The show is happening in the HUB North Den at 7pm and it's $4 with UW I.D. or $8 without. The first hundred people to arrive at the show will receive a copy of Rainy Dawg Radio’s second “Live @” compilation, featuring Born Ruffians, Pica Beats, Nurses, White Rainbow and Tiny Vipers. Everyone else will receive a small, itching feeling of inferiority.

For more information, directions, and need to know contact ST. A Map to HUB and The North Husky Den is available here.

We were able to catch up with HM frontman Matt Bishop. For you, our dear readers, we've included the highlights of our exchange below.

What have you all been up to since we last spoke before your CHBP performance?

Block Party and Bumbershoot exceeded expectations; the crowds had great energy and were larger than we anticipated considering how early our sets were. (That was especially humbling at Bumbershoot, where it poured the morning of our performance, yet the Broad Street lawn fill out pretty completely). We’ve been on a sort of hiatus since then; my professional obligations take me out of town for a couple of months each fall and I’ve just returned. In the meanwhile, we’ve been preparing to remix, remaster, and rerelease To Travels & Trunks nationally, and we’ve been writing new songs, one or two of which we hope to debut on Saturday.

When we saw you at two of your summer festival performances, CHBP and Bumbershoot, you all were able to elicit a very favorable response from the audiences. What calibrations do you all make when prepping to play more intimate settings, where presumably the vast majority of those in attendance are there to see you?

Whether we’re performing for a crowd who’s come to see us or not, our primary focus is to make our live performance an engaging and unique experience separate from our record. If it’s a more intimate setting, we’re lucky to have the flexibility that at an extreme means we can unplug our amps and pull out our patch cables and play acoustically. In larger settings, we might rehearse with an additional instrument corps or find other ways to engage the crowd in a compelling way.

Vera holds a very special place in the hearts of many around these parts. How do you compare the experience of playing Vera to other venues?

We are excited to find out for the first time what it will be like to play at Vera; to play there has been on our list of aspirations since we started. And we’re looking forward to continuing to set up more all ages shows, into the immediate future and beyond. We are hopeful that inherent youthful exuberance will replace the energy frequently provided by drink.

The Give album is one of the best benefit compilation's we've heard in quite a while. How did you all get involved with the project and what's your pitch on why our reader's should check it out?

Michael Hebb of Caffe Vita asked us to participate and we were pretty humbled to be a part of such a reputable lineup. Your readers should check it out because it embodies two important Seattle values: supporting issues of social import and excellent local music.

What's next for HM during the upcoming holiday season and beyond?

We’re looking forward to our first official tour—a short West Coast jaunt in early January—and we’re going to be on a Starbucks compilation that’s to be released nationally that same month. And the Holidays themselves usually mean heavy doses of egg nog while recording Christmas tunes in Jacob’s loft.

It’s been 11 years since a UW program has successfully defended a National Championship. (Women’s Crew won back-to-back titles in 1997 and 1998.) But as the No. 1-ranked women’s team is so far undefeated this year, with eleven straight wins dating back to last season, let’s just hope nothing goes horribly, horribly wrong.

The women have been consistently strong all year, ranked No. 1 since the preseason, while the men’s team has rallied to tiptoe up the charts, ranked 24th nationally preseason and entering the NCAA Championships ranked as 17th. The men’s team placed 18th at Nationals last year.

UW is hosting a live viewing of the race Monday morning at the Ram Restaurant in the University Village Mall. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. The race will be also streamed on CBS college sports and NCAA.com. VERSUS (formally Outdoor Life Network) will be televising the meet as well. Or, keep tabs via UW’s track & field twitter feed. Men’s race begins at 9:08 a.m. PST, Women's at 9:58 a.m.

Girls Rock! Seattle, formed this year, is the newest addition to the GRCA coalition, with a mission to "build positive self-esteem in girls, and encourage creative expression through music." In August, Girls Rock! Seattle held its first annual week-long summer camp for 39 girls, ages 9-16, where the girls received instruction in guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, wrote original songs, formed bands, rehearsed the whole shebang, and performed live at the end of the week at The Vera Project.

Currently Girls Rock! Seattle is entirely managed and supported by volunteers, receiving bookkeeping, PR, and legal support from independent contractors. The program hopes to eventually see enough growth to support a full-time staff and a year-round schedule of programs.

Doors open @ 8:00 p.m. // The High Dive , 513 N 36th St. # G // tickets $10, all proceeds benefit the Girls Rock Camp Alliance and Girls Rock! Seattle

When Seattlest got in touch with Tagaban on Wednesday, he was fresh from the recording studio.

Tagaban: I’m recording a CD of Native American Flute music, my goal is to have it available for Christmas.

With the event coming soon, what are you working on now to prepare for it?

LBB has been rehearsing the last couple weeks. Star Nayea the lead singer has a couple new songs that are in the works for this Friday. Along with myself, James Luna, Preston Singletary of the Tlingit Nation, Swil Kanim, a classical violinist of the Lummi Nation, Nicholas Galanin of the Tlingit/Aleut nations, and Philip Charette of the Yupik nation will be performing as well.

The Tribute to the Spirit: Little Big Band concert commemorates the end of the 100th anniversary year of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Along with the A-Y-P symposium tomorrow, it complements The Burke Museum’s A-Y-P: Indigenous Voices Reply exhibit. One hundred years ago, Northwest natives were exploited and used for entertainment at the world’s fair. The exhibit, set along side 1909 objects and photographs, "explore[s] how the representation and understanding of indigenous people and cultures has changed or not changed over 100 years." Tonight’s event continues the exhibit’s responses and features many of the exhibit’s artists.

How would you describe your response and the responses of some of the other performers?

I’d just like to say we’ve come a long way, yet we have much more to learn about respect and honor not just for Native people but for all People. I hope those who attend the event Friday night will walk out with the feeling that we are all in this together.

What motivated you to become a motivational speaker?

Awesome parents, grandparents, family and teachers. They loved and Honored me which allowed me to love and Honor myself. I was given a gift to teach, it’s my responsibility to share this gift in a world where so many are suffering, especially the children. If we really want to see change in the world we need to be the change. Share the Love, Spirit and Honor.

You seem to be a tremendously busy man. What do you have in store for 2010, whether for yourself or any other collaborative efforts?

Keep an eye out for each of the artists involved with the event Friday. We all have projects in the works in our own way. What I enjoy about these individuals is that they are taking action. Instead of complaining and talking they are doing. Come and share the experience, and walk out experienced.

BALLARD JAZZ WALK: Over the past six years, the Ballard Jazz Festival has moved from a community event into a nationally recognized festival before deciding that being a neighborhood party with international cred is a rather sweet niche. You know, creamy big band with a hard bop nougat. The Walk starts at 7 p.m. and offers 18 bands spread over 12 venues. Schedule here [pdf]. Come walk around the candy store.

7:00 p.m. // Various Ballard Locations // Tickets: $25

THE BEST ROCK AND ROLL SHOW EVER: Look, we know everyone’s tastes are varied and unique, making "best ever" statements subjective at best, disingenuous at worst. However, we feel comfortable declaring Saturday night’s pairing of King Khan and Those Darlins inspired, quite possibly medicinally. If not the alignment of stars, then something that looks a lot like it. Try not to stare too hard.

9:00 p.m. // Chop Suey // Tickets: $12

HEY MARSEILLES: What can we say? We think Hey Marseilles is one of the best bands in Seattle these days. They’re a seven piece orchestral-folk outfit who marry catchy melodies to polyrhythmic workouts, something both exciting AND legal (Thanks Ref. 71!). And we’re not afraid to say we get all swoony at their wistful lyricism and muscular arrangements. If that wasn’t enough, it’s an all-ages show with lovely locals Fences. Don’t say no.

Saturday 7:30 p.m. // Vera // Tickets: $10 ($9 w. club card)

BLOWN GLASS: Totally Blown Glassworks’ Annual Holiday Sale sparkles this weekend, with hundreds of ornaments, centerpieces, and translucent baubles of all stripes. Located in historic Georgetown, Totally Blown features the work of a dozen local artists. This year, why not begin the holiday shopping early?

10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday // Totally Blown (5607 Corson Ave So., Seattle, WA 98108) // FREE

KIRO reports that a Stanwood man hijacked an excavator in an attempt to destroy buildings at a local business. The as-yet unnamed man destroyed a construction trailer and a couple of water tanks before rolling the excavator.

The driver of the excavator was taken in with minor injuries and will be charged upon release from the hospital. Besides him, no one was hurt. Frustratingly, there is as yet no indicator of what his motives were, although police say it wasn't an act of ecoterrorism.

What's going on with Washington criminals? Did something snap last week, and now guns and knives and stolen cars aren't enough for them? We're hoping things don't escalate to Killdozer-caliber levels.

Aside from on-field accomplishments, one of the shining successes of the Sounders FC organization was its connection to fans and the community at large. Today, as part of festivities leading up to Sunday's MLS Cup at Qwest Field, a few Sounders are chipping in to build an entire elementary school playground. In one day.

Sounders FC Captain Kasey Keller, along with Peter Vagenas, Fredy Montero and James Riley, joined other MLS players, Home Depot associates, and Seattle Schools volunteers in the day-long project at Van Asselt Elementary, just across I-5 from Boeing Field. After today, the school's 600 students will have a shiny, brand-new place for recess.

The Home Depot and Seattle Public Schools funded today's undertaking, also co-organized by MLS W.O.R.K.S.--the league's community outreach initiative--and a nonprofit group that constructs play areas across the country called KaBOOM! (Not to be confused with the household cleaner sold in infomercials).

But wait, there's more! On Saturday, Sounders FC players, city officials, and other volunteers will plant trees and pick up litter around Qwest Field as part of "Clean and Green Seattle"--another MLS W.O.R.K.S. project in conjunction with the City of Seattle. Also, it's just good form to clean up before thousands of guests arrive.

As if that weren't enough, MLS, as part of its environmental platform GREENER GOALS, will distribute reusable bags and eco-tip wallet guides to fans attending Sunday's game, AND purchase carbon offsets to offset all the electricity used at the stadium that day. Yay, soccer!

Now, excuse us, but neither of those sounds like a vampire drink. They sound like drinks that a nine-year-old girl would order had the National Minimum Drinking Age Act gone very, very wrong. But that's to be expected--the drinks are built on a poor foundation. We don't blame either restaurant! These cocktails are accurate to the spirit of Twilight. Far be it from us to say that the Twilight franchise of books and movies is bad--they're super-entertaining and enjoyable. We just think Twilight is wrong about two things: Forks, Washington, and vampires.

Forks is a timber town and a fishing town, and if we know anything about the residents of timber-and-fish towns, it's that they like their liquor simple and strong. Beer and cheap brown liquors are what you drink in tiny working class towns, not absinthe over crushed ice.

And, call us kneejerk-subtextual, but romantic, sexy vampires leave kind of a bad taste in our mouth. We always thought vampires were scary because they remind us that even the most outwardly civilized person can contain a bloodthirsty beast. The "vegetarian vampires" of Twilight are castrated, pallid shades of truly scary film vampires.

If you're not into the Twilight thing, may we suggest you crack open a can of the cheapest beer you can find (get a six, you'll need it) and queue up Near Dark, one of the most underrated (and most brutal) vampire films we have ever seen. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow of recent Hurt Locker fame, Near Dark is that rarest of things: a vampire western.

Adrian Pasdar (now of Heroes) stars as a ranch kid who meets a pretty li'l thing at a local saloon and finds out too late she's one of the undead. He's kidnapped by her family, nomads who traverse the American West in a Winnebago with blacked out windows and a pile of guns to accompany their fangs. This "family" isn't a clan of noble creatures who avoid killing as in Twilight, they're a less-Beatles-focused Manson family. Pasdar's understandably reticent to join them, given that becoming one of the family means slaughtering drunks and itinerants, and setting fire to farmhouses along the way. What follows is one of the most grisly major-release vampire stories we've ever seen, filled with unalloyed brutality, including a particularly stressful setpiece in which the vampire clan takes a small town roadhouse apart person by person.The film plays out like a combination of Terence Malick's Badlands and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. These aren't romantic vampires like Edward Cullen. It's animalistic, senseless murder. They're killers, plain and simple. Check it out for a gory, weirdly dreamy alternative to Twilight.

We hear from the SunBreak that we raised $447 in cash and packed up a large box of food to go to Northwest Harvest.

Big thanks to those of you who showed up. We'll catch you next time if you missed last night.

What does the term "visiting hours" make you think of? Jail time? Psych wards? Supervised visits with the children? Plexiglass? Though the term "visiting hours" usually makes us think of less-than-happy events or times, the idea of a visiting hour can also be seen loosely as exactly what it means--all notions aside--as a time to visit with someone. Unwarranted visits with old friends, ex-flames, or maybe even Sunday visits with grandma.

Hugo House presents this open-ended theme through poetry, song, fiction, and acting Friday night, and we're assuming there won't be any plexiglass or women with clipboards tapping their feet with their eye on the clock. We're also assuming that the stories presented will push the limits of this topic and lead to much more interesting perspectives than what we would normally think of with the term "visiting hours."

Portland-based Benjamin Parzybok is the creator of Gumball Poetry (now defunct), and recently came out with his first novel, Couch, which was published by Small Beer Press and was a 2009 Indie Next List suggestion. We must admit, we had to submit a poem for a creative writing class in college, and we submitted it to Gumball Poetry and they took it! We nearly cried with joy, considering we're not a poet and we had no business submitting, but forever after had an eternal love for Gumball Poetry. And really, who can hate on a gumball machine filled with candy and poetry?! Regardless, a close friend of ours also recently read Couch, and had nothing but great things to say about it, so we're already pretty impressed with Parzybok.

We had a great time meeting Elizabeth Austen at last year's Port Townsend Writers' Conference, and she is amazing! Austen was the 2007 Washington "roadshow" poet, where she was able to give readings and workshops in rural parts of the state under the Washington State Arts Commission. Besides teaching and reading at Hugo House regularly, Austen as well has a weekly spot on KUOW where she interviews authors and records local readings.

Matt Smith is an actor best known for his solo performances including "My Last Year With the Nuns," "Helium," and "Beyond Kindness: A Childcare Guide." In 1988 Smith founded the famous Stark/Raving Theatre with Edward Sampson, and his acting credits include Sleepless in Seattle, Spiderman, and Northern Exposure, among many others.

Molly Rose is a Seattle-based singer/songwriter who recently released her first full-length album Clandenstine this past year. Originally from Fresno, CA, Rose's sun-soaked foothills and orange blossoms have influenced her music, which can also be heard on her 2007 debut EP, My Skin, Your Bones.

We're excited to see what these four will have in store for us on Friday at Visiting Hours. We have no doubt that this open-ended theme will be as entertaining as this group's varied work, and can't wait to hear their new individual works and what the term "visiting hours" means to them.

NEW ITALY: Few countries do art and design (and wine) better than Italy. And Italian cinema has always been among the best, which is why SIFF is presenting The New Italian Film Festival, a series of 8 Euro festival movies selected by a jury and sent to Seattle. Tonight’s two showings are Different From Whom?, the satirical story of a gay man who runs for mayor in a right-wing town, and The House in the Clouds, a drama in which disparate brothers deal with their self-absorbed father.

7:00 & 9:30 p.m. // SIFF Cinema, 321 Mercer Street, McCaw Hall // $10 each

BUILT TO THRILL: Boise band Built to Spill may have been the first to define the Northwest indie rock sound. With 7 LPs since ’92, they’re one of the longest running indie rock groups, having influenced about half of your iTunes library. There Is No Enemy is one of the best releases of 2009, which makes us all feel a little more at home in this world. The boys are back in town for two days.

8:00 p.m. // Showbox, 1426 1st Ave // $25 dos

ELGIN BAYLOR DAY: Mayor Nickels has proclaimed today Elgin Baylor Day in Seattle. Elgin Baylor got the day off. To commemorate Baylor, Hall of Famer, 11 time All-Star, former Seattle University standout, and one of the greatest forwards to ever play the game of basketball, the court at tonight’s Elgin Baylor Classic game (SU vs. Fresno State) will be dedicated "Elgin Baylor Court." Happy Elgin Baylor Day everyone!

7:10 p.m. // Key Arena Seattle Center // $5-$80

Thieves broke the lock on the food bank's storage locker and took around 30 crates of potatoes, onions, canned food, peanut butter, and other items--around $1500-$2000 worth of food earmarked to be given to needy families over the weekend as part of the food bank's Thanksgiving distribution. The Rainer Valley Food Bank provides food to around 10,000 people per month, up from about half that this time last year.

We can only imagine what goes through someone's mind as they steal 30 goddamn crates of food from a food bank--a place where, if they'd asked, they'd have been given food for free.

But speaking of textbook moments, if there was ever an opportune time to give, this is it! You can bring your donations to the Rainier Valley Food Bank, 4205 Rainier Avenue South, Tuesday through Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The food bank takes healthy nonperishables like canned soup, vegetables, fruit, tuna, and chicken, and boxed dinners. You can also donate online.

Update! Group Health says it will help restock the stolen food. PCC is also donating $1,000 worth of food. And if you're still interested in donating, check this list out. Hat tip to Monica Guzman at the PI.

This was part of the message that actress, model, and author Isabella Rosselini brought to Benaroya Hall last night, where she spoke in support of Green Porno, her two-year-old short film series on the sex lives of insects for the Sundance Channel. The event was part of Seattle Arts & Lectures' calendar of events.

Rossellini called herself an entertainer, but said that if anyone learns anything from her work, she's happy with that as well. And, would you believe, she's into the "porn" more for the animal behavior than for the sex?

She sat on the stage with confidence, intertwining photographs and videos in telling part of her life story. Up next for Rossellini: a "courtship" project for Sundance, and a show about animals that live in Manhattan for Discover. Meanwhile, everyone seemed to get a chuckle out of the Green Porno series, including this "Earthworm" clip:

John Oliver is a funny Englishman. To his credit, he’s very upfront about it. A longtime stand-up and current correspondent for The Daily Show, Oliver has perfected a wry, incisive voice, one deeply informed by history, which develops subversive undertones when placed in contrast to his surroundings. Like, say, when he’s doing an impression of a foul-mouthed New Jersey squirrel in the back corner of a tribal casino.

"Snockle-may," as Oliver pronounced it in his charming accent, welcomed him to the stage with rousing cheers. It was, he claimed, his first casino gig and he had them all wrong. What he pictured as 15 visored gamblers turned out to be a packed room of full-on fans. His palpable surprise at that fact soon gave way to discussing reasons why America is awesome (we invented Oreo pie and hold the world record for most live rattlesnakes held in the mouth—10, in case you’re curious), an unexpectedly intense back and forth on the fine points of grammar, and a hilariously uncomfortable digression about how much of your father’s anatomy you have personally seen.

Oliver was onstage for 90 minutes, and with mostly new material. We laughed for about 85, and maybe possibly learned something. Then we streamed out into the "snogglemay" casino, where we listened to the death rattle of craps games as we awkwardly smoked—seriously, smoking indoors nowadays feels like you’re continually fouling a giant pair of pants—before leaving. There seems to be little reason to visit the venue, if not for the talent. So come back, John Oliver, but next time come to Seattle proper.

To get things started, here's a primer for those willing to visit a local brewery or bottleshop during their time of thanks.

Traditional Turkey: (See Poultry) Classically referred to as a stupid bird, you’d be an idiot to pair this with white wine. Instead consider a Bigtime Atlas Amber, Pyramid Broken Rake, Elysian Fields Yuzu Strong Golden Ale, Two Beers Immersion Amber, or a Elliott Bay West Side Brown.

Traditional Stuffing: Whether you use a chicken or turkey stock to manufacture this familiar dish, you should consider a nice lager such as a Baron Pilsner, Elysian Loki, or Maritime Old Seattle.

Stay tuned for the next post where Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, and Black Olives are paired with something unexpected. Cheers.

Being band nerds from way back, how could we not be in love with Pillow Army? A Seattle six-piece, Pillow Army wraps pop ingenuity in baroque expressions of confusion, conformity, love, sadness, and anger. They recently released their debut EP, To Comfort and Destroy, and tonight they play at The Crocodile.

Featuring cello, violin, and flute (along with the more traditional guitar, bass, and drums), Pillow Army avoids lockstep progressions in favor of nuanced orchestral changes. The result is an ambiguity of mood that flavors their clear and catchy melodies. If you’re a fan of deceptively bouncy pop songs with clapping hands and hollered choirs, the hard gnaw of strings, and/or The Starlight Mints and The Pixies, we think you’ll rather enjoy the show tonight.

Pillow Army joins The Horde & The Harem, What What Now, and The Royal Bear. If you had some mead and a clown, we’d be halfway to a feudal system. Anyway, come and say hi. We’ll be the ones up near the front happily singing our fool heads off.

"Michael Jackson has been an inspiration to me throughout my artistic journey, and I wanted Neodandi to honor him at the opening fashion event of our flagship store as a reflection of the life and style of a great spirit," says Neodandi owner Niilartey De Osu. "He is a true legend and we will celebrate his memory through fashion, music and dance."

Tickets for the event include an open bar, hors d‘oeuvres, DJ and VJ entertainment, a fashion show of Neodandi's Michael Jackson-inspired collection, and professional dancers performing to a soundtrack of remixed Jackson classics. The event will also feature a live auction of three original Neodandi designs, direct from the runway. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Seattle Children's Hospital.

Neodandi House of Couture is a partnership between designer and artist NiiLartey De Osu and Ullie De Osu. Described as a "self-taught neoillusionist artist," NiiLartey De Osu works in a variety of art forms including fashion, painting, and literature: poetry, prose, as well as screenplays, dramaturgy, and film directing. His clothing designs are a study of texture, movement, color, and creating new ideas about fashion.

Saturday, Dec. 5 // Neodandi House of Couture, 617 Western Ave. // tickets $50 in advance, $65 at the door

GREEN PORNO: Daughter of Ingrid Bergman, former Mrs. Scorsese, ex-Lancome model, and creator of a series of short films about the sex lives of animals, Isabella Rossellini makes an appearance as part of the Seattle Arts & Lectures series. The Blue Velvet songstress even designs her own costumes for the show.

7:30 p.m. // Benaroya Hall // $10-$75

PIZZLY BEAR: 50% polar bear, 50% grizzly, 100% original. This freak of nature is a sign of things to come as global warming is altering the world we live in. Anthony Barnosky discusses Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global Warming.

7:30 p.m. // Town Hall Seattle // $5

PEACE THROUGH MUSIC: You've seen the Stand By Me video, now see them live. Mohammed Alidu, Clarence Bekker, Peter Brunetta, Grandpa Elliot, Mermans Kenkosenki, Louis Mhlanga, Juan Carlos Portillo, Jason Tamba, and Titi Tsira perform. Music brings us together and we can do more for the world united than we ever can apart.

7:30 p.m. // The Moore Theatre // $23-$33

Jazzanova plays an amalgamation of retro and new sounds, with hip-hop, afro funk, drum & bass, boogie, brazil, latin, and soul all making their presence felt.

Friday, Jazzanova will hit Chop Suey, where they'll be joined by Suntzu Sound, KEXP's DJ RIZ, and in the lounge will be Made Like a Tree. That's two rooms of dance music for an otherwise gloomy Friday.

We've got two tickets to give away to brighten your weekend. To enter yourself, leave a comment on this post before 6:00 p.m. today. We'll randomly pick the winner Thursday.

UPDATE: The tickets are going to Seattlest commenter Polyrhythmic.

9:00 p.m. // Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison // $12

Stawell’s court appearance is scheduled for today, where King Country prosecutors are expected to formally charge him with felony arson. "Detectives believe Swalwell is responsible for some, if not all, of the arsons in Greenwood," acting Assistant Police Chief Paul McDonagh said Friday at a press conference.

The biggest commercial arson in the neighborhood was a three-alarm fire which broke out in the Eleanor Roosevelt Building directly east of Taproot Theater on October 23rd, obliterating three restaurants and a coffee house and causing over $2 million worth of damage. Green Bean Coffee House, the Szechuan Bistro, CC Teriyaki, and Pho Tic Tac were rendered "black holes in the side of the old brick building," yet over a hundred firefighters worked to successfully save the Taproot space--the most prominent arts organization in the Greenwood area.

While fire did enter the Taproot building in spots, the performance space, scenic, and costume shops were fortunately not damaged, nor were the theater’s server and database. Closing weekend performances of Enchanted April were relocated to the Seattle Children’s Theatre. Temporary homes were found for the theater’s Acting Studio Classes as well as the costume shop, production offices, and box office.

The Taproot space has since been stripped down to the studs, with plans to restore the theater’s auditorium and lobbies for the January 2010 season opener. But despite the challenges posed by the fire, Taproot is still producing a holiday show. With no suitable space to be found, Taproot’s planned world premiere of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol has had to be postponed until next holiday season; It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, one of Taproot’s most popular past holiday productions, will be staged instead at the Stage One Theatre at North Seattle Community College.

Theatergoers can still get a taste of next year’s holiday premiere with two staged readings of Sherlock Holmes, to be held at McKinley Hall at Seattle Pacific University. All proceeds from the pay-what-you-can productions will be donated to the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund.

It’s a Wonderful Life // Stage One Theatre at North Seattle Community College // Nov. 25-Dec. 30 // $20-33
Sherlock Holmes staged readings // Seattle Pacific University’s McKinley Hall, 3307 Third Avenue West // December 4 & 5 // 8:00 p.m.

In addition to the remastered feature, the showing includes archival interviews, extra footage, and home movie outtakes, which will hopefully come after the feature. Also included is the story from Toto’s perspective: "It was stormy, then she fell asleep, then she woke up," and Glinda’s explanation of why she didn’t tell Dorothy in the first place that all she had to do to get home was click her heels together a few times. For those with their headphones on waiting to venture off to see the wizard themselves, remember, start the music on the third lion’s roar.

6:30 p.m. // Pacific Place, 600 Pine St. // $10

Until November 30th // Around Seattle // Tickets: $15-30 (tax and gratuity not added)

NICK HORNBY TEACHES US: Nick Hornby's under-the-radar film An Education came out at the end of October, and it's still playing tonight at the Egyptian. Directed by Lone Scherfig and starring the always-dreamy Peter Sarsgaard, along with Carey Mulligan, Emma Thompson, and Alfred Molina, An Education is the coming-of-age story of a 1960s English schoolgirl whose life changes after meeting a playboy twice her age. For all the Nick Hornby lovers--you'll be completely satisfied, and for all of you who are yet to succumb to the Hornby fan club--you'll be nicely surprised.

(4:40), 7:10, 9:35 p.m. // Egyptian Theatre, 805 East Pine St. // Tickets: $7-9.50

SCHOOL'S OUT: You are officially invited to a potluck and reading, compliments of the Hugo House. Fall quarter Hugo House students will be sharing their work with each other and the public for the End-of-term reading tonight, so if you're interested in seeing what's going on in the local literary world, and maybe bringing some delicious treats and eating some delicious treats--now is the time! Let's give these graduates a round of applause, because no matter how you dice it, reading at an open mic takes courage!

Potluck at 6:30, open mic at 7 p.m. // Hugo House, 1634 11th Avenue // FREE

Wednesday the 18th is our second annual Blogsgiving! Blogsgiving is a chance for a bunch of local blogs (and their readers!) to meet up, mingle, and get some face time while also raising money for Northwest Harvest.

We'll be there, as will Seattle Metblogs, The SunBreak, and all of Neighborlogs.

This year's event will be held at Central Cinema. Get there at 6:00 p.m. on the dot if you want in on the mulled wine and caramel apples. $5 suggested donation at the door or feel free to bring some non-perishable food items.

For an extra $6, stick around for the screening of perennial Thanksgiving favorite Big Trouble in Little China at 9:30 p.m.

Check the invite and don't forget to RSVP.

The party begins at 6 p.m. Enjoy some mulled wine and caramel apples. On top of that, we're bringing back the amateur paper turkey contest, a big hit from last year. Will you see amazing things transpire on the big screen? Yes, obviously, or we wouldn't have brought it up. Invite your friends, family, and fellow bloggers, journalers, or tumblrs. See you there!

Wednesday, November 18th, 6-9 p.m. // Central Cinema // 1411 21st Ave. // $5 suggested donation and/or two non-perishable food items.

Saturday and Sunday’s one-two punch of football losses had us feeling a little like boxer Miguel Cotto after his own weekend beatdown at the gloved hands of Manny Pacquiao. Except without all the bleeding from the face and stuff.

Luckily there was one bright spot (and we don’t mean the kind you see after getting knocked silly) thanks to…

The Good: The Husky Men’s Basketball team, Saviors of Montlake, who banged out three wins in three days this weekend; The third, a 111-55 tenderizing of Portland State. Minus big man Jon Brockman, this year’s pack seems to be holding its own with a #14 national ranking. We’ll be latching onto them to get through a long, cold winter because, frankly, we don’t have a choice.

Good thing they’re winning, unlike…

The Bad: The Seahawks. About a month ago, the Cardinals were really bad houseguests at Qwest Field. They ate all our food, broke a lamp, and left a 27-3 defeat in our toilet. Sunday in Arizona, the Hawks looked for a minute like they just might return the favor. We shed hair in the bathtub, played loud music and grabbed a 14-0 lead.

Then just before we decided to torch the place, guilt set in (why are we so nice?), and all of a sudden we started doing our own dishes and vacuumed a bit. By the fourth quarter we were like, "Thank you soo much for letting us come over!" as we gave them 14 points and two interceptions.

On our way out, we neatly folded the sheets, left mints on the pillow, and ended our desert stay with a 31-20 defeat.

But it wasn’t as bad as…

The Ugly: UW Football. Unlike closer, nail-biting losses of earlier this season, Saturday’s 48-21 loss to Oregon State was an old-fashioned romp. Bowl dreams deferred, we’re now looking big-picture. We might only be 3-7, but, as Times’ writer Bob Condotta notes, remember how we didn’t win last season, ever?

There are two games left this year, and one more victory is in reach. Cougs, we swear in the name of the Dawgfather Don James if you don’t lose to us in the Apple Cup like you're supposed to, you’ll find Butch’s dismembered head in your bed.

Other notes:

-Sounders FC midfielder Freddie Ljungberg was named to the MLS Best XI, the season's best players by position.

-Go halvsies on your Mariners season tickets with fellow fans! ("Yeah I’ll take the Yankees series if you want the Orioles. Cool?")

-The desolation of Oklahoma City has finally gotten to Kevin Durant.

As far as plot is concerned, all you need to know is this: Russell stars as Jack Burton, an Average Joe trucker who finds himself forced to battle demons, monsters, and a 2,000-year-old Chinese sorcerer in with his poker winnings and the fate of the world at stake.

There's only one reason to see this movie, and that's if you enjoy things that are awesome. Then again, that's one more reason than exists not to go see it, because there are none. In a manner of speaking, this means that there are infinitely more reasons to go see this flick on the big screen than not. That's not us talking, folks; that's just the math. And the math indicates that you should probably check out showtimes here. And if you go Wednesday, please also join us for Blogsgiving beforehand.

"Don’t know about you but I am un chien Andalusia."

And thus began the first of two Seattle shows the Pixies will play to promote the 20th anniversary of their Doolittle album. Before the band took the Paramount stage, the audience was subjected to images of sliced up eyeballs as Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel’s Un Chien Andalou, the inspiration for "Debaser," was projected onto the stage screen. "Debaser" was their most critically acclaimed song, but they opted to open with some less familiar material. Once all the band members arrived on stage, Kim Deal introduced the group by declaring "B-sides" into the microphone and we were off.

Though Doolittle was released two decades ago and the Pixies haven’t recorded an album since 1991, their sound is just as relevant and could easily pass for something recorded much more recently. Francis’s shrieks haven’t faded and Deal’s soft voice has withstood the test of time. She could’ve easily covered "Cannonball" with no discernible difference from her Breeders days. Much of their lasting popularity is also likely due to the fact that they didn’t suffer from the over exposure that many bands of that era experienced. They broke up before alternative rock exploded and thus never really capitalized on the mainstream success that many bands of that era experienced. But their influence widely permeated grunge music, as Kurt Cobain and many others cited the Pixies as a major musical influence.

As the show progressed, the laughing and joking on stage seemed to signal that the band members have reconciled their differences. There was even footage on the video screen of them taking bows, doing the wave, and just goofing off. Given that they plan on recording an album next year indicates that, even if they haven’t completely made up, they at least get along well enough to work together. The fact that fans were still starving for more after two encores is further evidence that Pixies will see continued success well into the next decade.

First, the fish side of the story, told to coincide with Pacific Marine Expo 2009 later this week, the largest commercial marine trade show on the West Coast. Bristol Bay, some 200 miles southwest of Anchorage and surrounded by thousands of square miles of Alaskan tundra, is "home" to a third of the world's salmon: that is, they pass through the bay en route to their spawning grounds. It's a majestic landscape, inhabited only by a handful of native villages. Except for the salmon fishery, out on the treacherous waters, there's no industry.

Enter the developers in the form of Northern Dynasty, parent company of mining project called the Pebble Partnership. A wealth of minerals lies beneath the tundra, and Pebble wants it. Gold, copper, molybdenum silver, rhenium, palladium. The land was opened to mining in the waning days of the Bush administration, and the project had the enthusiastic support of Alaska's former governess, Sarah Palin. Trouble is, getting at the riches would require a vast open-pit mine, the world's biggest, on the headwaters of Bristol Bay. The pit would measure 15 miles across; the dam to hold back the mine's toxic tailings would be 700 feet high and 4.5 miles across, the world's most massive, bigger than the 3 Rivers dam in China, and built on a seismic fault.

Kevin Davis, the chef at Steelhead Diner and an avid fly fisherman, is alarmed. He's gone to Washington DC to lobby against Pebble Partnership's plans. (Sunday evening he was being interviewed by Q13 News.) Seth Caswell, owner of Emmer & Rye and president of the Seattle Chefs Cooperative, is worried about the threats the mine would post to Alaska's native culture. John Shively, on the other hand, CEO of the Pebble Partnership, says the chefs don't understand the project or appreciate what it could do for the people of the region. Going a step further, Gail Phillips up in Anchorage is outraged by the behavior of the 13 Seattle chefs who are sticking their noses into Alaska's business. Boycott them, she says!

Seattlest agrees. By all means boycott these restaurants. Show 'em who's boss. Seriously, Ms. Phillips, are you nuts? Every single visitor and every single local knows Seattle is famous for salmon. Like it or leave it, salmon is at the heart of Seattle's restaurant economy. Thanks to "activist chefs" like Caswell and Davis, we now get some of that wonderful Alaska fish down here in the Lower 48, and we serve it to visitors from around the world. You should try some.

For the record, here are the restaurants Ms. Phillips would have you boycott: Art of the Table, Chiso, Emmer & Rye, Flying Fish, Persimmon, Ponti Seafood Grill, Rover's, Steelhead Diner, Tilth, Tilikum Place Cafe, Pike Brewing Co., Palace Kitchen and Etta's Seafood.

LOVE THAT GIRL: Raphael Saadiq brings his so-real-it-hurts band to Showbox at the Market tonight. This guy couldn't stop oozing cool if he tried! Check out his tasteful blog, listen to the sweet, sweet jams, then get a dose this evening!

8:00 p.m. // Showbox at the Market // $28

IT'S JUDGMENT DAY, BITCHES!: In honor of Avatar being released soon, Cinerama is playing Terminator 2: Judgment Day tonight. Avatar, Shmavatar...how often are you going to get to see T2 in the theaters?! Quicksilver CG T-1000 cyborg!

8:00 p.m. // Cinerama // $10

IF YOU PREFER YOUR MOVIES IN A BAR: Want the kick-ass cinema with a beerback? Check out Kung Fu Grindhouse at Sunset Tavern, which is screening the 1986 Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, C.H.U.D. 2: Bud the Chud, and We’re Going to Eat You.

7:00 p.m. // Sunset Tavern // FREE

• Chicagoist occupied itself with Twilight and pillow fights.

• Seattlest reminded us that we don't watch Mariners baseball for the game, we watch it for the player-on-player bromance.

• Phillyist got personal this week, calling the man who stole a staffer's purse their official asshole of the week.

• Torontoist thought about personal blogging, with special guest Lauren White (known better on the internet as Raymi the Minx).

• Austinist had a chat with John Krasinski (Jim on The Office) about adapting David Foster Wallace's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men for the big screen.

• Shanghaiist stopped making out in public, after getting wind that there was a group of PDA police tasked with ensuring that our displays of affection stay off the streets.

• Gothamist was sad to hear that a dog which was brutally beaten and thrown off a building was, after being nursed back to health, euthanized by the ASPCA, which determined her to be too aggressive.

• SFist wondered who paid for Mayor Gavin Newsom's life coach.

• LAist interviewed Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe, stirring up talk of still-hot topics like John McCain, Rev. Wright, political journalism, and the concept of change.

• DCist watched as a real life nature show unfolded at the National Zoo when a deer wandered in to the lion habitat on a busy Sunday afternoon.

• Londonist mourned (or celebrated) the demise of poor quality free evening newspapers and loved/hated bendy buses on busy routes.

• King County is set to close its animal shelters at the end of January due to lack of funds.
• Police arrested a male suspect in a series of arsons in Greenwood.
• Thousands turned out at a memorial for UW undergrad Brittany Hollenbach, who was struck and killed by a car earlier this week.
• And finally, don’t read this if you ever want to sit on the toilet again.