Aug. 19: Free French Fries at The Counter

Greetings, and welcome to the last SM AM Report of the week. Today is looking to be cooler and cloudier, but more humid, than yesterday.

Here's what we published Thursday, in case you missed us:

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Now, here's what's up today:

Weather Forecast

• partly cloudy
• high temperature: 72 degrees
• low temperature: 62 degrees
• chance of precipitation: 0 percent
• humidity: 71 percent
• sunrise: 6:18 a.m.
• sunset: 7:37 p.m.

The Main Event

• Free French Fry Friday: is offering them up at almost all its locations, including the one in Santa Monica, today. "Fry-Day" came about after the restaurant promised to give away fries once Congress had finalized a deal on the debt. Regardless of your stance on the deal, it's indirectly leaving a good taste in your mouth.

The Runner-Up

• B-movie actress Lisa Ann Walter is hosting the Backlot Film Festival's Midnight Movie Madness, a six-flick event that starts at 9:15 p.m. at the . Also, separate from the late-night program, Opus, Silent Musical, Outcasts of Camelot, Terminal and Undiagnosed will be shown as part of the festival. Tickets are $11 for each movie bundle.

Other Happenings

• Behold: A Queer Performance Festival is entering its penultimate weekend at . At 8:30 p.m., performance artist/ activist/ professor Ian MacKinnon presents Gay Hist-orgy! Part 2 - The Search for Gay Love. "MacKinnon searches history, mythology, psychology ... to answer the question, 'What is Gay Love?' " the theater said in a statement. Tickets are $15 to $20.
• The continues at the today with a session called "Your Home: Hazard Zone?" John Pacheco of the will talk about non-structural hazards, as well as what you can do to avoid injuries and death. The discussion runs from 12 to 1 p.m.
• Older folks who want to practice yoga but not lay on the ground are invited to the self-explanatory Chair Yoga for Seniors at the . While the session is free, you have to be a member of the center to attend.

Last but Not Least

• The Integral Way Study Group meets at from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m.

(Go here for more events happening today.)

This Day in Santa Monica History

• On Aug. 19, 2010, the opened at . Kristen Bell and Serena Williams were among the celebrities who attending the after party, which was held at the and benefited .

Did you take a great pic of SM in the early morning? Want to see it in The SM AM Report? Drop a note to Kurt.Orzeck@patch.com.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Correction: This is the penultimate, not the final, weekend of Behold: A Queer Performance Festival.