San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Datebook Stories


		Sunday, May 16, 2010

HOROSCOPE Q+A/MAILBAG MINERVA STARCAST As the sun shifts from the leisurely pace of Taurus to Gemini's frenetic energy, you'll feel the difference where romance and money are concerned. In other news: Venus drops her Ms. Congeniality stance in... HOROSCOPE for Sunday, 05/16/2010 MINERVA ARIES (March 20-April 18): Your personal bandwidth expands as communications heat up. Consider a want ad: "Red hot Ram seeks — " Fill in the blanks any way you please, just be certain to screen applicants... Welcome to Datebook Sue Adolphson, Sunday Datebook Editor Something big is happening at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum beginning Saturday: the spectacular exhibition "Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces From the Mus�e D'Orsay." For today's cover package, Steven Winn... Letters to Sunday Datebook In Ben Fong-Torres' April 18 Radio Waves column ("Managers in radio: It's still a boys' club") there is real proof that CBS Radio and Clear Channel Communications are guilty of discrimination against women and African... This week S MUSIC Eugene Brancoveanu Eugene Brancoveanu debuts at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Concert Hall, accompanied by pianist John Parr, head of the San Francisco Opera music staff. The first half of the recital... Fresh Theater 42nd Street Moon's "Very Warm for May," Eureka Theater (today-May 24.). Movies Opening Friday: The City of Your Final Destination (PG-13), Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney. Looking for Eric (not rated), Steve Evets,... Sleeping Beauty Wakes Stanton Delaplane Now, the butter-yellow wild crocuses are in bloom on the wild north coast of California. Purple wild iris splashes the green fields. White sheep are grazing on the edge of cliffs that drop 500 feet to the blue Pacific.... De Young readies for Impressionist masterworks Steven Winn, Special to The Chronicle From the moment they were announced last summer, the back-to-back shows of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings from Paris' Mus�e d'Orsay primed San Francisco for an all-star bonanza of big-name painters at... 5 little-known Impressionists Kenneth Baker Even most people who have admired the great "Paris Street; Rainy Day" (1877) at the Art Institute of Chicago do not remember the artist's name: Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894). The son of a textile magnate and judge,... The enduring lure of the Impressionists Kenneth Baker, Chronicle Art Critic As grist for ticketed museum exhibitions, Impressionist painting remains as bankable as ever. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco can open "Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces From the Mus�e D'Orsay" on Saturday at... S.F. Ballet season recap Allan Ulrich, Chronicle Dance Correspondent Some myths die harder than others. Helgi Tomasson's 25th anniversary season as artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet reveled in diverse choreography and alert, expressive, occasionally transcendent dancing, but... Adding dimension to Shrek's last ride Michael Ordo�a, Special to The Chronicle The "Shrek" franchise is one of the most storied in animated film, its fractured fairy tales having helped revolutionize the genre and its offbeat Grimm's refugee characters drawing big-name actors. But for the series'... Leconte: 'A man in love is ... diminished, fragile' Mick LaSalle, Chronicle Movie Critic Patrice Leconte is one of the finest French directors working today. Best known for his Academy Award-nominated "Ridicule" (1996), he has made a series of acclaimed films that have received wide distribution in the... Bogdanovich on film G. Allen Johnson, Chronicle Staff Writer "I'm a little punchy, but you got me!" says Peter Bogdanovich, known equally for his classic films from the 1970s and his enthusiasm for old Hollywood. Bogdanovich, 70, had risen on this late April day at 3 a.m. Pacific... MOVIES / Ask Mick LaSalle Mick LaSalle Dear Dr. LaSalle: I've been seeing previews for "Kick-Ass" for a year. I wonder why the previews did not even hint that it was a smart film. They were selling it as something more prosaic than what it really is. Byron... James Ivory works with producer Pierre Proner Hugh Hart Life after Ismail Merchant: Ivory works with producer Pierre Proner Uniting director James Ivory with Anthony Hopkins for the fourth time, "The City of Your Final Destination" centers on a family of expatriates whose... DVD: 'Complete Sherlock Holmes' G. Allen Johnson RATING: (POLITE APPLAUSE) None of the recent Sherlock Holmes releases or reissues compares to what many still consider the definitive Holmes franchise, with Basil Rathbone as the super sleuth and Nigel Bruce as Dr.... DVD: 'Marcus Welby, M.D.': Season One John Stanley RATING: (WILD APPLAUSE) Robert Young always knew best - beginning with the role of Jim Anderson on "Father Knows Best." Young's image as a solid, responsible parent and role model became the foundation for "Marcus Welby,... A critical consensus An assessment of current motion pictures by major American film critics. Film criticism is rated on a scale of 10 (excellent) to 1 (poor). Criticism not available at press time will be reflected in future columns.... KGO at No. 1? Those were the days Ben Fong-Torres The latest ratings from Arbitron are out, and so is KGO. Out, that is, from its traditional No. 1 standing in the overall numbers, which measure listening by people age 6 and older, every day, all hours except midnight... Busy Danger Mouse joins forces with a Shin Aidin Vaziri, Chronicle Pop Music Critic Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton doesn't sleep. Not much, anyway. The prolific record producer, who has been involved with everyone from Gnarls Barkley to Gorillaz, returns to the Bay Area this week with his latest project,... CD Reviews / Dvor�k Joshua Kosman RATING: (POLITE APPLAUSE) Classical Any chamber group that has been at the top of its field for as long as the Emerson String Quartet will inevitably find Dvor�k's music playing a large role in its musical life. So the... CD: Band of Horses, 'Infinite Arms' Aidin Vaziri RATING: (POLITE APPLAUSE) Rock If you caught any of their perpetually hazy live performances over the past few years, you wouldn't guess Band of Horses had this in them. But after two solid if slightly subdued Sub Pop... K.d. lang Aidin Vaziri Even though she has spent the past few years focused on Tibetan Buddhism and campaigning for animal rights, k.d. lang's golden voice can still melt hearts. The 48-year-old Canadian singer made a tentative return to the... This week Hot Greeks: As a companion piece to its almost yearlong revival run of the Cockettes musical "Pearls Over Shanghai," Thrillpeddlers revive the Cockettes' other musical extravaganza, Martin Worman and Richard "Scrumbly"... New onstage OPENINGS In the Wake Playwright Lisa Kron and director Leigh Silverman reunite after their success with "Well" in a new drama about a woman's post-Thanksgiving confrontation with her faith in love, country and herself.... Tasty times at Flavor bar Matt Villano, Special to The Chronicle For years, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone on Highway 29 in St. Helena has established a reputation as the best place on the West Coast for aspiring chefs to train in their fields. Now, with a host of new... The real Oscar Madison dies at 79 Johnny Miller, Special to The Chronicle Here's a look at the past. Items have been culled from The Chronicle's archives of 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago. 1985 May 21: Prescott Sullivan, 79, a San Francisco sports columnist, died at the Villa Convalescent... All Over Coffee Paul Madonna