SFist's very own Charles Hodgkins (the man behind our uber-awesome Blocker feature) is actually best known for his wit, wisdom, and whimsy when it comes to the consumption and reviewing of burritos. While we've interviewed him, shortly before he started contributing, Charles made the big time this morning, with a short interview being printed -- yes, printed, as in newsprint and and ink and stuff -- in the San Francisco Examiner....

It's almost Noise Pop time in San Francisco again! While SFist (and Bagel Radio DJ!) Krissy keeps you covered on the nonstop jingle-jangle clang-clang of the local indie rock scene, don't forget that NoisePop always presents an excellent array of music-related film as well. This year's Noise Pop Film Fest runs from Feb. 28 through March 4, and is featuring movies like: a documentary about 924 Gilman, a Sonic Youth concert video shot by concertgoers,......

There's a move afoot to help save one of San Francisco's famed bars, the John Barleycorn on 1500 California Street. Apparently, after forty years or so of business, the new owner of the property wants it gone and won't even talk about renewing the new lease. A web site has been put up to help fight the power. ...

Today marks the first on-air day of the KQED winter pledge drive. The radio station's hoping to raise some serious cash in the next two weeks. We wish them luck -- and wonder how many NPR junkies will be switching over to KALW in search of an uninterrupted fix of Robert Siegel or Renee Montagne. While SFist appreciates the need for fund-raising and can certainly understand the desire to raise as much money as possible......

Assuming you aren't going to the SF Weekly Music awards tonight, and that you have "$30, $50, $100 or whatever you can afford", and you feel like drinkin', you should head out to Cafe Royale for a happy hour with SFist's best-loved State Smasher Matt Gonzalez and Gary Ruskin (look out, it's a damned PDF), executive director of Commercial Alert. From 6-8 tonight you can bend elbows with our favorite runner up since Suzette......

While SFist Rain vacations, SFist Eve does her best to fill the void. Come home soon, Rain! We've been cable-free since 2001, but when we reunited with our long-lost boyfriend TiVo (who left our lives about four years ago, along with a really great cat and a man on whom we will reserve judgment), we knew it was time to renter the Comcast fold. We're starting small, with the package that, when you go......

SFist interviews Nic Harcourt of KCRW's Morning becomes eclectic...

For those wondering what happens to columnists when they get let go from their respective papers, we're beginning to find out that just like everyone else, they go blog. Oh, Internet, what aren't you good for? Case in point is Glenn Dickey, ex-columnist for the Chronicle who was unceremoniously "reassigned" last fall. While he still writes the occasional story for the Chronicle, his long-running column has ceased to be. So, over the past month, Dickey has gone online with a blog of his own, GlennDickey.com. Could Laurel Wellman be next? Rob Morse? Jon Carroll's cats? ...

SFist has always taken note that it's pretty hard to go wrong taking pictures and film of surfers. It's also nice to watch nature at it's most terrifyingly powerful. Put the two together, and you've got some seriously compelling stuff -- hence we couldn't wait for the first pictures and video from Mavericks. Kudos to the 'Gate for having the best stuff we've found so far -- even flickr is pretty sparse right now.......

While SFist would like to say that the continuing decline in the quality of some of our favorite reality programming has caused us to drop these shows and get on with our lives, we have to admit that just isn't the case. Sure, we were heartbroken by the ending of last week's "Amazing Race," where the most intolerant, bitchy, and all-around unworthy team beat out probably the two nicest people to ever compete on......

First off, SFist would like to say that while we've been seriously grooving on Indie Fest, we would like to recommend that the people who do the Indie Fest Web site tweak the shopping cart a bit so one can confirm their tickets before finalizing the purchase. While SFist has no problems going to some super divey café in Oakland, that wasn't really what we had planned. Of course, we could have paid more attention......

Making official something that's been talked about for months, Major League Baseball today announced that the 2007 All-Star Game will be held at the Stadium Formerly Known as Pac Bell Park. Isn't it nice to have some news about Bay Area baseball that doesn't involve injecting things in people's asses? The Giants last hosted the Midsummer Classic in 1984 and also held one in 1961, a game remembered primarily for pitcher Stu Miller getting blown off the mound by the Candlestick wind....

After months of speculation, MUNI today announced how they were going to meet their budget shortfalls. The biggest news is that they want to raise the bus fare from $1.25 to $1.50. And with that, they’ll get all dyslexic with the fast pass and change the current fee of $45 to $54. Some bus routes will be shut down, but they haven’t been announced yet. While SFist has no idea if this is a good......

By a 2-1 margin, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Finance Committee Ok-a-lee-do-keed a proposal to give one million dollars out of the San Francisco General Fund for tsunami relief. The two supervisors voting to spend the money were Chris Daly (who proposed the idea) and Tom Ammiano. Voting no was Supervisor Sean Elsbernd. Next step is a full vote in front of the board and then approval by the Mayor. Says Daly: "A donation......

Nothing like senate confirmation hearings to get the partisan juices flowing. Kos reports that Senator Barbara Boxer would speak her mind [link via 1115] as part of Dr. Condoleeza Rice's confirmation as Secretary of State. Dr. Rice, former Provost at Stanford, and Boxer, the only Senator to request an investigation into voter disenfranchisement in Ohio, are two of Washington's most powerful women. While SFist would rather have seen this settled in a steel-cage match, the......

It should be noted that the Giants, as indicated yesterday, have indeed locked up Armando Benitez to a three year deal. Also, the A's recieved catcher Jason Kendall in a trade with the Pirates. While SFist is an avowed Giants fan (insert Athletics supporter joke here), it must be admitted that picking up Kendall is a pretty cool move and that the A's will be better and more interesting because of it. Next year's shaping......

Layoffs, health insurance cuts and a new cooking school director for the Chron....

Voter fraud in Nevada and Oregon raises questions in California....

Oakland one step closer to dream of Giant Pandas....

Watching last night's premiere of "Lost" (by the way, that show kicks total a**) brought back fond memories of Lost star Matthew Fox's previous show, "Party of Five." While SFist isn't necessarily fond of that kind of show, we watched this series regularly in our shared Fulton Street apartment. We got specific pleasure out of the fact that it was supposed to take place here in San Francisco, but, other than an occasional establishing shot,......

Everyone wants to be a novelist!...

The indelible "Polly Jean Harvey" rocked "the Great American Music Hall" Thursday night. The sold-out show was a must see for PJ fans, who have only dreamt of seeing her in such a small and intimate setting--and with no opening act! Ms. Polly arrived onstage in a bright yellow dress (with her name embroidered on the back), and pink stillettos. The dress marked this burst of sunshine's entrance with rousing applause by the salivating......

SFist doesn't know why were on the animal experimentation tip so heavy. May have something to do with the intersection of the biotech industry and animal rights activism....