Comedian Tom Rhodes' website (www.tommyrhodes.com) sports the typical comedian website type stuff. There's a bio, a calendar, contact information... and that's pretty much where Rhodes veers from the confines of normality. The Orlando-born comedian's "Happiness" section is a comprehensive list of 276 things that make him happy, including "not fucking strippers" (number 242) and "pirate flags" (number 66). His "Favorite Dead People" section has him posing in front of graves from Sam Kinison to Voltaire. And his "Elvis Around the World" section has dozens of pictures of a foot-tall plastic Presley figurine posed in front of locations across the globe. Appearing at the Improv Paradise Live (5700 Seminole Way, Hollywood) at 7 o'clock tonight, this journeyman brings his cynical stance, cool manner, witty audience banter, and maybe even the King. Tickets cost $15.90. Call 954-981-5653. (PAL)
FRI 29
Do you have a way with a pair of Fiskars? Do you know how to accessorize? Are you fond of wearing white on the day after Labor Day -- and looking damned good doing it? Bravo television is looking for a few good designers to shake up the fashion world. If you think you've got what it takes, grab your portfolio and three pieces of clothing you've designed, and hucklebuck down to the open casting call for Project Runway -- which the New York Times called "the Prada of reality shows." The program's executive producers and the dean of the Parsons School of Design will give you the once-over -- and, if you're good, the twice- or thrice-over -- at the Sofitel Hotel (5800 Blue Lagoon Dr., Miami). To be eligible, you have to be 21 or older and not running for public office. Winners become one of 12 contestants on the show and get to hobnob with host Heidi Klum. Make it to the end of the season and you get $100,000 in seed money to launch your clothing line. For details, visit www.bravotv.com. (DF)
SAT 30
Believe it or not, Thai culture is about far more than just Buddhism and spicy food. Who knew? Today, South Florida residents of every ethnicity can join their Thai brethren in celebrating the Songkran festival -- better known as the Thai new year. Songkran is a virtually unpronounceable word meaning "move" or "change place." Also known as the water festival because of its ritualistic water splashing (which is believed to wash away bad luck), the festival is traditionally held when the sun moves out of the constellation Pisces. Today from 7:30 p.m. till 3:30 a.m., splash away at the Polish American Club (3861 Sterling Rd., Hollywood). Along with the ritualistic water fight, there will be classical, folk, and country dance, a fashion show, and, obviously, a Thai buffet and Buddhist stuff. Admission is $20. Call 954-274-245. (PAL)
SUN 1
Considering that Wilton Manors has recently been crowned the new gay mecca, it's only fitting that this week's Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival reaches north to bring some of the festival's films to Broward. Today at Cinema Paradiso (503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale) you can catch Oh La La, C'est Bon, an all-French shorts program playing at 1 p.m. Stick around for Slutty Summer, a humorous tale of love on the rebound that's set in New York City. That one starts at 3 p.m. Based in South Beach, this critically acclaimed festival is now in its seventh-annual edition; it's the third time it's come to Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $10 to $12. Call 954-525-3456, or visit www.mglff.com. (PAL)
MON 2
Other than miniature dogs, whistle tips, and anal bleaching, what's trendier right now than Japanese fusion cuisine? How about eating your blueberry-infused Kobe beef and lobster roll while a DJ spins hip-hop on the ones and twos? Monday nights at Sushi Room (1810 S. Young Cir., Hollywood), DJ Epps hits the wheels of steel while you enjoy Chef Teruhiko Iwasaki's innovative menu. With more than 20 different sushi rolls, a long list of sakes, and a variety of delicious entrées, the food has made the Sushi Room one of Hollywood's hot dining locales. Now with Monday night looking to up the ante on cool, the place is so hot that if you touched it, you'd probably burn your hand. Oh... and leave the purse-sized Chihuahua at home. Call 954-922-1103. (PAL)
TUE 3
Taj Burrow, a 26-year-old pro surfer from Yallingup, Western Australia, starred in a surf movie a few years back called Sabotaj. Then he starred in another one called Montaj. Now, he's wrapped his third film but run out of words that end in tage or taj, so this one is called Fair Bits. It's a collection of seven segments by seven directors, including Emmett and Brendan Malloy (the guys who make videos for Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and the Black Eyed Peas). See Taj dropping into a six-foot super tube from a helicopter! See Taj get towed in (via Jet Ski) to a Malaysian wave pool! See Taj -- along with pals Kelly Slater and Rob Machado -- try surfing on doors, shovels, snowboards, skis, guitar cases, and a coffee table! Also screening during Billabong's Jack McCoy Surf Film Festival is Bunyip Dreaming, a 1990 classic by veteran surf filmmaker McCoy. (A Bunyip is a mythical Australian creature that haunts swamps and rivers.) Catch the films tonight at 7 and 9:15 at the Regal Jupiter Stadium 18 (204 N. Federal Hwy., Jupiter), or Wednesday, same times, at Cinema Paradiso (503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale). Call 561-747-7333 (Jupiter Stadium 18), 954-524-FILM (Cinema Paradiso), or visit www.jackmccoy.com. (DF)
WED 4
"Some people have told me I sound like Dylan. I have also heard that my songs remind people of R.E.M. So go figure. I like to think I sound like a male Suzanne Vega with a head cold." That's the lovable -- and humble -- Lou Dominguez, telling us about the new Wednesday Happy Hour and Work Release Program at the Chocolate Moose Café (9118 State Rd. 84, Davie). Dominguez tells stories and sings from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. He's followed by Anything Goes Open Mic, hosted by Kevin Caselle, a guitar player extraordinaire who also happens to be a projectionist at the Sunrise Gateway Theater by day. Join this cool cast of characters on the comfy couches of this laid-back coffeehouse-style venue. Happy hour features free snacks (egg rolls, pasta, cookies, etc.) and beer and wine specials. Call 754-244-1176. (DF)
