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The Runaways, the big-screen biopic about the famed chick band, has had major buzz around it ever since it was announced that Kristen Stewart would be playing Joan Jett.  (OMG, BELLA, I LOVE YOOOOUUUUU!) At the world premiere of the film at Sundance, the venue was oversold and the teenage girls who had their tickets turned away were crying in the lobby at withdrawal from KStew.

Cry no more, angsty girls (and the boys who are tough enough to be in touch with their emotions), because The Runaways opens this Friday. To celebrate its release, The SunBreak has a couple prizes to give away to lucky readers. We've got a pass to a preview screening of the film, taking place at 7 p.m. this Thursday night at Pacific Place.  We've also got a super bad-ass prize pack, which includes a t-shirt, a poster from the film, a copy of Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway by Cherie Currie and Tony O'Neill (the book that the film is based on), a copy of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' Greatest Hits CD, The Runaways' soundtrack, and Joan Jett's upcoming photobook with Todd Oldham. 

We'll be drawing the winner of the preview pass on Tuesday night.  This is a local screening, so you've got to be here in Seattle to win it (no doy).  We'll be drawing the winner of the prize pack from all entries received on Friday at noon.  You don't have to be local to win the prize pack, though you do need to live in the US.  Enter below for your chance to win....

Yep, Pearl Jam performed two Backspacer songs—one soft, one hard—on this weekend's Saturday Night Live. But the band’s most memorable appearance didn't involve music at all...unless you count the eerie Twilight Zone theme.

Chinook's cioppino is delicious and will rob you of your dignity.

Just to make the drive over a little more exciting, once we're in the car we decide not to map the route using our iPhones and just wing it by memory and luck. We've only lived in Seattle for seven years, which means I've only ever had to go to Magnolia twice: once for our first visit to Chinook's, and once a few years earlier to attend the filming of a hardcore porno.

We take Highway 99 north to the south end of the Aurora Bridge, where we turn off at the sign for the Queen Anne U-Turn, which nevertheless leaves us headed vaguely northwest rather than south. From there, we follow the signs toward Seattle University until we hit a street called Nickerson that jogs a memory of some sort, and leads us to the MC Escher-designed Ballard Bridge, where—in a rare instance of public art taking precedence over urban efficiency—motorists get to enjoy taking two lefts through an intersection in the sky in order to go straight on the same road. And then you're pretty much at Fishermen's Terminal....

(Photo: Lucas Anderson)

This weekend's massive consumer bicycle expo held by the Cascade Bicycle Club showcased hundreds of vendors and new products, filling two floors of the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal 91 on the waterfront. Aside from buying and selling, visitors were entertained by German artistic cyclists Stefan Musu, Lukas Malta and world champion Corrina Hein, trial bike rider Ryan Leech, and the Laurelhurst Unicycle and Juggling Team. If you missed it, here are some shots from Saturday's events, after the jump....

This just in off the Nick Licata wire.

Last week, the State Legislature passed SB 6459, which:

• Authorizes a local municipality to require a landlord to provide a certificate of inspection as a business license condition.
• Requires a qualified inspector to only investigate a rental property for building and housing code violations that substantially endanger or impair the health or safety of tenants and their neighbors.
• Authorizes issuance of a search warrant to certain code enforcement officials that have not implemented a mandatory third party inspection program for the purpose of allowing the inspection of any specified premises to determine the presence of an unsafe building condition or certain violations.
...

Paul Budraitis' "Not. Stable. At all." Photo by Ian Johnston.

Wednesday last I was down at Theatre off Jackson for another evening of Solo Performance Festival 4, the month-long festival of local and visiting talent that continues this week with Gin Hammond's Returning the Bones, Suzanne Morrison's Your Own Personal Alcatraz, and Jeff Frieders' Kitty in the City. I went for a triple bill of Mike Harris, Paul Budraitis, and Norman Bell, and I have to admit that I didn't stick around for the roughly 40 minutes Bell presented of his evening-length work Subprime!.

Not that you should read that as a criticism. I've seen it and liked it, Bell having transformed his abortive employment at the East Side's Merit Financial—which became one of the first subprime lenders to collapse under the dead weight of its bundled securities—into a story that offers a very human insight into the people who helped cause this mess.

As for Paul Budraitis, just last month he raised the stakes for the Balagan Theatre as the director of David Mamet's Edmond. In terms of the performances he got from his actors as well as the staging, which made the poverty of fringe theatre a strength, it was a knock-out show that did just about everything it could have to make Mamet's over-wrought play soar, and compared well to the Rep's who's-who production of Glengarry Glen Ross. But to my knowledge, Budraitis has always been more of a director than a performer (or so he suggested in our interview), so I was extremely interested to see what he could do as a solo performer, and he didn't disappoint. My guest even declared Budraitis her new "theatre crush" for his work as an actor and a director, and coming from someone subjected to more theatre than any non-theatre person should be, that's saying something....

Fresh off the high heels of last week's release of "Telephone"--the ten-minute long-form music video/pop culture event/homage to Quentin Tarantino (everything you need to know about it is contained in this in-depth discussion from The Awl)--Lady Gaga has announced another pantless leg of her North American Monster Ball tour. 

This time around, the tour still doesn't hit Seattle proper (why, Gaga, why?), but you can meet up with all the other Monsters and catch the sure-to-be-ridic stage show at the Tacoma Dome on August 21st, Portland's Rose Garden on August 19th, and the General Motors Place in Vancouver, BC on August 23rd.  Tickets for some of the shows (including Vancouver) start on Friday, March 19th; the on-sale dates for the rest (including Tacoma and Portland) are not yet announced.

Full press release and tour dates after the jump....

The King Conservation District promotes conservation in rural King County. Of course, in rural King County, "conservation" can be a fighting word. The KCD encourages farmers and landowners to use best practices with incentives and programs, among other things fish and wildlife-y.

This Tuesday, you have the chance to vote for an open position on its five-member board. (It's a three-year term.) The catch is, you've got to vote in person at the library. Per Publicola: "Seattle residents can vote at the downtown public library (1000 Fourth Ave.) between 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m." [Other King county locations here.] It's likely a hassle for most people, but on the other hand, it makes a good reason for a trip to the library if you haven't been in a while....

Paul Swortz captured an image of an ancient leprechaun this weekend to prepare you for what it likely to be an entire week of St. Patrick's festivities. Keep an eye on the SunBreak's Flickr Pool for more sightings of creatures, magical or otherwise.

"A Place To Bury Strangers @ Neumos.. March 12th,2010" by jandrew33, via The SunBreak Flickr pool

There was something I had forgotten about A Place to Bury Strangers since the last time I saw them, at Chop Suey two years ago: The Brooklyn noise-rock trio doesn't like people looking at them. Sure, they're standing onstage in front of a sold-out Neumo's crowd, but they play in heavy clouds of smoke machine fog. They either have the lights way down (see frontman Oliver Ackermann, right) or turned all the way up, with shards of white aurora borealis streaming over the band. APTBS waited till towards the end of Friday's set to turn on the strobes, and when they did, most of the crowd found themselves unable to look at the stage and stood wincing from both visual and auditory overload.

It's fitting though, as it's not as if this is a band that needs much interaction with the crowd. You don't sing along or dance to APTBS songs; you just stand there and let the noise wash over you. The band played songs from both of their full-length releases, not that you could really tell what was what.  It's all head-sploding distortion of one type or another.  I could pick out songs here or there, like first album reverb jam "To Fix the Gash in Your Head," but for the most part, just surrender and give yourself up to the noise....

Live from New York, it's another Saturday night with Pearl Jam. Tune into Saturday Night Live this evening to see Jude Law play funny and Seattle’s reigning rock band play two tunes from their latest album, Backspacer. Giddily retweeted clues suggest Pearl Jam will play the gorgeous "Just Breathe" and chunky-riffed "Force Of Nature." (Wouldn't it be cool, though, if they surprised everyone with a cut from the forthcoming—probably—Backspacer-session EP?) Cross your fingers for a skit that has the real Eddie Vedder trading verses with Bill Hader's EV....

A reminder: This Sunday morning marks the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, where we spring back an hour.  Sure, it's nice for the days to be longer, but those first few mornings HURT.  And what to do with those longer days?  Watch some movies, of course.  Here's this week's new DVD releases, care of our good friends at Scarecrow Video.

This week actually has a bunch of decent films--except for Old Dogs (and let us never speak of that again).  Catch up on your Oscars-mandated viewing with Precious and Up in the Air, truly two of last year's best, well worth your time.  There's Michael Moore's latest manifesto, Capitalism: A Love Story, which somehow didn't make the final cut for documentary nominees.  (And once again, if you haven't seen Oscar winner The Cove yet, please do.)...

Gun-free summer theatre at Volunteer Park.

U.S. District Court Judge Marsha J. Pechman ruled in favor of the City of Seattle against plaintiff Robert Warden, of Kent, and dismissed his case. Warden had brought suit against the city and Mayor Greg Nickels for banning guns in parks, arguing that the state constitution expressly prevented that limitation. The King Co. Superior Court agreed in February, calling the ban illegal.

But here's where it gets interesting: Warden's success in that case rendered his complaint moot in U.S. District Court. So he couldn't argue the more straightforward claim that the state constitution preempted local law. ("The court was presented only with the issue of state law preemption, and here Plaintiff expressly removed his preemption claim from his complaint," wrote Pecham in her decision. )

So Warden was left arguing Second and Fourteenth Amendment issues. Pechman countered that the Second Amendment does not (yet, there's a case coming before the Supreme Court) constrain the actions of municipalities like Seattle, only Congress. And she did not find Warden discriminated against. Warden was able to cite no inalienable right to carry a gun in a park....

The Washington State Department of Revenue has launched a new website that enables consumers to research the operations of businesses and companies that they are interested in. Suspectfraud.com allows consumers to check whether a business is legally registered and licensed and pays its taxes. Site visitors may also submit reports to the state for further investigation, in the event of suspicion of fraud. Tax and license fraud includes: not registering an operating business; collecting, but not remitting sales tax; or registering a vehicle, vessel, or plane out-of-state if the vehicle is used in this state and use tax was not paid....

"It's like how the Clientele are a ghost band because everything we do is through this pop-art lens. We won't play a folk song, we'll play a Peter Blake painting of a folk song," lead singer Alasdair MacLean told Pitchfork, adding that he felt the latest album, Bonfires on the Heath, might make a good going-away present.

That, in addition to The Fleet Foxes once calling The Clientele "Britain's best band," makes this evening's appearance at the Tractor Tavern special (tickets: $12). The weather is just right, too--some wind and rain and MacLean's surrealist poetry over jingle-jangle guitar will make it clear that the Foxes are on to something. Listen closely.

More Elston Turner, please

Coach Lorenzo Romar has struggled to determine the right mix of playing time for his team all season. Last night against Oregon State, the struggle continued. With the Huskies in danger of suffering a loss that would sink their NCAA tournament hopes, Romar made starting shooting guard Isaiah Thomas his primary point guard, sitting both members of his point guard rotation. Elston Turner slotted in at shooting guard and played 23 minutes, his most since January 8.

The bigger lineup helped the Huskies dominate the boards. Giving Thomas total control of the offense gave him freedom to find space in the Oregon State zone. And, generally, it let Romar have his best players on the floor longer. The result was a 37-point second half that gave UW the win.

Basketball coaches from the pros down to CYO ball are known to shorten their rotations--that is, give the bench players less playing time--when the playoffs come. Perhaps Romar is moving in that direction. It's time....

As of June 9, 2010, pending Governor Gregoire's signature, talking or texting on a cell phone while driving will be a primary offense. (A headset is okay, and there are multiple provisions for emergencies.) The House passed a stricter bill than they initially presented, making it align with the Senate version. Now police will be able to write a $124 ticket to anyone not using a headset on that basis alone. The HeraldNet quotes Sen. Tracey Eide, D-Federal Way, the bill's sponsor, saying:...

This shot--by Great Beyond over at our Flickr pool--really requires no further comment.

Looks like Conan O'Brien has found something to do with his free time, as today he announced a thirty-city live performance tour.  Dubbed "The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour," his live show promises "a night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence."  That sounds like the Conan we all know and love.

Kicking off in Eugene, Oregon on April 12th, the tour will take place over two months, making stops in twenty states and three Canadian provinces, as well as a special appearance at Bonnaroo.  Locally, Conan will perform at McCaw Hall on April 18th and April 19th--looks like this second show was just added!  Prices start at $39.50 (but this is Ticketmaster, so let's just say $50) all the way up to $695 for the drool-worthy special VIP meet-and-greet package. 

Full list of tour dates as of right now--ticket sales are strong, so second shows keep getting added--after the jump....

A brief timeout from the important business of war and teh Twitter and high school sports for this bulletin: This Grace Harbor Farms Golden Guernsey yogurt, which they just started selling at Ballard Market and I'm going to assume the other Town & Country markets, is freaking delicious....

This Friday, March 12, from 6 to 9 p.m., Roq la Rue is having its opening night for the second annual Lush Life invitational group show. Featuring works by 18 separate artists "that contain an opulence or richness, either in subject matter or technique," Lush Life 2 serves as a sort of primer course in the pop surrealist work Roq la Rue specializes in. The show features everything from Brian Despain's steampunk paintings to Travis Louie's ephemeral old-fashioned photorealistic paintings of alternate realities. Michael Brown's animal paintings pervert Margaret Keane's famous "big eye" paintings by making them far too human and soulful, while Andrew Arconti and Madeline Von Foerster ape classical painting styles while adding in surreal twists. The show also goes beyond paintings to include sculptures by Kris Kuksi, Mandy Greer, and Boomer Torvik.

The promoters for the third Isle of Wight pop festival in 1970 thought they'd build a bit on their successful draw of 150,000 the previous year. They got 600,000 or more. Despite the three-pound entrance fee for a weekend concert with Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Miles Davis, Procol Harum, Joan Baez, and Joni Mitchell, hordes camped out on a bluff overlooking the festival, watched for free, and occasionally set things on fire.

35-year-old Leonard Cohen was one of the last acts, roused in the middle of the night, and wearing what look like pajamas under his trench coat. Murray Lerner's live footage is more in the way of a concert film than a documentary, though he cuts away briefly to get context from Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Kris Kristofferson. The best thing would be to see it in a crowded theater, savoring all the hits Cohen had come up with before 1970, enveloped in a darkness that is both the beginning and end of something. Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight, 1970: Friday, March 12, 9 p.m., Saturday March 13, 9 p.m....

First: Let us congratulate the Cleveland High girls' basketball team, which yesterday won their first-ever state tournament game. In the 83-year history of the school! "Eagles! Eagles" chants filled the Tacoma Dome parking lot as Cleveland fans filed out post-game. Pretty cool. Cleveland will play Shorecrest tonight at 8:30 p.m. for a spot in the state semifinals.

You know you'll be rooting for Cleveland in this game, as KIRO right-wing talker Dori Monson is one of Shorecrest's assistants. I'm surprised Monson is in favor of government-funded athletics. Shouldn't the kids pay their own way, like the orphaned children Monson pilloried on his show last week? I digress.

Other Seattle schools shared Cleveland's success. Five Metro league teams advanced to today's quarterfinals, with only one suffering a loss. Franklin was the only loser--but with their three top scorers being underclassmen, I suspect the Quakers will exact some non-violent revenge in next year's tourney....

Seattleites will be seeing plenty of green over the next four days, March 11 to 14. Throngs of Seattle Sounders fans, wearing their green Sounder scarves, will be turning out en masse for a pre-season match between the Sounders and Portland Timbers late Thursday afternoon, at Qwest Field.

Friday evening, the Saint Patrick’s Day celebration kicks off with the 2010 Laying of the Green Stripe down Fourth Avenue. The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade marches up Fourth Avenue at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, and Sunday morning, thousands...

So the latest hullabaloo is over the Wright family proposal to build a Chihuly glass house where the Fun Forest once misspent idle youth--the news made the USA Today, for heaven's sake. The lesson seems to be that if you say you'll pay for construction, you can build whatever you like at Seattle Center.

A glorified Chihuly gift shop/restaurant was on no one's top ten list for the Center--well, except for Dale Chihuly and the Wrights, apparently, where it was number one with a putti.

Mossback crawled out from beneath a seed log to make the point that the Center has never been all that high-toned--that was in defense of Chihuly, by the way. On the City Council, Sally Bagshaw said, What about our Central Park plan? Mayor McGinn said, It makes money? And Council President Richard Conlin plumped squarely for a Central-Parkesque open space with a glass house in it....