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More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com On YouTube.com Lady GaGa , The Jonas Brothers and Gravy Boat are all in the business of music and part of my new series called "Music Monday" where we feature blogs and videos about local and national singers and groups. Lady Gaga is the incredible pop pretty singer with infectious dance tunes like "Poker Face. The Jonas Brothers have become a World phenomenon, I present to you Gravy Boat . Gravy Boat - which features Steve Gerard, Erik Frykman, Marc Ramsey and Don Frank - is based in Marin and plays in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now, my connection to this cover band is my friendship with Erik and his brother Lars, which goes back to when we were, oh, 14 years old.   Lars and Me: 1974  Fast forward to August 2009, and I visited San Francisco's popular bar and restaurant La Barca to here Gravy Boat for the first time.  I also brought my camco...

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! | Visit YouTube | Visit UShow.com The blog Eater via SFGate's Scoop reports that the famous sky high restaurant The Carnelian Room at the top of the Bank of America building at 555 California Street is scheduled to close but not until Christmas. If you've never experienced the view of San Francisco and the Bay Area from that space I encourage you to do so. It's been too long for me but given how breath-taking it is, I can't understand why it's not doing well. You may respond that it's too high, but I disagree because of the terrific interior that awaits patrons. Curious, I Googled "Carnelian Room rating", clicked on " Carnelian Room User Reviews " at San Francisco Citysearch and got my answer: it's the service. This is one of many negative reviews placed there: This place is criminally bad. Lets cover the one good thing first; the view. Nothing else is goo...

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! Saturday July 4th was a great day to be out-and-about in the San Francisco Bay Area. A tradition shared by my friends and I - and thousands of others - is to attend the Fillmore Jazz Festival, which is a good 10 blocks of music, food, and fun. One of the favorite stops along the stretch is Harry's Bar, which serves up a great combination of beautiful people dancing and socializing to funk and rock music. After hanging with friends inside, a group of us ventured outside as it was just too hot. I came back later, but after perhaps a few minutes inside, determined that the outdoor weather was better. I go to Harry's each year with the same group of friends - except we didn't see Monte Poole this year - so I'm used to the vibe during the festival. I give the staff a lot of credit for keeping the crowd at a manageable level; not that it was ever out of control in the past, or this year for that mat...

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! YouTube , MySpace , Metacafe , Blip.tv , Sclipo and Viddler I had the pleasure of hanging out with two of my favorite "vloggers" Irina Slutsky and Tracy Swedlow, of Geek Entertainment Television and Interactive TV Today . The idea was really just to meet at a cool cafe called "Mission Pie" on 25th and Mission in San Francisco and share ideas as friends - we all know each other already; this wasn't our first time talking but it was my first time getting together with both of them at once. We talked about events, vloggers, t-shrts, boobs, and the Karate Kid. I've long admired what both Irina and Tracy have done. I met Irina in 2006 at an event in San Francisco she helped produce called " Vloggercon " which was my first introduction to the community of video-bloggers. But what is "video-blogging"? Video blogging is the act and art of talking into a camcor...

More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! YouTube , Yahoo , MySpace , DailyMotion , Blip.tv , StupidVideos , Sclipo and Viddler Widgets are identified as the next hot "app" by many in the digital media industry, and from an upcoming video episode of "The Blog Report With Zennie62" created by Producer Sierra Choi, widgets were the talk of the Digital Hollywood conference in Santa Monica. But what are widgets? Why are they important? I recently had the pleasure of visting San Francisco-based Widgetbox.com . There, I talked with Ryan Spoon, the Vice President of Marketing for the company, a visit faciliated by my friend Steve Kloft, a Widgetbox consultant whom I call "The Legendary Steve Kloft" for his Internet marketing exploits. Our interview, captured in full in the video that accompanies this blog, was aimed for those who've never heard of "widgets" and don't know what they do. And after our tal...

  More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! On YouTube Tuesday, May 26, 2009 will go down as an eventful San Francisco day, sunny, and yet dark, and one that saw a lot of people marginalized who didn’t want to be. But then, who does. Before I turn to who said what, and who got arrested, I stick my head right into the belly of the beast, the California Supreme Court’s decision. Today, in first upholding Proposition 8, the voter-approved initiative to make same-sex marriage illegal that passed in November 2008, and yet protecting the 18,000 same-sex marriages that were done before the passage of the initiative, the California Supreme Court successfully stood logic on its head. I’ve just read the Court’s entire 167-page decision, and while I understand the reasons given by the majority of justices (six supporting the decision, one against it and even then the six judges that agreed were not perfect in their union) I’m concerned with the logic behi...

  More at Zennie62.com | Follow me on Twitter! | Get my widget! My Bay to Breakers Sunday started unlike any in the past 19 or more years and it was even better than the "KGO coolness" of the last seven years. From 2002 to 2007, I'd get up at 4:30 in the morning to meet my friend Beth at the KGO Radio "Morning Stretch" held in the lobby of One Market Street before the start of the run. The basic advantage of being with KGO Radio was the free coffee and orange juice in the morning, plus we were at the start of the line, right where I could get hit by flying tortillas and giant beach balls. Sadly, in 2008 KGO Radio pulled its sponsorship of the event but we still managed a front-line position. This year was just plain different. My constant trips between California and Georgia where my Mom lives made planning for the B2B difficult this time around. I'm not complaining, it's just the fact of family life right through here. But just by askin...

I had to post this because it's a classic example of not taking responsibility for something you did wrong.  The online backup company Carbonite r eportedly lost a lot of client information  : the data of over 7,500 of its customers who trusted it (past tense now) to keep their information in a protected area of cyberspace: a cloud they developed and around which their company is built. Now as long as I've been at this I've always got an earful about "backing up your data" so I would think a company like Carbonite, which is entrusted with protecting data, would be backing up the data they're charged with protecting.  Right? Right? No.  They lost the only data copies they had online, and so now are -- get this -- suing the hardware makers!  If you think that's funny (strange), so do many in the blogsphere, who think as I do.  Take a look at these comments over at TechCrunch  : 1) What happens when you get burgled? We got burgled last week a...

According to SFist -- I didn't feel a thing because I was sleeping after working until just about 4:30 in the morning -- there was a 4.4 Richter Scale Earthquake today.  Here's the details: Magnitude 4.4 - duration magnitude (Md) Time Monday, March 30, 2009 at 10:40:29 AM (PDT) Monday, March 30, 2009 at 17:40:29 (UTC) Distance from Morgan Hill, CA - 18 km (11 miles) N (7 degrees) Seven Trees, CA - 19 km (12 miles) E (91 degrees) Alum Rock, CA - 20 km (13 miles) ESE (117 degrees) San Jose City Hall, CA - 25 km (16 miles) ESE (104 degrees) Coordinates 37 deg. 17.1 min. N (37.285N), 121 deg. 37.2 min. W (121.620W) Depth 6.2 km (3.9 miles)

On the way to a fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer on Sunday (March 15th 2009), I walked into the Four Seasons Residences on Market Street and boarded an elevator that was already to be occupied by two women just eight steps ahead of me, with their backs to me.  When I boarded the elevator they both turned in conversation, the one closest to me was the person-of-the-hour, Senator Barbara Boxer. Always gracious, Senator Boxer shook my hand, then after a few seconds on the elevator I asked her if she was "going to get involved in keeping the A's in Oakland."  She immediate said "You know, I live in Oakland, and that's important to me."  Boxer stopped short of stating what her action would be, but that response was all I needed to know that it's on her radar screen, and it doesn't spell good news for Lew Wolff because the rest of our talk consisted of me calmly but in cold detail explaining to her how Wolff had treated Oakland with great disrespect, m...

I just got an email regarding the screening of a new movie called "Medicine for Melancholy" which is tommorrow at 7:20 PM.  You can RSVP via their Facebook Page but here's some basic info: The Osiris Coalition and Citizen Hope are proud to sponsor a special screening of Medicine for Melancholy THIS SUNDAY AT 7:20pm at Landmark Embarcadero Cinemas. The crowd-pleasing love story set in San Francisco confronts the issue of race and identity in the wake of the African American exodus from San Francisco. Sunday March 8, 2009 @ 7:20pm DIRECTOR BARRY JENKINS WILL BE ON HAND FOR Q & A SESSION This film is getting incredible reviews and we have this awesome opportunity to support a San Francisco director and dialogue with him about his work. The film is set to show in San Francisco for one week only--but if it gets a great turnout this weekend, it could be here for longer. So even if you can't make our screening, please go out and see it this weekend.

more at www.sfexaminer.com : “SAN FRANCISCO – In a thinly veiled shot at Mayor Gavin Newsom, former Oakland Mayor and California Attorney General Jerry Brown — who has said he is considering a run for governor in 2010 — said in a radio interview that there are “characters” traveling around the state campaigning for governor while their city is a mess. Speaking on KGO’s morning talk show Thursday, Brown’s comments appeared to refer to criticism that Newsom has been spending too much time traveling to town hall-style meetings across the state while missing budget talks at home." -- I'm wondering who's doing Gavin' PR, because he's not taking the offensive at all. Jerry's a master politician and is not a afraid to deliver a velvet glove punch.

More at San Jose Mercury News : “Young Broadcasting Inc., owner of Channel 4 KRON-TV and nine other television stations, filed for bankruptcy court protection in New York, according to court filings. In a petition for Chapter 11 protection, the New York-based company listed assets of $575.6 million and debt of $980.4 million. The company said it has $640 million of publicly traded debt. "Our decision to restructure through a Chapter 11 filing will allow the company to bring its debt in line with current economic realities so that we can emerge a stronger and more financially secure company. It is important to note that we are restructuring our debt, not our operations," says Chairman Vincent Young in a written statement.” -- The slow erosion of traditional media in the Bay Area has started. KRON's first, the question is who's next?

More at Oakland Tribune : “Oakland's Fox Theater, the 81-year-old grand dame of a movie palace, born at the start of Hollywood's Golden Age, is back in business. The downtown theater, closed since 1970, will host a $250-a-ticket reopening gala at 7 tonight (the show is sold out). Then on Friday, the venue will swing open its doors to the general public as it presents legendary SoCal punk band Social Distortion in concert. Thirteen other shows already have been booked for the Fox, including Michael Franti and Spearhead on Saturday, Modest Mouse on Feb. 22 and B.B. King on April 16. The musical acts will be only part of the draw for concertgoers. Some will come out of curiosity, for the chance to finally see the result of the $75 million restoration project. What they'll see should surpass all expectations, a theater that arguably is as grand and gorgeous as any in the nation. "Everyone who has put their blood, sweat and tears into this project can feel so proud in what ...

There's a planned BART Protest set for 5 PM in San Francisco, but why the heck someone would try San Francisco is weird to me. Whatever the case, this is what KGO put out: SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A different kind of obstacle is expected in downtown San Francisco Monday night, when BART protestors are expected to take their outrage across the Bay for the first time. The latest noisy protest over the shooting of Oscar Grant at the Fruitvale BART station will be held in San Francisco around 5:00 p.m. and could affect traffic. There could also be a vocal turnout when BART explains a new review of its police Monday afternoon. Monday morning, BART riders found a quieter form of protest in their seats waiting for them as they boarded. They found flyers that look like something BART might issue, until you read the text. The anonymous author compares BART Police to a violent gang saying, "All members of this gang, which refers to itself as the "BART Police" are known...

More at Inside Bay Area : “OAKLAND — Bay Area Women Against Rape, the nation's first rape crisis center, held a house party recently to raise money for programs and services that could lose out on thousands of dollars in state and federal funding in the coming year. About 50 turned out at the home of State Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Nadia Davis-Lockyer, executive director of the Alameda County Family Justice Center and a supporter of Bay Area Women Against Rape, the Oakland-based crisis and prevention organization that was founded 38 years ago. The group raised $2,050 for direct client services, which includes about 4,000 calls for rape crisis services annually and the education of another 11,000 people annually through its programs. But BAWAR officials said they also raised awareness about restorative justice programs conducted inside state prisons — some of the "most compelling rape prevention work that the agency has done since its inception in 1971," said Marcia Black...

More from "BIG VINNY" : “MASS LAYOFFS AT BAY AREA TV/RADIO TO BEGIN NEW YEAR; TED ROBINSON AS NEW 49ER VOICE: CLOSE HAPPY NEW YEAR? AS 2009 hITS, A "HUGE" AMOUNT OF INDUSTRY PINK SLIPS WILL FLOOD THE SF-OAKLAND RADIO/TV MARKET, THE NATION'S 4th LARGEST. AN INDUSTRY SOURCE SAYS RADIO WILL GET THE BRUNT OF THE HITS, PARTICULARY THE "SECONDARY" SOURCES STATIONS USE, LIKE METRO TRAFFIC. KGO RADIO, OWNED BY CITIDEL, WILL SEE SIGNIFICANT LAYOFFS, AS WILL KNBR, OWNED BY ATLANTA'S CUMULUS BROADCASTING. THE SOURCE OF THE LAYOFFS? CONTINUING AD REVENUE SHRUNK TO RECORD LOWS DUE TO A STRUGLING ECONOMY. WATCH FOR DETAILS” Richard Liberman, AKA "Big Vinny", has done a great job covering the Bay Area Media scene. Visit his blog at bigvinnysbayarea.blogspot.com

More at Big Vinny's Bay Area : “A 'good tip' from someone in the biz: not confirmed, but developing...Monday, Dec. 22, 2008 Ted Robinson, a prominent national and Bay-Area broadcast veteran, is set to become the new radio voice of the San Francisco 49ers, according to an industry source. Robinson, who is NBC's lead announcer at Wimbledon and who also covers the US Open Tennis Championships for USA Network, is set to take the prestigious spot vacated by Joe Starkey, who announced he is leaving after the conclusion of this season, Starkey's 20th year. He will continue to announce Univ. of California college football.” -- Big Vinny's the source for all that's happening in Bay Area media! Check him out!

I just got this email regarding this event at Rasselas Jazz Club on December 28th: Concerts for Change – Benefiting Homeless & Hunger Featuring some of the Best Jazz Funk Bands in the Bay Area: Messy Guest Quartet (jazz, funk)                                       Dec 28 th An up and coming high-energy band that will keep you dancing. Fil Lorenz Soul-Kestra, 14 piece soul-jazz-funk orchestra.    Jan 25 th A world-class band, impeccable, and limitless in its capabilities. Joe Bagale, with an 8-piece band and unstoppable grove.    Feb 22 nd These guys will make sure your booty is shakin' & souls are breaking. Free Ticket Raffle:  visit  Progressive-Alliance.org  to find out more. Ages:     All Ages until 10 pm , After 10 ...

More at SFBG Politics Blog : “As the year winds down, I’d like to note what I consider to be the most politically courageous act of 2008: Attorney General Jerry Brown’s decision to reverse his position and urge the California Supreme Court to overturn Prop. 8. This was a deeply principled decision that went against Brown’s political self-interest considering the fact that he’s planning to run governor in a state where a majority has approved Prop. 8. And that political danger was exacerbated by Brown’s post-election statement saying he would defend Prop. 8, as attorneys general are generally required to do, opening him up to the dreaded flip-flopper label. But his new position is consistent with important constitutional principles (as I outlined in the Guardian almost a month before Brown adopted his new stance) and well-worth taking a gamble to do what’s right, the kind of act that is all too rare in modern American politics. ” -- And I second that award. Jerry Brown did act in a way...