#!/usr/bin/env python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import MySQLdb

# DB connect
db = MySQLdb.connect(host="127.0.0.1", user="user", passwd="pass", db="testdb", charset='utf8')
cursor = db.cursor()

content = "==='==="

sql = """INSERT INTO test( content ) VALUES ( %(content)s )""" % { 'content':content }
cursor.execute(sql)
db.commit()

_mysql_exceptions.ProgrammingError: (1064, "You have an error in your SQL syntax;
check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use
near '==='=== )' at line 1")

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `test` (
  `content` varchar(256) COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci NOT NULL
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8 COLLATE=utf8_unicode_ci;

cursor.execute("INSERT INTO test (content) VALUES (%(content)s)",  { 'content': content })

cursor.execute("INSERT INTO test (content) VALUES (%s)",  [content])

o = 'orange'
p = 'potatoes'
pep ='pepper'
val = 'fruit {0}, vegetable \{{1}, {2}\}' .format(o, p, pep)
print val

>>> o = 'orange'
>>> p = 'potatoes'
>>> pep ='pepper'
>>> val = 'fruit {0}, vegetable {{{1}, {2}}}' .format(o, p, pep)
>>> print val
fruit orange, vegetable {potatoes, pepper}
>>>

import json
from collections import OrderedDict
city = 1
json_arg = json.dumps(OrderedDict([
                                           ("celebration_type","party"),
                                           ("town_id", "???? city")],
                                          )) 
 
print json_arg

...
("town_id", str(city))
...

print '"%s"' % city