SOUNDTRACK CITY: A cool promo CD's floating around town, pressed in honor of local author Mark Lindquist's upcoming novel, Never Mind Nirvana. The CD fea- tures local bands, including the Murder City Devils (who?), the Fastbacks, Love as Laughter, and the Melody Unit. Lindquist, who went to high school with Fastback Kim Warnick -- how's that for cred? -- was recently spotted engaging in late-night slum- ming at the Hurricane with rock god Peter Buck.

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BIG BLACK BABY! Is it true that CD Warehouse has been flooded with used Frank Black CDs since Frank's recent in-store set? Seems the store is in an older building with "character," and when the crowd got cooking, the band's monitors bounced a little, slightly affecting the sound. Well, friends, THAT was enough to set Mr. Frank Black off! He threw a tantrum, screaming and verbally abusing the stage manager. Then, like the 35-year-old baby he apparently is, Mr. Black stormed offstage; his band then dragged him back on and convinced him to at least do a "light" (read: zzzz) set. The verdict? "Lame show, Frank. Act your age next time!"

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THE VANCOUVER BEAT: While Seattle's snoozin', Vancouver's making movies... and crawling with stars! Slated for March are Antitrust, with that sexy, baby-faced Tim Robbins (spotted at a downtown Seattle Starbucks when he was shooting Mission to Mars in B.C.) and yummy Ryan Phillippe; and The Pledge, with venerable creep Jack Nicholson and Robin Wright Penn. 3000 Miles to Graceland, starring the super-talented (lying), super-handsome (lying) Kevin Costner and measurably hunkier Kurt Russell, starts filming Mon 3/13. It's sure to be either a blockbuster or a BIG embarrassment. ··· Interestingly, in a couple of weeks X-Files mastermind Chris Carter starts work on a pilot, a spinoff called The Lone Gunmen. Sounds fun... but where's the sex appeal gonna come from?

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PENNY-PINCHERS: Spotted bargain-hunting in the "as-is" section at IKEA: Mr. & Mrs. John Curley! My informant moans, "Ach du lieber, Shirley! They were fingering the wicker chairs!" Mmm... what I wouldn't give for a picture of KING 5's Curley-man with fancy wicker lines embossed on his tattooed behind!

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BUFFY, BAY-BEE! Remember that randy group of Seattleites who grabbed rocker Dave Matthews' butt? Well, the lot of them went to Vegas over President's Day, and while strolling in the Venetian, spotted Freddie Prinze Jr. (a.k.a. the high-rent Hal Sparks). Being dorks and all, they mulled around gawking, feverishly discussing celeb ass-grabbing techniques... but then came a real shockeroo! Browsing in a nearby shop was... could it be... Sarah Michelle Gellar? BE STILL MY HEART! It was the gorgeous Buffy, in the flesh, and she's "even hotter in real life than on TV, and much taller -- at least 5'9"." Mr. Prinze Jr. hugged Ms. Gellar amorously, and they strolled off holding hands -- that's when poor Marc got his li'l heart broken! Buffy, HOW COULD YOU??

Thanks for the poop, pals! shirley@thestranger.com