Everyone is welcome.

From this morning's Seattle Times:

The first case to go to trial in last fall's controversial sting operation of Seattle nightclubs came back with a quick verdict: not guilty....

The sting, which targeted 15 clubs in Belltown, Pioneer Square and the University District over a two-week period in August, culminated in a sweep of workplace arrests on a busy Saturday night in September.

DeLeon was among 15 bartenders and bouncers arrested and had the distinction of spending the most time--more than two nights--in King County Jail. A dozen other employees, most of whom were not working that night, were also charged criminally. In most cases, the charges were serving alcohol to minors or intoxicated patrons--administrative offenses usually handled by the state Liquor Control Board....

DeLeon's attorney, Matthew Leyba, of Associated Counsel for the Accused, said he filed three unsuccessful motions to get the case dismissed, and trial began Wednesday. The jury deliberated for no more than 20 minutes before returning a verdict Thursday, he said.

Click through to the story if you want to listen to Tom Carr attempt to defend his over-the-top, politically-motivated prosecution of this poor bartender. Pathetic.

Havana serves a very fine mojito.

Jen Graves wrote about McLeod Residence a year ago--not that you could have gone back then. It was members only, for liquor-license reasons. But now, at long last, the place is opening up to the public:

Seattle, WA--March 6, 2008--The McLeod Residence Lounge, formerly available exclusively to members, will be open to the public six days a week beginning March 21. McLeod Residence will kick off opening weekend with The Dutchess and the Duke performing harmonious 60s-influenced folk rock on Friday, March 21. DJ Andrew Luck will be spinning a dance party on Saturday, March 22 and on Sunday, March 23 the place will go first-class with karaoke hosted by Adè. The public is now welcome to sip a cocktail invented by one of the members, check out the contemporary art throughout the space (including the bathrooms), and kick back on the comfy sofa. The McLeod Residence Lounge will be open Tuesday-Sunday from 6pm to 2am.

The whole press release is after the jump.

Continue reading "McLeod Residence to Open (Finally) to the Public" »

Was just trying to read up on Drudge about how much Obama is winning in Vermont and was totally sidetracked by this:

Eight British Commandos have been flown home in disgrace for stripping naked and engaging in appalling behaviour in a Norwegian bar during an Arctic training exercise.

The men disgusted onlookers in the town of Harstad with a drunken game of "naked bar."

After whipping off their clothes, they urinated on each other - splashing other customers and furniture - before slurring insults and abuse.

Pictures? Yup.

If this story makes you happy, you're gonna love Drunk of the Week in tomorrow's issue:

Also known as bissextile day.

Responding to a recent spike in violent crimes in and around San Francisco's popular nightclubs, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced new legislation Thursday intended to make the venues safer.

Under the proposed legislation... it would be illegal to loiter within 10 feet of a club for more than three minutes between the hours of 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. People smoking or waiting for a bus or taxi would be exempted, and police would have to issue a warning before citing a loiterer.

Comedian Andy Haynes REALLY wants you to go to Laff Hole tonight.

How can you say no to that shit? Come on. His parents are divorced!

There's a bug going around editorial—several staffers are out sick or "sick" or are MIA today... here's what the dedicated skeleton crew claims to be doing this evening:

"Barbecuing and then going to Jules Maes in Georgetown to play pool."
"Checking out the Belltown bar scene, starting at Queen City Grill."
"Lifting weights until I feel like I'm going to throw up."
"Going to a bar to look at a pretty woman."
"Going to West Seattle, to Talarico's to eat a slice of pizza as big as my head, then CD shopping at Easy Street."
"Seeing WET's new show, Mr. Marmalade."
"Watching Narc on DVD—the cinematography is supposed to be great."
"Either seeing Drop Dead Gorgeous at Central Cinema or Be Kind, Rewind."

And you?

Find me for name tags, Stranger T-shirts, and those awful conversation hearts. And I hear Mr. Savage will be in attendance.

Doors to the Valentine's Bash open at 8 pm, so if you arrive after that, look for us at Neumo's next door.

More pictures after the jump...

Continue reading "More Pictures from Super Tuesday at Moe Bar" »

An early invite for your planning purposes:

followed by...

If you've never been to a Bash, you should go—Savage presides over a wild spectacle of destruction and a hot singles scene. Footage from last year's:

(Sorry for the XL post.)

I need your help. I'm on a mission to play Big Buck Hunter tonight, and the machines at the two bars I've been to are broken. Help me, Sloggy-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

I'm going to see Mike Daisey's Monopoly on the advice of a funny friend ("There's something for everyone: raw humor [carefully placed four-letter words] and this kind of clever underlying—or not-so-underlying—humor or smartness that is refreshing... Like any good piece of art, it leaves you thinking.")—but, it's sold out.

Also promising: Sgt Rigsby & His Amazing Silhouettes' A Boy in the Beastly City at Theater off Jackson.

What are you doing?

Let the Bowies Hit the Floor:

Back inside, the party is collapsing on itself. It's late, and as soon as the music stops, people start yelling. Swimming toward the exit, a pile of bodies crashes to the floor in front of me. There is no room to move. The mood is anxious and exhilarated, volatile. After escaping, we all agree this is one of the wildest parties any of us have ever beheld.

Last week's party was insane - let's have more of that. We can only crash your party if you tell us where and when to go. Email partycrasher@thestranger.com with the details and your party can live on in infamy forever.

Thanks, everyone who came out to Slog Happy last night. Turnout was double that of last month, and the bar staffed up for us so it was much easier to get a beverage. There's a thread of recollections underway here if you're wondering what you missed.

Next Slog Happy is February 14 at 6 pm, then Savage's Valentine's Bash follows next door at Neumo's (doors at 8, show at 9:30). See you then if not before.

We're not live-slogging nor taking photos tonight, so if you're curious and in Seattle, best make your way to Moe Bar.

From MSNBC...

A St. Louis-area town is considering a bill that would ban swearing in bars, along with table-dancing, drinking contests and profane music.

City officials contend the bill is needed to keep rowdy crowds under control because the historic downtown area gets a little too lively on some nights.

Gee, I hope Greg Nickels isn't reading Slog.

Throwing a sweet party this weekend? Want it to get covered in the paper? It’s the first weekend of the year; don’t tell me you blew your whole load on Monday. Send the details to partycrasher@thestranger.com and we can get to having a good time.

(Both by fffssss)

(by gaijinrunner)

(by Diana Arens)

(by Fecki)

(by seattlescott69)

(by packratt2k)

I polled the office on Friday and got a long list of dinners and house parties (notable twists: Scrabble, homemade black-eyed peas, Chihuahua races). We're for the most part coasting through the final hours of an exhausting year. Anyone have plans they're excited about? Is NYE entirely overrated unless you're single and wealthy or single and very young?

Don't forget to add your photos (with an NYE07 tag) to the Flickr pool. See you in 2008.

Don't forget to upload your party photos to our Flickr pool with the tag NYE07. I'll post a bunch of them to Slog on New Year's Day.

Hey y'all—those of you celebrating on Monday night—upload your party photos to our Flickr pool with the tag NYE07. I'll post a bunch of them to Slog on Tuesday (since we'll likely be too bleary to read or write much).

Whether you're going to a fancy dress-up party...
^{Kelly O}

Or just a karaoke bash in your friends' moms' basement...
^{Kelly O}

We want to see your pictures!

(New Year's Eve party listings are here.)

I totally hate Christmas. It's really boring, especially because I'm not Christian and everyone else is, so I just have to sit around, maybe clean the apartment a little. Yawn. (Although last year was fun because me and a few friends snuck a bottle of champagne and a bottle of OJ into a showing of Dreamgirls. That movie is great if you are drunk and accompanied by smart, sassy gays fresh off a Paris Is Burning kick.)

Anyhow, whether you love or hate Christmas, now's the time to start planning for New Year's. A lot of the funnest parties are going to sell out, so you should buy your tickets now. We have 63 (!) events in our extremely comprehensive listings, plus a list of taxi and towncar services, and the Metro transit spiel for that night so you can get home safe. (Coming at the end of today--a more printable, pocketable, prettier form of that list.)

Here's a couple of events that look neat:
MoeBar's Enchantment Under the Sea Dance w/ DJs Paul Devro, Pretty Titty and Fourcolorzack

Science Friction, a gigantic event put on by the Decibel Festival, Shameless, Flight to Mars, SunTzu Sound, Fourthcity and EMC at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in West Seattle

(You can't really read the flyer, but that's pretty much every good DJ in Seattle. Honestly.)

More details and more events here. Get your plan on!

Prudent plotters will be pleased to find 63 New Year's Eve happenings here.

See how much it's going to cost you on Line Out.

Read about it over at LineOut.

It's back.

Santa was at Liberty on 15th last night, enjoying the hell out of himself. The barman said Santa had killed the keg of Liberty Ale and moved on to pints of Stella. ("I don't know what the reindeer are drinking," the barman said.) The flask lodged between Santa's substantial belly and for-decorative-purposes-only belt was empty. "I drank it already," he said. About the belly: "That's real," he said with pride. "That's a lot of beer." Santa doesn't like gin. "When Santa drinks gin," he said, "he tastes it for three days." Santa was unconcerned that his suit made him look fat.

Santa put the crowd drinking at Liberty at a 50/50 naughty-to-nice ratio. He was given to promising women brand-new canary yellow cars. Santa likes the ladies, it was clear, and he's seeking to address the wage gap as best he can.

One woman posed for a photo with Santa and her martini. Regarding her photograph afterward, she said, "I look kind of guilty." What did she ask for? "To please make him fall into the ocean and float far, far away." Who? "Santa knows."

Santa and the owner of Liberty (which also serves sushi) discussed fishing; Santa's an avid fisherman and will be getting back to it in Cancun in January. (In an aside, the owner of Liberty reported that both of Santa's hands were visible in the majority of the evening's photographs, "so that's good.")

Mrs. Claus was present, too, wearing silky dark red and a jingle-bell bracelet. She interrupted an extended conversation with Santa.

"Are you getting in trouble?" she said.

"I'm not telling lies!" he said.

"You're going back to the North Pole in about five minutes," she said.

Someone told Santa that they hadn't seen him in a long time, that they'd missed him. "I've always been here, and I'll always be here, forever and ever and ever," he said. "You just have to believe in your heart."

Tonight, Santa's at the Tasting Room; tomorrow night, at BalMar.

I've spent a lot of time in the UK--lived there for two years--and I didn't think it was possible, but....

Britons are typically drinking a third more than earlier surveys suggested, it was revealed yesterday, as the government took the unusual step of revising the way it calculates alcohol consumption to reflect stronger wine and the trend towards drinking from bigger glasses....

But the drinks industry reacted angrily, saying the government was sending out a confusing message about sensible alcohol consumption.

The "drinks industry"? I love that expression. The drinks industry. Sounds like they're building cars or fridges or something. The drinks industry. That's one kind of industrialization we can all get behind.