INTERNATIONAL TIPPLE TASTING: As a Pacific Rim port, Seattle should really be more broadly acquainted with saké than it is. Enter tonight's premium sake tasting at Umi Saké House in Belltown, a Saké Nomi event designed to familiarize attendees with thirty of the world's finest (and in some cases, rarest) brands. You and your fellow fermented rice enthusiasts will be able to sample a saké whose brand hails straight from 1505 as well as an igloo-brewed variety called "Divine Droplets." Kampai! more ›

Hey, whaddya know? Ever since the Showbox upped the service fees and made a pact with the devil, their bookings have been less than stellar. In fact, we haven't been to the downtown venue for a single show so far this year, which is totally out of the ordinary. more ›

Last night, the air was thick with sweat and World Cup Fever. That's what you get when Brazilian actor/musician/superstar Seu Jorge comes to town. The sold-out show was hot and crowded---and the least hipsterish we've ever seen Neumo's. Members of the audience were speaking in Portuguese, donning soccer jerseys, and wearing glasses less out of concern for their image than their eyesight. All in all, it was an energetic, friendly crowd. And when Seu, along with his four-piece backing band, took the stage a little after 10:30pm, the audience reacted to the music in a way that we don't see much in Seattle: They danced. Not the arms-crossed, head-nodding form of dancing, nor the pushing-people proto-mosh. But some bonafide swaying, hip-shaking, wave-your-hands-in-the-air-like-you-just-don't-care dancing. It was amazing. more ›

The end is near. Soon SIFF will be but a fading memory. So if you've been putting it off, this weekend is the last chance until next year for you to get some festival action. As an added bonus, on Sunday night at the Broadway Performance Hall, there will be an encore presentation for two of the films (one short, one full-length) that end up taking home SIFF awards. If you missed 'em the first (and second) time around, be there! more ›