FRIDAY, APRIL 18 2014 >>>

1. Neil Simon's recipe for onstage success: Take two people with conflicting personalities. Put them in confined living quarters. Add a sprinkle of personal hygiene jokes. Allow the tension to rise for about an hour. Cool. Serve. Enjoy The Odd Couple at 8 p.m. at the Lakewood Playhouse.

2. Enlarge your geo-wareness this weekend at the Capitol Theater's Environmental Film Festival (April 18-20). The film festival kicks of tonight at 7 p.m. with ML Lincoln's documentary Wrenched, which looks at how art inspired life, with Edward Abbey's Monkeywrench Gang fiction inspiring the direct-action tactics of a new generation of eco-activists.

3. Pink Martini's blend of American swing, Latin rhythms and chamber arrangements, along with vocals in five languages, give the group's largely original material mass appeal - meaning the audiences consist of people who normally don't sit next to each other. Thomas Lauderdale of Portland, Oregon, founded the "little orchestra" Pink Martini in 1994. It has gone on to become a genre unto itself. We adore the band's cosmopolitan mix of Disneyfied Latin rhythms, cabaret Orientalia and Arabic tunes kissed with carnival atmospherics and ragtime horns. Catch the band with the von Trapp Family Singers at 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater.

4. Blues Hall Of Fame guitarist Joe Louis Walker celebrates the release of his new Alligator album, Hornest's Nest, with a live performance at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones. Expect equal parts rock 'n' roll fire and blistering blues. 

5. The folk-rock duo of Justin Stang and Jim Elenteny  - also known as Science! - is infectious and will easily rock their first night at the newly-opened Rhythm and Rye. Expect smiles, fun, dance moves, riffs that send chills, sparkly eyes, good cold beer, high fives, shots and new music from one of the best bands in Olympia, at 9 p.m.

LINK: Friday, April 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Late in the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII, Lakes High School graduate Jermaine Kearse broke five tackles and danced into the end zone to give the Seattle Seahawks a 36-0 lead over the Broncos.

You know the rest of the story.

Saturday, April 12, Kearse returns to his hometown of Lakewood so the community can give him a giant hug. 

Check that, it won't be that giant of a hug as the 2-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team will run crowd control. Seize the High Ground Hugs!

The community celebration for the Lakes High alum will take place at 1 p.m. in Harry E. Lang Stadium (6615 111th St. SW, Lakewood), the same field where he made countless plays as a Lakes Lancer.

The Clover Park School District board of directors will present Kearse with its Board Values Coin and unveil a special banner that will hang at Lakes High School. The Lakewood City Council will also recognize Kearse with a proclamation and a Key to the City.

The event is free to the public. Those planning to attend are encouraged to carpool as parking and seating will be limited. Gates will open at 11:30 a.m.

For more information about the celebration, call Clover Park School District at 253.583.5000 or the city of Lakewood at 253.589.2489.

Doughnuts are serious.

Those soft, fluffy morsels of sweet, sticky and gooey goodness transforms the average person into the possessed, with the spittle flowing from the corners of their mouths and with a glint in their eyes that will stop at nothing to savor and devour.

Bring doughnuts to the office and watch your co-workers get their little grubby fingers all over that action in 10 seconds flat. Watch the poor soul who is late to the massacre and gets the dregs, which they eat with wild abandon anyway. Drop a fresh and delicious doughnut on the floor covered with a whole host of diseases and you will happily retrieve it, brush it off and happily consume it, regardless.

So imagine our delight when we learned that the historic and iconic House of Donuts in Lakewood was expanding its operations. We were on it faster than you can say "doughnut factory." This doughnut staple since 1959, with its drive-thru, kitschy coolness factor and the most glorious, made from scratch daily, orbs, circles and squares of doughy sweetness in the universe, is expanding into the former Movies To Go space next door. As the infamous DONUTS sign of yesteryear gleams in the spring sunshine, owner Tom Peterson and House of Donuts team aren't talking (yet); they are feverishly whipping up the new digs to absolute perfection over the coming weeks, just like their doughnuts.

And you know what that means? MORE, MORE and MORE.

House of Donuts, originally owned and operated by the Cheatham family for more than 50 years, started the doughnut greatness; I mean we are talking secret recipes, passed down secrets and know how. In past reports, the new owner wishes to honor the stuff of lore and love, with a modern touch. Serious business, this is, yes?

Stay tuned.

House of Donuts is at 9638 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW. Check out pics (hellah yeah!) on their website or Facebook page.

Kids aren't the only ones with summer break on the brain. The Clover Park School District has announced administrative changes that will go into effect July 1, 2014, including changes at Joint Base Lewis-McChord:  

• Meghan Eakin, current principal of Beachwood Elementary School, will be the principal of the new Meriwether Elementary School being built on Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM)-Lewis North in the Meriwether Landing housing area.
• Paula Gayson, current principal of Clarkmoor Elementary School, will move to Beachwood Elementary School, which will be temporarily housed at the former Greenwood Elementary School on JBLM-Lewis Main for the 2014-15 school year.
• Southgate Elementary principal Charlotte Clouse will be the principal of the new Rainier Elementary School being built on JBLM-Lewis Main.
• Oakwood Elementary School principal John Mitchell will be the principal at Southgate Elementary School.
• Michael Vincent, assistant principal at Woodbrook Middle School, will be the supervisor of technology and instruction in the teaching and learning department for the 2014-15 school year.
• Tillicum Elementary Principal Taj Jensen will be the new principal at Tyee Park Elementary for the 2014-15 school year and will replace current principal Gail Gillis, who is leaving the district.
• Current assistant principal at Evergreen Elementary, Leila Davis, will be the new principal of Oakwood Elementary for the 2014-15 school year.

MONDAY, APRIL 7 2014 >>>

1. Writing good poetry isn't something that comes naturally to everyone. It's hard to find that "inner voice" without sounding cliché. Maybe there's help: Poetry Matters is a two-session poetry workshop encouraging poets and poetry lovers to share feelings and words in a noncritical atmosphere, led by poet Joanne Clarkson. The inaugural session is at 7 p.m. in the Lakewood Library offering exercises in sound, form, voice, image, memoir and story inspiration from favorite poets using different styles and subjects. Writing prompts and suggestions to keep the muse singing, if you will. April 21 will be the day you share.

2. Perhaps no single substance, save for water, has had the vital impact on humanity that wood has. From the very trees that provide this resource, to myriad man-made uses, we interact with wood on some level every day of our lives. Now, a range of artists interprets the significance of one of nature's most abundant organic materials in The Meaning of Wood, which opens at noon in The Gallery at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts. 

3. The titanic burger throwdown finale in on! Voting for the 2014 Weekly Volcano Tournament of Burgers Readers' Poll Championship game is live. Online voting will end at 5 p.m. Voting will resume at 6 p.m. live at the Tournament of Burgers Party at Meconi's Tacoma Pub in downtown Tacoma. Ballots will be handed out, which will also serve as raffle tickets. The live vote will close at halftime of the NCAA Men's Tournament final and the South Sound Burger champion will be announced. Join us!

4. Our ears perked up and our stomachs flipped a little when we heard the phrase "ultra cool spy themes." It sounds dangerous and sexy. Blues, that most American of musical forms, will receive a dose of spy music, as well as surf tones, at The Swiss' Monday Blues Night at 8 p.m. Seattle guitarist and singer Chris Stevens will fill the downtown Tacoma watering hole with electric blues lines via a big Gibson archtop. Taking their unusual name from a song title by legendary blues guitarist Freddy King, Stevens' back band, the Surf Monkeys, keep a firm footing in the blues while stretching the boundaries with "ultra cool spy themes," reverb drenched surf twang and Chris' own "blues on the edge of jazz" originals.

5. Jazzbones has amped up its weekly live band karaoke. Every Monday at 9 p.m. for the next four weeks it's hosting a singing contest with the grand prize being two nights and flight to Las Vegas. Jazzbones will choose three finalists from each night to compete in the finals. The competition will be judged by the applause-o-meter.

LINK: Monday, April 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, APRIL 6 2014 >>>

1. So, the guys in circulation were trying to describe it to us the other day - telling us all about the Nuclear Cowboyz FMX tribe who returns to the Tacoma Dome at 2 p.m. for an action-packed show complete with a Hunger Games-ish storyline told through more than 1,000 gravity-defying freestyle stunts. Or something. From what we're told, it's part Broadway show, part rock show, part freestyle motocross - now with more dance troupes and an army of Shaolin Kung Fu Warriors. Again, this is the circulation department talking. On top of all this, we're told, the show combines fearless freestyle gravity defying stunts, outrageous pyrotechnic and freakin' laser displays synchronized to heavy metal, rock alternative and electronic dubstep music, and features the world's best freestyle motocross athletes - such as X Games medalists Colten Moore, Taka Higashino and Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg - front and center. Got it?

2. The Weekly Volcano staff crosses Flett Creek during daily trips for Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccinos. We don't give Flett Creek much thought, because all we can think about are Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccinos. John Flett and his family couldn't enjoy the sweet awesomeness of Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccinos during their difficult journey from the Red River area (near modern Winnipeg) across the Canadian Rockies to Puget Sound in 1841. Puget Sound sucked, so they headed to Oregon. Eventually, the Fletts made their way back to the Puget Sound in 1859. They homesteaded near Fort Nisqually and the community of Flett, which included a streetcar station. Flett was later absorbed into the town of Lakewood, and eventually several Starbucks popped up. If you're interested in Flett history before Starbucks, Beth Julian, great granddaughter of pioneer John Flett, will share the Flett story through tales, photos and memorabilia at 2 p.m. in Historical Fort Steilacoom, on the grounds of Western State Hospital.

3. Man of La Mancha finds Miguel de Cervantes in a dungeon with other prisoners, defending his life by narrating the story of Don Quixote, the naïve but faithful Sancho Panza, and the scrappy Aldonza. The treatment of Aldonza/Dulcinea in the musical, as opposed to the novel, is deeply disturbing. Cervantes's brawny farm girl becomes a prostitute who's brutally gang-raped in a barn. Quixote trounces the rapists ... then ministers to their wounds. But what of Aldonza's? What's the point of this added scene? Why not have Quixote - hell, Aldonza - prevent the attack? Tacoma Musical Playhouse deploys undeniable talent, especially in the lead roles. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Man of La Mancha in the Music & Culture section, then catch the final performance of the run at 2 p.m.

4. After legendary guitarist Rich Dangel passed away in 2002, the two remaining members of Butterbean, Michael Kinder and Buck England, invited Dean Reichert to fill the big shoes Dangel left. The trio still performs rockin' blues, including at 7 p.m. in The Spar.

5. In the pantheon of such legends as Santa Claus and the Bogeyman, the Tooth Fairy ranks down in the minor leagues, we'd say, with Jack Frost and the Easter Bunny. Such a low ranking makes the Tooth Fairy an easy target for jokes. Ten comedians will dress up in legendary characters and roast the Tooth Fairy at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club.

LINK: Sunday, April 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and olympia area

TUESDAY, APRIL 1: SWEET PICKLE 16 BURGER ACTION >>>

For the last two weeks we presented you with a compelling question: Who makes the best burgers in the South Sound? And you have responded in multitudes. Sick days have been used. Friendships have fallen apart. Pickle Girls and Fry Guys living together - mass hysteria!

The competition had been whittled down to the Sweet Pickle 16. Yes, 16 South Sound burger flippers are poised to make the final push to the Final Four, which will begin Friday.

So, read up on yesterday's action, and then vote on the first four games of the Sweet pickle 16. It's in your hands, mouth and stomach, folks. Do us proud.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Lefty's Burger Shack (8317 27th St. W., University Place) vs. Alfred's Café and Bubble Room (402 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma)

Lefty's Burger Shack kept a lead all day with ferocious play from their one-pound beef patty Viking Burger. The behemoth was too much for Alfred's. Lefty's grabbed 61 percent of the vote and moves into the Sweet pickle 16 to battle The Forum tomorrow.

Game 2: Classics Café at LeMay (2702 E. D St., Tacoma) vs. Crown Bar (2705 6th Ave, Tacoma)

These two Tacoma restaurants bounced buns off each other all day until around 4 p.m. when the Crown Bar began to pull away. Rumor has it the Crown Bar got behind their Cougar Gold Burger with its housemade pickles and pushed through Classics Café's wall of chili cheese tots protecting their classic, hard-working cheeseburger. As the clock hit 11:45 p.m., the Crown Bar had 62 percent of the vote, and a spot in the Sweet Pickle 16.

Game 3: Herfy's (10417 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW, Lakewood) vs. Dirty Oscars (2309 Sixth Ave., Tacoma)

Herfy's in Lakewood grabbed the lead early and never looked back, nabbing 66 percent of the vote when all was said and done. Our Steno Pool believes Herfy's rode a bit of nostalgic momentum, drawing huge numbers of Lakewood's old-timers who remember the original Herfy's from the Villa Plaza days. It was too much for Dirty Oscar's gourmet burgers. Herfy's moves into the Sweet Pickle 16 to take on The Spar tomorrow.

Game 4: Shake Shake Shake (124 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma) vs. Frugals (10727 Pacific Ave. S., Tacoma)

In NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament history, when a ninth seed team has battled a number one seed, the ninth has emerged victorious less than 10 percent of the time. In the Tournament of Burgers, the percentage drops to zero. In the largest victory margin of the day, Tacoma's Stadium District burger joint Shake Shake Shake clobbered longtime Tacoma burger slinger Frugals with 69 percent of the vote. Shake Shake Shake moves moves moves into the Sweet Pickle 16 to battle the Seinfeld-loving Little Jerry's tomorrow.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Sweet 16:

• Lefty's Burger Shack
• Crown Bar
• Herfy's
• Shake Shake Shake

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's Sweet Pickle 16 burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 29: SECOND ROUND BURGER ACTION >>>

Burger construction isn't rocket science. Take some beef, mold it into a patty, throw on some cheese, lettuce, tomato and condiments, serve and enjoy. But hidden within those folds is a complexity that defines the short ingredients list. Building a burger is child's play; making a great burger is another thing entirely. Opening a discussion on which South Sound burger joints offer a great burger serves as our mission for the Tournament of Burgers - that and trying to score free burgers from the competitors.

Before we examine today's Second Round burger battles, let's take a look at yesterday's burger-building results.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Eastside Big Tom vs. Steel Creek American Whiskey Co.

Eastside Big Tom's was voted Best Burger recently in the Weekly Volcano's 2014 Best of Olympia issue. Home of the "goop," a delicious blend of mayo, mustard, pickle relish and secret salad dressing sauce, Eastside Big Tom's is an Olympian favorite, and the whiskey-drinking cowgirls and cowboys at Steel Creek couldn't line dance fast enough. Eastside Big Tom grabbed 78 percent of the vote and moves into the Sweet 16.

Game 2: Chalk Talk Bistro vs. Pick-Quick Drive-In

Everyone is, er, talking about the conversation of Mary's Burger Bistro into Chalk Talk Bistro. There have been theories written, of course written in chalk. It doesn't matter. Fife's longstanding, popular Pick-Quick Drive-In snapped all the chalk with 62 percent of the vote, and moves into the Sweet 16.

Game 3: The Westside Tavern vs. Pacific Grill

Pacific Grill, the downtown Tacoma bastion of Northwest culinary staples and forward thinking dishes that explore some of the most buzzed about national food trends, met its match yesterday. The Westside Tavern might not serve meat candy and "Freaking Delicious Beef Carpaccio," but it does specialize in burgers and uproariously good times. And that combination paid off yesterday as the beloved Westside Olympia joint grabbed 59 percent of the vote and a spot in the Sweet 16.

Game 4: Bootlegger's Bar & Grill vs. Best Burgers

It isn't certain the patrons of Bootlegger's knew the Buckley restaurant was in the Tournament of Burgers. Its Facebook claims their Ladies Night is going to be "nuts," but it's void of tournament chatter. Best Burgers knows they're in, and received remarkable play from their Triple Cheeseburger. With 70 percent of the vote, Best Burgers moves into the Sweet 16.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Sweet 16:

• Eastside Big Tom
• Pick-Quick Drive-In
• The Westside Tavern
• Best Burgers

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's Second Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 29 2014 >>>

1. The appeal of roller derby for onlookers is sort of similar to that insane, vicarious excitement many experience through watching ultimate fighting, only these tough ladies are on skates, and they're going really-really fast. The four roller derby teams that call Dockyard Derby Dames home will be battling against each other, and you can bet these dedicated derby girls won't let up against each other. The 6 p.m. bout will be back at Pierce College in Lakewood. Following the match, meet up at The Fan Club (8315 83rd Ave. SW, Lakewood) for an afterparty, which also promises to be fast-paced and full-contact.

2. With Coachella on the horizon and SWSX respectfully behind us, it can only mean one thing - 54 music fest season is officially in swing. The Olympia Acoustic Festival is just one of many in the South Sound, and it's a good one. In its second year, the all-ages, two-stage festival is from 1 p.m. to midnight at the historical Olympia Ballroom inside the Urban Onion in downtown Olympia. More than 15 acts are slated to play; headliners are Juniper Circus, Sansel and the Skirt, Oly Mountain Boys, Shawn Smith and Science! Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on the Olympia Acoustic Festival in the Music and Culture section.

3. Sliders know no boundaries when it comes to the diverse flavor that can be found between two mini buns, and the crew at Museum of Glass celebrating their 3rd annual Slider Cook-Off proves that we just can't get enough of the little guys. MoG kicks off "Shake Rattle and Grill" at 6:30 p.m. pitting seven of Tacoma's best restaurants against each other in an epic cook-off battle featuring the fine art of slider concoctions. Read Jackie Fender's full story on the Slider Cook-Off in our restaurant section.

4. Featuring original choreography by Faith Stevens and the world premier of commissioned music for cello, violin, piano, and electronics by local composer Brad Hawkins, MLKBallet's CHAMBER blends contemporary dance with new music and bold 20th century works by Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen and John Cage at 7 p.m. inside the Urban Grace Church in downtown Tacoma. CHAMBER joins old traditions with new and explores the visual aspects of music and dance performance, as performing artists share the stage.

5. There was a moment in my conversation with Jima, frontman of Seattle band the Purrs, when I expressed how inadequate it is to simply call the Purrs a psychedelic indie rock band. While that might be ultimately accurate, it just doesn't quite do justice to what the band does. Let's take a moment, for instance, to consider the bands that the Purrs have shared stages with: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Pearl Jam and Okkervil River, just to name three markedly disparate acts. The Purrs are able to drift among scenes in a manner befitting of their intangible sound. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Jima in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Trees and Timber, People Under the Sun and DJ Melodica at 9 p.m. in The New frontier Lounge.

LINK: Saturday, March 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

<<< FRIDAY, MARCH 28 GAMES CLOSED >>>

Now it's getting exciting. The pickles are really starting to fly, and the patties are getting so thick you could cut it with a knife. OK, so that's a horrible analogy.

Point is: This is serious.

Today the Tournament of Burgers officially kicks off its Second Round, meaning 32 South Sound burger joints remain, and the competition is as hot as ever. Who will be crowned champ Monday, April 7? The path to burger greatness starts today.

Here's a look at today's Tournament of Burgers action and a recap of yesterday's results. Squirt some mustard on it if you know what's good for you and get rolling.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Lefty's Burger Shack vs. Bob's Burgers & Brew

Bob's Burgers & Brews, an 11th, is the youngest burger joint in the Tournament of Burgers, opening a franchise in South Hill two months ago. Inexperience could have been a factor in its loss to popular Lefty's Burger Shack in University Place. Behind solid play of its bacon cheeseburger on a warm Kaiser bun and the surprise play from their bacon dog (is that legal?), Lefty's moves easily into the Second Round with 84 percent of the vote.

Game 2: Alfred's Café vs. Twisted Kilt Irish Pub

Everyone loves a good comeback, and this may have been one of the better clutch performances in the (obviously short) history of the Tournament of Burgers. Down by a substantial margin at midday, Alfred's Café, was able to rally the troops at halftime, and by troops I mean the Port of Tacoma. By the time the final buzzer sounded the Puyallup Avenue, speakeasy-ish, often colorful characters loaded Alfred's walked away with an impressive victory, racking up 59 percent of the vote. Next up for Alfred's Café, a Second Round dogfight with Lefty's Burger Shack.

Game 3: Shake Shake Shake vs. Terry's Office Tavern

It's safe to say it would have been an upset of monumental proportion has Terry's Office Tavern somehow managed to defeat Shake Shake Shake, but - alas - it was never meant to be. Shake Shake Shake dominated from tip-off to the final seconds yesterday, collecting votes at almost a three to one ratio and securing 72 percent of the vote.

Game 4: Han's Burger & Teriyaki vs. Frugals

Fruglas has been serving custom, workingman's burgers in Tacoma since 1990. Their experience showed during yesterday's game against Han's. Ignoring the late-afternoon penalty Han's received for excessive catsup, Frugals' 66 percent of the vote victory came from the one-two punch of fresh mushrooms and a sesame seed bun. Sometimes, you have to go with what you know. Frugals moves into the Second Round for a March 31 game against number one seed Shake Shake Shake. Oh, baby!

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

• Lefty's Burger Shake
• Alfred's Café
• Shake Shake Shake
• Frugals

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's Second Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m.