It's Finals-Have a Laugh

In case you haven't already seen it-or if you can watch it multiple times without it ever getting old (like myself) here is The Landlord. Featuring Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's (director and co-write of Anchorman and Talladega Nights) two year old daughter, Pearl.

Conan Comes to SF

Would you be herded like sheep into a caged claustrophobic line for at least five hours on bustling Market Street? Would you be forced into a chaotic stampede within the famous walls of the elegant Orpheum Theatre? And would you do all of this for a lanky redheaded man who enjoys horny manatees? I would- And I did. But this wasn’t for any man-it was for Conan O’Brien.

For one week only Conan O’Brien moved his famous string controlled hips out west to San Francisco to tape his show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The NBC show, which airs from 12:35am to 1:30am, attracted 3,000people (who emailed for the free tickets months in advanced) a day to the Orpheum Theatre to see celebrity guests, which ranged from the raunchy Robin Williams and Snoop Dogg to the creative genius of George Lucas. I was lucky enough to attend Monday’s show, which featured actor Dana Carvey, comedian Jasper Redd, and musical guest the Arctic Monkeys.

When the Emmy award winning O’Brien made his way to the set, which featured an elaborate replica of the Golden Gate Bridge, he easily joked, “we had a replica of the bay bridge but it collapsed,” the audience erupted into a roaring frenzy. “I can’t explain the energy that was going through the room,” said 2nd row fan, Jason Palone. “I lost my voice by the end.” The ecstatic cheers reached deafening levels for a video short of O’Brien sightseeing in China Town, pretending to be a tour guide at the “penis tower (Coit Tower),” and loudest of all, was when O’Brien went to the Full House house in Alamo Square and was greeted by Danny Tanner himself (Bob Saget).

The rowdy and reactive crowd was so loud that O’Brien was quoted later that night by NBC11 saying, “tomorrow we are going to encourage the crowd to start drinking two hours before, so by the time they get here they are in nap mode.” But the cheers could not be subsided even with O’Brien’s signature “simmer down my babies,” when O’Brien and Marin County resident and Saturday Night Live Alum, Dana Carvey, who wasn’t promoting any project, burst into the songs “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)” by Scott McKenzie and “Lights” by Journey.

A Transgender Transamerica Building driving a Trans Am, the endorsement of Sam Wong’s restaurant in China Town, traffic insights on “Late Night Talk,” and trips to the winery bliss of Napa County, made Late Night with Conan O’Brien an unforgettable San Francisco treat. The tailor-made San Francisco pokes and jokes could only be heard on the shows during April 30th to May 4th but it’s never to late for insomniacs, night owls, and camera happy tourists visiting the Big Apple (where O’Brien is based), to catch the charismatic Conan for some late night laughs.

Butter and Egg Days Parade

Mouths watering, taste buds buzzing with delight, and stomachs brimming over our jeans to the point of unbuttoning. What sinful combination always hits these marks? Butter and Eggs. The quaint town of Petaluma, California understands the capability of butter and eggs and relishes in it every year as strollers and straw hats cluttered Petaluma Boulevard for their Butter and Egg Days Parade.

Situated in the winery bliss of Sonoma County, Petaluma, has been celebrating their agricultural heritage and close-knit community with the Butter and Egg Days Parade for the past 26 years. This year on a sticky 80 something Saturday, the theme of the parade was “Super Town, Super Heroes,” with the fire department, who is celebrating their 150th anniversary, as the grand marshal. Other parade floats and participants included Boy Scout troops, Churches, Banks, High School cheerleading squads, Vietnam vets, and a group of mothers who were representing their soldier sons that are serving in Iraq.

But before the two hour parade got under way there was cow chip throwing contests, a multitude of arts and crafts for the kids, and the Cutest Chick Contest, where parents were given the guilt free pleasure of dressing their toddlers up in fluffy feathered frocks. Despite the cuteness of these kids the highlight of the parade was celebrating the Petaluma Fire Department, which is the third oldest Fire Department in California. Because of this landmark year for the Fire Department, 20 firefighting vehicles which ranged from modern to historic, paraded throughout town as firemen traded their hoses for squirt guns to relieve the fiery heat. And as the sun began to set behind the Petaluma hills, hotspots like McNears changed the atmosphere from parade to party as Petalumans spilled out onto the streets with red cups in hand.

Awwwing at the ‘cutest chick,’ sucking down some cold brewskys, and leisurely viewing float after float makes for the community warmth only found in small towns and at the Butter and Egg Days Parade in Petaluma.