Randy's Guide CCXXII (232)

Historic milestones: 8 years since the start of the war in Iraq; 48 years since the closure of Alcatraz; 80 years since the legalization of gambling in Nevada; 159 years since the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin.


Deal of the Week
Spring Friends & Family is here. If you'd like your own personal 30% off voucher for Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and their outlets (including online), send me an e-mail. The sale runs through Sunday.


Best of the Bay
Randy's Guide urges your vote for Indie Industries as best urban apparel store. Reader Marcus L. provides a link: http://baylist.cityvoter.com/indie-industries/biz/110328


Local News
Danville teen Evan O'Dorney became the first Bay Area resident in 70 years to win the Intel Science Talent Search, the high-school equivalent of the Nobel Prize. He later met President Obama for a second time; the first was following a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad. Evan plans to attend Harvard University in the fall. www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/16/BAH91IAQEA.DTL


Change for Change
Charity: La Cocina. Low-income food entrepreneurs, particularly female minorities or immigrants, now have an outlet for their talents. Some products you may have seen at local farmers' markets or Rainbow Grocery include Kika's Treats or Clairesquares. www.lacocinasf.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, The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, Shanti, Curry Without Worry, and SF Neighborhood Theater Foundation.


Bay Area Weekend Weather
Rain will resume overnight, with thunder and hail possible on Friday. Snow level will be 3000 feet. Showers should persist through Monday.

Highs: mid-50s
Lows: upper-30s (inland); low-40s (coast-bay); mid-40s (SF)


Music
"What You Know" by Two Door Cinema Club (Bangor, Northern Ireland)

Recently featured on Jimmy Fallon, this comes as the fifth UK single release from the band's debut album. Catch them at the Fillmore on April 14, along with other shows in Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City, Seattle, and Coachella. www.twodoorcinemaclub.com


Movies {domestic revenues for March 11-13}
"Battle: Los Angeles" stormed to the top spot with a heavily older male audience for $35.6 million [3417 theatres, $10,411 per theatre]. "Red Riding Hood" brought in younger females to earn $14.0 million [3030 theatres, $4,622 per theatre]. Special-effects-laden "Mars Needs Moms" bombed into fifth for $6.9 million [3117 theatres, $2,218 per theatre].

Mainstream films:
- Limitless (PG-13): Sci-fi; co-starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro
- Lincoln Lawyer (R): Thriller; co-starring Matthew McConaughe
- Paul (R): Comedy; co-starring Simon Pegg, Seth Rogen, and Jason Bateman

Art-house films:
- The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swoardsman (NR): Comedy
- Certified Copy (NR): Drama; co-starring Juliette Binoche
- Heartbeats (NR): Drama
- The Human Resources Manager (NR): Drama
- Jane Eyre (PG-13): Drama; co-starring Judi Dench and Jamie Bell
- Lord of the Dance 3D (NR): Documentary
- The Music Never Stopped (PG): Drama; co-starring Julia Ormond
- Phil Ochs (NR): Documentary

Randy's DVD Pick: Animal Kingdom (R). This little-heard import from Australia garnered a deserved Oscar nomination for Jacki Weaver (best supporting actress) as a delusional matriarch of a crime family. Sundance also handed this film its Grand Jury Prize last year. Check it out! Domestic box office: $1.0 million; foreign: $4.8 million.


Free Weekend Activities
St. Patrick's Day Block Party [Thu 11:30am-midnight]: Party to Irish pipe bands and a live DJ. Free entry before 3pm. Along Mark Lane (SF). www.theirishbank.com

Free Cab Rides [Thu 3pm-3am]: A law firm is picking up the tab for St. Patrick's Day revelers to travel from a bar or restaurant to home. Call Luxor at 415-282-4141 for SF trips, and Veterans at 800-281-4488 for East Bay trips. Request Berg Injury Lawyers promotion. www.berginjurylawyers.com

St. Patrick's Day Block Party #2 [Thu 3pm-2am]: Live music from Wonder Bread 5. Along Front St., between Sacramento and California (SF). www.royalexchange.com

Family Resource Fair [Sat 10am-3pm]: Peruse summer activities for children and families. At Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (SF). www.sfkids.org

Honey Festival [Sat 10am-1pm]: Browse educational activities and cooking demos by Sunset Magazine and Bar Agricole. At the Ferry Building (SF). www.cuesa.org

Brides of March [Sat 2:30pm]: Parade through Union Square shops and bars with dozens of decked-out brides. Start at Tunnel Top Bar or Chelsea Place (SF). www.bridesofmarch.org

Sunday Streets #1 [Sun 11am-4pm]: Rent bikes or roller skates for free, try out rock climbing or zumba, and participate in a mural painting. Along the Embarcadero, from Mission Bay to Fisherman's Wharf (SF). www.sundaystreetssf.com

The Comedy of Errors [Mon 12:30pm]: Soak in Shakespeare's comedy in an outdoor setting with the ACT Master of Fine Arts Program. At Union Square Plaza (SF). www.act-sf.org

Climate Change discussion [Wed 6-7:30pm]: Join author Mark Hertsgaard and California Academy of Sciences director Healy Hamilton to review optimistically the upcoming 50 years of change that will unfold for plants and animals. At the Main Library's Koret Auditorium (SF). www.sfpl.org

Our Soldiers' Stories exhibit [through April 22]: Featuring a photo exhibition by Maria Hohn and Martin Klimke focused on African-American GIs during the WWII era. At the African American Art & Culture Complex (SF). www.aaacc.org