To say that David Mamet is a polarizing figure in Hollywood is an understatement--like when Google says that it'll take 20 minutes to get from Koreatown to Santa Monica on most given afternoons. more ›

Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles is holding a presentation tonight at 6:30 pm on Los Angeles's Little Italy by Marianna Gatto. Did you know that LA is the country’s fifth largest Italian population? Did you even know that we had a Little Italy (used to be in Chinatown, btw)? Well hear Marianna Gatto, curator of History and Education for the City of Los Angeles, talk the city's vibrant Italian enclave during the 100-year period following the arrival of the first Italian pioneer in 1827. Book signing and reception to follow. RSVP: rsvp.iicla@esteri.it more ›

It's going to be a great couple of months for book lovers in LA. In addition to the Festival of Books this weekend, it's just been announced that David Mamet, Chuck and Bret Easton Ellis will be taking the stage at Largo at the Coronet this May and June. These won't be your average book readings--they'll include special guests, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit PEN Center USA. more ›

There may no longer be a country for old men, but Handsome Harry proves there's still kino for them. Harry plants itself proudly in the old boys' club, where women are no good, sons are all-too-wayward and there's nothing a bottle of scotch won't fix. When retired sailor Harry Sweeney (Jamey Sheridan) receives once-crewmate Tom Kelly (Steve Buscemi)'s dying wish for redemption, he becomes like a ghost, slipping in and out of old friends' lives and haunting them with memories of hidden violence. The disquieting man-to-man vignettes draw handsomely from the old school of independent film. Director Bette Gordon emphasizes a story rarely told, rather than than hip aesthetics or snarky dialogue. It's even got the once-obligatory open ending. Preserve the endangered species of mid-budget adult drama - head over to Laemmle's Sunset any time this weekend and check it out. more ›

Between special screenings, TV tapings & incestual industry conduct, filmmakers are a common appearance in this town. When the New Beverly hosts a filmmaker, it's truly special. Eclectic personalities take complete control of the theater's programming, spotlighting elements of their own work, their influences, or simply their favorite, lesser-known films. Previous hosts include Edgar Wright, Patton Oswalt, Joe Dante & Peter Bogdanovich, and now writer-director Rian Johnson has the slate. A new kid on the block compared to those names, Johnson's hard-boiled sleeper Brick is one of the most unique & enjoyable films of the last few years. His "Festival Of Fakery" (running through the end of February) features advance screenings of his new film, The Brothers Bloom, and a cadre of con men, criminals, thieves & scoundrels. more ›

No one doubted that adventures well into the next decade. more ›

What else can I say about Iron Man that I didn't say in my rave yesterday? According to the great Nikki Finke, it looks like it's going to be a monster hit so I guess I don't need to encourage you to go see it. I'll actually be seeing it again this weekend because I failed to stay through the entire end credit roll and see the rumored Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) cameo at the end. Don't make the same mistake. more ›

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Here's the good news of the day: It's almost Friday! Go out and celebrate tonight with these happenings about town: more ›

"You see this watch? You see this watch? That watch cost more than your car. I made $970,000 last year. How much you make? You see, pal, that's who I am. And you're nothing. Nice guy? I don't give a shit. Good father? Fuck you -- go home and play with your kids! You wanna work here? Close! You think this is abuse? You think this is abuse, you cocksucker? You can't take this... more ›

700 extra hours -- yes, you read that correctly -- from David Lynch's Inland Empire have been culled into a documentary about David Lynch that is titled Lynch and is being pimped to international buyers at Cannes by Lynch himself. -Cinematical more ›

While we would never comment on a stranger's parenting techniques, we, along with many, bristled at hearing Alec Baldwin call his young daughter a pig in this day and age of girls and women obsessing over their bodies, etc., sometimes to fatal conclusions. And even though most of the tirade was a victim rant about how she had injured him somehow by not being available to take his phone call, we do applaud him... more ›

There’s a reason why we haven’t heard much about David Mamet’s 1974 one-act Squirrels. While it has its comic moments, the play doesn’t pack the literary punch of Mamet’s better known work like Oleanna, Glengarry Glen Ross or Sexual Perversity in Chicago. (Some die-hard Mamet fans might even make a case for The Unit on CBS, which Mamet created.) In a nutshell, Squirrels focuses on Arthur’s (Oscar Don Smith) writer’s block, and his attempt... more ›

David Mamet & Howard Norton sign their new books 7pm @ Dutton’s Brentwood more ›

Monday P.J. O’Rourke signs On the Wealth of Nations 7pm @ Book Soup Adam Gopnick reads Through the Children's Gate 7:30pm @ Skirball Cultural Center Tuesday David Mamet signs Bambi vs. Godzilla 7pm @ Book Soup Edward Humes signs Monkey Girl 7pm @ Vroman’s Norman Mailer discusses Castle in the Forest with David Ulin 7:30pm @ Writers Guild Theater Daveed Gartenstein-Ross presents My Year in Radical Islam 7:30pm @ Barnes & Noble Santa Monica... more ›

Yes folks it that time of year again when people make lists of the top whatevers that did something, didn't do something, inspired them, made them laugh, cry, sick or any number of other things. For better or worse, I'm no different and am caught up in the whole list thing. So, I will be providing a list of my own for your enjoyment, distraction, derision or otherwise perusal. My list is the top-ten... more ›

Pet Shop Boys @ Wiltern The Doors @ The Whiskey DJ AM @ LAX Raul Malo @ The Roxy Marisa Monte @ Royce Hall Aterciopelados, Los Abandoned @ Henry Fonda The UVs, Hollywood Harlots, Bastard @ Dragonfly Ass Pocket of Whiskey @ Harvelle's Sia, The Bird & the Bee, Greg Laswell @ Avalon Republic of Loose, Gran Ronde, Box Violet @ The Troubadour From Satellite, Verona Grove, Supercreep, The Robins @ Viper Room Sam... more ›

Staggering in the footsteps of several other celebrities who found themselves in similar situations after consuming too much and saying or doing inappropriate things (Rush Limbaugh, Martin Lawrence, Courtney Love, Charlie Sheen, Kelsey Grammer, Andy Dick, and of course Robert Downey Jr.,) today Mel Gibson entered rehab for his drinking problem. David Mamet, yes that David Mamet, makes a funny at Mad Max's plight. In other bad news, Beck's new video and song is... more ›

Coming to a Close: Sexuality more ›

LA Observed reports this morning about the huge blog v. blog argument currently going on between LA Weekly columnist Marc Cooper and Weekly freelancer Nikki Finke in regards to her recent attack on Arianna Huffington's brand new celebrity/political-centric blog, Huffington Post. more ›

• Tonight at UCLA Live, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet will be speaking at 8 PM. Tickets range from $25-35, or $15 for UCLA students. more ›