A while back I wrote about the Dead Gentlemen, Tacoma filmmakers whose comedy "The Gamers" has won several major geek awards since its release in 2002. The team will attend the Penny Arcade Expo for a screening of the sequel, "The Gamers: Dorkness Rising," this Friday night in Seattle. And they'll sign autographs and chat up the crowd at 2 p.m. Sunday at Comic Book Ink in Tacoma.

Also, be sure to read EJ's Sunday Soundlife story in which we catch up with the Gentlemen.

On a side note, one of my most regrettable Epic Fails was, eh, failing to accept a most gracious invitation from the Gentlemen to join a new weekly D&D game. I was simply too busy, what with working full time and cracking the proverbial whip in the direction of my teenager. I'm not sure if the game ever got up and running, but I'm sorry I had to miss out.

Tacoma's rollerderby chicks are moving into the National Guard Armory at 715 S. 11th St. As far as I can tell, it's not a coup in the making. It's just the acquisition of a new practice space, so they say. We'll see.

In the meantime, you can catch their next match/bout/pummel-skating thing this weekend. Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Soccer Center, 2610 Bay St. E. Tickets are $10 in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com or $12 at the door. For more info, go to www.dockyardderbydames.org. Season ends in October.

The next season of HBO's "Entourage" is upon us, and I haven't been having much luck with my ill-advised search for local entourages. We ran an invitation in that print thingy we do. But I thought maybe a post might help generate some interest.

Here's the idea: Tell me about your entourage. Who's your Vinny Chase? Who's your Drama? Who's your Turtle? Your Eric? Do you have an Ari? If you have characters in your squad who correlate – even roughly – to any or all of those in the show, or if you just want to brag a bit about how you and your friends roll, drop me a line at bill.hutchens@thenewstribune.com. The invitation is open to men and women. Send photos - the type we can publish in family newspaper. I can't promise not to judge you. I can't even promise to try not to judge you. But, as Bart Simpson once said, "I'll try to try."

The legal stuff goes a little something like this: submissions become the property of The News Tribune and may be reprinted in any form.

I covered the South Tacoma Business District Association's 12th Annual Classic Car Show Saturday, but I didn't get these pictures in time for the print edition.

I walked into this annual street fair right about the time the judges were starting to hand out awards. It was cool to see a Tacoma couple, Rick and Penny Olson, win two trophies, both the Ladies' Choice award and the Show Favorite award. Take a look at these shots, taken by judge Taanya Tucker, to see why they won.

There were about 300 cars at the show, all of them worthy of trophies. But this '37 Ford custom convertible caught the judges' attention – and mine:

Please excuse the camera-phone pic, but I had to share the cool new sign hanging at Satellite Coffee. Gotta dig the curlicue font and tattoo-like style.

It's by Chris Sharp, of course. You've seen his work at the Rosewood Cafe and Corina Bakery and other places I'm forgetting. This June, he won Tacoma's first "Foundation of Art" award. Our arts writer Rosemary talks about that here.

I'm no art critic, but the thing I like about his work is that you can see it's made my human hands. There's a warmth and a timeless quality to hand-painted signs. Like they've been there forever. That warmth is a simple thing, but one that's woefully lacking in so many things.

Now, I can't paint, but I can make pizza dough. And to paraphrase my favorite (and only) Zen baking teacher, Hands are happiest when being hands.

I've got a bag of flour calling my name. So tell me, what have you guys been working on?

Today's Wall Street Journal has a story about Tacoma native Dale Chihuly.

Some of the quotes from the review include "nauseated by the grotesque, gleaming, pointless excess" and "Disney-like."

While one San Francisco art critic dismissed Chihuly as an interior decorator, this reviewer says: "I wouldn't go that far. Team Chihuly decorates exterior spaces as well."

Ouch.

News Tribune photo by Peter Haley

I think it's fair to measure a town's vibrancy by the number of fliers hanging around on telephone poles and bulletin boards. And lately, I see amazing street art popping up everywhere.

I've spied some concert posters that look like the precise pen-and-ink handiwork of Sean Alexander from the Helm.

And even an illustrated yard sale poster at Satellite Coffee that I would've hung on my wall. (Alas, I didn't make it to the sale.)

Today at Blackwater, I picked up a couple of fliers that got cosmically intertwined in my head.

The first is for a zine-making event at King's Books this Friday night from 4 to 6 p.m. It's free. Donations accepted.

Which makes me think of my favorite zine artist, Nicole J. Georges of Portland, a rad gal who shares my love of secretary eyeglasses and animals. (That's her work down below.) You can find her collections – I recommend "Invincible Summer" – and some other artwork on buyolympia.com. She's also queer. Read her witty blog here.

Which brings me to the other flier, advertising what could be Tacoma's first weekly get-together for queer 20-somethings. It's this Thursday at 7. Read more about it here.

Art! Acceptance! Rosy, indeed.