THURSDAY, SEPT. 9, 2010 >>>

1. The Mad Hat Tea Company hosts An Arrogance of Continuity, an evening of art that reflects on how fragile and delicate the world around us actually is - from 7-10 p.m.

2. Blackbird Pie performs at 10:30 a.m. at the Tacoma Farmers Market in downtown Tacoma.

3. Fulcrum Gallery closes out Mathew M Johnson's Impersonal Portraits charcoal and watercolor show with a hosted chat by Johnson, music by Pete Magneson, poetry by Denise Jolly and more beginning at 6 p.m.

4. The Spittin' Cobras, Witchburn, Plaster and All Bets On Death rock Hell's Kitchen at 8 p.m.

5. Bingo at BJ's in Fife is usually for old folks. There isn't any appeal for younger audiences, except hoping to score some quick cash for those new bitchin' car speakers. BJ's wants to change this. Tonight at 11 p.m. they'll instigate Cosmic Bingo. Picture dance music from a bumpin' DJ, neon lights and fast-paced, low-risk gambling. Your grandma probably could't keep up with this bingo - unless she's cool and not prone to seizures.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

MONDAY, SEPT. 6, 2010 >>>

1. Rhombus is a punk band with absurdist tendencies. They have a hard-bitten sound that mixes with silliness in a way that reminds us of early Ween, when every heavy metal anthem was tempered with some under-the-counter chemical to form a queasy mélange. Check them out at 8 p.m. inside The Den @urbanXchange.

2. The Red Wolf Woods hillside exhibit is now open at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium with activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., keeper talks at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and a Howl-A-Thon for kids at 1:30 p.m.

3. Rockaraoke, karaoke with live band, goes down at 9 p.m. inside Jazzbones. Click here for scenes from last week's Rockaraoke.

4. Jason Diamond spins reggae during  Rebel Monday/Industry Night at O'Malley's Irish Pub beginning at 9 p.m.

5. The Mix hosts Barstool Bingo with prizes beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 18, 2010 >>>

1. Popular guitarist Vince Brown fills Swing Wine Bar & Cafe in Olympia with jazz beginning at 9 p.m.

2. Have you heard of this Twitter thing? Yeah, we hadn't either. Apparently, though, a whole bunch of people are into it, and it's supposed to be the next big thing ... or something. We're not sure. We don't really get it. Once we learned about Twitter, we discovered a whole bunch of people giving monotonous 140-character descriptions of nothing (trips to the grocery store and shit). What's that all about? Like we said, we're not sure. That's why we'll be attending the 1 p.m. "Intro to Twitter" class at the Tacoma Public Library main branch. We'll be the guy sitting between the man that just woke up from a 15-year coma and the dude that lives under a rock.

3. An aging wooden lifeguard chair stands sentinel as Tollefson Plaza turns into a beach for A K Mimi Allin's Seaside Opera, a performance art pieces that lasts for 15 minutes from 2-7 p.m. on the every half-hour. The artist performs to a mesmerizing audio of ocean-inspired operas and carnival sounds. Viewers may be enticed to participate by the toy-strewn water pools.

4. King's Books hosts a "Bad Poetry" edition of Scrabble Rousers, where beginner, intermediate, or expert Scrabble players battle it out on the board - with the option to stand up and read some very bad poetry. Entrance fee is $10 per person with proceeds directly benefiting the Tacoma Community House Student Scholarship Fund. The words start flowing at 6:30 p.m.

5. Plague Ships, Devils Of Loudon and Helles rock Hell's Kitchen beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2010 >>>

1. Techumseh, Barn Owl and Arrington de Dionysio play an all-ages show at 7 p.m. inside Northern.

2. Magician Jeff Evans presents the Magical Adventures of Aquifer Man where he scares kids ages 6 and older into protecting and conserving water at 11 a.m. inside the Public Safety Building in Bonney Lake.

3. The Hub in Tacoma's Stadium District hosts a Trivia Night with cash prizes at 6 p.m.

4. The Art Kitchen of Olympia presents Open Mic Tuesdays every second and fourth Tuesday of the month inside The Loft on Cherry with host Terri Cohlene. Tonight at 7 p.m. the featured artist will be poet Casey Fuller and Aba & the Maples.

5. The Grand Cinema scenes Hell on Wheels, a documentary film telling the story of a group of Texas women who band together to resurrect roller derby for the 21st century, at 7 p.m. Expect to see sponsoring Dockyard Derby Dames in the house.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010 >>>

1. It's Kids Day at the 6th Ave Farmers Market from 3:30-7:30 p.m. featuring Secret Squirrel, Secret Circus, face painting, snow cones, arts and crafts and more.

2. It's a night of doubles when The Banned Book Club meets at the Tempest Lounge to discuss The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger AND Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck while, no doubt, sucking down doubles.

3. Author Deborah Withers applies critical theory to the work of pop star Kate Bush in her book, Kate Bush and Theory, which she discusses at 6 p.m. inside Orca Books in Olympia.

4. Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub in downtown Tacoma hosts Team Trivia Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m.

5. Sugar Sugar Sugar and Photon Pharaoh play The New Frontier Lounge at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 2010 >>>

1. Holy Bastille Day, are you ever effed. QZAYXTG? You'll never make a high-scoring word out of those tiles. Chill. You're good with words. Seriously. Get it together! This is Scrabble Rousers at 6:30 p.m. inside King's Books, remember? It's all in good fun, and a benefit for the Tacoma Community House Student Scholarship Fund. Now piggyback off that free U to form QUAT - that's 14 points without the double-word score. Word!

2. Where Sky Meets Earth: The Luminous Landscapes of Victoria Adams is open display at the Tacoma Art Museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adams, a resident of Vashon Island, paints rich, panoramic views of sky and land - landscapes void of human existence.

3. Bill Davie performs on the indoor porch at A Rhapsody In Bloom Florist & Café Latte beginning at 7 p.m.

4. The Ian McFeron Band plays Olympia's Music In The Park series around 7 p.m. at Sylvester Park.

5. A guitar-and-drums duo, The Ax doesn't adhere to the classic three-chord punk progression. The band's songs remain two minute blasts of revved-up rock ‘n' roll, but the complexity they manage to fit in such tightly wrapped packages is impressive. See them tonight at 9 p.m. with Belt of Vapor and The Sofistokits inside Bob's Java Jive.

LINK: More art and entertainment events in the South Sound

TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2010 >>>

1. The Lakewood Historical Society presents Steilacoom historian and author Joan Curtis, who will discuss "The Bad Boys of McNeil Island" - Robert Stroud, Roy Gardner, Alvin Karpis, Frederick Emerson Peters, Charles Manson, and others - at 7 p.m. inside the Lakewood Library.

2. The Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club hold their monthly meeting, which will include a presentation by the staff from Tacoma Bike about mandatory bike equipment, at 6 p.m. inside the Wild West VFW Post 91 at 2000 S. Union Ave. in Tacoma.

3. Does the idea of having a "Q" and no "U" give you the fantods? Do you know what it means to be greedy about triple-letter and double-word scores? Then the Scrabble Rousers have an event for you. Their "Schools Out" Scrabble competition pits adept, strategic descramblers of seven letters against each other, both competitively and socially, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. inside the Washington State History Museum. So put that Machiavellian plotting to capitalize on triple-word tiles to use for a great cause the $10 entrance fee goes directly top the Tacoma Community House Student Scholarship Fund, which assists students as they transfer from TCH to community college.

4. Banned Book Club - a book club reading books that have been banned or challenged - will discuss The Color Purple by Alice Walker over cocktails at 7 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

5. Neutralboy, The Depths, Locke N Load, and Nothing You'd Like rock Hell's Kitchen beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010 >>>

1. The "Latino poet of his generation," Martin Espada will be at Philip Hall on the UWT campus around 6:40 p.m. as part of the "Arts and Empowerment Series."  A fitting umbrella to bring such a renowned writer to T-town under, Espada has published 17 books and been a finalist for the Pulitzer. Sponsored by H.O.P.E. Network, Latino Students Organization, and Tahoma West - UWT's literary journal - the reading and book-signing event will also feature Speak Your Soul poet Robert Lashley and Tahoma West poets, Star Angelina Murray and Therese Ferreria-Douglas.

2. The Scrabble Rousers will push the wood from 6:30-9 p.m. inside King's Books. Entrance fee is $10 per person with proceeds benefiting the Tacoma Community House Student Scholarship Fund.

3. Join HealthForce Nutritional educator Doug Walsh as he discusses the five-week raw food-cleansing program he recommends for safe, effective detoxification and cell enhancement at 7 p.m. inside Marlene's Market & Deli in Federal Way.

4. The Mix in downtown Tacoma celebrates its second year in business with a ‘70s Disco Party tonight featuring DJ Xade, drink specials and prize giveaways.

5. From the Sea will unleash their Here Come the Wolves EP at 8 p.m. inside Hell's Kitchen.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

SOUNDS EXCITING >>>

Play N Trade Tacoma, a part of the fastest growing video game franchise worldwide according to their press release, invites local gamers to compete in the "Local rounds" of the International Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 tournament.

Let's read the press release:

Read more...

TUESDAY, FEB. 2, 2010 >>>

1. Hell's Kitchen adds the bands FunkyJahPunkys, Urban Evergreen, No Ground, and Dreams Jaded at 9 p.m. to its regular Tightwad Tuesday Night - $2 beers, $2 wells, $2 tacos - with no cover charge.

2. More than 24 artists show their works at the Social Injustice show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in The Gallery at Tacoma Community College.

3. Colin Firth plays a homosexual Brit teaching college in Los Angeles in 1962 and privately mourning his lover, who has been dead for eight months in A Single Man screening at 2:25, 4:50, 7:15 and 9:20 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema.

4. The Hub in Tacoma hosts a trivia night at 6 p.m. with cash prizes.

5. REI in Tacoma hosts a Winter Hikes in Western Washington class at 7 p.m.

LINK: Today's movie times