Terry Morrow of Scripps Howard News Service writes a great weekly column previewing the highlights of the upcoming week on television. It’s a very brief column (just joking).

One entry in particular caught our eye this week:

“‘Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling.’ Tabitha from ‘Bewitched’ and Danny from ‘The Partridge Family’ step into the ring — but not against each other. That would be weird.”

If you didn’t laugh at the “That would be weird” line, well, there’s just something broken in you.

More later … — MM

The Oct. 10 issue of Kitsap A&E, the august publication (or sub-pub, since it comes wrapped in the Kitsap Sun every Friday) I write for, includes a preview of Bainbridge Performing Arts‘ upcoming production of “Macbeth,” one of William Shakespeare’s finest tragedies.

It also includes a list of my 10 personal favorite lines from Willie Shakes’ plays.

I’ll run ‘em down for you here, and then you’ll have the opportunity — via the Cyberspacious magic of the “Comment” function of this here blog — to add your own favorites, or tell me why my choices are all wet.

Here’s my 10, in David Letterman-style reverse order:

10,) “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,” from “King Henry the Sixth, Part Two

9,) “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?“, from “The Merchant of Venice”

8,) “This above all: To thine own self be true,” from “Hamlet”

7,) “Now is the winter of our discontent,” from “King Richard III”

6,) “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, som achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them,” from “Twelfth Night”

5,) “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once,” from “Julius Caesar”

4,) “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” from “Romeo and Juliet”

3,) “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him,” from “Julius Caesar”

2,) “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players …“, from “As You Like It”

And the Number One Shakespeare line:

1,) “To be, or not to be: That is the question …“, from “Hamlet”

OK, Shakespearean scholars; let me know what your own favorites are. Thou canst not criticize if thou dost not participate.

More later … — MM

Every once in a while, I get an e-mail that’s worth passing along; here’s one such example, edited for your reading pleasure and to meet our High Journalistic Standards:

Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine/The Nightwatchman,
Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Stone Gossard plus special guests join together for a “Get Out the Vote Rally and Concert” at Seattle’s Showbox at The Market on Nov. 3.

SEATTLE - Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine/The Nightwatchman, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and his band Shadow ‘86, Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard with the Hank Khoir, Boots Riley of the Coup and special guests are set to perform Monday, November 3, 2008 at the Showbox at The Market. In an effort to encourage voter participation, this group of notable artists is joining forces for an Election Day-eve get out the vote rally and musical celebration. With the help of local and national voter education organizations, concertgoers will be encouraged to not only get to the polls the following day, but to spread the word to their social networks on the importance of voting.

Tickets for this show are $10 (not including applicable service charges) and are available beginning Oct. 11 at 10 a.m. online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 206-628-0888, at all Ticketmaster outlets or at the Showbox at The Market box office. For additional ticket information, please go to www.showboxonline.com. Show is for ages 18 and older.

More later … — MM

In what is not exactly the most over-promoted concert ever, Sixties folkies The Kingston Trio and The Brothers Four will two-time the audience beginning at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Bremerton Performing Arts Center, 1500 13th St. It’s the final concert of a Golden Anniversary tour that stretches back more than a month and has taken the not-so-young, not-so-fresh fellows all up and down the West Coast.

Tickets appear to be a little spendy, topping at $45. But, then, you’re getting a whole evening of tag-team folk from two of the genres icons. For the ticket price, they’ll "Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley" and "Greensleeves" you until you pull a nostalgia muscle.

Information: (800) 838-3006, brownpapertickets.com

More later … — MM

There’s bad news and good news on the Independent Film Series front at the Admiral Theatre .

The bad news is that Friday’s scheduled screening of "The Oxford Murders " has had to be scrapped.

The good news is that the film that was scheduled for November — "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson " — was available to move up a month. It’ll show Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.

"The Oxford Murders," starring Frodo Bag … er, Elijah Wood , was held back by its distributors, but might still turn up later in the season.

The Admiral is located at 515 Pacific Ave. in Bremerton. Admission is $7, and screenings start at 7 p.m. There’s popcorn and other movie-house snacks, but the bar is also operational, if you’re so inclined.

Information: (360) 373-6743.

More later … — MM

Just a quick note to hand out some propers to The Stranger — one of Seattle’s edgy, in-your-face alternative news magazines.

I don’t always agree with the way either The Stranger or The Seattle Weekly present … what it is they present. But I’m really happy with The Stranger, the current issue of which comes wrapped in a mail-in voter registration form and instruction guide.

For those not yet registered to vote, it’s a convenience. For all of us, though, it’s another reminder of the importance of the process. Regardless of whether you’re happy with the current state of affairs and the current administration’s part in it, you’ve got to admit that it is to some significant extent apathy and ignorance that have put us in the leaky boat we’re in.

The Stranger did a little something to shore things up.

Now, if they could just do something about those long-winded, self-important, meandering reviews …

More later … — MM

Got an e-mail from Kurt Svennungsen, who I met (in Cyberspace) last year when inquiring about the locally-shot movie he was producing, called “Frayed.” (Pretty good scary flick, if you’re into that sort of thing, with a tremendous lead performance by former Bremertronian Alena Dashiell).

Kurt and his wife — who financed “Frayed” themselves — have been involved with Seniors With Pets Assistance, which, like a lot of charities, is struggling in the current crappy economy. He e-mailed me and asked if I would help get the word out.

Here’s what he sent me:

SENIORS WITH PETS ASSISTANCE is a non-profit organization that provides vital support to low income seniors with pets by supplying and delivering pet food, litter and other pet-related items (flea products, collars, etc.) to their homes at no cost. Seniors with Pets also serves as a referral service to low cost spay and neuter programs and vet care, and, subject to available funds, furnishes financial assistance for pet care expenses such as adoption fees, vaccinations and pet deposits. In addition, Seniors with Pets Assistance operates a pet food bank that is open for qualifying seniors on a walk-in basis.

INCLUDEPICTURE “http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/hero_of_the_year/nominees/gallery/kristin_cheney.jpg” \* MERGEFORMATINET
Kristin Cheney-SWPA

Kristin Cheney developed the program due to her passionate belief that seniors, like all others, should be able to benefit from the friendship and companionship of a pet. She states, “For many of my seniors, their pet is their only family. An individual, particularly a senior, shouldn’t have to make the decision between feeding themselves and feeding or otherwise caring for their pet.” It is the only service of its kind in the Puget Sound region and serves as a model for similar community-based and volunteer efforts in other areas.

Because of the decline in food and cash donations, SWPA is forced to purchase food on our own to meet the current demand. We have even lost many of our volunteers due to the high cost of fuel, making it difficult for them to help on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, if we do not start receiving donations soon, we will be forced to close our doors to the seniors that need us so desperately.

SENIORS WITH PETS ASSISTANCE
2108 Tacoma Avenue South
Tacoma, WA 98402
(253)581-8870
HYPERLINK “http://www.seniorswithpets.org” www.seniorswithpets.org

More later … — MM

Janet Jackson was admitted to a hospital Monday night, causing the cancellation of her concert in Montreal, but released less than two hours later. What was wrong with Janet?

Snarky Mike knows: The concert wouldn’t get her a headline; the cancellation would.

More later … — MM

First, Western Washington Center for the Arts condensed all 28 William Shakespeare plays into 2 1/4 hours of loony fun in their current production, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” (which is very funny, by the way).

Now, Changing Scene Theatre Northwest is doing the same thing, only different. Their fall offering will be The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s (writers Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor) attempt to relate 600 years of American history in 6,000 seconds (or thereabout) in “The Complete History of America (Abridged).”

And, since it was such a success for their “Summerplay 2008″ festival, CTSN will be back at the Panda Inn, 4180 Kitsap Way in Bremerton, for the show’s run, offering dinner-and-show or lunch-and-show packages.

Directed by Darren Hembd, the show will run Oct. 24 to Nov. 8, with dinner shows Fridays and Saturdays (dinner 6:30 p.m., show 7 p.m.) and lunch-and-laugh performances Saturdays (12:30 p.m. food, 1:30 p.m. funny stuff). There’s also a Thursday evening show Oct. 30. No dinner show Oct. 25, and — to keep your evening open for trick-or-treatin’ — no show Oct. 31.

The show and a full Chinese meal run $25, and reservations are required, because there are only so many seats in the venue and only so many woks in the kitchen. There will be a limited number of “show-only” tickets sold at the door, unless the eaters already have bought them all up.

Information: (360) 792-792-8601, changingscenenorthwest.org.

More later … — MM

Warren Miller ’s annual cinematic salute to all things snowy — this one’s titled “Warren Miller’s Children of Winter” — will screen on Nov. 19 and 20 (8 p.m. each night) at the Admiral Theatre , 515 Pacific Ave. in downtown Bremertron.

The film also will show at lesser venues around the Pacific Northwest, including McCaw Hall in Seattle (Nov. 21 and 22) and the Pantages in Tacoma (Nov. 15 and 16). But the Admiral’s closer, and tickets are cheaper, to boot.

More later … — MM