Randy's Guide LXXX (80)

Today is actress Doris Day's 84th and actor Alec Baldwin's 50th; Friday is National Walk to Work Day; Saturday is former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's 71st; Sunday is Scotland's Tartan Day; Monday is World Health Day; Tuesday is novelist Barbara Kingsolver's 53rd and Japan's Birthday for Buddha; Wednesday is Philippines' Day of Valor and fashion designer Marc Jacobs' 45th.


Local News Story
The only Olympic torch route in the U.S. comes to San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon. The 80-person relay will wind from AT&T Park along the Embarcadero up to Fisherman's Wharf and back to the Ferry Building. Rival torch marches and vigils promoting global peace and human rights are planned over the next week. www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/02/MND6VU4JK.DTL


Change for Change
New charity to consider: College Track. As featured in Bill Clinton's book "Giving," College Track offers high-school students in East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Oakland free tutoring, internships, and university application assistance. To date, all 226 students have enrolled in college. www.collegetrack.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, Blue Energy, and My New Red Shoes.

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


Weekend Weather
Bay Area: Sunny and mild. Highs 55 coast, 68 inland; lows 40-45.

High 44, Low 25: Fargo, ND (mostly cloudy)
- The fastest growing university in the nation, North Dakota State now is investigating complaints about a campus skit involving a blackfaced student, as Barack Obama, receiving a lap dance

High 69, Low 63: Honolulu, HI (chance of rain)
- Laid-off employees cheered and cried at Honolulu International Airport as the final Aloha Airlines flight landed, 61 years after the company's first flight

High 70, Low 38: Ivanpah, CA (partly cloudy)
- Ivanpah Dry Lake will host two of three announced Mojave Desert solar-energy farms, which will generate enough electricity to power more than 375,000 homes

High 60, Low 42: Philadelphia, PA (rain clearing by Friday evening)
- With the tightening Pennsylvania primary in less than three weeks, Chelsea Clinton courted the LGBT vote with a longer-than-expected stop at Woody's, a popular bar in downtown Philadelphia


Environmental Tips
Even though some cities such as San Francisco and Oakland have banned styrofoam, take-out containers still generate a lot of waste. Save the time needed to ask for a box (not to mention those natural resources) by bringing your own Tupperware to restaurants for your leftovers.

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Do not pour grease or oil down the drain! It builds up in municipal pipes and eventually can cause sewage backup and spills. Instead, use a spatula to scrape the fats into a freezable container (such as a frozen juice carton) and store in the freezer. Throw it away (or compost it) when the container is full.


Music Videos
"O Fado da Procura" by Ana Moura (Santarem, Portugal)

The young Portuguese fado vocalist has performed before a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Now she brings her lively jazz to Boston (4/5), Los Angeles (4/8), Modesto (4/11-12), and San Francisco (4/13).

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"How It Ends" by DeVotchKa (Denver, Colo.)

With infused Slavic and Spanish undertones, DeVotchKa has incorporated, among other things, the theremin and bouzouki on stage. Their songs for "Little Miss Sunshine" earned them a Grammy nomination. They'll be passing through: Coachella, San Francisco, and Portland in April; Chicago, Asheville, Boston, and New York in May.


Movies (through Mar. 30)
#1 21 (PG-13): $24.1MM opening; 2648 screens; $9,103 per screen
#2 Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who (G): $17.7MM; $117.6MM overall; 3826 screens; $4,637 per screen
#3 Superhero Movie (PG-13): $9.5MM opening; 2960 screens; $3,213 per screen
#27 Married Life (PG-13): $0.3MM; $0.7MM overall; 120 screens; $2,514 per screen; about a husband (played by Pierce Brosnan) who plans to murders his wife to spare her from a potential divorce

Bab'aziz (NR): Drama; about a blind dervish and his young granddaughter who are in search of his fellow people

Backseat (NR): Comedy; about two friends who flee New York City for Montreal to escape their problems and meet Donald Sutherland

The Grand (R): Comedy; about a high-stakes international poker tournament; co-starring Woody Harrelson and Ray Liotta

Leatherheads (PG-13): Comedy; about the early years of professional football; co-starring George Clooney and Renee Zellweger; directed by George Clooney

Nim's Island (PG): Fantasy action; about a young girl and her magical kingdom; co-starring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin

Note by Note (NR): Documentary; about the makers of the Steinway pianos; co-starring Harry Connick Jr.

Priceless (PG-13): Foreign comedy; about an opportunist who mistakenly believes that her bartender is a millionaire; co-starring Audrey Tautou

The Ruins (R): Suspense; about four Americans on vacation in Cancun who meet a German tourist searching for his younger brother

Shine a Light (PG-13): Documentary; about the Rolling Stones concerts held in New York in 2006; directed by Martin Scorsese

Shotgun Stories (PG-13): Drama; about a family feud set in the Arkansas countryside

A Walk to Beautiful (NR): Documentary; about five Ethiopian women who struggled just to deliver their stillborn children

Netflix pick – Rocket Science (R): A stuttering high-school student attempts to make the debate team at the request of its star female player. Winner of Best Director at Sundance Film Festival.


Free Activities
Macy's Men's Event [Fri 6-8pm]: Check out the spring collections from Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Ted Baker, Kenneth Cole, Ben Sherman, and others. Enjoy free cocktails and skin-care consultations, too. RSVP to 415-393-3724. $20 suggested donation for The Academy of Friends.

Norouz Festival [Sat-Sun 10am-7pm]: Persian New Year festival featuring ethnic dancing, live music, Persian food, and more. At Vasona Park (Los Gatos). www.norouzfestival.com

Global Human Rights Torch Relay [Sat 11am-4pm]: 6K run at 11am, followed by live concert, rally, and human rights forum. At Union Square and San Francisco State's Downtown Campus (SF). www.humanrightstorch.org

Zimbabwe Fair [Sun noon-4pm]: Bring your athletic shoes as a donation! Proceeds benefit the Makumbi Children's Home, an orphanage for AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe. At St. Joseph School (Mountain View). www.zimbabweparaguay.org

Speak Up for Tibet [Tue 6pm]: Candlelight vigil led by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and actor Richard Gere. At the United Nations Plaza (SF). www.savetibet.org


Paid Activities
Event - Fundraiser with Dr. Philip Zimbardo [Fri 5-8pm]: Also featuring wine, appetizers, live jazz, and a raffle. All proceeds benefit Haight-Ashbury Psychological Services. At the Women's Building (SF), $20. www.womensbuilding.org

Live Music - Hiromi [Fri 8pm]: The jazz pianist will be joined by guitarist Dave Fiucyznski. At the Palace of Fine Arts (SF), $25-56. www.sfjazz.org

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

Live Music - Sweet Honey in the Rock [Sat 8pm]: The Grammy Award-winning a cappella group is joined by the Pacific Mozart Ensemble and Oakland's School for the Arts. At Zellerbach Hall (Berkeley), $24-46. www.calperformances.org

Live Music - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band [Sat 8pm]: At HP Pavilion (San Jose), $65-95. www.brucespringsteen.net

Comedy - Chris Rock [Th-Sun 7:30pm]: At the Paramount Theatre (Oakland), $46-76. www.chrisrock.com

Live Music - Eddie Vedder [Mon 7:30pm]: With Liam Finn opening. At Zellerbach Hall (Berkeley), $66. www.pearljam.com

Live Music - Anne-Sophie Mutter in Recital [Mon 8pm]: Joining the violinist will be Lambert Orkis on piano to perform Brahms. At Davies Symphony Hall (SF), $25-81. www.sfsymphony.org

Event - Grand National Rodeo [through April 12]: Show-horse jumping, live music, livestock barns, and rodeo performances. At the Cow Palace (Daly City), $17-42. www.grandnationalrodeo.com

Theatre - Fences [through April 20]: About the embittered former Negro League home run king Troy Maxson. At the Lorraine Hansberry (SF), $18-36. www.lhtsf.org

Film - United Artists 90th Anniversary Film Festival [through May 3]: Featuring 33 classic United Artists films, from Raging Bull to Annie Hall. At the Castro Theatre (SF), $6-9. www.castrotheatre.com

Previous: Theatre - Wishful Drinking [through Apr 12 in Berkeley]; Theatre - Insignificant Others [through Apr 13 in SF] recommended; Theatre - Tings Dey Happen [through April 19 in Mill Valley]; Theatre - A Streetcar Named Desire [through April 20 in Mill Valley]; Art - Annie Leibovitz [through May 25 in SF]