Polls are open: It’s time to pick a mayor in Birmingham.

Ten candidates are vying for the title, including the incumbent, Bernard Kincaid. Surprisingly, 10 is a far smaller field than past years: 1999 had 14 candidates, and 2003 had 18(!) memorable names, like That Guy, and That Other Guy.

The Birmingham News’ poll indicates that Larry Langford (right) and Patrick Cooper (left) are headed for the runoff, while the other eight candidates, including two-termer Kincaid, have no chance.

With 18 percent undecided and a 4.9 percentage point margin of error, should we trust the results?
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Another whirlwind weekend of music, movies and parties known as Sidewalk has zipped by. Remember: You can still win swag from the film fest by entering our haiku contest by noon today.

But before we wrap the ninth Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, a few more capsule reviews of hits and misses …

Update: “The Devil Came on Horseback” and “Darius Goes West” added.

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With such a wide field of nominees, how will Birmingham voters decide how to cast such an important vote?

The mayoral election? Nah, the Birmingham News’ annual Readers’ Choice Awards, which closes at 11 tonight. More than 500 nominated their faves in 80-plus categories. Now, you can vote among five contenders in each category in the online ballot, broken into three sections: City Life, Food and Drink and Leisure and Entertainment.

But this isn’t about the best of the city.

This is about mocking the regrettable list of candidates (and thereby indirectly mocking the nominating readers and the selection process). How will they stack up against the 2006 winners? Did our pal Matt at Alabama Live make the right call with his picks?

Our catty contenders, after the jump …

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Wanna see a movie this weekend? How about 150 of them?

The ninth annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival starts tonight, with the biblical comedic romp, “The Ten.” Tickets for tonight’s 8 p.m. opener are $13 at the door.

It’s $30 for Saturday and Sunday, or $7 per film ($17 for three films). More info on the official site.

So what’s the story on this year’s festival? More previews, more interviews, plus you could win free Sidewalk stuff …

A dish best served cold | Check out “Lunch,” a funny short by first-time filmmaker and Birmingham resident James Brown. His lunch was stolen from the office fridge — now, he wants revenge. But don’t take my word for it as a hired publicist, hear James on WBHM’s “Tapestry” [MP3] from Thursday. And watch this trailer:

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Contributing writer Stacy Vance reviewed “Row Hard No Excuses” by director Luke Wolbach:

Two people, 3,000 miles, 100 days at sea.

I love a good adventure story. Man attempts to conquer nature. Nature takes the lead. Man becomes one with nature. Or does he?

In the documentary “Row Hard No Excuses,” John Zeigler and Tom Mailhot set out to travel the open seas in a trans-Atlantic rowing race from the Canary Islands to Barbados.

The film screens Sunday at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

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Last chance! We need more volunteers to make the trip from Birmingham to Biloxi and New Orleans. So far, 16 good citizens have stepped forward for the Magic City Mission, a weeklong volunteer trip in November.

We’re going to have all kinds of fun helping residents rebuild their cities. The weather will be just right, and you’ll be able to say you made a difference.

It’s as easy as can be. Check your schedule, pick your city, and contact me to sign up. No special skills needed — just a willingness to jump in and work hard.

Signup deadline is Friday!

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

Contributing writer Stacy Vance reviewed “Overflow” by Birmingham director Jana Harris:

For those of us who miss the guilty pleasure of the ABC after-school special, “Overflow” gives a respectable shot at resurrecting the teenage drama, complete with the valuable lesson to take away.

The film screens Sunday at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

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Craving something serious in bite-size pieces? Try this block of shorts from Alabama filmmakers at this weekend’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

But be warned: It’s heavy slogging through these dainty dramas.

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Chance Shirley, co-director of “Hide and Creep” and co-founder of Birmingham-based Crewless Productions, caught a screening of “The Ten” in New York and offers this review.

“The Ten” will be of special interest to fans of “The State,” the MTV sketch comedy show that launched the careers of a group of actors, writers and directors who would go on to work on a variety of television shows and movies, including “Stella,” “Wet Hot American Summer” and “Reno 911!”

The film will open next week’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival.

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Three chances to catch the mayoral candidates this week:

Tonight | 7 p.m. at WorkPlay [map], shown live on WIAT.com starting at 6:45, with an hourlong tape-delay broadcast on CBS 42 at 9 tonight. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters and several other groups.

Wednesday | 6 p.m. at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute [map], shown live on myfoxal.com, ticket required. Sponsored by One Birmingham. Update: No more tickets are available for the event.

Thursday | 7 p.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens [map]. Sponsored by the Crestline, Crestwood and Red Mountain communities.

Who will actually show? How many paid political lackeys will hoot and holler? Seriously, 10 candidates?!?

Discuss.

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Complete Vote 2007 coverage.

Just a reminder: Our free information session takes place at 6 p.m. Tuesday at John’s City Diner, 112 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N. [map]. Free refreshments provided. Our thanks to John’s for the location.

Spend an hour with us, and you’ll see why you should come to the Gulf Coast with us for the Magic City Mission, a weeklong volunteer trip to Biloxi and New Orleans. Learn more about Hands on Birmingham and the journey we’ll take in November.

Signup deadline is Sept. 28.

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

Hands on Gulf Coast rebuilds a house in East Biloxi.

We’re going back to the Gulf Coast. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to help Katrina-ravaged Biloxi and New Orleans, you’ve found it.

I went with a team from Birmingham for a week in April to help rebuild New Orleans. So rewarding was the journey that we must return.

Fifty Birmingham residents are needed to join the Magic City Mission, a weeklong volunteer trip with Hands on Birmingham. We’ll divide into one team for each city, spending Nov. 4-11 working on projects, eating good food, meeting great people and having too much fun.

If you want more info, we have two easy ways to get it:

1. Visit MagicCityMission.org for all the details.

2. Come to our hourlong informational session: 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 18, John’s City Diner, 112 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. [map]. Free refreshments provided. Our thanks to John’s for the location.

We’ve already signed up several volunteers, and spots are going fast. Signup deadline is Sept. 28.

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

Also:

• 10 reasons to volunteer on the Gulf Coast
• Hook up with us on Facebook | MySpace

As Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival gears up for its ninth outing later this month, you have a chance to see what’s on the lineup tonight.

As part of its monthly Salon, Sidewalk organizers will show trailers and discuss programming. See what goes into putting on a festival and what you can expect as a film fan.

The Salon takes place at 7 tonight at Rojo, 2921 Highland Ave S. [map]. Doors open at 6 for networking and drinks, plus free snacks.

Also, be sure to check out the festival site, which includes new features allowing users to create custom schedules and blogs related to the festival (such as this handsome one).

Look to Wade on Birmingham for more preview coverage of the film festival, including reviews and giveaways.

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Action! Complete Sidewalk 2007 coverage.

Artwalk, downtown’s annual two-day event, takes place Friday evening and Saturday afternoon. If you haven’t been before, maybe you need a reason to attend.

We have 10 …

1. Someday our prints will come … Our pal and friendly printmaker Charles Buchanan will be back at Artwalk, in the tiniest space available. We helped carry his display boards to his car this one time, which kinda makes us like co-printmakers. Or not. You could stop by, just to praise his freshly revamped Web site. Or gush over his My Birmingham essay in August’s Birmingham Magazine. Or buy a print. Or 12.
• James Morgan, esq., 2314A First Ave. N. [map]

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The problem: You’re going to Art on the Rocks tonight, but you don’t have a thing to wear.

The solution: Toga. Toga. Toga.

Sorry, we meant … To-ga! To-ga! To-GA!

The summerlong series continues tonight at the Birmingham Museum of Art with a costumed theme, Vulcanalia, in honor of the upcoming Pompeii (caution: sound) exhibit. Those in togas will be in a drawing for … a Vespa. Isn’t it worth reliving your “Animal House” days for a new Italian scooter?

In case you need help with your outfit, watch this 1-minute instructional video:

And a tribute to the movie (caution: sound) that started the craze nearly 30(!) years ago.