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Best Rebounder:

franz wisner

In the span of two months, former Sacramentan Franz Wisner was dumped by his fiance and demoted at work. He could have kicked it at Starbucks, help wanted ads in one hand, personal ads in another, to find replacements for what Wisner refers to as the two loves of his life. Instead, he quit his job and took his brother, Kurt, on his prepaid honeymoon to Costa Rica. The brothers then embarked on a two-year, 53-country trek through Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South America and Africa. In the process, Wisner got to heal his heart and evaluate what success really means to him. Oh, and he wrote a best-selling memoir, Honeymoon With My Brother; appeared on Oprah; and is now best friend and business partner with Kurt. Talk about making the best of a situation. Only in America can you get dumped and make it into a career, says Wisner, who is busy writing his second book.

Best Place To Go Catch a Rising Star:

head hunters video lounge and grille

Budding singers and appreciative audiences know Head Hunters Video Lounge and Grille is the place to be on Sunday nights. A big draw for Sacramento State theater students, the place is packed when school's in session. Regular performers and piano player Mark Ferreira are friendly, encouraging any and all to try their hand at the mike. Bring your own music (Ferreira can play just about anything) or choose from his book of show tunes. You'll be amazed at the number of performers who might have you saying, I saw them when . . . (1930 K St., Sacramento; 916-492-2922)

Best Place to Give Tanks:

capitol aquarium

Moby Dick is alive and well and living in Sacramento. Only this time, he's not a man-eating menace. For one, he's not a whale, but an osphronemus gourami from Southeast Asia&emdash;and he probably can't open his mouth all that wide. Moby Dick II (the first Moby died at the age of 30, six years ago) is one of hundreds of fish for show and sale at Capitol Aquarium, the sanctum sanctorum for fish fanatics of all ages. Although this Moby may not be quite as famous as his fictional namesake, he and his fellow fishes are certainly treated like royalty: The aquarium employs a full-time onsite biologist to make sure everything goes swimmingly. Let's just hope his name isn't Ahab. (1920 29th St., Sacramento; 916-452-5556)

Best Spot for Post-Shopping Sustenance:

david berkley fine wine and specialty foods

Let's face it: Shopping takes it outta ya. After you've given your credit card a workout at Pavilions Shopping Center, stop off at David Berkley Fine Wines & Specialty Foods. Whether in need of lighter fair such as a pumpkin-raisin cookie or something more substantial such as a bowl of Tuscan bean soup, you're in the right spot. Too tired to cook dinner? Pick up some creamy chicken enchiladas. Don't forget to check out the fresh meat and fish on the way to the wine department. (515 Pavilions Lane, Sacramento; 916-929-4422)

Best Piano Man With Panache:

phil putnam

Phil Putnam started singing in high school and took up piano while attending Simpson University in Redding, where he got his bachelor's in music. He's come a long way in a short time: At 27, this Fair Oaks native and Bella Vista High School graduate has four CDs under his belt; his latest, Best of Intentions, was released last month. Putnam&emdash;whose genres include everything from classical to rock&emdash;also is a music producer and founder of his own recording company, Box of Wood Music. Did we mention he's a thoughtful songwriter, too? I always write from experience, Putnam says.

Best Hip Hoppers:

the sacramento street team

If Tamaira Sandifer has her way, Sacramento is about to increase its street cred as an urban metropolis. A Bay Area transplant and avid dancer, Sandifer decided to put the hip into the capital's hip-hop scene. What began three years ago as a youth dance troupe under the auspices of the Sac All-Star Cheerleading Organization, Sandifer's Sacramento Street Team soon outgrew its confines and craved a space to call its own. Now permanently housed at Sandifer's new Studio T in West Sacramento, the coed Street Team boasts 15 to 35 dancers, ages 3 to 18, who perform regionally and internationally. The studio itself, which opened in April, offers nearly 90 classes each week, in styles that range from team belly dancing, martial arts-inspired capoeira and Afro-Caribbean dance to old- and new-school hip-hop. (Old school? New school? We feel hipper already.)