Eavesdropping on myself in honor of the Fourth of July weekend: “Have a blast!”

Five-time Academy-Award-nominated actress Amy Adams, who was born in Italy and raised in Castle Rock, embraced the Fourth of July spirit early last week when she gave up her first-class seat to an American soldier on a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles.

“While Amy’s random act of kindness was done purely from the goodness of her heart, word quickly spread of her good deed after Jemele Hill, host of ESPN’s “Numbers Never Lie,” saw it all go down and took to Twitter to share the touching moment, according to a story in InTouch magazine.

“Just saw actress Amy Adams do something incredibly classy. She gave her 1st class seat to an American soldier. I’m an even bigger fan now,” Hill tweeted.

“Once we boarded, I saw she was in first class. I was upgraded to first class and she was a couple of rows behind me. I think she must have said something to the flight attendant, because before we took off she had vacated her seat and the flight attendant brought the soldier to her seat.”

A young girl who got to sit next to Adams in coach even posted a selfie of the two of them on Instagram (below).

See the whole story at www.intouchweekly.com/posts/amy-adams-gives-up-a-first-class-seat-on-plane-to-an-american-soldier-39880.

To show off its $7 million renovation, Denver’s Curtis Hotel — a Doubletree by Hilton hosted an invite-only party using the theme “Orange is the New Black,” paying homage to the hit Netflix series.

Doormen “guarding” the entrance at 14th and Curtis donned retro black-and-white jailbird costumes, which branded them as bad guys. Inside, servers bearing tasty tidbits (including fried mac and cheese and homemade potato chips) donned the familiar orange two-piece uniform of an accused and/or convicted criminal.

Guests checked in at the “processing” windows and were told their alleged crime (mine was shoplifting). More orange-clad servers offered a special drink called “The Clink” in a tin cup. DJ RockStar Aaron rocked the house in the Four Square ballroom (built on top of an Olympic-sized swimming pool), and guests bellied up to the mashed potato, popcorn and dessert bars.

Room renovations include 13 “hyper themed” suited dedicated to “Star Trek”, Jimmy Buffett, Ghostbusters and more, plus two new one-bedroom suites celebrating KISS and the Spice Girls. All 336 guest rooms have been upgraded.

Updated rooms include:

* The eighth “Sci-Fi” floor – Live long and prosper in the Star Trek Enterprise room, featuring futuristic flooring, Lucite furniture and cast photos.

* The 13th “Dun Dun Dunnnnn!” floor – Sleep tight with paranormal exterminators, the Ghostbusters. This room features lime green “Slimer” floor tiles and a ghostly three-day art illusion.

* The 15th Floor “Mad About Music” – The new Jimmy Buffett room, which features ocean blue floor tiles and a giant Margaritaville mural highlighting top hits like “Five O’clock Somewhere.”

* The 16th Floor “Pedal to the Medal” – “Shake and bake!” The “Talladega Nights” Suite features custom movie wall art and NASCAR trinkets.

The Curtis also added two new one-bedroom suites to compliment its existing Rolling Stones Suite – the KISS Suite, named after America’s most flamboyant rock band, and the Spice Girls Suite, dedicated to Britain’s best-selling girl band. Each suite is 800 square feet and features a separate living room and master bedroom and is decorated with rock star furniture and art.

Rates for the “hyper theme” and one-bedroom suites start at $600 per night.

Each of the Curtis guest rooms underwent a dramatic transformation – including sleek new furniture, custom artwork, carpeting, drapery and new Sweet Dreams by DoubleTree bedding. Each guest room now offers a refrigerator and a safe.

The Curtis lobby has also been expanded and renovated to create a larger welcome to the hotel. The space now features complimentary coffee service for guests daily until 10 a.m., and a business center.

“We really wanted to let the hotel’s funky personality shine through even brighter with this renovation,” said Curtis “Leading Lady” JoAnn Elston. “Our new lobby features a lot more seating and is a much more relaxing place for guests to gather.”

This summer, the Curtis is kicking off the weekend each Friday with popular Denver DJ RockStar Aaron spinning his favorite top hits in front of the hotel from 2 to 5 p.m.

Originally opened in 2007, the Curtis offers more than 28,000 total square feet of event space, all named after favorite childhood games – including the Marco Polo and Peek-a-Boo ballrooms. Last year, the Curtis unveiled the new Four Square Ballroom, a 7,000 square feet indoor/outdoor space that boasts a large retractable nano glass wall and a sizeable outdoor patio complete with a private bar and a fireplace.

Managed by Denver’s Sage Hospitality, the Curtis is a member of Hilton HHonors guest rewards program. The hotel also features a large Fitness Center, the Oceanaire Seafood Room and The Corner Office Restaurant + Martini Bar, a Sage Restaurant Group concept by restaurateur Peter Karpinski.

For more information on the Curtis, please visit www.thecurtis.com or call 1-800-525-6651.

Jello ‘shots’ at The Curtis renovation party. (Penny Parker photo)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s autographed football is being auctioned off by the American Physical Therapy Association for the Bob Doctor Golf Tournament July 26 at the Colorado National Golf Club.

The football is valued at $425 with a $200 minimum bid. Here’s the link to bid: https://www.blacktie-colorado.com/auctions/index.cfm?fuseaction=Auctions.Item&aid=627&iid=597221.

The ball not only bears Wilson’s signature, but “XLVIII Champs is noted as well.” For those still smarting from the Seahawks’ drubbing of our beloved Broncos (43-8), you might want this souvenir to kick around.

Here is link to golf tournament info: http://coloradophysicaltherapists.org/apta-events/bob-doctor-golf-tournament/.

The football autographed by Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson for the American Physical Therapy Association for the Bob Doctor Golf Tournament.

Viva tacos!

The first Top Taco Denver competition, presented by US Foods, turned out tasty tacos from more than 20 restaurants to a festive 2,200 folks eager for a fiesta last week at Sculpture Park in downtown Denver.

Not only did attendees vote for their favorite tacos in traditional and creative categories, but they also has a voice in awarding the best margarita.

A panel of judges including Amanda Faison of 5280 magazine;Ruth Tobias of “Zagat”; food blogger Lori Midson; Eater Denver’s Andra Zeppelin and radio talk-show hosts Elizabeth Woessner and Michael Long chose the best traditional and best creative taco. Bartenders Ryan Layman of Steuben’s and Allie Geppert of Star Bar were among the judges for the best margarita.

The winnahs?

The popular vote for tacos in the traditional category: First place to Pinche Tacos, second to Billy’s Inn; and third to Highland Tap and Burger. In the creative category, Moontower Tacos took first place, second went to Comida and third to Zengo.

In the best Margarita battle, judges awarded first place to La Biblioteca, second to Comida, and third to Adelitas. The popular vote went to La Biblioteca in first place, second to Machete, and third Adelitas.

(Penny Parker photos)

Jumpin’ Jiminy! Renowned Latin chef Richard Sandoval is hopping back into the Guacamole Festival at Tamayo (14th and Larimer) Tuesday through Sept. 30, featuring a traditional preparation from southern Mexico that includes dried grasshoppers.

Ripe avocados are mixed tableside with fresh green tomatillos, cotija cheese, onions, cilantro, lime, sea salt, and a dash of red chile cascabel powder.  The combo offers fresh flavors and textures, not the least of which is the crunchy, nutty taste of the grasshoppers.

Grasshoppers, or chapulines in Spanish, have been part of the Mexican diet since the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. In some parts of Mexico, you see chapulines in everything – guacamole, tacos, quesadillas and queso fundido.

The other new guacamole combos making an appearance on the Tamayo menu include:

Baja: kiwi, jicama, strawberry, mango, mint, chile arbol, lime and sea salt.

Pacifico: grilled beet, roasted walnut, queso fresco, diced orange, citrus-chipotle salt and lime.

Eavesdropping on a woman talking about a weight-loss product, which necessitates the user stay within a close proximity to a bathroom: “I tried Ally. No dignity in that.”

Have you tried to drive and (God forbid) park in Cherry Creek North lately? So it came as no big surprise that Earls Kitchen + Bar at 201 Columbine St. closed for good on Saturday.

According to a story in The Denver Business Journal, “the Canadian chain is blaming the constant street closures and loss of parking that have plagued the neighborhood.”

Here’s the rest of the story:

“The restaurant shut down, effective Saturday, hanging a sign directing customers to its other two area locations in downtown Denver and Lone Tree. Staff and management will be relocated to those locations, company officials said,” the DBJ reported.

“Officials of … Earls Restaurants Ltd. said that they, like other businesses in the Cherry Creek area, have struggled with constant construction around them and the effects it has had on the restaurant. And that only became exacerbated this spring by storm-water-system work that the city of Denver has undertaken.”

“Numerous street closures for well over a year, the loss of street parking and access blocked to additional parking, even occasional power loss made it difficult to conduct business in any kind of consistent manner,” said restaurant-chain spokeswoman Cate Simpson. ‘Additional construction by the city of Denver in the past two months made it impossible to continue to operate and, like a number of other neighboring businesses, this location is unfortunately closed permanently.

According to the DBJ, Simpson said the restaurant met with city officials to discuss how the construction projects were progressing and what the business could expect. It voiced concerns about access, signage and the length of the closure, she said.

“Some businesses have told (City Councilwoman Jeanne) Robb they are suffering, complaints that have led to weekly meetings between city staffers and the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District as well as to Robb requesting a comparison of first-quarter sales-tax revenues in the district this year versus the first three months of last year.

Cherry Creek North spokeswoman Julie Underahl said the Business Improvement District has listed alternative routes and a new parking guide on www.cherrycreeknorth.com while the construction is underway.

“We are sorry to see Earls close due to the city’s storm sewer project or any other reason,” Underdahl told the DBJ. “The BID has been working very closely with the city to minimize the impacts of their project and to let visitors know that all businesses in the area are open during construction.”

Open, sure, but thriving in that construction cacophony? Hmmmm. I realize the disruption is for the greater good, but it can be hard to see a future when the present looks fuzzy.

Sunday’s Jewish Food Festival at the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center, 350 Dahlia St., is the intersection of food, sustainability and Jewish life.

The event, produced by Hazon and the Jewish Community Center, takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ticket holders will be treated to cooking demonstrations, food tastings, DIY activities, a local vendor marketplace, food trucks, a hummus contest and a free pre-festival breakfast at Ekar Farm.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, $10 ages 8 to 17 or those with a student ID. Children under 8 are admitted for free. Tickets: www.hazon.org/food-festival-colorado.