Free food alert, part two: Short stack o' flapjacks

Wow, it's only Monday and restaurants are already lining up to feed us.

The latest: Tomorrow is National Pancake Day at IHOP. Stop in from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and you'll receive one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes. Mmm.

The event is for a good cause, and customers are being asked to donate to Children's Miracle Network. Last year Pancake Day raised more than $875,000 for charity, and IHOP hopes tomorrow's donations will top $1 million.

Thanks to Mike M. for the savory tip.

Free food alert: Mmm, sandwiches

Here's your chance to score a free sandwich for lunch today.

Quiznos has vowed to give away one million subs. Want one? Just go to www.millionsubs.com, sign up and you'll receive a coupon in your inbox.

So far the sandwich chain has given away more than 24,000 subs. If you want to work the system -- not that I plan to do this -- I think you could probably just use different e-mail addresses and rack up the coupons. (You may not want to overindulge in the "5 Meat Stack," though.)

Thanks to Devon N. for the tip.

What TV ladies would you invite to your party?

I was just trying to think of the craziest bachelorette party I've ever attended, and I'm not sure if I want to admit the answer:

It was my own.

I was living in Chicago, and three single, fun-loving girlfriends took me to dinner. Then we went dancing. And then ... well, my mother reads this blog, so I won't continue. But I will say the best part was I spent an evening with women who knew how to make me laugh and have a good time. We probably could've thrown rocks in the river for four hours and I would've enjoyed myself.

This fun feature names an ideal guest list for your fictional bachelorette party. It includes Kara "Starbuck" Thrace from Battlestar Galactica, who could probably drink you under the table. Margene from Big Love is cheerful and, er, "open-minded." The list also names Mad Men's Peggy Olson, though I'd rather party with Joan Holloway!

Forgetting the "bachelorette" angle, which TV characters would you want to party with? (And yes, the story also mentions Weeds' Nancy Botwin.)

Thanks to BIG BUSINESS for the tip.

M&M;'s love Pop Candy, too

Oh, my goodness -- whoever sent me this video clearly doesn't know I have a long-running phobia of talking food items. Or do they?

It's nice to hear that my absence last week affected all kinds of readers, edible and non-edible. To see what I mean, watch this very clever piece of viral marketing here or below:

(In related news, M&M's is currently on a green kick, and the company started selling all-green packages of its candies for Valentine's Day. You can find 'em in peanut, too.)

The 'Ace of Cakes' issues a heartfelt challenge

I'm a big fan of the Food Network's Ace of Cakes, even if I'm not so keen on baking myself.

Duff Goldman held a YouTube contest to find the coolest Valentine's Day-themed cakes, and he has chosen his favorite entries.

Go here to see the winners. I'm impressed by all of them, though you've gotta love the guy who constructed a castle, a damsel in distress and a knight slaying a dragon with a Fender guitar. How romantic.

Ever been kissed in 3-D?

Still hanging on to those 3-D glasses from the Super Bowl (and/or Chuck)?

A viral site at http://kissmein3d.com allows users to experience, er, 3-D kisses. (Warning: This could look kind of weird if you try it at the office.) Log on, put on your specs and either "Olivia" or "Fernando" will smooch your screen.

A creepy bonus at the end reveals the site is an ad, though I suppose there are worse ways to promote dental hygiene. Again, if all of this 3-D action makes you wonder what you missed on Sunday, you can catch the Super Bowl ads right here.

Hot trend o' the week: Christian Bale remixes

Yesterday the Internet caught fire after gossip site TMZ posted an audio clip of an angry, foul-mouthed Christian Bale. The explicit rant took place on the set of Terminator: Salvation, where Bale reportedly became upset with the director of photography.

Today, people are transforming the file into music. I've heard three Bale remixes in the last eight hours, and I'm sure plenty more are on the way.

A quick rundown, if you're trying to collect them all:

- Producer RevoLucien posted a track called Bale Out, which makes good use of the F-word and even throws in a few curse words from Barbra Streisand. You can download the song on his website.

- My Name In Blue also threw together a remix called Christian Bale Freakout Remix. It's pretty short, but it doesn't take long to get the point.

- My favorite Bale song? That would be R U Professional by The Mae Shi, a danceable and inspired track that includes lines like "Step back, stay out of his life/Better not try to put up a fight/Newsies will get you tonight/'Cause they're professional!" I smell a hit.

Warning: Don't listen to any of these songs at work! It would definitely not be professional.

Free food alert: Diet Dr. Pepper

Last year Dr. Pepper tried to give away a boatload of free soda when Guns N Roses' Chinese Democracy was released. Unfortunately, the plan backfired when the manufacturer's website crashed and many fans were shut out of the deal.

For a limited time, there's a chance to try again: Diet Dr. Pepper is giving away 2 million free beverages right now. Go to www.freedietdrpepper.com for a coupon, and you can redeem it for a two-liter or 20-ounce bottle.

I just tried the website, and it appears to be working fine. Maybe Axl Rose should log on and treat himself for his 47th birthday, which he'll celebrate Friday.

'The State' reunites at SF Sketchfest

A few weeks ago I told you about an exciting cast reunion of MTV's sketch-comedy show, The State. Last weekend's SF Sketchfest marked the first time all 11 members of the group had performed together in more than 10 years. If you snagged a ticket, consider yourself lucky.

On Jan. 24, the gang performed an evening of all-new sketches at a small theater. The next day, Janeane Garofalo hosted a Q&A with the cast. Below are some photos from the events -- with any luck, we won't have to wait 10 more years for another reunion.

Click the pics for a closer look:

A Sketchfest organizer tells me the show wasn't exactly G-rated, but in this photo, Michael Ian Black (right) is dressed as Christopher Columbus and argues with David Wain's character about the salty name of one of his ships.

This sketch involved a sex-change operation and featured Tom Lennon (left), Kerri Kenney-Silver and Robert Ben Garant, now on Comedy Central's Reno 911!.

The show ended with an encore peformance of the classic State song, Porcupine Racetrack. The crowd gave them a standing ovation.

As for the Q&A/tribute, here's a cute photo of Black and Kenney-Silver.

And check out Michael Showalter (left) with fellow alum Ken Marino.

SF Sketchfest ends Saturday, so check it out if you're in the area. (Mad Men's Jon Hamm even stops by for three shows this weekend, along with funny folks like Bob Odenkirk, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Andy Richter.)

Photos by Tommy Lau

Put yourself into a hoodie

Most people know I'm a T-shirt/jeans/sneakers kind of lady, so I liked the sound of Champion's "Hoodie Remix" contest.

Here's how it works: On www.hoodieremix.com, users can design their own hoodies using the colors and patterns provided. One winner will have his/her design produced as a limited-edition hoodie.

Even if your hoodie isn't created, it's still fun to attempt a design and vote on other submissions. (For inspiration, check out the gallery of top creations.) In ideal world, Champion would be working on a way for all customers to be able to buy personalized hoodies, similar to how Converse.com users can make custom shoes. Perhaps that can happen soon.

A winner won't be announced until May 29, so you have time to perfect the perfect garment. In the meantime, here's my design which, uh, needs some work: