The 50th Annual Grammy Awards are tonight. The ">Irish foreign movie Once has been nominated for two categories: "Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media" and "Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media" for the song "Falling Slowly" (heard above). The song's validity as an Oscar nomination was challenged, but the committee found everything to be fine, so Once stays. It was not nominated for......

The Golden Globe winners have been announced, and unbelievably, Viggo Mortensen did NOT win "Best Actor" for Eastern Promises. True, he did not really emote; he didn't scream and he didn't cry. He did not play a person with a disability. Yes, he had to learn a foreign accent - with some success. But what really made Viggo award-worthy was that steamroom fight. I wish they had a "best fight scene" category like they......

In its first weekend of wide release, The Bucket List charged to the top of the box office. Its tally of $19.54 million ($20.9M) just edged Ice Cube's First Sunday which debuted with an even $19M. There was some talk that upstart Juno might win the weekend crown, but it had to settle for a still healthy $14M ($71.2M). It now seems certain to reach $100M while holiday stalwarts National Treasure: Book of Secrets......

It's the biggest dance club night in Los Angeles over at The Vanguard and tonight is a special one -- GIANT is having its eighth-anniversary party. Join Steve Aoki, Glycerin and others along it 1500 clubbers. Metromix has the low down. And speaking of anniversaries, the monthly Dragstrip 66 at Safari Sam's is celebrating its Quinceanera! 15 years ago, January, L.A.'s queer/mixed underground have been eagerly descending upon the club night every second saturday......

As you know, the Golden Globes will not be so tony this year. Instead, it's a press conference. And as boring as a press conference is, what's even more, is superfluous picketing.The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced that instead of the usual televised three-hour gala on NBC, the HFPA will take complete control of its 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards Announcement and host a press conference open to all media to announce the winners......

As part of their Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominee series, American Cinematheque is screening The Diving Bell and the Butterfly tonight at the Aero Theater. Director and noted artist Julian Schnabel will be on-hand to introduce the film. It tells the wrenching story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the former editor of ELLE magazine who suffered a stroke at the age of 43 and spent the rest of his life able to move only one eyelid.......

The Hollywood Foreign Press has just announced that the traditional Golden Globes awards banquet and show are being canceled and will be replaced by a news conference format that NBC will air. According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the new format will be an "hour-long HFPA press conference at The Beverly Hilton to be covered live by NBC News beginning at 6:00 pm PST on January 13." Faced with multiple threats from the 72 nominees in......

With yesterday's revelation that all 72 actors nominated for the upcoming Golden Globes are expected to not attend the January 13th ceremony, the appeal of the telecast comes sharply into question. The decision was made by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) in order to show solidarity to their fellow strikers, and was announced by their union president Alan Rosenberg, who said: "After considerable outreach to Golden Globe actor nominees and their representatives over the......

Helena Bonham Carter and her boyfriend, director Tim Burton, both Golden Globe nominees for Sweeney Todd welcomed their second baby together, a girl, in London this weekend - People What better way to get attention than talk smack about some Hollywood heavyweights? Rupert Everett is starting trouble by talking about how Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have turned into "tragic paradies" of the icons they once were- StarPulse Britney Spears's home away from home,......

A body was found yesterday afternoon in the Angeles National Forest, off Highway 2 near Big Pines. The identity of the person has not been revealed. Now you can get all the penis-biting snake action you want on the web: the next "Jackass" sequel is set to premiere on the web through Blockbuster's new online movie service. In New Jersey, the state assembly has voted to outlaw the death penalty, "poising the state to......

"Atonement" leads the pack of nominees for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards with seven nods, including top actor nominations for both leads, Keira Knightly and James McAvoy. "American Gangster," "No Country for Old Men," and "Sweeney Todd" also garnered nominations; you can read a partial list of the nominees here at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association website. Hayden Panettiere, Dane Cook, Ryan Reynolds and Quentin Tarantino read the list at the Beverly Hilton at......

Amy Winehouse got booed offstage during the opening of her new tour after ranting about her husband's incarceration - BBC Britney Spears runs over another photographer last night while leaving The Four Seasons - TMZ Rumer Willis has been named "Miss Golden Globe" by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Defamer Little Zahara's family wants her back in Africa! They are claiming that Angelina Jolie's adoption paperwork is wrong - Digital Spy Dave Letterman opens......

One of the enduring myths of Western culture is that of the amateur who triumphs against insurmountable obstacles. From Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to Rocky II, it is a myth that has informed cinema for decades. Deep Water, a fantastic new documentary from Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell, reveals it for the absurd fantasy it is. The fate of the novice, when matched against the might of an uncaring universe, is typically oblivion.......

A Word or 12: Dirt - I forgot to mention Dirt yesterday, someone just kill me please. Tonight - Wednesday - January 31st, 2007 The Spiral Staircase (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) This nifty thriller from the '40s features a strangler that follows a mute maid through a dark New England mansion during a storm. Lakers @ Celtics (KCAL, 5:30 p.m.) Monster (IFC, 6:00 p.m.) Charlize Theron transorms herself in an Oscar winning performance. Worth watching just......

A Word or 67: I've already seen some State of the Union drinking games posted on the web, so get home early with a bottle of hooch because here again your early primetime programming is to be disrupted by our floundering President and his evil grimacing VP, standing behind him like some kind of Golem. Which Democratic senators is he going to attempt to kiss this time? Lieberman, pucker up mofo. Tonight - Tuesday......

A Word Or 78: Last night I didn't watch anything that I had listed or even Tivoed. I ended up watching "Monster In a Box" on IFC because I had the privelege of seeing Spalding Gray a couple times and there he was again on TV. Wile watching the movie I found it extraordinarily sad to both hear this amazing person talk about his mother's suicide as well as allude to committing suicide himself.......

Lakers 124, Heat 118, OT - Unlike the Golden Globe acceptance speeches, nobody was upset when this went a little long. Boasting a budding rivalry that didn't even need Shaq or Pat Riley, the Lakers survived the Heat in a game featuring plenty of lead changes and ties. Dwayne Wade had a game high 35, but it wasn't enough against a Lakers squad that spread the ball around (seven players scored in double digits).......

Overheard at the Golden Globe Awards: "'Everyone's drinking,' said Weeds star and supporting-actor nominee Justin Kirk. 'You sit at a table and they feed you and drink you.'" -- AP "Cameron Diaz was probably the worst dressed at the entire awards show." -- Worst Dressed List at HollyScoop "I love gay. I wanted to be gay," said Grey's Anatomy's Isaiah Washington on the red carpet. "Please let me be gay." -- AP. "Washington took......

A Word or 44: The first 1/2 of the "24" season premiere was quite good even though I don't understand how Jack found the terrorist dude before his house got blown up. Also, was there some anal play going on between Jack and the first terrorist guy? Kinky. Tonight - Monday - January 15th, 2007 "Lawrence of Arabia" (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) Quite possibly the best movie ever made. "Hamlet" (IFC, 6:00 p.m.) Classic Shakespeare......

On any other night this week, Felicity Huffman would be showcasing why she won a Golden Globe in Transamerica at the Vista Theatre but, last night, Jenny Lewis took over the stage performing songs from her newly released solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat. We couldn't decide what the show most resembled. Sitting in a theatre with an all ages crowd felt a little like being in a high school auditorium on talent show night......

In the wake of all the Golden Globe coverage, we nearly forgot to mention that several California cities made a not-so-prestigious list this weekend. The National Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit organization that focuses on justice, economic justice, health care justice and civil rights issues, released a list of the 20 meanest cities in America in 2005. Criteria to make the list included "...the number of anti-homeless laws in the city, the enforcement......

As the Ambassador Hotel has been ignominiously knocked down, we've been following its last days on Ambassador's Last Stand. Well, it's over, kids. Yesterday, as we were overtaken by Golden Globe Fever, ALS announced that the rest of the hotel was gone. Only the Cocoanut Grove remains: the LAUSD has plans for it — it's going to be an atrium or a library. (We can't find the current plan online, but we admit, our......

For his 19th Golden Globe nomination, Best Original Score went to John Williams for Memoirs Of A Geisha giving him 4 Golden Globes. Williams' name is pretty much synonymous with the film scoring category, but the New York Times backs up the case for his repeat nominations, accompanied by a pleasant audio slide show, in their Red Carpet section (NYT's version of LAT's The Envelope). Brokeback Mountain scored the Best Original Song with "A......

THURSDAY • Tonight is the opening reception for "How It Happens" at Pharmaka Gallery. The party runs from 6–9 PM during the Downtown Art Walk. • Kristin Hersh performs the first of her two nights at Tangier. Lauren Shera opens the show at 8 PM; tickets are $17 advance, $20 day-of. • If you haven't seen it yet, check out the Golden Globe nominated Kung Fu Hustle at the Aero tonight at 7:30 PM.......

WEDNESDAY • The Aero Theatre features a screening of the third Golden Globe-nominated Foreign Language film, Joyeux Noel at 7:30 PM. Discussion to follow with director. • Taxi Driver is on the big screen once again tonight at the Arclight at 8 PM. • The Actors' Gang's roving performance of The Exonerated comes to REDCAT for shows tonight through Sunday. Tickets are $28-32 (non-members).......

The arrival of “Memoirs of a Geisha” this holiday season earned its spot, in LAist’s eyes, as a film worthy of your well earned dollars. The buzz has been building around town for weeks as screenings and sneak previews have been popping up, including this lovely tale of a celeb date night. Directed by Rob Marshall of Chicago fame and starring Ziyi Zhang (who just snagged a Golden Globe nomination), Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li......

We can't help but laugh at all the media brouhaha over what has come to be known as the "Gay Cowboy Movie" Brokeback Mountain, which snagged (pardon us) an assload of Golden Globe noms this morning, as well as was named "Picture of the Year" and Ang Lee as "Director of the Year" by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association just the other day. Our favorite bite is this item from FishBowlLA that notes......

Stan Tookie Williams was pronounced dead at 12:35 this morning in San Quentin, after being executed by lethal injection for the deaths of four people in 1979. The Los Angeles Times website has extensive coverage on Williams' death. One article headline reads that "Williams Accepts Execution Quietly." (On the other side of town, the Daily News lead story notes that Brokeback Mountain leads all Golden Globe nominations. (Is it us, or is there something......

The Golden Globe Award nominees have been announced (if the Hollywood Foreign Press Association site is jammed, try the LA Times). Most noms: Brokeback Mountain. And the Housewives are back. The Downtown News chases down some drummers drumming and ladies dancing for a local 12 Days of Christmas. In Northridge somebody was so seized by the spirit of Christmas that they snatched decorations off the lawns of a block of houses, the Daily News......

• At the Egyptian Theatre, tonight is the John C. Reilly Tribute, starting at 7:15 PM, and featuring screenings of Hard Eight and Magnolia. There will be a discussion with the actor between films. • At the Aero Theatre, tonight is the final night of screenings for Golden Globe-nominated foreign language films. Tonight features Yimou Zhang's " target="_blank">House of Flying Daggers and Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries. The films begin at 7:30 PM, and......