Ahhh, the lazy days of summer keep on keeping on, yet the commentary here on SFist continues to be fast, furious, fierce, and even funny. We like when you talk back to us about stuff--some of our favorite comments from last week follow. more ›

Okay, there's a very troubling article in today's New York Times about a road trip with Laura Albert (reg. req'd.). more ›

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This came in after we finished the Blotter -- a Korean-American shopkeeper was shot to death Saturday afternoon in her market at California and 19th. If you were in the New California Food Market that day around 5:30, please let the police know (anonymous tip line: 415 575-4444) -- there were no witnesses to the shooting and the family is extremely distraught. more ›

It's the questions (what..) it's the questions boy. more ›

Okay, folks, it's your last chance to enter -- final call for entries in the Fake Tales of San Francisco Contest! Win a JT LeRoy DECEITFUL tank top and undies, and possibly movie passes to the premiere of "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things" (if we get that arranged) with your fakest San Francisco story -- email it to us, or leave it in the comments below. Whether you've got a story about a clean and sober rave attendee living with hipsters in the Marina, or a mayor dating a Scientologist (no way!), send it on in and we'll announce the winner tomorrow. We've got some great entries already, but yours could still win! And speaking of mayors dating Scientologists.... don't forget to help us crown another winner, in the Name That Couple! contest. Pick your favorite Gavin Newsom/Sofia Milos couple name from the ones listed below. Don't worry if you've already voted -- we've disabled the cookie feature so you can vote as many times as you like! The winner of that contest is getting some SFist swag of our choice. We'll announce the official winner of that tomorrow too! (Though the exit polling is superb on the link below).

So maybe the folks back East were all over Fake Writer JT Leroy first, but San Francisco-based author and journalist Jack Boulware has a piece in Salon on Leroy creator Laura Albert (aka Laura Victoria) that looks at the person behind the persona while also painting a pretty vivid picture of what it was like to live in San Francisco in the 1990s. more ›

Like the Arctic Monkeys say: Fake Tales of San Francisco / Echo through the room. In honor of the soon-to-be-released JT LeRoy movie, "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things," we've got a new contest! "The Heart Is Deceitful" is based on JT LeRoy's biography creation myth, about how he "ran away" from his "foster home" with his "drug-using trick-turning teenage mother Sarah" to "come out" in "San Francisco." The movie was written and directed by Asia Argento, who also plays Sarah, and it will be officially premiering on March 24 at the Castro (though it did also show at last year's IndieFest). What can you win in this contest? The adorable DECEITFUL t-shirt and undies set shown above, and possibly passes to the movie as well (we're still working on that second part). It's a heart on the crotch of the undies. And what do we want in exchange? Give us your fakest tale of San Francisco! A one-line description of the character ("a Green Party blogger who practices vegan-friendly S&M in the basement of the rental apartment she's going to be Ellis Act evicted out of"), sample dialogue from your San Francisco slash fiction novel ("'Kiss me again, Chris!,' breathed Gavin. 'Like Kimberly does!'"), or even a whole paragraph of your tale -- we'll publish the top three entries (if we get enough entries in the first place, you slackers), and the winner takes the underwear and possibly the passes too if we get 'em. Do a good enough job and we might ask your character to write a column for the 'Fist! Enter early and often! We and our intersex dog-walker friend who sells meth in clubs to finance an experimental documentary about the tech industry can't wait to read what you've got! more ›

Rather than give up the act, the JT Leroy crew clings desperately to the blonde wig and sunglasses look at Sundance. Stephanie Tanner from Full House is recovering from a meth addiction, which Dave Coulier could drive anyone to. Thomas Hawk pens an open letter to the folks who don't want any pictures taken of the On the Road manuscript. And if you've ever wanted a DJ Q-Bert plushie, now's your chance to buy one. more ›

Trent Reznor's favorite scents? Tell us!) And the Gossip, on week two of their takeover of Bay Area alternative media. more ›

Well, L'affaire Leon at the Weekly certainly didn't come to a conclusion we expected. We crawled out of bed this morning only to read that he'll no longer be appearing in their pages. If you want to read his Infiltrator features, you'll have to buy his books. But was this really all Harmon's fault? Or is it a symptom of much bigger problems at the Weekly? Morale, and therefore quality, may be in decline after the departure of John Mecklin. We communicated with a number of current and former writers who expressed at best indifference, and at worst serious concern about the direction of the paper. more ›

What up, Fat Lip? SFist Jon's not just Schwarzenwatching -- he's also sportzen-editing! Say hi to our new sports editor, who's got a cavalcade of athletic offerings for you. In other SFist correspondent news, we welcomed back our French-toastlicious Opinionated Loudmouth and her Route 1 brunch beat, and we get to know the 510 a little better with our newest contributor, SFist Lisa. Or.... are SFists Lydia and Lisa really ">someone else's sister-in-law dressed in big sunglasses????? We may never know! Speaking of JT Leroy, another local writer gets accused of fudgery too -- but he says there's a totally good explanation, just like the other times it's come up. Miscommunications were all over the news too, with the Home Alone parents claiming they thought grandma was taking care of the autistic kid and his brother, the SFPD fessing up that maybe there wasn't actually a bomb at the Starbucks after all, and our governor admitting that he doesn't actually have a license to drive his motorcycle. Oopses all around! Picture of Rapper Fat Lip Governor Schwarzenegger from Reuters more ›

Beth Spotswood pops ten questions for Gavin Newsom, and we want answers. Speaking of interviews, Shout Magazine raps with local MC Paris. And a crop of top local writers weigh in on the JT Leroy fracas, including Thomas Roche, Mark Pritchard and our own SFist Violet. more ›

Josh Wolf captures the one, the only Frank Chu on tape. Listen and learn, people. Harder to capture is reclusive local author Laura Albert JT LeRoy. Also at large is the motherf**ker who vandalized Farmer John's coastside teepee. more ›