The Rake Magazine

Year: 2007

  • New Twins Ballpark Design

    Here’s a slide show of the new Twins ballpark renderings that were released today. Tell me what you think.


    Click To Play

  • Avista Back in Minneapolis: Stribbers Fear the Worst.

    The buzz from 425 Portland the past two days has been about Avista suits in the building. Every good newspaper drone assumes this can only mean (more) bad news. (Has any corporate officer EVER come to town with good news? “Profits are up! 20% bonuses for all salaried employees!” or, “Great work! Drinks on us!” It doesn’t happen. They only come to squeeze.) No one thinks the Star Tribune’s new investment-group owners are in Minneapolis to personally break the news that they’re shutting down the press workers’ cafeteria, (which they have, by the way). Something bigger MUST be afoot.

    With that in mind I offer The Grand Unifying Conspiracy Theory that I have cobbled together from the dark mutterings of local reporters. This theory has taken a hit recently with Media News honcho Dean Singleton’s shot at his erstwhile publisher, Par Ridder, the wealthy publishing empire scion who rudely dumped the dowdy confines of the Pioneer Press building for the, uh, opportunities suddenly available to a sharp young operator like him under Avista in Minneapolis.

    To condense it down to something easily digestible, (and therefore also easily dismissible), the Grand Unifying Theory holds basically this:

    Avista Capital Partners didn’t go into a $500 million deal for a newspaper without a carefully calculated plan for getting out, and not being particularly interested in newspapers, such a plan has more facets than merely wasting newsprint in the Twin Cities.

    It assumes that Avista has done their math on all the Star Tribune real estate from the main building to the Metrodome and that it most likely cultivated likely buyers — Zygi Wilf — long before handing any cash over the McClatchy Corporation. The theory then holds that Avista’s interest in operating the Star Tribune is probably much shorter term than even they have said, (in what little they’ve said). Being methodical investor types with natural access to other publishers, Avista would only be exercising fiduciary responsibility by preparing its own exit. How? By entering into an implicit gentlemen’s agreement with their likely successors … in this case, Media News and Dean Singleton.

    To facilitate this handover, both parties, perhaps over drinks at Pebble Beach, would consent to a, shall we say, migration of Media News management talent across town well prior to such a sale. If former Media News managers like Ridder had a couple years to settle in to their positions, trimming the fat as needed prior to Media News assuming control, everything would be all the better for it.

    As I say, on the surface, Singleton saying unkind things about young Mr. Ridder’s loyalty would seem to undercut this theory. But my wretchedly cynical view is that a little righteous indignation by a tycoon like Singleton could create enough smoke to obscure the preparatory work going on.

    This, as I say, is just another hair-brained, moonbat conspiracy theory. You can buy a dozen for a dime on any street corner. But if Avista’s interest in Minneapolis is mainly one of assured return on investment, and the sooner the better, (its not like the value of the damned newspaper is increasing), they’ll announce a sale of a chunk of their newly-acquired downtown real estate ASAP, maybe even real soon.

    So what happens to the Pioneer Press? This theory also holds that Singleton, after picking up the post-real estate Star Tribune for a nicely discounted price, either dumps the PiPress off on some fourth or fifth-tier operator and/or commences his legal plea for a Joint Operating Agreement. A JOA would allow him maybe four or five years to convince federal regulators that the economics of daily newspapers are so deep down the toilet, the Strib and the PiPress should at long last be consolidated into one.

    If you don’t buy the Singleton angle, and think his indignation over Ridder is genuine, then how about the cash-rich Ridder family instead? With Junior already running the show? Does anyone really know that the Ridders are NOT investors in Avista? Has anyone asked that question?

    I know, loony. But consider the source here, folks. You’re getting this from a guy who thinks the Warren Commission’s is one of the most implausible theories of all.

  • Chit-Chat 101

    fam din.JPG

    I think they skipped a horseman, this must be a sign of the coming apocalypse.

    Have you seen the commercials for Stouffer’s new website, During Dinner, in which kicky “Mom” Anne Callaway has coffee and “Mom” Talk with friends, deals with the Callaway Kids, and manages to host a rollicking conversation-filled dinner every night!

    And wait, you can have all that Anne has, and more! There are tips for how to start conversations with your own family! You can even make a personalized placemat for each member of your brood, complete with puzzles, “story starters”, fun-facts, and jokes. It’s true!

    Think about it, you don’t have to talk to little Joey about why he’s been biting kids at school, you can just do a word-find! And why have Molly’s grades been slipping? That’s not fun dinner fodder, let’s challenge our minds with fun-facts and trivia! Forget about trying to find out what’s really going on in your kids’ lives, use this time to train them how to live off cocktail party gibberish.

    Thank you Stouffer’s, thank you for first giving us processed, frozen foods like Creamed Chipped Beef and Salisbury Steak that don’t require actual cooking. And now, thanks for giving us canned chit-chat that doesn’t require any real thought or connection with the people around us.

    Like the Corner Bistro Grilled Chicken Panini, who needs the pressure of reality? Not only can we skip the experience of going to a corner bistro, we can skip the fuss of shopping, the mess of creating, the bother of freshness, the annoyance of nutrition, the niggly matter of flavor, and any potentially embarassing emotions that might ruin our well-constructed family dinner.

  • Old Styles with New Twists

    DANCE
    Neo-Classical Choreography

    JamesSewell2Large.jpgHaving grown up in New York, with a dancer as a sister, I am utterly spoiled when it comes to dancing, particularly ballet. And without offending our local dance companies, I must say that I was extremely please when dancer/choreographer James Sewell made his way back home to Minneapolis in 1993, after a long stint in New York, bringing his company with him. Sewelll began choreographing ballets in 1982, while at the School of American Ballet, in New York. He went on to dance with ABT II, an apprentice company of the American Ballet Theater, and then as principal dancer for the Feld Ballet. Once hailed by The New York Times as “one of American ballet’s best choreographers,” James Sewell consistently delivers innovative and exciting pieces. Tonight, he offers two pieces of his own — Opera Moves and Late — George Balanchine’s Tarantella, and a LightSpace premiere choreographed by Jennifer Hart. Arrive 25 minutes early for a pre-performance discussion of the evening’s delights.

    7:30 p.m., Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd St., Minneapolis, 612-377-2224; $27-$32 (students $13.50-$16).

    MUSIC
    R&B with a Solid Heart

    john_legend_170.6794812.jpgWhile so many R&B singers are out there stripping off their shirts and talking up the babe booties, John Legend delivers a straightforward honesty and sweetness that you simply can’t ignore. Somehow, he manages to sing about relationships, commitment, and infidelity without getting nasty — and you know what I mean by nasty. Yes, Legend has been accused of riding on Kanye West’s shirt tails, but after winning three Grammy Awards for his 2004 breakout album, Get Lifted, this man can stand on his own. Since then, he has even transformed his seductive tone into something slightly more retro, reminiscent of 60s R&B — sweet vibrant whispers. Opening for him tonight is English singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae. What this jazzy vocalist lacks in raw, rough edges, she makes up for in simple emotion. Her songs are heart-felt and well executed.

    7:30 p.m., Historic Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-373-5600; $45-$75.

    Listen to John Legend.
    Listen to Corinne Bailey Rae.

    Ocean Waves on Broken Glass

    Bruce Goldish promo web.jpgGuitar aficionados should really go check out Bruce Goldfish this evening. Now living in California, this Minnesota native offers up some great finger-picking with a new age twist and a little bit of everything else tossed in for good measure — a touch of flamenco, a twist of the classical, and a whole lot of texture. Granted, it’s all infused with the whole new age feel, but if you like listening to the wind, then this is your thing.

    7:30 p.m., Gingko Coffeehouse, 721 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul, 651-645-2647; $10.

    Listen to Bruce Goldfish.
    Watch and listen to Bruce Goldfish’s demo video.

    Making Music

    Tapes.jpgIf you want to be more than just a passive listener, head out to The Whole tonight for Josh Grier’s Making Music event — featuring an interview, a live demonstration, and Q+A from the audience. As lead guitarist and vocalist for Tapes ‘n Tapes, Josh Grier will be sharing his talents, his inspirations, his history, and his music. It’s a great opportunity for aspiring musicians and Grier fans in general.

    8-10 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union, The Whole, 300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, 612-624-INFO; free.

    Listen to Jon Grier with Tapes ‘n Tapes.

    THEATER & PERFORMANCE
    Or the White Whale

    Whale.jpg“Orson Welles did it, and Laurie Anderson, too. Now local director Jon Ferguson — best known for his 2005 hit, Please Don’t Blow Up Mr. Boban — has taken up the challenge of adapting Melville’s epic for the stage. This is an undertaking that, he admits, could elude, haunt, and/or — much as with Captain Ahab — swallow him whole. Ferguson’s project got under way with the casting of clowns and dancers from physical theater circles as well as actors from more text-based traditions. With this range of performers, the show aims to capture both the powerful physicality and the amazing prose of the story. Intriguingly, a fully functional set involves ropes, planks, canvas, and pulleys, meaning that as the play production builds, so too will constructed images of the sea, the ship, and even the whale.”

    8 p.m. (through April 22), Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-340-1725; $22.

    COMEDY
    Joy Schtick

    Behar_Joy_web.jpgAny woman who can make you laugh is well worth your time. Tonight, Joy Behar will be performing her schtick at Orchestra Hall Best known as co-host of the Emmy Award-winning talk show The View, Behar is a true comedienne, tackling some of the most controversial topics (which is what comedians love most, of course) with honesty and wit. Behar has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis and Kelly, and The Late Show with David Letterman. She also starred in her own HBO special and was one of the judges on the Jay Mohr reality series Last Comic Standing. Go start the weekend off with a belly-full of laughter.

    7:30 p.m., Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 612-371-5656; $37.75-$61.75.

    READINGS
    A Curious Combination

    dickinson$josephine.gif“Here’s a pairing with a curious backstory. Galway Kinnell, whose 1980 Selected Poems won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, was touring in Northern England when he found himself at a reading by Josephine Dickinson, a deaf Oxford-educated poet, musician, composer, and teacher. More than a decade earlier, she had fallen in love with and married a sheep farmer more than twice her age. So struck was Kinnell by Dickinson’s poetry, most of which is set in England’s rugged Pennine Mountains, that he wrote an introduction for her American debut, Silence Fell, and helped get it into print. He’s also got his own new collection, Strong is Your Hold, and the duo will read from and discuss their work as the Talking Volumes program celebrates National Poetry Month.”

    7 p.m., Fitzgerald Theater, 10 E. Exchange Street, St. Paul, 651-290-1221; $15.

    THURSDAY FASHION PICK
    Fresh off the Runway

    designer_kg.jpgFresh off her run at DIVA MN and last night’s charged rock and runway show, Voltage: Fashion Amplified, Minnesota’s celebrity clothing designer, Katherine Gerdes, will be selling her fine jersey gowns at the Design Collective this weekend. Rumor has it that she might also toss in a tea dress and top or two. To kick things off, and to celebrate the first-ever Voltage Fashion Weekend, the store is hosting a meet ‘n greet with the designer and Project Runway alum from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday. That event will take place just around the corner from the store, at The Tea Garden in Uptown.

    Saturday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Design Collective, 1311 26th Street West, Minneapolis, 612-377-1000. Meet-n-Greet: Saturday 1-3 p.m., Tea Garden, 2601 Hennepin Ave S., Minneapolis, 612-377-1700.

  • The Three-Pointer: Official Tank Mode

    Game #78, Home Game #39–Dallas 105, Minnesota 88

    1. KG “Hurt”–And Gone for Good?

    For the first time in a dozen years, there is a distinct possibility that the Minnesota Timberwolves will not take the floor with Kevin Garnett to start the year in the 2007-08 season. Garnett has been put on the shelf with a right quad injury that everyone knows would not prevent him from performing if it were beneficial to the Wolves future to win rather than lose games at this point in the season. He has an opt-out clause in his contract at the end of next season, meaning that for the Wolves to get full value in a trade, they would probably have to move him during this off-season. Then there is the question of whether even KG’s patience has finally run out after three straight pathetic seasons out of the playoffs.

    My gut feeling, right now, is that Garnett stays, at least through the mid-point of next season. That assumes the team will keep their draft pick and be choosing among the top 7-8 teams in the lottery this summer. But, hey, I’m only guessing and so is everyone else. The point is, like the rest of us, Garnett is sick of this season, tired of the same old April bullshit, tired of hearing for the past 12 months that all the team needed was a tweak or two, then that all the team needed was some consistency, then that all the team needed was better chemistry–and when all that dense delusion was exposed as being clueless wishful thinking, THEN hearing that McHale and Wittman were probably coming back.

    Seriously, what can anyone from the front office tell the fan base with a straight face at this point in the proceedings? It already almost too late for people to do the honorable thing and resign.

    2. The Usual Suspects

    Dallas had nothing to play for, having already secured the top record in the entire NBA. They sat their MVP candidate, Dirk Nowitzki. They sat their starting center, Erick Dampier. They sat their starting point guard, Devin Harris. They sat their 6th man, Jerry Stackhouse. They had Austin Croshere and Devean George in the starting lineup and gave rookie Maurice Agar the second-most minutes of anyone on the team. They also were outscored in the second and fourth quarters and tied in the first.

    Ah, but the third quarter. With 6:36 to go, the score was tied at 63. At the end of the period it was 66-86. And who was on the court for most of that blitzkrieg? Mark Blount, Ricky Davis and Mike James, with Craig Smith and Marko Jaric along for most of the dysfunctional ride. So, what happened Coach Wittman?

    “Ball domination. I think we had two guys score. I just thought our offense was terrible, which led to bad defense.”

    Yes, indeed, Mike James had 11 of the team’s 15 points for the period, taking 6 shots and earning zero assists. The other four points belonged to Mark Blount on 2-4 FG. Davis had the club’s only two assists of the period but missed all 4 of his shots. Smith likewise was 0-4 and Marko was 0-1–ditto Randy Foye and Rashad McCants, who came in in the last 2-3 minutes and couldn’t stop the bleeding.

    It is good to know that the veteran tankers did not let up with the decision to waylay Garnett. And good to see that Wittman didn’t chance fate but subbing in hustle, fundamental guys like Hassell and Madsen. Philly beat Boston tonight, so that draft pick is a wee bit more secure.

    3. Consolation Prize

    The game’s two high scorers for their respective teams, Croshere with 19 and Justin Reed with 17, got tied up under the boards and nearly came to blows at the other end, each earning a technical. Bracey Wright demonstrated admirable restraint by attempting just one shot in 12 minutes of play–the entire garbage time 4th quarter in a garbage time point of the season. Wright must believe that everyone knows he can shoot, and concentrated on grabbing three boards, doling out a dime and playing decent defense.

    Hassell played 11:13 and was +1 in a 17-point loss. Madsen played 10:57 and was even.

  • On The Count Of Three I Want Everybody To Remove Their Hands From The Panic Button

    There, there now. We got that fat Bronx monkey off our backs until July. Doesn’t that feel a whole lot better?

    And after the bloodletting of the last couple nights wasn’t it nice to see Ramon Ortiz go out there and attack the Yankee hitters with what looked like a solid gameplan? To see a guy who was –let’s be honest– a pretty big question mark after his last several seasons pitch so quickly and with such enthusiasm (and, thank God, with so little perspiration)?

    No dicking around. That’s exactly what we like to see.

    And wasn’t it nice to see the offense, so inept over the last handful of games, come back and reward Ortiz for his eight solid innings of work?

    Wasn’t it nice to see Alex Casilla out there? The kid sure looks like he belongs in the Major Leagues.

    And isn’t it nice to see Michael Cuddyer continue to take pitches and work the count and get hits? And to have Luis Rodriguez, a desperation choice at designated hitter if ever there was one, come through with a couple hits?

    Everybody in the lineup got on base. Wasn’t that nice?

    Wasn’t it all so nice?

    Isn’t it nice to be 5-3?

    Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just settle down and give this season –and this team– a chance to get a couple months under its belt before we start hyperventilating and foaming at the mouth?

    Yes, that would be nice, but it isn’t, of course, going to happen.

    And, finally, wouldn’t it be nice if we never had to hear one more person point out that Doug Mientkiewicz, who bats eighth for the mighty Yankees, hit third for the Twins.

    As if Mientkiewicz ever had any business batting third for any Major League team, and as if we didn’t know that all along.

  • How and Why the Media F***ed Up

    Gary Kamiya at Salon has as thorough an indictment and theory for how all levels of the mainstream American press screwed up after 9/11 and before the invasion of Iraq.

    It’s a long-ish read, but both cogent and provocative. The mainstream press — your local newspaper, the local TV news and all the national outlets are “info-nannies”, responsible for maintaining a national consensus.

    This is particularly good, “… our mass media is charged with presenting not just an accurate view of the world but also an ‘appropriate’ one.

    “What ‘appropriate’ means in absolute terms is impossible to define. In practice, however, its meaning is quite clear. It’s reflected in a cautious, centrist media that defers to accepted national dogmas and allows itself to shade cautiously into advocacy on issues only when it has the popular imprimatur to do so.”

    Obviously there is also the problem of deferring to commercial dogmas, but you can see where he’s going.

    Excellent stuff.

  • Imus at a Tipping Point

    The upside to every one of these Don Imus-style broadcast faux pas is the “national dialogue” we get for a few days afterward. Everyone reports and weighs in, usually expressing dismay at the blunder and/or condemnation at the commonplace nature of this kind of stuff. It’ll disappear with the next Anna Nicole DNA report, but it’s worth having.

    What with Proctor & Gamble and a couple other major sponsors bailing on Imus’s show the old goat appears likely to suffer more than I first expected. That’ll be for the good. (There is also a report that he will donate his two weeks’ salary to charity. Also good. But let’s not be chumps on that point. Demand he specify who gets the dough and take notice when the check gets cashed.) It’s money that matters.

    Among the better facets of the “dialogue” over the Imus affair is how much the sexist imagery and attitudes of hip-hop contributed to his comfort level with witty street-crede jive like “nappy-headed hos”. Imus clearly figured the culture norms had moved his way on jargon like that. So it’s a fair and valuable point of conversation asking why the hell successful black “artists” get a pass on that kind of obnoxious crap if it’s offensive enough to pillory a white millionaire talk jock? A couple of the women on the Rutgers basketball team responded to exactly that question by saying they thought the excesses of hip hop were just as offensive.

    The growth in the national dialogue I’d like to see is where the trans-racial consensus is equally comfortable condemning a grizzled old coot like Imus AND the producers of the kind of absurdly misogynist “entertainment” that gets regular play on cable and mainstream TV and radio. I mean, the Rutgers women have every reason to be personally offended, but the Imus act, and all the Imus-like morning drive clods — Opie & Anthony, Bubba the Love Sponge, and on and on all across the country — are just as offensive to reasonably broad standard of decency. I say they all deserve a ripping.

    But don’t pull them off the air. Let the marketplace decide their fate.

    Keep their advertisers notified of exactly the kind of asinine spew they’re trading in. The sponsor-boycott of Don Imus will make an infinitely bigger impact on the standards of CBS Radio and NBC than any FCC fine.

    But I’m still curious, “Why now?” Imus, as I say, has a long, long history of saying obnoxious things about women and minorities — and like his imitators on morning drive around the country — it is very consciously contrived act, built to appeal to the large, “don’t screw with me” lunkhead demographic.

    But something in the air made this particular blast of stupidity resonate like never before. Imus, I think, has met a tipping point of some kind.

    Has, I wonder, the mass of media watchdogging coalesced with the mass of the instantly interactive cyber community to the point where garden variety vulgarity like Imus’s gets immediately flagged? Has the backlash to a decade and a half of ever-coarser commercial bullshit matured into a permanent, potent force for civility? A bona fide vox populi? Is there any connection to the newly invigorated liberal sensibility, disgusted by government and corporate corruption and corrupting influences wherever they emerge?

    I don’t know. But Don Imus has to be asking himself, “What in the hell hit me?”

  • Wow! It's a lot to take in for a Wednesday!

    THEATER AND PERFORMANCE
    Talk about Dark Humor

    06season_figaro.jpgTonight is the opening — or rather, re-opening — of Jeune Lune’s Figaro. If you didn’t see it last time around, don’t miss it. And if you did see it last time around, you already know — don’t miss it. First presented in 2003, Jeune Lune’s Figaro is a unique blend of all three of Beaumarchais’s plays about Figaro, set to Mozart’s sublime music. The story begins at the end and incorporates Mozart’s adaptation of Beaumarchais’s second play as a flashback, thereby giving Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro historical context.

    8 p.m., Theatre de la Jeune Lune, 105 North First St., Minneapolis, 612-333-6200; $30.

    FASHION AND MUSIC
    Rocking down the Catwalk

    designer_runway.jpgAfter so much hype, the Voltage: Fashion Amplified has finally arrived.
    Bands and designers unite tonight for an incredible runway rock show at First Avenue. Come feast your eyes on new designs by Katherine Gerdes (of Project Runway), Laura Fulk, Anne Seldon, Red Shoe Clothing, and many other designers, as they send their models down the catwalk to the music of The God Damn Doo Wop Band, The Plastic Constellations, The Alarmists, and others. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Springboard for the Arts Artist’s Access to Healthcare program, as well as Mnfashion. And it doesn’t stop there. If you like what you see, be sure to stop by our local boutiques this weekend for Voltage Fashion Weekend. You’ll be able to pick up your favorite collections from the show at Cliche, Design Collective, and Robot Love.

    8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N., Mpls., 612-338-8388; $15($12 advance).

    MUSIC
    Ahhh, Bliss…

    feat128Lucinda.jpgWithout a doubt, the best concert I’ve seen in the past decade was last year’s Lucinda Williams concert at the O’Shaughnessy. So perfect was the sound that Lucinda actually stopped midway through the show to comment on it. And, yes, it was perfect indeed. Tonight she’s back — this time at the Historic State Theater — but it promises to be a great show, especially now that Lucinda is no longer happy and in love. Come on — we all know she’s best when she’s downtrodden.

    7.30 p.m., Historic State Theater, 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-673-0404; $31.50-$36.50.

    Watch and listen to Lucinda Williams.

    More Female Songstresses

    rainingjane.jpgAlso performing tonight are Raining Jane and Emilia Dahlin. California’s Raining Jane and Maine’s Emilia Dahlin will share the stage in an eclectic acoustic performance. Composed of four songwriters, three of whom are vocalists, Raining Jane offers a unique interpretation of rock-folk and an unusual array of instrumentation including cello, cajon and sitar. Emilia Dahlin, voted Best Singer/Songwriter of 2006 and Best Female Vocalist of 2005/2006 in Portland, Maine, weaves tales of Greek mythology, robotic messiahs, epic floods, and tax evaders, with raw, rootsy folk and jazz vocals.

    7:30 p.m., Gingko Coffeehouse, 721 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul, 651-645-2647; donations encouraged.

    Listen to Raining Jane.
    Listen to Emilia Dahlin.

    READINGS
    150 Years of Minnesota Poetry

    Voice.gifIf you’re big on local poetry, you really can’t miss this one. Celebrate the publication of a new collection of poetry from the Minnesota Historical Society Press, Where One Voice Ends Another Begins: 150 Years of Minnesota Poetry, with readings and book signings by many of the featured poets. Robert Bly, Bill Holm, Michael Dennis Browne, Deborah Keenan, Heid Erdrich, Wang Ping, and Angela Shannon will read from their work, and many of the other participating poets will attend and sign copies of the new book.

    7 p.m., Mill City Museum, 704 South Second St., Minneapolis, 612-341-7555; free.

    A Low-Profile Literary Lion Steps into the Limelight

    Doctorow.jpgIt’s not often we get a chance to see E.L. Doctorow in person, so you might not want to miss this. “And judging from the man’s eclectic body of work, distinguished by its broad historical sweep and social criticism, it’s likely that Doctorow will have something of substance to say. Over a career that’s now spanned almost fifty years, Doctorow’s writing has consistently garnered critical hosannas and literary honors alike: He’s got a National Book Award, a PEN/Faulkner Award, and a couple of National Book Critics Circle Awards under his belt. His last novel, 2005’s ambitious The March, offered plenty of evidence that he’s still got stories he wants to tell.”

    7:30 p.m., Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 Fourth St. S., Minneapolis, 612-626-1528; free.

    Learn from a Master of Comics

    cover-mc2.jpgToday’s readings don’t leave anyone out of the mix. Are you a comic book fan? Do you long to make your own? Come out and meet Scott McCloud, author/artist of Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, and Making Comics. Currently on a 50-state tour of the United States, he’ll be in Minneapolis tonight talking about his work and signing books.

    7:30 p.m., DreamHaven Books, 912 W Lake St., Minneapolis, 612-823-6161; free.

    FILM
    Stories from All over the World

    As if there weren’t enough to choose from already, there are a few great films to see tonight.

    darfur.jpgThe documentary Darfur Diaries: Message from Home chronicles the history, hopes, and fears of the people of Darfur since the Sudanese Liberation Army in Darfur (the western region of Sudan) responded to decades of oppression by taking up arms against the Sudanese government. Up to 400,000 civilians have died since the beginning of the conflict and over 2 million people have been displaced. And if you’re interested, check out Darfur on Google Earth. Google Earth maps atrocities in Darfur.

    6 p.m., Coffman Memorial Union Theater, 300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, 612-624-INFO; free.

    A cross-generational story of ostracism, love and legacy of the past, Dam Street (directed by Li Yu) chronicles the life of a Chinese woman whose teenage indiscretion continues to haunt her years after the event.

    7 p.m. (other showings this week), Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-375-7600; $8 ($6 members).

    Set in war-torn Algeria in the 1990s, Barakat! (directed by Djamila Sahraoui), follows two women on the dangerous search for the younger woman’s husband, a journalist whose writings resulted in his disappearance. Ignoring curfews and the constant threat of ambush by armed militias, the two women journey across the picturesque landscapes of Algeria, to a deeper understanding of how their lives were shaped by their country’s history.

    9 p.m. (2 p.m. on April 22), Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, 612-375-7600; $8 ($6 members).

    Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film (Germany), The Lives of Others chronicles the disillusionment of Captain Gird Wiesler, of the secret police, from 1984, five years before the fall fo the Berlin Wall, to 1991, in what is now reunited Germany.

    4 and 7:05 p.m. (today and tomorrow), Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights, 763-788-9079; $5.

  • Why am I thinking about Audis?

    I have been thinking, talking and looking at alot of Audis lately.

    Not too long ago someone mentioned on The Road Rake that Audis were pieces of crap (no need for literary flourish here). This is true. The early model A6s with the 2.8 liter engine were prone to electrical gremlins and leaks.

    Today, however, Audi does have two or three proven gems in its stable when it comes to engines. While at an Audi dealer this evening (of all places) the salesman waxed about the little 2.0 liter turbo that currently powers the base A4 (and also the VW GTI and EOS–great new convertible for under 30k from VW.) While at times salespeople get things wrong, this guy knew his stuff–it is, by all accounts a great engine with proven reliability.

    I have written in other entries about the 2.7 liter bi-turbo found in the first generation S4 (AllRoad and A6 Quattro as well), which has proven to be an easily rodded German engine (rare).

    Finally, I have also been hot for awhile on the Audi 4.2 liter V8. At this stage its primarily an emotional attachment that has something to do with the ballsy move of stuffing this large engine into the bay of a diminuitive S4 (years before the M3–which is only recently getting around to it).

    I have not heard anything really bad about this engine, and I also know it can accept twin turbos to pump its output up to exactly 469 HP (the rating in the fast but clinical RS6).

    Finally, I really dig the second generation re-skin of the A4. Its a change that actually makes this model look more contemporary that the third and current generation model. When you combine those good looks with a proven 4WD handling package, sweet interior and mondo engine in a little chasis, you have a recipe that John DeLorean would love.*

    (*John DeLorean remains a hero to many car guys, if only for the fact that he may have been the rare Engineer with matinee looks.)