In case any of you are up at 8 a.m. on Thursdays and want to hear me yammer for a few minutes, tune in to Mix 103.7-FM, where I hang every week with my morning show pals, Jack and Jen.

In the nearly-a-year that I’ve been on the show, I’ve learned that Jen and I have share a deep love of animals, so I’m all about this cool contest she’s doing with the Richmond Animal League. Check out the details here.

So after a paltry 10 weeks or so writing this blog with my friend and co-worker Melissa Ruggieri ... I’m outta here. I enjoyed it while it lasted!

It’s my last day at the Richmond Times-Dispatch; on June 30, I report to Virginia Commonwealth University as director of public relations and communications for the School of Pharmacy. It’s a brand new job and a great opportunity. And no, it doesn’t involve free drugs. (Yeah, people keep asking.)

Luckily for everyone, Melissa will still be around to keep the Pop! Culture blog up and running. I look forward to reading it from “the outside.“ Keep those cards and comments comin’! And tell all your friends ...

Fran Martin, Smithfield the painting pig’s “mom,“ had this to say about their “America’s Got Talent” experience in New York. Kind of whets your appetite, eh? For the TV show, I mean. Stay tuned!

Fran is a colorful writer, to say the least:

“Can’t tell you the results, but want to let you know we are back, and not going anywhere, anytime soon. 

“Crashed and burned. Pulled pork, crispy bacon.  Took a long time to get started, finally painted, then wouldn’t stop. Finally stopped and then would not get off the stage!  What a mess.  Pig-headed. He laid down on the stage and refused to get up and leave. 

“They wanted TV, well by golly, leave up to me and Smithfield to give them just what they wanted.  But I would do it all over again.  I had so much fun.  It was an experience.“

Smithfield, Richmond’s most famous painting pig—make that Richmond’s ONLY painting pig—is back on the celebrity circuit. He and his human, Fran Martin of Chesterfield, made the trek to New York recently to check out the “America’s Got Talent” auditions.

It should come as no surprise that Smithfield made the grade. “AGT” is clearly an equal opportunity show, given the, er, inhuman nature of some of its previous contestants. (Leonid the Magnificent, anyone? Surely you haven’t forgotten the scary, 7-foot “angel boy.“)

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At any rate, check out the third-season premiere on NBC Tuesday, a two-hour special that begins at 9 p.m. You’ve seen the commercials, right? Smithfield is one of the featured performers in a quick montage of what’s-to-come.

The-powers-that-be-at-NBC told Martin that Smithfield might be on Tuesday night. But it’s more likely the little porker will make his “AGT” debut the following week, June 24.

So set the TiVo and plan to root (ha! pig humor!) for the local talent.

I have tried chocolate-covered ants, mostly because you can’t tell what you’re eating other than that there’s a slight, slight crunch. And, I believe, because somebody dared me.

But these giant water bug-eating, caterpillar-crunching, slug-swallowing dishes are just not for me, Ms. Squeamish of 2008. Still, kudos to Richmond on making Time magazine for the bug chefs featured recently at the first Broad Appetit food festival.

Check out your June 9 copy of Time or visit online: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1810336,00.html

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< Mmmmm.
Choco-cricket-licious!

And credit Kathy Emerson of Quirk Gallery on Broad Street, who first brought the bug chefs to the 17th Street Farmers Market—and then thought they should come back for more.

Kathy’s a big fan of the bug guys, but now that I think of it ... I never saw her dipping into the cricket orzo.

Hmm. Next time these dudes with the creepy-crawly recipes bug out to Richmond, let’s make sure the sponsors put their money where their mouths are. Ack! Ptoeey! Arrrrggggh.

Got a black T-shirt? Got a white T? Better yet, have both?

Then hustle on down to Belle Isle this Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Richmond’s own Noah Scalin, winner of the Webbys People’s Voice Award for best personal Web site, is putting together a human skull. (See http://www.skulladay.com. Today’s entry? Skull pie. Yum.)

Noah says the design—which should look skull-like from the footbridge—will probably take one to two hours to arrange. After that, he says, everybody is welcome to stick around for a picnic lunch—so feel free to bring food, drinks, blankets or lawn chairs.

If you don’t know how to get to Belle Isle, call up http://tinyurl.com/5cvrhc.  Park and follow the footbridge across to the island

Hey, folks, just do it. You’ll still have time to get to church. And you just might be making Skull-A-Day history.

Yeah, I’m working. My brother Matt just called from northeastern Ohio to let me know the whole family’s up there today (except me, obviously). Then he proceeded to list, in excruciating detail, everything on the cookout menu. My sister-in-law Karla outdid herself, he said.

Sounds like it. And here I sit, at nearly 2 p.m., nursing a Coke from the machine and doing research for my next story.

It could be worse, I guess. I could be outside picnicking and a thunderstorm could come up. Or I could be outside taking a walk and step on a red-ant hill. Here’s hoping it’s warm and breezy and ant-free wherever you’re celebrating today.

I caught “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” Saturday night. Too much fighting for my taste—on the other hand, as I told my friends in our movie post-mortem, at least they were mostly interesting fights. The scenery couldn’t have been more gorgeous, so we stayed for credits to see where it was filmed ... the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and New Zealand, if I remember correctly. So who knows where specific scenes were shot? (Well, I guess the people who live there know!)  But still, there were some breathtaking views. Narnia should look so good! 

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We also visited Cielito Lindo on Forest Hill Avenue—hadn’t been there in a while, but the vegetarian (spinach and mushroom) quesadilla was as excellent as ever.

Which reminds me ... I really need to go out and forage for some lunch. BTW, If you haven’t seen “Narnia,“ there’s still time. It raked in $56.6 million its first weekend, so it’ll be around for a bit (even if that was less than the $65.6 million the first “Narnia” made its debut weekend in 2005).

The most profitable “Indy” movie ever? >>>

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”—no surprise—took in an estimated $101 million at the box office this weekend (and “Narnia,“ another $23 million). Personal reviews I’ve heard are mixed—but c’mon, ya gotta see Indy, right? Even if the lovely Harrison Ford is, finally, starting to show his age?

P.S. One good thing about working on a holiday—all downtown Richmond employees will appreciate this—NO METER PEOPLE!!! We are free to come and go as we like without worrying about receiving one of those $20 parking tickets that so effectively keep more visitors from venturing out of the ‘burbs.

So my friend Regina visited this weekend. Regina and I have been buds since eighth grade but haven’t lived in the same city since 10th grade. It’s one of those friendships, though, where you can go a year without corresponding—but the next time you meet, it’s like you saw each other yesterday.

Regina and her family now live in Springfield. But luckily for me, Regina loves Richmond. Seriously, she could be a whole “You go, Richmond!“ campaign in and of herself. That’s part of the reason it’s so much fun when she visits. She’s always ready to try the latest restaurant, cruise a new neighborhood or check out the trendy shopping areas.

Considering she was only here for about 27 hours, we outdid ourselves this weekend. I introduced her to Common Groundz, The Phoenician and Cafe Rustica. Score! She loved all three.

Common Groundz (above)—coffeehouse at Broad and Boulevard with VCU vibe, great sandwiches and fabulous Zuppa soups. The Phoenician (below)—near West End remake of La Casita with great Lebanese fare (love the olives, pita bread and yogurt cheese that appears as soon as you sit down), plus we got the best seats in the house, what with the “floofy” pillows and all. Cafe Rustica—downtown Main Street post-church Sunday brunch, where the savory bread pudding was only improved by the addition of maple syrup (who knew?!). Excellent omelets and bread. Plus, it’s just so darned jazzy with all the dark wood and European touches.

We planned to drop in on Broad Appetit yesterday afternoon, but the rain and dearth of parking interfered. Parking was more of a problem than it ordinarily would be on a Sunday because Theatre IV’s “Peter Pan” matinee was going on simultaneously. Managing director Phil Whiteway and artistic director Bruce Miller were actually out on Marshall Street trying to help theater patrons find parking. Bruce said they’d managed to find about 200 parking spaces—but the theater seats more than 500!

Of course, that’s a good problem to have. It’s always great to see downtown busy even if people have to walk a few blocks to get where they’re going. And the rain did fizzle out after a bit.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to Stony Point, visiting my friend Susan at Sak’s Fifth Avenue, checking out Anthropologie (one of my favorite drop-in shops) and spending some quality time on the benches outside, soaking up the amazing weather and doing some serious people- and dog-watching.

As Regina noted, many of the Stony Point Fashion Park pooches arrived in pairs. They ranged the canine spectrum, from Yorkies (one of which was a championship dog) to a Dalmatian (mixed) to fluffy white things I couldn’t possibly ID. But boy, were they cute.

I left the mall with one burning question: How—and WHY—do women shop in stilettos? Especially on brick pavements? Inquiring minds ...

At any rate, it was a fine Richmond weekend, made better by the presence of a really good friend.

Oops. Wrong writer, right sentiment.

Speaking of Garrison Keillor (of “Prairie Home Companion” fame, pictured at right), I see he’s coming to University of Richmond for the Modlin Center’s 2008-09 season. Keillor’s been getting a little too political for my taste—I prefer the homespun tales he weaves and his alter ego, Guy Noir—but he still should sell out. 

Also heading for UR: my friend Susan’s favorite writer, David Sedaris (aka Amy Sedaris’ big bro). Susan used to read from her latest D. Sedaris book at work and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh. She can’t wait for his sixth collection of essays—I know, essays sound boring, but his are not—“When You Are Engulfed in Flames.“ It’s due out in June.

I’m looking forward—if I can swing it on a Wednesday night—to 1964 The Tribute at Innsbrook May 28 (oh, yeah, I’m a Beatles fan all the way). 

Originally it was paired with Smash Mouth, whom I would have loved to see, as well. Historically, I’m too cheap to buy singles, but when “Walkin’ On the Sun” came out—in what? 1998? 1999? (Egad!)—I ran right out and snapped one up for a summer of car-tuning.

I was never sure where the name Smash Mouth came from. Here’s an explanation from the band itself, courtesy of http://www.smashmouth.com: Original Smash Mouth drummer Kevin Coleman borrowed the name from former Chicago Bears’ coach Mike Ditka, who coined the term “Smash Mouth Football” to describe a particularly vicious “no mercy"style of the American game. Coleman originally wanted to name the band “Smash Mouth au GoGo,“ but this was quickly vetoed by the rest of the guys, who shortened the name and the rest is history.

I kind of like the sound of Smash Mouth au GoGo!

P.S. I’m an equal employment site-seer: You can find out more about 1964 The Tribute at http://www.1964thetribute.com. I know it’s a cover band—and also covering The. Best. Band. Ever. But seriously, folks, The Tribute does an excellent job. They have a great sound. If you close your eyes (if you’re like me, at least, and never heard the Beatles live), you will be impressed.

Not exactly. But I did have enough plans to keep me from having time to trim my Bradford pear tree. (Poor tree, I’ll be home soon!)

Here’s some of what I learned in my wanderings:

A. First Fridays Artwalk is still going strong. As always, it’s lovely to see people—all ages, all stages—out and about on the streets of downtown Richmond. I had my first listen to the Happy Lucky Combo and got my first look at the Artwalk’s new market (in a parking lot next to 1708 Gallery). A great addition to the proceedings, it offered fresh eggs, kale, carrots, lettuce ... just the thing to pick up when you’re out perusing art but thinking omelets and salad.

B. I’ve only been to Black Finn once— and that was for a sad occasion— so I’m probably not the best judge of what it has to offer. But my hairdresser, Deborah, hangs out at the Shockoe Bottom restaurant and bar on weekends. So it has to be a happenin’ place.

C. My friend Lisa’s husband prefers NASCAR to Shakespeare. Who’d-a thunk it? But Olaf’s preference for strong odors and headgear paved the way for me to attend Richmond Shakespeare’s annual Bard Bash. Artistic director Grant Mudge unveiled the company’s new eight-minute promotional film (nicely done!), which emphasizes the importance of making Shakespeare accessible, even to young’uns. Especially to young’uns. (The educational component is headed up by the enthusiastic Cynde Liffick). Bobbie Barajas—you know, from WCVE-FM?—hosted the event; it was fun to meet the woman behind the voice.

D. Even Patrick Dempsey has his off days. I know, I can hear the screaming from here. But seriously, even McDreamy has trouble pulling off hefty, wavy bangs when they obscure his beautiful forehead and detract from those lovely blue eyes. *Sigh.* Still, it was fun to see him take one fall after another—except the final fall, which proved one fall too many—in “Made of Honor.“

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E. West Tower is my third favorite cinema (Byrd Theatre first, Westhampton second)—mainly because it doesn’t have 25 screens the size of your Uncle Ned’s big-screen TV and you don’t have to wait in a line that snakes around the lobby three times. That said, the building could use a good airing. As soon as we walked in, I got a strong whiff of eau de stale popcorn. Hmm, maybe a few appropriately placed air fresheners would help.

F. Zorba’s (Greek and Italian restaurant) at Tuckernuck Square still has some of the best rolls in town. And its hummus appetizer makes for a great meal.

G. This was PetSmart’s National Adoption Weekend. I have two cats who pretty much take up every square inch of my house—but if I had room, I know I could’ve found the perfect canine. PetSmart’s Short Pump location was finding new homes for some gorgeous doggy-dogs this weekend. To them all, I say, “Happy tails to you!“

This dog was not at PetSmart, but I like his looks. He won first place in a canine fashion show in Manila, Philippines, last week. >>>>