Asian bistro delights long-suffering foodies

INSIDE: RON KIND IS RISING; OTHER DEMOCRATS, NOT SO MUCH • PAGE 3

La Crosse's Free Press VOLUME 10, NO. 43 | NOVEMBER 11, 2010

ALSO...

Neon proves pop music is ageless Page 12

PHOTO BY BRIANA RUPEL

"The most beautiful thing that has ever been set on a table in front of me" BAMBOO HOUSE, THE BISTRO WE'VE BEEN BEGGING FOR Page 5 PLUS: 'Y MARKS THE SPOT' • PAGE 7 | THEATRE COVERAGE • PAGES 8-9 | A MIXTAPE FOR MATT • PAGE 12

2// November 11, 2010

Second Supper

Social Networking NAME AND AGE: Trinity Diane Carlson, 21

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Minneapolis, Minn.

CURRENT JOB: Server at Applebees DREAM JOB: Freelance writer/singer/ bum. Or something ridiculous like the host of Clean House.

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED: Antumbra IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE? Ireland

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE: Motorcycle diaries-esque trip across the Americas.

WHAT IS YOUR BEVERAGE OF CHOICE? Monster's Chai Hai CELEBRITY CRUSH: Max Bemis

608-788-8899

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING? “The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls

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WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE? People who can't spell

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A lamp

WHAT'S IN YOUR POCKET RIGHT NOW?: Bobby pins, a lighter, and Burt's Beeswax

IF A GENIE GRANTED YOU ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD YOU ASK FOR? To show up in the Delorean and take me back to the future once a year for the rest of my life.

FIRST CONCERT YOU WENT TO: Warped Tour

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF SECOND SUPPER? Definitely The Majak Mixtape

HOW DO YOU KNOW ASHLY (LAST WEEK'S INTERVIEW? We're neighbors. A series of benders that made it necessary to perfect the adult sleepover — Compiled by Shuggypop Jackson, shuggypop.jackson@secondsupper.com

Second Supper

Things To Do Go downtown

The Top Asian food wish list (updated) 1. Palak paneer 2. Dwaeji galbi 3. Kimchi jiggae 4. Masala dosa 5. Okonomiyaki 6. Mongolian BBQ 7. Dak galbi Things that make Matt Harter cry 1. Injustice 2. Brown suits 3. Oscar the Grouch 4. 2012 5. Disappointing Daddy 6. Lawyers 7. Newspapers

November 11, 2010 // 3

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Calling all hardcore holiday shoppers! Be sure to reserve this evening for an exploration of what downtown La Crosse has to offer. Downtown Main Street Inc. and area businesses will host the Downtown La Crosse Holiday Open House from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12.

There will be tons of sales at downtown stores and many will be offering goodies as well! Some businesses will offer additional specials to those who donate to the La Crosse Public Library's Give-a-Gift fundraiser! There will be a shuttle bus that will loop around downtown! Make it complete by having dinner at one of the many restaurants that offer great menu selections and delicious food! For more information, call 784-0440 or visit www.lacrossedowntown.com.

1

Jog your tailfeathers off

Get your trot on as UW-La Crosse hosts the 16th annual Turkey Trot on Nov. 20. This 5k Fun Run kicks off at 9 a.m. and encompasses a trail-like race with an epic finish at the Veteran’s Memorial Stadium complex on the UW-L campus. Medals and turkeys are awarded to the top five male and female finishers, as well as the top five male and female predictors of their finishing time. Proceeds from this 5k will benefit the Physical Activity Mentoring Program for Children with Disabilities, the UW-L Multicultural Student Scholarship and the UW-L Recreational Sports Department. In addition to the 5K Fun Run, a Junior Gobbler race will be held at 10:45 a.m. on the track of the Veteran’s Memorial Stadium for the kiddies. Each Junior Gobbler will receive a race number and competition medal. To register for either races, gobble on over to www.uwlax.edu/turkeytrot.

2

Get some used media

Don’t even think about passing up snagging some great books at the Fall Book Sale held at UW-L’s Murphy Library today, Nov. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be lots of books for sale at cheap prices, paperbacks are just 50 cents, hard covers going for $1 and DVDs are $1. There will be a collector’s corner featuring specially priced books and from noon to 2 p.m. on Thursday, books are $4 per bag and from 2:05-3 p.m., remaining books (excluding Collector’s Corner) are free. The proceeds will go to the library staff development fund and library acquisitions.

3

See the Sirens

Come experience some intense roller derby Saturday as the La Crosse Skating Sirens take on the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz at the La Crosse Center. Doors opening at 6 p.m. and the action kicking off at 7:15 p.m. Advance tickets for the bout are $10 for trackside (must be 18 or older to sit trackside), general admission is $7 for adults, $4 for children between 13 and 17, $2 for children between 7 and 12, or free for children 6 and under.

Roll the dice

4

La Crosse Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting Rollin’ On The Riviera, a casino night fundraiser Thursday, Nov. 18, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event will take place at the American Legion Club rooms, Roy L. Vingers Post 52, 711 S. 6th St., La Crosse. Featuring food, beer and soda, a cash bar, casino cash, tip boards and tons of prizes, you cannot go wrong! (You can only be unlucky) Admission to event is made by purchasing a $10 raffle ticket, and you do not have to be present to win.

5

4// November 11, 2010

WisPolitics.com Report THAT'S DEBATABLE

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Second Supper

COMMENTARY

Editor's Note: WisOpinion.com has asked two veterans of Wisconsin policy and politics, Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now and Brian Fraley of the John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, to engage in weekly exchanges on a topic of their choosing.

This week they debate the significance of Tuesday's election results.

.........

Fraley: Well, that was fun. While Walker and Johnson's margins may have been tighter than I optimistically had hoped, the congressional and legislative victories across the state were damn impressive and exceeded my expectations. My native state has just taken the largest leap from blue to red in the nation.

This wasn't merely the result of a wave. These victories were hard-fought and outright won.

Ross: The millions spent by Karl Rove and WMC and Americans for Petroleum and RGA and the hordes of corporate special interests took advantage of a toxic environment. That’s why Wisconsin’s lege chambers flipped and why Walker and RoJoke prevailed. Since 2000, Democrats won 12 of the last 14 statewide partisan races. This is a purple state, and occasionally Republican blind squirrels will find their nuts.

Fraley: Keep belittling the voters and mocking the conservative independents who decide elections. I absolutely love it. Don't overlook the work of all those who work on the legislative races. They harvested seeds

sown by the Tea Party sentiment and helped achieve largest GOP working legislative majority since Dwight Eisenhower was president!

Ross: Actually, insulting the voters would be hiding your clearly unqualified candidate for second in command from debates, or announcing your new U.S. Senate luminary would suddenly be unavailable to talk to the media for the next two months so he can’t reinsert his silver foot in his mouth. Don’t believe your own hype: The toxic environment that hit Wisconsin Dems up and down the ticket ain’t voters suddenly embracing the failed Republican agenda.

Fraley: Tuesday was a wholesale rejection of the Democrats at the state and national level.

Your side veered too far to the left. America, and Wisconsin have said they don't want to go down that road. Still, Connecticut, Nevada, Colorado, Washington and California proved that a favorable environment is not enough to ensure victory, you still have to run good candidates and good races to win.

Ross: Democrats were put in charge to stop a second Great Depression and not only did they do that, they also created 3.3 million jobs, provided a recovery act of which 40 percent was spent on tax cuts and cut the deficit from the Bush record — $1.41 trillion level as part of the president's first budget.

NEWS IN BRIEF Voters want transportation funds protected

EVERY SATURDAY FROM 9PM TO CLOSE

MyEaglesNest.NET

Voters in each of the 53 counties that considered an advisory referendum on protecting the state transportation fund endorsed the proposal, according to the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin.

Dodge County passed the referendum with the highest margin in the state, with more than 85 percent of voters backing a constitutional amendment to ban raids of the transportation fund. Trempealeau County registered the closest margin, with the referendum passing with 62 percent of voters in favor.

TDA Executive Director Craig Thompson said the results should send a "clear message" to the next Legislature.

"People are tired of talk," Thompson said. "They want action. Passing this legislation early in the session would demonstrate that this new Legislature is there to do the people's business."

Such an amendment would require passage in two successive legislative sessions and approval in a statewide referendum.

Visit us online at www.secondsupper.com

Voters wanted change faster, Dem leader says

Democrats lost because change didn't come quickly enough, state Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate said following the loss of the governor's mansion and both houses of the Legislature on Election Day.

Tate said the electorate was concerned about “kitchen-table issues” such as jobs, the economy and education.

“I think the Democratic Party is the one best poised to answer those questions, but people didn't see change fast enough since the time we elected President Obama,” he said.

Tate said the Democratic base turned out in strong numbers, but the race was lost among independents.

Tate congratulated Republicans on their victory and said Democrats will work with them when they are right and oppose them when they're wrong. He said Democrats are now focused on winning back seats in 2012 and making sure Scott Walker and Ron Johnson serve only one term.

He said he was proud of the campaigns Democrats ran, but they were caught in a national wave.

“We saw sweeping gains for Republicans all across the country, and I think that Wisconsin did get caught up in the national narrative,” Tate said.

STOCK REPORT

RISING Ron Kind:

The La Crosse incumbent is a Dem survivor, battling a Republican hurricane that took out the Dem legislative leaders.

Fans say Kind took his lumps from middleof-the-road voters in the spring, reminded liberals he was there on big issues, then got up on TV and told rural Dems that he was a hunter who cared about ag — before an onslaught of national conservative money flowed into the district. Then he aggressively defined GOP opponent Dan Kapanke as ethically flawed. That helped Kind deal with some questions about his own ethics when there were late-breaking pay-to-play allegations. Some see Kind emerging from the election with a formula for other Dems to succeed in a hostile environment. Others are taking a wait-and-see approach to Kind's future viability for a statewide run, noting he created some of his own problems by voting for things like cap-and-trade and the health care bill.

MIXED Education referendums:

Voters reject nearly $110 million in additional spending requested by local schools while approving $52 million in 21 referendums around the state. The most expensive education referendum on the ballot Election Day wins approval as voters across south central Wisconsin backed a $133 million building plan for Madison Area Technical College. Dane County, where three-fourths of those who voted in the referendum live, backed the request with about 63 percent of the vote. The rest of the district supported it by about 500 votes.

FALLING Dem prospects:

The election beatdown at the hands of the Wisconsin electorate was dispiriting enough. But as Dems look toward 2012 and beyond, they’re coming to grips with a decimated bench. Toss in the fact the GOP is firmly in control of redistricting for 2012, and it doesn’t exactly paint a pretty picture for the next couple of elections. Dem say they expect Herb Kohl to run for another term in 2012, when he’ll be 77. Without him, Dem strategists say their top options right now would be Ron Kind, who eked out a win in his western Wisconsin district amid hotly contested pay-to-play allegations, and Tammy Baldwin, who many Dems don’t think can win statewide. Four years ago after Mark Green lost to Jim Doyle, insiders say, Republicans already knew Scott Walker was waiting in line for his shot at the office in 2010. Dems can’t point to someone similar at this point, though Kind's name pops up.

Second Supper

COMMUNITY

Asian bistro delights long-suffering foodies

By Briana Rupel

briana.rupel@secondsupper.com

We Americans love to go out to eat. We enjoy celebrating anniversaries at our favorite supper clubs, eating over candlelight with our dates at the local steakhouse, and kicking back with friends at popular chains where the menus are known to be well-rounded enough to please everybody.

It’s obvious by the ubiquity of restaurants that the people of La Crosse are no different in their love for the dine-out experience. Of course we’re proud of these old American standbys, but we’re also not as unadventurous as you may think — and we‘re always up for something new. Ask your friends, customers, co-workers — even strangers on the sidewalk — what kind of cuisine they want brought to this area, and I guarantee you will not have anyone look up thoughtfully to the sky and muse, “You know, I think La Crosse could definitely use another pizza place … or maybe even a sandwich shop!”

No. We want our taste buds to be shocked and delighted — not bored with the same-old. We are craving Thai, Turkish, Persian, Indian … anything other than our current “ethnic food” selection, which is mostly defined by some cheese-smothered Americanized-Mexican brick posing as a burrito. And I feel comfortable enough saying that we’ve stuffed our faces with so much pizza in this town, we’d make the entire population of Chicago shudder.

Yet when I spotted in the Tribune that a new “Asian Bistro” was coming to Onalaska, I uncrossed my fingers in frumpy disappointment and sighed. Call me jaded, but I couldn’t help but picture yet another semblance of Chinese cuisine: a mass of buffet warming tins, each offering a different coagulated, goopy mess of noodle-plus-mystery vegetable, lined up like cars in a parking lot you’re forced to wander through. Then something caught my eye.

“Huh,” I thought, surprised. “It’s not a buffet.” I read on.

"What?!’ I was in disbelief. “Thai and Vietnamese?!” Now we’re talkin’.

Could this be a taste of what my palate had been missing? Could this actually be something [gulp] different? I was beyond intrigued, but still a bit doubtful. I rounded up a couple of friends and we journeyed to the East Towne Plaza in Onalaska to find the Bamboo House.

It’s only been a day and I already can’t wait to go back. I must implore you now: Put down your fork and re-learn immediately how to use those chopsticks. For this is not just another Chinese restaurant.

Bamboo House offers an extensive entrée and sushi menu and a reasonably priced hibachi menu. If you’ve never before had the hibachi experience — where a group of people sit around a large grill while the chef expertly tosses the ingredients of your meal around, flinging the cooked morsels onto your plate — I would recommend waiting for a special occasion and rounding up a large

group of family and friends. Make sure to set aside a couple of hours; you not only want to savor the food, but the show as well.

On this particular evening, however, we opted to peruse the entrees and sushi while nestled in a back booth. Before opening the menus, we couldn’t help but comment on the atmosphere. The restaurant is painted in a modern, if not hip, purple and black, and thankfully forgoes the Christmas lights, the paper Chinese zodiac placemats, and other kitschy decor that has become common of the everyday Chinese restaurant. We liked the contemporary fixtures that softened the light, the tall booths that blocked out the conversations of those behind you, and the ornate, beautiful sushi bar, which stands, intentionally or not, as a focal point in the dining area.

Another plus is that Bamboo House is completely suitable for a couple dressed up and out for a date, yet a group of friends wearing jeans and sweatshirts could dine comfortably without even a second glance. Both seem equally appropriate.

Our fun and gracious server Tina let us take our time going through the menu, which we were grateful for. This menu will be a challenge for people who like everything.

Bamboo House offers crowd-pleasing favorites such as Crab Rangoons and Sweet and Sour Chicken, but also dishes for those with adventurous tastebuds: Lemongrass Salmon, Shan Hai Duck, and Mussels with Black Bean Sauce, to name a few.

We had decided early on to get a number of items and share them family style. After some deliberating and drooling, we had a list narrowed down … and written on a piece of paper, it was so long. Our meal came out in phases, which was an appreciated alternative to being bombarded all at once. First came the Vietnamese Egg and Spring Rolls and Goyza, a chicken dumpling. Next were huge serving bowls of Pad Thai, the popular peanut noodle dish; and Panang, a Thai curry cooked with coconut milk, lime leaves, sweet basil, and tender chicken. The dish sweetly melts in your mouth, then gives you a short spicy bite at the end. One friend praised the doneness of the Lo Mein in the Pad Thai, explaining that places often let the noodles reach a mushy stage. The chefs at Bamboo House had nailed it. We were in heaven.

Tina came back to check on us. “You need to start eating, or I will have to bring another table over for you,” she joked. We had more on its way. I pleaded with my stomach to stretch itself. I was ready for the Scorpion King, a roll with soft shell crab, shrimp tempura, eel, avocado and cucumber.

Our eyes must have been the size of dinner plates when our sushi encore arrived.

One friend’s mouth was agape. “This is the most beautiful thing that has ever been set on a table in front of me,” he said without exaggeration.

The vegetable centerpiece was topped with a tower of alternating artichoke leaves, the last of which cradled a glowing fire. Basking under the heat nearby were the colorful Black Dragon and Scorpion King. Paper um-

brellas stuck proudly on the mounded islands of wasabi, as the Futo Maki and asparagus rolls lapped at their shores. It was truly an artistic display. After marveling for a minute and making use of the photo-op, we unabashedly dug in.

With the words “beautiful”, “glorious” and “awesome” dominating our vocabulary during dinner, it’s no wonder that as a friend stacked his empty plate onto mine and pushed it to the edge of the table he paused and said, “I think I just found my new favorite restaurant.”

Even when the check came, we were pleasantly surprised. For three people with ferocious appetites, still walking away with a pile of leftovers, our total barely nudged $75. In fact, the most expensive entrée on the entire menu is $15.95 … and it’s a seafood dish with shrimp, scallops, and salmon.

With too-full — but happy! — bellies, the three of us each eagerly grabbed a fortune cookie off of the table. While I shrugged at mine, one of my friends laughed out loud.

“You guys won’t believe this,” he said, holding the tiny rectangle of paper in front of him. After clearing his throat he read aloud, grinning.

“A good way to keep healthy is to eat more Chinese food.”

That’s one diet I’ll gladly start tomorrow at Bamboo House.

November 11, 2010 // 5

6// November 11, 2010

COMMUNITY

Letter to the Editor Response to Mr. Kaye (Nov. 4 Second Supper) and to others who may share his dismay at the disappearance of the zoo from Myrick Park:

Please be patient; what you ask for IS in the works. The long-range plan for the Myrick-Hixon Eco-Park will have "a play-based center with a focus on the environment," and opportunities for children to take "frequent trips to the marsh, plant a garden, and eat seasonal foods" — just what you ask for.

The problem is, development takes time and money, and in our current political atmosphere — where, apparently, everyone wants to "cut taxes" — money is hard to come by,

so even more time is required. The gift shop may not make much money — but it makes SOME — and Myrick-Hixon needs all it can get.

Right now, the main building may not seem to offer much but "pictures ... and stuffed raccoons," but there are many environmental education programs going on.

Check into it! With your interest, you might want to become a Friend of the Eco Center. Don't just complain, get involved — and be patient to see what is coming to Myrick-Hixon.

— Tom Scarseth

On Bullying

By Brett Emerson brett.emerson@secondsupper.com

I hate categorization, especially when it comes to human beings. In my opinion, there isn’t much that is more of a threat to the well-being of mankind than demographics. I see the problems created by primarily defining one’s self by gender, ancestry, age, spiritual status, and whom one sleeps with as sort of a polar paradox. Sure, groups separate people from one another, causing bigotry, tribalism, and discrimination, but at the same time they don’t separate people far enough, to the point where every person is an individual free from all the expectations and biases of the competing cultures.

Going further, I refuse to claim a sexual orientation. First off, I’m far too narcissistic and antisocial to define myself by the presence of someone else. But I suppose the main reason why I choose to not define myself along sexual lines is that I demand the ability to like any person in any way that I want. Sex holds a pretty low rank in my relationships, so describing myself as gay, straight, or bisexual would feel like a copout.

Of course, this means that I often get treated as though I’m gay. Wearing makeup and dresses and singing songs about molesting the male cast of Saved by the Bell hasn’t helped. But I think I’d get the homo label anyway. As progressive as we like to think of ourselves, there’s still a huge gay paranoia within our society, the magnitude of which draws parallels to McCarthyism. One must always travel with one’s identification in full view. Among guys (and let it be noted that I’m not presuming to speak for the ladies), this pretty much means that if you’re not banging at least five smokin’ hot girls at once, in full view of the entire world, your sexuality is suspect.

As an adult, I’ve fallen victim to this meatheaded thinking, but as a teenager, in a public school, shit. I’m going to come right out and say it: f*** public school. It’s a refinery of anti-intellectualism populated by savage little shits constantly at war with each other. With the exception of a few friends, teachers, and an army of guidance counselors, I hated just about every moment I spent in the system. My great grades were no indication of my experience. On the off chance that I have children, there is no f***ing way I will subject them to what I went through.

I suppose I’m queer in the more universal sense of the word, which is to say that I’m a chronic stranger. But in that 12 year prison term that is public education, few recognize the difference. The weirdos are

Second Supper

faggots, regardless of what nascent form of sexuality is developing within them, and they suffer for it. In that hateful maelstrom of loneliness and status-seeking, I was no innocent, though I mostly survived by vanishing instead of damaging. For the belligerent, homophobia was often a convenient excuse for being an asshole — but sometimes we were just being assholes.

I’m happier now, by the way.

So I look at the recent rash of gay teen suicides with horror and sympathy, and I think that the massive outpouring of support for these kids — especially that shown in the It Gets Better Project — is nothing short of amazing. Comparing the current reaction to something even so recent as the Columbine shootings of 1999 is mind-blowing. In my experience, Columbine became a justification for bullying, not against it. All soul-searching and self-questioning were quickly drowned in reactionary concealment and witch hunts for boogeymen wearing trenchcoats. I remember. I was there. I was wearing one.

Yet today I also see a danger in some of the reactions. While most people have their hearts in the right place, I’ve picked up on a lingering tendency to emphasize the gay in gay bullying, and the gay in gay suicide.

With all due respect to the fact that homosexuality is still viewed by too many as a source for second-class citizens, and being fully aware of the monstrous shit that is still coming out of the mouths and keyboards of the wannabe righteous phobe-trolls, I don’t think that the problem of bullying should be defined by who it’s happening to. I don’t think that most, if any, acts of brutality should be. Suffering is personal, relative, and can’t be compared. Between the extremes of hypochondria and institutionalized crimes against humanity, when a spectator rates one person’s misery as more important than another’s, humanity’s lesser natures tend to creep in. It also makes people placed outside of the special circle less inclined to care. In fighting injustice, you can’t just stand up for those you claim as your own. You have to stand up for everybody, or nothing gets solved.

Keep in mind that the early Christians were fed to the lions. Look how well that turned out.

So when I hear or read about people saying that people who aren’t gay can’t understand the horrors of gay bullying, my first impulse is to answer that this isn’t always true. Just because I’m not gay doesn’t mean that I haven’t been treated like shit because someone thought I was gay. I feel like people who make such exclusionary comments discount not only the damage and perspectives of the straights, but also those of aliens like me.

But in spite of my cynicism, I hope — to steal a phrase — that things do get better, and we take the larger view. And I think most people are. It may take a little nudge and a willingness for people to look beyond their usual circles, but it seems that we’re approaching a common ground where all kids will be viewed — and further, treated — as important. That can only mean good things when those kids become adults.

Second Supper

November 11, 2010 // 7

8// November 11, 2010

Second Supper

ARTS

6Q

with Chelsea McManimon-Moe & Cameron S. Meilicke, from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

By Jonathan Majak jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com

Ladies and gentlemen, step away from your spell check. In a time where spell checks have become a fantastic crutch, spelling bees hold a distinct charm as kids spell with vigor under the bright lights. Starting Friday, Viterbo will be tackling this pop culture phenom with their production of the musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We talked with two of the actors, Chelsea McManimon-Moe and Cameron S. Meilicke, about their roles, the show and made them spell “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Just kidding on the last part!

Second Supper: So explain to our readers your characters of Olive and Leaf.

Cameron: Leaf Coneybear is a homeschooled 12-year-old from the Basin! He is quite the endearing young man. He has severe attention deficit disorder and has never been to a school — let alone partake in a district spelling bee.

Chelsea: Olive is one of the spelling bee competitors. She is an only child whose parents are not around very often. Olive loves words and enjoys her time spent with her dictionary.

SS: Playing a kid seems like it would be a difficult sort of role, given how you have to juggle child-like naiveté with slight sense of precociousness given their spelling bee participation. How do you approach it?

Cameron: Leaf is a type of character that I actually can relate to in some sense. I myself have quite a case of A.D.D, so his extreme sense of awareness of everything around him is an exciting role to play. For Leaf, I kind of get to fuzz my mind a bit and just follow my every impulse.

Chelsea: I think the director’s notes in our scripts say it best, “It is important to find the human who lives at the center of a character.” These kids are people with different desires and needs. I think by focusing on what Olive really wants and what is true for her already helps everything else to naturally fall into place.

SS: In the show, there is audience participation built-in due to members being plucked to be in the spelling bee. What's that like as an actor/actress to have that variable to contend with?

Cameron: I guess in an overall sense it can either be really exciting OR really frightening. Frightening, because of the way at any moment we could lose control of the pace of the show and not know what is to come next.

Which is great because it leaves room for us to play and have fun to a certain extent.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

LA CROSSE’S NEWEST & TRUEST PUB & EATERY WITHOUT THE FRANCHISE!

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ARTS

Pump House play has drama and cursing, just like real life Director won't censor edgy 'The Shape of Things'

By Jonathan Majak jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com

In a way, the coming together of The Pump House’s production of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things reads like a game of telephone. Actress Katie Bakalars read the script, then asked actor Ryan Soberg if he wanted to direct the show, and he then asked actress Emily Bourland, whom he was co-starring with in Angry Housewives at the time, if she wanted to play a role and also e-mailed actor Troy Iverson about participating. A phone call with actor Colin Thelen and all the roles were cast, and the actors embarked on putting together a production of the edgy play about love, art and the extremes people do for both.

It’s Wednesday evening, and the cast is rehearsing for the show in the Pump House’s art gallery. The atmosphere’s genial; the material’s most definitely not, which can be distracting if not done well, according to Soberg.

“I believe that if the audience walks out of the theatre thinking, ‘Gosh that language was offensive and shocking’ I haven't done my work as the director,” Soberg said. “Just like in life, this is how the characters speak, and we approach the language the same way we would in a period piece. Find the rhythm, know what the words mean, know what the character is saying and use the language as a vehicle for the character.”

“Whenever we 'censored' ourselves at the college level it was always done to make sure we were clear in the message of the show,” said Iverson, who plays Phil in the show. “If certain language was not critical to the core message, and you have any audience that might walk out if you keep it in, the language becomes a distraction.

Instead of conveying the deeper themes of the show, you have an audience that has shut you out. And a play with an audience that has shut you out is quite useless.”

Bakalars, who plays Evelyn in the show, said the characters — not the language — should leave people with a visceral reaction to the show.

“I would say that the only reason to be hesitant, in any way, is because these characters are in our lives every day, and that might make anyone a bit skittish,” she said.

While not letting a show sink under the weight of its edgy components is part and parcel of the responsibilities of the cast and crew, it’s also up to the audience to keep an open mind about the proceedings,

according to Bourland, who plays Jenny.

“I'm not asking people to necessarily agree with what they see and hear,” said Bourland, who recently played Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. “I personally don't condone killing and cooking people into pies, but at least open yourself up to the overall experience.”

Though UW-L and Viterbo do put on envelope-pushing shows such as The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Reasons to Be Pretty, Bourland and Thelen find a certain sense of freedom doing shows outside of the college environment.

“I feel like overall there are less people to worry about pleasing outside of college,” Bourland said. “I remember witnessing someone walk out of a Viterbo production because the actors said ‘damn’ one too many times. It's nice not having to worry so much about that.”

“There is more artistic freedom working outside of an educational theatre setting, but that is almost inherent because you don't have nearly as much oversight in a professional setting vs. an educational one,” Thelen said.

Bakalars spoke of her own brush with an audience being uncomfortable with material while playing Maureen in Rent at UW-L when a letter was written to the La Crosse Tribune about the show and its content.

“The outraged letter written during Rent, for me, was fulfilling,” she said. “I felt as an actor that I had portrayed my character as well as I possibly could, and to get a reaction like that is satisfying; it means that some connection was made, good or bad.

People felt something, and that's really what theatre is all about.”

For Soberg, being able to put on a show like The Shape of Things in La Crosse speaks to the thriving nature of the theatre community here.

“Theatre is such a dynamic and varied art form,” he said, “and it's important for a community to have options. Often, people have different tastes and are looking for a multitude of experiences, and that's part of the fun of live performance. Theatre, unlike other art forms, is about sharing an experience with the audience, and I think this community really embraces that.”

The Shape of Things opens Nov. 18 and runs until 21 at The Pump House Regional Arts Center. Tickets in advance are $15. Tickets at the door $18. For tickets call (608) 785-1434.

ROCK AND ROLL, PART 2 Second Supper's 2nd-annual Live Music Guide COMING IN DECEMBER

November 11, 2010 // 9

©2010 Treasure Island Resort & Casino

Second Supper

10// November 11, 2010

Second Supper

ARTS

The Arts Review Bizarro Masterpiece Theatre Medium: Film Grandma’s Boy (2006) Director: Nicholaus Goossen Cast: Allen Covert, Nick Swardson, Doris Roberts Writer: Barry Wernick, Allen Covert, Nick Swardson

There was a summer in my life in which my friends and I watched this film at least once a day, and the routine never grew old.

This isn’t necessarily because Grandma’s Boy is the greatest film ever, but it’s more of a comment about target audiences. For a group of sarcastic and surly twentysomethings manchildren — some of whom were pot smokers, all of whom were videogame freaks, and every last one a lover of karate monkeys — it’s hard

to name a more appropriate film.

The main plot involves perennial Adam Sandler henchman Allen Covert starring as a video game tester in his late 30s. After getting kicked out of his apartment because his roommate spent all of their money on Asian hookers, he runs out of options and ends up staying at his grandma’s place. Crazy old lady hijinks ensue.

But really, this isn’t about plot. The reason one watches this film is to take in the bizarre characters and ridiculous situations that splatter across the screen. Grandma’s Boy is little more than a series of high slapstick and comedy Rorschach, but somehow it incorporates all of its chaotic elements into a likable, if not entirely coherent, mass. This is a film in which an African witch doctor will suddenly show up, say a few ridiculous lines, and fade into the background to allow some other absurdity to follow, and somehow the viewer can roll with it.

Covert works great as the story’s tenuous anchor, bringing a wry and grudging enthusiasm to the proceedings. His sidekick, played

by Nick Swardson, is even better, cutting loose as a wide-eyed, cougar-hunting adult infant. But the scene-stealer in Grandma’s Boy is the villainous J.P., an arrogant yet inept video game prodigy played by Joel David Moore.

J.P. is about as great a nerd as can be imagined, and his woeful attempts at asserting authority over his game testers is undermined by the fact that he honestly believes that he is a robot, and acts accordingly, down to his

jerky movements and electronic voice. Moore is an absolute treasure in this role, though you’d think that such a role would carry the danger of getting typecast as an uber-nerd.

Then again, Moore ended up starring in Avatar, so if he is to forever be a film geek, at least he’s been well compensated.

Grandma’s Boy may not be for grandmas themselves, but for the modern nerd it is fine tomfoolery. Someday, when my generation ships out to the retirement homes and spends its last moments popping pills and playing videogames, I’m sure this film will be even more fitting.

— Brett Emerson

The Screening Room Medium: Film Due Date (2010) Director: Todd Phillips Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan Writers: Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel, Todd Phillips

I usually do everything I can to avoid watching trailers for upcoming comedies.

Why? Because more often than not they spoil the best parts of the movie. That was certainly the case with Todd Phillips' The Hangover, a film that crammed most of its

funniest moments into the two-minute theatrical preview and left nothing but scraps for the main course. History repeats itself with Phillips' latest, Due Date, perhaps his dullest film to-date. In trailer form, Due Date transcends the cliches of the buddy/road film genre, or at least feigns ignorance of them.

It's the image of a movie that's consistently fun, in tune with the pulse of modern day comedy, and just plain zany as all get out.

The unabridged Due Date is a whole other story. It retains an unrelenting zaniness, but not the kind that compliments the acting, the writing, or the comedic pacing.

Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis play two strangers splitting a rental car from Atlanta to L.A. Downey is the straight-edged sour-puss whose wife is having a c-section in three days, and Galifianakis is the clueless nincompoop with far-fetched dreams of television stardom.

This is a movie filled with bickering.

One minute its main characters are best buds, and the next minute they're reaching over to strangle each other. It's a bipolar film both in that sense, and in its tendency to place moments of tender emotion beside bursts of mean, miscalculated humor.

It makes for a water/oil effect of highs and lows, starts and stops that never cohere and don't produce any comedy worth more than a chuckle.

— Nick Cabreza

Show us where Altra has taken you and win a Flip Mino™ Send us a photo of you with your Altra Debit Card.

Maybe it's a vacation, an unusual setting, or an everyday experience. Be creative!

Each month through December, a team of Altra judges will pick our favorite photo and award that lucky Altra Debit Cardholder a Flip Mino™ camcorder to keep recording their adventures.

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Monthly prize will be awarded at the sole discretion of the judging team. Photos showing Altra members in a dangerous or illegal setting will not be considered, so don't even try it. Same goes for photos not rated G. Photos will not be retouched other than to obscure the number on the card if visible. By submitting a photo, you certify that you have the legal right to grant Altra unrestricted permission to publish the photo in any medium. Contest open to Altra members who are current Debit Card users. Sorry, Altra employees and their immediate family members are not eligible for prizes.

Second Supper

November 11, 2010 // 11

MUSIC

music directory // November 12 to November 18 just a roadie away FRIDAY,

November 12

Madison

NIGHTHAWKS TAP // 401 S. Third St. Julica Rose (blues rock) • 10 p.m.

population

PERT' NEAR SANDSTONE // DEC. 3 High Noon Saloon • $10

NEUIE'S NORTH STAR // 1732 George St. Str8Up (rock) • 8 p.m.

FAMILY FORCE 5 // DEC. 4 Barrymore Theatre • $20

PEARL STREET BREWERY // 1401 St. Andrew St.

Dave Orr (man about town) • 5 p.m.

DOOMTREE, DESSA, P.O.S. // DEC. 5 High Noon Saloon • $10

PIGGY'S BLUES LOUNGE // 501 Front St. S. Blue Vibe (blues) • 8 p.m.

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Red Sky Warning (roots, rock) • 10 p.m.

RED PINES BAR & GRILL // W7305 Hwy Z Don Harvey (folk) • 8 p.m.

STONEY CREEK // 3060 Kinney Coulee Rd. String Ties (bluegrass) • 7:30 p.m.

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES // DEC. 9-10 High Noon Saloon • $15 As you may have noticed elsewhere in this issue, the Myrick Hixon EcoPark has been the talk of the town lately. People appreciate the sharp new education center at the foot of the marsh, but they also want it to be open, fully-staffed and filled with cool stuff. To help get to that point, friends of the EcoPark are hosting a benefit concert this Saturday, Nov. 13 in the new building at 789 Myrick Dr. Prairie Smoke (pictured) will be the featured entertainment. This local group is inspired by the beauty of the Coulee Region, but their sound harkens to the past by playing such instruments as hammered dulcimer, fiddle, banjo, flute, penny whistle, upright bass, mandolin and guitar. Their sound drifts between Celtic, Americana and folk, and it should be the perfect soundtrack for a fundraiser in a natural setting. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased in advance at the EcoPark office or at the door.

NIGHTHAWKS TAP // 401 S. Third St. THE BODEGA // 122 4th St. The King Everything Classic Rock & The Kokopellians (jam grass; benefit Blues Revue • 10 p.m. for Hunger Task Force) • 9:30 p.m.

THE JOINT // 324 Jay St. Cheech and The Feelin' (rock) • 9:30 p.m.

THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. Ruben (rock & roll) • 8:30 p.m.

THE WATERFRONT TAVERN // 328 Front St. Costello & Hipps (folk jazz) • 8 p.m.

SATURDAY,

November 13

FOX HOLLOW // N3287 HIGHWAY OA. Paxico (rock) • 9 p.m.

HOLMEN FIRE DEPARTMENT // 710 S. Main St. Flashback (oldies; "Snows-A-Comin" fundraising dance) • 7 p.m.

JB'SSPEAKEASY // 717 Rose St. This Machine, This Could Be the Day, The Songs For (local indie rock) • 10 p.m.

MYRICK HIXON ECOPARK // 789 Myrick Dr. Prairie Smoke (celtic, Americana; EcoPark benefit concert) • 7:30 p.m.

208,054

PIGGY'S BLUES LOUNGE // 501 Front St. S. Blue Vibe (blues) • 8 p.m.

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. The Finesse (funk) • 10 p.m.

THE STARLITE LOUNGE // 222 Pearl St. Kies and Kompanie (jazz) • 8 p.m.

THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. Neon (pop-rock; CD release) • 8 p.m.

THE JOINT // 324 Jay St. The River Road Ramblers (bluegrass all-stars) • 10 p.m.

THE WAREHOUSE // 324 Pearl St. Parley, The Party Foul, Befriend & Betray, Behind These Eyes (metal) • 7 p.m.

THE WATERFRONT TAVERN // 328 Front St. Costello & Hipps (folk jazz) • 8 p.m.

VITERBO FINE ARTS CENTER // 929 Jackson St. The Artaria String Quartet (chamber music) • 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY,

November 14

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Som’n Jazz (jazz) • 10 p.m.

MONDAY,

November 15

DEL’S BAR // 229 Third St. Open Jam • 10 p.m.

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Shawn's Open jam • 10 p.m.

TUESDAY,

November 16

CLOUD CULT // DEC. 11 Majestic Theatre • $16 MUSTARD PLUG // DEC. 12 High Noon Saloon • $10

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Open Jam • 10 p.m.

THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. Nathan K. (folk) • 8 p.m.

RECOVERY ROOM // 901 7th St. S. Kin Pickin' (open jam) • 10 p.m.

THURSDAY,

November 18

BOOT HILL PUB // 1501 St. Andrew St. The Music Of Frank, Dean and Sammy (standards) • 7 p.m.

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Dave Orr (open jam) • 10 p.m.

CARTWRIGHT CENTER // 1725 State St. Mike Droho and the Compass Rose (acoustic pop) • 7 p.m.

THE ROOT NOTE // 114 4th St. S. 3rd Relation Jazz Trio (jazz) • 8:30 p.m.

DEL’S BAR // 229 Third St. T.U.G.G. (acoustic) • 10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY,

November 17

NIGHTHAWKS TAP // 401 S. Third St. Dave Orr's Damn Jam • 10 p.m.

DEL’S BAR // 229 Third St. Rich Wooten (rock) • 10 p.m.

POPCORN TAVERN // 308 S. Fourth St. Fuzzy HD, Urine (rock) • 10 p.m.

NIGHTHAWKS TAP // 401 S. Third St. Bad Axe Jam (gear provided) • 10 p.m.

THE STARLITE LOUNGE // 222 Pearl St. Kies and Kompanie (jazz) • 5 p.m.

12// November 11, 2010

MUSIC

Neon lights up pop-rock scene, attends first period pre-calculus The Majak Mixtape

By Jonathan Majak jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com

Not your average high school band, Neon will play a CD release show Saturday night at the Root Note.

By Jason Crider jason.crider@secondsupper.com

This Saturday, Nov. 13, head over to the Root Note for local pop rock act Neon’s debut CD release show.

The group has been compared to every classic pop act from the early Beatles to Oasis, and their simple, feel-good sound really works for them. Guitarist Matt Clark describes the band as “great music for those who wish to escape from the world of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber.”

Lately pop rock has become incredibly computerized and over-produced, and the guys in Neon, although still young, have decided to contest this trend by getting a little nostalgic with their influences, citing REM and the Rolling Stones, just to name a few.

The band’s four members are all still in

high school, but that hasn’t stopped them from some seriously impressive accomplishments, including playing a gig at this past Oktoberfest, having their music featured on British radio, as well as being featured in the La Crosse Tribune. Add Second Supper to that list now, guys

Although the group can boast a pretty hefty résumé, bassist Theo Pupillo says they struggle due to their age. “[We’re always] trying to convince people that we’re not your usual high school band,” he explained. “We can play and write some great music.”

After three years together, these high schoolers are finally excited to announce the release of their debut album, which will be supported by a full release show at the Root Note. “Now that it’s here we are ecstatic,” Clark said. “It’s great to have a place like the Root Note to hold this event.”

Oh Mayor Matt Harter, how are you holding up these days? From golden boy to ethics board, it has been quite a journey already in the short span you’ve been mayor of our fine city on the Mississippi. It’s bad enough to have yourself in the midst of an ethics scandal about whether or not you may or may not have used your position as mayor to stop a county study of trash collection for the benefit of your family’s garbage-hauling business.

But the cherry on top of the sundae that is this news story is the flat-out melodrama of you allegedly crying for 10 to 15 minutes during this meeting to discuss the halting of the study, as well as dropping to your knees, clasping your hands. Frankly, we think more complaints should be written with Emily Bronte-like flourishes. Anyway, true or not, it’s got to be embarrassing to have this all play out in the press, so we here our dedicating this week to you in our mix dubbed “There’s No Crying In Mixtapes.”

First up, we have Bloodhound Gang and their song, “Why’s Everybody Always Picking On Me” because we’re sure, from time to time, it can feel that way. Hell, we here at the Second Supper have done our fair share of lampooning you. But it’d sort of be shame-

Medium: Album Stimulus: Ace of Base — The Golden Ratio Anno: 2010

La Crosse's Free Press Reminds you to support the retailers, restaurants, taverns and bands that support us. We are funded solely by advertising so if you want to support us, support them!

conscientious commerce: Food for Thought

It has been eight years since Ace of Base released its last album, and for some time it seemed as though the band had packed it in. The gradual departures of the band’s two female singers, Jenny and Linn Berggren, seemed to be the final straw, but instead of calling it a day, the two remaining members decided to crew up, recruiting two new girls to sing their songs. The result is The Golden Ratio, and while there are some good tracks to be found, this version of Ace of Base doesn’t match the original. There are two big reasons why this is the case, and both have to do with Ace of Base trading in what made it unique for more conventional pop fodder.

First, the new vocalists sound like every other female pop vocalist on the scene. Their voices crack with girly vulnerability at all the right moments, their lyrics profess all the expected heartbreak and whimsy. They’re

Second Supper

ful if we didn’t because your existence sort of begs for satire of some sort because you, no offense, sometimes come off like a character who would exist on the show “Parks and Recreation.” And we say that wanting to grow up and be Leslie Knope.

Next up is “Wild’N Cuz I’m Young”

by Kid Cudi off his new album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. We chose this because it’s sometimes an easy thing to forget that you are 24/25 years old. At the point, we here at the Mixtape were shuffling around to job interviews at Festival Food and the Radisson so we give you a lot of props for political ambition and follow through.

And besides no matter how this whole ethics things shakes out, you’re pretty much going to own your next high school reunion, which leads us to our last song on the list.

We end with the Superpowerless remix of Nerina Pallot’s song “Real Late Starter” because that’s what you make us feel like.

You were elected mayor at 24. Demi Lovato at 18 has already had a successful music career, a TV show AND a stint in rehab. Willow Smith has whipped her hair into a Billboard hit at 9 years old. We’re 27 and write this column. We really need to step our game up.

As always, love, peace and downloads.

Buy: Hellogoodbye’s new album Would It Kill You?

YouTube: Patrick Wolf’s video for his song “Time Of My Life”

Read: Salacious Sound www.salacioussound.com/

Get your daily dose of the Majak Mixtape, recaps of Glee, and other pop cultural goodies at the Majak Kingdom blog at www.majakkingdom. blogspot.com

props, and they serve their purpose.

But the more pressing problem with The Golden Ratio lies squarely on the shoulders of the band’s tenured members. The band doesn’t completely abandon its reggae-tinged pop roots, and the strongest example of the old style, “Mr. Replay,” is one of the album’s best tracks. Yet there is a strong sense that the band is trying to keep pace with everyone else instead of being itself. “Southern California” is the worst offender, a lifeless grab at moody American girlpop.

But what’s worse, the opening track, “All for You,” sounds like every other electropop group from Ace of Base’s mid-’90s heyday, and it’s only the most glaring evidence. Trading in Ace of Base’s electropop for the La Bouche/Snap!/Culture Beat conglomerate is not a good move.

Still, there is one very bright moment on the album, a flamenco guitar led dirge titled “Who Am I” in which every aspect of the new group comes together perfectly. If every song on The Golden Ratio was as well-orchestrated as this, it would have been brilliant.

Yet as it stands, I’d have recommended that this new group start with a clean slate and a new name.

— Brett Emerson

Second Supper Second Supper

November 11, 2010 // 13 November 11, 2010 // 13

YOUR GUIDE TO CONSUMPTION

The Beer Review Luna Coffee Stout Hinterland Brewery Green Bay, Wisconsin

And in sports news, things are finally looking up in Packer Nation. Following a rash of injuries to key players and a streak of overtime losses to underwhelming opponents, the Green Bay Packers have turned their season around in recent weeks by finally beating Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, shutting out a quality New York Jets team on the road and embarrassing the Dallas Cowboys on national television. Things are going so well in the Cheesehead state that even beer reviewers think they can write about sports.

J/K! But this winning streak does pro-

vide a convenient opportunity for me to review a beer from Hinterland, a Green Bay brewery that currently has four brands available in the La Crosse market. Appropriately enough, I first sampled their wares while I was in Green Bay to take in a game last season. Although Packers beat the ‘Niners and Lambeau Field was as much a pilgrimage as I imagined, honestly the artisanal beers at this swanky Green Bay restaurant were some of the most memorable aspects of my trip.

No longer confined to a few draught houses on the eastern side of the state, Hinterland now ships out beers in stylish, Wisconsin-sized pint bottles, the kind you’ll want to hold on to if you’re a homebrewer or wave excitedly if you’re an armchair quarterback. But if you’re a beer snob, you’d want to pour it into a pint glass.

Purchase: 4-pack of Luna Coffee Stout 16-ounce bottles from Festival Foods, $8.49 Style: American stout Strength: Unsure, but it doesn’t seem too strong.

Packaging: The pint bottles cut a sleek figure, but the Hinterland logo is a simple block H with a circle around it. The label for the stout is brown.

Appearance: The beer pours an opaque black color with just a hint of ruby when held to the light. The head is rich, chocolaty brown, and looks like something I’d eat with a spoon.

Aroma: Strong coffee aromas dominate the nose, which makes me think real java was added during brewing. There are also some fine toasted grains like a traditional stout or English porter and no hops to speak of.

Taste: This isn’t the sort of heavy stout we’ll

The Best Food & Drink Specials in Town

be drinking later this winter. The Luna might even be a session beer with strong coffee acidity, nicely roasted malt, a peat-like earthiness and just a kiss of chocolate.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly thin. Had it been thicker, this could have been an upper-echelon stout.

Drinkability: High, assuming you enjoy coffee.

Ratings: RateBeer scores it a 94, while beer advocate grades this an A-. I think those are both a little generous, but who can blame Wisco drinkers for running up the score.

Packer fans, if you need to get your Green Bay fix during this bye week, I’d recommend anything and everything from this brewery..

— Adam Bissen

LOCATION

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

ARENA

Text "Arena" to 83361 for Specials

Texas Hold 'Em Poker

Pool and dart leagues

Wyld Wednesday: $2 jumbo UV mixers, $2 Coronas

Ladies Night: Ladies drink free 9-11 $1 Cherry Bombs, $1 Keystone Light p.m. or all night with $5 wristband, silos including all UV Vodkas & XXX; $5 Long island pitchers

$1 Cherry Bombs, $1 Keystone Light silos

BROTHERS

Cllosed

$2.50 Coors vs. Keystone pitchers. All specials 9 p.m. to close

AUC2D: $5, domestic taps, rail mix- 10-cent wings, $1 Miller High Life ers, Long Islands. All specials 9 p.m. bottles, $1.50 rail mixers; $2.50 call to close drinks. All specials 9 p.m. to close.

AUC2D, $5 domestic taps, rail mixers and Long Islands. Wristband Night: $2.50 SoCo & Jack. 50-cent shots (two flavors). All specials 9 to close.

Customer Appreciation Weekend: Free beer, 9 p.m.-'til?. Ladies Late Night Ladies Drink Free , domestic taps, rails and Long Islands1 a.m.-close

Customer Appreciation Weekend: Free beer, 9 p.m.-'til?. Ladies Late Night Ladies Drink Free , domestic taps, rails and Long Islands1 a.m.-close

COCONUT JOE'S

Closed

Closed

$2 Select Appetizers, $1 coors light Wings! $1.50 for 1 pound of wings. pints/rails, $2 u – call –it’s $1.50 Miller Lite

Wristband Night

$3 jumbo captain/Bacardi drinks $3 jumbo captain and Bacardi all night drinks all night

EAGLES NEST

$5 domestic pitchers

$1.50 domestic taps and rail drinks, 4 p.m. to close

Bird Brain Trivia 8 p.m.; $1.50 do- Wing Night - 25-cent wings (dine- $1.50 domestic bottles and rail mestic bottles and rails 4 p.m. to in only); $1 Miller High Life silos and drinks, $2 craft bottles, 4 p.m. to close PBR silos; $1.50 taps and rail drinks; close $2 craft taps. All specials 4 to close.

Happy Hour: 2 for 1 domestic bottles and rail drinks, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Karaoke 9 p.m. to close

Taco buffet 11-2; $1 Pabst bottles and $1 bowling after 9

All you care to eat pizza buffet, 11-2

All you care to eat fish fry 4-10; unlimited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99

Prime rib dinner 4-10; unlimited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99

All you can eat wings, includes a Wisconsin cheese steak sandwich choice of potatoe, slaw and a frosted with a pint of beer, $8.99 pint, 4-9:30 p.m., $8.99

Ladies Night, $1 off all drinks, 4 to All you can eat boneless wings, inclose; Pint-Aritas $3 (lime or straw- cludes a choice of potatoe, slaw and berry) a frosted pint, 4-9:30 p.m., $8.99 $5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close; karaoke 9 p.m. to close

107 3rd St. S. 782-1883, www.arenalax.com

306 Pearl St. 784-0522

128 3rd St. 782-9192

1914 Campbell Road 782-7764

FEATURES

W3923 State Highway 16 786-9000

FLIPSIDE PUB & GRILL 400 Lang Drive 784-2242

IMPULSE

$5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close; live DJ, dancing 9 p.m. to close

Alcohol-free night, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., $5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic for ages 25 and younger; live DJ, taps, rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. dancing, giveaways, AUC2D soda, to close; karaoke 9 p.m. to close $10 cover

JB’S SPEAKEASY

$1.75 domestic bottles, $1.75 Dom bottles and rails, $2.50 Bombs

Monday Madness: $1.75 domestics Tuesday Boozeday $1 off all liquor Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m. and rails, $2.50 Bombs, $1 off all top drinks and 50 cents off all shots, $2 shelf and specialty beers Bombs

$1.79 burger (after 8 p.m.)

Breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hat Night: Buy 1 drink, get 1 free w/ Rail drinks $2 (4:30 to close); Buckets of beer $10, Boston Bobby's Margaritas $4 (Straw, rasp, mango, hat (4:30 to close); $1.50 chili dogs After 8 p.m. specials: $5 skewer of drummies 10 for $2 (4:30 to close), peach and reg); After 8 p.m. specials: (after 8 p.m.) shrimp,l $1.79 burger, $1.50 chili dogs $1.79 burger (after 8 p.m.) $5 skewer of shrimp, $1.79 burger

214 Main St. 782-6010

717 Rose St. 796-1161

SCHMIDTY’S 3119 State Road 788-5110

SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER

14-inch pizza, $2 off; Wings Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Free Wing Night (while supplies last); $5 wristband happy hour, 5 to 9 p.m; $5 AUC2D wristbands: domestic taps, live DJ, dancing 9 p.m. to close rail mixers, Long Islands, 9 p.m. to close; live DJ, dancing 9 p.m. to close

$5 wristband happy hour, 5 to 9 p.m; live DJ, dancing 9 p.m. to close

Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.

Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.

163 Copeland Ave. 785-0245

Tacos: $11 buckets during pro and Tacos: $11 buckets during pro and college football games. college football games.

Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.

12-inch pizza $8.99 Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.

THE LIBRARY

Wristband Night

Half price tequilla, $1 domestic taps Karaoke, $2 Double rails and all Wristband night, $2 cherry bombs, and rails bottles; $3 Double call drinks 50¢ shots (3 flavors)

Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m.

Breakfast 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.; lunch buffet 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., $6.99

Ladies night, 2 for 1 drinks (6-close), Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.

Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m.

Tacos: $11 buckets during pro and college football games.

$2 U Call Its 7 p.m. to close: Calls, Rails, Bottles & More

$2 U Call Its 7 p.m. to close: Calls, Rails, Bottles & More

$5 Pitchers/$2 bottles of Miller prod- $1.75 Miller/Bud Light Taps, $2.25 $1.75 Rails, $1.50 Domestic Taps, $2 domestic bottles, $2.50 Skyy/ ucts (11-4pm) $2 Corona Bottles, $2 MIcro/Craft Taps, $2.50 Cherry Bombs $3.50 Jager Bombs Absolut mixers, $2 Dr. shots (7-1 Kilo Kai Mixers , $3 Bloodys (7-1 a.m.) (7-1 a.m.)

(7-1 a.m.) a.m.)

5 Domestic Bottles for $10, $5 $2 Captain Mixers, $2. Long Island Micro/Import Bottles $11.50, $7 Mixers, $3 Effen Vodka Mixers (7-1 Micro/Craft Pitchers (7-1 a.m.) a.m.)

$5 Miller/Bud Light Pitchers, $2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1 a.m.)

POPCORN TAVERN

$2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans 2.50 Captain Mixers

$2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans 1.75 PBR bottles 2.50 Captain Mixers

$2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans 2.50 Captain Mixers

$2 Grain Belt 2.50 Captain Mixers

$2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans $2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans 2.50 Captain Mixers $2 Coors and Coors Light Bottles and $2.50 Skyy Mixers

$2 16oz Old Style & Lost Lake cans

WHISKEY RIVER SALOON

Closed

Closed

Closed

Comedy Night

Mechanical Bull Riding, $2 Miller Lite and $2 Shots of Dr.

Live Band and DJ, $3 Bacardi and Captain Drinks 7-10pm

Live Band and DJ, $3 Bacardi and Captain Drinks 7-10pm

WHO'S ON THIRD

$2.00 Domestic taps/ $2.00 rails

$1.50 tap of PBR/ $1.50 rails

$3.00 call doubles/ $2.00 Bud products

$2.00 all tap beer/ $3.00 Jack/Captain doubles

$8.50 Fishbowls/ $2.00 Miller products

$2.00 Domestic taps/ $2.00 Three $2.00 Bartenders choice mixer Olive products

123 3rd St. 784-8020

TOP SHOTS 137 4th St. 782-6622 308 4th St. S. 782-9069

223 Pearl St. 784-2337

126 3rd St. N. 782-9467

14// November 11, 2010

Second Supper

DIVERSIONS

Maze Efflux

"If Deer Took Over the U.S." Not even headlights could stop them

By Erich Boldt

By Matt Jones

'Putnam County Spelling Bee' CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 SS: The show is being done in the smaller, Black Box Theatre. Do you think that more intimate setting benefits a show like this?

Cameron: I definitely think the intimate setting of the Black Box benefits ALL aspects of our production. The close proximity throws our audience members into our world and gets everyone fully engaged, and allows everyone to experience the story of each character in their own way.

Chelsea: Definitely. Especially having such heavy audience participation and the sense

614 Main St., La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 782-7001 Online: secondsupper.com Publisher: Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com Editor in Chief: Adam Bissen adam.bissen@secondsupper.com Student Editor: Emily Faeth emily.faeth@secondsupper.com Sales: Mike Keith mike.keith@secondsupper.com

of community that that creates. It also lends to the world of this play, which exists in a high school gym.

SS: What's the one thing you'd tell somebody considering to see the show? Well, other than "PLEASE DO." Cameron: “Please do” times 10. The show is going to be pure enjoyment, and you would be so wrong to not come and attend this production.

Chelsea: This show is surprising in the way that it draws you in with its quick humor and clever songs, and then fully brings you into the story through the journey of such dynamic characters. As an audience member, it will be hard to not see yourself in one of the kids on stage.

SS: Now it's time for our random pop culture question. What's a fictional adult character you'd like to see as child, you know, Muppet Babies/Tiny Toons style.

Cameron: Captain Hook.

Chelsea: I’d have to say the characters from “The Office.” I think seeing Dwight Schrute as a child might explain a lot!

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee runs Nov. 12 and 13 and Nov. 18–21. For ticket information, contact the Viterbo box office at (608) 796-3100 or boxoffice@viterbo.edu.

ACROSS 1 Henri Matisse's art movement 8 Former "Tonight Show" announcer Hall 11 Constricting snake 14 Prefix before sclerosis 15 Penn & Teller, e.g.

16 Sound from a kennel 17 Thai cuisine feature 19 Gnarls Barkley's ___ Lo 20 Like the god Apocatequil 21 "Weeds" or "Scrubs" 23 Gift wrapping supplies 26 Chart topper 27 "Betty La ___" 28 Constellation with a belt 30 It's drawn to explain differences 35 Damfool 36 Directional ending

37 Alternative to a gallop 38 It takes up time when taken up 39 Word after sports or training 40 Elevator selection 41 "That's ___ and you know it!"

42 Actor Penn 43 Deaf "Sesame Street" character 44 Unit of electrical capacity 47 "It'll be ___ day in hell..."

48 Mercury or Saturn, but not Jupiter 49 "It Was Written" rapper 51 Place for a brace 52 Old school "Rubbish!"

55 Late rapper Shakur 57 Bart's grandpa 58 "Hey wait, that just

Answers to Nov. 4 puzzle Solve for X — Mad skillz with math skills

might work" 63 Tierra ___ Fuego 64 Presidential nickname after Harry 65 Print (or reprint) of a book 66 It usually starts with www.

67 Signed, in a way 68 Saying it's not so DOWN 1 "Very sexy!" (hidden in HALF A POUND) 2 "___ you nuts?"

3 Stage actress Hagen 4 California bodybuilding area, after the deer took over?

5 "___ To You" (Lady Antebellum song) 6 "Jersey Shore" guy, slangily 7 Artwork made of tiles 8 University e-mail address suffix 9 Mover in some central air conditioning 10 Delaware's capital, after the deer take over?

11 Composer in a "Switched-On" record series 12 Cookie in some pie crusts 13 Some 18 Georgia metropolis, after the deer took over?

22 Utah metropolis, after the deer take over?

23 Led Zeppelin drum-

mer John 24 Blackbird relative 25 Lottery come-on 29 Yankees, on the scoreboard 31 Pitcher's stat 32 Like some T-shirt decals 33 Lasagna divider 34 Financial company with an asterisk in its name 39 Word after sports or wet 40 Tampa's st.

42 Pastime with a mike 45 Arizona's capital, after being taken over by deer?

46 Did some finger painting 50 "SNL" alum David 52 Singer Erykah 53 Prefix for geek or mensch 54 It's yelled on Wall Street 56 Score after deuce, in tennis 59 Newsman Koppel 60 Half of MIV 61 Long time 62 "Brokeback Mountain" director Lee For answers, call (900) 226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Or to bill to a credit card, call (800) 655-6549. Reference puzzle #0489.

Second Supper

November 11, 2010 // 15

THE LAST WORD

The Advice Goddess

By Amy Alkon amy.alkon@secondsupper.com It’s a bootyfull day in the neighborhood

My male neighbor came over to have dinner with me and my kids. After I put the kids to bed, we started watching a movie and ended up in the bedroom. I’ve taught my kids to always knock, but right in the middle of a naked foreplay session, my 10-year-old son walked in on us. I’m a divorced single mother and am entitled to a healthy sex life, but what do I say to my kid? I don’t think I should apologize. I’ve taught my son that you apologize when you’ve done something wrong, and I don’t want him interpreting sex as wrong.

— Caught

According to Random House, “What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know” is stuff like long division and where Spain is on the map, not the fact that your neighbor has a birthmark in the shape of Lebanon — well below the equator. (That's in the as-ofyet unpublished “What Your Fifth Grader Doesn’t Need to Know.”)

Freudian analysts, sans evidence,

predicted a laundry list of awful outcomes for children who witness their parents getting it on — including mania, depression, character disorders, learning disturbances, delinquency, and even asthma. Dr. Paul Okami actually investigated — following 200 kids for 18 years in a UCLA study — and found that “no empirical evidence links such experiences with subsequent psychological harm.” Unfortunately, nobody seems to have studied whether there’s a difference in seeing Mommy and Daddy and seeing Mommy doing the neighbor. If the naked people are the kid’s parents, they can at least launch into the old “When two people love each other very much …” That doesn’t quite fly with “When there’s a reasonably attractive semi-stranger next door, and Mommy hasn’t gotten her rocks off in the longest time …”

Your kid’s already had his stability rocked by divorce; the last thing he needs is to be wondering who this guy is to you and having any dreams of his parents getting back together crushed in such an upsetting and even threatening way. Sure, you’re divorced, not dead, but first and foremost, you’re somebody’s mommy — somebody who shouldn’t be under the impression he’ll soon be recording a new voicemail message: “Mommy can’t come to the phone right now.

I think she’s making a sex tape with the UPS man.” So, yes, an apology is in order — not for having sex, but for turning your bedroom into a peep show for your 10-year-old. But, wait — he should’ve knocked! Right. How unbelievable, a 10-year-old failing to follow directions.

Because kids mature at different rates, child-rearing experts suggest waiting for a kid to show he’s ready to hear about sex, which he’ll indicate by asking questions.

Monitor your son for changes in mood or behavior and ask if there’s anything on his mind about what he saw. If so, be truthful — say that men and women sometimes do stuff to make each other feel good and that’s what you two were doing. In the future, always use protection — a latex condom and a dayplanner (to schedule your romps when the kids have a sleepover at Granny’s). You’ll be doing your part to prevent both accidental pregnancies and updated song lyrics: “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus, but you’ll never believe what I saw her doing to the Easter Bunny.”

woman, thinking it was the nice, polite thing to do. Some other men realized it’s also a great way to spin acting wimpy as a form of respect. Now, it’s possible this woman just wasn’t that into you, but maybe she might’ve been — a few dates back — but found you about as sexually aggressive as a couch cushion. If things are going well on a first date, state your intentions by trying to kiss the woman. She can say no, and you should respect that, but by trying, you’ve told her something important: that your interest goes beyond financing her appletinis and sitting by your phone waiting for her to never call you again.

Going whole hug

I went on four dates with this woman — each ending in no more than a hug and a kiss on her cheek. She seemed to have fun, yet stopped returning my calls. This isn’t the first time something seemingly good fizzled on me.

— Flummoxed

The woman you go out with four times and only kiss on the cheek and hug goodbye is the woman you call Mom. There’s an epidemic of men who need to get the message you do: “Testicles! They’re not just for decoration anymore!” It isn’t entirely men’s fault. Feminist academia pushed a message that caught on wide — that men should feel ashamed for being male and that male sexuality is basically rape lite. This led some men to hold off on making moves on a

Downtown La Crosse, above Fayzes - 782-6622

top shots joke of the week Which building in town has the most stories?

The library!

Check out our new Beers on Tap!

Good People, Good Drinks, Good Times

SUNDAY

$5 Pitchers $2 Bottles of Miller Products (11-4 pm) $2 Corona Bottles $2 Kilo Kai Mixers $3 Bloody’s (7-1am)

MONDAY TUESDAY

$1.75 - Miller/Bud Taps $2.25 Micro/Craft Taps $2.50 Cherry Bombs (7-1am)

$1.75 Rails $1.50 Domestic Taps $3.50 Jager Bombs (7-1am)

$2.00 - 1 Player, $3.00 - 2 Players 50 Cents Off Drinks, $1 Off Pitchers

WEDNESDAY $2 Domestic Bottles $2.50 Skyy/Absolute Mixers $2 Dr. Shots (7-1am)

THURSDAY FRIDAY 5 Domestic Bottles 4 $10 $5 Micro/Import Bottles $11.50, $7 Micro/Craft Pitchers (7-1am)

$5 Miller Lite/Bud Light Pitchers

SATURDAY $2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1am)

$2 Captain Mixers $2 Long Islands $3 Effen Vodka Mixers (7-1am)

16// November 11, 2010

Second Supper

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