They call him El Nuevo Boss, a nod to Bruce Springsteen. Others like to compare Juanes to Bono of U2.

Whoever he's compared to, there's no denying that the Colombian-born singer and guitarist is every bit an international rock star.

He was at Save Mart Center on Wednesday night. Were you? What did you think of the show? Did he unleash that star power? Live up to those comparisons? How did it compare to his previous Fresno shows? Better? Worse? How was the crowd?

Leave a comment with your review.

Also, enjoy some photos after the jump from Bee photographer Eric Paul Zamora:

• Grizzlies catcher Eliezer Alfonzo is the first player suspended by Major League Baseball this season after a positive performance-enhancing substance test. Oops. Guess that explains this. He's suspended 50 games, starting Thursday. So two questions: 1. He gets to hang around for Hannah Montana night? Roger Clemens would be so jealous. 2. Does this mean there's room on the roster for Zito? [The Bee]
• In other sporty Fresno news: Sports Buzz breaks down the spat between LeBron James and DeShawn Stevenson and how rapper Jay-Z got involved by dissing Deshawn in a freestyle. I'd say that's a good look for local boy DeShawn. It ended up working out for Nas. Maybe Deshawn will sign with the Nets in a couple years. [Sports Buzz]

Ever since I stopped buying CDs, there's not much to look forward to on Tuesdays. It's usually a pretty bland day. Today, however, is an interesting Tuesday. Here's some of what you can do:

- Go car-jacking: Not for real, but Grand Theft Auto IV hits stores today, offering more opportunities for law-breaking in Liberty City and for people to complain about violent video games.

- Eat free ice cream: It's Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. The Fresno location is at 1170 E Champlain Dr. in the Piazza del Fiore shopping center. Free Cone Day goes until 8 p.m.

- Get 'Hard' with Madonna: Madge's 11th studio album, "Hard Candy" hits stores today. Reviews are pretty positive so far.

- Get 'Down' with The Roots: The greatest band in hip-hop returns with another great CD, "Rising Down."

- Check out Kids International: For a new local band, these guys sound really good. They were my Artist You Should Know last week and are playing tonight at Starline with Goodbye Elliott, Murdoc and others.

UPDATE: The Zito-to-Fresno campaign has already been picked up on Yahoo's Big League Stew blog and been featured on the Yahoo home page (check the photo after the jump).

Barry Zito sucks. This much, most baseball fans will agree with. On Sunday, the pitcher who is supposed to be the San Francisco Giants' ace gave up six runs in the first inning of a 10-1 loss, giving him a league-worst 0-6 record, with a 7.53 ERA and more walks allowed (15) than strikeouts (11).

For all this, Zito is making $14.5 million this year. Of course, this won't do and the question is already being asked: What are the Giants going to do about Barry Zito? Move him to the bullpen? There is a better answer. Bring him to Fresno.

Here at The Beehive we'd like to announce the beginning of a campaign to bring Mr. Zito to Fresno, to be the star* of The Grizzlies, the Giants' AAA-affiliate. In San Francisco, Barry Zito is just another hippie with an acoustic guitar and an 80-mph fastball. In Fresno, he could be a God.

Picture it: Zito could use that absurd $126 mill contract of his to buy the Security Bank Building and live on whatever floor he wished that day. He could play his guitar at Cafe Corazon on the days he's not pitching. Heck, he could even be mayor -- we love quasi-celebrities.

The rest of baseball is mocking Barry Zito. But in Fresno, we know how it feels to be mocked. Together, Fresno and Zito could form like Voltron and rise up as one powerful force. It could the greatest curveball that Barry Zito ever threw.

UPDATE: I added some additional videos from the show after the jump -- some behind-the-scenes stuff and a shout-out to fresnobeehive.com. You'll also find a couple of community videos and some pictures from the show.

On Friday, I wrote that this past weekend was one of the busiest in Fresno so far this year. It also proved to be quite Fres-tacular -- between the the tattoo expo, a night of roller derby and a trips to a couple nightspots that were new to me.

From the Tower, to downtown to the north-end, it was a weekend of homegrown attractions and businesses. Here's my rundown of where I was and what I saw:

"All we ever do is talk about poo ..."

I salute you, random person at Starline Grill on Friday night, not only for saying this loud enough that I could hear it, but also for making it rhyme. Proppers!

UPDATE: Anybody with videos from the show, upload them at videos.fresnobee.com. Click the "Submit Your Media" button on the top right. If you want to share your photos, go to CentralValley.com.

We heard John West was coming to Fresno today, but didn't have a place to play tonight. Being the Fresno connoisseurs that we are, The Beehive couldn't just let this happen. We dig West and thought you would too. So we did some thinking, made some calls and now West has a gig-- on the patio at Palomino's in the Tower. Expect some chill tunes on a chill Fresno evening. We'll be out there, hosting the thing and perhaps even giving some stuff away. We hope you join us.

This is probably the busiest weekend in Fresno so far this year. There's a bunch of cool stuff happening -- and not what you expect every weekend. The cover story in today's 7 section covered a lot of the bases. But there's one important question that needs to be answered: What are you doing?

• Fresno Tattoo Expo?
• The Smog City Roller Grrls and Fresno Fuego in action?
• The Clovis Rodeo, The Military Camo Party or The Goth Prom?
• Barbershop Quartet 50th anniversary?
• Watching the NFL Draft and maybe Miss ESPN 1430 contest?
• The Let's Go Bowling anniversary show
• The D4D Entertainment showcase?
• Hanging with John West and The Beehive?
• Something else?

Let us know. And check out Post No Bills for more weekend options.

Welcome to another edition of Post No Bills, your flier gallery of what's going on in Fresno, compiled exclusively by FresnoBeehive.com.

Below you'll find the largest collection of Fresno concert, club and event fliers anywhere on the Web. It's our way of proving every week that anybody who says there's nothing to do in Fresno is either crazy or lazy.

This weekend is packed with stuff to do -- and there are many intriguing options for May as well, including a bunch of Cinco De Mayo events. So click into Post No Bills and find yourself something to do.

As always, we welcome contributions bands, artists, venues, promoters and regular joes. Send flier links to mosegueda@fresnobee.com.

How did a roller derby team get serenaded by a barbershop quartet in a tattoo shop parking lot? You'll have to check out tomorrow's 7 entertainment section in The Bee to find the connection. First, though, you gotta see this video:

Here's one hint: It's all part of an interesting weekend in Fresno. The Smog City Roller Grrls have a bout with Santa Cruz at 7 p.m. Saturday at Valdez Hall. Earlier in the day, The Gold Note Barbershop Chorus is a having a concert at Roosevelt High School to celebrate its 50th anniversary. More tomorrow.

When we heard about the leak of the theme song for the "Sex and the City" movie, by none other than Fergie, The Beehive's resident Fergie hater and its top "Sex and the City" fan sprung into action.

That's Mike Oz and H-Mac, respectively, Here's our take on the recently leaked "Labels or Love" by Fergie. Listen for yourself over at People or YouTube.

Mike: What, Amy Winehouse wasn't available? I'm no "Sex and the City" watcher, but I had always assumed the show was a little more sophisticated than Mrs. Pee Pants. Here, Fergie is doing her trademark not-really-singing, not-really-rapping, just-kinda-shouting thing -- and it's as annoying as ever. I couldn't really tell you what the original "Sex and the City" theme is, but I know that I'd rather hear Tay Zonday's take on it than Fergie's.

Heather: I can't. I can't even listen to this s**t. This is pretty much the most offensive thing I've ever heard, and I only made it ten seconds in – both times I tried to listen to it. Not only is it just stupid - musically, lyrically - it couldn't be any more opposite to what "Sex and the City's" target demographic (women who are in their thirties and forties by now) would want to hear over the credits of the movie. Can you just see Miranda or Charlotte or even Samantha trying to sit through this abomination? If this is a sign of what's to come, I might have to seriously reconsider seeing this movie.

Did you listen? What did you think? Was there a better option than Fergie?

Heading into our third Degrees of Fresno, we at The Beehive are impressed with how great our readers are at this game. You guys have had no problems with Owen Wilson and John Krasinski.

So this time we're making it a little tougher by giving you two famous names and asking you to trace their personal or professional lineage back to Fresno. Since I'm quite excited about the opening of "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" on Friday, we're giving you both Harold (aka John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn). This isn't a one-or-the-other thing, either. Gotta get 'em both.

If you're feeling particularly awesome, then why not test the Degrees of Fresno a third time -- with Beehive Hero and H & K cohort Neil Patrick Harris. Or as we know him, NPH.

We'd offer up some White Castle to the winners -- but the legal department won't allow it. So this is all for respect: Harold & Kumar vs.

• Fresno makes another Top-whatever-cities-that-whatever list. Did we really need Forbes to tell us allergies are bad in Fresno? Wait, Forbes keeps track of that? Why? [LateUpdate]
• The top local news in Fresno today according to CBS 47's Web site? Their weather anchor having a kid. OMG! Totally the right call. It's a slow news day, right? [CBS 47]
• Looks like ex-KMPH sports anchor Heidi Watney (right, circa 2000) got herself a new gig in Boston. Lose a job in Fresno, gain a job in Boston? Why does this not compute? [Sox and Dawgs]
• Shouts to the ladies at Fresnocentic. They've added a new blogger and are bringing more of a 'Things to do in Fresno' vibe to their site. I, for one, think the Fresno blogosphere needs some more females to match wits with our own H-Mac. [Fresnocentric]
• The Fresnan has unveiled a new Dorktown podcast. I'm in it. So I guess I oughta listen. [The Fresnan]
• Deadspin's Dark Side of the Locker Room series unleashes some ghosts of Fresno's past: convicted murder Terry Pettis and ex-Bee scribe Jeff Passan. They're both a couple of yahoos, if you ask me. [Deadspin]

As promised, here's my look at the Vintage Days Battle of the Bands, which went down Saturday night at Fresno State, co-hosted by myself and Famous Whitewater:

The video includes performances from Sam Fragoza and Casting Call, Beyond the Violins, Divide & Conquer, It's An Icicle, Eternal Element and Trenched, as well as music from DJ Stylez, dancing from Mr. Whitewater and The Fresnan, plus an interview with the eventual winner. You'll have to watch (or read another blog) to find out who won.

From backstage at the Vintage Days Battle of the Bands, where myself and Famous Whitewater (center) were hosts and The Fresnan (right) was a judge:

This will have to suffice as my BotB blogging effort for the next day or so. I have video footage, but no time to edit it. Both The Fresnan and Mr. Whitewater have out-blogged me, so check those out. Before you ask about the balls in our mouths -- they were Beehive and Famous promo items. Now feel free to add you own bloggers/balls/mouth punchline.

• So I wasn't able to make the Chingy event yesterday, but lucky for me The Collegian has a recap and a video interview with my favorite rapper ever. This performance video and this video of Chingy bowling are on YouTube as well. [The Collegian]
• Fresno company Lil' Mynx has patented its removable stripper pole. Yep, that's Mrs. McFly rockin' said pole. And people say Fresno's nothing but a cow town ... [The Bee]
• FresnoLive.com has a new video of local happenings for the weekend. Guess they can't all be Post No Bills. [FresnoLive]
• I found this video on YouTube that counts down the Top 10 Worst Things about Edison High School and watched all six minutes. It's funny, unfortunate, derogatory and maybe offensive -- but it's interesting. [YouTube]
• Last but not least: Me and Josh from Fresno Famous are hosting the Vintage Days battle of the bands at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Fresno State's Satellite Student Union. We'll have free stuff. [The Bee]

Often imitated, never duplicated, it's another edition of Post No Bills, the largest collection of Fresno concert, club and event fliers anywhere within the wide world that is the Web -- brought to you exclusively by FresnoBeehive.com.

Lots happening this weekend, so take a peek below and find yourself something to do. Then grab your day-planner (word to Joy!) and mark down any of the events that interest you next weekend or next month.

As always, we welcome contributions from all bands, artists,venues, promoters and regular joes. Send flier links to mosegueda@fresnobee.com.

I realize every post I've made today is about hip-hop, but there's just a lot of local hip-hop stuff worth talking about this fine April afternoon.

So now I move your attention toward Fresno's best known emcee -- Planet Asia. Asia's been busy: He was on Rap City recently, has a new album on the way with DJ Muggs, may have started some new Internet slang and is performing tonight in Fresno.

More on all these things after the break ...

When Blu & Exile took the stage last night at the Starline, the emcee of the two, Blu, nonchalantly asked the crowd, "Can I kick some raps?"

Minutes earlier he had been sitting in a corner of the room, nodding his head to opener Fashawn. Once Blu took the stage himself, he made it clear it wasn't going to be a pretentious show, just a laid-back night with a rising L.A. rapper kicking some raps.

With producer/DJ Exile backing him up, Blu shuffled through most of their highly acclaimed 2007 album "Below the Heavens," and included material from his upcoming Johnson & Jonson project as well -- everything with incredible energy and stage presence.

Most interesting, though, was Blu's rapport with the crowd. Halfway through the set, he invited audience members to join him on stage, where he asked their name, shook their hands and told them to stay and chill. He just kept kicking those raps. At the end of the show, he stayed on stage signing autographs and taking pictures for at least a half-hour.

Below you'll find videos from the evening -- one on Blu & Exile's performance, one of opening acts Shon J, Chuck Dimes and Fashawn and also a post-show interview with Blu & Exile that's pretty funny.

Chingy -- he of "Right Thurr," "Holidae In" and oddly misspelling easy words -- will be in Fresno today to talk about hip-hop and the community in a forum at Fresno State's Satellite Student Union. It's a free event starting at 4:30 p.m. There's an afterparty later in the evening at Salsa's.

When I heard the news of Chingy doing this forum, my reaction was the title of this blog post, "Chingy? Really?" Judging from this post on the blog of The Collegian, it looks like a lot of people are looking forward to Chingy coming to Fresno. Again: Chingy? Really?

I'm all for an event that looks at hip-hop's impact on society. I think it's an interesting topic -- even if Chingy's music is not what I consider good hip-hop. I applaud Dr. Julius Bailey (who teaches the Hip-Hop in America class at the university) for tackling the issue. In fact, I'm trying to make it to the event. But Chingy? Really? Maybe if it were KRS-One. Or Common. Or Talib Kweli.

Maybe I'm wrong here. Maybe Chingy the man is much different than his music. Maybe he's very intelligent and articulate, has profound things to say and is very much in touch with the roots of hip-hop as a social movement. His music isn't that. It's Nelly-ish sing-song stuff aimed at a mainstream radio audience that couldn't pick Kool Herc out of a lineup.

If Chingy's all those things I named off -- he very well might be -- and he's making mindless music, isn't that one of the problems with hip-hop in our society?

RELATED: Dr. Michael Eric Dyson will be speaking on April 25 at Fresno City College.

I can't say enough good things about L.A. emcee Blu and his 2007 project with producer Exile called "Below the Heavens." It was one of those hip-hop albums that came out of nowhere and made you remember why you fell in love with hip-hop in the first place.

Since then, Blu has emerged as one of the freshest new voices in hip-hop. He's got a sound that takes you back to the hip-hop's more soulful golden age, where groups like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Pete Rock & CL Smooth were jammin' in your Walkman. Or for you younger cats, he's a lot like a West Coast version of Lupe Fiasco.

All this said, I'm quite excited about Wednesday night's Blu & Exile show at Starline. It should be ultra fresh. It's not often we in Fresno get an underground hip-hop show of this caliber. This might be one of the coolest such shows to hit our town since Little Brother played at Mom & Pop's. Remember that?

If you want to do the groupie thing, Blu & Exile are doing an in-store at FTK at 4 p.m. Then the show starts at 9:30 p.m.

Check out some music after the break ...

At last night's CMT Awards, the work of video director and local boy Shaun Silva won two awards -- group video of the year for Rascal Flatts' "Take Me There" and duo video of the year for Sugarland's "Stay."

He was also up for director of the year, but that went to Michael Salomon.

Silva's trophy case is still plenty full -- just go to the awards section on his Web site and look at everything he's won.

He now lives in Nashville and heads Tacklebox Films, but he went to Bullard High and is the son of Bob Silva, of Ford-selling fame.

Check out Silva's winning videos after the break ...

You owe it to the man to help in these dire times. Don't let him end up like Pedro.

[Via FunnyOrDie.com]

So rapper Tech N9ne was supposed to perform in Fresno on Saturday, but the show got canceled. Here's part of Tech's explanation from his blog:

When doing shows there are stipulations that each venue and promoter have to adhere to in order to have the level of show that you the fans have become accustomed to. Sound is an absolute non negotiable item. What sense does it make to go to a concert if you can not enjoy the music that you pay your hard earned money on?

In Fresno tonight, the promoter knew well in advance what the sound requirements were for the show and those requirements were not met. For the record, the crew including Tech stayed at the venue for almost 4 hours waiting for the right equipment needed to produce the show. The equipment never arrived and therefore the show did not go on.

I've yet to hear anything from the other side. But I know the promoters were 724 Promotions, who you might remember as the people who did the Free Boob Job thing. So I'm apt to side with a red-haired rapper on this one. I suppose the good news is that no one had to be subjected to a Paul Wall live set.

This also reminds of that Ed Hardy Fashion Show of a couple weeks ago that wasn't what the promoters billed. Or the whole Scary Kids Scaring Kids debacle. I know stuff happens -- but in Fresno it seems stuff happens far too often.

- If you like Flo Rida enough to not change the station when "Low" comes on, but not enough to shell out $25 to see him live, then head to ClubFlys.com to see pics from last night's Q97 Spring Jam, where Mr. "Low" headlined. [ClubFlys]

- Good times for the Grizzlies -- they had two come-from-behind wins over the weekend. And the home opener drew more than 13,000. [The Bee]

- As for that Vibe event on Friday, one Beehive commenter was unimpressed. If you wanna see pics, FresnoFusion.com has some posted, via KFSR's Joe Moore and his Flickr page.

- Bar-hoppers beware: They're at it again. [Bee News Blog]

- The Fresnan headed to Yoshi Now! and marches back with video of local band Tokyo Death March. [The Fresnan]

- Check out my weekend in photos -- including stops at the Cakes party, the Yoshi Now! flea market and a night of ghost-hunting at Wolfe Manor -- after the break.

It was only gone for a week -- but it seems like forever since the last edition of Post No Bills. No worries anymore, a new batch of Fresno fliers is here, just in time for your weekend.

This new version is filled with concerts, nightclub events and lots of et cetera -- all the way into the summer. Yep, we really back up the claim that it's the biggest collection of Fresno event fliers anywhere on the net. Just look below and you'll see.

As always, we welcome contributions from all bands, artists,venues, promoters and regular joes. Send flier links to mosegueda@fresnobee.com.

Sorry about the load time -- consider is a testament to how much is happening in Fresno.

This is the start in an occasional series of interviews with Fresno's coolest people.

Music, poetry, writing, public affairs, arts and crafts -- Devoya Mayo keeps herself busy. She's this hybrid of a socialite, a creative soul, a cultural connoisseur and an entrepreneur.

She plays music as Ms. Soulflower, talks Fresno on her weekly KFCF radio show "Move on Up" and started Hella Crafty, a local crafts collective. She throws parties, started the "Ahh Yeah Poetry Jam" and even has a playwright credit on her résumé.

Tonight, she's throwing a party called CAKES at Palomino's, 805 E. Olive Ave., with herself and DJs 4 a.m. and Heinz. It starts at 9:30 p.m. Cover is $5.

We chatted about that, her other ventures, her coolness, her favorite things about Fresno and what she thinks Fresno needs ...

Friday is the home opener for the Fresno Grizzlies and it's become something that downtown is rallying around.

The city is using the event to unveil its Sports Town on Kern Street through an event called The Vibe.

It will feature a ribbon-cutting, live music, BMX stunt demos, appearances from local hall-of-fame athletes, food vendors and more. It runs from 4:30-7:30 p.m., making it essentially a Grizzlies pre-party.

- A happy birthday shout-out to jazz pianist Armen Nalbandian, who is having the birthday edition of his Rhythms of Art concert series tonight at Fresno Art Museum. It features a long list of special guests, including Eva Scow, Tommy Delgado, Karen Marguth and many more. It starts at 7 p.m.

- A congratulatory shout-out to the Buchanan High School jazz band for winning top honors in the big band category at the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation festival. This means Buchanan gets to perform on the main stage at the Monterey Jazz Festival in September. It's huge for Buchanan, especially since the band was up against a lot of magnet and performing arts schools. Brothers Sean and Justin Richey both won soloist awards as well.

- Shout-out to JazzFresno for helping put together a busy month for jazz lovers during April's national Jazz Appreciation Month. I wrote about the numerous events a couple weeks ago, but it's worth a reminder. Coming up: Local high-school jazz bands (including Buchanan) are playing for free Saturday at Fig Garden Village, starting at 11 a.m. On Saturday night, Pangea hosts the first of two Jazz at the Terra Room concerts, this one with vocalist Debi Ruud.

You might not know this, fair readers, but we at The Beehive get spammed like crazy -- usually during the sleeping hours. We never let you see this, though. We make sure it doesn't mess up your Beehive experience. We're awesome like that.

I bring this up because last night The Beehive got bombarded with spam about Brad Paisley. It kinda caught me off guard. Brad Paisley?!? It's not like he's Kim Kardashian. So I just deleted all the spam and didn't give it another thought until I got an e-mail a couple hours ago that said, "Brad Paisley and the Paisley Party Tour Come to Fresno June 19th!" *

That's not a surprise -- we reported it almost a month ago. However, the timing sure was suspicious. So we get pages of these messages that mention Paisley's name 22 times, then his show here is announced hours later? And this is a guy who has a hit single titled "Online." I don't think it's all a coincidence. No, I think it's a conspiracy ... a C-O-N-spiracy. I got my eye on you, Brad Paisley!

Wednesday night brought another Fresno show from Rascal Flatts, country music's most popular group. Obviously there are a bunch of Rascal Flatts fans in our area, so show yourselves and tell us what you thought of the show.

Was it good? Did it compare to his previous shows in Fresno? How was the crowd? Was it packed? Were they into it? Did you dig the set list? Anything you missed? Did you swoon?

Another question: Are there any male Rascal Flatts fans out there? In searching out Rascal Flatts lovers for my preview story, I found lots of adoring females, but not a lot of dudes.

Leave a comment with your review of Wednesday's show. If you've got photos, share them at CentralValley.com. If you've got a video, you can upload that on our site, too.

The Beehive was in the building for Tuesday night's show at Starline with Luckyiam from underground hip-hop crew Living Legends. You can watch performances from Lucky, as well as openers Sandpeople and Hop & Pop. There's also a post-show interview with Luckyiam talking about the current Living Legends projects, his upcoming album and his spot at Coachella.

Luckyiam Performance #1

They're not coming to Fresno -- but you can head either north or south to catch Thom Yorke & Co. Here are the Southern California dates confirmed this week. The presales on Radiohead.com are already sold out, but general ticket sales start Saturday.

Aug. 24: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA [Ticketmaster]
Aug. 25: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA [Ticketmaster]
Aug. 27: Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA [Ticketmaster]
Aug. 28: Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA [Ticketmaster]

Radiohead is also performing on Aug. 22 at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco. Tickets for that are currently on sale.

After reading my story from last Friday about Rascal Flatts' history in the Fresno area, local country artist Nick Wells chimed in with this little-known prequel to all the appearances I wrote about. I thought it was worth sharing:

"I met the guys in Rascal Flatts in Nashville about a year and a half before their first single came out and we became friends. Just prior to the release of that first single ("Prayin’ for Daylight"), I heard they were coming through town to meet with radio people to pre-promote their single and subsequent album.

"I called the guys and asked them if they wanted to do a little live show that night. Since my band (Bigg Kidd) was playing at Bulldog Brewing Co. in Fig Garden Village that weekend, we decided to set up our gear a little early, play a bit ourselves and let them do their thing with our gear.

More of this story, details for tonight's show and a video after the break ...

Full disclosure on this one: I used to be a total Living Legends fanboy. This happened not long after the Wu-Tang Clan had become not as exciting as it once was. So the Legends, this Wu-like rap collective of L.A/Bay Area emcees known for throwing the middle finger to the mainstream record industry, had me riding B.A.R.T. out to Berkeley, looking for the latest in Legends tapes at Amoeba and attending events such as their Broke Ass Summer Jam.

Reminiscing aside, today is a big day for the Living Legends, one that hits home here in Fresno, where Aesop, one-ninth of the crew resides. The Legends are releasing their first group CD in a while called "The Gathering." Also, one of the most beloved Legends, The Grouch, is releasing, "Show You the World," his first studio album in almost five years.

Furthermore, Legends leader Luckyiam (aka PSC, aka one-half of Mystik Journeymen) is performing tonight at Starline. The show is at 9 p.m. Cover is $12.

It's been a while, actually, since I've been to a Legends show. When I was 18 and 19, I used to be there on the regular. Tonight seems like a good night to throw an L in the air again.

Dopeness after the break ...

Saturday night I played in the annual Flop 'Till You Drop charity poker tournament at Club One Casino, headed by city councilman and mayoral candidate Mike Dages -- and boy, did I flop. But at least I left with a story to tell.

Last year I made it to the final two tables. This year ... not so much. I was the first person out at my table and, I think, the second person overall. I attribute this not so much to my own poker skills*, but to the company at my table.

How's this for a poker game? To the left of me: former sheriff Hal McKinney, real estate developer Terence Frazier, Club One owner Kyle Kirkland and Janet Dages, the city councilman's wife. To the right of me: judge candidate Glenn LoStracco. Right next to me: Jerry Yang, the 2007 World Series of Poker champion.

With those credentials around me, I can't be too mad about going out quick. At least I won the one hand that I was in with Yang. So for the rest of my life, this gives me the right to say, "Oh, Jerry Yang, the World Series of Poker champion? Yeah, I beat that dude."

If you listened to my interview with Taylor Swift and also read over the more succinct text version, you might have noticed a big oops on my part. Taylor did.

There's a point in the interview where she's talking about her relationship with her fans and says, "I'm just a senior in high school who has a different job." Problem was in the text version of the interview, my brain and my keyboard got crossed and I typed the word "better" instead of "different." Not the best goof, I know.

Apparently Taylor read the story, saw the screw up, then her publicist called my editor, and whammo, the mistake came to my attention. There was a correction in Saturday's Bee.

I have to say it's the first time that a famous person took me to task for such a thing, and that I respect it. So many apologies to Taylor Swift -- and to readers out there. I'm not perfect.

Just a reminder for all you local music aficionados: The Supreme Love Gods are playing their first gig in 15 years on Saturday night at Club Fred. This picture is them circa the early 90s, back when they were one of Fresno's top bands, were touring the country and had a major-label deal.

Details:
What: Supreme Love Gods comeback show
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: Club Fred, 1426 N. Van Ness Ave.
Cost: $8.
Listen: myspace.com/supremlovegods

For more of the Supreme Love Gods comeback story, check out what I wrote last week.

(This post brought to you by free wi-fi at Cafe Corazon)

So I'm on a jury for about the next week and one casualty of my jury duty is this week's Post No Bills. Sorry, y'all -- just no time to get it done. Still plenty of viable options in last Friday's edition though. So check that out, just go to the "next weekend" heading. Also, check out this roundup of touring shows coming our way and this rundown of the local scene.

Instead of Post No Bills, I will hook up this quick treat. It's some classic rapping from Blackalicious that I'm compelled to post after my April alphabet soup column in today's paper.

(This post brought to you by free wi-fi at Cafe Corazon)

Taylor Swift has a bit of history in Fresno. She's been here numerous times, both playing and promoting. Once, she played an impromptu concert at a custard shop. She wasn't nearly as famous then as she is now -- being a Grammy nominee and all.

Her next Fresno trip is Wednesday night at Save Mart Center, opening for Rascal Flatts. Despite the success she's found since that custard shop concert, Swift can still rattle off her various Fresno experiences in great detail. Don't believe me? Listen for yourself in this interview.

We also talk about her relationship with her fans, touring with Rascal Flatts, her next album and graduating from high school, among other topics. Bits of the interview were in today's Bee, but you can only hear the full thing here on The Beehive.

TAYLOR SWIFT INTERVIEW

Robert Campos, the owner of 2039 Ultralounge, insists his doors are not closing, despite rumors that say the downtown lounge is shutting down.

Word started to float around the MySpace circuit in the last 24 hours, and made its way into the blogosphere today. I got a handful of e-mails about the rumors, so I made a ArtHop pit-stop at 2039 and talked with Campos.

He's heard the rumors too and explains that they're the work of ex-employees trying to "sabotage" his business by circulating false reports that the lounge's dance permit had been pulled. The employees in question are general manager Steve Sorondo and entertainment promoter Gilbert Gold, both involved since the lounge's opening in February.

Campos says Sorondo was fired on Wednesday, though the termination came at Sorondo's request. A bartender at 2039 said Sorondo "walked out." The dispute, Campos says, had to do with pay and hours. A call to Gold this afternoon was not returned.

A new general manager -- Hector Quintero -- is already in place and was working at 2039 on Thursday night. Quintero's background includes retail management, banking and mortgage. Both Campos and Quintero say that business as usual will go on at 2039, including weekly events like Thursday nights with DJ John Magic and special events like the April 11 night with DJ Skribble.

Hey y'all. I'm currently being a good citizen and doing some jury duty, but it's Thursday -- the first Thursday of the month, actually -- and Fresno is hopping. So it's my second civic duty to bust out some shout-outs:

-- Shout-out to El Olio Wolof, the Merced indie/folk band who plays pretty often in Fresno. They're the featured band at the post-ArtHop indie show at Tokyo Garden tonight. This time is special -- El Olio just released its new CD, "A Tedious Task," and this will be the Fresno CD release party. The CD is really good, so I have reason to believe the show will follow the pattern. Don't believe me? Ask the S.F. Chronicle. [Flier]

-- Shout-out to ArcHop, ArtHop's architectural cousin. Tonight there's an ArcHop event focusing on award-winning designs. It's starting at 5 p.m. at Broadway Studios. If you're not sold already, the nice people of Charlotte's Bakery will be serving up goodies. More words over here.

-- Shout-out to local artist Teresa Flores. I know I'm the not the art guy, but her work really caught my eye at the Rogue Festival. She's currently showing over at Broadway Studios and for tonight's ArtHop she'll be showing a four-minute video she made titled "Joy," about a 12-year-old growing up in Southeast Fresno.

-- Again, I'm not the art guy, but shout-out to another local artist -- Edward Stewart. He's a blogger too, but for the purposes of this post, he's showing at Cafe Corazon during ArtHop tonight. Bonus: Cafe Corazon is also awesome. [Flier]

-- Shout-out to Full Circle Brewing Co. One of my favorite downtown spots is celebrating its eighth anniversary on Friday. The party is what you'd expect -- beer and music. Suicide Lounge is playing. Pick up Friday's 7 for more. [Flier]

RELATED: More ArtHop options in this story from Felicia Matlosz in today's Bee.

All you people who have been meaning to get informed on the upcoming mayoral election, here's your chance.

There's a candidate forum tonight at Bankers Ballroom. It starts at 5 p.m. with a reception and the forum follows at 5:30 p.m. (Click the graphic to the right to enlarge it and see more details).

The event is put on by just about every Downtown-minded, creative-minded Fresno organization I can think of: the Downtown Association, Creative Fresno, FLYP, the Fresno Arts Council, Chinatown Revitalization, FCASH and FresnoFusion.com.

Some linkage for you:
- Preview tonight's questions, via FresnoFusion.
- Future of Fresno will be live-blogging the event.
- The Bee's Jim Boren and Bill McEwen talk about the mayoral race on this recent podcast.

Apparently people in Pismo were pissed to hear yesterday that their city council would be changing the city's name -- and the replacement in mind was Fresno Beach.

City Hall got bombarded with angry and confused calls, all wondering the same thing, "Fresno?!?" I guess we're totally allowed to go spend our disposable income there, but no way are they naming the place after us.

It was an all an April Fool's prank anyway, perpetuated by radio station 95.3, The Beach and its morning show host Adam Montiel. He had edited an interview with a city councilman to make it sound as if the Fresno Beach idea was real. Listen to the audio here.

Yes, it was another Fresno-as-a-punchline scenario. But at least we can say the joke is someone else.

There's been some argument around here lately about "How I Met Your Mother" and whether it's a good show. As the affirmative in the debate, I offer this clip from last night's episode. Legen ... wait for it ... dary!

Shout-out to Vinnie Delpino.

It's April Fools' Day -- and pranksters everywhere are plotting ways to dupe their friends. I keep a certain skepticism about all things people tell me on April 1. There's nothing, however, that skepticism can do about YouTube's April Fools' prank. To enjoy it, follow these instructions:

1. Go to YouTube.com.
2. Click on any of the featured videos on the front page.
3. Await the wonder.
4a. Dance at your desk and sing along or
4b. Cringe and quickly close your browser.

That not enough for ya? Google's home page has a gag worth checking out.

More April Fools' Links: Here's a list of the Top 100 April Fools' Hoaxes and Five Office Pranks . But before you go too crazy, here's a story from today's Bee about walking the fine line between joking and getting in trouble.

Anybody got a good April Fools' story from today?

Final details have emerged on two huge rock festivals coming this summer -- the Vans Warped Tour and the new Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival.

We'll start with the Mayhem Festival. Details on the first-year festival were officially announced this morning. It's headlined by Slipknot and Disturbed and hits Save Mart Center on July 15 as part of its 30-city run. There will be three stages and 13 acts total, including Dragonforce, Mastodon, Machine Head and Underoath. Pre-sales begin on Friday at the Mayhem Fan Community. The national ticket on-sale is April 19.

As for the Warped Tour: Tickets will go on sale starting at noon on Friday for the festival's 14th run. As previously reported, the date is Aug. 13. However, the venue has changed. It's headed back to the Save Mart Center's parking lot after two years in Selland Arena's lot. The reason? Selland's lot is being torn up for construction of the downtown ice rink/apartments project. Warped Tour has been at Save Mart Center once before, in 2005. Tickets for this year's show cost $33.25.

After the break you'll find the long, full list of Warped band coming to Fresno.