With songs such as “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “The Internet Is for Porn,“ it’s pretty clear that, despite the presence of puppets, “Avenue Q” isn’t for kids.  It is, however, a cheeky, hilarious treat for adults who appreciate clever writing incorporated into sprightly songs about looking for meaning and purpose in life.

Fans of Frank’s Ristorante in the Stony Point Shopping Center and the late Brother’s Pizza in western Henrico County will soon have a new addition to the family.  Bocca Toscana is slated to open next month in The Village Shopping Center (7021 Three Chopt Road).

You might know that Paul Shaffer wrote “It’s Raining Men.“  You might even know that he performed in the first house band for “Saturday Night Live.“  But did you know that he was briefly in the Patty Smyth-fronted’80s band Scandal and played the synth solo on its hit “Goodbye To You”?

If you’ve attended a classic-rock concert the past few years, you might have noticed that a significant faction of the audience for artists such as Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Billy Joel is composed of pre-teens and teens. Wait, aren’t kids supposed to think their parents’ music is eye-rollingly unhip? And aren’t parents supposed to be yelling at their kids to “turn that nonsense down” since the younger generation is expected to be listening to some newfangled band with the shelf life of an open container of milk?

Sometimes you forget Michael Jackson is dead, because he’s so alive in “This Is It.“  Other times, you’re struck with a profound sadness when you remember that what is on screen really is the last piece of history from an artist who truly cared about his craft and excelled at executing it.

Easy Street (2401 W. Main St.) is ending its 12-year run on Halloween night, but reopening Nov. 5 with a new name and a new concept.  Jake Crocker, general manager and part of a four-man management team, is keeping details vague for a few more days, but said the new concept takes a different approach from previous Easy Street incarnations.

It begins with Jon Bon Jovi flat on his back, his leg being stretched toward the ceiling by a burly leg-stretching guy.  Outside the room, in a cinder-block corridor of Madison Square Garden, the rest of Bon Jovi—guitarist Richie Sambora, drummer Tico Torres and keyboardist David Bryan—awaits the arrival of Their Leader.

In a little more than two weeks, Saffire the Uppity Blues Women will be a musical footnote—albeit one with a lasting imprint.  In its almost 20-year career, the trio of frank and funny ladies with a serious talent for smokin’ boogie-woogie blues released seven albums and played for tens of thousands at the Chicago Blues Festival and handfuls of music fans in smoky bars in Spain and South Africa.

After months of prep work, Garnett’s Café is open at 2001 W. Park Ave. in the former Table 9 and Chiocca’s spot.  Those in the neighborhood might also remember its two-week incarnation this spring as Credo’s Park Avenue Café.  Garnett’s is the handiwork of Kendra Feather, owner of Ipanema Café, who is running the new place with her brother, Kirk. The restaurant is named after the siblings’ grandmother Garnett, which also is Kendra’s middle name.

We know one thing about this weekend: It’s going to be loud.  With a blitz of hard rockers storming the area—you can head north, east, west or to Shockoe Bottom to catch them—it seemed a no-brainer to observe this unusually timed assemblage of guitar shredding and eyeliner.

While Motley Crue and Twisted Sister were giving Tipper Gore fits because of their so-called “devil music,“ Stryper was scoring points with the angels.  Long regarded as pioneers of Christian metal, the band achieved the kind of success in the mid-‘80s that planted it on MTV alongside Def Leppard and Van Halen.

Morton’s has launched a new “Bar Bites” menu.  Though the restaurant no longer offers complimentary petite filet mignon sandwiches for those hanging out in the bar, the tasty snacks are one of the $5 offerings available in the bar area beginning at 5 p.m. every day (the serving is four sandwiches).

The best thing about the release this week of the new/old Michael Jackson song “This Is It”? That Paul Anka might finally get some Grammy cred.  The worst thing? That it would be for this forgettable, fizz-less trifle.  The Grammy-less Anka, the wizard behind such gems as the theme music for “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” and Frank Sinatra’s signature “My Way” (Anka wrote the English lyrics), quickly addressed the Jackson estate this week, hours after “This Is It” was released online, to claim his co-writing credit.

Last night, downtown Richmond actually looked like a real city with a thriving entertainment scene.

It has been a busy few weeks of openings and closings, but let’s start with the new stuff:  Rainbow Buffet, which specializes in Chinese food and also offers a nonbuffet menu, has opened in the Wal-Mart shopping center at 11424 W. Broad St.  The restaurant is open seven days a week: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and noon-10 p.m. Sunday.