Bloglander

The first month of 2016 is almost over and GIF world has brought us some hilarious moments. Below are some of the funniest:

1. This captures the reaction of "Revenant" star Leonardo DiCaprio when Lady Gaga bumped into him on her way to accept her award at the Golden Globes. 

2. Tina Fey gives a Sarah Palinesque shimmy on SNL. When in the club, use this move.

3. When James Corden asks Adele if she'll ever write a musical, she is candid. Same Adele, same. 
4. You can't help but wonder if he'd just had a little more protein for breakfast, he'd have been able to do it...
5. That must be nice.
6. When her mom asks if she uses her birth control for her skin, Kylie Jenner responds with some serious side eye. 
7. When your mom tries to kiss you in public:
8. When Steve Harvey announced the wrong Miss Universe winner and she had to give up her crown to the real winner, Pia Wurzbach, the exchange was cringe-worthy. This happened in December of 2015, but it's timeless in the history of blunderous mix-ups.

Whoa, February, already? You know what that means — March Madness, Spring Break and warm temps are right around the corner, as long as we survive the next 29 days (damn leap years). For help, keep yourself busy with fun activities picked from our event listings and Staff Picks. 

Here are some of the highlights of the week ahead: 

Monday, Feb. 1

LIVE BANDS | The Outer Vibe brings a style of tunes they call "cinematic surf disco" to The Checkerboard Bar. Music Editor Laura Johnson calls them "untamed rock packed with summery hooks and loud trumpet and ’60s-sounding good feelings (even during the ballads)." Sounds good to me! Here's a little sample: 

Tuesday, Feb. 2

FILM | SpIFF is still going on all over town, and on Tuesday one of my most-anticipated films of the festival screens at the Magic Lantern — Frank and the Wondercat! And it's a documentary, which makes it all that much more appealing. Meanwhile, The Bing is hosting the Fly Fishing Film Tour, so if beautiful outdoors shots of dudes landing fish is more your thing, you have options. 

LIVE BANDS | The inexplicably still-existing Powerman 5000 headline a show at The Big Dipper. 

Wednesday, Feb. 3

Short films are part of the lifeblood of any film festival, and the Spokane International Film Festival is no different, with various programs dedicated to domestic, international, even regional, short films. What follows are two short reviews of the abbreviated-format flicks. 

BIG BOY
In a hilarious juxtaposing of innocence and corruption in a rest stop bathroom, a boy’s bouncy ball takes him into the dark, shit-covered, and dangerous spaces parents faint at the idea of their child seeing.

MEAT
There’s no sugarcoating in either content or language—if you’re young and looking for work, this short film about a door-to-door meat salesman will probably make you uncomfortable. The pitfalls of life are embedded seamlessly, seeming at one moment like they can be conquered, and in the next like they might last forever.

Big Boy and Meat are part of the U.S. and Canadian Shorts showcase, along with Longhand, Love Is Dead and Staman • Sunday, Jan. 30 at 7 pm and again Wed, Feb. 3 at 7 pm • Magic Lantern Theatre • 25 W. Main

Short films are part of the lifeblood of any film festival, and the Spokane International Film Festival is no different, with various programs dedicated to domestic, international, even regional, short films. What follows are two short reviews of the abbreviated-format flicks. 

THE MAYOR OF BALLARD
Slow and thoughtful, this short film depicts old-school Ballardite Tuthill, a devoted blacksmith, mourning changes in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle over many years. The combination of Tuthill’s narration and the slow music might put you to sleep—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you might want a dose of caffeine to make it through the other films.

THE MOBILE STRIPPER
This bizarre-to-the-point-of-laughing short film begins as a casual gas station run that turns into an unusual adventure between a shy security guard and outgoing stripper. Expect a laugh or two, but don’t count on anything in it happening to you.

The Mayor of Ballard and The Mobile Stripper are part of the Best of the Northwest showcase, along with The Delivery Order, Lockhart FD, The Things We Keep, She Only Wants Me For My Body and Without An Ending • Sat, Jan 30 at 7:30 pm • Garland Theater • 924 W. Garland Ave. 

The question facing the Spokane Ethics Commission about whether Mayor David Condon was unethically dishonest at a Sept. 22 press conference may come down to 28 seconds of audio:

Inlander Reporter Mitch Ryals: Were there any sexual harassment complaints lodged against Frank?

Mayor David Condon: No.

KHQ reporter Patrick Erickson: There have been rumors of an inappropriate relationship between the Chief and Ms. Dugaw. Has that been brought up at all? Was that any part of this as well?

Condon: The, the critical thing is the management style. Uh, the, the uh, the issue, um, with the uh... that you speak of, that there has been no official filings of anything. 

As the ethics commission considered an amended ethics complaint from the National Organization of Women on Wednesday, those 28 seconds made up a central piece. 

The big question: Was Condon being honest? 

But in seeking the answer, specific word choices in the reporters' questions — such as "complaints" and "Dugaw" — have come under intense scrutiny.

In writing up NOW's ethics complaint, the Center for Justice's Rick Eichstaedt turned to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary for the simple definition of "complaint:" 

1. a statement that you are unhappy or not satisfied with something
2. the act of saying or writing that you are unhappy or dissatisfied with something
3. something to be unhappy about : something that people complain about

By that definition, Eichstaedt argued, it's clear that Cotton had, in fact, complained about sexual harassment, so Condon was dishonest. 

Condon's attorney countered, citing the 1983 Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary definition of "complaint:"

1. Expression of grief, pain or dissatisfaction
2. a) Something that is the cause or subject of protest or outcry;
    b) a bodily ailment or disease
3. a formal allegation against a party 

“NOW’s gratuitous and self-congratulatory argument that the public must not be deceived should be rejected out of hand," King wrote, noting that, under the third definition of complaint, there had been no sexual harassment complaint lodged against Straub.

To deal with Condon's response to Erickson's question, King zoomed in on the Erickson's choice to use "Ms. Dugaw" instead of "Ms. Cotton." 

Dugaw is Cotton's maiden name. But King argued that there was no evidence that Condon knew "Dugaw" was Cotton, or that he even was answering Erickson's question.

On the other hand, Condon didn't say he didn't know who Dugaw was. He didn't ask who or what Erickson was referring to. Instead, Condon spoke in generalities. 

"If the mayor was confused, he would say, who the heck are you talking about it?" says Eichstaedt. "He said this was about management, there are no official filings. There's no evidence he didn’t know who that person was... It’s my understanding that a lot of people did know that name, that she’s been around in the community. " 

The debate also returned to the question of what "dishonesty" means for the city's code of ethics. Is it an expansive definition of "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" Or is it going for a standard of not-technically-untrue?

Eichstaedt pointed to the Merriam-Webster's dictionary for a layman's definition:

“Dishonesty” is defined by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as “lack of honesty: the quality of being untruthful or deceitful.” “Deceitful” is defined as “making or trying to make someone believe something that isn’t true.”

King didn't buy it. 

“We do not accept NOW’s definition of dishonesty,” he said, arguing that using the definition would put mean “any public employee or public official when asked a question, under any circumstances of any time, is required to expand to provide any a bit or scintilla of information that may be within the arguable scope of the question.” 

He did not, however, provide an alternative definition. 

NOW Amended Complaint

Last night, Eastern Washington's men's basketball team scored 112 points against Portland State. That number is impressive, but more insane is the fact that they hit 20 three-pointers (on just 31 attempts, a school record.) Five Eagles finished in double figures and the team shot 64 percent from the field.

If those numbers, and the fact that EWU is scoring 104 points per game at home in Big Sky Conference play this season aren't enough to get you out to Cheney for tomorrow's game against Sacramento State, the EWU athletic department has a few more enticements to lure you to Reese Court.

First off, if you're an EWU student, you could get yourself some free bacon. Yes, bacon. The first 300 students through the door get bacon. This is not a joke. There might be no such thing as a free lunch, but, apparently, free bacon is a very real thing.

For the rest of us, we could get a free Eastern basketball shirt. Those go to the first 1,000 people through the door to help with the "Red Out" planned for the game.

Tip off is set for 12:05 pm. Here's where to get advance tickets.

We’ve made it to the last weekend of January. Now get out there and listen to some live music.

FRIDAY
Along with singer-songwriter the Co Founder (Hayden Eller), the City Hall drives their sad-dude lo-fi rock through Jones Radiator tonight for what they’re calling the Corps of Discovery Tour. Although original City Hall members Luke Hogfoss and Casey Dunau started making music in Bellingham, they moved to Seattle last summer to try their hand at getting a little more famous. While the band can swell to a five-piece, its core remains the original two guys. The act will clearly have to play their gorgeous recent single “Palouse 509” while here. Also take note that the Co Founder’s summer release Old Programs/New Beliefs is worth a couple of spins. The show is free and starts at 9 pm.
Mama Doll, after losing one of its singer-songwriters last year, is still going strong. After taking some time off from performing, the four-piece takes on the Bartlett tonight at 8 pm for $10. Moorea Masa opens. The band also plays Taps at Schweitzer, from 4 pm-6 pm Saturday.

SATURDAY
Bringing his full band to the Bartlett Saturday, Seattle musician Kris Orlowski is back in town to give us yet another taste of his indie singer-songwriter music. For all of those Beyonce’ fans out there, Orlowski’s cover of “Halo” is even more angelic than the original (not that he’s able to sit some of the same diva notes).
Meanwhile, the Bartlett owners play their first show at the Observatory with their indie rock act Cathedral Pearls. The $5 show includes Mondegreens and Lukas Brookbank Brown. If you haven’t checked out the new downtown music venue yet, now is the time. Starts at 9 pm. 

MONDAY The cover art of the Outer Vibe’s latest album Full Circle features a brain in a blender surrounded by pineapple, coconuts and mangoes. That’s how it feels when you listen to this music — which they describe as cinematic surf disco — like your noggin is getting chopped and smoothed into a musical piña colada. It’s untamed rock packed with summery hooks and loud trumpet and ’60s-sounding good feelings (even during the ballads). You never know what will happen next — there’s even a track called “Mystery.” The five-piece out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is clearly trying to make listeners smile and dance and forget about their troubles, at least for a little while. At the band’s Checkerboard free performance next Monday, the smiling, dancing and forgetting should come all too easily. Show starts at 9 pm.

ALSO: For anyone headed to Leavenworth this weekend for the Timbrrr! winter music festival, be advised that weather is looking terrible, because it's winter. 

For all the music fans out there, SpIFF’s screening of The Glamour & the Squalor is something you’ll want to check out. Here are some recommendations to make Saturday night an all-out event with your boo or even best friend.

Bite before the show: You’re about to watch a film about a guy whose motto used to be “As long as I go to bed by noon.” No, the radio DJ’s partying lifestyle isn’t healthy, and neither is eating out every day. But this is just one night. Head over to D. Lish’s Hamburgers on Division before the show to fill up on delicious cheeseburgers and fries. It’ll get you in the mood to watch a film about excess and the great day’s of Seattle’s music scene. 1625 N. Division, dlishs.com

THE GLAMOUR & THE SQUALOR
Marco Collins was the first radio DJ to play Nirvana’s “Teen Spirit.” He didn’t just play it once on rotation; he played it three times in a row. It was the early-1990s at the then-new 107.7 FM "The End" and Collins was one of the ultimate tastemakers of the Seattle grunge and alternative music scene. With interviews from some of Washington’s biggest musicians like Carrie Brownstein, Ben Gibbard, Mike McCready and Macklemore, the 2015 documentary gives a hard look at the up and downs of Collins’ career. From the drug binges to dealing with his homosexuality in a business where that wasn’t always accepted, Collins’ life story is a worthy documentary subject. Told with the backdrop of Referendum 74 passing in Washington state, the film is a celebration of life and music, even when things aren’t perfect.

The Glamour & the Squalor • Sat, Jan. 30, at 9 pm • $10 • The Garland Theater • 924 W Garland

Discuss over a post-show drink: Is radio dead? That’s something to discuss on your way to Filt bar, just across the street from the Garland Theater. The somewhat new art space/beer joint is a great place to decompress after watching a film about the realities of music, radio and addictions. Also, be sure to check out the Inlander’s recent discussion with local radio DJs about the state of radio and Spokane music scene. 911 W. Garland, Facebook: Filt

Local boy Chad White has been blazing through Bravo's Top Chef, earning a spot in the top 10. Last night, however, his run ended when judges took exception with the daintiness of his dish — micro greens on seared tuna — for what was supposed to be a gluttonous beefsteak event where food is consumed in large quantities without utensils. See his offending dish below.

As regular Top Chef viewers know, his exit brought him to the Last Chance Kitchen, where he went head to head with a previously eliminated contestant for chance at winning a place back in the competition. As luck would have it, White would face another Washingtonian: Seattle's Jason Stratton. Watch them battle it out below.

It doesn't go White's way, but fear not: White, who owns restaurants in San Diego and Tijuana, is back in Spokane and is looking to start his latest venture: Native Post and Provisions, featuring the flavors of the Inland Northwest. In the meantime, he's teaming up with local chefs for special one-off events, including next week's sold-out dinner at Ruins in Spokane.

Members of Spokane Valley City Council don't want to negate the struggles of transgender people. They just don't think transgender people should be able to use the bathrooms they want. 

In December, Washington's Human Rights Commission created a rule that allowed transgender people to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. Transgender advocates and members of the commission have said the rule was a clarification of the state's anti-discrimination law passed in 2006 protecting transgender rights. 

But that December rule has sparked some opposition in the state legislature. Sen. Doug Ericksen of Ferndale has sponsored Senate Bill 6443, which would eliminate the rule. It passed out of the the state Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, of which Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, is chairman, with a 4-3 vote Wednesday.

The day before that vote, five out of seven City Council members signed a letter that was sent to the committee in support of the bill. The letter was signed by Mayor Rod Higgins, deputy mayor Arne Woodard and council members Ed Pace, Sam Wood and Bill Gothmann. Council members Dean Grafos and Chuck Hafner refused, citing concerns that the letter was an endorsement of a resolution on next week's agenda that also asks the state to repeal the rules. 

Here's an excerpt of the letter: