This just in: Michael Franti & Spearhead will rock Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden on Sept. 22. Tickets go on sale July 10 for $35 and $45 at TicketWeb. Franti is a great performer and a great person. I've enjoyed every minute watching him perform and interviewing him.

Austin, Texas-based singer-guitarist Mary Cutrufello seemed poised for big things in the late 1990s. Rolling Stone hyped her live skills. She rocked “The Tonight Show.” Toured with the Allman Brothers. Got compared to Bruce Springsteen. But, well, life changes. Cutrufello’s ax-slinging skills have not — which is why you should sprint to Pengilly’s Saloon at 11 p.m. Friday, July 3. Cutrufello is gigging. For free. Why? Because she's already in Boise playing with Pinto Bennett at Reckless Kelly's Sorry For Partying festival earlier in the evening.

Hmmm. I don't remember seeing this "Hometown Hottie" rosining up any bows at the National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest last week. (OK, OK, I wasn't actually there.) Is she really from Weiser? Judging from the size of that Boise State jersey, she must have borrowed it from the kicker, eh?

P.S. Did she just say "Maximum" instead of "Maxim" after rodding the hell out of that Jeep in her video?

P.S.S. Do you think she REALLY went snowboarding topless?

I'm still not sure exactly what a 4-foot-tall, 36-year-old professional skateboarder has to do with the grand opening of a Chronic Tacos restaurant, but Wee-Man will be at 106 N. Main St. in Boise on Thursday. Beginning at 5 p.m., radio station "The X" will broadcast live. The Board Room will put on a skateboarding demonstration. Hopefully, Wee-Man does some skating. He's not just a "Jackass," he's a badass.

In case you didn't know it, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she is an avid runner. According to an article in Runner's World magazine, she likes to jog while listening to classic rock, usually Van Halen and AC/DC. Impressive. Utterly comedic, however, is that Palin claims she would beat President Obama head-to-head in a long run. Did Palin already forget the drubbing she and relay partner John McCain took during their last race?

Nathan Jay Moody and the Quartertons sent this e-mail out to fans recently:

"Hey everyone,

We are going to be doing a FREE show to make a promo video for the band and eventually a DVD next Tuesday June 30th. What we need is people to come and be part of our audience and be in the video. Our goal is to have 100 people there for the video shoot.

There will be FREE beer for everyone that comes. Your first beer anyway is on us and we will be giving away quite a few cd's.

It's fact: Michael Jackson has died. It's difficult to believe, but it's been confirmed by reputable news sources. That, on top of Farrah Fawcett's death, has made this a jaw-dropping day in pop history. Unreal.

I just hope Jackson's legacy as a genius entertainer overshadows his bizarre, tabloid-filled life. His run of albums between 1979 and 1987 was incredible. His influence on modern pop music and video, on R&B and hip-hop culture, is immeasurable.

I remember exactly what I was doing as a child when Elvis Presley died: Watching after-school TV. I think it was "Superman."

Will you remember this day? More important, how will you remember Michael Jackson? As circus freak or amazing entertainer, as accused child molester or Guinness World Record holder for charity support?

One this is sure: It's difficult to imagine any pop icon achieving this sort of global status ever again.

Update 06/26/09: Here are Jackson's Top 10 hits in the United States. (Including other countries would make this post much, much longer.)

* 1971: "Got to Be There" #4
* 1972: "Rockin Robin" #2
* 1972: "Ben" #1
* 1979: "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" #1
* 1980: "Rock With You" #1
* 1980: "Off The Wall" #10
* 1980: "She's Out Of My Life" #10
* 1983: "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) #2
* 1983: "Billie Jean" #1
* 1983: "Beat It" #1
* 1983: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" #5
* 1984: "Human Nature" #7
* 1984: "P.Y.T." #10
* 1984: "Say Say Say" (with Paul McCartney) #1
* 1984: "Thriller" #4
* 1985: "We Are The World" #1
* 1987: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett) #1
* 1987: "Bad" #1
* 1988: "The Way You Make Me Feel" #1
* 1988: "Man In The Mirror" #1
* 1988: "Dirty Diana" #1
* 1989: "Smooth Criminal" #7
* 1991: "Black or White" #1
* 1992: "Remember The Time" #3
* 1992: "In The Closet" #6
* 1993: "Will You Be There" #7
* 1995: "Scream"(with Janet Jackson) #5
* 1995: "You Are Not Alone" #1
* 2001: "You Rock My World" #10

Source: Wikipedia

Man, could he dance.

This clip is comedy gold. Crazy as it sounds, I don't think I'd want "sexiest top model in the world" Joanna Krupa on my softball team. Maybe the Buffalo Bills should start her at QB next season.

Snow Patrol has been booked Oct. 11 at the Knitting Factory in Boise. Tickets go on sale this Friday for $28 advance at TicketWeb.

Sinbad is coming to the Knitting Factory for a 9:30 p.m. show Aug. 7. Yep, that Sinbad. His last Boise performance was at the Western Idaho Fair in 2003.

Sinbad's a dependable, wholesome fairgrounds act, unlike, say ... Andrew Dice Clay. Still, I wonder if Sinbad keeps his show sqeuaky clean even in a nightclub such as the Knitting Factory? (Although, technically, that venue is all-ages.)

Tickets are $27 advance at TicketWeb, $30 at the show.