Gunn makes it work ... at Rosedale

Tim Gunn, the "Project Runway" mentor and chief creative officer of Liz Claiborne, was in town last week for a Liz Claiborne fashion show at Herberger's Rosedale, of all places, and we had the opportunity to sit down with the charismatic style icon before the show. With Bravo's "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" and his new book by the same name, "Project Runway" and his role at Liz Claiborne (which also houses Juicy Couture, Kate Spade and Lucky), Gunn seems poised to make America fabulous.

His role at Liz Claiborne is similar to that on "Project Runway" -- he works as a "sounding board, an adviser, a truth-teller," serving as a go-between for designers and executives. Gunn has to miss out on the "Project Runway" Season 5 auditions this month due to his obligations to Liz Claiborne, but he says he is committed to the show "as long as 'Project Runway' exists."

So what's next for Gunn -- his own fashion line? "I have designed," Gunn said with a laugh, "but frankly speaking, the prospect of it is so daunting. You have to have so much confidence. Unless you can reach a certain scale, it's hard to make it in this business. But I can step back and be analytical about it."

• Jahna Peloquin

David Lynch saves the day

Chris Dotson had a photo of cult director David Lynch on the ceiling above his bed for nearly a month last year. "I wanted some of his energy to rub off on me," Dotson said -- but not like a stalker thing. It was all part of his theory of harnessing some of Lynch's success from the universe, or something spiritual like that, he said.

"I've read enough spiritual books," the Minnesota native said. "And I'm an actor, so I'm insane."

A few months later, Dotson was on YouTube impersonating Lynch as a superhero who solves people's everyday problems, from band squabbles to divorce, with nonsensical Lynchian solutions such as an appearance by the Log Lady from "Twin Peaks," or a German man wearing bunny ears. One of Dotson's "David Lynch: Problem Solver" videos, created with Adrian Selkowitz, was featured on YouTube's home page last week, resulting in more than 400,000 views. Dotson said he thinks true Lynch fans will get the most out of his parodies, which he considers a tribute to one of his favorite filmmakers.

The Minnesota native moved to Hollywood to pursue acting and filmmaking, and most recently played a small role on NBC's "Chuck" and a one-time role in the final season of "The O.C." His plans include a series of Oprah Winfrey impressions that he calls "incredibly wacky." "You'll definitely have to see it to believe it," he said.

Stephanine Dickrell
Rogue Buddha stirs from hibernation

Things have been quiet around the Rogue Buddha Gallery. Fatigued from his trip to Miami for December's Art Now Fair, owner Nicholas Harper hasn't hosted an opening in his gallery since November. But last Friday, in an optimistic sign of spring and its promise of art-scene revelry, the Buddha rumbled late into the night. It was the type of boho fete the northeast Minneapolis gallery is famous for, blessed with mildly cold cans of Leinenkugel's, a black-suited Scott Seekins and an impromptu acoustic set from British folk-punks the Mekons. Billed as the after-party for the Current's Fakebook event that featured the Mekons and rock critic Greil Marcus, Friday's reception opened a three-day show featuring artwork from Mekons Jon Langford and Rico Bell.

The party was the first in a string of back-to-back shows that will keep the Buddha rocking through May. This Friday, Harper welcomes the Scion Installation Art Tour, the latest stage in Toyota's scheme to align its Scion brand with indie hip-hoppers. The nine-city traveling exhibition largely features artists championed in Juxtapoz magazine -- such giants of lowbrow illustration as Ron English, Blek LeRat and Jeff Soto. DJs Kool Akiem and Jonathan Ackerman will spin. (7-11 p.m. Fri., free, www.scion.com/installation.)

The party continues in May when the Buddha hosts prominent Chicago artist Thomas Masters and his calligraphic ink-on-paper works.

Gregory J. Scott
The birth of freedom

Hear, hear, fellow drinkers, it's time to celebrate. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. For beer drinkers, April 7, 1933, will always have a special place in our hearts. It's the day when 3.2 beer was legalized. All of Prohibition would end later that year with the ratification of the 21st Amendment. To celebrate, Summit has created a cool graphic poster commemorating April 7 with the tagline "Our Thirst Shall Be Heard." It's in bars now, or you can buy one for $9.95 at the brewery's gift shop (910 Montreal Circle, St. Paul, 651-265-7800, www.summitbrewing.com). A few bars will be throwing parties for this glorious beer holiday. On Saturday, the first 100 people in the door at Bootleggers (of course) drink free from 8 to 9 p.m. After that, it's penny pints and two-for-ones from 9 to 10 p.m.

Tom Horgen
More Träma units

Following his well-received 2007 mix-tape CD "HCMC," the coyest thug rapper in town, Träma, recently finished another mix tape that he's calling -- get this -- "Barack O-Träma." He's posting a new song from it every week at www.myspace.com/tramagnum until the disc comes out May 13. This week's track, "Da Bridge Iz Ova," re-uses a KRS-One beat to riff on the Interstate 35 bridge collapse. KRS-One, by the way, has scheduled his first Minneapolis performance in at least five years, April 11 at Trocaderos.

Chris Riemenschneider