Randy's Guide LXXXI (81)

Today is broadcaster John Madden's 72nd, music producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds' 50th, and actor Haley Joel Osment's 20th; Friday is Costa Rica's Juan Santamaria Holiday; Saturday is musician Herbie Hancock's 68th and talk show host David Letterman's 61st; Sunday is the Thai, Burmese, Lao, Sri Lankan, and Cambodian New Year; Monday is actress Abigail Breslin's 12th; Tuesday is Tax Day and Hawaii's Father Damien Day; Wednesday is Pope Benedict XVI's 81st and Washington D.C.'s Emancipation Holiday.


Local News Story
The Olympic Torch has come and gone, but not without thousands of disappointed fans, cancelled ceremonies, several protests (including one that involved scaling the Golden Gate Bridge), and political resolutions. news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7339380.stm


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: Unseasonably warm. Highs 70 coast, 80 bay, 85 inland; lows 45-50.

High 53, Low 39: Albany, NY (chance of rain)
- Though endorsed by New York City Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Patterson, a proposal to charge a motorist fee for driving into downtown Manhattan was defeated by Democratic legislators in the Assembly

High 71, Low 42: Eldorado, TX (clear)
- 401 children and 133 women have left the isolated polygamist retreat built by its imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs

High 49, Low 32: Indianapolis, IN (stormy weekend)
- Six men have been accused of fraudulently taking out $37 million in mortgages on 286 homes under false companies for quick resale

High 64, Low 43: Seattle, WA (partly cloudy)
- The Dalai Lama arrived for the five-day "Seeds of Compassion" conference


Environmental Tips
With the spotlight on filing taxes and receiving federal rebates shortly, taxpayers should keep in mind that federal and/or state incentives exist for hybrid car purchases, solar-panel installations, home insulations, and water heaters.

Previous:
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.


Music Videos
"Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse" by of Montreal (Athens, Ga.)

The band, formerly of the Elephant 6 collective, has quietly thrived in the independent music scene. Its next album is due out later this year.

"Os Buzios" 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 Modesto (Friday/Saturday) and San Francisco (Sunday).


Movies (through Apr. 6)
#1 21 (PG-13): $15.3MM; 2653 screens; $5,781 per screen
#2 Nim's Island (PG): $13.2MM opening; 3513 screens; $3,760 per screen
#3 Leatherheads (PG-13): $12.7MM opening; 2769 screens; $4,580 per screen
#15 Shine a Light (PG-13): $1.5MM opening; 276 screens; $5,392 per screen; the Martin Scorsese documentary about the Rolling Stones rocked out to a decent opening

Blindsight (PG): Documentary; about blind individuals scaling Mount Everest

Boarding Gate (R): Thriller; about a young woman who flees London for Hong Kong, only to become trapped in a manipulative game; co-starring Michael Madsen and Asia Argento

Bonneville (PG): Drama; about a widow who takes her two friends on a road trip to determine the fate of her husband's body; co-starring Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, and Joan Allen

Chaos Theory (PG-13): Comedy; about a celebrated bestseller who lives through the use of timetables and index cards; co-starring Ryan Reynolds and Emily Mortimer

Hollywood Chinese (NR): Documentary; about the portrayal of Chinese Americans in film for the past century; co-starring Joan Chen and Amy Tan

Irina Palm (R): Drama; about a desperate widow who reluctantly takes a job as a sex club hostess

Never Forever (NR): Drama; about a white woman who hires an Asian immigrant to impregnate her because her Asian husband is unable to do so

Prom Night (PG-13): Horror; about a group of teens haunted by a secret on prom night

Refusenik (NR): Documentary; about the multi-decade battle to free Soviet Jews during the Cold War

Smart People (R): Drama; about an intellectual professor who awakens from an impending mid-life crisis; co-starring Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Ellen Page

Street Kings (R): Drama; about a veteran police detective who teams with a young recruit to investigate his former partner's killers; co-starring Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, and Jay Mohr

Super High Me (R): Documentary; about the exploration of medical marijuana

Netflix pick – Rescue Dawn (PG-13): Excellent Vietnam film starring Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, and Jeremy Davies as soldiers in a prisoner-of-war camp


Free Activities
Green Your Home Fair [Th 4-7pm]: Talk to experts and vendors who can help reduce your effect on climate change. At the Green Buliding Exchange (Redwood City). www.greenbuildingexchange.com

Movie in Dolores Park [Th 8pm]: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). At Dolores Park (SF). www.doloresparkmovie.org

Eco-Walk [Fri 10:30am-12:30pm]: Meet at Crissy Field Center for a 2-mile walk with a docent. Call 415-561-4323 to RSVP. www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/events.htm

20th Annual Sidewalk Festival [Fri-Sun 10am-5pm]: With 65 professional artists. Along West Portal Avenue, between Ulloa and 15th (SF). www.pacificfinearts.com

Cesar Chavez Celebration [Fri 7-9pm]: Documentary screening, food justice speakers, organic snacks, and more. At the Ecology Center (Berkeley). www.ecologycenter.org

Cal Day [Sat 9am-4pm]: Special lectures, free museums, the Campanile Tower, and more. At UC-Berkeley. www.calday.berkeley.edu

Cherry Blossom Festival [Sat-Sun 11am-5pm, through April 20]: Check out bonsai demonstrations, taiko drumming, tea ceremonies, origami, martial arts, and more. At assorted sites in Japantown (SF). www.nccbf.org

Get Green @ Macy's [Wed 6:30pm]: Listen to Brandon Ross (Ella Bella Farm) and Charles Phan (The Slanted Door) explain how they've expanded their businesses while staying green. Receive a sample of the featured seasonal dish, a glass of Benziger wine, a canvas Ferry Plaza Farmers Market bag, and a deluxe skin-care sample from Origins Organics. $10 donation to CUESA.


Paid Activities
Live Music - Panic at the Disco [Th-Fri 7pm]: With Motion City Soundtrack opening. At the Warfield (SF), $35. www.panicatthedisco.com

Live Music - Arlo Guthrie [Th 8pm]: The folk singer, made famous through his Vietnam War protests, comes to Zellerbach Hall (Berkeley), $24-52. www.arlo.net

Event - 18th Annual California Climate Conference [Fri 7-9pm, Sat 8:30am-10pm, Sun 9am-12:30pm]: Joining keynote speaker Matt Gonzalez will be various authors, professors, and environmental/labor activists. At Berkeley City College, $10-35. www.californiastudiesassociation.berkeley.edu/conference

Live Music - Wayne Shorter Quartet [Fri 8pm]: With Imani Winds as special guests. At Nob Hill Masonic Center (SF), $25-85. www.sfjazz.org

Dance - The Secret Garden [Sat 2pm/8pm]: By the Oakland Ballet Company. At the Paramount Theatre (Oakland), $15-50. www.oaklandballet.org

Event - Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo [through Sunday, 11am-7pm]: At the Santa Clara Convention Center, $3-6. www.santaclaraexpo.com

Theatre - The Government Inspector [through April 20]: Nikolai Gogol's comic tale about corrupt politicians. At the A.C.T. (SF), $15-69. www.act-sf.org

Previous: Theatre - Wishful Drinking [through Saturday in Berkeley]; Event - Grand National Rodeo [through Saturday in Daly City]; Theatre - Insignificant Others [through Sunday in SF] recommended; Theatre - Tings Dey Happen [through April 19 in Mill Valley]; Theatre - Fences [through April 20 in SF]; Theatre - A Streetcar Named Desire [through April 20 in Mill Valley]; Film - United Artists 90th Anniversary Film Festival [through May 3 in SF]; Art - Annie Leibovitz [through May 25 in SF]