Fulk-a-mania
Laura Fulk has been a busy fashion designer. Besides working on her Voltage 2008 line and her spring retail line for Cliché, Fulk is designing costumes for "God Save Gertrude," a punk-rock takeoff on "Hamlet" in the style of a rock opera. In a marriage of fashion, theater and music, the show will feature all-girl punk band the Shortcuts, and post-show parties will include Dance Band, the Haves Have It, Fort Wilson Riot and the Awesome Snakes.
- Jan. 25-Feb. 10, Playwrights' Center, $8-$15
Meanwhile, Fulk is also costuming and styling the members of Bella Koshka for their CD release show.
Jahna Peloquin
Drunken Spelling Bee: I'll hav a voddka colins, pleeezzz...
Oh, this is pure genius. On Feb. 2, the 331 Club will host a Drunken Spelling Bee. Yes, you heard it right, and yes, you are just as excited as we are. The competition will feature themed spelling rounds that will include topics such as celebrity names, hipster phraseology, alcoholic beverages and naughty words.
Each speller will get one free drink per round and must advance to drink more. Organizers say "snacks and caffeine will be provided to help keep the mind sharp during this daunting challenge of mental wit and drinking ability." Daunting, indeed. Winners will receive prizes from local tattoo artists, Foiled Again Salon and Audubon Coffee.
Spellers will not be allowed to drive home, so you'll need a sober cab if you're competing. There are 40 spots in this bee, which are expected to fill up this week, so hurry (there will be a few walk-up spots). It's $7 to enter. Pre-register by e-mailing mplsdrunkenspellingbee@gmail.com or by going to www.myspace.com/mplsdrunkenspellingbee.
- Tom Horgen
Auburn goes for gold
Add one more name to the otherwise shrinking list of major-label recording artists from the Twin Cities: St. Paul R&B singer Auburn Williams, 18, has signed a deal through Epic Records with a subsidiary label run by Jonathan (J.R.) Rotem, the producer behind Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" and tracks by Rihanna, Britney Spears and 50 Cent.
Williams' manager, Tim Wilson, said the burgeoning starlet -- who performs simply as Auburn -- will head to Los Angeles to perform around the Grammys, and she'll stay there through the spring, working on an album with Rotem as executive producer.
One big difference between Auburn and similar singers such as Rihanna and Keyshia Cole, the latter of whom Auburn recently opened for on tour: She writes many of her own songs. One of them, "Ewww Ewww," is already a modest underground hit. Wilson bragged, "It looks like the album is going to be about 80 percent her stuff, which is pretty remarkable."