Elvis Costello and The Attractions essential 1978 record This Year’s Model was re-released for the twenty-third time earlier this week as a deluxe 2-CD set. This year’s model of This Year’s Model includes a bevy of previously released bonus tracks, and a previously unreleased live concert. I was going to review it, but instead I decided not to buy it. On Tuesday, I found myself at Amoeba records. After an hour or so, I’d amassed......

As I sat in the Troubadour balcony, looking down on Moistboyz singer Dickie Moist screaming to a crowd of roughly 70 people like a stadium full of Billy Graham disciples, something occurred to me: Rock 'n Roll used to have real power. It changed society, outraged moralists, defied suppression and even affected the way artists in other music forms approached their compositions, and this was during the 50s, when the average Rock song was either......

That's Chanell, from Riverside County, who graciously let us photograph her tattoo last night at the Beverly Hilton. Causing the most commotion on the red carpet was Eduardo Verastequi, the star of "Bella," who would shortly walk off with The Grace Award for Most Inspirational Movie Acting in 2007. A small group of women in front of me swooned and reached for their cameras, grabbing him before he even made it on to the carpet......

Deadspin's Will Leitch will be signing copies of his new book, God Save the Fan tonight at Book Soup Will Leitch, Deadspin editor, New York Times contributor, and author is in Los Angeles today presenting and signing copies of his new book God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It......

Okay, so maybe the only time people in Los Angeles gathered around to see how something affiliated with a groundhog turned out was when the Bill Murray-Andie MacDowell movie Groundhog Day premiered in 1993, cementing the comic idea of life on an endless replay loop in our pop culture lexicon. But early this morning, in a far-off place called Gobbler's Knob, Pennsylvania, the real celebrity groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, drew crowds as his annual (and allegedly......

I should hate Pinkberry for a million different reasons: what it does to neighborhoods, the mom & pops it shuts down in its wake, its fake-yogurty ingredients that are likely very, very bad for me and its off-putting, sour flavor that foodies abhor and I, strangely, adore. I know and I agree and I held out as long as I could....

The bestests Christmas present ever a vintage Jiffy Kodak Series II camera used in World War II....

This scary Santa is a relic from my childhood. It's a mechanical bank toy, the kind you drop a penny in to make it twitch and shake. Circa 1960 (4 years before my birth) it still kind of-sort of works, if the rusted contact points connect with 2 D batteries...and you pray hard. As I recall, it has always been freakish, even when new. It makes a whirring/jangling sound, lurching back and forth on its......

On November 27th, the striking members of the WGA held a rally on Hollywood Boulevard. As I walked towards the rally from my car, I could feel the sound of the helicopters beating down around me. It was one of those silver fall afternoons, the sky distant like winter, but it was still warm. Walking up a side street, all the different Hollywoods crowded up around me – each taking its turn in a......

Ozzy Osbourne @ Staples James Taylor, Carole King @ Troubadour Raspberries @ Grove of Anaheim Travis Tritt @ House of Blues As I Lay Dying @ Wiltern Don Caballero @ Safari Sam's Iron & Wine @ Orpheum Meiko, HoneyHoney, The Sweet Hurt, Jeremy Silver @ Hotel Cafe Rolling Blackouts, Get Up Get Down, Tsk Tsk @ The Scene Tonight We Fall, Patrick Carr, Valentyne, Columbia Circuit @ The Roxy Cipes & the People, Rebelution,......

I love shooting macro photos, especially involving things that don't move. It really allows you to leave the shutter open for a while and get some crazy detail on very small objects. For me, it takes a lot of things that people would find mundane and turns them into objects of beauty. I took a failed trip to McLogan's this morning, not knowing that they would be closed on Friday. As the foremost supplier to......

Dear WGA: Being Thanksgiving weekend and all, I have spent a lot of time the last few days thinking about what I am thankful for. I am very thankful that I have been able to make a living as a writer. I am thankful that every day I am able to do something creative, something I love. As I’ve walked the picket lines, I’ve been very thankful for the overwhelming support I’ve felt from......

One day I came back from vacation to a stack of bills and paperwork. As I was going through them, I found a video rental receipt with titles like, "C*m on my T*ts." I held the receipt up to my boyfriend, "Do we need to have a talk?" "I just don't even know what to say." "Because I would watch them with you if that's what you want. It's OK." "No, you were just......

As I prepared to move here from New Jersey in 1988, I kept hearing the same thing: “It’s all plastic Hollywood showbiz hair-metal people trying to make it big. You will not succeed and you will hate it.” Yet I instinctively knew not to listen. SST Records was here, along with most of my favorite bands. The one person I knew who’d made the journey, my friend Ben Chatrer, told me that while it......

The ever talented and lovely Alicia Keys performed just before the massive 4000+ strong march down Hollywood Blvd. Keys, with the #1 album in the country As I Am, said "As a SAG member and a writer, she was there to support the cause." After the mini-concert of two songs, "No One" and "Go Ahead", the red army took to the street. March and chanting from Vine to right in front of the Chinese......

At 1:15pm today on Hollywood Blvd. it was hot. At 1:20pm when Alicia Keys got on the small stage on the back of a truck and performed "Go Ahead", one of the best new tracks from her latest cd As I Am, it got much hotter. We had to take off our jacket. Lucky for you we had a pretty decent spot in the photo pit and we shot this video for you because......

As I've said before, I hate contests. But in life everything is negotiable, and if a contest is so good that I can't pass up, I will pass it along to you. And this one is a good one. We have two tickets to see the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, perform in the cozy confines of the Joint at the Hard Rock in beautiful Las Vegas on November 24th with special guest Rob......

a writer’s perspective I have a love/hate relationship with the “early shift”. I am not a morning person. Looking for news about the strike on the internet this morning, I am confronted with the genius anti-writer argument "Should a plumber get paid every time a toilet flushes?" People please stop making that analogy. It's really not that clever, and it's flawed. If the plumber created a unique toilet from scratch, and then his bosses......

As I previously mentioned, the red thing is a recurring subject of Watt's photos. Here it is hanging from his handlebars. So I asked Watt what the deal was with the red thing. I asked him if it had some kind of symbolism or if it was a good luck charm. He told me the package said it has no magical properties, it just claimed ...but it make you look good.........

In "I'm Not There", director Todd Haynes dramatizes the life of Bob Dylan. Haynes chose six actors to portray Dylan's magical, intangible quality. When I asked Loudon Wainwright III about Dylan, he described seeing him at the Newport Folk Festival in the early 60's as a "ground moving, earth shaking experience". To this day, musicians and fans share a deep connection to Dylan and his music. One can only imagine that creating the soundtrack......

a writer's perspective As I get ready to join my brothers and sisters in the picket line, I’m flipping the channels, looking for some coverage. Fuckin’ Joe Torre is stealing our thunder. Finally, on KTLA, they break in with footage of Jay Leno pulling up on a motorcycle and handing three boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts to some writers. All writers are being encouraged to give 20 hours a week to the cause. No......

I go out to do some grocery shopping, and I come home to a shitstorm. As I'm typing these words, I'm listening to the Dodger's conference call announcing Grady Little's resignation. According to Ned Colletti, he has not offered the job to anyone yet. Grady Little took part in the call. He said there were a variety of reasons for this parting. He wouldn't elaborate beyond that. More on this as details come out.......

Neal Brennan (center) made a name for himself writing jokes alongside Dave Chappelle. With a sketch comedy show that reached legendary status in the "Chappelle's Show" and a cult classic movie, Half Baked already under his belt, Neal has transitioned into directing. Last year he directed VH-1's Totally Awesome, a hilarious Made-For-TV 80's spoof that he also co-wrote. Neal is currently working on a Will Ferrell produced comedy feature that stars Jeremy Piven. Despite......

I've always dreamed of attending the CMJ, the annual New York gathering of pretty much every band in the entire universe. The people over at Fader are saying CMJ should be an acronym for Conquering Many Jams. I'm just not sure if I'll be doing the conquering. With thousands of bands to choose from, It's more than likely that the music will be conquering me. As I arrive at the Puck building on Lafayette......

Nearly two weeks ago, I traveled eastward on an excursion to the Lone Star State. I expected Texas to be a hostile experience filled with unnecessarily aggressive, booze-fueled behemoths. You know the truck driving, cowboy kind. My weekend trip proved it to be quite the opposite. I arrived at LaGrave Field, home of Ft. Worth's AAA baseball team, bright and early for the 3rd annual Wall of Sound Festival. Considering all of our Spector......

I made my way to the yellow covered tents at the far end of the WeHo Book Fair fifteen minutes early, for the panel that had made me cream when I read about it. Moderated by Hilary Carlip, “Cracking Up: Women on the Verge of Laughter” was a discussion with five female writers whose work ostensibly falls under the heading “comedy”: Beth Lapides, Cathryn Michon, Meghan Daum, and Erika Schickel. I’ll be frank –......

Like a lot of women, I started down the long road of body hair removal at the onset of puberty. First came DIY techniques: plucking, bleaching, shaving. As I got older I moved into "it takes a village" territory: waxing, electrolysis, and lasers. I was always most concerned with my eyebrows – I even used to carry a pair of tweezers with me to high school. But maintaining good eyebrows takes either a great......

When the Hollywood Bowl schedule listed "Rufus Wainwright sings Judy Garland", I thought this is a show I don't want to miss. Now that his website says that this is the last time he will recreate the famous 1961 Carnegie Hall show, I have started packing my picnic basket. As I sit here listening to tracks from his CD "Release the Stars", I am counting down the days until Sunday. In addition to his......

Tonight at the Shrine Auditorium, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will bestow the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. This year the Academy has launched their Green With Emmy Campaign. The event features the use of alternative fuel sources for deliveries, hybrid vehicles for talent, recycled paper, a set created from mostly rentals with less construction and waste, staff tuxedo will be dry cleaned with eco friendly solutions and not covered in plastic bags,......

I should have known that nearly a month without a night on the town was enough to render me out of the loop. Unfortunately, that possibility didn't occur to me until I was already cruising down Hollywood Blvd. at 10:30pm on Friday. I was headed towards Star Shoes with my boyfriend's 21-year-old sister in tow, ready for a wild L.A. night before she went back to Tennessee. Absent-mindedly wondering if I could find a......