MUSIC: As we already mentioned, Why? is performing this evening along with Dose One, Cryptacize, DJ Odd Nosdam, DJ Jel.

*THEATER: Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning play the Vagina Monologues -- featuring such monologues as I Was Twelve, My Mother Slapped Me, My Angry Vagina, My Vagina Was My Village, The Little Coochie Snorcher, and more -- takes the stage in the Castro for one night only, featuring 12 actresses reading each of the now famous acts about the vagina. The night will open, so to speak, with a spiritual ceremony of sorts, followed by an all-female dance troupe.

6:30 p.m. // Castro Theater [Castro & Market Sts.] // $25-35

CLUB: Brazilian funk, hip-hop, Música Popular Brasileira (MPB), axé, samba, pagode, forró, chorinho, and batucada sounds abound in the Outer Mission tonight at this highly popular club night, BraziLive. Authentic Brazilian caipirinhas and guaraná sodas will be served at the bar, ready and waiting for you liver. Mmm.

9 p.m. // El Rio [3158 Mission] // $8

COMEDY: Hal Sparks, actor and host of Queer as Folk and Talk Soup fame, is headlining in North Beach starting tonight until Sunday.

8 p.m. // Cobb's Comedy Club [915 Columbus] // $20

The listed events were chosen by the editors of SFist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.

Carnaval weekend in SF jumps off at the Great American Music Hall, with Sila and the Afro Funk Experience. Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Funk, Afro-Latin beats get the party going right, starting at 10 pm. Tickets are $18, 859 O'Farrell Street, SF.

Emerging San Francisco fashion designs show off their wares at the De Young tonight.Designers Jasmin Zorlu, Gregory Sovik, Antonio Luna, Brenna Dean and Thomas Haryanto each present their unique collections set to the tune of local DJs. And while you're in the house pay a visit to the Westwood exhibit (if you haven't already). Tickets are $15 (and include drinks). Event starts at 5pm, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, SF.

Ra-ra-ra Rabbit, The Don'ts and The Trifles perform at 10pm, The Knockout!, 3223 Mission St.

New work by Michelle Blade at Park Life. The opening reception for her first solo exhibition in SF begins at 6pm, and will mostly include large scale paintings exploring Blade's idea on how trust works in a group dynamic. 220 Clement St., SF.

Happy hour with Justin.tv, our own lifecaster (he wears a camera strapped to his head 24/7). Come hang out with free drinks and then hurry home to see yourself on his website. Dragon Bar, 473 Broadway, SF.

Photo from GAMH Carnaval event flyer

Seattlest notes the anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption, the grounding of a local cruise ship in Alaska and the return of the Blue Angels. Land, sea and air being covered they turn their sites on a nearby resort town and the prickly problem of vague set times at a rock club.

Sampaist had a busy time trying to decide whether to support or not the invasion of the São Paulo University dean's office by the students. Meanwhile, the "1st Whiskey Festival" brought them a very fun Scottish trio playing Brazilian music on the Scottish pipes. Watch
the video! Finally, they were amused to see the first-lady kissing her own hand when meeting the Pope in São Paulo. See the picture.

Like all Brits, Londonist loves two things: cups of tea and their pets. Uber-posh hotel Claridges has the perfect activity – afternoon tea for dogs. Unfortunately, the same place received several tonnes of horse manure from animal rights activists, for serving horse meat. In other dog news, top soccer manager Jose Mourinho almost had his Yorkshire terrier confiscated by police. Back to the rational world, and Londonist interviewed a bunch of urban ironers.

Phillyist discussed how to navigate a breaking circle, how to get happy, how to meet the parents, and how to leave an audience with something to think about.

Houstonist spent the week finding new euphemisms for self-love, considering the merits of slaughtering horses (no, that a euphemism), interviewing DJs and wondering why Houstonians can't handle parallel parking. Fortunately, they always have lovesick haiku to fall back on after a long week ...

Austinist wonders why a local TV network censored a tasteful nude t-shirt and welcomes the arrival of electric scooters to Texas. Two local scout troops broke the Guinness Book world record for most simultaneous rocket launches, and, not to be one-upped, Austin's historic Paramount Theatre seems hell-bent on setting another record for most classic film screenings in a summer. Austinist chats with The Clientele, and previews an exciting new photography retrospective debuting at the Austin Museum of Art.

Ahh, futility was the theme over at SFist. Their local Survivor contestant, Yau-Man, leaves the island. No good for either side of the bike debate comes from the meltdown Critical Mass had in Berkeley. Some folks want to dance on Falwell's grave; their efforts prove impotent as well. Are you a homeowner in San Francisco? The joke may well be on you. SFist got fussy about a San Diegan's claim of burrito superiority, yet their commentors, shamefully, seem to blow in SD's direction. A pro-war rally(?) involving chimps(!!) proves to be flaccid (small favors). Hopefully SFist's guide to a safe, sane Bay To Breakers will empower their readers to enjoy that event this Sunday!

This week Chicagoist announced their 3rd birthday party plans (awesome), dished about The Loop's party (not awesome), and confessed our undying love for meat and this local meat market. They also discussed the big faux paux on the logo designed by for the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid and whether local girl, Jaslene, was too drag queenish to win America's Next Top Model.

DCist felt a lot of forward momentum this week, starting off by rolling into work with city's annual Bike to Work Day. The D.C. Voting Rights Act moved forward with a hearing in the Senate, and the District's changing demographics kept on changing with predictions that the city would no longer be majority African American in the near future. They also noticed an increase in graffiti around town, and said goodbye the D.C. Madam scandal in favor of a new Dominatrix scandal.

Torontoist had a very musical week: they checked out the Arcade Fire, Amy Winehouse, the Silversun Pickups and Mando Diao. Though they might have the mumps, they're breathing easy over an escape monkey (!!!), gave their readers tips for a healthier BBQ, checked out a massive pillow fight downtown.

Gothamist wondered if you're ever too old or too stupid to tempt fate by trying to square off against youths convening under scaffolding. But if it ever gets into a fight, Gothamist would like this 11-year-old girl to be on our side, given she defended herself from a kidnapper and even helped capture him! The Big Apple blog also headed to College Point for some well-done burgers from Five Guys, interviewed John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants, and visited a jewelbox of Modernist architecture under the Queensboro Bridge. And then there are the fears: Too many skyscrapers on the Far West Side and falling through sidewalk grating. At least there are the cool folks auditioning for the chance to perform in the NYC subway system to inspire them.

Shangahaiist ran hot AND cold. An artist caused a stir by living in a glass box in sexy lingerie and crotchless stockings. Shanghaiist also tried to visit Ice World before it melted, debated the chemical nature of maotais and rode the new bullet trains. But above all, Shanghaiist wants the animal torture to STOP.

And this week the best of Boston were making noises in Washington. Bostonist heard about Barney Frank and his arm injury about which he refused to dish details, Jim McGovern is eating for a week on food stamps, and Mitt Romney is still running for President. It almost seems relevant that zombies marched through Cambridge in the same week as cops were practicing their golf swings in Big Dig buildings. And when the rain forces Bostonist to do something other than watch baseball you're going to hear all about how the names of our players are oddly the names of local towns.

Photographs, from top: Graffiti from Pesky Humans/LAist; Poo at Claridge's from Dave Nicholls on Flickr/Londonist; censored shirt/Austinist (which has the uncensored version); the questionable Chicago Olympic bid logo; Prouve cottage in Queens, NY by Gideon Fink Shapiro/Gothamist

If you'd been listening on Friday night, you'd have heard the sounds of two drum kits, funky bass, plenty of moogs and DJ's to scramble the sound, and one helluva show. Amon Tobin, Roots of Orchis, Tussle, and TelephoneJimJesus played at Bimbo's 365 for the Noise Pop festival.

In the thick of Amon Tobin's set, in the middle towards the back of the crowd, it sounded like everything we love about Brazilian music. Hip-hop infused with samba, baked with drum and bass and given a good shake. People were dancing in San Francisco. Anyone who has been to Bimbo's knows how rare this is.

We missed TelephoneJimJesus after a dispute with the cab driver, but came in time to catch Roots of Orchis, who were set up slightly skewed to the left of the stage, with the wall behind them padded in orange foam. They played a midtempo set of bass-driven lushness, reminicient of M83 with the weirdness dialed down and the crunch firmly in place. This was probably the most impressive set of the night, as all members were completely in tune with one another, and no one in the audience knew whether to dance, sit down, or smoke a little more.

Tussle faced off with two drum kits facing each other and a bass player who seemed giddy to be up on stage after what they said was 8 months off the road. Hearing live drummers of that caliber always sends a little shiver up the spine - how, exactly, do two skinny white boys crank out beats that fast, and by hand?

Shows like this breathe tunefulness back into the all-too-constrictive moniker "drum and bass," and re-create it as a living form of music that's still making strides.

Photo of Amon Tobin from Exclaim.ca.

Earlier this week there were cheers and high-fives from the crowd waiting outside the Redwood City courthouse where Scott Peterson was given the death sentence. Classy! Nothing like doling out the ultimate penalty to fire up a crowd. We hope they were all excited over what this could mean for Ben Affleck's career as a dramatist, and not over the the prospect of yet more death in this tragedy.

Shortly thereafter, an Alameda County jury handed down the death sentence following the conviction of Stuart "The Sausage King of San Leandro" Alexander in the murder of three meat inspectors. Of course both men should be on death row for a good, long time while their appeals wind their way through the judicial system.

Last night lawyers in Martinez rested their cases during the sentencing phase for Glenn Helzer, convicted along with his brother Justin of murdering and dismembering five people during a methamphetamine and motivational group-fueled rampage to get money in order to save the world by conquering the Mormon Church with Brazilian orphans. The jurors will now debate amongst themselves whether or not Glenn, portrayed during Justin's trial as a manipulative mastermind, deserves to fry.

Happy holidays from SFist.