Randy's Guide LXXXV (85)

Today is V-E Day; Friday is journalist Mike Wallace's 90th and Romania's Independence Day; Saturday is the Carolinas' Confederate Memorial Day; Sunday is Mother's Day and Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan's 75th; Monday is International Nurses' Day; Tuesday is author Armistead Maupin's 64th and baseballer Barry Zito's 30th; Wednesday is actress Cate Blanchett's 39th.


Local News Story
Due to a $16 million budget shortfall, rising city salaries, and a crashing housing market, Vallejo has become the largest city in California to seek bankruptcy protection. www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9191199


Local Philanthropist
Brian A., my former boss at Gap Inc., will participate in the Ironman Coeur d'Alene next month. His selected charity is MercyCorps, which passes on 90% of its proceeds to its charity programs. www.firstgiving.com/brianaugust


Tickets Alert
Please e-mail me if you would like free tickets to the AIDS/Lifecycle Concert in San Francisco on Saturday, May 17 (7:30pm). The event will feature 92.7 DJs Fernando & Greg.


Get Your Money!
If you have used your debit or credit card for overseas purchases between 1996 and 2006, you are eligible for a portion of a settlement claim with major credit card companies. The minimum claim is $25, with higher amounts based on the number of transactions. Go to www.ccfsettlement.com for more details.


Change for Change
Congrats to College Track! I hope each of you has reached out to this fine organization and donated money or time.

New charity to consider: Foundation for the People of Burma. Founded in 1999, this organization provides humanitarian assistance to Burmese communities in the areas of health, education, and leadership development. Currently, the program is focused heavily on post-cyclone aid, as reports trickle in that the death toll may top 100,000 people. www.foundationburma.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, My New Red Shoes, and now College Track.

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


Weekend Weather
Bay Area: Cool, with afternoon breezes. Highs 55-60 beaches, 60-65 bay, 65-70 inland; lows 45-50.

High 62, Low 44: Des Moines, Iowa [chance of t-storms]
- A blind 78-year-old bowler rolled 12 consecutive strikes to complete a perfect score of 300

High 81, Low 60: Leeds, Ala. [t-storms]
- The lone U.S. manufacturer of wire hangers to survive the initial surge of Chinese imports has seen its business thrive following passage of a U.S. tariff

High 59, Low 47: Union City, N.J. [rain]
- Wayne Corliss has been arrested at his home in connection with the massive Interpol effort to track down a pedophile

High 81, Low 63: Wilmington, N.C. [chance of t-storms]
- Starting in September, residents will be the test market in the nationwide transition to digital TV on February 17


Environmental Tips
For Mother's Day, consider cosmetics with organic ingredients in biodegradable or glass containers. Other good ideas are bamboo robes, organic wine, or a rosemary plant.

Previous:
With graduation, birthday, and wedding parties upon us, preparation should account for the impact on our planet. Consider fair-trade, organic chocolate and nuts as exiting party gifts. Also consider planted herbs, flower seeds, and bamboo baskets filled with fresh, in-season fruit.


Music Videos
"Born on a Train" by The Magnetic Fields (New York City, N.Y.)

Another unconventional quartet, as the lead Stephin Merritt has incorporated guest leads and Marxophones into his songs. The latest album, Distortion, was released in January, while the tour leads them to Europe in June and July.

Previous:
"Crosseyed" by The Morning Benders (Berkeley, Calif.)

Yay for the Berkeley hills. The quartet will be sharing its new album with performances this week in Los Angeles (Thursday) and San Francisco (Friday), with San Diego, Portland, Denver, Chicago, and NYC over the next two months.


Movies (through May 4)
#1 Iron Man (PG-13): $98.6MM opening; 4105 screens; $24,024 per screen
#2 Made of Honor (PG-13): $14.8MM opening; 2729 screens; $5,407 per screen
#3 Baby Mama (PG-13): $10.1MM; $32.1MM overall; 2548 screens; $3,950 per screen
#19 Young@Heart (PG): $0.3MM; $0.9MM overall; 121 screens; $2,606 per screen; about a group of seniors who tackle singing modern rock songs

The Favor (NR): Drama; about a photographer in New Jersey who re-engages with a woman he loved 25 years ago

The Memory Thief (NR): Drama; about a drifting young man in Los Angeles who becomes obsessed with Holocaust survivors

OSS 177 (NR): Comedy; about a French agent who bumbles his way through an investigation in Egypt

Redbelt (R): Drama; about a Jiu-Jitsu teacher who must enter the prize fighting circuit in Los Angeles; co-starring Tim Allen; directed by David Mamet

Roman de Gare (R): Drama; about a popular writer who seeks new characters for her next best-seller

Son of Rambow (PG-13): Comedy; about an isolated boy who is excited to make his own action epic following a viewing of Rambo

Speed Racer (PG): Action; about a race-car driver who teams with his rival to win a race; co-starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox, and Susan Sarandon

Standard Operating Procedure (R): Documentary; about the events at Abu Ghraib prison in 2004

Still Life (NR): Drama; about residents returning to the village of Fengjie during the building of a nearby dam

What Happens in Vegas (PG-13): Comedy; about a couple who mistakenly marries in Vegas and now tries to settle the jackpot proceeds; co-starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher

Netflix pick – This Is England (NR): Drama; about a 12-year-old boy's coming-of-age in the hands of two different skinhead groups in England; winner of Best Film (British Independent Film Awards) and Best British Film (BAFTAs)


Free Activities
Dolores Park Movie Night [Th 9pm]: Showing Soylent Green (1972), with Charlton Heston. In Dolores Park (SF). www.doloresparkmovie.org

Stanford Spring Faire [Fri-Sun 10am-6pm]: In White Plaza (Stanford). www.springfaire.stanford.edu

37th Annual Stanford Powwow [Fri 4:30-11pm, Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-6pm]: With more than 30,000 in attendance, this event is the largest student-run powwow in the country. Learn about traditions and customs, while taking in powwow dance competitions. In Eucalyptus Grove (Stanford). www.powwow.stanford.edu

7th Annual Pagan Festival and Parade [Sat 10am-5:30pm]: In Civic Center Park (Berkeley). www.thepaganalliance.org

What's the Big Idea Day [Sat noon-8pm]: Open house with hands-on workshops, live performances, film screenings, and more. At the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF). www.ybca.org

Palestine Peace and Solidarity Festival [Sat noon-6pm]: In Civic Center Plaza (SF). www.araborganizing.org

Los Vasallos del Sol [Sat 1-3pm]: Venezuelan folk music combining song, dance, and instruments. At the Yerba Buena Gardens (SF). www.ybgf.org

Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival [Sat 1:30-3:30pm]: Create your own Japanese doll, Cambodian mask, or Vietnamese dragons. At the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. www.oacc.cc


Paid Activities
Live Music - Odessa Chen [Th 8:30pm]: Moody rock, with Recliner and Brittany Shane opening. At Cafe du Nord (SF), $10. www.odessachen.com

Live Music - B-52's [Fri 9pm]: With Eagle Seagull opening. At the Independent (SF), $53. www.myspace.com/theb52s

Event - KFOG KaBoom! [Sat 4pm]: Featuring Los Lobos, Collective Soul, and Matt Nathanson. With fireworks at 9pm. At Piers 30/32 (SF), $15-20. www.kfog.com

Comedy - Kids in the Hall [Sat 8pm]: At the War Memorial Opera House (SF), $30-42. www.myspace.com/kithtour08

Live Music - Kathy Kallick & Friends [Sun 1pm]: Join this Parents Choice award winner for her 19th annual Mother's Day celebration. At the Freight & Salvage (Berkeley), $8-10. www.kathykallick.com

Theatre - Figaro [through June 8]: Based on Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. At the Berkeley Repertory (Berkeley), $14-69. www.berkeleyrep.org

Previous: Film - 51st Annual San Francisco International Film Festival [through Thursday in SF]; Opera - The Little Prince [through Sunday in Berkeley]; Art - Annie Leibovitz [through May 25 in SF]; Theatre - Insignificant Others [extended through July 27 in SF]


Upcoming Activities in May
Barbara Walters [May 15-17 in SF, Corte Madera, Danville, and Menlo Park]; Herbie Hancock [May 23 in Sonoma]; Carnaval [May 24-25 in SF]; Black & White Ball [May 31 in SF]