Item World: Local news and views

(Still) Rockin' Hollywoods While two other beloved Twin Cities cover bands have been tarnished recently by infighting and ownership lawsuits (the White Sidewalls and Boogie Wonderland), it's nice to see the Rockin' Hollywoods still celebrating and having a good time while singing "Celebration" and "Good Times." The band marks its 40th year in business with shows Friday at the Withrow Ballroom in Hugo (8 p.m., $14) and Saturday at the Medina Entertainment Center (8:30 p.m., $12). It's actually a little premature for the anniversary -- the original members started in 1971 and didn't really find their retro-rock way until 1973, after "American Graffiti" came out -- but this weekend coincides with founder/frontman Steve (Rimshot) Ghizoni's 60th birthday. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak," Ghizoni cracked, noting that the band has cut back to 70 or 80 shows a year from 200 in its heyday. "I need time to recover from them now." He figures they've played about 7,000 gigs total, with plenty more to come. They've even updated their song list with '80s songs (rue the day "Smells Like Teen Spirit" makes the cut). Said Ghizoni, "I honestly love doing it as much now as I ever have."

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Bravo for Mendenhall University of Minnesota art grad Miles Mendenhall might be performing double-time as a contestant on Bravo's new reality show "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist." Rumor has it the 23-year-old artist will be developing tangible work for the show's barrage of challenges, but he'll also be exploring "perception and persona" by playing a character challenged with mental illness for the duration of his reality performance. An interest in the intersection of psychology and art is not a new one for Mendenhall, whose exhibit last year at Fox Tax Gallery found him explaining to local weblogger 3-Minute Egg that his art -- the stress of which he quantified by monitoring his urine production -- was exploring the facets of his obsessive-compulsive disorder. The show premieres June 9.

REBECCA LANG

Eyeing the Peas While it would have been nicer seeing actual Minnesotans out front again, the Twin Cities did make it onto the cover of the current issue of Rolling Stone magazine. The photo shoot with the Black Eyed Peas was done in Minneapolis the day after their March 22 performance at Xcel Energy Center. Famed rock lensman Mark Seliger -- who also took Minnesota boys the Hold Steady's new publicity photos -- flew in for the daylong session, staged at Orbit Studios and atop the Grain Exchange Building. Orbit producer Sarah Fisher marveled at Seliger's know-how. "He had a specific vision and set up three different sets, knowing exactly which one he was going to use for the cover," she recalled. Fisher was also a fan of the music the Peas brought in on their personal iPods to set the right mood: "Mostly a lot of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest," she said.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Fetus electrifies Spin It's not luck that found the Electric Fetus named one of the 15 Best Indie Record Stores by Spin magazine. The store's survival of last year's tornado proved that it didn't need divine fortune to be the 13th-best in the country, just good customer service and a powerful connection to the community. Spin called E.F. a "corporate big-box retailer" with "devoted employees who would like nothing more than to see your face when you encounter Fela Kuti for the first time." Hey, Spin, the Fetus is no Virgin Megastore. Ringo Starr doesn't wear T-shirts from any store that has cutouts of the Dixie Chicks next to Bret Michaels signings. OK, we're proud anyway.

REBECCA LANG

Deuce Seven mural fades to white Some art lovers were disappointed last week when Cult Status Gallery covered its kaleidoscopic facade with a bucket of white paint. After hiring Minneapolis artist Deuce Seven to paint a mural on the exterior, there were complaints from other tenants. The landlord said the painting, less than a month old, had to go. Pro-mural partisans gathered at 8 a.m. Saturday to watch and record the removal of the colorful street art. Gallery founder Erin Sayer compromised with the building's owner to preserve parts of the eclectic image using a giant stencil. The final product features the name of the gallery and a 15-foot-tall woman. Sayer is disappointed by the ordeal. "It looks so weird with all that white," she said. But art still lives, and Cult Status is excited about its opening Friday for My Nameless Love, which features about 30 Twin Cities artists, as well as artists from London. For more info, see www.cultstatus gallery.com.

REBECCA LANG