CLOSE TO HUMAN

DINNER PATRONS at Gaylord's Indian restaurant in Ghiradelli Square were
marveling Monday night at what was transpiring in the dining room. About a
dozen garrulous fellows were slipping into Bedouin garb and posing for a
photograph that recreated Da Vinci's "The Last Supper." The shot was staged
by Jack Anderson, who must have cleaned out Britex for the ad hoc costumes.
Famed rock photographer Robert Altman took the pictures. Among those in
robes and biblical roles: Herb Gold, the prolific novelist ... comedian
Will Durst ... Summer of Love's dad, Chet Helms ... the great
keyboardist/composer Merl Saunders ... Barry Melton from Country Joe and
the Fish ... press agent Lee Houskeeper ... Farley's father, Phil Frank ...
and the consummate counter-culture clown, Wavy Gravy. At the center of the
scene was Ed Rosenthal, a man already considered a martyr for the cause of
medical marijuana. He was dressed all in white linen. Ed, who was found
guilty of marijuana growing, faces U.S. Judge Charles Breyer on June 4 for
sentencing. ...

"I am holier than thou," Rosenthal said, in mock seriousness. He showed off
the proclamation that declared him a saint. It was issued by the Sisters of
Perpetual Indulgence. With the gloomy specter of prison hanging in the air,
his friends offered Ed a little cheer. There were toasts, encouraging words
and sporadic gripes about what a bum rap it is. Dr. Hip led the group in a
bravely spirited but cacophonous rendition of Monty Python's "Always Look
on the Bright Side of Life." ... Like most of the customers, Gaylord's
owner, Kishore Kiripalani, seemed amused and a little puzzled by the
spectacle. ... But unlike so many of those so-called "Only in S.F.
Moments," this one was captured on film. ...

Elvis Costello and his fiancee' Diana Krall -- America's power couple of
song -- popped into Aqua for dinner over the weekend. "Elvis is insatiably
curious about everything," said Debi Puccinelli, "including the music on
the house system." ... Eddie Fisher, who was a big singing star in the
1950s, not to mention the husband of Debbie Reynolds and Liz Taylor, had
another comely lass with him last week at his new-found favorite
restaurant, Charles Nob Hill. After dinner, he serenaded barman Curtis
Pierce ... manager Mario Nocifero ... and chef Melissa Perello. Eddie is
still playing the class houses. ...

There are still tickets for the fab musical confab at Herbst Hall tomorrow
night with a true opera diva, Frederica von Stade and the diva of the
American Popular Songbook, Wesla Whitfield. The show also features The
City's debonair pianist Mike Greensill and the S.F. Girls Chorus. It
supports Music In Schools Today. ... In addition, a couple of gifted young
people are performing. Ryan Houston is a 16-year-old singer who's been
knocking them out since he was three. He sings with Marin's Branson School
Chamber Singers, directed by Tony Angelo. Pianist Taylor Eigsti, who is 18,
has already played with Dave Brubeck, James Moody, and Bobby Hutcherson.
.. "If we put the kind of energy into education the way we do into
prisons, we wouldn't have any prisons," said Flicka von Stade. "Music is a
big part of the equation." Tickets are a steal: $50, $40, $30. There is a
$25 reception. Music In Schools needs help. These talents remind us what a
treasure it is. ...

Bill Seaton was out at the S.F. Zoo on Tuesday, a place that makes him feel
at home. Bill was responsible for putting animal acts on TV talk shows,
convincing Johnny Carson, back in the '60s, that beasts could be very
funny. "When I worked for the San Diego Zoo, we wanted to get Johnny
interested in what we were doing," recalls Bill. "But Johnny did not like
animal acts. His only experience was a singing dog that would not sing. We
brought Carol, an elephant that could paint, brush grasped in its trunk, up
to Burbank. And we brought Joan Embery. Carol -- like the singing dog --
would not perform. I thought of getting another Jack Daniels at the bar
just off-stage. Then Carol suddenly took the brush and painted Johnny's
crotch. The audience went berserk. The animals were in. Joan was a regular
for 30 years." ... Bill Seaton's new book is "Humorous Letters from the
Edge," a collection of funny stories about his family. His human family. ...

There is controversy in the primate world. When you visit the chimpanzees
at the S.F. Zoo, you'll see they are identified on the sign as "Pan
Troglogytes." Nancy Chan, the PR maven at the Zoo, says there is a move to
add the word, "Homo" to the description. "That would associate them more
closely with humans," says Nancy. "Some scientists disagree with that." It
doesn't help that the chimps have been bumming cigarettes and taking bets
on who will win "American Idol." ... Whether chimps are all that close to
being human is unclear. But Johnny Carson might have an opinion. ...