THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Morning showers, hi 43, lo 35

Saturday: Rain and breezy, hi 44, lo 36

Sunday: Chance of rain, hi 44, lo 40

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 14: "MESSIAH"

You can hate on the holidays all you want, but there's no denying they bring a wealth of artful yearly traditions. Tacoma Symphony Chorus' take on "Messiah" in St. Charles Borromeo Church fits this bill. As pre-event hype acknowledges, "Chorus Director Geoffrey Boers always brings a fresh take to Handel's beloved work," and there's no reason to expect this year to be any different. Four vocal soloists - soprano Denise Lees, mezzo-soprano Melissa Plagemann, tenor James Brown and Benjamin Harris - will join Tacoma Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, creating an event that's almost to put the whole family in the spirit.

• St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7:30 p.m., $25, 7112 S, 12th St., Tacoma, 253.591.2013

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 14: "PRESSING ON"

Currently at Pacific Lutheran University's Mortvedt Library is "Pressing On," an exhibition to celebrate 30 years of the existence of the Elliott Press. The exhibition consists of broadsides (hand-printed posters), hand-made books and other printed pieces by students who learn and work at the Elliott Press. Pieces include work by Oregon writer Kim Stafford and Copper Canyon Press founder Tree Swenson - both alumni of the Press, along with many other illustrious local artists, writers and editors, including yours truly. Read Kristin Kendle's full feature on the exhibit in the Weekly Volcano's Events section.

• Mortvedt Library, through Feb. 27, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Pacific Lutheran University, 121st Street and Park Avenue, Tacoma, 253.535.7500
  

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 14-SUNDAY, DEC. 16: YES YES NO NO HOLIDAY SHOW

Yes Yes No No: The Solace-of-Solstice Apogee/Perigee Bestial/Celestial Holiday Show by award winning playwright Tony Kushner and directed by John Ficker is happening this weekend at the Midnight Sun in Olympia. Featuring Pamela Arnt, Dave Beacham, Brian Jansen, and Elizabeth Lord. The evening also includes Weekly Volcano's Christian Carvajal reading Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol by David Sedaris.  The Forever Young Rock & Roll Choir of Senior Services for South Sound will also perform. The group, known for it's Joey Ramone covers and alternative choral style will sing four songs during the first portion of the play, including "Happy X-Mas (War is Over)" by John Lennon and "River" by Joni Mitchell. "They're totally stoked," says Chris Quimby, co-director of the choir. "They're so excited about it, we love to perform and they love learning knew songs. Its good for them too, it's brain activity and cognition. We feel honored to be in this play - we were just floored when we were asked us to do this." See the seniors and the rest of the local talent as part of the Save the Sun series of benefit shows to keep the Midnight Sun open and entertaining. - Nikki McCoy

• Midnight Sun performance Space, Dec 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. and Dec 16 at 2 p.m., $12-18,  113. N. Columbia, Olympia, brownpapertickets

>>> FRIDAY. DEC. 14-THURSDAY, DEC. 20: RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE

Dear God. I just watched the trailer for RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE, and I'm begging for more. It looks so demented and awesome and action-packed and touching and totally unlike any Christmas movie ever. Good thing we all have a chance to see it at The Grand Cinema in Tacoma. I know "demented and awesome" are rather vague descriptions, but the rated R Finnish movie in English sub-titles is just that. Here's an excerpt from a press release, "On Christmas Eve in Finland, Santa Claus is unearthed in an archaeological dig. Soon after, children start disappearing, leading a boy and his father to capture Santa and, with the help of fellow hunters, they look to sell him back to the corporation that sponsored the dig. And then there's Santa's elves, who are determined to free their leader..." I got chills just reading that again! The Grand has played the movie the last two years with such roaring success that they hope to make it a holiday tradition where you can also get your picture taken with "demented Santa." - NM

• The Grand Cinema, Dec 14-20, 7:15 and 9:15 p.m., (no 9:15 on Tuesday, Dec, 18) $4.50-$9, pictures with Santa Friday and Saturday 6:30 p.m., 606 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253.593.4474

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 15: DRUNKEN TELEGRAPH HOLIDAY SHOW

When I was 8, I received the best Christmas present of my life. My brother was going through puberty complete with standard zits and angst. Of course, I thought he hated me with the spit wads and angry outbursts he hurled at me. But gazing at the tree that magical Christmas morning, I saw a glimmering Polly Pocket pendant tucked into the branches. It was from my brother. Life was grand. As an adult, my best gift has been sexy panties and a cute wooden stash box for my weed. Anyway, self-indulgent writing has taken over. ... The point of this blurb is to let you, dear readers, know you can hear storytellers tell THEIR tales of the greatest gifts they've ever received. Saturday at Medi's Pizza & Pasta, there will be sharing at the Drunken Telegraph Holiday Show, as well as pizza and beer.  After hearing five stories about the greatest gift, from a movie poster to a present from beyond the grave, there will be a story slam. Get there early and sign up to share your own five-minute story about the greatest gift. — NM

• Medi's Pizza & Paste, 7 p.m.,  $5, 2710 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.2531

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
I'm in the Prodigal Sun holiday revue, pretending to be a mean theater critic. Then we're off to Bellevue for dinner at Din Tai Fung and a 48FPS, IMAX screening of The Hobbit.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
Friday, I'll be attending my friend's graduation (I swear it's been in the works for a million years); afterward there will be much drinking and merriment.

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
I'm going to a mass wedding at the state capitol to witness a lot of gay and lesbian friends getting married.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
Slinging booze tonight, followed by the Urban Onion's benefit show for the Heath family featuring Fitz, C Average and Dirty Birds. Saturday, I'm hitting the Fantastical Festivus Faire then headed to Portland for strippers and bands Mosquito Hawk and Black Pussy. Sunday will be moping around until it's time to feed bellies with love at Casey's memorial. Oh, and some writing.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
I think Friday I'll chill with the Family and just do the Chanukah thing. Saturday, I'll go out to The New Frontier Lounge and see Tacoma's Favorite DJ voted by Weekly Volcano readers, DJ Melanin. The fun starts at 9 p.m. and it's free!

JACKIE FENDER Food Writer
Round 3 of the Shift your Shopping Tours is going down Saturday night. Not to mention the usual slinging on moonshine breakfast drinks in the a.m. and getting some highly anticipated Wrist issues to distribution sites so that readers can get their local creative literary fix.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Seeing as I'm so desperate for Winter Break to begin, I'm going to pretend this weekend is a mini break before the real deal. Saturday we will be taking the toddler to Teatro Zinzanni for the Big Top Rock show featuring Caspar Babypants, jugglers, acrobats, carnival atmosphere AND Top Pot Doughnuts. Afterward, we will go to a holiday party where one of my 2-year-old's many crushes will be present. Sunday, I will be reviewing The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Lakewood Playhouse before rushing off to Puyallup for an adorable 3-year-old's birthday party! Then I will sleep the sleep of the dead to try and have enough energy for my last three days of school.

TIMOTHY GRISHAM Music Writer
I thought the world was ending 12.12.12, guess not. Although Paul McCartney fronting Nirvana certainly has the charm of the end of days. I guess since I was ill planned I will go see the Hobbit like every other nerd in the country. I will also be attending the Northern Craft & Rummage Sale on Saturday. It's free to enter!

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Photog About Town
I'll be hitting The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Lakewood Playhouse because I hear the narrator is amazing - because of the training she gained from her father. Then comes Saturday for the Lighted Boat Parade down the waterfront with a stop at Rock the Dock for some nog.

NIC LEONARD Music Writer
My cousin is moving out here this weekend from Detroit so I will be showing him around the beautiful city of Olympia. We will most likely be hitting up the Everybody Weekend show at Le Voyeur on Saturday night as well as other various local bars.

ROCKFORD ROWLEY All-Ages Music Columnist
This weekend I will be enjoying all I can before the start of winter quarter, at which point I will be substituting sleep with black coffee, writing and studying and, of course, the EPs of all my favorite Tacoma bands.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

THURSDAY, DEC.12 2012 >>>

1. Legend has it that sake, the Japanese wine made from fermented rice, was originally called kuchikami no sake, which means "chewing in the mouth sake." An entire village would gather to chew up nuts, rice and other tasty grains and then spit the result into a tub, where the enzymes in the saliva would ferment the liquid for several days - or so the story goes. Fortunately, today's sake is made with more sanitary procedures. Sake doesn't get any tastier than what's on the shelves at TWOKOI Japanese Restaurant. And our mouths are full of saliva when we think about drinking a different sake a day for 12 days in a row, which we will do at TWOKOI through Christmas Eve. During its "12 Days of Sake," you will receive 30 percent off the bottle.

2. After work and dinner, and while your better half gets the kids to bed, why not get some holiday shopping out of the way at Tacoma's Antique Row? Thursdays, now through Christmas, the 70 merchants that make up Antique Row offer free parking after 6 p.m. and have extended hours until 8 p.m. So pick up the perfect book for your niece, grab an original framed local art piece for your mom, or find that great shabby chic nightstand for yourself.

3. Tacoma's Blue Mouse Theatre kicks the holiday season off in style at 6 p.m. a visit from Sanata followed by the classic, It's a Wonderful Life. Patrons are asked to donate food and/or cash to FISH Food Bank of Pierce County. If the sight of friends bringing money to bankrupt George Bailey doesn't move you to give, you're worse than crusty old Mr. Potter.

4. For years, trumpeter Rich Wetzel and his big band has been popping up in local bars and restaurants, introducing folks to jazz of years gone by, as well as a few current numbers. The one constant is his big blowout holiday shows where he expands his band to 30 musicians and plays music from A Stan Kenton Christmas. This year expect more mellophones at the 7:30 p.m. show at Tacoma Community College. Tickets are $10-$15.

5. Ladies and gents, tonight at The Royal Lounge, before your very eyes, is a lineup of epic proportions.  Free Whiskey, Smoke, Subversive Minds, Kyle Miller, Puget and "maybe" a guest performance by "somebody else" will hit the stage at 9 p.m. That "somebody else" may or may not have just gotten home from touring with Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis. That "somebody else" may or may not be Olympia-based bad ass, Xperience (XP).

LINK: Thursday, Dec. 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

A FACEBOOK GROUP TO JOIN >>>

Mian Carvin is a painter and a writer and a filmmaker from Olympia. She lives on a farm just out of town with goats and chickens and cats and her life partner of many years. Her abstract paintings, which I happen to like very much, have been displayed at Matter Gallery in Olympia; although there are none shown on Matter's website at the present time. What can be found there is a nice little statement about her paintings:

"I began painting as a means of distraction during an emotionally difficult period in my life.  Before long, it became a form of meditation.  When I paint now, it is more like a dance.

"All my work is done using recycled wood upon which I layer various types of paints (also recycled), as well as oil pastels.  I do a lot of sanding and priming with clear shellac.  This method allows the painting to present itself to me.  I prefer not to title most of my images, leaving the viewer to see them without preconceptions."

But I didn't set out to write about her painting. I set out to write about how Carvin is an out and proud queer woman and she celebrates queer artists. She has made a great little short film called This is What QUEER looks like. It consists of lots and lots of queer folks - lesbians, gays, transgender, bi-sexual, genderqueer, the whole alphabet soup of queerness, saying, each in their own delightful way, "This is what queer (or lesbian, gay, etc.) looks like." The film played at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival and recently was screened at Capitol Theatre in Olympia. You can see the final theatrical version at http://youtu.be/LAUkKNVLgVM or at FINAL THEATRICAL RELEASE VERSION : this* is what QUEER looks like. Full disclosure: I make a brief appearance in the film.

Carvin's latest project is posting bios and photos of queer artists on Facebook. She has created a Facebook group called queer artists + their art. Anyone can go to the group page for information or to join. In order to see the images, you need to join the group.

She uses a broad definition of artist to include visual and performing artists, writers, filmmakers. You'll find information on many artists you may have never heard of as well as many famous artists whom you may have never known were queer. Frida Kahlo, for instance, who was married to a man but loved to cross dress and had affairs with other women - most notably Josephine Baker, as depicted in the film Frida.

For other examples go to the group on FB and scroll down. You'll see choreographer Alvin Ailey, painters Frances Bacon and Jasper Johns, composer Steven Sondheim, singer Bessie Smith, actor Raymond Burr of "Perry Mason" fame, and many more along with some terrific photos.

Check out all the queer artists. It will be fun and educational.

LINK: Other Facebook pages to follow for updates on the arts

MONDAY, DEC. 10 2012 >>>

1. Indie folk rockers Farewell to the Woods started out as four people singing a song written the night before in a cold garage. After nearly two years of practicing, writing and scrapping new tunes, and adding/losing members the band has expanded to an eight piece and will perform at 9 p.m. with Punch Drunk Heart at The Eastside Club Tavern in Olympia.

2. Conductor Dr. Paul Schultz presents a preview of the Northwest Repertory Singers Dec. 15 and 16 concerts today at 3 p.m. inside the Frank Tobey Jones Retirement Community.  The repertoire of traditional carols and favorite songs of the season includes music by Stephen Paulus, John Rutter and Donna Gartman Schultz. 

3. The moths are on to something. Lights are awesome. Especially holiday lights. Make today the day you check out Zoolights and Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions.

4. The fourth Powder Pow-Wow Mountain Film Party - a benefit for the Alpental Backcountry Avalanche Rescue K9 (BARK) Program - will be held at 6 p.m. inside Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor. See new snow ski/board film from Teton Gravity Research. Meet the Alpental BARK dogs. Buy raffle tickets to support them. Win some prizes. Drink some beer.

5. Blenis Ely will fill The Swiss with blues beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Monday, Dec. 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area.

SUNDAY, DEC. 9 2012 >>>

1. A brooding, mysterious godfather, a broken-jawed wooden soldier that comes to life and a murderous Mouse King all converge once again to remind us The Nutcracker story may be the most hair-raising Christmas favorite for the whole family the world has ever known. The Tacoma City Ballet is set apart as the sole production in the area to follow the story, scenic design, costuming and choreography as it was originally created by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov accompanied by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky's captivating score, thanks to the Northwest Sinfonietta. Whether the Mouse King has seven heads (like the beast of Revelation), three heads (like Cerberus, dog-guardian of Hades) or only one (like a normal mouse king), this dark-edged dream promises to leave kids and sensitive adults as speechless as the bounding, pirouetting athletes on stage. It hits the Pantages Theater's stage at 3 p.m.

2. Conversation Tacoma hosts another, er, conversation today. The Conversation agenda will feature a viewing of the movie Unnatural Causes, followed by a conversation about how one's position in society affects health at noon inside the Urban League of Tacoma.

3. A few days before Halloween Tacoma artist Euphoria Marie Sorensen was struck by a truck while walking on the 200 block of North G Street. She's still in the hospital with severe injuries, with recovery updates posted at gofundme.com. Thousands of you pass through Tacoma and have never had the pleasure of meeting Sorensen, but there's a select several hundred who know this mother well. Many of those folks have put together a benefit concert to help pay for her medical costs. From 4-11 p.m., an benefit auction will be held at The New Frontier Lounge, while A Leaf, Death By Stars, Looking For Lizards, Deborah Page and DJ Melodica entertain.

4. The moths are on to something. Lights are awesome. Especially holiday lights. Make today the day you check out Zoolights and Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions.

5. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club will host a Quentin Tarantino nightvisiting some of his more obviously "inspiring works" at 7 p.m. inside The Acme Grub Cage. The night of free movies, shorts, trailers and wackiness includes a raffle. Just in case there's trivia, the F-bomb gets uttered 252 times in Reservoir Dogs.

PLUS: Let It Snow Community Festival and No God, No Master film in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LONG-ASS MOVIES THIS WEEKEND >>>

It's been nine long years since the Lord of the Rings trilogy wrapped up. Nine, precious! But no longer will you have to suffer in darkness, far from all things Middle Earth. No, precious, things will now change. An entirely new trilogy based on The Hobbit will hit movie screens Dec. 14, and word on the nerd streets is that these movies carry the torch well - with higher frame rates and better CGI.

To help you rekindle your LotR flame, many theater chains are putting on a marathon of all three movies Saturday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 9. Some theaters are showing extended versions, but all feature a special intro by director Peter Jackson. If you haven't done the math, this marathon goes more than nine hours for the theatrical release version and more than 11 hours for the extended versions.

Count on busting out your catheter or adult diaper.

Saturday, Dec. 8

• Galaxy Narrows: 10 a.m., $20, 2208 Mildred St. W., Tacoma, 10 a.m., $20
• Galaxy Gig Harbor: 10 a.m., 2 and 7 p.m., $20, 4649 Point Fosdick Dr. NW, Gig Harbor
• Regal Lakewood 15: 11:15 a.m., $30 via Fandango, 2410 84th St. S., Lakewood
• Regal Longston Place Stadium 14: 11:15 a.m., $30 via Fandango, 13317 Meridian St. E., Puyallup
• Regal Martin Village Stadium 16 and IMAX: $30 via Fandango, 5400 E. Martin Way, Lacey
• AMC Loews Lakewood Towne Center 12 (extended versions): 10 a.m., $25, 5721 Main St. SW, Lakewood

Saturday, Dec. 8 and Sunday, Dec. 9

• Century Olympia (extended versions): 11 a.m., $25, 625 Black Lake Blvd. SW, Olympia

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rain, hi 45, lo 36

Saturday: Chance of rain, hi 43, lo 39

Sunday: Chance of rain, hi 48, lo 41

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 7: LEGALIZE MY SMILE PARTY

Hey, in case you've been hiding in a closet, weed is now legal! Hooray! Friday, The Royal in Olympia is celebrating Washington's new found freedom with a Legalize My Smile Party at 9 p.m.  The party features up and comers Elbow Coulee and The DaveBenSamTrio, busting out their space funk and dance rock. Pay $5 at the door and a world of irie smiles will greet you. Make sure you bust out your finest Zig-Zags and Cush, roll up some love, smoke it like there's no tomorrow and dance your ass off in celebration. For info on how much you can posses and other details of this fresh law, check out local lawyer advice in our South Sound Sidekick column. — Nikki McCoy

• The Royal Lounge, 9 p.m., $5, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia, 360.705.0760

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 8: HILLTOP ARTISTS HOLIDAY GLASS SALE

Tacoma is filled with local shops, galleries and antique stores where you can take your holiday shopping local - but the Hilltop Artists Holiday Glass Sale is at a whole ‘nother level. Not only can you shop locally, but you can support an important youth program, a program that produces sweet talent at that, and you can find fantastic artwork at the most reasonable prices in town. The sale will feature everything from flame-worked beads to paperweights to vases. Prices range from under a dollar for beads, to $15 to $25 for vases or cups, to $150 for vases. Large, wavy bowls can be as high as $375, but look into how much Chihuly charges to understand just how much of a deal this is.

• Jason Lee Middle School, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 602 N. Sprague, Tacoma, 253.571.7670
  

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 8: DUCK THE MALLS

Duck The Malls sounds fun on paper. If nothing else, this holiday sale to benefit the Olympia Film Society cuts out so much of the guesswork and crap of going to a regular flea market: With just the freaks on board selling their Yaz CDs, hipster bicycles and Ronald McDonald drinking glasses, you're sure to be steering clear of screaming babies and the scary men selling kicker boxes and enormous knives. Meanwhile, you may finally pick up that home-tattooing manual you've always wanted, along with that Boss phaser pedal whatshisname uses. You know there's going to be that moment where somebody runs into her ex, who's behind a table selling everything she ever gave him. Read Nikki McCoy's feature on this year's Duck The Malls in the Weekly Volcano's Style section. — Weekly Volcano

• Capitol Theater, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., 206 Fifth Ave., Olympia, 360.754.6670
  

>>> SUNDAY DEC. 9: LET IT SNOW COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

Sugar and spice and everything free is the song for Sunday's Let It Snow community festival, a merry, merry tradition that's ho-ho-hosted every year by the Tacoma Art Museum. The free community event lights up at 10 a.m. and includes dance performances and festive music. While the entertainment fills the main floor, free craft projects will be offered upstairs. Create a pop-up holiday card for family and friends, or buy something cool in the gift shop. Everything the Tacoma Art Museum envisioned this holiday season comes to fruition Sunday.

• Tacoma Art Museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free admission, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.4258

>>> SUNDAY DEC. 9: EUPHORIA MARIE SORENSEN BENEFIT

Musicians and the community will come together at The New Frontier Lounge to show support for Euphoria Marie Sorensen, who was hit by a truck Oct. 29. She remains hospitalized in serious condition and suffered several injuries including many broken ribs and a broken arm and had to have her right lung removed. The benefit show will help cover the extensive hospital costs and will provide support for community members affected by the accident. Sorensen is a mother, an artist and a good friend to many. A Leaf, Death By Stars, Looking For Lizards, Deborah Page and DJ Melodica will play their hearts out, providing healing and hope for the community. Local businesses and individuals are also contributing to the cause, offering items for a raffle and silent auction. Word has it the event will be taped so Sorensen can enjoy the music and love too. — NM

• The New Frontier Lounge, 4 p.m., suggested donation of $5, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253. 572.4020

>>> SUNDAY, DEC. 9: NO GOD, NO MASTER

No God, No Master benefit screening for Northwest Grand Jury Resistors is this Sunday at the Capitol Theater. The benefit is for the remaining Northwest imprisoned resistors: KteeO Olejnik and Matt Duran. The film is described as a "gritty but beautifully rendered period piece set in the early 20th century that is an eerie parallel to the war on political outsiders and immigrants that is going on today." This on-screen chapter out of American Anarchist history will have a Q and A via Skype with Director Terry Green and there will be an information table and additional speakers at the screening. The screening is sponsored by The Reef, where KteeO worked as a waitress. The two have been in custody for over two months. More information about the Grand Jury Resistors can be found here. — NM

• Capitol Theater, 7 p.m., suggested donation of $5-$15, 206 Fifth Ave., Olympia, 360.754.6670

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
This is an exciting weekend for me, as it marks one of my last before the end of the world. I'm joining a handful of Volcano staffers aka Quetzalcoatl worshipers on Saturday night to usher in the Dark Times with a decadent gourmet dinner and a variety of barely legal intoxicants. Save us, O might Itzamna!

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
Friday, I'll swing by the Jeff Buckley Tribute Show at the New Frontier. Saturday, I'm going to a super secret squirrel party. (Super secret if the others haven't already talked about it here.)

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
I'm throwing a big party in celebration of the publication of my new book, Return to Freedom, with a dramatic reading featuring four fabulous actors: Michael and Heather Christopher, Jennie Jenks and Christine Goode. That's Saturday afternoon. Friday night I'm going to see Olympia Family Theater's Wind in the Willows at SPSCC.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
Alright. Well what will be a strange, sad and exciting night Saturday I will be attending a Volcano end-of-the world party as well as a memorial benefit show for a dear friend. All I can be certain of is I'm going to be completely wasted. I apologize in advance and hope that Sunday is full of bed covers and no regrets.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
Today, I'll be teaching the Spoken-Word/Poetry class at D.A.S.H. and helping out with the Art of Hip-Hop Program. It goes down from 5 p.m. 'til we're done! Then I'll head to The Loch's and catch a heavy-hitting local line-up of hip-hop, with Island Trybe, Second Family, Po Boxx and Tha Committee. Saturday and Sunday I'll be helping my D.A.S.H. family with their production of Dream Girls. This is the last weekend of the show, so it's also yo last chance to see it and support D.A.S.H.!

JACKIE FENDER Food Writer
I'm already doing a happy dance in anticipation of the weekend's happenings. Saturday, I'll be on the big yellow bus helping guide the Shift your Shopping tours. And Sunday I will be getting all gussied up and attending PNB's Nutcracker, the first time I've had the pleasure to do so.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Continuing with the Christmas spirit of the last two weekends, The 2 year old, husband and I will head back to Polar Plaza for our second round of ice skating.  Afterward the boy and I will ride a camel all while our good friend plays paparazzi for our Christmas photos. That evening we will head to Zoolights and then have friends over for dinner. I'll also be reviewing The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Lakewood Playhouse Sunday.

TIMOTHY GRISHAM Music Writer
It has been a very unbalanced week for the Olympia community; and frankly it has been hard to concentrate on anything beyond the immediate. With the stabbing death of a beloved local, the celebration of same-sex unions and legalized marijuana - this week has had its share of ups and downs for a lot of people in the South Puget Sound. I had originally planned on going to the King Tuff show, which I may still do. The band has the goods, and it is a great opportunity to see them in a small venue (Northern). I also promised my mother-in-law I'd take her to Zoolights!

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Photog About Town
I'll be heading down the the Dickens Festival in Stadium Saturday then Marie's benefit show on Sunday and then Tacoma Cult Film Club movie night at the Acme to round out the weekend.

NIC LEONARD Music Writer
A friend and local skateboard legend Casey Heath was murdered on Monday in olympia. This weekend I will be attending and playing benefit shows for his family at Le Voyeur and McCoys

ROCKFORD ROWLEY All-Ages Music Columnist
This weekend my friend and I are headed over to Cashmere, Wash. to visit some friends and attend a dessert party. We'll probably also visit Leavenworth, and enjoy the faux Bavarian town during its holiday season.

JENNI BOREN Features Writer
Why, I'm headed to LA this weekend for a trip that is 20 percent business, 80 percent karaoke-ing on a Saturday night with my old cronies.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Yesterday's comment of the day came from Niki in response to our feature Top 10 reasons to save The Blue Mouse Theatre.

Niki writes,

It was my first job and I begged for months to be hired. I don't know any other better first job (or job in general, really) that could make a person so happy to go to work. Help keep it alive, people!!

TUESDAY, DEC. 4 2012  >>>

1. Today, Red Robin is awarding every person with the first name of Jim a free Sweet Jim Beam Bacon Swiss Burger. That includes you too Jimbo! It's a dine-in only promotion for those 18 and older. Burgers are served a la carte; fries, drink and tip are not included. And, Jimmy, no one is going to sing to you.

2. The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation's Foundation of Art Award has been recognized as one the most notable art awards in the South Sound region. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Award, the Foundation is hosting a culminating exhibit featuring 40 talented artists that have been nominated for this Award, including winner Oliver Doriss, at the B2 Fine Art Gallery in Tacoma, which opens today at 11 a.m.

3. The Grand Cinema screens The House I Live In at 2:15 and 6:55 p.m. as part of its Tuesday Film Series. The film looks at the heart-wrenching stories from individuals at all levels of America's War on Drugs. From the dealer to the grieving mother, the narcotics officer to the senator, the inmate to the federal judge, offering a definitive portrait and revealing its profound human rights implications.

4. CANCELED: Robert Michael Pyle has laryngitis. "It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, " wrote Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species. In the Tangled Bank, Northwest naturalist Robert Michael Pyle explores Charles Darwin's contention that the elements of such a bank, and by extension all the living world, are endlessly interesting and ever evolving. Hear Pyle's discoveries at 7 p.m. inside Orca Books in Olympia.

5. Winnipeg filmmaker Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg is a ficto-documentary of, yup Winnipeg filmed in Maddin's signature Vigo-esque Super 8 black-and-white, bizarre re-enactments-cum-exorcisms. Check it out at 8 p.m. inside Northern in downtown Olympia.

LINK: Tuesday, Dec. 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rain, hi 54, lo 47

Saturday: Rain, hi 50, lo 44

Sunday: Rain, hi 46, lo 43

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 1: OLYMPIA TOY RUN

Whether you plan to ride, a teddy bear and Lego set strapped to your bike, or you plan to watch, waving from the streets, the 35th annual Olympia Toy Run is always an anticipated event on the holiday calendar. Tens of thousands of spectators will line the streets from Lacey to Olympia as motorcycles swarm by, their engines rumbling in a mass chorus of goodwill, to drop off toys for tots through The Salvation Army's Toy 'n' Joy Shop program. "For this day, we are one sister/brotherhood of riders thinking of the smiles our toys will bring to kids' faces," reads the event page. Somehow, the juxtaposition of gnarly tattooed bikers wielding cuddly dolls and candy canes makes the world seem a better place. - Nikki McCoy

• South Sound Center, Saturday, Dec 1, 10 a.m. gate opens; 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. performers; 1 p.m. ride leaves, new unwrapped toy or $10-$15, 711 Sleater-Kinney Road SE, Lacey. Ride arrives at Marathon Park, Deschutes Parkway, Olympia.

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 1-SUNDAY, DEC. 2: BANFF FILM FESTIVAL

This Saturday and Sunday, Olympia Film Society's presents The Banff Film Festival, a festival of more than 30 films documenting the trials, tribulations and humor that transpire in the wilderness. The event is a benefit for the Olympia Mountaineers - a nonprofit organization founded in 1906 and dedicated to the responsible enjoyment of natural areas. The festival is on worldwide tour and is already sold out in Seattle.  While the Mountaineers cater to all skill levels, the movies highlight the extremes of outdoor adventures. From 90-second shorts to one-hour features, the films shown in Olympia are hand-selected by a group of Mountaineers. Each night plays six to eight films, with up to 16 different flicks over the two days. It is encouraged to buy tickets for both nights to see the most films. The event page boasts, "We try to showcase a variety of sports and interests that feature adventure, culture and adrenaline charged action." While only a few brave souls may willing to hurl themselves off cliffs, kayak down dangerous bodies of water or trek across arctic tundras, you can bet your best Nalgene bottle there are plenty of people who want to watch.  Note: The Banff Film Festival will also show Dec 3-4 at Tacoma's Rialto Theater. — NM

• Capitol Theater, Dec 1, 7 p.m., $14 Dec 2, 6 p.m., $12, $23 for both nights, 206 Fifth Ave., Olympia, 360.754.6670

>>> SUNDAY DEC. 2: SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

Fight as you may, it's officially "the season." Kids are already sitting on various Santa laps at malls across the country, and A Christmas Story is probably already re-running on TBS. The Tacoma Symphony Orchestra will spend Sunday at the Pantages Theater with the Tacoma Youth Chorus and jaw-dropping vocalist Maria Valenzuela doling out beloved seasonal music produced by TSO arranger Bo Ayars to create a unique, never-before-heard program. — Weekly Volcano

• Pantages Theater, 2:30 p.m., $24-$77, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5894

>>> SUNDAY DEC. 2: "MESSIAH SING-ALONG"

We all love to sing. Singing is fun; singing is cool. However, life is cruel, and as much as we all love to sing, well, we can't.  We suck. Or, to put this in a positive manner, there are those who can sing solo and there are those who should always, always, sing in groups. The larger the better. For those of you, who fall into the second category, head to Lakewood Sunday. The community and choir of Christ Lutheran Church present a "Messiah Sing-Along" so you can sing to your tone-deaf little heart's content. 

• Christ Lutheran Church, 2 p.m., $10, 8211 112th St. S.W., Lakewood, 253.582.0331

>>> SUNDAY, DEC. 2: FRIENDS OF THE HOLIDAYS

They're still going strong, and still swarming The Swiss to do good, get loaded, raffle stuff off and enjoy the spirit of the season. The Friends of the Holidays benefit is Sunday at The Swiss, and the T-town institution shouldn't disappoint: Mark Riley Trio, Tahoma Souls Alive, Junkyard Jane, Gin Creek, T-Town Aces, Fingertips and Tumbling Dice will all be doing their part for underprivileged families this year. Look, these times are tough for everyone, but if you can have a fun night out while also making someone else's life a little better, We call that Yahtzee. — WV

• The Swiss, 3-10:30 p.m., $10 donation, 1904 S. Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
I'm seeing The Wind in the Willows at Olympia Family Theater and Miracle on 34th Street at Tacoma Little Theatre. Ho, ho, ho!

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
Whatever I end up doing, whiskey will certainly play the biggest role in my weekend plans. I'll utilize Potter's bottom shelf in convalescing after a week of toiling at this regrettable temp job. Fun fact about me: I am literally a Reverend. Which means that I can marry you -- nay, I WILL marry you. Hire me for your wedding. If it's a same-sex marriage, that'd be ideal. Hit me up. Get me away from this temp job.

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
Friday night we're going to see Miracle on 34th Street at Tacoma Little Theatre. Saturday is the Stonewall Youth Center auction in Oly. Sunday up to Federal Way to see Cinderella at Centerstage. And believe me, it's not your grandma's Cinderella.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
Saturday we will be celebrating my oldest boy's 7th birthday at Bonjour Cupcakes! Later that night I will be missing the Argonaut, Mosquito Hawk, Lozen, etc. show at The New Frontier because the babysitter fell through. So instead, I will likely be watching Star Wars (again) and making fart jokes with my kids. Sunday is The Brotherhood Holiday party where we dine on authentic Italian food and drink vino at Trinacria, then stumble back next door to the Broho and drink more. Cause that's how us bartenders roll.

JACKIE FENDER Food Writer
Work. Work. Aaaand maybe checking out the stache-capades going on at the Metronome Coffee tonight. There's sure to be some memorable whiskers to be seen. Those shenanigans may make me feel better about all of the gift fairs I'm sure to miss thanks to the masses' breakfast needs I must serve Saturday and Sunday. I'm also contemplating making some funky cocktail recipes come to life too. Tis the season for warmed drinks and pumpkin flavored everything, including cocktails.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Continuing with last week's Christmas theme, the husband, toddler and I will attend the Beautiful Angle Holiday Party tonight at Fulcrum Gallery. Saturday, I'll be heading to Tacoma Little Theatre to review Miracle on 34th St. while the 2 year old has quality time with Dad. After church Sunday, we will head to a friend's house for a gender reveal party for one of our favorite couple's incubating baby.

TIMOTHY GRISHAM Music Writer
All ages shows were once a staple of Olympia's must do weekend; and for many it still is. This weekend at the Olympia All Ages Project's venue, Northern, The Babies, Sitka and some awesome local acts treat the town to all-ages action. I highly recommend supporting any all-ages show. But more importantly, you got to ask yourself, what do I got to do that is better than supporting local, all-ages music.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
Tonight I'll start the weekend by going to the Colored Women's Club. From 6-9 p.m. is Antonio Edwards' farewell show. He's moving to California. Antonio was the 2007 Tacoma Poet Laureate. He is my favorite poet from Tacoma ever! I'll miss him. After that I'll probably drive up north to Seattle and hit the Zulu-Jam. They have one every month, but this one is huge. It's the History Edition, so they have a lot of old-school Seattle B-Boy/Girl crews having reunions. Saturday and Sunday I'll be helping my D.A.S.H. family with its production of Dream Girls. It's at Charles Wright; tickets are still available. I just get there and move heavy stuff and get bossed around.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Photog About Town
I have one of those date type things with one of those female type people, so wish me luck. I'll also be hitting the Amocat Cafe's beer and music thing tonight and then Ukulele Fest at the Asian Pacific Cultural Center Sunday. Oh, and I have to fix my fence.

NIC LEONARD Music Writer
I will be heading down to Portland to spend time with my girlfriend for her birthday. Probably hitting up various bars and maybe a show or two.

ROCKFORD ROWLEY All-Ages Music Columnist
This weekend, I'm spending some time with a very amazing and beautiful girl who's name I will not disclose - you know who you are. Our time will likely be spent laughing, drinking hot chocolate and discussing the extent to which one should feel threatened if they cross paths with a hippopotamus.

KRISTIN KENDLE Arts and Features Writer
Shopping, cookies, more shopping, and then more cookies.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar