From the real-life inspiration of Seattle-based writer and performer Joanna Horowitz comes 100 Heartbreaks, a story about country singer hopeful Charlane Tucker. Tucker, a self-proclaimed expert at hook-ups, break-ups and hangovers, is a regular girl who desperately wants to "make it" in the country music world. Her genius plan to get to Nashville: Find 100 men who will love and leave her. 100 Heartbreaks is a one-woman country musical, performed by Horowitz, that follows......

Mike Daisey has been in town performing his notorious Monopoly, a controversial monologue exploring the excesses of American capitalism (particularly of the Wal-Mart variety). But this weekend, Daisey turns his withering gaze on the theatre itself, with How Theater Failed America at the Capitol Hill Arts Center. Daisey takes aim at the theater for its manifold failures: its pretentions, its disconnect from the world around it, its self-satisfaction. (Check out a five-minute sample over at......

CHAC's indefatigable Matthew Kwatinetz is organizing trips to Olympia to show support for extending the use of King County's Lodging Tax for culture. Kwatinetz claims that without the extension, arts funding could be "cut from $35 million per year to less than $2 million per year." Thursday morning's caravan leaves from CHAC at 10am. Who knows, maybe you'll run into Josh Feit in the Olympian halls of power. Think about that.HOW: Buses and vans will......

For all those interested, tonight the Capitol Hill Arts Center will be hosting a panel discussion with the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce on the topic of "Is there still room for culture on Capitol Hill?" The impetus behind the event is the generally rapacious rate of condo-conversion and construction that's pushed out notable businesses along Pike/Pine, and now finds its apogee in the sale of Oddfellows Hall, which threatens to displace a number of......

How about opening your big yap in person for a change? Join the panel discussion about how to keep a healthy arts community on Capitol Hill. Meet up at CHAC next Wednesday, the 16th, at 5:30pm and plot next moves over a martini. As hosts the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce put it:In 2007, the Urban Land Institute named Seattle the #2 real estate market in the nation (after Manhattan), and Americans for the Arts......

Tuning the Air continues their multi-guitar soundscape at the Capitol Hill Arts Center showroom every Monday through 12/17. So you've only got four more chances to see the guitorchestra in action, playing their fusion of the old and new, the classic and the modern, live and in the round. Intrepid reporter MvB has seen them on more than one occasion and had this to say about the CHAC residency: Tuning the Air is guitar-topia,......

Tuning the Air has been performing their big guitar orchestra take on all genres, from classical to rock, pop, and ambient, for a couple years now. Think the Beatles back-to-back with Bach, and some improv thrown in for good (huh huh) measure. The show used to be in Ballard, but for the past few months, they've taken up a weekly residency at the Capitol Hill Arts Center, in the CHAC showroom on Mondays through......

Capitol Hill studio Pilates Body Fitness is celebrating their 5th year in the Capitol Hill Arts Center with an open house this Sunday. It's a good chance to stop in to check out the equipment, meet the instructors, and see if you're interested in giving this hippie holistic exercise bullshit a try. (Tongue-in-cheekiness aside, pilates is great, and we'd totally do it every day if we were an independently wealthy ex-trophy wife and/or trust......

What better way to raise money for cancer than a good old-fashioned moustache pageant? Seemingly classy-ass Monsieur Moustache is tonight at the Capitol Hill Arts Center, with the proceeds going to help pay the leukemia treatment bills of local waiter extraordinare Nick Farina. (Proceeds will also be shared with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.) Nick's not the only guy out there with over a million dollars in bills (since, you know, our system's fucked),......

Balagan Theatre burst out of the womb of the Capitol Hill Arts Center last week with the opening of their new season in the La Spiga building at the corner of Pike and 12th. "Three weeks ago this was a concrete box," someone said before the performance, "and thanks to the hard work of many people, today it's a concrete box with curtains." It's actually pretty fly for a concrete box with curtains. The......

Seattlest fell in love with Gabriel Teodros after the Capitol Hill Block Party this summer, when Teodros brought up artist after local artist to join him on stage at Neumos and threw down a song or two about sexism. Teodros is the real deal, one of the best men Seattle hiphop has to offer to the world at large, and here's what he's thinking about these days. We're all wondering why you're not named on......

In anticipation of French house DJs Daft Punk's show at WaMu Theatre this Sunday, head to Lower Level at the Capitol Hill Arts Center tonight for a screening of the first film directed by the electro duo: Electroma, a film made by Daft Punk, is an odyssey of two robots who journey across a mythic American landscape of haunting, surreal beauty on a quest to become human. Their symbolic quest, which takes them from......

YOUNG BLACK CULTURE: Studies claim that African-American male culture has continued to decline despite generally strong national economic growth. Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas with moderator Carl Livingston Jr. and a group of respected panelists discuss their attempts to "defy convention and support the success and progress of African-American boys." 7pm // Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center // $5 for adults; Free for CD Forum Members/Students/Seniors DANCE: Australia's Sydney Dance Company brings Grand,......

Dorkbot, we've missed you. If our attendance record for the monthly technology and art event has been spotty at best recently --we've only been to one meeting since it lost the CoCA digs-- it's not because of the scheduled themes. They've all been awesome: Multimedia Performance at the Abbey, Innovation in Games back at CoCA, remote aerial photography at CHAC (actually we did get to that one)... New curator whatshisname (can't find it on the......

RADIO: We don't care if it's passe to think so: Ira Glass is a goddamn genius. Our favorite kind of genius -- the kind who builds an ecosystem in which other geniuses flourish. He's in town tonight to talk about what he learned from making a TV show. 7:30pm // The Paramount // sold out, but apparently people on Craigslist think it's worth $325 a ticket MUSIC: Midlake bring '70s rock and a mess......

ART: Fremont celebrates First Friday with their monthly art walk, while the McLeod Residence hosts the opening of their new photography/painting exhibit on Seattle "celebrities." 6-9pm // Fremont Abbey Arts Center // 4272 Fremont Ave N // Free 5-9pm // McLeod Residence // 2201 2nd Ave // Free FILM: SIFF breaks in their new Seattle Center cinema with a series of acclaimed classics honoring Janus Films' 50th anniversary. Get French tonight with the François......

CASTING CALL: Local director Garrett Bennett is looking for extras to cast in his independent film The Spy & the Sparrow. 3-8pm // First Church of Christ Scientist [1519 E. Denny Way] // $Whatever minuscule remnants remain of your dreams of an acting career BOOKS: Don't wear sweatpants to this event. Erotica writer Jennifer Munro reads from her award-winning work, as does the winner of Hugo House's erotica writing competition. Keep your fingers crossed for......

BEE: Re-Bar's spelling bee is back after last month's finals. Seattle Weekly writer Gavin Borchert won last time around, spelling words like "festschrift," "cockalorum," and "samadhi" correctly. 7pm // Re-Bar // $5 BOOKS: A train crash sends a poison gas cloud drifiting towards Minot, North Dakota. Someone's got to warn the town, but calls to the offices of all six local radio stations went unanswered by Clear Channel's robot deejays. One died and thousands were......

BASKETBALL: Ex-Garfield High and UW star Will Conroy suits up for a regular season NBA game for the first time tonight as his new team Memphis hosts Dallas. 5pm // Our basement or anywhere else with the NBA package HIP-HOP: Lupe Fiasco hits town along with a number of other hip-hop performers. 7-11pm // HUB Ballroom at the UW // $18 general public, $14 UW students BOOKS: Calvin Trillin reads from About Alice, his fond,......

MUSIC: God help you if you can't appreciate the genius of Stephen Malkmus. Alright, so he's not playing with Pavement (best indie band EVER, pleeeeeease reunite!), but tonight with The Jicks, he'll have one thing that Pavement never had: badass Janet Weiss on drums. Hells yeah! 8pm doors // Neumo's // $15 GOTH: Blacklight hopes to pick up where The Vogue left off in their new home at the Capitol Hill Arts Center. Friday's their......

OPENING: The McLeod Residence, Seattle's premiere lounge/club/gallery, celebrates their grand opening this evening. So if you weren't invited on New Year's, now's your chance to check out the swank digs and the current exhibits. 5-9pm // 2209 2nd Ave. // Free MUSIC: If there's one genre of music we know nothing about, it's lesbian electro hip hop. Tonight's the night to rectify that with Team Gina's record release at the Wildrose. Just a guess: the......

MUSIC: Blue Scholars and Common Market 8pm // Neumo's // $20. 21+ MUSIC: Harvey Danger with Slender Means and "Awesome." 9pm // Crocodile // $25. 21+ (also an early show at 4pm for all-ages; $5) PARTY: Arcana: New Years Masquerade Ball 9pm // Capitol Hill Arts Center // $30 (or $75 for deluxe pimp action) MUSIC: The Melvins, Big Business, Porn, "Hot Sauce" Butch Darlene 8pm// Showbox // $25 "MYSTICAL" PARTY: There's this weird......

DONATE: For as much as gamers earn their nerdy reputations (and thus our ridicule), Child's Play gives them a chance to both share their geek pride and help the world around them through donations to help kids in hospitals. You want to help too, right? Anytime // Child's Play // However much you can COMICS: Seattlest favorites Ellen Forney and Peter Bagge provide a double-dose of awesome with Comics Rock!, featuring Forney's "I Love......

Wednesday, December 13 >>>Hugo House, 7:30pm. Screenwriters Salon: Geoff Miller and Mark Handley invite you to bring your questions about format, technique, structure, dialogue, writing characters, and how to use your catering gig to hand your script to celebs. $5 general/$2 students. Free to members. >>>Seattle Public Central Library, 5:30-7:00pm. Mayor Greg Nickels and City Council President Nick Licata rochambeau to see who gets to salute Seattle author Tim Egan. His book, The Worst......

MUSIC: Yeah, we're really not sure about this, it could go either way, but the Crocodile is hosting a Disney cover night, featuring members from Catch, Kane Hodder, Pris, and a bunch of other acts. That's right. Disney covers. If it fails, it should fail in a uniquely horrifying manner. 9pm // Crocodile Cafe // $7 SPEAKING: Come learn about the horrible ways in which you and your children will live and die as John......

There's no such thing as a free ride. This week in speaking happenings is bursting with free-for-alls, but beware the "hidden costs" lurking beneath. Wednesday, December 6 >>>DORKBOT, 7:30pm. We love the name, but saying that they plan to "discuss their innovative approach to immersive, participatory entertainment" doesn't hide the fact that this will be geeks talking about videogames. Free, but only if you know the secret code: 'Knock knock, who's there?' 'Um, dorks?' 'Come......

It's a holiday week, and people are too busy stuffing themselves with turkey and cranberry jam to talk much. Just hang on until Tuesday, when things really pick up. Thursday, November 23 >>>Our parents' house, all afternoon. Dad talks on "The 7 Worst Habits of Today's Generation." Mom covers "Communication Breakdown: You Never Visit." Join the annual panel for a starchy Thanksgiving meal, that mysterious "fruit" salad with mini-marshmallows, and an in-depth critique of......

This weekend, the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center is having an Open House, while Cooper Artist Housing is having Open Studios. We know this because some old friends of ours are Cooper cultists and they sent us a postcard. How droll! How last century! If you can, come on by. We live in a building with some pretty interesting peeps, doing some pretty nifty stuff. We'll have a new film short & photos [They're working......

Halloween is such a fantastic mix of death, decay, kitsch, and morbid Catholic ritual that there is just no topping it as far as holidays go. Of course it does present some problems. Often at Halloween what would appear to be limitless possibility in the end boils down to options that are severely limited by your own laziness and the picked-over racks at the costume store, and this is particularly true for the girls.......

The above is a video composed of footage from Mind Camp 2.0, held in April earlier this year. Seattlest attended and had some great interactions discussing the web, debating the future of digital music, melting hard drives and eating some far from mediocre food. We mention all of this because earlybird registration has opened up for Mind Camp 3.0, to be held November 11-12 at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. They've only released half......