'Perfect Holiday' aims to put a smile on your face
A sugary and silly romantic comedy about a hip-hop star's ex-wife (Gabrielle Union) and the down-on-his-luck department store Santa (Morris Chestnut) who falls for her, "The Perfect Holiday" won't be confused with Dostoyevsky.

Racha Thai's food is worth the wait
A friend and I met at Westfield Capital mall one afternoon to do a little holiday shopping and treat ourselves to an early dinner. We finished shopping, then made our way to Racha, a relatively new addition to the mall.

Chipper critters, potty humor don't go far in 'Alvin and the Chipmunks'
At an Alvin and the Chipmunks concert, every seat is a bad seat.

New music on the shelves
Pop

Make a tasty holiday margarita
Try a cranberry margarita from "The Pastry Queen Christmas" (Ten Speed Press, 2007, $32.50). Author Rebecca Rather says to run cut lime around the rim, then dunk your glass in sugar. Ingredients: ice, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1/4 cup orange liqueur (such as triple sec), 1/2 cup 100 percent agave tequila, 1/2 cup cranberry juice, 4 thin slices of lime for garnish. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine ingredients and shake well. Pour into ice-filled glasses. Garnish with lime.

Eerie last-man-standing story 'I Am Legend' haunts with stark images and loneliness
If we must watch someone wandering about aimlessly as the last man on Earth, it might as well be someone who can hold our attention like the charismatic Will Smith, star of "I Am Legend."

Top sellers on iTunes
Maroon 5 and Fergie hold the top spots on iTunes' year-end sales roundup. Maroon 5's sophomore album, "It Won't Be Soon Before Long," was the No. 1 seller on the online music store's site , followed alum Chris Daughtry's band's self-titled debut, "Daughtry," and "Coco " by newcomer Colbie Caillat, who has the hit "Bubbly."

Let your voice mingle at Messiah Singalong
About 500 people came to the Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia's performance of Handel's "Messiah" last December.

Experience 'One Holy Night'
Hope Community Church in Olympia is presenting "One Holy Night," a musical that tells the story of the first Christmas. A cast of 50 will perform the one-hour drama at Black Lake Bible Camp at 6521 Fairview Drive in Olympia at 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Child care will be provided for children preschool age and younger. There is no cost and the public is welcome. Call 360-357-3235 or 360-357-8425 for more details or directions.

Reindeer and Sasquatch? Museum's celebration is inspired by furry beasts
Last year, the Washington State Capital Museum's Historic Holiday Celebration featured Santa Claus. This year, there's another figure of mythic proportions at the center of the fun: Sasquatch.

Wine events
Looking for an opportunity to learn more about wine or taste something new? Look no further. Here are upcoming South Sound wine-tasting events where you will be welcome.

Top 10 highest-grossing films in North America
1. "The Golden Compass," $25.7 million

Stars align for three horribly bad movies
For most of us, Nov. 27 was just an ordinary day, a post-Thanksgiving Tuesday marked by the drudgery of work and other obligations.

Get down with Hillstomp
How did Hillstomp's Henry Kammerer ge t the blues? It was a circuitous journey from his Salt Lake City childhood to the Mississippi Delta sound that inspires his music.