HELP US FIND THE SEXIEST PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Once again, the Weekly Volcano is unleashing The Sexy Issue, giving one and all the chance to gaze at the sexiest people in the South Sound - as voted on by all of you, our dear readers. The great thing about the Volcano's annual Sexy Issue, if we do say so ourselves, is how it manages to prove, year after year, that you don't have to be on a Kia Super Bowl ad to be smoking hot. Our annual Sexy Issue is the Weekly Volcano's way of showcasing the South Sound's sexiest denizens - and by denizens we don't mean celebrities; we're talking about regular dudes and dudettes who just happen to look sexy as hell when taking us on test drives, trimming our meat or brewing our beer. These folks can be just as hot - and a hell of a lot more accessible, theoretically - as anyone you typically see on TV and in magazines. 

This year, we are asking you to nominate the person who makes you all hot and bothered in the following categories: Actor/Actress, Artist, Brewer, Karaoke Host, Lead singer, Lawyer, Butcher, Car Salesperson, Blogger and Personal Trainer.

On Thursday, June 7, the Weekly Volcano will publish The Sexy Issue, immortalizing the sexy, chosen few forever.

Help us find them.

Voting ends May 11 at 5 p.m. - so help the Weekly Volcano find the South Sound's hottest citizens. Vote today!

Vote for the South Sound's sexiest people

MOVE OVER CUPCAKES >>>

It seems everywhere I look, frozen yogurt shops are popping up. I began to think I was going crazy. Am I imagining it or is frozen yogurt the new cupcake?

Frozen yogurt has long drawn patrons looking for a low fat frozen treat. To investigate the trend, I recently visited The Freeze in University Place (3806 Bridgeport Way W.), which opened in mid-March. The flavors ranged from standards like chocolate and vanilla to red velvet and mango. Sure, the yogurt is low fat, but then I had my way with the toppings. Cookie crumbles, caramel syrup and gummy worms, oh my.

Gibson's Frozen Yogurt Shoppe in Tacoma's Stadium District (8 N. Tacoma Ave.) opened in February 2011 and has been a go-to dessert fix in the area ever since. In fact, Gibson's has been so well received that they're opening a second location at North 26th and Pearl in Tacoma's Westgate neighborhood they'll be in the old Little Caesar's building.

Ben Hall hangs at The Freeze in University Place.

Fueling my cupcake-turned-fro-yo conspiracy theory, the old Jubilee Cupcakes space in Tacoma's Proctor District will soon be home to Proctor Frozen Yogurt (2510 N. Proctor), with an anticipated opening date in early May.

Last July, Elements Frozen Yogurt (333 South Meridian, #111) opened in downtown Puyallup. South Hill now has a place to get their frozen yogurt fix at Menchie's in Sunrise Village (10306 156th St. E.). It opens April 5.

The range of flavors and toppings makes frozen yogurt irresistible to kids and adults alike. Add the fact that it's self-serve and pay-by-weight, and it's easy to see why frozen yogurt is the newest trend to hit the area.

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 >>>

1. At noon inside the Lagerquist Concert Hall, the Ung Youth Sinfoni from Bergen, Norway returns to PLU to perform works from their tour repertoire, including the "100 Folk Tunes of Hardanger" by Geirr Tveitt, "Spring" by Edvard Grieg, and "Fanfare and Chorale" by Kjell Seim. The youth Symphony will be joined by violinist and Hardanger Fiddler, Eldbjorg Hemsing, regarded as one of Norway's most promising young artists. What you'll hear will be nothing short of beautiful. So much so, that you'll quickly forget about the diet of dried cod and salted reindeer testicles that the denizens of Norway are forced to subsist on. Plus, it's nice to see a Norwegian use a horn for something other than announcing a Viking raid.

2. Maria Callas was one of the 20th century's most legendary opera singers. Born to Greek parents in 1923 in New York City, Callas received operatic training in Athens before making her official debut at Italy's La Scala in 1951. Now, more than 33 years after her death, Callas remains one of opera's most popular recording artists. Norm Hollingshead, a Seattle Opera preview lecturer, will speak on Callas at 10:30 a.m. inside the Garfield Book Company.

3. Jobs are personal. If you don't have one, you're probably job-obsessed. If you don't like the one you have, then you are probably looking for a better one. Both scenarios will have an opportunity to connect with a wide range of employers from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Marcus Pavilion on the Saint Martin's University campus. The fair provides a valuable opportunity to gather information, polish your professional image, make connections for future employment, and learn to market yourself more effectively.

4. Vegucated is one of the newest documentaries on the block attempting to expose the realities of food systems and the threat to our health and the environment. The feature-length documentary follows three meat-and-cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. Vegucated plays at 2 and 6:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema in Tacoma. We're eating a carrot as we write this.

5. Ricky J's Restaurant and Sports Lounge in Puyallup doesn't exactly sound like the name of a meat market haven. But in fact, Ricky J's has some of the most reasonably priced meat in town. Every Tuesday night Ricky J's offers a bar steak special for $4.95. That's a heaping pile of meat for under $5. Other specials include free pool and $1 off draft beer. But what's that you say? What about the chicks? Jeez, here we mention cheap meat and you're still concerned about chicks. ...

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound happy hours

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 25 <<<

Sixty-four South Sound breakfast joints were selected and seeded by readers throughout February for the Tournament of Breakfast, which is now 11 days into the competition. Brackets have been wheat pasted on buildings, sleep has been lost, friendships have ended and back fat has emerged. Everyone is discussing Benedict variations and oatmeal thickness. It's been more fun than a bowl of Ordinary K.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Alfred's Cafe (Tacoma) vs. Ricky J's Restaurant (Puyallup)

Poodle Dog (Fife) vs. Johnny's Dock (Tacoma) 

Puget Sound Pizza (Tacoma) vs. The Hub (Tacoma)

A Renaissance Cafe (Tacoma) vs. Dirty Oscar's Annex (Tacoma)

Analysts agree, a key factor in determining Tournament of Breakfast success is experience. Restaurants playing in their first tournament game often have that "deer in the headlights" look. Meanwhile, experienced teams seem to be able to hold their composure in any situation. Alfred's Café and Bubble Room made it to the second round in last year's Tournament of Pizza. The Tacoma Dome District restaurant fell to eventual pizza champion Katie Downs. You can't buy that experience. And although Ricky J's has an amazing hangover breakfast, at least according to its loyal fans, experience catapulted Alfred's café to the Scrambled 16 with a whopping 70 percent of the votes.

We can only imagine the heated conversations last night around the bridge card game tables: "Confound it, Johnny's Dock's Dungeness crab and shrimp omelet is leaps and bounds above the Poodle Dog's blasted bennies. The Poodle Dog serves a cream waffle? What in tarnation is a cream waffle?" In a couple months, all will be forgotten and friendships will mend. This retro breakfast match-up was close until the final hour of voting. In the end, the Poodle Dog took the game with 52.8 percent of the votes. It was a fun game to watch.

Another fun game to watch was the battle of neighboring breakfast-serving joints Puget Sound Pizza and The Hub. The Hub grabbed a huge lead after the opening buzzer. In an era when star dishes often spend just a year or two on special menus before heading to the main menu, the Hub's breakfast pizzas are rarities. Both have seen their roles increase each year, as they have grown from doughy ideas fighting for minutes to chiseled dishes that, like yesterday, have seemingly willed The Hub into championship contention. Even with an amazing afternoon run by Puget Sound Pizza, no doubt due to its noon-awaking crowd, The Hub, behind its star breakfast dishes, managed to eek out a win with 53 percent of the votes. Both restaurants can hold heads high today.

A blowout Tournament of Breakfast game is usually over by 4:20 p.m. Dirty Oscar's Annex's beatdown of A Renaissance Café yesterday was over in the opening minutes. After scoring the first 18 votes of the game, DOA ran away with a 110-vote victory over the Museum District cafe. It is the first time in Tournament of Breakfast history a restaurants has beaten an opponent by 100 points or more. This No. 2 seed has analysts running back to think-tanks.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Alfred's Cafe and Bubble Room
  
• Poodle Dog
  
• The Hub
  
• Dirty Oscar's Annex
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's Second Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 23 <<<

Now it's getting exciting. The syrup is really starting to spread, and the batter is getting so thick you could cut it with a knife (OK, so that's a horrible analogy ...).

Point is: This is serious.

Today the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Breakfast officially kicks off its second round, meaning only 32 South Sound breakfast joints remain, and the competition is as hot as ever. Who will be crowned champ on April 2? The path to breakfast greatness starts today.

Here's a look at today's Tournament of Breakfast action and a recap of yesterday's closing of round one. Shake some powdered sugar on it if you know what's good for you and get rolling.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Alfred's Cafe (Tacoma) vs. Scoreboard Pub (Federal Way)

Elmer's Pancake and Steakhouse (Tacoma) vs. Ricky J's Restaurant (Tacoma) 

Mystic Mocha (Graham) vs. Poodle Dog (Fife)

Original Pancake House (Puyallup) vs. Johnny's Dock (Tacoma)

In basketball terminology, Alfred's Cafe was on fire from the three-pioint line. It shot 72 percent from the arc, the same percentage points it scored above the Scoreboard Pub at the final buzzer. What's most impressive about Alfred's win? It didn't have to use its Bubble Room Lounge in the victory.

In the simplest of terms, Elmer's Pancake and Steakhouse supporters failed to turn out for the Thursday competition, allowing die-hard breakfast aficionados to propel Ricky J's in Puyallup into a battle with Alfred's Cafe on March 24.

In an outcome that's no surprise for anyone who's experienced the massive fan base of the Poodle Dog, Fife's favorite breakfast joint dominated the polls, with 60 votes over Graham's Mystic Mocha. The Poodle Dog moves on to face Johnny's Dock on March 24.

Holy crap! Turnout for this contest was like the turnout at a kick-the-banker booth at the county fair! Both the Original Pancake House and Johnny's Dock did their darndest to mobilize their base, and though the Original Pancake House ran out to an early lead, Johnny's Dock fans had the stamina to carry through the evening and snatch victory from Puyallup's, well, original pancake house. Johnny's Dock moves into the second round with 55 percent of the votes.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Alfred's Cafe
  
• Ricky J's Restaurant
  
• Poodle Dog
  
• Johnny's Dock
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's Second Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 22 <<<

Low and behold, today marks the closing of the Tournament of Breakfast's first round. After today's battles the bracket will officially be down to only 32 area breakfast joints, and the competitions are getting fiercer by the minute. Honestly, if it gets any more exciting we'll start to understand why Dick Vitale is always yelling. Plus we'll have serious back fat.

Without wasting anyone's time with pancake issues, let's look at yesterday's results AND today's Weekly Volcano Tournament of Breakfast action, which comes from the East Region.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Shakabrah Java (Tacoma) vs. Laura's Bayview (Tacoma)

Lobster Shop South (Tacoma) vs. C.I. Shenanigans (Tacoma) 

Masa (Tacoma) vs. Quickie Too (Tacoma)

Harmon Brewery (Tacoma) vs. Hob Nob (Tacoma)

Honestly, we're not sure why Shakabrah Java, a number one seed in this tournament, was allowed to sponsor the Tournament of Breakfast (other than the obvious reason that we need the hard cold cash), but what we do understand is Shakabrah has a following - so strong of a following, in fact, that the longtime breakfast player was able to easily defeat Laura's Bayview Cafe in yesterday's action in what amounted to a blowout. Shakabrah, after scoring 81 percent of the vote yesterday in a resounding victory, moves on to the second round. Hey Shakabrah! Thanks for help making this competition possible. Truly.

Unexpectedly, Lobster Shop vs. Shenanigans was an epic battle ... the kind of thing Tournament of Breakfast "instant classics" are made of. A surprisingly low scoring affair, with much of the action on defense, the eighth seeded Lobster Shop South and the ninth seeded C.I. Shenanigans were in a dead heat - literally tied - going into the final hour of the competition. Back at Weekly Volcano World Headquarters, Tournament of Breakfast officials frantically discussed what to do in the case of a tie? Overtime? Coin flip? See which establishment could deliver a Denver omelet to our Lakewood office the fastest? Luckily, after a late social media push on our part (we were checking our Twitter anyway ...) C.I. Shenanigans edged out the win, securing exactly 51.6 percent of the vote. This one will go down in the history books.

The Sixth Avenue Mexican restaurant Masa quickly comes to the lips of many when discussing the best South Sound breakfasts. So, perhaps it's no surprise that the restaurant frequented by families and hangover victims alike did serious damage in yesterday's action, kicking Quickie Too to the curb while garnering a respectable 62 percent of the vote. Impressive victory since Quickie Too was tied with Masa at 1:46 p.m. Masa moves on as a breakfast to reckon with in later rounds of Tournament of Breakfast action. Hold your head high Quickie Too.

Across from Wright Park, the Hob Nob offers a comprehensive breakfast menu with delectable specialties and serves it all day. Favorites include the Dungeness Crab Omelette, fresh home-baked biscuits and country "cream sausage" gravy, flavored with fennel and John's seasonings. The Hob Nob held a small lead the entire day of voting over The Harmon. Tournament of Breakfast analysts suspect the nearby D- to M-Streets Sounder construction project may have kept voters out of the Harmon camp, preferring the peaceful scenery of the popular Wright Park. Then again, those same analysts typically are shoved out of the Harmon after last call. Either way, the voters have chosen, and the Hob Nob moves into the second round to take on Masa March 26.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Shakabrah Java
  
• C.I. Shenanigans
  
• Masa
  
• Hob Nob Restaurant and Lounge
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Snow: Oh, sure. (News Tribune)

The World Is Going Bonkers, Part 54: SWAT in Lacey. (News Tribune)

Puyallup City Council: It has entered the red-light camera think tank. (News Tribune)

When Terrorist Die: Police burst into the apartment of a suspected militant accused of killing 7 people, prompting a shootout that ended with Mohammed Merah, gun in hand, jumping out a window to his death. (CNN)

Checking In with The Supreme Court: Because about 95 percent of criminal convictions arise from guilty pleas, two Supreme Court decisions represent a vast expansion of judicial supervision of the criminal justice system. (The New York Times)

Male Baldness: It's all about key protein called prostaglandin D synthase, which are elevated in the cells of hair follicles located in bald patches on the scalp, but not in hairy areas. (CNN)

Oh, Goodie: Are you excited about the remastered Smiths albums? (Paste Magazine)

This Cinco De Mayo: Drink with George Clooney. (New York Daily News)

Cyndi Lauper: She has a new reality show. (Vulture)

How Do You Know It's Spring?: These 18 photos will tell you. (Pleated Jeans)

AquaDom: The Radisson Blue Hotel in Berlin-Mitte, German is home to one of the most spectacular pieces of architecture. (Inthralld)

This Hurts Our Brain

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 21 <<<

Sixty-four South Sound breakfast joints were selected and seeded by readers throughout February for the Tournament of Breakfast, which is now seven days into the competition. Brackets don refrigerators, break rooms, restaurant hallways and birdcages. Morning business meetings have been moved to restaurants. Everyone is discussing syrup flavors and waffle thickness. It's crazy fun.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Spar Cafe (Olympia) vs. Bread Peddler (Olympia)

Ben Moore's Cafe (Olympia) vs. New Moon Cafe (Olympia) 

Cicada Restaurant (Olympia) vs. Shipwreck Cafe (Olympia)

Darby's Cafe (Olympia) vs. Quality Burrito (Olympia)

Yesterday, we predicted the Spar Café would give the bread Peddler an early run for its money, which it did. The McMenamin brothers venture exploded with an early lead. However, the Peddler, with its yummy baked goods and freakin' delicious quiche, came on strong around dinnertime. In the end, the Spar Cafe squeaked out the win by a three-vote margin. The game will no doubt be the talk on Fourth Avenue corners today.

The opposite of the above game, Ben Moore's Café and the New Moon Café were neck and neck throughout the morning and afternoon. Then, as if Edward Cullen and his pals swooped in after dark to terrorize Ben Moore's, the New Moon went on an incredible terror and grabbed an amazing 70 percent of the votes. Could it be black magic, or the Moon's fried egg sandwich? Doesn't matter now. The New Moon Café enters the second round to battle the Spar Café March 23.

Cicada is fine and dandy, even after the ownership change. Commenter jjtandcompany says the Crabcake Benedict is to die for. Commenter Roger says Cicada's staff is friendly and treats the customer right. And the Tournament of Breakfast voters say Cicada is worth sending to the second round by awarding the Northwest restaurant with Southern accents 60 percent of the votes over the Shipwreck Cafe.

Every city has a restaurant that reflects the people, the culture, the reality of the place - not the town you see in a tourism brochure, but the town that folks actually live, work and eat in. Olympia has Darby's Café. Darby's represents the city of Olympia to the tea (15 versions).  Funky, liberal, friendly, and laid-back, it's all about serving quality food in the Man's front yard. While elected officials and developers argue about waterfront condos, folks can enjoy the democratic principles of fairness, whole foods, open-toed sandals, and an odd assortment of Wizard of Oz paraphernalia in this tiny joint. And Olympia returned the favor by awarding Darby's with 70 percent of the votes over Quality Burrito, and a ticket to the next round.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• McMenamin's Spar Cafe
  
• New Moon Cafe
  
• Cicada Restaurant
  
• Darby's Cafe
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Tacoma's Lower Pacific Avenue: It will open to traffic for the first time since June. (News Tribune)

Tacoma And Puyallup Police: They've had it with the whole smash out a car window and steal stuff trend. (News Tribune)

Holy Crap: There are Washington state high schools where four out of 10 students do not earn a diploma in four years. (News Tribune)

Madoff Madness: The owners of the New York Mets reached agreement today to pay $162 million to settle claims related to the Bernard Madoff case. (CNN)

Apple Computers: Investors will score big this summer. (The New York Times)

Rosie O'Donnell: Oprah fired her. (USA Today)

Never Too High To Talk: George Clinton takes fashion, fishing and fun. (SF Gate)

Shirley Manson Of Garbage: She was on Chelsea Lately. (Pink Is The New Blog)

Rock Stars: Let's see what they look like old. (Buzz Feed)

SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2012 >>>

1. The Northwest Sinfonietta bills itself as, "an orchestra to be reckoned with," not to mention an orchestra of, "passion, vision, thrill, and creation." Anyone who has seen it in action would have trouble arguing with these statements, as the musical body routinely wows audiences in Tacoma, Puyallup and Seattle. At 2 p.m. in the Pioneer Park Pavilion, the Northwest Sinfonietta will be joined by violinist Marié Rossano for Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, followed by Schubert's 4th Symphony, named "Tragic." Be ready for plenty of pathos.

2. Speaking of the Northwest Sinfonietta, after its 2 p.m. concert at the Pioneer Park Pavilion, the musicians will walk over to Gallery Three for a post-concert discussion from 4-6 p.m. After the discussion, Gallery Three will bust out the wine and chocolates. Oh, almost forgot, Gallery Three hosts three of its new artists - Joan Nicholson, pastels; Jerome Petteys, illustration; and Anette Lusher, acrylics - for a 2:30 p.m. reception.

3. Entertainer and storyteller extraordinaire Elizabeth Lord returns to the stage at 2 and 4 p.m. the next two Sundays in support of the venue she's been such a huge part of over the years - the Midnight Sun. Designed as an interactive variety show geared toward young audiences featuring the wit of Lord and the musical contributions of local favorites Scuff & Al, "Tall Tales and Silly Songs" is part of the "Save The Sun" benefit series, with proceeds going to Prodigal Sun Productions, the managing non-profit organization for The Midnight Sun Performance Space.

4. Puget Sound Music For Youth Association hosts a jam session featuring PSMFYA bands at 2 p.m. inside The Swiss. No, this will rock.

5. Mambo musician Tito Puente Jr., following in his father's footsteps and drawing from his musical catalogue, will hit Tacoma and the Rilato Theater at 3 p.m. According to hype, Puente, "brings the sounds of Latin jazz bursting with energetic rhythms and contagious melodies for a new generation." In addition to the music, Puente and KCTS 9 educator Antonio Gomez will take part in a pre-event lecture.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight in the region

LINK: South Sound happy hour food and drinks