Randy's Guide CXXIII (123)

Today is Senator Arlen Specter's (R-PA) 79th and Lincoln's Birthday; Friday is Canadian singer Feist's 33rd; Saturday is St. Valentine's Day, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 67th, and retired quarterback Drew Bledsoe's 37th; Sunday is "Simpsons" cartoonist Matt Groening's 55th and Singapore's Total Defence Day; Monday is President's Day and Lithuania's Independence Day; Tuesday is Green Day musician Billie Joe Armstrong's 37th; and Wednesday is Gambia's Independence Day and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison's 78th.


Local News
Forbes magazine has rated U.S. metropolitan areas based on their commute times, income tax rates, unemployment, violent crimes, weather, and EPA Superfund site spending. Stockton claims honors as the worst city on the Misery Index, while Modesto ranks #5. www.modbee.com/local/story/595622.html


Deal of the Week
Pink Slip Sunday! Laiola, a popular Spanish tapas joint in the Marina, is offering a complimentary dinner to each recently unemployed diner, assuming one paying customer per free meal. This promotion is only for Sunday, February 15. E-mail joe@laiola.com to make your reservation.


Change for Change
Congrats to Bay Localize, the latest charity to benefit from Randy's Guide. Hopefully each of you has checked out the group's activities and donated either time or money.

New charity to consider: San Francisco Women Against Rape (SFWAR). Providing free rape crisis services for over 30 years, the San Francisco-based organization also offers information and resources to healthcare workers, educators, and law enforcement officers. www.sfwar.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, San Francisco Health Services Coalition, and Natural Resources Defense Council.


Bay Area Holiday Weekend Weather
Make sure you bring an umbrella for your Valentine's Day festivities. Thursday's sunshine will give way to periodic showers for the next several days.

Highs: low-50s
Lows: upper-30s (inland) to mid-40s (coast)


Environmental Tips
For guests staying in San Francisco, the Orchard Garden Hotel and the Good Hotel are a couple of "green" options. The Orchard Garden in Nob Hill offers an outside-air cooling system, natural paints & carpets, organic bath products, and a key-card system preventing electricity use when the room is unoccupied. The Good Hotel in SoMa has reclaimed wood headboards & bed frames, recycled wallets for sale, glass-bottle light fixtures, and free parking for hybrids. www.theorchardgardenhotel.com www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/good

Previous:
With Valentine's Day upon us, look into biodynamic wines, beeswax candles, restaurants with a local/seasonal focus, and fair-trade flowers.


Music Videos
"Happy" by Catie Curtis (Newton, Mass.)


Studio album #9, recorded in Nashville, comes from the optimist who contributed to the final Lilith Fair tour. After a quick tour in the UK, she has shows in New York City, Denver, Austin, Albuquerque, Philadelphia, and several small towns in the Mountain West and New England.

Previous:
"Heart of Chambers" by Beach House (Baltimore, Md.)


Dreamy lyrics from the duo... a great way to escape the economic doldrums. Shows in Baltimore and Houston over the next month will showcase their second album.


Movies (domestic revenues through February 8)
#1 He's Just Not That Into You (PG-13): $27.8MM opening; 3175 screens;
#2 Taken (PG-13): $20.5MM; $53.6MM overall; 3184 screens;
#3 Coraline (PG): $16.8MM opening; 2299 screens;
#36 The Class (PG-13): $0.2MM; $0.6MM overall; 27 screens; about a French teacher working in a gritty neighborhood; Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Film

Confessions of a Shopaholic (PG): Comedy; about a New York City gal whose shopping addiction and mounting debt conflict with her new position as a financial advice guru; co-starring Joan Cusack, Hugh Dancy, and John Lithgow

Friday the 13th (R): Horror; about a brother searching for his missing sister amid the mysterious woods of Crystal Lake

The International (R): Thriller; about an Interpol agent and a Manhattan Assistant DA tracking the shenanigans of a powerful bank; co-starring Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, and Armin Mueller-Stahl

Of Time and the City (NR): Documentary; about director Terence Davies' reflection on his birthplace of Liverpool

One Day You'll Understand (NR): Drama; about the unlocking of one family's secrets during the French Occupation of WWII

Owl and the Sparrow (PG): Drama; about a flight attendant, a zookeeper, and an orphan girl whose lives intersect in the mega-city Saigon

Under the Sea 3-D (G): Documentary; about exotic, undersea locations off Southern Australia, New Guinea, and the South Pacific; narrated by Jim Carrey

DVD Pick - C.R.A.Z.Y. (NR): About a teenage boy struggling with his identity while growing up in Quebec with four brothers and a conservative father during the 1960s and 1970s. A recurring theme occurs around Patsy Cline's song "Crazy." Winner of 11 Genie Awards (Canadian Oscars) and 13 Prix Jutra (Quebec Oscars).


Activities
Charlie Murphy [Thu 8p, Fri-Sat 8p/10:15p, Sun 7p]: Best known for his contributions to Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show." At Cobb's Comedy Club (SF), $27-33. www.charliemurphycomedy.com

Food from the Heart [Fri 5-8p]: 6th annual. Food samples and wine pours supporting Slow Food San Francisco. At the Ferry Building (SF), $2 tasting tickets. www.slowfoodsanfrancisco.com

Swan Lake [Fri 8p]: Featuring the Russian National Ballet. At Marin Center (San Rafael), $18-65. www.marincenter.org

Now and at the Hour [Fri-Sat 8:30p]: A modern illusionist combining magic, mind reading, story telling, and theatre. At the Exit Theatre (SF), $10. www.sffringe.org

Bill Cosby [Sat 5p/8:30p]: The television star muses about life. At the Paramount (Oakland), $43-54. www.billcosby.com

Pillow Fight [Sat 6p]: Bring your pillow and laughter. At Justin Herman Plaza (SF), FREE. www.pillowfight.info

Tango La Melodia [Sat 7p/9p]: A seven-piece band fusing tango, gypsy jazz, and blues with theater. At the Red Poppy Art House (SF), $15-25. www.tangolamelodia.com

How We First Met [Sat 8p]: 9th annual. An improv comedy show revolving around three selected first-meet stories between people who are dating or married. At the Herbst Theatre (SF), $20-35. www.howwefirstmet.com

Robin Thicke [Sat 9p]: R&B singer with the single "Lost Without U." At the Warfield (SF), $43-60. www.robinthicke.com

Chinese New Year Run Festival [Sun 9a-2p]: Along Commercial St. and Kearny St. between California and Clay (SF), FREE. www.ymcasf.org/chinatown/events.html

Philip Glass' Music in Twelve Parts [Mon 5-10p]: Featuring composer Philip Glass in a multi-hour effort that focuses on his work during the 1960s and 1970s. At Davies Symphony Hall (SF), $25-55. www.performances.org

Sisters' Bingo [Wed 7-10p]: The monthly charity event returns with a "Cops and Robbers" theme. Cash and prizes awarded to winning bingo cards. At War Memorial House (SF), $20-40 for two cards. www.sistersbingo.com

In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) [through Mar 15]: About six lonely people who seek relief from a local doctor. At the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, $16-71. www.berkeleyrep.org

Previous: Theatre - Angry Black White Boy [through Sunday in SF]; Event - San Francisco Beer Week [through Sunday in the Bay Area]; Film - SF Independent Film Festival [through Feb 22 in SF]; Comedy - The W. Kamau Bell Curve [through Feb 28 in SF]


Upcoming March Activities
Mac Martin bluegrass concert [Mar 21 in Mountain View]; Evita [starts Mar 27 in Walnut Creek]; Branford Marsalis Quartet [Mar 29 in SF]