During last night's total lunar eclipse in Black Rock City, Nevada, someone set the Burning Man figure ablaze prematurely. Chortle. Hey, maybe that was their art? Their statement? Their message? Or their coke pipe exploded? Still, not cool according to Black Rock City firefighters, eclipse fans, and festival organizers. Police swiftly arrested the arson suspect. No reports of any injuries, serious or otherwise. Except, of course, the apparently indescribable vibe on the Playa, which......

Famous for creating the Mitchell Brother(s) O’Farrell Theatre and then committing fratricide with a 22-caliber rifle, Jim Mitchell helped give San Francisco the sick reputation it still (sort of) maintains. Today he died at 63 in Sonoma County. Starting out by selling nudie pics with his brother Artie, the two built a porn empire (they're always "empires") with the help of such luminaries as local horny SF politicians, Marilyn Chambers, and lots and lots......

Looking at the Green Apple site the other day, we were struck by their Staff Picks section, which describes said staff as "helpful and friendly book and music lovers without the indie attitude." Any reader of Box Office Poison (thanks for the recommendation, SFist Jeremy! We love it!) can tell you that working in a bookstore is oftentimes a thankless task. Props to those Green Apple kids, who do their jobs with a casual grace,......

That's right, we finally have an excuse to link to Page Six, just like the kids over at Gawker do every day. Seems like our beloved Phil Bronstein "looked awfully cozy" with Mick Jagger's star-crossed ex Jerry Hall (pictured) at the Finn & Porter in Austin's Hilton. Of course, the nice woman Phil was escorting home from the Edinburgh Castle Pub after the Hunter S. Thompson wake wasn't Ms. Hall, but we're going to......

With Dr. Hunter S. Thompson moving on to bigger and better things, writers, critics, stoners and other hangers-on are organizing tributes around the country and around the world. But we have a feeling that the only one Hunter himself would have attended would be right here in San Francisco at the Edinburgh Castle Pub. Sure, Jahn Wenner will probably throw some blockbuster event full of literary luminaries in New York, but we all know......

Gonzo journalist and counter-cultural icon Hunter S. Thompson died today of an apparent suicide. Thompson was the author of the classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a book that inspired multitudes to take lots of drugs and go to Vegas, and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, still one of the best books about American politics. Although it's been a long time since SFist has been at college, we hope his chemistry fueled......