Just collecting a few random flyers around downtown and SJSU and passing the info on to you. This stuff ranges from comedy to theater to nightclub events to ballroom dance lessons to talent shows to… well, you’ll see. There’s got to be something here you’re interested in. I’m also splicing in some events I found here on the San Jose Downtowner e-mail newsletter, and a couple of gems I saw on Artsopolis.com. I wish I could do this more often. Alas, school.

Wednesday, Oct. 1

Comedy at the Improv: Komedy Kegger – San Jose Bar and Grill teams up with The Improv to supply top notch laughs and affordable drinks and appetizers.  Tickets are good for buy one get one drink at San Jose Bar and Grill after the show.  8 pm.  62 S. Second St.  $10, 280-7475 or www.symfonee.com/Improv/sanjose/home/index.aspx

Thursday, Oct. 2

Groove Suite — An Open Turnatble Gathering: Every first Thursday of the month. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at SFB Lounge, 420 South First St. All styles and genres welcome. Featuring a heavy monthly line-up of local and international guest DJs, live art, vendors, billiards, arcade/gaming area, food and drink specials all night. All sets are recorded live and will be available free to download at http://www.groovesuite.podomatic.com/. Resident: ThatGirl. Guest list free all night: thatgirlmelanie@yahoo.com. Email for priority open turntable sign-up.

Ma’BOO’Hay Talent Showcase: In celebration of Pilpino History Month, Akbayan presents their 8th annual talent showcase. Pilipino artists from around the Bay Area perform for a night of great music and fun, with proceeeds going to Bantay Bata 163, a charity that serves sick and abused children. Sponsored by the Akbayan Filipino-American Organization of SJSU. Tickets are $8 presale and $12 at the door. Doors open 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m. Email maboohay2008@gmail.com for tickets or more information, or visit http://akbayansjsu.wordpress.com/.

Comedy at the Improv presents Henry Cho: (Thursday-Sunday) Cho is going to star in his own sitcom based on his life as a Korean-American born and raised in Tennessee.  He has also been featured on Comedy Central and several films like “Material Girls,” “Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation” and “Say It Isn’t So.”  8 pm Thurs; 8 pm and 10 pm Fri; 7 pm and 9 pm Sat; 7 pm Sun.  62 S. Second St. $16-$18, 280-7475 or www.symfonee.com/Improv/sanjose/home/index.aspx

City Lights Theatre presents “Noises Off”: A funny story of an English acting ensemble that is touring a production of a farce called “Nothing On.”  Thursday-Saturday through October 19. 8 pm Wed-Sat; 7 pm Oct 5; 2 pm Oct 12 and Oct 19.  529 S.  Second St.  $15-$40, 295.4200 or www.cltc.org

Friday, Oct. 3

South First Fridays: Downtown art venues are free and open to the public late into the evening, every first Friday of the month. You can also ride the new rickshaw service between galleries. See highlights, read about the venues and download a map at http://www.southfirstfridays.com/

Ballroom Dance: Take lessons every Friday from now to Oct. 24. This Friday and Friday Oct. 10 both focus on the Bolero. Oct. 17 and 24 teaches Salsa, Nov. 7 is the Foxtrot and Nov. 14 and 21 are East Coast Swing. No dance experience necessary! Cost is $25 for a semester or $3 for drop-in. Beginning classes are at 7:30 p.m. and intermediate is at 8:30 p.m. Visit the Ballroon Dance Club’s website at http://studentorgs.sjsu.edu/sjsubdc.

SiliCon 2008: Through Oct. 5. The SiliCon 2008 Convention for Fans of Science, Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror features seminars covering hard science, science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Some of the topics covered include astronomy, robotics, and other scientific areas, as well as writing, painting, costuming, singing, model making, computer graphics, and film studies, along with diabetes education and outreach. SiliCon is a non-profit organization devoted to science education and raising funds and awareness for diabetes education and research. Info: http://www.siliconventions.com/2008/

Death of a Salesman: October 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11 at 7 p.m., University Theatre, SJSU. Tickets are $10 students/seniors, $20 general admission. For more info or to order tickets online, go to http://www.tvradiofilmtheatre.com/.

San Pedro Farmers’ Market: Fresh produce, food vendors and live music, takes place each Friday to Dec. 12 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. along San Pedro Street between Santa Clara and St. John streets. http://www.sjdowntown.com/eve_eve_far.html.

WAIT! There’s 7 more events behind the jump!

(more…)

From the group's July 13 performance at the San Jose Obon Festival.

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Hi everyone!

I’m Sarah, a new author for the San Jose Metblog. I’m very excited to contribute and to start off, I’d like to tell you a bit about myself (it’ll be short - I promise!)

- Journalism was my first love. I studied Journalism at SJSU, graduated with a degree in the fabulous subject in 2005, worked for local weekly newspapers for two years, then decided to leave the business. Not because I didn’t love reporting, but because I figured I should get out while I still had the choice. Anyone who’d like to have a conversation about the current state of Journalism in the Bay Area is absolutely welcome to leave a comment and let me know. :)

- I’m currently back at SJSU in the teaching credential program to be a high school English teacher. Yes, I left a poverty-inducing career where getting laid off is a possibility, to enter another poverty-inducing career that is also in danger financially. But what isn’t these days?

- And last, I love photography. I take photos around San Jose all the time, so I’m making it a mission to bring photos to each of my entries, starting with this one!

OK, enough about me. What I really want to tell you all about is the Spirit of Japantown Festival that is planned for next Saturday, Oct. 4. As a Japantown resident, I love telling people how much I love it here and how they should come by and check out some of the delicious food. Sushi Maru is my personal favorite, but Japantown has lots to offer.

The Spirit of Japantown Festival will go from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the heart of Japantown (Jackson and Fifth streets) and will be packed with activities for people of all ages. Shoppers will enjoy the Main Street full of Japanese fine arts, crafts, food for sale, as well as wares from other local merchants. Festival-goers will be able to enjoy entertainment that ranges from a hula to bellydancing on the Main Stage (Jackson Street between Third and Fourth streets), as well as Martial Arts demonstrations, free Anime movies, and other activities for kids. The San Jose Taiko group is scheduled to perform on the Main Stage, and I have to say they are a must-see. I’ve watched the group perform at the last two San Jose Obon Festivals and they are phenomenal.

While there is usually plenty of street parking in the area, during festivals, the streets fill up fast. However, those who are lightrail savvy will be interested to know that the Japantown/Ayer stop is just a few blocks away from the action. The stop is on First street near Jackson, so just a quick walk and riders can be in the heart of the action.

So if you’re interested, I’m sending you a personal invitation to my neighborhood to enjoy all it has to offer. See you at the festival!

For more information about the Spirit of Japantown Festival, visit their website.

The Smithsonian Magazine is hosting a Free Museum Day across the nation this Saturday, Sept. 27. And plenty of Bay Area museums are participating, like:

• Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education in San Mateo
• Peninsula Museum of Art in Belmont
• The Exploratorium in San Francisco
• Berkeley Art Center in Berkeley
  
• Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek
• Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos
• Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek

All you have to do is fill out this card for your free admission.

I confess, I didn’t know half of these museums existed until just now, so if the Smithsonian’s sole goal is to expose the public to museums, it already worked.

There’s more on this California list of participating museums, including some heavy-hitters like the J. Paul Getty Museum in L.A. and Mission San Juan Capistrano. Or you can find other museums nationwide that are participating, including (obviously) all the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C.

It’s unfortunate to not see any San Jose city museums participating, but such is life. I know of at least one SJ museum that will be very busy this weekend.

For those who want to get drunk for a good cause Saturday night: Starting at 10 p.m. at the Britannia Arms in downtown San Jose, the San Jose Earthquakes’ soccer stars will be guest bartending at the outdoor patio bar. For a small tip, Earthquakes players will make you a drink, and for a larger tip, they will pose for pictures, sign autographs, and who knows, do a little jiggity-jig or something. All the funds go straight to the Earthquakes Community Fund, and all these festivities are following the game they will have just played (and hopefully emerge as the victors).

Oh yes, the game. For those who don’t know/remember, the Earthquakes left the area for 2 years, migrating to Houston and changing its team colors, logo and name to the Dynamo. Well now we have our Quakes back, and now they’re playing their Texified former selves Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium, Santa Clara University, at 7 p.m.

The Quakes are unbeaten in eight games, which is a tiny miracle thanks to our boy Darren Huckerby. But the Dynamo are dynamite at the moment, sitting comfortably at the perch on top of the Western conference. Should be a tense and dramatic game, and the Quakes need to win as many games as they possibly can to earn a spot in the playoffs. The problem is, with so many of our old quality players decked out in Dynamo orange, which side will the fans be cheering for?

And who would have thought our little expansion newbie team would be considering the playoffs in its first season back? Wow…

The stage for ‘Leonardo: 500 Years into the Future’ is being set at The Tech. Though there is not yet much to see, I was able to get into the mood as the team of workers would speak, and occasionally sing in their native Italian. Over 200 artifacts, drawings, working models, and paintings will be on display. Visitors to the exhibit should emerge with an awareness of the genius that was Leonardo. Anticipation for this exclusive U.S. showing is great, so I suggest purchasing tickets in advance.

The Tech

Posing by ‘Sforza’, (click the pic) the San Jose Horse Mounted Unit helped to welcome Leonardo - 500 Years Into the Future.

Many people have told me how sorry they were to have missed Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS just because they waited too long to buy tickets.

Leonardo - 500 Years Into the Future will be another must see event. The exhibition opens on September 27th and runs through January 4th. Tickets can be booked now.

The San Jose Sforza model: is 24 feet tall - made of steel and Fiberglass - weighs 6,600 pounds

About the San Jose Horse Mounted Unit - TACK

Leonardo: 500 Years into the Future - Tickets

A quick reminder: The annual Tapestry Arts Festival returns to downtown for Labor Day weekend, as it has since practically the dawn of time. The festival is open from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and from 10 to 5 on Monday. Events include arts and crafts booths, music and performing arts on four stages, and hands-on art activities for kids. You’ll find it downtown on Almaden Boulevard, Park Avenue, and San Fernando Street. Proceeds benefit Tapestry Arts’ elementary school art education programs. Admission is free.

OK. Will it be “The Shining” at San Pedro Square this evening, or “A Mighty Wind” at St. James Park on Saturday? Will it be scary creepy ghost stories or a band of folk singers as the warm-up act?

Either one, they’re free. They’re at 8 p.m. And they’re Bring Your Own Seating.

Downtown San Jose is continuing their outdoor movie season with free movies tonight and Saturday. Concessions will be available at St. James, and restaurants will naturally be open at San Pedro Square.

The pre-show entertainment begins at 8 pm for both movies. For “The Shining,” Tim Ereneta will be telling ghost stories, and for “A Mighty Wind,” local folk singers GTO will be starting a sing-a-long.

You can only guess which night you’ll want to bring your kids to.

Click the photo.

I spotted this beautiful ‘US Airways - Airbus A319 -132 - Arizona Cardinals’ waiting for take-off at SJC this morning. The Cardinals are scheduled to meet-up with the Oakland Raiders (McAfee Coliseum) on Aug. 23. I wonder which of the local fields the Cardinals will be using for practice?

The Official Site - Cardinals

One of the best things since sliced bread, or in this case the Pony Express, is not working properly. My Netflix home page: IMPORTANT your DVD shipments might be delayed…

It looks as though some customers are not receiving their DVDs in a timely manner in addition to some other issues. The notice says that we will get a credit if our red mailers were delivered late.

Just yesterday I found all four of my disks, located the white envelopes, and the four red mailers that had been hiding around the living room for the last six weeks. All with Netflix should be fixed by the time my movies are returned.

I’m sure that Netflix is working overtime to fix the problem, especially when it is costing them million(s).

Netflix Community Blog
If you don’t have a movie - read the comments - great entertainment.