Looking for a gift idea for the Simpsons fan in your life? Reporter John Ortved has written an unauthorized, uncensored history of the still popular, still witty, longest running prime time TV series in the country. SFist asked him a few questions about the book, and the contentious origins of the show. more ›

-- Verified Identity Pass. Scary. But kind of cool. [Chron] more ›

! Cover article: A guy who makes money suing small businesses under the ADA. A review of the Kiki & Herb show. The Simpsons movie is okay. Meredith didn't much like her North Beach wine bar. Why did political cartoonist Ted Rall get moved to the food listings? Let's Get Killed reviews the Pamela des Barres book, feels ambivalent about it. And Savage Love: "is this a weird fetish?" (The lady's clapping on a date story was pretty funny.) more ›

We think Harry Shearer has one smart publicist. His book tour for Not Enough Indians hits Jewish Community Centers across the country. That likely guarantees attendance and eager book buyers. We caught Shearer's conversation with Jack Boulware Wednesday night at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center. Boulware had interviewed Shearer years ago when working for the now defunct Nose magazine. The two had an easy rapport, and it was clear Boulware had done his research. more ›

We've got some minicomics this week, some of which were written by locals. But this is a little awkward -- the best ones are by non-Sanfranciscans. WTF, local comics folk? Where is the local answer to a boy. That's what makes it so awkward. more ›

You know your movie stinks when even SFist, worshipper of all things crap, watches the trailer to your movie and thinks we're watching a substandard parody. Such was the case when we saw a commercial for Alone in the Dark, a movie which has a detective played by (recently seperated) Christian Slater going to a place called Shadow (freakin') Island. We laugh, but it's actually the latest installment in an empire that includes a video game (aren't all the best movies based on video games?) and comic book. Alas, this ubiquity and stellar cast (theatrical luminaries Tara Reid and Stephen Dorff join Slater in the film) are not enough to save this film from being just awful looking. That said, we'd rather watch it 10 times than have to watch A Love Song For Bobby Long even once. Ugh! more ›

We don't know where UPN gets off calling the Sherry Bobbins episode "lost," but all this week at 7:30, channel 44 is showing four pretty decent episodes of The Simpsons. Tonight kicks off with the excellent psychedelic chile episode; later in the week we'll get the "Flanders Goes Crazy" episode, and on Friday the improbable Skinner/Krabapple hookup episode foreshadows the desperate shark-jumping that the last four seasons have seen. The one you must not miss (or to be TiVoed if you're a mere junior-league fan) is the glorious 1990 epsiode "Bart vs. Thanksgiving" on, der, Thursday. more ›