Every year, mainstream media picks a pop tart to feel the heat of the MTV spotlight, though 2008’s rising star was not a Mickey Mouse Club or American Idol outcast nor was it some annoying bleached-blonde virginity-claiming bombshell. Instead, we saw the rise of a doll-faced, naughty-girl-next-door singer/musician Katy Perry (pictured), who brought the nauseatingly catchy yet somehow edgy “I Kissed a Girl” to suburbia and to the Warped Tour, all in one fell swoop. Her certified-platinum album, One of the Boys, sold 2 million copies worldwide, and she seems to have some staying power (she just performed on The Grammys in February), though tickets for the 1,500-capacity show that’s been lined up for months were still available by the time of this posting. 8 p.m., Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, $20.
The latest doc presented in the fundraising WMNF Film Series is Plan Colombia: Cashing in on the Drug War Failure, about the relation between America's "war-on-drugs" in Columbia and how it relates to our country's interest in Columbian oil and natural resources. Screened at two locations: 7 p.m., Tampa Pitcher Show, Tampa, and 7 p.m. at Nova 535 Art Lounge, St. Petersburg. Admission is $8 door.
Black On Black Rhyme concludes its observance of National Poetry Month with the City of Tampa poet laureate, James E. Tokley, who also celebrates his 61st birthday on the occasion. Friends of Tokley, special guests, various area poets and Tokley himself are scheduled to perform readings and give presentations. 9 p.m., Hip Hop Soda Shop, Tampa, $7, 813-244-0535.
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2009.
