Celebrating? Mix a few colorful pieces of tableware with your old china to turn a lackluster tabletop into a feast for the eyes. Bold patterns, unexpected shapes or colorful linens can give an otherwise traditional table setting an instant dose of personality.

Today's hosts look for color and individuality, says Toast & Tables blogger Sarah Dennis. Retailers are taking note of this trend and are selling dinnerware pieces a la carte, or you can search flea markets and yard sales for pieces to accent what you have and make your table unique.

— Washington Post

TALIB KWELI HITS PIPELINE ON SATURDAY

Here's something else to give thanks for: Conscious hip-hop emcee Talib Kweli returns to Honolulu this weekend.

Kweli — like his peer in intelligent, politically charged flow and former Black Star partner, Mos Def — has been a repeat O'ahu visitor in recent years. His latest CD, "Eardrum," was released in August to critical praise, including an "A" from Entertainment Weekly, and it scored with fans, too, entering the Billboard Top 200 album chart at No. 2, making it Kweli's highest debut ever. The Onion called it "sexual and spiritual, conscious and just plain fun." Catch some of that at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at a Pipeline Cafe concert, open to those 18 and older. Tickets are $20 pre-sale, available at www.presaleticketsonline.com, Dig Lifestyles Ward Warehouse, Fitted Hawaii, Jelly's and Pipeline Cafe.

— Derek Paiva

FINAL WORD

"Honestly, this show on any other day wouldn't get the kind of numbers it does. It's like 'Dancing With the Stars' in that it doesn't offend anybody."

John O'Hurley | host of the National Dog Show today on NBC, in TV Guide