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Ludacris loves roller coasters Hip-hop star Ludacris had his doubts about Nickelodeon Universe. Then he learned: You don't mess with SpongeBob and his amazing rides. The rapper was in town Monday to open for the Black Eyed Peas but checked out the Mall of America beforehand. In a YouTube video captured by MOA's Erica Dao, Ludacris admitted he was impressed. "When you come to the Mall of America, your expectations for the roller coasters are very low," he said. "You don't think that it's gonna be for adults. You think it's all for kids. However! I got on the first roller coaster and I can honestly say that, uh, it surprised me." Also in the video (watch it on the MOA's YouTube channel): Ludacris getting a hug from a furry yellow duck, a band of unimpressed kids walking straight through the rapper's entourage, and, finally, Luda's roller-coaster review.

TOM HORGEN

Does Target Field need a house band? Two Minnesota-rooted rock stars shared their enthusiasm for the new Twins ballpark when we caught up with them at the South by Southwest Music Conference last week. The Hold Steady's Edina-reared frontman Craig Finn lamented the fact that his band has gigs that conflict with opening weekend. But, he said, "I'll be there plenty after that. I already got my 20-game package." Also, baseball fan Jakob Dylan said he hopes to get back to town for some games. Having spent many summers here with his dad as a kid, he said, "I actually liked the old ballpark a lot." We thought the SXSW mayhem was messing with his head. "No, not the Metrodome," he said. "The one before that."

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

A new hope, indeed A note to organizers of the just-announced "Star Wars: In Concert" tour, which Xcel Energy Center has booked for June 11, complete with live orchestra, narration and costumes (tickets go on sale Saturday): We male Gen-Xers who no longer sleep under R2-D2 bedsheets are willing to make a deal. We promise not to poke fun at perhaps the biggest nerd-fest of all time -- outside of Comic-Con, of course -- if you promise us something in return. We want that Princess Leia slave costume from Jabba the Hutt's palace, live and in person, without any G-Rated touch-ups, and with a stand-in "actress" as hot as Carrie Fisher in her prime. Oh, and no Jabba-sized couch potatoes in the row in front of us. Give us a call via The Force to seal the deal.

CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Westerberg on Chilton "Possessing more talent than necessary, he tired as a very young man of playing the game. So he returned home to Memphis." Paul Westerberg wrote that of his "mentor," Alex Chilton, in a tribute piece that ran in the New York Times Op-Ed section following the Big Star and Box Tops singer's death from a heart attack last week. It starts out in a serious tone about their musical connection ("Those who fail to click with the world and society at large find safe haven in music"), but the eulogy ends with a hilarious story about a time when the quirky Chilton confided in the Replacements frontman that: a) he was then residing in a tent in Tennessee, and b) was having a hard time meeting women. Westerberg couldn't resist asking if he really was just having a hard time "asking a young lady if she'd like to come back to your tent?"

Old club, new tricks Turning 40 isn't so bad. Just ask First Avenue. The legendary club hits the big 4-0 on April 3, a milestone that surely makes it one of the oldest (and most productive) music venues in the country. The anniversary comes at a time when the onetime bus depot is embarking on some new ventures. The VIP Room long has been a haven for intimate dance nights, but in the past few years it's really blossomed as an incubator for forward-thinking DJs (the Moon Goons, Jimmy 2 Times & Plain Ole Bill, Attitude City). Thus, First Ave is renaming the upstairs danceteria the Record Room. The club has hired Twin Cities artist Greg Gossel to paint a giant mural that will run throughout the space. After several delays, the Depot Tavern is set to open in mid-May. First Ave general manager Nate Kranz has said he wants the Depot to be a neighborhood bar in downtown. The burger-and-beer joint should help the club capitalize on all the new Twins business. Watch out for the "Diamond Dog," a quarter-pound all-beef hot dog wrapped in pepper bacon and then deep-fried on a pretzel bun (yikes!).

TOM HORGEN

New fest on the block Although the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival is less than a month away, organizers are moving forward with plans for a new Twin Cities Film Fest in the fall. Founded by Jatin Setia , a U of M marketing grad who's made some short films, the organization had a kickoff fundraiser/housewarming party last week at its new offices in the Ford Centre, near Target Field. The festival is aiming for the sweet spot between the Toronto and Sundance festivals in hopes of picking up some bigger titles and Oscar hopefuls that wouldn't make the MSPIFF lineup. It has no funding yet -- Setia is trying to secure corporate sponsors -- but it plans to screen about 30 films. The artistic director is Robert Roessel, a Minnesotan who runs Mexico's Puerto Vallarta film fest. For more information, see TCfilmfest.com.

ERIK MCCLANAHAN