toupee and slide on over to Tempest Lounge tonight for rare funk and soul tracks from dAb and Bobby Galaxy. The dynamic duo's Rare Groove will fill the hip lounge with rubbery grooves caked in stardust.

The space ship will land at 9:30 p.m. with a continuous big and funky set and more endurance than Methusela and Abebe Bikila combined.

[Tempest Lounge, Friday, Oct. 14, 9:30 p.m., no cover, 913 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Tacoma, 253.272.4904]

LINK: Drop in on this

MARCH IN SOLIDARITY >>>

As part of the occupying planned for today's Global Day of Action, Occupy Tacoma will gather at People's Park around 1:40 p.m., hear a message about solidarity, sing a couple protest songs, Michael Collier will lay down the rules of the march and the mass will follow trombonist Erik Benson to Tollefson Plaza for a gold ol' Occupation.

"A working group was formed to develop a mission statement," according to a press release from the Occupy Tacoma folks. "Meanwhile, all agreed they were in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and wanted to bring their concerns to their neighbors in Tacoma/Pierce County. A major issue of concern is corporate greed and the power of corporations in the US political system."

Read all about it.

SATURDAY, OCT. 15, 2011 >>>

1. You can stick your werewolves, stuff your zombies and ram your mummies where the sun don't shine. October is about one monster and one monster only - the clattering, grease-infested, brake-clutching, butt-busting, beady-eyed demon-beast of the increasingly pocked streets of Tacoma: The Bone Collector Alley Cat Race 2011. The Tacoma Mob Riders host this alley cat bicycle that combines strategy and skills, as well as time bonuses available at each checkpoint. Rides will launch from The Acme Tavern at 4 p.m. and careen through downtown Tacoma streets with bikes created by Terry Andrews for the male and females winners.

2. Tacoma Poet Laureate Josie Turner and poets who participated inher workshop in July will read their work at 2 p.m. inside the walls of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum at Point Defiance Park.

3. Video artist Joseph Taylor Golding will screening his film Tacoma A Tale of Two Cities at 7 p.m. inside The Acme Tavern. Watch the trailer below to grab a sense of what to expect.

4. Pianist Jeff Orr will "Rach" the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ at Mason Methodist Church when he performs Rachmaninoff's "Allegro Moderato in G Major" (Concerto No.2 for Piano and Orchestra) on piano as a pre-recorded organ accompaniment is played off his laptop through the church's sound system. It will be tricky, to say the least. The 7:30 p.m. program also includes J. S. Bach "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," Joseph Bonnet's "Titanic: In Memoriam," Jean Sibelius' "The Swan of Tuonela" (Transcribed for Organ) and Leo Sowerby's "Symphony in G Major." The concert is free with donations to the American Cancer Society accepted.

5. Get ready to Rock The Revolution with Per Capita, May Palmer, Rise Cosise, Krookid and KRS-One at 9 p.m. inside Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill in Spanaway.

PLUS: Northwest Sinfonietta and Occupy Tacoma in our Weekend Hustle

PLUS: US Women's Soccer Team Defender Stephanie Cox appearance in our Freelaoders

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

City of Tacoma's Website: Now with more back-end bacon. (News Tribune)

Not As Gritty: The Pac 40 reopens on Pacific Avenue. (News Tribune)

Ayatollah Not Happy: Iran's supreme leaders criticizes U.S. over assassination allegations. (CNN)

Today In SimCity 4: Does presidential hopeful Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan sound familiar?(Huffington Post)

It Happens: Lawnmower DUI (TruTV)

What About Her Teeth?: Lindsay Lohan gets fired from community service program. (Gawker)

Oh My: Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore break up. (Flavorwire)

Treat Yo Self Day