Randy's Guide CXII (112)

Today is singer Tina Turner's 69th; Thursday is Thanksgiving and shoe designer Manolo Blahnik's 66th; Friday is Albania's Flag Day; Saturday is Arizona Governor (and prospective Homeland Security Secretary) Janet Napolitano's 51st; Sunday is singer Clay Aiken's 30th and actor Gael Garcia Bernal's 30th; Monday is World AIDS Day and comedian Sarah Silverman's 38th; Tuesday is Laos' National Day; and Wednesday is the International Day of Disabled Persons.


Local News
San Francisco is considering a congestion tax of up to $3 each way to reduce the number of commute-hour drivers and encourage the use of public transportation. A final decision will be made in February following two months of public discussion and planning studies. www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/26/MNS614C8S1.DTL


Change for Change
Charity to consider: Natural Resources Defense Council. Reader Rene L. is a proud worker for NRDC and recommended its inclusion in the Guide. I appreciate its multi-pronged approach to environmental issues, with pressure placed upon various levels of our government. Though headquartered in New York City, NRDC has a regional office here in San Francisco. http://www.nrdc.org/

Donate through the nonprofit's Web site or your corporate donation program.

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, College Track, Foundation for the People of Burma, Vital Life Services, Little Angel Fund, and San Francisco Health Services Coalition.


Bay Area Holiday Weekend Weather
Light showers today, followed by gradual clearing and warming through Sunday. Troublespots for national air travel are in New York (snow) and California (rain/fog).

Highs: Low-60s (coast), mid-60s (bay), upper-60s (inland)
Lows: Low-40s (inland), mid-40s (bay), upper-40s (coast)


Environmental News
Mayors of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland announced last week that they intend to help promote the nation's first electric-car network with major infrastructure investments and coordinated regulations. Over the next four years, Better Place plans to invest $1 billion to creating a system similar to ones the company has designed in Israel, Denmark, and Australia.

Previous:
The Chevy Volt, due in dealerships in 2011, combines a larger electric battery with a gasoline tank. The first 40 miles can be purely electric, and the car can plug into any standard 120- or 240-volt outlet.


Music Videos
"Check Yes Juliet" by We the Kings (Bradenton, Fla.)

The pop punk quartet met back in middle school and now have a debut album under its belt. Their last tour was with The Academy Is..., and now they're part of a couple of holiday shows in Orlando and Atlanta.

Previous:
"Ready, Set, Go!" by Tokio Hotel (Magdeburg, Germany)

Its oldest member turned 21 earlier this year. The East German quartet has amassed a plethora of awards, including several from MTV, and #1 singles around the world. You can either catch them in multi-band concerts next month in Phoenix and Anaheim, or watch their online television series.


Movies (domestic revenues through November 23)
#1 Twilight (PG-13): $69.6MM opening; 3419 screens; $20,368 per screen
#2 Quantum of Solace (PG-13): $26.7MM; $108.8MM overall; 3458 screens; $7,723 per screen
#3 Bolt (PG): $26.2MM opening; 3651 screens; $7,182 per screen
#11 Slumdog Millionaire (R): $0.9MM; $1.6MM overall; 32 screens; $29,619 per screen; about an illiterate orphan who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

Australia (PG-13): Romantic drama; about an English woman and a rough-and-tumble Australian local who battle to preserve her land; co-starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman; directed by Baz Luhrmann

Beauty in Trouble (NR): Drama; about a young Czech mother of two children who leaves her criminal husband for better times

Four Christmases (PG-13): Comedy; about a happily unmarried San Francisco couple who must visit four family festivities on Christmas; co-starring Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, and Robert Duvall

I Can't Think Straight (PG-13): Romantic comedy; about a soon-to-be-married Jordanian woman who encounters a young British Indian woman

Milk (R): Biopic; about the first openly gay man voted into public office; co-starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, James Franco, and Emile Hirsch; directed by Gus Van Sant

Transporter 3 (PG-13): Action; about an agent who must transport the kidnapped daughter of a government official to safety; co-starring Jason Statham

DVD Pick - The Valet (PG-13): Comedy; about a car-service valet who must agree to living with a beautiful supermodel in order to cover up a nasty affair; co-starring Daniel Auteuil and Kristin Scott Thomas; domestic box office: $1.9 million; foreign box office: $27.4 million.


Activities
Most importantly, spend time with your friends, family, and loved ones!

Event - International Auto Show [Wed-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat 10am-9pm]: 51st annual. Featuring hundreds of 2009-model cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans. At Moscone Center (SF), $8. http://www.sfautoshow.com/

Event - San Jose Harvest Festival [Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm]: At San Jose Convention Center, FREE-$9. http://www.harvestfestival.com/

Event - Parade of Lights [Fri noon-8pm]: 29th annual. Featuring snow sledding, a parade at 4pm, and tree lighting at 5:30pm. In downtown San Rafael, FREE. http://www.sresproductions.com/

Event - Ghiradelli Square Tree Lighting [Fri 1:30-6:30pm]: Tree lighting at 5:30pm. At Ghiradelli Square (SF), FREE. http://www.ghiradellisq.com/

Event - Union Square Tree Lighting [Fri 6-7pm]: Free Starbucks & Godiva, songs from the Wicked cast and the San Francisco Boys Chorus, and tree lighting at 6:30pm. In Union Square Park (SF), FREE. http://www.unionsquarepark.us/

Dance - Golden Dragon Acrobats [Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm/8pm, Sun 3pm]: Chinese acrobats and contortionists. At Zellerbach Hall (Berkeley), $12-46. http://www.calperformances.org/

Event - Celebration of Craftswomen [Sat-Sun 10am-5pm]: 30th annual. At Fort Mason Center (SF), $5.50-15. http://www.celebrationofcraftswomen.org/

Live Music - San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus [Mon 7pm]: 30th anniversary. In recognition of World AIDS Day. Featuring Jennifer Holliday. At Davies Symphony Hall (SF), $20-100. http://www.sfgmc.org/

Event - Great Dickens Christmas Fair [weekends through Dec 21, 11am-7pm]: 30th annual. Featuring Dickens-based entertainment on six stages and throughout the fair, brass bands, parades, a gift market, and more. At Cow Palace (Daly City), FREE-$22. http://www.dickensfair.com/

Musical - Phantom of the Opera [through Jan 4]: At Orpheum Theatre (SF), $33-98. http://www.shnsf.com/

Previous: Theatre - Insignificant Others [extended through Dec 7 in SF]; Theatre - Joe Turner's Come and Gone [through Dec 14 in Berkeley]; Art - Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul [through Jan 5 in SF]; Art - Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes [through Jan 18 in SF]


Upcoming January Activities
Harlem Globetrotters [Jan 16 in San Jose]; Wicked: The Musical [starts Jan 27 in SF]; Patti LaBelle [Jan 30 in Oakland]