The most influential man in Minnesota comedy doesn't tell jokes, and he doesn't laugh much, either. But for 20 years, Louis Lee has been the driving force behind Acme Comedy Company, the Twin Cities' proving ground for fledgling comics and a hallowed stage for touring stars.

This week marks Acme's 20th anniversary. It's a milestone in the comedy business, which endured a bloody boom-and-bust period in the 1990s. To celebrate, Lee has booked an epic lineup that includes 20 of his favorite national headliners performing back-to-back Thursday through Saturday.

A native of Hong Kong, Lee came to Minnesota for college. An American girlfriend introduced him to comedy -- a Dudley Riggs show. He only understood half of what was said, but the jokes flowed like music, and he was hooked.

Acme's first few years were brutal, but the club stayed alive with loans from his siblings and parents. Over time, Lee found his footing with a popular weekly open mike that attracted raw talent and produced stars like Nick Swardson. Touring comedians, such as Louis C.K. and Lewis Black, also found early success there.

One of Lee's oldest friends is fellow comedy booker Rich Miller.

"One night a long time ago, I was working with Louis at a club," Miller said. "Big biker guy starts making a scene. I tell him he's not getting back inside. But I'm all talk and I don't have any backup. But then I turn around and Louis is just standing at the door with the biggest knife you've ever seen -- sharpening it. I almost busted a gut laughing. He has a gallows sense of humor."

Lee's favorite comedian is Dana Gould, a master East Coast storyteller who's edgy without being over-the-top. He spent seven years writing for "The Simpsons." Lee is a big believer in "writers" -- comics who are able to capture an audience through storytelling and character. Lee doesn't like gimmicks.

That said, he rarely gives feedback. "Young comics are always told, 'Don't approach him, don't talk to him, he'll approach you,'" joked Acme veteran Amber Preston.

Still, he is almost fatherly to the comics who play Acme regularly. But he has reservations about his own children's interest in comedy. He has two, ages 8 and 11, with his ex-wife.

"My nightmare is that one of my kids will want to become a comic," Lee said. "It's like trying to become a pro athlete. Most of them don't make it."

Long before there was Yelp, there was Zagat, and the restaurant survey juggernaut, now in its 33rd year, has recently published the 2012 version of its annual "America's Top Restaurants," which ranks the best places to eat in 45 metropolitan areas.

Their user-rated choices for the Twin Cities' top 10 are:

The survey chronicled the dining-out habits of 156,000 diners from coast to coast, who dined out an average of 3.1 times per week. Italian is the most popular cuisine (27 percent), followed by American (18 percent), French (12 percent), Japanese (10 percent) and Mexican (10 percent).

As for how diners feel about other diners who text, e-mail, tweet or talk on their mobile phones, 63 percent said it was rude and inappropriate while 34 percent said it was OK in moderation. They were less upset about diners who take photographs of their food and their companions. Only 11 percent said it was rude while 18 percent said it was perfectly acceptable and 67 percent said it was OK in moderation.

Even though he crafted one of last year's biggest pop hits, Gigamesh tends to fly under the radar -- especially in his hometown. I get the feeling that this soft-spoken Waconia native doesn't mind.

Gigamesh (real name: Matt Masurka) is the remix artist behind Mike Posner's smash "Cooler Than Me." After dipping his toe in mainstream waters, the 28-year-old released his self-titled EP last month on his manager's indie label. The four-song album vibrates with glossy, disco-flavored productions that will pound your chest. He's the love child of Daft Punk and Donna Summer.

Last week Gigamesh (who now lives in Uptown) chatted about his burgeoning dance-music career. You can usually catch him performing at the Kitty Cat Klub's monthly Menergy night (next up: Nov. 26).

A: I'm more busy and started working with a manager and booking agent, but mostly I'm just more focused. That song reaffirmed my conviction that music can be a lifelong career path for me.

Q: So did you buy a Bentley or something with all that Posner money?

A: This is one of those cases where talking to an entertainment lawyer can go a long way, because I haven't collected any royalties off the song.

Q: Dang, so no Bentley, huh?

A: If I did have the money, I'd be very tempted to get a collector's Impala or Crown Victoria, but I'd likely just buy a new hybrid.

A: I could never see myself living in L.A. until recently, but after spending a couple weeks there I quickly got used to the idea, so time will tell. However, I want to stay close to friends and family, and I love Minneapolis, so I'll be here a while.

Here are four names I never thought would be together in the same report: Paul Westerberg, Glen Campbell, Kii Arens and Ellen DeGeneres.

Westerberg -- who has been out of the public eye for about five years now and famously didn't appear in the Replacements' video for "Bastards of Young" -- makes a surprising yet typically coy cameo in the video for the title track of Campbell's acclaimed new album, "Ghost on the Canvas."

The video actually starts off as a homage to the classic "Bastards" clip, with Westerberg playing the part of the dude loafing on the couch, staring at the stereo speaker. He reappears throughout, too.

The Minneapolis music legend's involvement makes sense if you know that he wrote "Ghost" for Campbell. And if you're a fan, you'll know it right away upon hearing the song -- it's classic Westerberg.

Recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the veteran singer has billed this album -- which also includes songs by Jakob Dylan, Robert Pollard and Teddy Thompson -- as his final studio effort.

Just a week after he returns home to play his last Hold Steady show for 2011 -- Vita.mn's Vth Anniversary Party Nov. 18 at Epic -- Edina-reared frontman Craig Finn will release his first single as a solo artist. "Honolulu Blues" is being issued as a 7-inch on Nov. 25 for Record Store Day's nationwide Black Friday sale (digital sales follow Nov. 29). It also will be featured on Finn's full-length solo album, due next year on Vagrant Records.

Finn traveled to Austin, Texas, this summer to work with producer Mike McCarthy, who has recorded such Austin scenesters as Trail of Dead, Spoon, the Heartless Bastards and White Denim. Members of the latter two bands took part in the sessions. In an interview with Pitchfork, Finn said the songs "lean more toward Americana." He also said they should stand out from the Hold Steady canon simply by the fact that he wrote the music, not just the lyrics. "Tad [Kubler] writes all the music for the Hold Steady. So by definition, they aren't Hold Steady songs." Meanwhile, the Hold Steady has started working on a new album, he said, likely for release later next year.

Who knew pouring a beer could be this hard? Or that you could be flown to Buenos Aires for serving a good Stella Artois? That's exactly where Sean Besser Hank found himself this week. After winning the Belgian beer company's stateside competition, the St. Paulite advanced to the World Draught Masters. Apparently, there is a nine-step process to pouring a proper Stella -- something about "cleansing," "sacrificing" and "beheading" the beer. Hank ended up taking fourth place at the international finale, but he's still our champ.

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