These are a few of our favorite things this week:
Supersuckers Sunday night at Shank Hall -- In case you didn't gather from the name of the band or the titles of albums and songs like "Rock and Roll Records (Ain't Sellin' This Year)" and "Mother------- be Trippin'," Supersuckers don't take themselves too seriously.
But, they're serious about pumping out heart-pounding, ear-splitting punkabilly at a breakneck pace. They've been doing it for about 20 years, 200 shows a year and they aren't ready to slow down yet.
How cool is this band? Well, the lead singer's name is Eddie Spaghetti, and they're cool enough to open for Social Distortion and record with Willie Nelson. The group is also cool enough to call itself "the greatest rock ‘n' roll band in the world."
From the opening song to the "fake" encore, fans have come to depend on Supersuckers for nights of hootin', hollerin' and "Hell, yeah." See them Sunday, then take your friends the next time the band rolls through town.
The Cocksmiths open the show. Tickets are $16 in advance and $18 at the door. Shank Hall doesn't do service charges and you'll get your money's worth. --Drew Olson
Free, high-quality ring tones on your iPhone -- Apple wants to charge you $1 per ring tone -- and that's after you've already bought the whole song on iTunes for 99 cents. Fortunately, you have options. First, surf over to Mobiles24.com and go nuts downloading .mp3 snippets, or if you have QuickTime Pro and know what you're doing, make them yourself. Once the snippet is safely into iTunes, download the awesome iToner. It comes with a one-month trial for you to attach absurd ring tones to all of your friends' numbers. And if you still aren't done after that period, you can buy it for a measly $15. It's well worth it for a lifetime of hilarity. --Andy Tarnoff
"Hopkins" -- I've only caught about 30 minutes of this ABC hospital documentary, but it was riveting enough for me to want to see more and recommend it. It's nice to see a network put the "reality" back in reality TV. --D.O.
Chula Vista Resort -- After going to four water parks in The Dells, I declare Chula Vista as my favorite. It's about five miles from the strip and surrounded by acres of trees, providing a more relaxed environment. The lodges are clean and simple, and the water parks, both indoor and out, are compact, but designed to accommodate the casual splasher to the thrill seeker. We particularly liked the outdoor wave pool, complete with a bar and restaurant overlooking the "beach." If you are hesitant about the water park scene, Chula is a good place to start. It's fun, but not overwhelming. --Molly Snyder Edler
"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch -- Lessons on life from the late Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University who became a Web sensation with his speech, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," while battling terminal pancreatic cancer. More inspiring than "The Secret." --D.O.
NPR's Live Concert Series from "All Songs Considered" -- For any music lover working at a computer all day, Bob Boilen's podcasts are a great way to stave off the monotony of your regular iTunes library. But while the regular "All Songs Considered" show can be something of a tease -- Boilen only plays one track from each artist, followed by his own commentary -- the live concert series gives you the whole show, no interruptions. I subscribed via NPR.org last week when I read that they were broadcasting a 2.5-hour Tom Waits performance from his Glitter and Doom tour. How I wish I could have been there in person. The subscription then quickly loads its backlog of concerts into your iTunes and now suddenly I have shows from Bon Iver, The Raconteurs, The National and tons more at my fingertips for free. Love it. --Julie Lawrence
Air hockey -- The 7-year-old in my house has come to love this game. After a spirited match on a big table inside an arcade at State Fair Park, I can see why. It's much quicker and requires less skill than foosball and the long rallies leave you laughing. --D.O.
Les Paul's House of Sound -- The Discovery World exhibit featuring local boy and guitar god Les Paul is even more interesting, more engaging and more thorough than I expected. Most fun are the hands-on parts that allow visitors to experiment with sound, music and science the way Paul has always done. And the chance to record a video "duet" or get a one-on-one video guitar lesson from the master is great fun. Much of the story is told -- instead of on traditional museum panels -- on giant comics drawn by Marvel Comics' masters specifically for the exhibition. And, yes, there are some cool guitars, too. --Bobby Tanzilo
