SIFF Cinema concludes their New Italian Cinema series with a quartet of films. Friday night see Pa-ra-da, the based-on-a-real story tale of a French street clown who heads to Bucharest to provide some comic relief to local orphanages and ends up teaching his trade to street kids, and Fortàpasc, a thriller that tells of the final months in the life of an idealistic journalist assassinated by the mob for discovering far more than they want anyone to know about them. Saturday features another based on real life story – The Sicilian Girl in which a young woman dares to openly cross the mob to vindicate the deaths of her father and brother. The series concludes Saturday night with Ex, a comedy that follows five different couples and their complicated love affairs.

Sunday at SIFF is A Single Man, based on a Christopher Isherwood novel about a closeted gay college professor in the 1960s whose grief from the loss of his love and frustration at having to stay “invisible” leads him to consider suicide until his best girlfriend and a charming young man make him think twice.

Cory McAbee is the writer, director and lead actor of The American Astronaut and he’s followed that well received film with another for which he’s the writer, director and lead actor. Stingray Sam makes its Seattle debut at NW Film Forum with McAbee in person for the Friday night screenings of his six episode musical western mini-series that takes place in outer space.

Also screening Friday night at NWFF and playing through the week: Ingmar Bergman’s The Passion of Anna, the tale of two men and two women struggling with their own troubled selves and their complicated relationships with each other on the small Swedish island of Fårö.

Saturday night at NWFF: Silence is Golden. NWFF has a quarterly film challenge for local filmmakers; this fall’s was to come up with a five-minute short devoid of dialogue. Participants are allowed to use music to drive a story, but not one single spoken word. Sunday night at NWFF: Money Driven Medicine: “a behind-the-scenes look at how our 2.6 trillion dollar a year healthcare system went so terribly wrong and what it will take to fix it.”

Love 80s movies? Head to Central Cinema Friday night for the 80s movies anthem singalong with the themes from such “classic” flicks as “The Goonies” and “Ghostbuster”, featuring songs by Madonna, Prince, David Bowie, Tina Turner, Phil Collins, The Ramones, Kenny Loggins, Peter Gabriel, the Go-Gos, Huey Lewis & the News, and many more. Starting Saturday, Central Cinema screens Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game through November 25. Coincidentally, I just happened to rent this movie myself so I can attest to the merits of this 1939 satire of upper-class French society just before the start of WWII. Condemned by the Parisian crowd who saw its original debut–probably because it hit just a little too close to home–and later banned by the French government, this film has since rightly become known as one of the best films made.

The Grand Illusion hosts the Burning Fuse Film Festival. Six provocative documentaries examine topics including environment deregulation under President Bush, a stripper’s conversion to evangelical Christianity, conscientious objector soldiers, surfers in war-torn Liberia, vooting booth conspiracies tied to the 2004 national elections, and the story of Fauborg Treme, the section of New Orleans that is probably the oldest black neighborhood in America and is the birthplace of the civil rights movement as well as the home of jazz.

Somewhat–no, very much less serious is Grand Illusion’s late night weekend feature Gums, a 1976 Jaws parody featuring a fellatio-mad mermaid intent on terrorizing the seaside.

Besides turning out a very long list of chart-topping albums and singles and inspiring musicians for generations even now still to come, The Beatles managed to make a few good films. The Fab Four were never more charming than in Richard Lester’s adorable A Hard Day’s Night, a comedy that takes a clever look at the madness surrounding what was then the world’s biggest band. A fun movie filled with some of The Beatles’ best songs and definitely worth a watch.

The Seattle Sounders weren’t able to convert an otherwise extremely successful season into a championship, but fans of soccer still get a chance to get in one more game as this weekend Qwest Field plays host to the MLS Cup. To celebrate this important game, the chefs at Qwest have created a series of special dishes for fans to enjoy during the game, including Sounders fan favorite, the Seafood Shocker which features breaded halibut, shoe string French fries, vinegar-marinated red cabbage slaw and spicy malt tartar sauce served on a foot-long toasted roll skewered with shrimp, lemon and tomato.

As the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake duke it out for supremacy, fans can snack on the Galaxy Dog which features two strips of applewood smoked bacon, nacho cheese sauce, red onion and diced tomatoes and is available, naturally, at Seattle Dogs. Ciao Down will offer the Galaxy Pizza, topped with ground buffalo, caramelized red onions, thick cut bacon, and pepper-jack cheese. Real Salt Lake is represented by Grill 12’s Salt Lake Burger topped with caramelized red onion jam, apple wood smoked bacon, blue cheese, and black cherry barbeque sauce.

The FSN Lounge will be honoring the world’s love for the beautiful game with an assortment of internationally-inspired dishes like Dungeness crab macaroni and Cheese (England), Pissaladiere baked puff pastry with olives, grape tomatoes, caramelized onions and triple cream brie (Spain), Mama’s meatballs (Italy), Bossa Nova chicken sandwich (Brazil) and more.

Everybody loves pretzels, or nearly everyone enough to ensure that pretzels have long been a staple item at sporting events. Since the MLS Cup is a big event, it makes sense that this game has available a big pretzel–the Victory Knot is a two-pound pretzel topped with sea salt and served with three dipping sauces (spicy mustard, beer cheese and sweet vanilla cream). This pretzel is so big that it is served in a full-size pizza box.

Finally, no matter who wins the game, everyone can celebrate the day with MLS cupcakes – cupcakes decorated with the MLS and team logos.

Kick off for the MLS cup is at 5:30 pm on Sunday, November 22, but there are plenty of events to occupy you until game time. On Friday, November 20, MLS players will go toss a fish at the Pike Place Market at 3pm. Fado Irish Pub hosts a Meet and Greet and Silent Auction from 6 – 8 pm with happy hour drink specials all night long, appearances by Sounders FC players Sébastien Le Toux and Taylor Graham, and a silent auction to raise money for Seattle Children’s Hospital.

The 2009 Supporters Summit happens at Qwest Field on Saturday, November 21, featuring a State of the League speech by MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Supporters Shield history and presentation by Sam Perron, Kansas City Wizards, a raffle and an officiating and technical discussion panel with Joe Machnick and Alfonso Mondelo.

Saturday night features the Sounders End of Season party at The Baltic Room and a Pioneer Square Supporters Social at Elysian Fields.

On Sunday, get psyched for the game in the morning at the FIFA 2010 Tournament at Fado, sponsored by Gorilla FC, in which teams of players compete to find out who is the best FIFA10 XBOX player, winning great Sounders prizes and raising money for the victims of Black October in Bolivia.

Sunday afternoon there’s a Pre-Game Spaghetti Feed at Fuel and then at 3:45 soccer fans meet up at Occidental Square for the traditional March to the Match, accompanied by Sounders FC owners, players, coaches and MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

Seattle’s legendary Canlis restaurant has joined the Twilight-inspired menu trend with their very own themed cocktail, The Temptation of Edward Cullen.

Created by head barman James Mac Williams who says “This drink is not for the faint of heart,” The Temptation of Edward Cullen pays tribute to both the vampires of the movie and the Olympic coast where they live with Plymouth gin, an Austrian Arolla stone pine liqueur called Zirbenz, Le Tourment Vert Absinthe, Champagne and Green Walnut Wine, a sweet, homemade wine with a spicy, nutty flavor. MacWilliams makes the drink by pouring the gin, Zirbenz, and absinthe into a long glass, adding crushed iced to the top, and stirring. After topping off the glass with champagne, he pours the green walnut wine slowly over the top so that it sinks through the crushed ice then garnishes with lemon fangs and a straw.

Photo by Brian Canlis.

dent may, with ukulele.

Tonight, if the chatting, laughing, drinking, eating, and other assorted revelry of Blogsgiving hasn’t worn you to shreds, you might want to drop by Chop Suey on your way home. There, Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele(s) can show you that contrary to conventional wisdom, if you try hard enough, you can force a dance party. They open for sibling songwriting the Fiery Furnaces, an odd couple of boundary-stretching rockers who have taken inspiration from sources ranging as far and wide as Devo to their grandmother’s choir. $15, 8pm. With Cryptacize. [chopsuey]

Although I continue to think that the “Twilight” series of books and movies are completely ridiculous and just can’t fathom the appeal, I do very much appreciate the inspiration they’ve provided for culinary and cocktail creation. Cristin Malone, bartender at the Sorrento Hotel’s Hunt Club has put his own twist on a “New Moon”-inspired cocktail with “The Bella Edward”. The inner rim of a martini glass is drizzled with a balsamic reduction that drips down the side toward a pool of blood-red raspberry puree nestling concoction of Krupnik honey liqueur and raspberry-infused vodka.

Even if you choose another drink instead (although I don’t see how you can pass this one up), the Hunt Club is an excellent place for refreshment. It’s got an old-fashioned sort of luxury, all cushions and brick and good, casual food. Happy hour is great at the Hunt Club with shrimp and oysters and nuts, crab mac’n'cheese, olives, hummus, garlic fries and other tasty and low-priced food options.

The Seattle Thunderbirds have had a rough start to their season so far with an 8-13 record that currently sees them at the bottom of the Western Hockey League’s US division, but things are starting to look up for the team after a solid weekend of wins and some strong individual performances from the players. Second-year goaltender Calvin Pickard, 17, is a definite asset to the team and has been recognized for his perfect performance last week as this week’s Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Week. (The CHL consists of the WHL, the OHL, and the QMJHL). Pickard’s week included three road game wins in three nights, with 22 saves in a 7-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers and shutouts against the Everett Silvertips during which he stopped 29 shots of 29 and the Vancouver Giants where he stopped at 25 shots he faced. The highly regarded young goalie is eligible for the 2010 NHL entry draft for which he’s currently ranked at number one among goaltender prospects. Pickard will also be representing Team WHL at the 2009 Subway Super Series in Victoria, BC, on November 25 and Kelowna, BC, on November 26.

The Tbirds continue their drive for an improved record this weekend at home in Kent’s ShoWare Center this weekend, facing two teams from last week’s victories: Kamloops Blazers Friday and Everett Silvertips Saturday.

Let’s face it. Most of us don’t have a lot of spare cash these days. Yet occasionally we still want to go out for dinner and have a nice meal. Here are just a few tips for dining out and while still sticking to your budget.
Use Twitter. Many of your favorite restaurants are on Twitter. Many of these same restaurants have Twitter specials. Whether it is Fuel Coffee giving you an extra shot for mentioning Twitter or Counter Burger offering a half priced appetizer, you can save on all sorts of things just by following some of your favorite restaurants.
Sign Up for Newsletters. Most restaurant newsletters are few and far between, so you won’t be cluttering up your inbox with overly frequent messages. But in return for a few kilobites here and there, you’ll get notification of happy hour times, special events, and sometimes… secret phrases or days when items are discounted.
Stick to Happy Hour Happy hours are a fantastic way to save cash. Some restaurants have up to 50% off appetizers and multiple dollars off of drinks. Granted, you’ll need to eat a little earlier (or a little later for those late shift happy hours), but if you can swing it, you can save some solid cash just by adjusting your mealtimes.

I’m sure most of you out there are already know this, but you can make it from Seattle out to wine country in the same amount of time it takes a bottle of red to properly breathe.

However, I’m not here to talk to you about wine.  Which I can assure you is to our mutual benefit, as all I have to offer on the subject involves the painfully embarrassing consequences that befall me those times I muster the bravery to take another shot at drinking it.  What I’d like to touch on today is an oft-misunderstood spirit favored by my curly-headed 70’s hero, Ron Burgundy:

I love Scotch. Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly…

And down into my belly it has gone on many a fair occasion.  Sadly, my lack of respect for the true potential of this Scottish delight has led it to make almost as many return trips from my belly as well.  Cutty Sark, J & B, Chivas Regal — these are the names I had associated with Scotch throughout the years.  It’s not that I particularly enjoy slumming it on the bottom shelf, I had simply been under the impression that it was all going to go down like battery acid anyway.  It’s almost comical that it took a certified “master of whisky” to set me straight on the subject.

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Little Big Band, photo courtesy Storms PhotoGraphic. See Little Big Band and others in concert on November 20, 2009. www.burkemusem.org

There have been a number of excellent events this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition but the concert sponsored by the Burke Museum this Friday, November 20, may be the best of them. Tribute to the Spirit: Little Big Band is an evening of Native American music, story telling and dance at Meany Hall that blends contemporary rock, rap, and jazz with traditional Native culture. This is going to be an exciting show that neatly illustrates how cultural traditions are continued and progressed by contemporary artists whose work will go on to influence future generations.

Representatives from seven different First Nations hit the stage for this unique event that features a number of dynamic performers including Grammy Award winning singer Star Nayea, Tlingit storyteller, actor and musician Gene Tagaban, Preston Singletary, Tlingit glass artist and electric bassist, and Swil Kanim, Native American violinist and comic.

Tickets are available at the door and in advance at Brown Paper Tickets. The concert is tied to the Burke’s excellent exhibit Indigenous Voice Reply, an exhibit that takes a look back at the representation of indigenous people at the original A-Y-P fair, how the fair shaped the history of the Burke, and gives a chance for modern people to respond to the past.

The concert is followed Saturday by a free one-day symposium at UW’s Kane Hall featuring World’s Fair historian Dr. Robert Rydall as the keynote speaker that examines the portrayal of indigenous peoples at the A-Y-P and other world’s fairs of the time.

Hey, all! I’m super-excited to go see the “Farewell Seattle” show of Jupiter Crash (who are leaving town for brighter climes). Among other bands opening the show is a local metal/prog rockers Hills Of Elysium, who I’ve caught before and love (and I’m not all that in to metal).

Should be a good show, so I hope to see you there!

Hey! Guess what’s happening tomorrow? OK, time’s up. It’s BLOGSGIVING. Bloggists meeting bloggers, meeting readers, having a real time. Get yourself over to Central Cinema tomorrow from 6 to 9 with a donation in hand and warmth in your heart. Arrive early for your best shot of scoring some free tasty vittles — caramel apples and pizzas — and getting a sip of a mulled beverage. We’ll be playing all of your favorite videos (have a suggestion, drop us a note or leave a URL in le comments. But first, click over to blogsgiving.org and let us know that we’ll see you there.

Oddfellows Drama by seadevi

I couldn’t pass up posting this picture by seadevi. Remember to put photos in our pool and maybe one of us will interrupt their workday to post your amazing pic.

Alberto Garcia Aspe helps plant a tree with Dallas, TX-area Home Depot associates

Even though the Seattle Sounders got knocked out of the running, the MLS Cup still takes place here in Seattle on Sunday, November 22, at Qwest Field. Real Salt Lake will battle the LA Galaxy and at the end up the day one of the teams will be declared champion.

To celebrate the upcoming game, MLS stars will join with Home Depot associates (Home Depot is an MLS sponsor), MLS W.O.R.K.S, the league’s community outreach arm, the Seattle Public Schools, and local volunteers join with KaBOOM, an organization whose goals is to bring playgrounds to kids, in building a brand new playground in one day.

From 9 am to 2:30 pm, volunteers will work hard to build a playground on the grounds of Van Asselt Elementary School at 8311 Beacon Ave. As soon as the playground’s built, they’re having an opening ceremony which is currently planned for 2pm. (Subject to change).

I’m not even going to pretend that I have anything resembling positive feelings towards the “Twilight” series of books and films, because I don’t, but I AM impressed by the special “New Moon Menu” debuting November 20 at midnight at Gold Class Cinemas, the upscale theater with a Redmond Town Center location, that offers a bar and a lounge in addition to a full menu delivered by a patron’s own personal server to the fully reclining armchair from which they’re watching a movie on a super-wide digital screen. It’s quite a lavish way to watch a film, definitely a big change from the cineplex. Gold Class’s full bar and kitchen gives them the opportunity to customize the movie experience based on the movie, which they’ve done to delicious effect for New Moon.

The “New Moon” menu pays a culinary tribute to the story’s themes with “Vegetarian” Stakes, a/k/a picatta seared chicken satay over parmesan risotto and sauteed spinach (I’m not quite sure how chicken gets to be vegetarian, but, boy, does this sound tasty to me); Lion’s Love, which is paprika seared lamb chops with roasted vegetable cous cous; and Bella’s birthday cake which is red velvet cake with sour cream frosting and dark chocolate sauce.

The cocktail menu is appealing, too: Bella’s Papercut combines Absolut Mandarin, Cointreau, and Grenadine. Edward’s Cold Touch is concocted with blueberry Stoli, Poma, Sprite and Blue Curacao. Jacob’s Warmth heats things up with Clover coffee with Bailey’s, Rumpleminze, and whipped cream.

If you’re a Twilight fan, you’re probably already delirious with excitement about New Moon and really don’t need any encouragement to go see it, but why not go see it in style?

Today I went to the final sing-along party for the Henry gift shop installation “I know, I know” by Jenny Zwick and Joe Park. When I arrived, neither of them were around- but their life size cut outs were. Their faces and bodies had been projected on to wooden silhouettes and anchored on a boat marooned in the left corner of the Henry gift shop. Below the boat, a strobe light and wind-blown metallic strips simulated a stormy sea.

Jenny and Joe hadn’t worked together before this installation. Their names were drawn out of a hat by Gift Shop curator Matthew Offenbacher and then they were given two weeks to come up with a piece to entice gallery-goers.

According to Regina Hackett, the two vendors who ran the Henry’s gift shop went belly-up, providing the imputes for Offenbacher’s whimsical gift shop project. Offenbacher hopes the exhibitions at the shop will “fall like dominoes: a cascading cavalcade of adventurous, collaborative, celebratory artistic energy.”

I dinked around the space, touching the artist’s installation drawings on the wall and eating Offenbacher’s delicious (and spicy) chocolate cookies.

Jenny and Joe arrived and began to unpack their ukuleles and banjos. “What a beautiful ukulele!” exclaimed Betsey Brock, the Henry’s communications director. “Did you know that they sell combination ukulele-banjos in Seattle?” Jenny said, before unearthing a tiny wind blown piano (called a “Melodica”).

Jenny began to strum the banjo and Betsey began to sing. Since the piece was an open installation, any visitor could come in and sing along. Most of the folks who wandered in looked confused – but pleased.

After singing the same song for almost half an hour, Betsey brought out ukulele-versions of songs by Radiohead, the Magnetic Fields and Rihanna. They were a hit.

“I have an urge to drum something” Offenbacher said emphatically. Unable to find a tambourine, he settled for hitting the sides of the marooned boat.

By the time I left the installation, the weather had turned from dreary to dark- but my mind was still somewhere tropical and Hawaiian.

The next artists to be paired up at the Henry are Claire Cowie, Sol Hashemi and Jason Hirata. Their installation launches November 20th. You should go.