THEATER
I know that Washington Ensemble Theatre member Michael Place’s previous directing attempt, The Mistakes Madeline Made, will make my year-end best list. He’s now at the helm of A Cure for Pain by Stephanie Timm, house playwright for the increasingly estimable New Century Theatre Company.

You never know what you’re in for at the 14/48 theater festival; the hit-or-miss quality of the output just adds to the suspense of the short-plays-created-in-short-time aesthetic. It’s almost always fun—it’s ALWAYS popular: Buy tickets now; get to the theater early.

CONCERTS
Sarah Rudinoff supplies the big voice behind the rock ruminations of We Are Golden. She and bandmate Gretta Harley perform a special Triple Door gig on Wednesday, July 29 that features guest appearances by two of the city’s sterling theater talents, ingenious musical composer Chris Jeffries and the dynamic Nick Garrison.

Seattle’s (hell, the nation‘s) best radio station plays, as Joni Mitchell would say, real good for free. It heads outdoors this Friday to inaugurate this year’s series of KEXP Concerts at the Mural with Blitzen Trapper at Seattle Center. Hey, listening to Blitzen Trapper could help you win a Pulitzer.

FILM
Catch The Country Teacher before it leaves on Friday.

Don’t miss In the Loop, a crisp, foul-mouthed farce that is the funniest movie about the dirty relationship between the media and politics since the newspaper glory days of The Front Page. I can’t recall the last time I laughed so hard or so often at something so fiercely smart.

Count me among the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service cult. George Lazenby didn’t win many people over in his one shot at being James Bond—he’s a woefully wooden actor but seems even more than Sean Connery (yes, I said it) to be a posh bruiser capable of knocking your block off. Plus, he looks great in a wet tuxedo shirt. As for this film’s “Bond girl,” the heavenly Diana Rigg: Ooooohhhhhh. Practically edible. Read this blog on Friday when the defense will fully present its case.

SPECIAL EVENTS
The Blue Angels. They’re ba-ack. Prepare yourselves for the closing weekend of Seafair.