Have you ever dipped a Twinkie in a glass of Coke?

Have you ever seen the musical Mamma Mia?

The two experiences have a lot in common. Both are very fizzy, not terribly nutritious, but enjoyable in their own weird and wonderful way.

The idea of stitching the songs of the legendary pop group ABBA into a piece of musical threatre is equal parts genius and madness. The best Abba songs, "Dancing Queen" -- "Knowing Me, Knowing You" -- "Take A Chance On Me" -- get into your head and just take over. The melody, the harmony, the relentless catchiness of it all. They are sparkling ornaments on the pop music Christmas tree. They are also little worlds of their own, certainly not part of any kind of cohesive narrative flow. So the producers of the show had quite a challenge when they decided to bring these songs to the stage where characters -- not just singers -- would perform them. Darn, if they didn't pull it off though!

Mamma Mia! has been an unstoppable hit since it's debut in London back in 1999. The Broadway edition has played to sold out houses since 2001. Now the North American touring company has pulled into Boston's Colonial Theatre from now through December 16th. If you like your theatre amped up and ready to please -- this is your show. It's not going to change the way you look at the world, but you'll sure walk out with a smile on your face.

The plot is mercifully thin. A Greek Island -- a young bride-to-be -- a plucky single mom -- and the three men who may be the father. Everything plays out over a whirlwind 24 hours, and believe me you won't be on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what happens next. This is a juke box musical folks, and luckily ABBA has the goods to keep it well stocked.

The Boston cast is more than up to the task at hand. Carrie Manolakos is plucky and endearing as Sophie, the young bride just dying to figure out who her dad is. Mary Jayne Raleigh is her mom, Donna -- tough, testy, and ready to belt out a ballad when called for. She goes for broke on "Winner Takes It All" and owns it.

Then we have Donna's two best pals from her girl group days. Christine Sherrill plays Tanya, the thrice-married gold digger -- Allison Brinner plays Rosie, the never-married earth mama. The comic hijinks this duo provides is predictable, but the talent brimming beneath Brinner's paper thin character is unmistakable. She has ten times the gifts required for the role, but she clearly enjoys the campy fun of it all.

The three dads are all pleasant and keep the show's crisp pace from bogging down. Sean Allan Krill has the most to do as Sam. He's got a great voice, but in a couple of the songs he's left with little to do but stare longingly at Donna or sympathetically at Sophie. A lot of that has to do with the fact that a great pop song is often a singular, not shared, experience.

An interesting quirk of the show is the generational split. You've basically got a group of twenty somethings playing off a group of forty somethings. I've got to tell you, because the senior crowd at least has a little backstory to their characters, they're a heck of a lot more interesting. In this case the old school teaches the kids a lesson.

I wasn't crazy about the cattle prod closing of the show, but the greatest hits rehash did bring the audience to its feet. It struck me that the rock star posing that was going on in the curtain call was actually more in tune with the genesis of the songs. Disposing of the constraints of character and just letting the songs rip was a release for everyone -- it ended the night on a fizzy high.

Now where are my Twinkies?!

On Saturday night at the Orpheum the Boston Music Awards will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event. Celebrate really isn't the right word, this event has a pretty checkered history. Squabbles, walkouts, slights real and imagined. The idea is to honor all the different types of music that's tied to the city -- sounds like a good idea, but it's a lot like inviting a vegan to a barbecue. Some styles just don't mix well, so unless you revel in the snarky glee of seeing The Click Five in the same room as Killswitch Engage you're probably better off reading about this event than attending it.

Anyway, there are some very deserving nominees on the roster that I'd like to give a shout out to. There's also some bottom feeders on the guest list who deserve a little dressing down.

Let's be positive first. Buffalo Tom returned to the local, and national scene in a big way this year. The new CD "Five Easy Pieces" is as solid as anything from their "Let Me Come Over" glory days. Dinosaur Jr also proved that their current reunion is no nostalgia tour. Welcome back guys. The Dropkick Murphys also kept pumping out their barroom punk, and the extra attention from Red Sox Nation only sweetened the deal. The rock assault that is Bang Camaro is also getting some traction nationally.

It's great to have Paula Cole back. Patty Griffin delivered a terrific new CD in 2007 "Children Running Through" and Lori McKenna proved she's got the goods to be a lasting force in country music. Aimee Mann and Juliana Hatfield continue to make music their way, following their hearts instead of the charts.

Okay, I've been nice for too long in this blog. Bobby Brown is supposed to "perform" at Saturday's show -- this is not going to be pretty. Augustana has a hit called "Boston" and that was enough to get them an invite -- isn't that a little desperate? Rumor has it that former WBCN program director Oedipus is going to get an award -- are you kidding me, for what?! He turned one of the best rock stations in the country into a fetid frat house. Boo him off the stage!

I like many differnt types of music, but the Boston Music Awards throws them all together at once. It's a case of more -- is less.

They all wore black.

The perfect color to deliver a hard hitting, high energy night of music with a purpose -- and a conscience. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band had a message to deliver in the first of two shows at the TD Banknorth Garden last night -- and the sold out arena was treated to new songs cauterized with the complexities of life in 2007, and soothed with classics that assured the faithful that "It's all right, yeah!"

It all began with the sounds of a carnival organ ... you could almost smell the popcorn and Jersey sea salt as the band took the stage. Black and denim -- scuffed and road tested -- Springsteen's signature Fender "Telecaster" looking like the six string Frankenstein of guitar geek legend -- and blasting out the opening riff of "Radio Nowhere." "Is there anybody alive out there," the Boss bellowed, the crowd answering back with a thunderous ovation.

From that point on it was a rock and roll thrill ride of old and new, "No Surrender" and "Lonseome Day" followed the opener. Then it was back to the new CD "Magic" for "Gypsy Biker" and the title track. The studio versions of those songs feel more like tributes to earlier -- and frankly better tunes -- but, in concert, they held their own. Both are direct reproaches to Bush Administration policies, but "Last To Die" with the heartbreaking chorus, "Who'll be the last to die for a mistake" and "Devil's Arcade" actually got the point across more convincingly later in the show.

There were aw shucks moments too. A couple in front got engaged -- the bride-to-be getting a smooch from Bruce. He played "I'll Work For You Love" to the love birds -- I'd have preferred "Thunder Road." He also followed that with "Tunnel of Love" -- a killer version that included some gritty guitar heroics from both Bruce and Nils Lofgren. Bruce did some impressive guitar dueling with Nils and Steve Van Zandt all night long. The Boss has been practicing baby!

One of the joys of the whole E Street Band thing is the camaraderie that just can't be forced. Patti Scialfa smiled more than I've seen her in many a show. Clarence Clemons was on fire on sax -- and he had to be, "Jungleland" made the encore list. The sax solo was nothing less then epic.

Springsteen shows have always been about community, and Bruce never forgets the underdog. He helped raise money, and awareness for the Boston Food Bank during the show. His showmanship is also without peer. I mean the man is 58 years old and his energy is boundless. Maybe he doesn't have quite the air time on his leaps anymore, but he can draw in, and work up an audience like no one I've ever seen. Even dressed in black he lights up the room with his monumental talent.

The show ended with a jig. Yeah, I said jig. Danny Federici and Roy Bittan strapped on accordions and brought the house down with "American Land" -- an old school, big tent, rave up from Bruce's "Seeger Sessions" CD. It wasn't the closer that everyone in the house wanted, but I loved it. It capped off a night that touched on almost every aspect of this wonderful musician's career. No one was left out, including drummer Max Weinberg's 93 year old mother. I'm sure she was dancing too.

Great night. Great band. Great man.

The TD Banknorth Garden has quite the weekend on tap. A Dane Cook double header on Saturday night -- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Sunday. Tickets are pretty scarce -- to say the least -- true believers for both acts are legion.

Let's start with Bruce. At 58 he can still put on a show that would leave musicians half his age gasping for breath. Unlike, say The Police, he isn't just throwing a buffet of tasty hits into the microwave. Nope, Bruce is serving up new, topical material. The songs on his current CD "Magic" run from instant classic, "Radio Nowhere" to filler-esque "Your Own Worst Enemy." He's got a least 5 killer tracks from that album alone that will sound great in concert, and -- if you haven't heard -- he's got a hit or two from his earlier work! Bruce is still at the height of his powers as a performer, anyone lucky enough to see this show will be richly rewarded.

Dane isn't quite as easy to categorize as a performer. He's a local, Arlington, payed his dues at the Kowloon and other glamour-free venues. He has the same handsome, blue collar appeal as Ben Affleck and Matt Damon -- his observational humor is solid but far from breakthrough. Still, he connects with his audience in an amazing way -- they totally get him and what he's riffing on. He also isn't afraid to promote himself -- perhaps you saw his baseball promos on Fox a thousand times or so during the October playoffs. Uncle!

Anyway, both acts are pretty darn hot right now, and with the Celtics riding an unbeaten streak -- the Garden is turning into a November greenhouse these days.

The Hollywood writers strike drags into another week, and most of Broadway's theatres are dark because of a walkout by stagehands -- both groups have legitimate issues, and selfish ones too. Unfortunately a lot of innocent bystanders in all this will take a serious budget whack on the cusp of the holiday season.

So why now? One word: leverage. The writers picked November because it's a key ratings month -- advertisers decide purchases , and networks set rates based on data gathered during the "sweeps" months of November, February and May. Right now it's the late night talk shows -- Letterman, Leno -- and the topical variety shows -- Daily Show, Colbert Report -- that are shut down. You just can't write cutting edge humor ahead of time! Producers have a half dozen or so episodes in the can for most comedy and drama shows, but the new year will be pretty grim if this thing doesn't get settled soon.

Any writer wants to get the most they can from their work -- not much happens until something is on the page. The battle for a piece of the new media pie -- downloads, DVD packages -- is a high stakes proposition and unfortunately consumers of entertainment products can only watch this drama from the sidelines. Still, with all the choices out there Hollywood better be careful not to bite the hand that feeds them.

As for the stagehands, this is an old school labor mud fight. The jobs in question are vital to the production of a Broadway show -- but it's also a niche profession in a niche business. The holiday season is one of the most lucrative for Broadway, and the fact that the union still has the power to shut down shows makes this standoff a very high stakes battle. Let's face it, Broadway ain't Hollywood -- the margins between success and failure are razor thin. Also, very few Broadway performers walk home with a giant sack of cash every week. It's a paycheck to paycheck, show to show life. This one needs to be settled fast to stop needless economic pain and suffering.

Get back to the table folks -- and on with the show.

Jimmy Eat World plays the Orpheum tonight, touring behind their new CD "Chase This Light" and it's a great chance to catch them at the top of their game. This quartet has emo and indie cred to beat the band, yet there's a sadder but wiser vibe to their new songs. They've been the next big thing -- the flavor of the week -- now they're a top quality act in a music world that has no idea what the hell it wants.

I really appreciate the sincerity and spirit that's so much a part of the Jimmy Eat World experience. The single "The Middle" from the 2001 release "Bleed American" is a touchstone for anyone struggling to hang onto independence and individuality. For better or worse -- mostly for better -- it has defined the band. The majority of their songs, however, require more careful consideration. There's some deep stuff beneath those shiny power pop hooks.

"Chase This Light" is a stellar effort. Ironically the only problem area happens to be in the middle (of the CD). "Big Casino" is a terrific lead track. It sets the tone for everything that follows with the lines "I'll accept with poise, with grace/when they draw my name from the lottery" -- love, success, failure, disappointment, it's all there. "Always Be" with its hand claps and killer chorus has all the making of a giant hit -- if the word gets out.

The boys dabble a bit with politics in "Electable (Give It Up)" -- it's okay, but pretty predictable. It's one of those middle songs I mentioned. "Here It Goes" falls into the same category -- only without the politics.

The closing three songs, "Chase This Light" -- "Firefight" -- "Dizzy" wrap things up smartly, with a little U2-ish grandeur to boot. It only takes about 45 minutes to go from start to finish and you'll find yourself happy to listen again when the CD wraps around. A big change from "Goodbye Sky Harbor" from the 1998 album "Clarity" -- a 16-minute self-indulgent, repeat-fest that's only for the hardest of hard core fans. Amazing what you learn in 10 years!

It's great to have 'em back.

I don't mean to get all Andy Rooney on you, but I like to whip through the big box flyers in the Sunday newspaper. You can learn a lot about what's hot in the entertainment world -- what's not -- and what's just hit the bargain bin.

Okay. So what did we learn this week?

Well complete sets of once mighty TV series' are big. "Seinfeld" is all there for the taking, at $180. Nice to have every episode, but you lose the randomness of watching the repeats on TV. It's like playing the lottery, "Master of the Universe" episode -- you're a winner. Some awkward Season One snoozer -- you lose. Also, in a weird way, commercials actually help the pacing of "Seinfeld" -- the breaks let you savor a particularly good bit. I love the show, but I'm cool catching it on the fly.

How about the complete "X-Files" -- 61 discs worth! Unlike "Seinfled" this show was at it's best in the early going. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were so young! The budget was tight before this series got big, and character and atmosphere ruled. In its last years it was just a bloated, unholy mess. So, now they want $250 for the whole enchilada. Ask yourself, "Am I really gonna watch this thing start to finish?" Spend that $250 on some sun block and a good pair of hiking boots and get outside for a change!

There's also the 32-disc complete "Full House" collection -- $120. I wonder how much cow manure $120 would buy? That's really not a fair comparison because the manure actually serves a purpose.

Sony's dropped the price of the Playstation 3 to $400. Just think, you could be one of the two dozen people who've bought one in the last year!

Speaking of games, "Guitar Hero III" and "Rock Band" are going to be enormous this holiday season. I admit, they're a gas, but please at least consider trying the real thing. Rock on.