-- Verified Identity Pass. Scary. But kind of cool. [Chron] -- Mark Leno, the scribe. [SFBG] -- After yesterday's fire in the Castro -- or as the Examiner still calls it, "Eureka Valley" -- seven are hospitalized. [Examiner] -- Our new vodka buddy/birthday mate, Beth Spotswood, calls Daly and Gonzalez bitches, annihilates your SF mayoral candidates. [Chron] -- "Senior of the Year" Jose Morales wants to keep his rent-controlled Mission pad that he's had......

Last week's winner, the SF Weekly! Letters from people who say they are not in a cult. An article about former SFist editor Eve Batey's promotion at the Chron! Go Eve! Also, they called us a "sassy" local blog. We loved Sassy! 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......

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.......

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 Man Enough, by New Yorker Bill Roundy? It's a humble story with humble art, detailing two boys' nervous first date. Well, actually, one of them isn't exactly a boy. That's what makes it so awkward. Sometimes, the GLBs......

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......

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......