Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Milk and a board member of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, will bring California's same-sex marriage brouhaha to the Great White Way. His new Prop 8 drama will hit the Broadway stage later this year with the title 8. New York Times reports: "Roughly a dozen people from the trial are portrayed as characters, including Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, the lawyers for the two gay couples who sued California over the ban; Charles J. Cooper, the lead defense counsel; Kristin M. Perry and Sandra B. Stier, a lesbian couple who were among the plaintiffs; and the judge, Vaughn R. Walker of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California." more ›

We refuse to believe that the fine folks at Twitter have never heard of Patti LuPone, who, among many other indefatigable accomplishments, was Corky's mom and the first American Evita Peron However, Leah Garchik has word that, after getting word that someone was impersonating the stage legend on the popular social media site, LuPone herself visited Twitter's SoMa headquarters to have the online rapscallion account banned. When the receptionist didn't know who LuPone was, things got ugly. Very ugly. more ›

Noted food critic Josh Sens of San Francisco Magazine recently compared noted chef Michael Mina to Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, one of the worst-reviewed musicals of all time. Sens writes: more ›

As many of you know, Burt Bacharach, Michael Bennett and Donna McKechine are a holiday tradition here at SFist. With Christmas just days away, we once again present to you "Turkey Lurkey Time," the most insipid song / greatest choreography ever to hit a Broadway stage. more ›

more ›

Egads. Two men beat up a woman on Broadway early this morning. SF Appeal has more details: "Two men, driving eastbound on Broadway, near Battery, reportedly hit a woman. The men then exited the vehicle and reportedly punched the woman in the head six times." Fortunately, police arrested the suspects. her injuries were non-life threatening. more ›

Telegraph Hill resident Bruce Rossignol thought it would be a grand idea to liven things up on North Beach's ho-hum Broadway strip. Bruce Rossignol planned to open up a pot dispensary on near numerous strip joints and bars. Bruce Rossignol wanted to call it The Joynt Collective. Bruce Rossignol wanted The Joynt Collective to feature live jazz and good food. Bruce Rossignol had a phenomenal idea. But, Bruce Rossignol was wrong. See, the city turned down Rossignol's plan to convert the old North Beach Theatre (a former strip club across the street from Larry Flynt's House of Vagina) into a marijuana joint because pot clubs, unlike boobie and booze bars, cannot be located near elementary schools. more ›

And this time, it’s with original Broadway cast member Gwen Stewart, the Seasons of Love soloist who belts out that ridiculously high note at the end of said song. Oh, and Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp also reprise their OBC roles as Roger and Mark, respectively. While these two are heralded as the stars of the show - and yes, they do deliver with the electric performances that helped to turn RENT into the most exciting Broadway production 13 years ago - this incarnation of the show, as is always the case, finds its strength in the ensemble. more ›

Theater fans may have heard about the 2008 Lincoln Center revival of South Pacific, which took home a bunch of Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Direction and Best Scenic Design. That production is now starting its national tour with a new cast, which kicked off this week at the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco, and we can see what at least some of the fuss was about over the original production. It's a grand tribute to mid-twentieth century American musicals and boisterously faithful to one of the favorite scores of the genre. And with all its glorification of the unsung heroes who waited out much of WWII on quiet islands in the South Pacific, it gives modern audiences a glimpse of the rabid, just-post-war nostalgia for wartime stories that American audiences had in the late 1940s and 50s. more ›

Why have Coit Tower, the Ferry Building, and City Hall literally turned green? According to SF Citizen, it's in honor of the third return of the popular Stephen Schwartz musical Wicked. The "untold story of the witches of Oz" is based off of the popular book by Gregory Maguire novel. The musical version got its start here in San Francisco when it made its out-of-town premiere at the Currran many moons ago, and went off to New York to win several Tony Awards and gain a rabid cult following from enraptured fangirls. more ›

Much to our surprise, the motion that almost allowed our fair Mayor Gavin Newsom to eschew his monthly cameos Board of Supervisor meeting was tabled. That is to say, it was killed. Dead. According to Sweet Melissa recounts today's nail-biting Board of Supes meeting thusly: more ›

This is most exciting news, folks. The theater scene here sucks so hard now that even the San Francisco Police Department is working on the problem. Check it: more ›

• Hal Holbrook in "Mark Twain Tonight": Julia Sugarbaker's husband and Oscar nominee for this year's Into the Wild, Broadway veteran Hal Holbrook won a Tony Award in 1966 for playing satirical American writer in this performance, and he's been doing it ever since. This one-man show draws on observations taken from Twain's own material. A real treat for admirers of American literature. The show starts tonight at 8 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco; $55.
• Robyn at popscene: This Swedish "pint-sized atom bomb" import -- who sounds a whole lot like Kate Bush, and we mean that in the best way possible -- spits out bite-sized pop ballads on love, heartbreak, and the "post-adolescent condition." Oh my. Doors open at 10 p.m. at 330 Ritch; $10, $12 (18-and-over).
• Ben X (2007): An autistic teenager immerses himself in the comfy world of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (i.e., MMORPG) The film is based on Nic Balthazar's novel that was inspired by the real-life story of an autistic boy who committed suicide in part due to constant bullying. Though not the most cheery film, it is a most fascinating one nevertheless. This kicks off the 10th Annual SF Indiefest. Screens tonight at 9:15 p.m. at the Castro Theatre; $6-9.

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar. more ›

This morning's brief Oakland standoff between police and an old-fashion robbery suspect ended today with neither fuss nor muss. (That is to say, no bloodshed. Good for you, Oakland.) The robber surrendered outside of a studio apartment near 32nd and Telegraph avenues around 11:30 a.m. this morning, located in the cutely named "Pill Hill" district. more ›

more ›

Gus Van Sant isn't the only one who might make you a shiny, coke-addled star here in San Francisco. Take, for example, MTV and NBC who want to use you for their up-and-coming reality programming. more ›

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar. more ›

Now, at Sfist we use the collective and most sacred "we", but this time, this is strictly mine. I invented the list. (Tomorrow, check out what the rest of the Sfist staff picks as their top album of 2007.) It seems that I always have some sort of emotional connection to my favorite music. These artists bring back specific moments and memories from 2007 that might have been forgotten without these incredible albums. more ›

more ›

In North Beach fights breakout and mild vandalism occurs after bars close at 2 a.m. This chaos, typical for any city, makes some of our sensitive city dwellers cranky before bedtime. Or whatever. So, the City Planning Commissioners somehow got it into their heads that closing pizza parlors on the the Broadway strip, pizzerias that normally stay open until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., before 2 a.m. will solve a slew of problems. According to the Examiner: more ›

Two people were killed this morning after a single-alarm fire broke out at the Star of India restaurant on Polk and Broadway. "The kitchen was fully involved in flames when firefighters arrived," said San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Mindy Talmadge according to Bay City News. The bodies were found in a loft space just above the kitchen. Also, "one firefighter's foot fell through the floor of the loft," prompting the crew to leave until... more ›

According to CBS 5 (interrupting us right in the middle of The People's Court, no less!) "East Contra Costa County residents are being evacuated from an area near the unincorporated town of Knightsen because of a possible explosive device found inside of a residential motor home." Motor homes and explosive devices? Who could've imagined!? Anyway, that's all the info posted so far. We'll update as soon as more info becomes available. Update: Taken (again!)... more ›

-- The Life of Reilly: He starred in Hello, Dolly, won a Tony and an Emmy, a Broadway director, and had one hell of a mother, but Charles Nelson Rilley will always be remembered for his Match Game PM innuendos and Brett Sommers trashing. His one-man show was filmed (thank God) for posterity just before he died, and you have the privilege of seeing a star of such magnitude tonight at 7:30 p.m. and 9:15 at the Lumiere Theatre. more ›

-- The Shining (1980): "Honey, I'm home," "Here's Johnny!" etcetera, etcetera, Kubrick, and so forth. (No one wields a baseball bat like Shelley Duvall. So awkward. Also, what ever happened to her?) Screens at midnight (okay, 11:55 p.m.) at the Clay. more ›

-- Carmen Jones: Based off of Georges Bizet's famous French opera Carmen, the adaptation was made into a successful Broadway musical, and then a '50s film staring Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, and Pearl Bailey. Now, see it again on stage right here in SF. The curtain goes up tonight at the African-American Art & Culture Complex (762 Fulton); $15. more ›

-- Grilled Cheese Invitational : What's better than a grilled cheese sandwich? Nothing, that's what. (Our apologies go out to all and any lactose-intolerant readers. You live a life of heartache we can only imagine.) This competition, though, will feature ingredients ranging from Kraft Singles (yum!) to truffle butter, brie, rice, and more. Starts at 8:30 p.m. at Eli's Mile High Club, Oakland; $5. more ›

Exploring San Francisco through the lens of city blocks, Blocker is a weekly series by Charles Hodgkins. Look for it on SFist each Wednesday, around the lunching hour. more ›

-- San Mateo Bridge shuts down, then opens. Ta-da. [Examiner] more ›

Edward Gorey's art is perhaps the greatest combination of cute and grotesque we've seen. And it's not just for goth kids; everyone can enjoy the new exhibit at the Cartoon Museum of Art (655 Mission St.) through January 20, 2008. more ›