Buzz Bin

by Michael Bowen & r & & r &


Family Jewel


A girl on the bus was engaged in an intense cell phone conversation about her family's inheritance. "Grandma says I'm the baby of the family, and so I'm special," she said, so that everyone onboard could hear. "But Grandma is dying. And I love her and all, but I want my money."





Well, sentimentality does have its limits. And the girl may just have caught a bad case of the narcissism.





Who Says Poetry Doesn't Pay?


U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall has awarded Whitworth's Laurie Lamon a $10,000 fellowship and a reading at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., next Thursday. (Linger over her poem "You Think of the Loss of Paradise" for images evoking the evanescent miracles you can pick up along any street.) Visit www.loc.gov/poetry.





Cavorting With the Adelines


You can ogle "Dancing With the Stars," or you can enjoy a local replica: the dance gyrations of Dave Sposito of KZZU (in a black toreador shirt!) and Robyn Nance of KXLY (in a scarlet come-hither dress!) combined with the 48 voices of the Spirit of Spokane Chorus at the Bing on Sunday, March 25, at 3 pm. Tickets: $15; $12, seniors and students. Visit www.spiritofspokanechorus.org or call 325-SEAT.





A Grief Examined


Sixteen years ago, Cheryl Strayed was planning on graduating from college at the same time as her mother. But her mother died from cancer during spring break. Now Strayed, whose work has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, will appear at Auntie's on Wednesday, March 28, at 7:30 pm. She'll read from her first novel, Torch (published by Houghton Mifflin), about a mother informing her two children that she's dying of cancer. Call 838-0206.





Like Romeo and Juliet


With Sand and Pyramids


Look for our preview next week of Aida (March 29-April 1 at the INB Center), which 1) tosses Verdi's music in favor of Elton John's R & amp;B and pop-rock, 2) dispenses with that bummer of a tragic ending, and 3) deals with the desert heat by ensuring that the Egyptian warriors and Nubian handmaidens never have to hassle with much clothing.





Completely Uncalled For


You have until 3 pm on Friday to vote for Barats and Bereta in Best Comedy Video at youtube.com/YTAwards.