by Betty Wang

Something big is brewing for the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium around Labor Day weekend and the following week, from September 4 to September 10, and it officially still remains a mystery as to what exactly that is. The Chron is reporting that city agencies have all authorized it, while knowing very little as to specifically what their sign-offs are for. Those closest to the event, such as employees at Another Planet Entertainment (which controls the venue) have had to sign non-disclosure agreements. As SFist speculated yesterday, it could even be a big campaign announcement from the likes of Joe Biden, but it's all rumor at this point.

Muni has allowed for dozens of parking spaces and several traffic lanes to be closed off from around mid-August to mid-September, with a few sidewalks being blocked off with metal barriers as well, while the Planning Department has received a permit request from Bill Graham’s entertainment company to remove four large windows on the Grove Street side of the building, bubble wrap the gaps, and put up temporary signage. Hoodline did some digging through some Planning Department documents and found that these signs are star-shaped (though those could very well just be sketches of punctured windows).

The next official event at the venue is not until September 16th (a Zedd concert), and while the permit application states that a "trade show" run by “Adams and Associates” was to be held, a call to this North Bay-based event-supply company revealed a dead end, with a company representative claiming no ties to anything at Bill Graham.

There has also been extremely heavy security has been present throughout the ongoing installations.

While the event is shrouded in mystery, there are of course some viable rumors being stirred up. A tech-related event, like the iPhone 6S announcement for one, is a possibility, seeing as how September is usually the month that Apple reveals are made; a cursory Google search for “mysterious Bill Graham event” yields mostly Apple-related answers as well). Also, as mentioned, we haven’t forgotten about Vice President Joe Biden.

One thing we are fairly certain of, though, as the Chron reports:

“It’s some special event! It’s bigger than a goddamned concert, I can tell you that,” said a guard who declined to give her name.

Back in February, rumors swirled that Google would be buying a building in San Francisco's hallowed Mission District. It was billed as an attempt to lure more tech talent that wasn't keen on working at the Mountain View's suburban campus or the company's corporate office on the Embarcadero. That rumor turned out to be false, but the building originally suspected to be going to Google will become an actual chocolate factory.

Dandelion Chocolate, which opened a factory on Valencia Street back in 2012, will be taking over the space at Alabama Street and 16th Streets, making Dandelion the latest addition to the Mission Creek neighborhood, where local manufacturing is becoming a thing. The company will be keeping their Valencia Street location and also adding a kiosk in the Ferry Building.

The local chocolate company announced the new factory late last week, but the tech gossip blogs don't overlap with the food blogs quite as much as one might think they would. The plugged-in real estate watchers from Socketsite, however, took a moment to remind everyone they debunked the Financial Times rumor shortly after it broke in February, but this new info confirms the non-existence of a Mission District Google HQ. Unless they snap up something in Mission Bay, that is.

Rumors abound, but according to several sources, it looks like Apple will finally unveil a new iPhone this August. The Cupertino-based company will probably, maybe, most likely release a larger 4.7-inch iPhone 6, as well as a "phablet" boasting an impressive Samsung-esuqe 5.5-inch display.

CNET has more: "Apple will show off its new iPhone 6 at an event in August and release the device that same month, Taiwan-based Economic Daily News reported on Friday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of Apple's plans. At the same event, Apple will also show off a larger iPhone with a 5.5- or 5.6-inch display that will launch in September."

Regarding the bump in size, Reuters points out: "Industry watchers have said increasing the iPhone's screen size from 4 inches would help Apple regain market share from competitors such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, who they say have responded to consumer desire for more screen size."

Again, this is all rumor right now as Apple hasn't made an announcement. But all signs point to a larger phone later this summer. Fantastic.

[CNET]
[Reuters]

September 10 has been set for the next big product unveiling by our overlords at Apple, and the media is already abuzz. It's been rumored since June that Apple's manufacturers in Asia were making components for two new iPhones, one a lower-cost version with a plastic casing and one a higher end version of the phone. It's now been confirmed by AllThingsD that there will soon be an iPhone with a gold metallic casing, and it's likely that it will be unveiled along with the lower cost phone, which the company hopes will boost sales in China and India.

The plastic iPhone, purportedly called the iPhone 5C, according to leaks will come in a number of cheery colors like salmon and chartreuse. (See some leaked casings at right, via Sonny Dickson and CNET.)

The Wall Street Journal confirms that Apple suppliers are supposed to begin shipping two new models in early September.

Meanwhile, their competitors at Samsung are having their own product unveiling on September 4 at which they will be launching a new large-screen Galaxy Note "phablet," or phone-tablet hyrbid, which we hope doesn't look like when we put our iPad mini up to our ear and say "Hello?!" like Pee-Wee Herman.

[WSJ]
[CNET]
[AllThingsD]

Previously: There Will Probably Be A New iPhone This Summer, Everyone Who Just Bought One Laments
Afternoon Palate Cleanser: 10,000 iPhone 5 Domino

24th Street watchdog Uptown Almanac alerts us to a statement made by Supervisor David Campos last week with regard to the sale of small liquor bottles (pints and half-pints and such), and single cans or bottles of beer at neighborhood liquor stores in the Mission. He said he was "very much against" the sale of these single-servings, which "can create a number of problems." [See correction below.]

It would seem like a bad thing for little neighborhood markets serving low-income communities if they're suddenly not allowed to sell pints, or whathaveyou. Campos refers to "beer" in bottles or cans of "24 ounces" or smaller, so we guess that means that 40s and six-packs would be OK, as well as fifths or 750ml bottles of hard alcohol.

It's unclear when, or if, Campos is looking to introduce any such legislation.

[Uptown Almanac]

Correction: Campos aide Nathan Albee reached out to clarify that actually the opposite of the above is true. It gets complicated, but the proposed changes Campos was speaking would apply to small grocery stores and would allow them to sell beer and wine, including tallboys and six packs, but no liquor. This is to help them be more competitive with corporate grocery chains. No changes are proposed for existing liquor stores that sell small and large alcohol bottles.

Rumor has it that Lady Gaga might be interested in buying a vineyard in Sonoma. SFist scribe and Grub Street editor Jay Barmann notes, "Following on rumors that Lady Gaga was house-hunting around Sonoma last week — and was also spotted eating at Girl + the Fig, Nick's Cove, and the French Laundry — we now hear from a source close to young Stephanie that she's contemplating buying a vineyard as an investment!"

Gaga, it seems, spent time up north in February and, oh look!, here's a picture of her with some fans in Sonoma. This isn't the first time she's been enamored with the Bay Area's gastronomic scene. Why, in 2010 she was spotted swallowing sausages at Rosamunde in the Mission District.

Hey, rabid iPad fans, get ready to change your pad for one that's clearer, crisper, and thinner. According to All Things D, Apple will announce the iPad 3 (or, worse, the iPad 2S) in the first week of March. "Sources say the company has chosen the first week in March to debut the successor to the iPad 2, and will do so at one of its trademark special events. The event will be held in San Francisco, presumably at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like these."

While nothing has been confirmed by Apple (of course), the new iPad will probably run on a faster chip, feature a 2048×1536 Retina Display (similar to the iPhone 4 and 4S), boast better graphics, and be even thinner than its predecessor. Oh, and it might have a better camera. And maybe even Siri will make an appearance on the next generation? Fingers crossed.

If the iPad 3 does unleash itself upon the world, look for it to hit store shelves a week after the big announcement. Again, this is all delicious speculation. As Macworld notes, "Should Apple indeed decide to hold an event the first week of March, we’d likely not find out until sometime in late February."

New iPhone 5 rumors popped up this week. Among them? The next generation's iPhone release could come as soon as this summer. It might also (finally!) boast a larger display. Venture Beat reports, "The latest iPhone rumors point to a Summer 2012 launch, a larger form factor, and a possible 4-plus-inch display from LG. The details were leaked by a Foxconn worker in China to 9to5mac — the same source who correctly said an iPhone 5 wasn’t coming out last year."

Should you take these next-generation rumors with a massive salt lick? Yes. However, today's tech gossip seem a bit more credible than last year's rumors that never came to fruition. Mashable notes:

While you should look at all of this information with a skeptical eye, a raised eyebrow and folded arms, the rumor sounds slightly more credible than the junk typically spewed out from Taiwan industry pub DigiTimes. For starters, reviewing various prototypes before deciding on the final production model is a standard practice in manufacturing, unlike many rumors that imply certainty about what something will look like.

Also, the overall vagueness of the rumor (no precise screen measurement, no photos, nothing about the insides) at least gives an appearance of authenticity. After all, if you were just going to make something up, why not be more detailed? There’s certainly no shortage of potential features to choose from.

Also, while lengths and width will maybe, perhaps enlarge, the iPhone 5 will retain the same thickness. Probably. Again, it's all in the rumor stage right now. According to Daring Fireball, it's not in production and that if there was one, it wouldn't be a bigger phone (though it might come with a bigger display.) Anyway, look for the new iPhone to unleash itself upon your wallet at some point this year. Or not. The iPhone 4S, if you recall, was just released this past October. And, yes, most of you will shell out more money for the new one. Just accept it. We have.

Below: While the iPhone 5 won't appear anything like this fantasy prototype, one can dream. Sigh.

And now for some tempting rumormongering: media blogger Rich Lieberman overheard that, according to an anonymous source, two of your favorite morning anchors (Darya Folsom and Justine Waldman from KRON 4 Morning News) are allegedly at war. Why? Because women hate other women, obviously. Between catching the vapors and finding that perfect whalebone corset to constrict proper digestion, women love to scratch each other's eyes out. (And having bouncy pillow fights in their negligees -- they love that, too.) Anyway, via a newsroom spy of sorts, Lieberman reports:

"She won't speak to Justine, that is, unless to correct her and make her look like an idiot in front of others, and she is constantly taking pictures of Justine's clothes. She even made a comment on her site about Justine's cleavage. Justine is obviously outraged, so there is tension there. I don't know if any of the other morning women are affected, but you can cut the animosity and tension between Darya and Justine with a knife."

They seem friendly to us. What do you think?

Oh joy, this should be fun. Former gubernatorial candidate and EBay ruler Meg Whitman might (might!) land a new gig as Hewlett-Packard's CEO. The company's board will soon meet to discuss whether or not to oust Leo Apotheker as chief executive officer. And Whitman, it seems, is a possible successor!

The Chronicle reports: "Under a scenario being considered, Hewlett-Packard's directors may appoint former EBay Inc. CEO Meg Whitman as his successor, possibly on an interim basis, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the plans aren't public."

After a disastrous campaign for California governor, Whitman joined Hewlett-Packard's board in January.

SFGate commenter AppleFanBoi sums up things nicely, saying, "Hiring the Quaker Oats guy would be the final nail in the coffin. HP is a joke. Fiorina destroyed it, Whitless will finish it."

It's been an exciting day in the Bay Area. We were walking up Post at around 5 p.m. and encountered chaos at Larkin Street, in which the whole block was taped off with police tape. We heard the words "bomb squad" before making a detour.

Upon returning up Hyde, we ran into more police tape and the heavily armed/armored dudes pictured above. We also saw a guy being wheeled into an ambulance. After our second detour in which we came back up Leavenworth, we heard from others that it was a hostage situation and a guy had barricaded himself into one of the buildings, which KGO has confirmed. [Update] The man was taken to a mental hospital for an evaluation.

Warriors 113 Rockets 94- On the pregame show before the game, the announcers were saying that whomever controlled the pace of the game would win. If it was fast paced, it's all Golden State. If it was slowed down a bit, then the Rockets would take it. Guess which kind of pace the game was played at? Despite the presence of Yao, the Warriors outrebounded the Rockets and held him in check. So much for that size disadvantage the Warriors are supposed to have. For those keeping score at home, that's eight out of nine games the Warriors have won.

-So you've probably heard the Lane Kiffin to Arkansas rumors. We have no idea what the what is but the thing makes kind of sense in a weird sort of way. Kiffin was totally unprepared for the job and kind of looks it. He has the same look on his face that you'd see in Starbucks when a barista who's been on the job for only a week suddenly finds himself running the place because the manager was sick. Throw in all the Al craziness and the fact that the Raiders are the second most dysfunctional franchise in sports (the Knicks are, of course, #1 by a wide margin) and Arkansas sounds kind of inviting. Just think about that for a minute.

-McCovey Chronicles has a really good discussion about the Giants' "Sophie's Choice" dilemna this offseason, mainly in that in order to get some good players in a trade, they'd probably have to trade either Cain or Lincecum. So which one should they trade? Right now, it doesn't look like it's gonna happen, but somebody on the team has to be able to hit the ball. And if you ask us we'd get rid of the Enchanter as something about him just screams "Kerry Wood."

Photo by AP photographer Marcio Jose Sanchez

-With tonight's 108-82 win against the running joke that is the New York Knicks (seriously, what does it take to get fired in that organization?), the Warriors have now won three in a row and are one game from totaling the amount of wins our local football teams have. The Beard led the way with 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Stephen Jackson got 23 points. For the Knicks, Starbury played his first game of the season showing that blackmail does work

-According to reports, Al Davis stepped out of his cryogenic chamber once again to announce that he won't retire until the Raiders win two more Superbowls, which at this rate will be, what, in the year 2525? He'll probably still be alive then anyways. Davis also said it wasn't his idea to trade Randy Moss but his coaches. We bet the rest of the NFL is wishing Al didn’t listen to his coaches.

-Anne Killion of the Merc has been throwing darts at Mike Nolan ever since Sunday and is saying that the best thing the Niners could do is to say buh-bye to their coach. She think's that it's not that he has too much responsibility, as others think, and that's what is making him a lousy coach-- he's just a lousy coach. And it's not just he's a lousy game-day coach (see last Sunday and the infamous field goal) but that the whole thing with Alex Smith (was he healthy? Was he fine? Is Zeppelin really touring next year?) shows that he's just not good at the whole communicating thing either. There's more to it but after reading both columns, all we can say is ouch. The Niners, btw, hired Ted Tollner as an offensive assistant. We don't know what means either.

-And finally, is the Enchanter trade bait? Nooooooooo!