• It rained. [Weather Underground]

• Sixth suspect, Elvis Torrentes, 21, charged in Richmond HS gang rape. [SFGate]

• Eyewitness account of Muni station fight says the ticket agent is the real victim. [Eye On Blogs]

• Blessed be, a Google heir is born. [Valleywag]

• SFUSD teachers may be booted. [SF Examiner]

• Jacques Pepin would like most like to cook naked with Nigella Lawson. Oh dear, What would Claudine say? [Eater]

• Homeless people are so cute! [Caliber]

• Are dropped calls AT&T's fault, or your iPhone's? [Appeal]

While today's young San Francisco gay gent prefers to (pretend to) skateboard, spend the night frolicking at Bender's, and eschew the art of proper hygiene, there was a day when the effete dandy reigned supreme among the homo sect. (No, Rufus Wainwright doesn't count. Ever.) And those dandies, if only the days of yore had allowed it, would have put on their Sunday best and busted it up on the ballroom floor. Lots of swirling, lots of twirling: the way God programmed gay men.

This weekend's 3rd Annual California Dreaming Same Sex Ballroom Dancing Competition, boasting to be the world's largest same-sex ballroom dancing showdown, will allow you to dance the frilly, fey waltz you've always dreamed of; pretend you're Cinderella in her second gown just before midnight; or just sit and watch competitive same-sex couples perform ballroom magic while you get trashed.

This could very well be the gayest thing in the universe, ever. Lucky you.

What's more, as SF Weekly's Hiya Swanhuyser pointed out, the Utah-based National Dance Council of America refuses to allow same-sex couples, so "there's a good chance that some of the very best ballroom dancing in the world, bar none," will be right here in SF this weekend.

Info is as follows:

Tonight, Friday, November 6
California Dreaming Welcome Party at Vima Dance Studio, 560 Third Street (between Bryant and Brannan), free for all California Dreaming competition dancers; $10 for the public.

Saturday, November 7
California Dreaming Dance Sport Festival at Hotel Whitcomb, 1231 Market Street (Eighth Street).
* Day Session attire is casual: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (doors open at 8 a.m.)
* Evening Session attire is "California formal": 8 p.m.-midnight (doors open at 7 p.m.)

Sunday, November 8
Dance Champion Workshops at Vima Dance Studio, 560 Third Street.

Visit CaliforniaDreamingDanceSport.com for more information.

With the new album, The Farm, J Mascis and the gang return to mid-nineties form in sound and song writing. They're performing at The Fillmore tonight and we believe there are still some tickets available. The video above embarrasses us a little, if only because they're all a little old to be on skateboards and BMXs, but we suppose that's the point.

"Where are you transmitting from?" by Travis Jensen.

What do you think, dear readers? Certainly Apple deserves a worthy rival, but has the iPhone just been around too long and the market for apps just become such a monolothic thing to overcome that no competitor stands a chance for a while? Or do the iPhone and AT&T's exclusive service still have enough snafus to open the market to competitors?

Despite the fact that it seems some days like half or three-quarters of this town owns an iPhone, we heard a figure last night that some 90% or more of the market still does not own a "smart phone" and the remains wide open. So let us know in the poll below. From what you've seen and heard, should Apple be worried?

Leanne is off for the day, taking care of the proverbial bun in her proverbial oven. So, please, bear with us as we throw a list of stuff at you. And remember: just because it's rainy outside doesn't mean you should go crazy and not have fun tonight. How else are you going to show off that new scarf and umbrella?

ART: Friday Nights at the de Young presents Street Art San Francisco, featuring Mission Muralismo in honor of an elaborate monograph just published about street murals in the Mission. Silke Tudor says "Mission Muralismo might be the most important book ever compiled on San Francisco art." And who are we to argue with her?

Tonight's book signing is much more that just that: the night will feature "both cutting-edge and traditional street artists will offer lectures and performances sharing their art, insights, musings, experiences, and perspectives." Francisco X, Lorna Dee Cervantes, and Steve Cervantes will read their poetry; Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalepeño Band provides the music. (Hopefully, they'll touch upon why the mural of Carlos Santana has yet to receive a Sistine Chapel-like makeover.)

5:30 p.m. // De Young Museum (Golden Gate Park, 50 Tea Garden Drive) // free

MUSIC: Dinosaur Jr. ticket are still available. Come for the opening act, Violent Soho, stay to hear music from yesteryear.

8 p.m. // The Fillmore (1805 Geary) // $30

FILM: Violence glorification, anyone? You have three romantic/violent cinematic gems from which to choose: True Romance (7:00 PM), Natural Born Killers (9:30 PM), and The Doom Generation (11:59 PM)., all screening in the Castro.

Castro Theatre (429 Castro Street) // $10.50

At Camino we don't name our cocktails. We simply list the ingredients and let them speak for themselves. This cocktail is from the sour family. The Benesin Mezcal lends a wonderfully spicy, smokey quality which is balanced perfectly by the citrus, egg white and agave. It makes for a great brunch bracer or compliments an evening by the fire.

1.5 oz Benesin Mezcal
.75 oz lemon juice
.5 oz orange juice
.5 oz egg white
.25 oz amber agave

Combine all ingredients into shaker. Dry shake for 5 seconds. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds. Double strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange twist.

PREVIOUSLY: A New School Cocktail Glossary
The Spruce Goose from Spruce
The Autumn Apple Cocktail from Cyrus
Seven Decades of Cocktails from Gourmet
The Pisco Sol from Pisco Lounge
The Five-Spice Margarita and Laughing Buddha
from Cantina
The Improved Sunrise from Rickhouse
The Grape Drink from Blackbird
Smokin' Stoned Fruit from Conduit
The Promissory Note from The Alembic
Blackberry Shrub
Strawberry Gin Shrub from NOPA
The Naughty Sun Dress from Bourbon & Branch
Gitane's Castillan Cup
Tales of the Cocktail
The Sexy Saint at The Four Seasons
A Roundup of Cocktail Blogs
The Rio Grande Cocktail at 15 Romolo
Old Sydney Town Punch at Elixir
The Vicious Circle from Range
Thirsty Bear's Strawberry Rhubarb Manhazarac

Rock & Rye from Rye
The Black Lavender from Alicia Walton at Elixir
Boulevard's Biscaccianti
DOSA's Batsman

The moral offenses he cited at trial as having been committed by his sister and her husband, in his own defense, were things like how "they disobeyed him by using salad dressing at a family dinner" and were "out to destroy" him when they didn't invite him to Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner in 2005. (Would you?) He said they were rich liberal lawyers who had cheated him out of his late father's house, and he showed no remorse during the trial for having murdered them with a knife and a wheel-barrow handle. (He avoided using a gun because he didn't want to boost the cause of gun-control supporters.) Also, he got Lasik surgery before the murders in order to do it correctly, and did we mention that on the night of the murders, January 31, 2006, two of the Rogers' children were home, one 12 and one 17 (the aforementioned son)? Read more about Wycoff at LoonWatch.com.

He requested that his final sentencing be scheduled for December 8th, his birthday, and as he was walked out of court in shackles he shouted, "Dead man walking!"

So we suppose the lesson here is don't ignore your crazy relatives and *always* invite them to holiday dinner.

Scott James of NYT Bay Area did something a bit crafty. He perched a camera at Duboce and Steiner, capturing cars and cyclists during their morning commutes. While not the busiest or most dangerous intersection in San Francisco, it is, as James points out, a complex one where "cars, pedestrians, cyclists and the MUNI N-Line all converge."

During the speedy video (40 minutes condensed to 8), "7 cyclists come to a complete stop, 15 cyclists pause at a stop sign before continuing and 91 cyclists blow through the intersection." Goodness, that sounds rather dangerous.

It should also be noted that several vehicles performed "California rolls," which is when drivers don't come to a complete stop. Which, of course, is perfectly fine. (This is California. Let's not get crazy, folks.)

In happier cycling news, Sunny Angulo made this VidSF film about last week's Halloween's Critical Mass ride. Enjoy.

(Video: TimesSF)

Now this? Is our kind of criminal. With no way to get to his auto-theft trial in Vallejo, tenacious Oakland resident Samuel George Botchvaroff did what comes naturally to him: he stole a car and drove it to the courthouse.

According to The Reporter, Botchvaroff "apparently stole a car in Oakland and drove it to Vallejo, where he attended court ... Meanwhile, officials were notified of the theft and tracked the car to the Vallejo courthouse, compliments of the car's LoJack device."

Once the trial was over, officers arrested him as he tried to get back in the stolen car. He was promptly booked into Solano County Jail "on suspicion of auto theft and possession of stolen property."

Well, well, well. What do we have here? Plastic bags. At the Masonic Lucky's supermarket. Destroying the environment. Making Ross Mirkarimi vomit.

Actually, these bags, which have appeared at supermarkets since Halloween, are "reusable bags," ones made from recycled materials. They're all a part of the "Got Your Bags?" campaign.

"We encourage our customers to recycle their single-use plastic bags in our stores and to utilize our reusable bags every time they shop. Our durable reusable bags close the loop: they are manufactured from recycled material that is also easily recycled when the bags are worn out," said Alicia Rockwell, Director of Public Relations with Save Mart Supermarkets, who also use the new black bags. "Our company works hard to educate our customers to Reduce-Reuse-Recycle and the 'Got Your Bags?' campaign is a great extra push to reinforce and remind us all."

Or, you know, you could just use a canvas bag. Or a hemp bag. Or a duffle bag.

Anyway, while the bags all say they are "reusable," which we supposed is true, they're no more reusable than any other plastic bag.

Gavin Newsom, according to SF Examiner, has officially proclaimed Saturday as Burl A. Toler Sr. Day in San Francisco.

Who is Burl A Toler Sr., you ask? Well, Toler was the "first black official" in the NFL and "a star player on the University of San Francisco’s famously undefeated 1951 team." (USF, according to the school's athletics site, no longer has a football team.)

Sadly, Toler died in August, so he won't have the chance to catch this Saturday's pigskin game between City College SF and Foothill College, which will be dedicated to his legacy.

Yesterday, Richmond police released a recording of the 911 call made on October 24 by 16-year-old Margarita Vargas, who reported the now infamous Richmond High School gang rape.

In the call, Vargas -- who had the decency to make the call after a 16-year-old girl was beaten, robbed and raped by 10 men over a two-and-a-half-hour period during a Richmond High School homecoming dance -- tells the dispatcher that "a naked girl could be found behind the dumpsters at the school." She goes on to point out that no one wanted to call the cops.

Six suspects have been arrested in the gang rape so far: Marcelles James Peter, 17, Ari Abdallah Morales, 16, Cody Ray Smith, 15, Elvis Torrentes, 21, Manuel Ortega, 19, and Jose Carlos Montano, 18. The rape victim, it's now being reported, was a friend of one of her attackers.

Neither Richmond High School principal Julio Franco nor any of the assistant principals -- who were responsible for the the homecoming dance's lack of security, which eventually led to the gang rape -- have yet to resign.

You can listen to the 911 tape here, or read a transcript of the call here or after the jump.

911 dispatcher: “911 — Where’s your emergency?”
Margarita Vargas: “Hi, um, it’s in Richmond High School.”
911: “What’s going on?”
Vargas: “Um, there’s a girl that’s like hecka drunk, and, and she’s naked.”
911: “Where at the high school?”
Vargas: “It’s in the back, it’s, um, Emeric and Hayes.”
911: “Is she on the school property?”
Vargas: “Yeah. She’s like ... in the back, though. She’s, like, by the Dumpsters.”
911: “By the Dumpsters?”
Vargas: “Uh-huh.”
911: “Is she saying anything?”
Vargas: (talking to someone off the phone) “Um, Is she saying anything?" (talking to 911) "She’s just passed ... She’s probably intoxicated because, um, she’s naked.”
911: “Is she black or white?”
Vargas: (talking to someone off the phone) “Is she black or white or what?” (talking to 911) "Uh, we ... haven’t seen her. We heard that from, um, two of, um, our friends. We don’t want to go back there because we’re scared.”
911: “Do we know if there was anybody around her?”
Vargas: (talking to someone off the phone) “Uh, is there anybody around her?” (talking to 911) “People have passed by there, have been seeing her, but nobody wants to call the cops, so we decided to call.”
911: “OK, and how old do you think she is?”
Vargas: “Um, they say she looks like a ninth-grader, like about 15, 16 probably.”
911: “What’s your name?”
Vargas: “Um, Maggie.”
911: “OK, Maggie, we’ll get someone out there.”
Vargas: “OK, thank you.”
911: “Thank you, bye-bye.”

Now that Gavin Newsom has dropped out of the governor's race (welcome back to work, Gavin!), rumors are swirling that Senator Dianne Feinstein might take a stab as the new "it" Democratic candidate. Or not. Who's to say for sure. This speculation pops up all the time with DiFi.

While AP reports that "polls indicate she would be a heavy favorite if she chooses to run," odds are she won't go up against friend and colleague Jerry Brown, whose wedding she officiated in 2005.

Most likely, as Robert Cruickshank of Calitics muses, DiFi will endorse Brown. Cruickshank goes on to point out that "Feinstein also will likely be loath to give up her Senate seniority, which is likely to become even more important in the coming years ... a loss of Democratic seats in the Senate would make DiFi even more powerful and important than she is now, as she's seen as a bipartisan dealmaker."

Feinstein, if you recall, made an unsuccessful bid for governor way back in 1990, losing to Pete Wilson.

An unidentified male Muni ticket agent was arrested yesterday afternoon after allegedly punching a young woman.

"[T]he incident started as a verbal altercation but developed into a fight in which the ticket agent allegedly punched one of the two sisters, a juvenile," reports CBS 5/BCN. "It appears at least one of the sisters then threw a soda can at the ticket agent."

SFPD Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said that "[t]he preliminary investigation indicates the ticket agent was the aggressor." It all started, Tomioka explained, when the agent questioned the age of one of the sisters. "The ticket agent had concerns about the ages and the reduced rate ticket and did ask that question, 'How old are you?' The juvenile didn't have identification to verify her age," so the agent wouldn't let her through, which is when things started to heat up between the two.

ABC 7 reports that eyewitnesses say the two sisters enter the agent's booth and start striking him. Then, "according to a witness who didn't want to be identified, the Muni station agent just lost it and started fighting as if he were up against two grown men."

Both the juvenile and the Muni employee were taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

• Just because: Princess Leia and her stunt double sunbathing on Tatooine while filming Return of the Jedi. [Laughing Squid]

• Downtown ice skating rink opens next week! [7x7]

• U.S. attorney targets white-collar crime. [WSJ]

• Hotel workers go on strike. Again. [Appeal]

• Roberto Hecksher, San Francisco's own mini-Madoff? [NBC Bay Area]

• Port of San Francisco destroys Mission Bay homeless encampment. [SF Weekly]

• N Judah service disruptions coming this month. [N Judah Chronicles]

• Feinstein still thinking about run for Sacramento. [CBS 5]

According to Columbian.com, Giants star Tim Lincecum was busted on October 30 for smoking and possessing marijuana. "The amount was 3.3 grams, [Washington State Patrol trooper and spokesman Steve] Schatzel said, which is considered only enough for personal use. Lincecum did not appear to be impaired behind the wheel and is not being charged with a felony crime." He was busted while driving in I-5, charged with misdemeanor possession. (via The Splash)

Breaking news, folks. It looks like Newsom will return to San Francisco tonight, and be back to work come tomorrow morning. The mayor, if you recall, vanished from San Francisco and City Hall after announcing his withdrawal from the California's governor race.

"I told you he'd be back soon, and he's going to be back soon," Nathan Ballard told City Insider. "He's got a lot of work to do in City Hall including getting the disputed parties together on the hotel strike."

Also, he'd better return to work a lovely, golden brown; otherwise, we'll start to, you know, worry about him. Recovery issues aside, welcome home, Gavin!

This was part of the Celebrity Autobiography series. What more do you need to know? [Hat tip: Le Fag site semi-NSFW]

Basically, it brought out the best and worst in people.

After Maine opted to revoke civil rights in their state after Tuesday's election, rallies were held throughout the country in protest. Compared to last year's urgent calls to action, last night's San Francisco rally was a minor, but, for lack of a better word, poignant affair. While some people went self-indulgently off-topic, the majority of the folks there stuck to the point.

Here are some shots from last night's One Struggle, One Fight protest in San Francisco's Castro district.

In related news, amazing new equality ads launched in New Jersey the other day. Be sure to check them out. Also, as always, visit Stop8.org for up-to-the minute alerts on marriage equality and related media..

We'll try to write this through he tears of joy streaming down our face and pooling on our laptop. Eater has word that a store devoted solely to the fine art of grilled cheese sandwiches will be opening up in South Park this winter, located a block away from SFist HQ.

Sob. Sniff.

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen is "the brainchild of Heidi Gibson, who is somewhat of a famous and decorated grilled cheese maker," Eater's Paolo Lucchesi explains. "The restaurant will located right on South Park Avenue on the Second Street side (Suite 103, to be exact), [and] will have a beer/wine license."

"Gentryfier go Home!" by Darwin Bell. Shot in NOPA/Western Addition.

Also, where does a gentryfier call home? Gentrislovia? Please advise.

5:30 to 7:30 p.m. // Various locations // free

PERFORMANCE: Tonight kicks off the 12th Annual Tranny Fest with a one-night only line-up of live performances, including "award-winning modern dance, maverick performance artists, steamy burlesque and kink chasing rock n' roll adventurers." Seating is limited, so get there early! Tomorrow and Saturday night will feature two different themed film fests, R is for Revolution and G is for Glitter, the latter of which is 18 and older only.

8 p.m. // Mama Calizo's Voice Factory (1519 Mission St) // $12

COMEDY: It's the opening night (and 2-for-$30 Thursday, bonus!) of Ham Pants Productions' Random Idiot Factor. The Ham Pants crew "has deconstructed our society’s inadequacies into interwoven comic vignettes that ridicule our culture’s most serious shortcomings. It’s a lot like the future that’s disappointing you right now, but if we all wore jumpsuits." They also warn that there might or might not be comic nudity.

8 p.m. // The Dark Room Theater (2263 Mission St) // $20 or 2 for $30, buy tickets

Is Newsom back home yet? Of course not. His ego is bruised -- for Gavin, dropping out of the California gubernatorial race is a bit like losing an Oscar, only not nearly as horrifyingly bad -- so he's drowning his sorrows in a little bit of R&R in the U.S.'s newest state.

While he was supposed to address 5,000 developers, lenders, architects at the Urban Land Institute conference yesterday, he bailed. And today? "Mayor Newsom has no public events scheduled."

Stay strong, mayor. Stay strong.

Supe Carmen Chu will be the city's acting mayor until midnight on Sunday.

Oh we've got one! You're riding the Google shuttle down to Mountain View, and someone is hogging all the Wi-Fi downloading a whole season of Battlestar Galactica. Using social skills and detective work, how do you determine who the guilty party is without making anyone cry, and how should they be punished?

Over in the elite section of San Franciso's Historic Mission District, Pi Bar opened its doors last month. And it's garnering rave reviews. Well, SFGate's Janny Hu liked it, anyway.

The vibe? " More brew pub than pizzeria," while jumping on the dark wood bandwagon. The scene? "Very local. Plenty of Mission hipster types." (Wait, what does "hipster" even mean these days? Aside from a kneejerk response from those outside the 18-to-25-year-old age bracket and folks who intentionally dress down, that is.) Pizzas? "Pies start at $14 for a 15-inch small, plus $2.50 for house-made meats and $1.50 for veggies."

Cheap! Ish.

And the best part of Pi Bar? "The aptly re-named pi*r*squared deal gets you a cheese slice and a pint of beer for, you guessed it, $6.28. It's available during the 3-6 p.m. happy hour," reports Hu.

Pi Bar is at 1432 Valencia St. (at 25th Street). Open 3 p.m. to midnight daily.

Earlier this week we told you about the owner of Ocean Avenue Books who, after receiving a less than glowing Yelp review, went crazy on Yelper "Sean C.," showed up at his front door, and tried to attack him.

Now we're hearing that this may not have been the case.

Valleywag reports that it might have been "Sean C." who was the batshit one. (We're going to call it a draw for now.) Editor Ryan Tate interviewed the bookstore proprietor in question. While Ocean Ave. Books owner Diane Goodman admits sending loonily angry messages to "Sean C." after his "TOTAL MESS" comment about her business, she "vehemently denies his version of subsequent events. "

Goodman, it seems, tracked down "Sean C's" address in order to apologize to him in person for her terse comments. (For the record, no SFist commenter has ever tracked us down to apologize to us in person.) After arriving at "Sean C.'s" door, introducing herself as a neighbor, and then being invited in, the Yelper went in for the kill.

He said, 'You fucking bitch,' and jumped out and grabbed me, and we were struggling and rolling down the steps together... He ran over me. We were rolling down the steps and I was fighting to get away from him.

Goodman goes on to tell Valleywag that she "acknowledges getting a ticket from the police for battery." What's more, "she's been told she and 'Sean C.' will both answer to a judge at a forthcoming court date."

We're not sure who to believe. But we're dying to know more about her egregious use of the term "pussy." Stay tuned.

Next episode: "Sean C.'s" rebuttal.

SFist brought you this news yesterday, but somewhere around "100 police officers, Muni inspectors and sheriff's officials were involved in Citywide Operation Safe Muni," conducted between 1 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. CBS 5 reports that citations were issued for fare evasion, not having a pass or transfer, and eating/drinking on public transit.

According to Sgt. Lyn Tomioka, "Six people were arrested on felony warrants and three others were arrested before being cited and released."

This sweep was the first of its kind in San Francisco. This comes on the heels of this year's study that concluded one out of every 10 passengers doesn't pay their fair share.

• Fauxnique/Monique Jenkinson nabs coveted SFBG Goldie award. Find out who else won! [SFBG]

• How the Department of Correction did everything wrong with Philip Garrido. [SFGate]

• Scene from last night's Dennis Herrera victory party. [Culture Blog]

• 1415 Mission faces SOMA's wrath. [Curbed]

• Plot twist: Ocean Avenue Books says it was the reviewer who attacked her. [Valleywag]

• Thoughts on Maine and gay marriage [Calitics]

• Kellogg's to stops touting Rice Krispies as medicine. [SF Weekly]

We know we're preaching to the converted here (for the most part), and we probably should have caught this semi-gruesome spoof ad by NYC's Upright Citizens Brigade (which once gave birth to Amy Poehler) before Halloween. But here it is, nevertheless, because it still gives us a chuckle, and everybody's in a political mood today anyhow.

Eater has word that the Food Network -- home to the world's only living genius, Sandra Lee -- might be looking for a West Coast office of operations. The gastronomic TV network, it seems, is "scoping out the Copia campus with the thought of turning the shuttered food and wine center into a West Coast studio." Which is great news. Local star chefs, like Joanne Weir, deserve a little Food Network spotlight attention, and this might just do the trick.

SFist just received the following bit of information, one you Muni freeloaders should read. A reader, who we'll keep anonymous, tells us that there are "[u]ndercover pigs checking for fares around the city... hundreds of them today."

By "pigs" we assume he means "hard-working police officers." (Tsk, tsk)

Anyway, the above shot was taken at around 1:30 p.m. off the 22 Fillmore. So, make sure you whip out $2 to ride today, folks, or pay the price.

Still in its embryonic stage, please join SF Appeal's Eve Batey and your SFist editor at 4 p.m. today for SF Views, live from the stained heart of SOMA! It's an interwebs show about -- you guessed it -- San Francisco. And other stuff.

On today's show, we'll ask kneecap-shatteringly brilliant Melissa Griffin, she of The Sweet Melissa and her column in the San Francisco Examiner, about yesterday's election. And us? We'll try not to look too hungover.

The brilliance, slurring, and richly-textured babbling starts at 4 p.m.

Check it out after the jump.

After today's profoundly disappointing news that gay marriage was repealed in the state of Maine -- alas, unadulterated hate wins again -- rallies will be held across the country starting tonight.

To find the gay marriage rally closest to you, or to start one in your hometown, please check out and contribute to this handy Twitter feed. It has loads of up-to-the-second information.

In related news, San Francisco will have a gay marriage protest tonight, starting at 6 p.m. Check it:

What: One Struggle, One Fight
Time: 6 pm - 9pm
Location: Harvey Milk Plaza (intersection of Market and Castro Streets), SF
Date: Tonight, Nov. 4

Today also marks the one year anniversary of Prop 8, California's anti-gay marriage proposition. Sigh. But on the brighter side, as Brian Devine expertly put it, "bigots die off; it's only a matter of time." (Frank Schubert, campaign director of Stand for Marriage Maine, thankfully, doesn't look like he has much life left in him to spread further pain.)

But not all news is glum, friends. Former Miss California, professional homosexual hater, and confused free-speech advocate Carrie Prejean has a sex tape. All it cost her was a million-dollar lawsuit against Miss California USA.

"Hindsight Is Always 20/20" by Troy Holden.

We've had quite a taste of her singing baroque music with the SF Opera recently, in Ariodante or Iphigénie en Tauride, and she was phenomenal. Baroque definitely suits her, and we expect nothing less from her in this performance. SFist was able to chat with Graham yesterday during a break in rehearsals of Dido and Aenas, which opens tomorrow night in San Francisco, and repeats Friday in Palo Alto, and Saturday and Sunday in Berkeley.

What convinced you to take this role with the Philharmonia Baroque?

I love this music, and you don't get too many opportunities to sing it. In early music repertoire, there are two pieces that are so gratifying to sing and so beautiful. One is the final duet from Monteverdi L'incoronazione di Poppea, the "pur ti miro" duet. The other is "Dido's Lament" of Purcell. To get a chance to sing this wonderful music with such a wonderful group as Philharmonia Baroque, and such wonderful and inventive conductor as Nick McGegan convinced me that this would be an opportunity I would not want to miss.

You'll sing a concert version, is that opera ever performed staged?

Yes, in fact the Royal Opera house in Covent Garden did a staged performance last year. It's only fifty minute long, you know, it's not very long. It's three acts, but they are tiny little baroque acts, and it was first done in a girls school, it's like fifty, fifty-five minutes.

Is it a different technique or stylistic approach to sing baroque? Do you think a flat voice with less vibrato is more appropriate?

You don't ever say a flat voice. You would say a different color, but a flat voice has a negative connotation, so you don't want to say it this way [laughs]!

You can use a different color, you can use less vibrato at times. Because of the small scale orchestra, you don't have to produce such a large volume of sound. You can play with colors. You can be much more intimate. You can be very expressive with text in a rich and subtle way.

Instruments can switch to a period instrument for authenticity. Is there a period style, a period voice?

I only have one voice, I only have one instrument. They can switch instrument and play a baroque violin, but I have only one instrument [laughs]. They are many ways I can use it. For instance, they can bow differently, they can finger differently, they can put the bow on the string differently, and I can use my breath differently and I can use color to give an expression differently. So yes, it is a different type of expression. I certainly sing this differently that I sing Octavian [she just completed a run of Der Rosenkavalier at the Met with Renée Fleming]. But that makes sense because I'm singing with a small baroque orchestra versus a hundred piece Strauss orchestra. By its very nature, the approach is very different.

We don't have recording from 1683 and people who were singing this at the time have different demands on them. We are a different kind of animals, our culture is different. In these performances, we are not interested in re-creating a historically accurate presentation, we're just trying to bring the music to life in the most honest way possible. As far as historical accuracy in this context, this is not of paramount importance. We are all modern opera singers who are doing this music. If they wanted a more historically accurate performance, maybe they would have chosen people who primarly sing early music and have different voices than I have.

But you have been very successful with this style and period here in SF in Ariodante or Iphigénie en Tauride.

I love this music. I find a real purity to it, an emotional and musical purity to it. Particularly with something that's as transparent as Dido & Aenas. In a way, there is a purity and transparency to it that does not exist even in Ariodante or Iphigénie. Those are more large scale pieces.

Part of the style of that period is to add ornamentation. Do you ornament for this role as well?

There are ornamentations in Handel or Purcell, or anything from this period: there are two reasons to ornament. One is for emotional expression. The other is to show off vocal virtuosity. There are many opportunities to just put in a trill here or and there. This is not that kind of an opera, it's not an ornate expression of vocal prowess. It's just an expression of emotional intensity, that's what we're after here. It's not a big florid piece, it's not a Handel opera. It's not for showing off, it's just for beauty. Certainly my part is for beauty and human expression. There is a lot of humor in it to. The two little witches are very amusing, there is a drunker sailor who sings a drinking song. And Aenas, the other title character, really appears quite quickly, unfortunately. I lament that,[she laughs] he goes away so quickly. The emotional crux of the piece is Dido.

You were part of the Merola program in the 80s. What were your hopes for your career back then?

When I came out here for Merola, I was just out of school. I was thrilled to have a summer program that accepted me. The training that I got in those ten weeks was extraordinary. It raised my standards and my goals to a very high level that I did not know about before I got here. I won the first prize, they gave an award and I won that year. It was an enormous confidence booster. It released me into the world as someone who felt they might be a success one day.[laughs] It gave me lot of confidence, and it made me feel that I have something to give after all.

You sang for Ted Kennedy's funeral and for George W. Bush's inauguration. Do people assign (obviously conflicting) political motives to your participation in such occasions?

No matter what you do, somebody is going to be upset to it. Therefore, I don't assign a political agenda to anything that I'm asked to do or that I accept. I accepted both of these invitations. It was a great honor as an American to be invited to sing at a presidential inauguration, and it was a great honor as a musician and as a human being to be invited to sing as such an important farewell as that of Ted Kennedy was. Of course, there are people who disagreed with my choices to do that, but the bottom line is that it had anything to do with anything except being a human being.

6 p.m. // Main Library, Koret Auditorium (100 Larkin St) // free

COMEDY: Billed as "comedy and debauchery," comedy troupe Corporate Undies will be performing sketch comedy and one act plays tonight and tomorrow night at the Stud.

9 p.m. // The Stud (399 9th St) // $5

ART: McKinnley Art Solutions presents Noir, an exhibit featuring several artists' takes on the concept of "noir," consisting of "a dark vulnerability palpable in the atmosphere of a scene that is experienced by the characters and felt by the viewer," which "speaks to pregnant moments full of complex emotions."

6 to 8 p.m. // Polarity Post Productions (69 Green St) // free