Randy's Guide LXXV (75)

Today is Czech singer (and 2008 Oscar winner!) Marketa Irglova’s 19th; Friday is Leap Day, actor Antonio Sabato Jr.’s 36th, and rapper Ja Rule’s 32nd; Saturday is Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Independence Day, Wales’ Saint David’s Day, and Bulgaria’s Baba Marta; Sunday is former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev’s 77th.


Local News Story
Vallejo could join Desert Hot Springs and Orange County as local governments in California who have declared bankruptcy. City officials blame the foreclosure crisis and rising union salaries for the $9 million shortfall. www.ktvu.com/news/15419908/detail.html


Change for Change
New charity to consider: My New Red Shoes. Founder 30-year-old Heather Hopkins, a Princeton University graduate, provides new school clothes to Bay Area homeless and poor children. www.mynewredshoes.org

Previous organizations Randy's Guide has spotlighted and donated: Common Ground Relief, LYRIC, Aldea Inc., Glide Memorial, City CarShare, Maitri, Loaves and Fishes, Friends of the Urban Forest, Farm Sanctuary, Bay Area Community Services, and Blue Energy.

Donate through the non-profit's Web site or your corporate donation program.


Weekend Weather
Bay Area: Chance of light showers Friday night; otherwise, seasonably mild. Highs 60-65; lows 40-45.

High 35, Low 25: Detroit, MI (snow and rain)
- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick vows to remain in office, despite a lengthy text-messaging scandal involving one of his aides

High 64, Low 49: Little Rock, AR (chance of t-storms)
- Another week, another school shooting… this time, one person was wounded at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock

High 70, Low 51: Los Angeles, CA (clear)
- A gunman wounded eight individuals waiting at a bus stop on Wednesday afternoon

High 31, Low 20: State College, PA (snow)
- 708 Penn State students raised more than $6.6 million for pediatric cancer research as part of their annual 46-hour dance marathon

High 77, Low 62: West Palm Beach, FL (partly cloudy)
- Florida Power & Light officials still are searching for the cause of a Tuesday brown-out affecting about three million residents


Environmental Tips
Reuse your newspapers before sending them into the recycling bin. They can clean windows (in lieu of paper towels), start chimney fires (instead of lighter fluid), and pad package shipments (rather than Styrofoam).

Previous:
Increasingly sourced overseas, paper usually is finished with chlorine bleach and produces over 1,000 different chemicals, including dioxin and mercury. Choose recycled office paper, toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins… and recycle or compost them afterwards.


Music Videos
“All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem (New York City)

DFA Records co-founder James Murphy’s pet project has soared to critical acclaim and top-40 fame in Britain.

Previous:
“The Way It Is” by Nicole Atkins (New Jersey)


Movies (through Feb. 25)
#1 Vantage Point (PG-13): $22.9MM opening; 3149 screens; $7,264 per screen
#2 The Spiderwick Chronicles (PG): $13.1MM; $44.1MM overall; 3847 screens; $3,405 per screen
#3 Jumper (PG-13): $12.7MM; $56.3MM overall; 3430 screens; $3,705 per screen
#9 Be Kind Rewind (PG-13): $4.1MM opening; 808 screens; $5,013 per screen

Chicago 10 (R): Documentary; about the 1968 anti-war protests in Chicago and the trials the following year; co-starring Hank Azaria, Nick Nolte, and Mark Ruffalo

City of Men (NR): Sequel drama; about two brothers who find themselves on opposite sides of a street-gang war

The Counterfeiters (R): Drama; about a Jewish man who survives the Nazi concentration camps through his unparalleled skill at counterfeiting; winner of Best Documentary Oscar

Honeydripper (PG-13): Musical; about a juke joint owner who hires an electric guitarist to boost attendance; co-starring Danny Glover; directed by John Sayles

Military Intelligence and You! (NR): Comedy; about the juxtaposition of modern military footage with WWII-era training films; co-starring Mackenzie Astin and Patrick Muldoon

The Other Boleyn Girl (PG-13): Drama; about the two Boleyn sisters who leave the country life and enter court life in an attempt to marry the King of England; co-starring Natalie Portman, Eric Bana, and Scarlett Johansson

The Overlooked Suspect (NR): Documentary; about a private investigator’s look into the O.J. Simpson case

Penelope (PG): Romantic comedy; about a young girl who seeks love to break a family curse; co-starring Christina Ricci, Reese Witherspoon, and James McAvoy

Romulus My Father (R): Drama; about a family who breaks apart after it moves from Yugoslavia to the Australian outback

Semi-Pro (R): Comedy; about a one-hit wonder’s struggling basketball team and his attempts to win; co-starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, and Andre 3000

This week’s movie pick - Juno (PG-13): Though many of you may already have seen this witty comedy about teen pregnancy, some of you have not. Definitely check out Diablo Cody’s Oscar-winning screenplay and Ellen Page’s spot-on performance.

This week’s video pick - Hairspray (PG): I was caught off-guard by its multitude of issues – chiefly, integration. Yes, John Travolta is in drag, but Nikki Blonsky steals the show as a plucky teenager who dreams of starring on a local TV dance program.


Free Activities
Happy Hour @ Diesel [Th-Sat 6-9pm]: As part of NoisePop 2008. Includes live DJ or acoustic sets. At the Diesel Store on Post Street (SF). www.noisepop.com/2008/schedule.php

6th Annual Union Square Celebrity Crab Festival [Sat noon-3pm]: Featuring Union Square chefs and San Francisco 49ers. Free entry, but sampling tickets are $5 each or $25/6 tickets. Benefits San Francisco 49ers Foundation. Zero-waste event. www.unionsquaresf.net/crabfest2008.htm

Pop & Shop [Sun noon-5pm]: Local independent designers and artists sell their items, while you munch on a free pancake and waffle brunch. Featuring live music and a full cash bar. At the 12 Galaxies (SF). www.12galaxies.com


Paid Activities
Event – Pacific Orchid Exposition [Th 6:30-10pm, Fri/Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm]: Features tours, demonstrations, and wine tasting. At Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion (SF), $8-35. www.orchidsanfrancisco.org

Live Music – Kelley Stoltz [Th 8pm]: Dreamy pop. With Grand Archives, the Morning Benders, and the Weather Underground opening. At the Independent (SF), $14. www.kelleystoltz.com

Comedy – George Carlin [Fri 8pm, Sat 7pm]: At the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts (Santa Rosa), $20-45. www.georgecarlin.com

Event – Sonoma Barrel Tasting [Sat-Sun 11am-4pm]: Sample out of the barrel at 108 Sonoma County wineries. $20. www.wineroad.com

Event – Around the World in 80 Beers [Sat 4-6pm]: At O’Neill’s Irish Pub (SF), $30. www.aroundtheworldin80beers.com

Dance – Son de la Frontera Flamenco [Sat 8pm]: At the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF), $30-65. www.ybca.org

Live Music – British Sea Power [Sat 8pm]: Brit rock. With 20 Minute Loop, Colour Music, and Off Campus opening. At the Bottom of the Hill (SF), $14. www.britishseapower.co.uk

Dance – Bellydance Superstars [Sat 8pm]: At the Marin Center (San Rafael), $20-45. www.marincenter.org

Theatre – Blood Knot [through Mar 9]: Set in apartheid South Africa, with one light-skinned brother living with his darker-skinned sibling. At the American Conservatory Theatre (SF), $17-80. www.act-sf.org

Previous: Theatre - Kooza [through Sunday in San Jose]; Live Music - NoisePop 2008 [through Sunday in SF]; Theatre - Curvy Widow [through Mar 9 in SF]; Theatre - Wishful Drinking [through Mar 30 in Berkeley]; Theatre - Insignificant Others [through Apr 13 in SF] recommended