Twain was an outspoken critic and really funny, but has that special spark that comes from intellectual experience. Twain came before Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor. He started the great tradition of being outspoken! more ›

Day of the Dead comes early this year, with Hollywood Forever hosting the 12th annual Dia de los Muertos celebration this Saturday. Traditionally celebrated in Mexico on the two days after Halloween, Hollywood Forever’s festivities will include altars honoring the dead, ancestral processions, traditional Mexican cuisine, and performances by international singers Astrid Hadad (best known as “La Tequilera”) and Ruben Albarran of Café Tacuba. more ›

Jim Morrison may not be interred at Hollywood Forever, but plenty of his peers make spirited appearances there this weekend for Cinespia's Movies From Dusk Til Dawn. The event runs from 7PM Saturday through 6AM Sunday. Don't worry, the coffee is free. more ›

It hasn't felt much like summer lately, but there's something about Memorial Day: time to enjoy some screenings under the stars! The 2011 season of Outdoor Cinema Food Fest begins Saturday at LA State Historic Park with the Farrelly Brothers classic There's Something About Mary. The all-evening event also features a shorts program from Funny or Die, a live performance from Glen Iris & food trucks galore! Tickets are $10. BYOB - bring your own blanket. more ›

The Flaming Lips is coming to town this summer for two special nights at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Using the tagline "Every One You Know Some Day Will Die" (a lyric from the 2002 single "Do You Realize," the Lips' wildly entertaining psycho-pop shenanigans will attempt to bury you on June 14th and 15th. And there's a bonus... more ›

Explosions in the Sky's new album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care won't be available until April 26th but a unique multimedia installation on the grounds of Hollywood Forever will allow fans to experience the inevitable sensory overload of the epic post-rock quartet's latest creation for free, on April 23rd. more ›

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Halloween comes a little early this year, as the film that introduced the world to Michael Myers tears through The Egyptian on a double bill with the classic sci-fi/horror hybrid The Thing. It's part of a weekend long tribute to writer/director/producer/composer/probably-leaving-something-out-because-he's-done-everything John Carpenter, that also pairs '80s action funfests They Live (best film starring a wrestler, hands-down) and Big Trouble in Little China, as well as a personal favorite, Escape from New York, and its sequel Escape from L.A.. If that isn't enough to plot your escape, Carpenter himself will be appearing at the Friday show. His latest film, The Ward, just opened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and maybe if a bunch of us ask really nicely he'll talk about it. more ›

Don't let the name fool you - Everything is Terrible! is actually pretty terrific. The monstrous crew (no, really, they're furry monsters) scavenges VHS bargain bins all across America, gathering infomercials, televangelists, creepy kids' videos, rapping PSA's, and God knows what else, distilling them into mind-blowing mash-ups of irony, nostalgia and genuine admiration. This weekend, they emerge from their internet cave to wreak magick (with a k for kick-ass!) upon the Cinefamily for the first-ever Everything is Festival! For a taste of what to expect, check out our Canadian compatriots at Torontoist. The 2 Day 2 Everything 2 Terrible 2 LA premiere showcase extravaganza includes a dance party, BBQ, frightening furry rituals and contributions from Rob Schrab (The Sarah Silverman Program), Dan Harmon (Community), Rob Huebel & Paul Scheer (Human Giant) and Zack Carlson (The Alamo Drafthouse), climaxing in a user-generated Found Footage Battle Royale. more ›

If you've ever given or sought consolation for receiving an A- instead of an A, you'll feel right at home in Whiz Kids. The documentary, which opens this weekend at Laemmle's Music Hall, charts three teen scientists as they prepare for the Intel Science Talent Search, high school's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. There's a lot of hard work and a little heart break along the way, but this trio is hell-bent on forging their destinies and a new world. Harmain, raised on food stamps by a Pakistani single mother, plots human evolution by carbon-dating crocodile fossils (human fossils from the same sites are too fragile to be examined). Ana, the first in her family looking to attend college, analyzes plant root systems to increase crop yields. more ›

A standing room-only crowd was treated to just that. What began with an almost too-subdued set by Lou Barlow (of Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh fame) ended with the rollicking hilarity of Al Madrigal and his band of imaginary cholos, with a solid dose of Sarah Silverman shenanigans in the middle. more ›

Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a dark place at night. Inky black, like you need a flashlight to find your way out of the parking maze and avoid tripping over a headstone, which has got to be bad luck. Inside, it wasn’t much better. At this show, once the lights go down, they never do come back up again. There were a few candles to the left and right of the stage, some stage lights with the dimmer switch all the way to the left, and that was it. In the middle, barely visible at all, was Hope Sandoval, taking “mellow” to a whole new depth. more ›

This weekend there have been several events open to the public for celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which honors those who have passed away through the creation of colorful altars and costumed processionals. Two major celebrations were at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Saturday night, and on Olvera Street from the 25th through tonight. Our LAist Featured Photos pool contributors shared with us via Flickr some amazing images from the festivities. There's still stuff happening through this afternoon and into tonight, too, if you want to take part! more ›

Do you spook easily at the speakeasy but tear seamlessly into a good cemetery? Then you'll just die for tomorrow's weird twenties-themed mausoleum bash. The folks at the Steve Allen Theater have decided to relive the halcyon days of the last great economic crash tomorrow night by dolling up in semi-formal attire, drinking absinthe, listening to Janet Klein & her Parlor Boys, and watching hundred-year-old Masonic Magic Lantern loops in the heart of Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the Cathedral Mausoleum. more ›

...in which the students of West Beverly Hills High (and their parents and teachers) have the most fun participating in an anachronistic recreational activity since "Bowling!" more ›

PARTY WITH A PURPOSE*: Obey and Z-Trip are throwing a Barack Obama fundraiser at the Echoplex tonight. DJ Diabetic (Shepard Fairey), Troublemaker and other special guests will also be in attendance. The first 100 arrivals at the 18+ party will receive Fairey’s Obama “Hope” poster. Tickets are $20. more ›

A visit to Lincoln Memorial Life's website - (one of the insurance companies owned by the Cassity family/Forever Network) explains why my property-owner friend was stopped and made to sign in at HF's gate, as I reported yesterday: more ›

LA Magazine has already crowned it one of the best things about living in LA. If you've ever tried to drive down Santa Monica Blvd. around Gower on a Saturday night, you'll quickly find out what thousands of Angelenos already know: there's no better way to spend a Saturday night than with a picnic and a bottle of wine in the middle of a cemetery, watching a classic film. In fact, Cinespia's weekly summer film showings have become so popular that it's best to arrive several hours early (by public transportation if you can get it; parking's a bitch!), friends and pic-a-nic basket in tow. more ›

Occidental Professor Robert Gottlieb's latest book -- Reinventing Los Angeles: Nature and Community in the Global City -- is going to be awfully tempting to Angelenos who care about urban planning, the environment and social change. Get a taste when he reads today at Dutton's at 2pm -- and then ask the store to order a copy for you. more ›

Maila Nurmi, December 21, 1921 - January 10, 2008 more ›

Although some Dia de los Muertos events were held last weekend, most notably Hollywood Forever and Festival de la Gente, most events will take place on November 2nd, following the traditional date. more ›

8th Annual Festival de los Gente Saturday the 27th 11am - 10pm and Sunday the 28th 11am - 8pm On the streets of LA at the historic 6th street bridge Festival de la Gente is a community-based Event in a Historic Venue featuring Live Entertainment, Arts and Crafts altars, in a carnivale-like atmosphere for families with children. The event will feature live music, art exhibits, teatro performances, storytelling, arts and crafts demonstrations and traditional latin-American... more ›

If the department stores can put their Christmas merch out already, we can sure as hell start celebrating Halloween! Friday, October 12th Rosemary's Billygoat, who always put on a special-effects extravaganza along with some serious rocking, will be playing at The Haunt at the Northridge Fashion Center. There will also be three haunted houses and a Fall Festival. Rosemary's Billygoat plays at 9pm. The CIA (California Institute of Abnormal Arts) in North Hollywood's Fright Night... more ›

Awesome fonts to use for your upcoming Halloween party. more ›

L.A.’s glorious summer evenings are perfect for enjoying cinema al fresco. Check out these goings on around town for the weekend & beyond. Downtown’s Million Dollar Drive-In, which launches this Saturday is described as L.A.’s first “urban drive-in” and will primarily cater to bike & foot traffic, unless you have a classic car that is pre-1965—then you have the chance of nabbing one of the 15-20 parking spots that will be available. This weekend’s film... more ›

Let’s face it—with a few notable exceptions (Arclight, Grove, Bridge, Landmark), movie theaters in Los Angeles sort of suck. The seats are often stiff and cramped; the over-priced food is no great shakes; and every feature is front-loaded with a solid ten to fifteen minutes of commercials. And this is coming from someone who loves going to the movies! I wallow through this crap two or three times a week! There has to be a better way, right? Dear reader, of course there is. more ›

It’s difficult to argue that KCRW, 89.9 FM, isn't one of the better things we, the citizens of Los Angeles, get to experience firsthand. Yeah, the station offers podcasts and streaming radio, but it’s not the same as actually living in the city the station is broadcast from. Not only does the station play some of the most innovative and unique music in the world, but broadcasts daily news and cultural information unable to... more ›

- Mob speaks out against Desert Arsonist - "The guy should be hung by his toes. Put him in a public park, get a stockade, let the people judge him. Trial by your peers? Go to a park, let us judge him." - NBC4 - After Bush and Cheney are Impeached, Nancy Pelosi is going to be able to enact Martial Law on every NASCAR event she wants. - - 2/3rds of the US... more ›

by Sabrina C. Photography as a medium conveys blink of the eye captivity of humanity at its core. The work of Matt Mascaro is no exception as it introduces levels of metaphysical philosophy into his latest art exhibition, Objectification. It incorporates the use of still photographs and video, which are used to counter the typical negative association of objectivity. Mascaro explains, “I am obsessed with the idea of how human being are objectified through... more ›

Johnny Ramone, the guitarist of the iconic NY punk godfathers Ramones, was a character and a caricature. He was the reason that the band always walked around in the leather jacket, sneakers and long black hair, he was the one who after being beaten up in a street fight so severely required brain surgery sparked the title of the "Too Tough To Die" album, and when he stole Joey's girlfriend in 1982 it was... more ›