Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar. Standouts: 1. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend: We've been spouting praise about Vampire Weekend's newest release since early December, when we heard their album for the first time. Since then, we've seen them live at The Independent, put them on our "Albums We're Looking Forward To in 2008" list and finally featured them (once again) in "This Week in Le......

-- Avenue Q: This tee hee-inducing musical features un-Seaseme Street-like puppets (e.g., a closeted homosexual republican, for starters) and an ode to racism. What's more, the indie production won a surprise Tony Award for best musical, as well as best score and book, beating out Disney's Wicked. It opens tonight at 7 p.m at the Orpheum Theater, 1192 Market; $25-$90. -- Ask a Scientist: Are you none too bright? We sure are. Which is......

Please welcome a new Arts & Events correspondent, Karen S. This review is from a Paul Mooney show a little over a week ago, but we're sure you'll agree that it's well worth the wait. Paul Mooney is an Evil Comic Genius. He's evil, because he can coax out hysterical giggles from people who, outside of his presence, would never even think to laugh about the subjects he discusses with glee, precision and even cruelty -- racism, the "N" word, white privilege, that Mormon girl who was kidnapped and held captive for two years half-a-block from her home and Jennifer Aniston's horse-faced ugliness. ...

We've got a killer North American premiere and a Tony Award-winning play with its Tony Award-winning actresses--we've even got some sketch comedy from New York. ...

Let's say that you, an avowed homosexual, have visions of yourself drifting slowly in a waltz across a balcony in Prague, your lover Hans gripping you tenderly as doves flit above your heads and the ruby light of the setting sun glints in your eyes, locked in passionate gaze. Later that night, Hans beds you by candlelight while you both whisper to each other in unison, "forever," and a champagne cork pops abruptly from betwixt......

We're trying out** a new way for you to hear the music we're writing about this week. Ever heard of a service called Rhapsody? We've been subscribing for nearly a year now, and for less than the price of one record a month, we get access to tons of artists and albums to stream at any time. If you have Rhapsody, click on the link below for songs from 10 of the artists who are......

Theater doesn't really pick up again until the middle of January, but this week you have a chance to catch some pretty hot shows....

People send us stuff all year long, and a lot of the times we forget why. Two items we're especially puzzled by arrived at SFist central separately, but will exit it together. The first is a set of Tangoes, the story of which you can find here. Our set of Tangoes comes to us from local game maker Rex Games, which also makes several other intriguing products. Puzzling item number two comes to us......

Today, SFist would like to hoist a few for a man who has brought probably more joy and merriment to anyone over the past hundred years. In fact, one could argue that he's probably had more of an impact on people's lives over the past century or so than anyone. The man? Master Brewer Joseph Owades, inventor of Lite beer and Microbrews, the Thomas Edison of beers. Owades, a Bay Area resident who lived in Sonoma, died yesterday at 86. ...

Musicals, musicals everywhere in this edition of Stage Fog....

The ongoing landlord-tenant dispute known as the Rent movie negotiations flared up once again, with Chris Columbus's production team claiming they were promised free use of the facilities on Treasure Island, and the City claiming they needed to fork over a security deposit and other niceties. Please do note the irony of squatting in a film studio to film Rent -- okay, thanks. Please also note the irony of Tony Hall claiming that Rent is misusing city funds when he's having the city pay for a new SUV and his Christmas party. (obligatory libel CYA: those may actually be legitimate city expenditures.) Thanks again. So after tears, recriminations, and threats to move back to New York, Rent will be coughing up $12,500/month for studio space, plus utilities, and the rent goes up in July to $20,000. And you thought $1800 for a one-bedroom was too high. Local filming is scheduled to start soon, though it's unclear whether star Idina Menzel's Wicked injury will affect the schedule. ...

We know, you've got a lot of pulls on your time these days, what with company holiday parties and SFist's first Bay Blotto tonight, but you really should know about a couple of very badass things happening on stage right now: The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Rhino In this Kaufman & Hart farce, the charismatic but egomaniacal Sheridan Whiteside, visiting the Stanleys for dinner as he passes through town, trips on their......

The weekly roundup of live theater you should know about. It's the Friends of SFist version!...

Bay area crime roundup...

You might think that all SFist reads is the internet, but we are here to tell you that it's just not so! We all love not just our local bookstores but our local libraries, and visit them often. We especially love how easy it is to reserve books from the San Francisco Public Library for pickup at whichever branch is most convenient for you, so pull out your library card and give it a......