1 We haven't been this excited about a doughnut shop since Krispy Kreme finally arrived in the Twin Cities in 2002. Glam Doll Donuts, on Eat Street in south Minneapolis, isn't your typical doughnut dispensary. It's filled with vintage furnishings and a different kind of delicacy. We took a shine to the Misfit, which has an orange, ginger and cinnamon infused glaze. But we've got our eye on the deliciously titled Varga Girl, Bombshell and Dark Angel. Ask about contents, not calories. www.glamdolldonuts.com
2 "Admission" follows Tina Fey, a Princeton University admissions counselor, through her problems at work and in romance (including Paul Rudd). While most college-themed comedies aim for low-SAT yucks, this one tosses out jokes and cultural references that aim higher. The laughs here are mostly honest, rarely forced, and triggered by our identification with misguided folks, this one overcompensating through workaholism, that one through wanderlust, and her over there through political pontificating.
4 If you want to start a friendly argument with fellow music lovers who come to visit, put Jeff Gold's "101 Essential Rock Records" on your coffee table. Collector/music exec Gold's colorful book surveys rock's vinyl era — essentially early Beatles through the Sex Pistols — and lists the albums (lots of Beatles, Dylan, Stones, prog rock) chronologically, with front and back covers and liner notes. Plus, there are essays by David Bowie, Graham Nash, Peter Buck, Suzanne Vega and others about their favorite LPs.
3 Steven Dietz's play "Jackie and Me" tells the story of baseball's racial pioneer Jackie Robinson through the eyes of a young boy in present-day Pittsburgh. The kid researches Robinson for a Black History Month school assignment, using his magical power to be transported to the past by simply holding a baseball card. The play is as much about self-discovery for the boy as it is a history lesson — and a look into baseball. www.childrenstheatre.org
5 Sounding like Tom Petty channeling a Daniel Lanois-produced Bob Dylan album, with members of My Morning Jacket as sidemen, Phosphorescent's "Muchacho" is obviously not an album for everyone. Those who get it will really get into it, though. Alabama-bred mastermind Matthew Houck paints a lonesome, after-midnight soundscape with the help of strings and a small smattering of electronics but keeps it quintessentially a rock record — one your dad might even like with the right set of headphones.
