Buzz Bin

by Inlander Staff & r & George E. Bush? & r & So Republicans think Geena Davis' new show, Commander in Chief, is part of a vast left-wing conspiracy to pave the way for a Hilary Clinton administration.


Why don't they see contemporary parallels in that new show about a good ol' boy who means well but is a bit of a dim bulb? My Name Is Earl might just as well be My Name Is George. But then Earl's ratings are so much better than George "39 percent" W's.





Beethoven Buildup & r & Build it -- meaning throw together a couple of familiar symphonies -- and not only will they come, they'll fill up the Opera House.


During a sold-out Beethoven Bash on Friday night, the delicacy that Eckart Preu elicited from the string section at the very beginning of the Fifth's final movement, just before the horn fanfare, was truly remarkable.


"God, I love that music," exclaimed one woman as we exited toward the river. Couldn't disagree.





Monkeying Around & r & Funniest moment in Spokane Children's Theater's Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business (which continues at SCC's Lair Bldg. through Sunday): Jamie Flanery impersonating a kindergartener who's fidgeting through show and tell, only to discover that something's gone terribly, terribly wrong with his pet crickets, Russell and Hoppy. Tami Knoell also shines as Lucille, an insufferable twerpette in a tiara.





Music of the Perfume Islands & r & She's billed as "child of the world, daughter of the earth," and it's easy to chuckle. But as a Muslim from the Comoros Islands -- stuck out there between India and East Africa -- Nawal has dared to fight against misogyny: She's the first Comoran woman to give performances as a singer/songwriter in public. She'll sing in four languages and play the gambusi (a Comoran banjo-like instrument) on Sunday, Oct. 23, with dinner at 5:30 pm (peanut soup, Indian pastries known as samosas, a coconut curry chicken dish known as "kuku paka," Swahili snacks and chai teas) and concert at 7 pm. Tickets: $41; $19, show only. Visit & lt;a href="http:www.spokanecenterstage.com" & Center Stage & lt;/a & or call 74-STAGE.





Gross Movies' Grosses & r & Of the half-dozen already-released movies that are touted as Best Picture possibilities at & lt;a href="http://www.oscarwatch.com" & Oscar Watch & lt;/a & , Cinderella Man (No. 32 at the box office, having earned $62 million domestically) is the best performer so far. But Fantastic Four (superheroes vs. Doctor Doom) is at No. 10 with $154 million.


So -- ballpark figures -- less than 3 percent of Americans have seen Russell Crowe's boxing drama. But then only about 6 percent of us devoted our leisure hours to the comic-book nonsense. That makes us feel better.