Tom Kane can do a good evil robot. He gets a lot of computer voices thrown his way. Stanley Kubrick even picked him to be the new HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey just before Kubrick died. Kane's also done a ton of animation voicings, including Professor Utonium in “The Powerpuff Girls” and Monkey Fist on “Kim Possible.” He was both Tony Stark and Ultron in the "Iron Man" cartoons, so he got to fight himself.

As an actor, he's hit the trifecta. LeVar Burton has managed to be cast in three roles that played a major part in American culture: the young Kunta Kinte in Roots, himself as the host of "Reading Rainbow" and Geordi La Forge in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

You never know where pianist Tom McDermott will go haring off to next. That’s because he often hasn’t a clue, either. A daring and inventive improviser, he’s more than willing to go striding (or ragging or rumba-ing or tango-ing) through doors that lead who-knows-where. In the middle of a Scott Joplin piece, he might find an opening that leads straight to James Booker and start mixing the rag’s more straitlaced syncopation with the saucy funk of New Orleans R & B.

Using pointillism and evil typeface, the artist’s handiwork indicates a show on Saturday, June 25, at the Small Engine Gallery (1413 Fourth Street SW). Metally bands Gnossurrus and Leeches of Lore (along with an opening acoustic performance Dan Gottwald, who will be playing handmade instruments) begin all-ages festivities at 9 p.m. (Jessica Cassyle Carr)

If you had to pick a single Albuquerque street on which to dine for the rest of your life, you could do worse than Fourth. The diversity of restaurants on this North Valley artery is matched by a uniform unpretentiousness, as if by some silent but Spanglish-speaking truce. Dennis Apodaca has built a restaurant empire on a single half-mile stretch of that pavement. First came Sophia’s Place, named after his daughter. Then came Ezra’s Place, named after his son. And finally Jo’s Place, named after his mom, joined the block party in March.

Entries started pouring in as soon as we announced this year’s Flash Fiction contest. It was like that closet you haphazardly throw things into, without order, squeezing the door closed with your body weight to cram in all the stuff without a proper home. Toppling stacks of paper and files, bits of yarn, nightmare flickers, battered toys, love letters, unused sports equipment, dream diaries, lost hopes, failed romances―it’s all in there.

Terrence Malick is an artist of singular abilities. Over the course of his distinguished, nearly 40-year career, he’s directed exactly five films (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World and The Tree of Life). Each one is easily identified as an incredibly languid, highly ruminative period drama. With voice-over narration. And trees. His films are frequently described as “painterly,” in that they are beautifully composed and often consist of very long static shots in which nothing moves. There are few filmmakers I am as impressed with or as bored by.

Aliens are the new zombies. A lingering fear of foreign terrorists and a growing mistrust of undocumented aliens have turned Americans into full-fledged xenophobes. Hence, the most timely metaphorical monster we can imagine right now is the flying-saucer-piloting, death-ray-shooting invader from outer space.

In our Super Summer Film Guide, we asked readers to submit their best “high concept” film suggestions at alibi.com. We thumbed through the entries to find the most ridiculous “Hollywood summer blockbuster” film pitches you folks were able to compose in a single sentence. Our first-place winner (scoring 15 free passes to a Regal Cinema theater) is Dominic Wingfield for Oh God, I Love You. In it, “Suzie Fungirl (Julia Roberts) is killed in a car accident, and on entering Heaven, falls in love with God (Owen Wilson), and has to convince him that, although he may love everybody, she is something special.” Second place (10 free passes) goes to Clay Beckner for Elizaborg. “In a last-ditch effort to restore the relevance of the British monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) is transformed into a svelte, robotic, time-traveling killing machine (Angelina Jolie), who hunts down critics of extravagant royal pageantry throughout history, along the way teaming up with (or supplanting) other royal figures such as Elizabeth I (Judi Dench), Henry VIII (Zach Galifianakis) and Prince Charles (Paul Reubens).” Todd Quinn locks down third place (five film passes) with The Saturday Morning. “After leaving his wild bachelor party in Las Vegas early, thirtysomething Tom wakes early on Saturday (after eight hours of sleep), goes for a run, has a quiet breakfast alone, and calls his fiancée.”

When I was little, my father made me memorize Wordsworth poems and frequently took me and my sister to Shakespeare plays. But he was also fond of propping us up on barstools in front of live bands, ordering us rounds of Shirley Temples. This is likely why, rather than being the affluent attorney my father wishes I was, I’m writing a music column and wondering how I’m going to pay all of my bills and afford to go record shopping this week. I’d rather be here than there, though, and I’m thankful to my dad for his part in creating my reality and, well, me.

Peter Greenberg is the guitar player for Taos rock and roll band Manby’s Head. In the ’70s and ’80s, he played and made records with Boston garage punk bands DMZ and Lyres, Cincinnati’s The Customs and funky rockabilly screamer Barrence Whitfield and the Savages (another Boston outfit). However, at age 30, he finished grad school, quit music and got into the energy business. Three years ago he downsized his career and moved from Texas to New Mexico, where he met Manby’s Head bandmates Michael Mooney and Paul Reid. Greenberg recently toured with Lyres and just finished a record with Barrence Whitfield, with whom he’s touring Europe this fall. In the meantime, he’ll play Saturday night with Manby’s Head, fellow Taos band The Blood Drained Cows and Albuquerque’s The Seeing Things in a rock and roll extravaganza at the Blackbird Buvette (509 Central NW). The free, 21-and-over show begins at 10 p.m. Below, Greenberg takes a break from his record collection and puts an iPod on shuffle. The random tracks that surfaced are as follows:

Multiple flyers featuring ladies’ backsides were available for this week’s micro-column. Of them, we most fancied the bold graphics and utter trashiness of this quasi-menstrual, fishnetted poster art. It announces the End of June Music Blowout at Burt’s Tiki Lounge (313 Gold SW). See RAWRR!, The Glass Menageries, Techtonic Movement and Mrdrbrd on Saturday, June 25, at 9 p.m. This show is free for 21-and-over ages. Image by I Heart Machine. (Jessica Cassyle Carr)

In 1927, Lindberg crossed the Atlantic and the world began dancing the Lindy. Energetic devotees swing on—and Rachel Green makes a career of the obsession. Green and I are chatting over lunch at the Route 66 Malt Shop, one door down from her dance space. I’m sipping a chocolate egg cream while Green enjoys a toasty crab cake sandwich.

Adrien Lawyer and Elena Letourneau are what they refer to as “invisible”—a white, seemingly straight couple with a 6-year-old son.

Lawyer had his breasts removed in 2004. A year later, he began hormone replacement therapy, which deepened his voice and sprouted hair on his face. Lawyer is now legally a man. Once recognized as a lesbian couple, he and his partner have undergone not only a physical but a cultural transformation. They appear to be the all-American family. And that’s exactly what they are.

Last month, networks announced their official fall 2011-2012 prime-time schedules. Right now, it’s hard to tell which shows will be good and which will suck eggs through a straw. But a quick glance through the networks’ own sneak preview trailers leads us to a few conclusions.

Rio Rancho Premiere Cinema is having an “open house movie event” on Thursday, June 9. The brand new, all-digital, 14-screen multiplex is at the corner of Southern and Unser Boulevards. Viewers are invited through the doors on Thursday for an all-day “sneak preview” featuring all the Oscar-nominated Best Pictures of 2010. In case you forgot, that’s The King’s Speech, Black Swan, Toy Story 3, The Fighter, Inception, The Social Network, 127 Hours and Winter’s Bone. Best part: The movies are all free, starting at 11:30 a.m. The theater will open for its first full day of business on Friday, June 10.

Once upon a time, seemingly out of nowhere, came the New York Dolls. Formed in 1971, the band forged a distinct style of rock and roll and derived its shimmering androgynous look from transvestites. The music took elements from England’s glam rock movement, noisy and vulgar Detroit proto-punk acts like The Stooges and MC5, ’60s girl groups, and ’50s lo-fi rock and roll. The band endured through two albums before splitting up in 1977 as one of the most influential rock acts of all time.

The accordion is one of my favorite instruments. Its sound can be peppy, polka-y, haunting, mournful and, yes, even sexy. As such, I am predisposed to like this show, and I think it might turn you on, too. At Winning Coffee Co. on Wednesday, June 15, let the spirit of the sexy accordion take you. Two sultry accordion-toting performers from California will join Burque’s own Zoltan Orkestar in squeezing out vaudeville, cabaret, traditional French stuff and more.

In 1969, baby boomers came together in New York to enjoy three days of peace, music and the company of fellow long-haired, establishment-scorning hippies. Now New Mexico is hosting an event that plays on the moniker of that infamous fest, and it comes with a furry little twist. Combining live music, sleeping under the stars and the howls of wolves, the first Wolfstock kicks off this weekend.

A balance of painterly and graphic techniques are lent to gloomy blacks, whites and grayscale in what appears to be a bird-laden landscape print. Raven Chacon, Cristóbal Martínez, Kade L. Twist and Nathan Young make up the interdisciplinary American Indian arts collective Postcommodity. On Friday, June 10, they'll be doing a noise show at the Santa Fe Art Institute's Tipton Hall. The show begins at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 general, $5 for students/seniors/members. (Jessica Cassyle Carr)

When it comes to flavor, it’s hard to beat a well-marbled rib eye. But when it comes to cost without sacrificing flavor, I go for the flatiron. It comes from the top of the shoulder and is sometimes called a top blade, top boneless chuck or petite steak. It’s used in steak frites in restaurants, and it’s sometimes hard to find at a standard grocer. When trimmed out by a good butcher, a tough, sinewy membrane down its center is removed to leave a perfect steak for the grill.

Meat, of all the ingredients a restaurant serves, is arguably the most deserving of care in how it is sourced. Unless, perhaps, the name of the restaurant in question is Cafe Green. At the three-year-old Downtown breakfast and lunch joint, the greens of both the salad and the chile persuasions are local. And some of the meat on the menu is too, if you consider Pueblo, Colo, to be local. (We do.)

We had some shots from Locovore’s recent visit to Cafe Green that we liked too much not to share ... kind of like that crème brûlée.