Spotlight: Capitol Steps arrive on a timely note
The Capitol Steps are coming to town on Wednesday, so I thought I’d whet your appetite for their brand of musical political satire.
Here are some examples of their more recent lyrics, as found on their website:
• To the tune of “Fun, Fun Fun” by the Beach Boys, as supposedly sung by Tea Party members: “And we’ll have fun, fun, fun ’til Obama takes our teabags away.”
• To the tune of “Return to Sender” by Elvis Presley, as supposedly sung by liberal Democrats in Congress: “Return to spenders / We’ll pay your rent / If you are a gay immigrant.”
Catch them on Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. at the INB Performing Arts Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
Tickets are $25 to $38.50, through TicketsWest outlets (800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).
Night of the living Bing
The Bing Crosby Theater will celebrate the approach of Halloween with a classic spooky-movie marathon on Thursday evening.
The lineup looks like this:
• 6 p.m.: “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” the 1948 comedy spoof.
• 7:30 p.m.: “The Body Snatcher,” the 1945 Boris Karloff classic.
• 9 p.m.: “Nosferatu,” the 1922 silent vampire classic.
Doors open at 5 p.m. Catch one movie or all three. It’s free, but a $5 donation is suggested.
The Bing Crosby Theater is at 901 W. Sprague Ave.
Dana’s new job
Dana Haynes, the former KHQ-6 television reporter and Fox First at 10 anchor, is settling nicely into her new job.
Haynes is the communications director for the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau. She left KHQ in September for what she called a “fantastic opportunity.”
“By the nature of TV news, you’re often focusing on crime, car accidents and negativities within your community,” said Haynes in an e-mail to Spotlight. “In my new role as the CVB communications director, my mission is 100 percent positive.”
She had worked at KHQ for 14 years.
Liza with an X
Spokane has plenty of company when it comes to cities with canceled Liza Minnelli shows (she skipped her scheduled Oct. 15 appearance here).
Bronchial pneumonia forced Minnelli to also cancel shows in Appleton, Wis.; Joliet, Ill.; Indianapolis, Boston, Memphis and Nashville.
She vowed to be back onstage Nov. 20 in Staten Island, N.Y.
Return of KEWU
For the last several weeks, jazz lovers have been wondering what happened to KEWU-FM (89.5), the noncommercial jazz station out of Eastern Washington University.
The station’s power suddenly and dramatically plummeted in September.
Why? The station’s old transmitter died.
Since then, KEWU has raised enough money to buy a new transmitter. So it will go back to full power Nov. 1.
The new, 10,000-watt signal should reach from Ritzville to Kellogg and from Pullman to Sandpoint.
Drum-Off winner
Chris Jordan of Colbert was named the local store winner in Guitar Center’s Drum-Off, “the world’s largest drumming competition.”
Jordan will advance to the district competition and, if all goes well, to the regional competition.
The finals will be held in Los Angeles in January, and the winner receives $25,000 cash, a new drum kit and other prizes.