Randy's Guide CXCIX (199)

Historic milestones: 22 years since President Reagan's authorization of payments to Japanese-American WWII interns; 22 years since the first night game at Wrigley Field; 53 years since the debut of American Bandstand; and 96 years since the installation of the first electric traffic light (in Cleveland).


Local News
Supporters of same-sex marriage (including photographed readers Spencer J. and Tyler B.) received a major victory on Wednesday when U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional and that the right to marry should extend to all couples. Among those celebrating the decision are Governor Schwarzenegger, Governor candidate Jerry Brown, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Mayor Gavin Newsom. Promising an appeal to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the disappointed include Governor candidate Meg Whitman, Senate candidate Carly Fiorina, and the Mormon church. www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/04/MNQS1EOR3D.DTL www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2010/08/04/MNQS1EOR3D.DTL&object=%2Fc%2Fpictures%2F2010%2F08%2F04%2Fba-Gay_Marriage__0502051525.jpg


Deal of the Week
The offer only applies to about 2% of the population (including me) this week... but since everyone has a birthday, it's worth sharing the news. The California Academy of Sciences offers an adults-only Thursday evening event called NightLife, when cocktails can be purchased and the prized exhibits are available for your perusal. Each week has a different theme, so expect a performance of some kind, as well as a live DJ. If your birthday is within seven days of NightLife, your admission is free! Retail NightLife entry is $12; retail daytime entry is $25. www.calacademy.org/events/nightlife


Change for Change
Charity: Shanti. Founded by Dr. Charles Garfield in 1974, the San Francisco nonprofit provides educational and supportive services to over 2,000 clients with HIV/AIDS and breast cancer. www.shanti.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, College Track, Foundation for the People of Burma, Vital Life Services, Little Angel Fund, San Francisco Health Services Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Bay Localize, San Francisco Women Against Rape, Sustainable Conservation, Ashoka, Old Skool Cafe, Darfur Sister Schools, Rebuilding Together San Francisco, Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, Urban Solutions, San Francisco Suicide Prevention, and The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse.


Weekend Weather
It's like a broken record: low-pressure trough continues to bring fog to coastal communities and temperate conditions inland.

Highs: upper-50s (coast); mid-60s (SF); low-70s (bay); upper-70s (inland)
Lows: low-50s


Movies {domestic revenues for July 30-August 1}
"Inception" ruled for the third straight weekend with $27.5 million [3545 theatres; $7,753 per theatre]. The Steve Carell remake "Dinner for Schmucks" opened moderately with $23.5 million [2911 theatres; $8,082 per theatre]. Zac Efron's star vehicle "Charlie St. Cloud" debuted in fifth with $12.4 million [2718 theatres; $4,555 per theatre]. A hair behind was "Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" with $12.3 million [3705 theatres; $3,314 per theatre].

Mainstream films:
-The Other Guys (PG-13): comedy; co-starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Keaton
-Step Up 3D (PG-13): musical-drama

Art-house films:
-The Concert (PG-13): comedy
-The Disappearance of Alice Creed (R): thriller
-Get Low (PG-13): drama; co-starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek
-Life During Wartime (NR): dark comedy; co-starring Allison Janney, Ally Sheedy, and Paul Reubens; directed by Todd Solondz
-Making Plans for Lena (NR): drama
-Middle Men (R): comedy; co-starring Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, and James Caan
-The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest (NR): documentary; co-starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Natasha Richardson

DVD Pick - Drag Me to Hell (PG-13): This campy horror film from director Sam Raimi ("Spider-Man," "Army of Darkness") has chills, thrills, and chuckles. You'll wonder how a simple mean decision from a loan officer could lead to such extreme consequences. Businesspeople beware! Domestic box office: $42.1 million; foreign box office: $48.7 million.


Free Weekend Activities
SFBG Best of the Bay Party [Thu 9p-Fri 2a]: Featuring Chuck Prophet, Stephanie Finch, The Bitter Honeys, MC The Freeze, and DJ Ome. At Mezzanine (SF). www.sfbg.com/bestofthebay2010

Film Night [Fri-Sat 8p]: Featuring "Napoleon Dynamite" at San Geronimo Center on Friday, and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" at Dolores Park (SF). www.filmnight.org

Aloha Festival [Sat-Sun 10a-5p]: 16th annual. Featuring hula and ukelele entertainment, Hawaiian food, island crafts, and more. At the Presidio Main Grounds (SF). www.pica-org.org/AlohaFest/index.html

Burlingame Artzfest [Sat-Sun 10a-5p]: Featuring a live music stage, Burlingame Idol competition, and more. Along Burlingame Ave. www.burlingamechamber.org/artzfest-2010

AfroSolo Jazz in the Gardens [Sat 1-3p]: Featuring Junius Courtney Big Band Orchestra, a 19-piece band formed in the East Bay in 1966. In Yerba Buena Gardens (SF). www.ybgf.org

Much Ado About Nothing [Sat-Sun 1p]: Featuring Woman's Will, the Bay Area's all-female Shakespeare company. At Montclair Park (Oakland). www.womanswill.org

San Francisco Mime Troupe [Sat-Sun 3p]: Featuring the latest annual leftist production, "Possibilidad, or Death of a Worker." At San Lorenzo Park (Santa Cruz). www.sfmt.org

Free Shakespeare in the Park [Sat-Sun 7:30p]: 28th annual. Featuring "Two Gentlemen of Verona." Final weekend at Bernal Park (Pleasanton). www.sfshakes.org

San Francisco Theater Festival [Sun 11a-5p]: 7th annual. Performances from over 130 theater groups, including Beach Blanket Babylon. In Yerba Buena Gardens (SF). www.sftheaterfestival.org

Family Days - Latin Theme [Sun 11a-3p]: Featuring Puerto Rican group Latin Rhythm Boys, pinata making, and more. In Courthouse Square (Redwood City). www.ci.redwood-city.ca.us/events/targetfamilydays.htm

Golden Gate Park Band [Sun 1p]: 128th annual. Weekly concert series. Featured soloist is Adam Fry, in a salute to great circus music. At Golden Gate Park's Bandshell (SF). www.goldengateparkband.org

Stern Grove Festival [Sun 2p]: Featuring San Francisco Ballet in four sets, for its only Bay Area appearance this summer. At Stern Grove (SF). www.sterngrove.org