The Golden Lotus is more about spectacle than food, but that’s not a bad thing.

Sometimes the food isn’t so important. You want ambience. It could be the pub with the dark bar, the diner with the neon and the jukebox, the Italian joint with the checkered tablecloths and the operatic soundtrack.

Or maybe this: the “fancy” Chinese place beside the mall that has held steady since the 1970s, a pagoda’d, fountained, red-and-gold-painted, dragoned, aquariumed, Buddha-garnished, Lazy-Susaned, drink-parasoled, plastic-orchided sprawl. You want the atmospheric background music, the familiar “house specials” (moo shu pork, Happy Family) and the green-tea ice cream.

If this mood strikes in Boulder, then head toward the Target on 28th and look for the joint with the pagoda motif and big parking lot — a.k.a. the Golden Lotus.

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Larimer Square hangout Below is taking a new, gay-friendly direction this weekend under the ownership of Bill Ward.

There’s always a lot going on in LoDo. Bars, clubs, restaurants, professional sporting events, huge concerts — most nights, it’s a pretty busy place, packed with activity. There’s one thing missing, though: a decent gay bar.

Gay megaclub Tracks (3500 Walnut St.) isn’t too far away, but it’s more in the hip River North district. Right now, there’s nothing in LoDo, the heart of downtown Denver’s night life scene.

Bill Ward is looking to change that. The owner of LoDo lounge Below (1422 Larimer St.), Ward is taking Below in a new, gay- friendly direction starting this weekend. “From what I know, there’s never been a gay club in LoDo,” Ward says. “There have been gay nights … (but) we’re thinking this is going to be a good move, especially on Larimer Square.”

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Things are about to heat up in Denver this weekend with the 2010 Colorado Firefighter Calendar judging event.

It was hot. Music thumped. Lights flashed. The excitement in the room was frenzied, helped along by ample pours of booze. The music swelled, and then, on the stage, the curtain parted with a flourish. Shrieks filled the air because there he was: An oiled-up, perfectly sculpted fireman wearing nothing but his bulky “bunker” pants.

He wasn’t a cheesy strip-club fantasy, however. He was a real-deal fireman, a guy who saves lives — and he was mighty good-looking. The screams increased as he strolled down the runway. He did his best to make the most of his assets, but a shy grin belied his slight shock at the fawning reception.

It was the judging event for the 2010 Colorado Firefighter Calendar, held in March 2009, and it was absolutely raucous. This year’s event, tonight at the Exdo Event Center, 1399 35th St., will likely be just as mad. Who doesn’t love hot heroes?

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Jon Lovitz on the set of his former NBC sitcom “NewsRadio.”

Not all comedians are proud of their early work, often preferring to focus on recent roles in order to obscure the older characters and associations that might still be following them around. But not Jon Lovitz. The 52-year-old comedian and character actor is proud of his relatively short but career-defining run on “Saturday Night Live” from 1985 to 1990, where he introduced scores of memorable characters.

We peppered Lovitz with some questions via e-mail in advance of his headlining sets tonight and Saturday (April 16-17) at Comedy Works South about his touring schedule, his own comedy club in Hollywood and his advice for young comics.

(Lovitz returned his answers in all caps, but in the interest of not making it look like he was screaming those answers, we decided to put them in regular upper-lowercase.)

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Did you know Denver’s beautifully jumbled Golden Triangle area also contains a a combination coffee shop and pub? Well, you do now.

What do people think of when they think of a pub? They probably think of a place that’s dark, possibly smoky, lined with wood and frequented by regulars who have a pint poured before they sit down. There’s a dartboard in there somewhere, and sports on TV.

Rooster and Moon (955 Bannock St.) is bringing its own idea of pub life to Denver. A hint comes with the full name: Rooster and Moon Coffee Pub. Situated on a quiet block in Denver’s tony Golden Triangle neighborhood, the Rooster wouldn’t quite fit in with the neighbors as a beer-soaked juke joint.

Instead, Rooster and Moon starts its day as a sunny coffee house, and transitions into a cozy gathering place and watering hole as the day wears on.

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