Buzz Bin

by Inlander Staff & r & Demise Reports Premature & r & Losses of more than $10,000 a month and an accounts payable balance of more than $40,000 led to reports that CenterStage would be closing.


But on Monday, not only did the CenterStage board "suspend" its decision to close, it received $26,000 in pledges, "enough to see if we can't make it," says Managing Artistic Director Tim Behrens. "They're looking at a reorganization plan which I have submitted and will consider it over the next week or two."


In the meantime, donations, pledges and volunteering might make a difference. Contact [email protected].


According to Behrens, if CenterStage does close -- and since ella's jazz club and the wedding reception business performed well -- the current landlords may reopen the complex eventually as a reception hall and restaurant. But the dinner theater and jazz club would appear to be in danger. Behrens urges patrons to "stay tuned and support us."





Bookplates and Burritos & r & On Thursday, Aug. 18, if you dine out at the Northpointe or Spokane Valley Mall Azteca restaurants, a portion of the proceeds will go to Page Ahead, a nonprofit literacy program aimed at fighting illiteracy by providing books and reading programs for at-risk kids.





Classical Zombies & r & The Live8 version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" was downloaded 20,000 times in its first two weeks online. Impressive.


But not as impressive as ol' Ludwig B. When the BBC allowed downloads of the complete Beethoven symphonies for a two-week period in June, the Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" alone was downloaded 220,000 times; there were nearly 1.4 million downloads of individual symphonies.


Yeah, "Sgt. Pepper" cost 99 cents, and the symphonies were free. But still.... People from all over the world were voting with their iPods -- and instead of Bono and Sir Paul McCartney, they chose Beethoven.





Brain Man & r & Hey, Binster-Meister, didn't you earn 200 bucks last Wednesday night for winning the spelling bee at the B-Side?


"One hundred ninety-SEVen dollars, three-dollar ENtry fee. Forty-five conTEStants, three hours, thirty-TWO minutes in duration. Uh-oh, 10 minutes to Wapner. Winning word "PICcolo," losing word "pirouETTE," spelled with TWO r's. Guy from Spokesman couldn't spell "Kah-LUa," Mexican COFfee liqueur, SIX letters. "Winner," ALso six letters, paid in six TWENty-dollar bills, eight FIVE-dollar bills and forty ONE-dollar bills, two of them FOLded, one of them CREASED. Uh-oh, nine minutes to Wapner."