A tornado (or whatever it's called before it hits the ground) was reported around 11:25 a.m. on Monday in the far off land of Merced. According to the Merced Sun-Star, even more funnel clouds could appear in the sky. "We have a very cold unstable air mass over the valley, so there's a potential for scattered showers, thunderstorms and more funnel clouds into the evening hours," says meteorologist Gary Sanger. he went on to say that this was "the first Central Valley tornado in the last 13 months." In related news, you should check out Wicked, which is playing at the Orpheum Theater, if you have the chance. It is surprisingly good.

Why have Coit Tower, the Ferry Building, and City Hall literally turned green? According to SF Citizen, it's in honor of the third return of the popular Stephen Schwartz musical Wicked. The "untold story of the witches of Oz" is based off of the popular book by Gregory Maguire novel. The musical version got its start here in San Francisco when it made its out-of-town premiere at the Currran many moons ago, and went off to New York to win several Tony Awards and gain a rabid cult following from enraptured fangirls.

Now it's come back to the Orpheum Theatre, and if you can't afford a ticket, which you can purchase here, you can always try out for the $25 lottery.

For more details, follow the jump

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar.

2. Shelby Lynne - Just A Little Lovin': If you are looking for some music to accompany your romantic evening on Valentine's Day, then look no further. Shelby Lynne's newest release, "Just A Little Lovin'" is exactly what the title entails. Lynne has created a new (somewhat jazzy) twist on several older romantic standards such as, "I Only Want to Be With You" and "The Look of Love." The results are: sexy, sublime and sometimes even a bit steamy. It's the perfect album to accompany any romantic evening, not just Valentine's Day. To watch a livecast of her performance at Amoeba Records in L.A., then watch here, tonight, January 29th, at 7pm. Start your Valentine's Day early - there's no reason to put off a little lovin'.

Take the jump to see what other CD's are coming out today...

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.

Genius, because of his scary-good timing, Silly-Putty facial expressions, ability to size-up (and chastise and argue with) the audience, and an economy of language that puts any and all pretenders to shame. Dane Cook wishes he could tell a story like Mooney. Lisa Lampanelli probably breaks multiple Commandments coveting his withering put-downs. Any one of the Wayanses Mooney used to work with can only dream of having his relevance.

And damn, Mooney is funny. Wicked smarts are one thing, but they don't necessarily make a good comedian. The world is full of purported comedians spewing tortured one-liners whose truth, they assume, makes them funny. ("Men are nuts because they won't ask for directions." "What is the deal with women and shoes?") But turning truth-telling into laughs is an art. And perched on his stool at Cobb's last weekend, Mooney proved he's gifted.

SFist Karen S. contributing

at Orpehum Theatre
We never thought mainstream theater would consider goths a strong potential audience, but we've already seen Wicked, Lestat (well, we'll try to forget about that one) and now Edward Scissorhands. Best of Broadway is marketing this adaptation of Tim Burton's film as a "musical without words," but we'll call it "Edward without Johnny Depp," and forgive them for that. Superstar choreographer Matthew Bourne has already put his stamp on such classics as Carmen (retitled The Car Man and featuring sexy blue-collar men and their gals) and Swan Lake (an all-male cast), so we're dying to see how his mix of classic and popular dance transforms Burton's funky suburban fairytale. And, this is a North American premiere, to boot.
Playing November 11 through December 10

Doubt at Golden Gate Theatre
If you thought you had to go to New York to see Tony Award-winning plays with their original Tony Award-winning cast, think again. This play nabbed the 2005 Tony and the Pulitzer, and Best Actress Cherry Jones and Best Featured Actress Adriane Lenox are touring with the show. (The play even picked up a Best Direction Tony.) Jones is one of American theater's grand dames, so you won't see much better, even in New York. Now, the subject matter is a bit dark: playwright John Patrick Shanley seemed inspired by all of these instances of Catholic priests going astray, and penned a story of a priest who might have done the same and a strong-minded nun who has to decide whether or not to speak up about it. (Can you believe this is by the same guy who wrote Moonstruck and Joe Versus the Volcano?) Tip: Best of Broadway is offering $25 orchestra pit seats--a huge bargain. Check out the details.
Playing through December 3

Funny But Mean Goes to the Future at Exit Theatre
Just to prove that we're not just about big touring shows--and, for that matter, that we're not just about straight theater--we're plugging sketch comedy group Funny But Mean, which bills its brand of comedy as "cruel and unusual." Hip enough to be bicoastal (its site lists New York and San Francisco cast members), the group installs itself in Exit Theatre about twice a year or so--generally, whenever producer Richard Ciccarone finds himself back in town--and very much amuses former 'Fister Eve Batey. So, we'll take her word for it and check 'em out ourselves.
Playing November 13 and 20

Photo of Richard Winsor and Kerry Biggin in Edward Scissorhands by Bill Cooper.

For more stage options, check out the listings at the Guardian, the Express, the SF Weekly, and the calendar on Theatre Bay Area's website.

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 by way of local publisher Cleis Press. The book is entitled . We can't recall how we ended up with it, but now we're passing it on to you.

Enter below by midnight Wednesday to win both of these mystery items, appropriate for a rather interesting night home alone, or with that special someone.

Okay, one could argue that he didn't invent the computer or some new fangled gadget that changed the world. And he didn't come up with the cure for AIDS or polio or acid reflux disease. But just think how many people he's brought joy, merriment, and stress relief to. Not to mention all the hangovers. Millions (billions?) of people have drunk products that he helped create. And talk about impact-- think of all these people who'd have gotten better grades in school or had better guts. Without him, would sports be the same? Would guys have anything to do? Would the Toronado even exist? Would anyone have gotten laid in college? We think not.

Owades got a Doctorate in biochemistry and wrote his thesis on cholesterol. Unable to get a job in the biochemistry field, he got a job in fermentation science at Fleischmann's Yeast. His experience with Fleischmann lead to a job at Rheingold Breweries were he developed "a process to remove the starch from beer, making it lower in carbohydrates and calories and, thus, cholesterol." Et viola, lite beer.

From there, he moved onto jobs with both Miller and Budweiser helping them develop beer. In 1982, he and his wife moved to Russian Hill and bought a home in Sonoma, and it was here that he helped create the formulas for various microbreweries, including Sam Adams and Pete's Wicked Ale. Years later, he would also lend his expertise to wine makers but still pledged his allegiance to beer drinkers in the great beer vs. wine debate. In an interview with the Chron in 1992, he said "the making of wine does not require the skills of a biochemist."

Take that wine snobs!

So here's to Joseph Owades. To paraphrase the world's most famous beer drinker, Homer Simpson: "Here's to Joseph Owades, the cause of, and solution to all of life's problems!"