Jay Leno

Unpredictably Personal

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey": Slouching Toward Erebor

"Paranormal Activity 4": Tracking the Rise of Found-Footage Horror

Going Up

DJ Apollo on DJ Contests and the Positive Vibes of the Free Doin' It In The Park Party This Weekend

As a pioneer of the turntablism movement, which in the '90s redefined what it means to be a disc jockey, DJ Apollo's numerous accolades include membership in the first DJ team to ever win the 1992 DMC world DJ championships, as well as founding the famous turntable-band Invisibl Skratch Piklz with f ... More >>

Obama Dodges S.F. Protesters, Leaves Through Side Door

Flickr/Steve RhodesAaaaand, scene!​President Has Yet to Publicly Address Medical Marijuana CrackdownPresidential visits are a big deal, even in big cities like San Francisco: As president, George W. Bush never visited us. But after President Barack Obama's reception Tuesday -- where some prominent ... More >>

No Relation to Hasselhoff

John Toomey, Santa Fired for Dirty Joke, Found Dead in Hotel

John Toomey​Readers of this blog might recall the saga of John Toomey, the plucked-straight-from-a-Norman-Rockwell-painting Santa lookalike who played the role of Old St. Nick for 20 years at the Macy's in Union Square.Last December, Toomey was fired after grownups complained about a dirty joke he ... More >>

Lloyd Fishback, San Francisco Nudist, Stars as Congressman Anthony Weiner on Jay Leno

By Francisco BarradasLloyd Fishback, right, has been getting attention in San Francisco for awhile. ​Lloyd Fishback is a must-see San Francisco tourist attraction that's as impressive as Coit Tower -- just much more phallic. On many afternoons, Fishback will strip down to nothing but a cock ring a ... More >>

Tweddle Thee Thumbs

A Quick Guide to Lady Gaga's (Possible) Plagiarisms, From 'Telephone' to 'Born This Way'

​As a member of the media, it's my job to accuse Stefani Germanotta of things so she can respond to them. (Born which way? She doesn't have to specify because it's a hot topic -- and the length of Gaga's beloved fame largely depends on juggling those.) So it shouldn't shake this proud piece of pla ... More >>

Fired Santa John Toomey Does Jay Leno -- Parade Today Past Macy's

Did John Toomey hand-deliver a lump of coal from a Mr. O'Brien?​John Toomey, the fired 20-year Macy's Santa, would never have gone on The Tonight Show if he hadn't told a bad joke. Same with Jay Leno, right? Toomey, dressed in full St. Nick regalia, appeared during the show's monologue last night. ... More >>

Santa Fired For Naughty Joke

There's worse things than being fired...​One of the classic hilarity-inducing Jay Leno headlines of yore was "Angry, Jobless Santas Picket Mall After Elf Accused of Lechery." As first broken by the Chronicle, something along those lines is developing right here in San Francisco. John Toomey, a bel ... More >>

Brian Wilson, Machine, Grace 'Tonight Show'

Amazingly, the San Francisco Giants' world championship has led to this moment being broadcast on national TV​All of America is now being treated to an only-in-San Francisco phenomenon: The random Brian Wilson sighting. The photogenic and quote-worthy baseball star -- who, let's not forget, is als ... More >>

Accused Embezzler Maria Dionisio Claimed $450K Salary for Unemployment Insurance

Maria Lourdes Dionisio allegedly violated one of the first rules of embezzlement -- you're supposed to keep it a secret​A pair of women accused of ripping off their San Francisco software company for a cool $2.6 million may go down as the most inept thieves of all-time. Maria Lourdes Dionisio, 46, ... More >>

The Week in Gay: Defense of Marriage Act Indefensible

Judge Joseph Tauro​The story of the week: A federal judge in Massachusetts declared that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - passed by Congress in 1996 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton - violates the U.S. Constitution. In his decision, Judge Joseph Tauro (A fiery young radical aged ... More >>

Adman Behind 'Demon Sheep,' Boxer Blimp Has No Idea How He'll Top This

Fred Davis' message is simple: "Carly Fiorina, in our opinion, is a more appealing and proper candidate than Barbara Boxer." The Southern California adman has chosen, intuitively enough, to convey said message by depicting Boxer's head swelling grotesquely like Jerry Quarry's after one too many salv ... More >>

Seen In S.F.: The All-Wood Suit. No Typo!

Joe EskenaziToo much starch! ​Say what you will about Jay Leno, one feature of his tenure on The Tonight Show that even he couldn't cheese up and ruin was Monday night's "Headlines" compendium of bizarre newspaper clippings from throughout the realm. One of the Leno headlines I remember from the d ... More >>

Mayor Employs Vile Pun, Says Obesity 'A Big Issue'

A sense of humor is not one of Mayor Gavin Newsom's strong traits -- but do they give comedy awards for Twitter posts? Newsom met with Michelle Obama in Washington, D.C. today to discuss the epidemic of porky children who won't get their behinds off the couch. On his way out of the meeting ... More >>

Dramatic Comedy: Conan O'Brien Pulls Out of SF Sketchfest

Pic via Scrapetv​Tonight Show Host Conan O'Brien just pulled out from what was sure to be a very special tribute to his career at this weekend's SF Sketchfest. The sold out show was going to be held at the Herbst Theatre this Sunday at 2 pm. Ticket holders received the following email this afterno ... More >>

Transblazer

She just became the city's first transgender department head, but Theresa Sparks is already setting her sights on becoming the city's first transgender supervisor.

Live Nation Asks For Your Help in Renovating Masonic Center

FeistTaking a page from onetime bitter rivals (and now just rivals) Another Planet Entertainment's handbook, Live Nation (the live concert spin-off from radio/billboard barony Clear Channel, now its own entity) have announced plans to remodel, makeover, and otherwise update SF's venerable Masonic Ce ... More >>

Jimmy Fallon to Replace Conan O'Brien on 'Late Night'

The House of Punk-Cakes

A True Horror Classic

Impossibly Passable

Voter Fraud

Barry Levinson wags the dog again, but his bark is worse than his bite

The Reel Truth

Hollywood claims the sky is falling. To which we say, Puh-lease.

Just One Hitch

Will Smith helps others find love, though probably not with this movie

Imposter Impersonator

Things get ugly when Infiltrator is unmasked at a celebrity impersonator convention, but all ends well when fake Arnold Schwarzenegger marries faux Shania Twain

Serenade in the Sand

Dromedaries bond over string music in a refreshing new docudrama

Soap Scum

Serial sagas meet high camp

All Wet

This film fest sings a salty love chantey

Farrelly Mediocre

The idiots what brung you Dumb & Dumber ain't funny no more

Fear Factor

But just think, no one hates TV more than Trent Lott

The Poindexter Effect

Digging into the architect of Total Information Awareness unearths good news: Ordinary Americans value civil liberties

The New Deal

Starting fresh, Jerry Seinfeld once again works hard for nothing

The Slime of Their Lives

At a messy party for the fetishists known as "sploshers," love is a many-splattered thing

Rescue 9/11

This year, a handful of shows provided the healing power of laughter

Beyond Bozo

A little levity can soothe tragic times, and San Francisco's Clown Conservatory has a new generation of entertainers eager to provide it

Back to School

Judd Apatow's Freaks and Geeks grow up, more or less, and move to a dorm

Branford Marsalis

Contemporary Jazz (Columbia)

That Was the Wit That Was

Decades after he left the stage to teach math in Santa Cruz, the voice of legendary satirist Tom Lehrer still echoes

Dog Bites

The Red Menace

Bad music. Bad press. Bad hair. Sammy Hagar's heard the insults. But for the Bay Area's Red Rocker, the best revenge is living well.

Un-Happiness

Old School

Slap Shots

Slap Shots

Slap Shots