MUSIC Tonight at the Jazz Bakery is the The Alternative String Group, an ensemble of students from Robert Anderson and Jacob Szekely's music school in West Hollywood, The String Project | Los Angeles. Both studio musicians who have worked with the likes of the Dakah Hip-Hop Orchestra and SuperNova, the two have put together a conservatory that is pretty high tech with their interactive music lessons, recording and filming them for student's personal analysis.........

After debuting last week on the Internet, Jackass 2.5 is coming to DVD tomorrow. I'll be watching, laughing and drinking--in that order. If you missed Eastern Promises in theaters, pick it up immediately. Viggo has never been better. I enjoyed The Kingdom, but I think I would have preferred the original ending (spoiler warning!). The Heartbreak Kid was funnier than critics gave it credit for and had the best last line of any movie......

We leaf through various calendars so you don't have to. HOLIDAY FUN: The folks at the Troubadour Theater Company who brought us It's a Stevie Wonderful Christmas and Fleetwood MacBeth are back with A Charlie James Brown Christmas. The show features Charlie Brown singing "It's a Man's Man's World" or maybe James Brown singing "Christmas Time is Here." Or maybe it's both? 8 pm // Falcon Theatre // 4252 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles // $20-$37.50.......

While I deeply love many different kinds of Christmas music, this is one form that tugs hard at the heartstrings. Soul music is just a perfect vehicle for the kind of unironic SINCERITY that I want from a good Christmas song, that makes their heartwarming messages hit home completely. Here's a few to put your mind at ease. BIG DEE IRWIN & LITTLE EVA - I Wish You A Merry Christmas An oldie but goodie......

Approximately 5,000 people came to the Gibson in Universal City and paid between $25-$250 to hear presidential hopeful (and TRAILS the California frontrunner, if you believe recent polls) Barack Obama explain why he's in the race. His speech brought tears from women, commanded several standing ovations, and even made this little kid near us shut his trap for 45 minutes. Bon Jovi wannabe's The Goo Goo Dolls played, James Brown wannabe Ne-Yo performed, and......

There is rarely an audience at an LA club show so fully and intensely captivated as the crowd at The El Rey was last night. Leave it to Dap Kings guitarist / emcee Binky Griptite who is a master at his craft: warming up the crowd and introducing the boogieing Miss Sharon Jones. Jones & the Dap Kings performed for solid two hours, no opening act necessary (although the 60's and 70's dusty and......

This week has been a major downer. Seeing all of the suffering that people around us are going through as a result of these fires has been so disheartening, but at the same time, watching the displays of heroism of those fighting the fires and the resilience of those that refuse to be defeated by circumstance has helped restore our hope. In an effort to give you something to smile about, we’ve managed to......

The ticket was $3,121 dollars and somehow it landed in my hands for free. I won't get into specifics, but I was suddenly spending my Saturday night at the hottest, most elite show in the country instead of my friend's house party (I'm sure he understands). I'll answer the most important questions first: Yes, he played "Kiss". No, he didn't play "Purple Rain". Yes, he played "Nothing Compares to You". No, he didn't play......

The Format, She Doesn't Get It First Annual Sunset Strip Music Festival - James Brown's band joined by special guests and fronted by stars like Dave Navarro, Jerry Cantrell, Mellow Man Ace, B-Real & Sen Dog, Vayden, Kings of Spain, Queen V, Kingbaby, others @ The Whiskey They pretty much had our favorite album of last year, they're great live, and they pretty much rule the galaxy, and they're playing at a beautiful theater......

Artist: Various Universal artists (mainly Motown) Album(s): Motown Vol.2 and '80s Soul (+ 18 others) Release Date: April 2007 Label: UMe I have to say that I love compilations. Variety is the spice of life and what’s better than an assortment of tunes shoved at you. Universal Music Enterprises (Ume) has put out a set of 20 compilations of “number ones” of various genres, artists, and eras. The eras are by decade from the......

No piece of video can capture the Mars Volta. No photo graph or online news source or audio tape or mp3 could properly convey each squeal and beat and diversity of sounds that come at you at a Mars Volta show. At first we were all, "wtf why are they playing at a place with seats?", but then we went and were like, "if people are just going to watch with their mouths wide......

What did you miss at the Grammys last night? Lionel Richie sang "Hello," (sans clay bust) and it was like warm honey. That's what you missed. I'd like to put my vote in now for a fierce Lionel Richie comeback. Also, The Police policed, Chris Rock made a funny about RHCP with their jocks in socks before JT ever put his in a box, Christina Aguilera sang her guts up on a James Brown......

Beyonce continues to bully the charts. And far too many people think that buying Kenny G CDs is an appropriate use of money. I know we can do better than this. Here to make miserable your otherwise sunny day is a list of this week’s Billboard No.1s. Below is the short list. More good news after the jump... Billboard Charts Issue Date: January 27, 2007 The Billboard 200 - Dreamgirls:Soundtrack The Billboard Hot 100......

Drew Barrymore - Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti = Us Marilyn Manson + Evan Rachel Wood = People Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie - condom = Accident Shiloh? - dlisted Kurt Cobain + fight video + Danzig fight vid = CityRag Mandy Moore + DJ AM = I'm Not Obsessed Justin + Scarlett = W.O.W. Kelly Osbourne + Playboy = Star Pulse James Brown's body - grave + rape charges = Socialite Life Paris Hilton......

One Minute Review: So Courteney Cox Arquette's new venture, 'Dirt', was, as Borat would say, "Dirt from anus". Also, did anyone catch Letterman last night? The first half of the show was devoted to jokes about Saddam's execution, including the Top Ten. I don't think it went over that well, except for maybe at the White House. Tonight - Wednesday - January 3rd, 2007 Blue Jackets @ Kings (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) "Friday Night......

As we continue to remember James Brown who passed away yesterday morning, it's hard not to think of the Saturday Night Live skit where Eddie Murphy plays Brown in the famous hot tub scene. After the jump enjoy the Godfather of Soul performing "Popcorn" which has a vaguely familiar beat with the SNL tune.......

During the 6pm news tonight, Christmas, on KNBC, hosted by Ted Chen and Kelly Mack, there was no mention of the fact that today is the anniversary of Jesus Christ's birth, or the name "Jesus", or the name "Jesus Christ". Was it because they decided to ignore Christmas all together? Nope. "Christmas" was uttered 30 times. "Holiday" was said 10 times. "Santa" - twice "pope" - twice "tsunami" - three times "savior" - once......

While some debate about who created rock and roll, there has only been one Godfather of Soul, James Brown, who he died this morning of pneumonia. Yesterday he went to the dentist for a "routine appointment" when it was discovered that the "Hardest Working Man in Show Business" had the illness. Rarely has an artist inspired legends with his voice, his songs, his style, and his dancing. Prince, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Sly and......

The Republic of Loose is only a "new band" to Americans. In Ireland they have been drawing huge crowds, and impressing the pants off of anyone they encounter since 2005. The best way to describe their sound is: if James Brown had a baby with Rick James, and the baby grew up the be a gang-bangin, gospel-singin, cowboy of funk.Last night LAist attended their only Los Angeles show at the Troubadour, which was the 3rd......

Panic Channel, Sarah Silverman, Suicide Girls (pictured) @ Dragonfly The Grates, The Like, Har Marr Superstar (dj set) @ Spaceland Hit the Lights, Cute is What We Aim For @ Knitting Factory The James Gang @ Gibson James Brown, Angie Stone @ Hollywood Bowl The Zombies, The Holograms, Mooney Suzuki, Phantom Planet @ the Avalon Deerhoof, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog @ The Troubadour Josh Gracin, Kelly Dalton @ House of Blues Snowden @ Silverlake......

Did the 50 or so people, spread throughout the audience, plan this light saber spectacle for when John Williams brought out the Star Wars music at last night's Hollywood Bowl concert? It was especially funny when they started running through the aisles swinging those sabers. A few of the summer jobbing teenager aisle attendants were decapitated. Great show. John Williams is the man. But did anyone find it odd (yet, a little cute) that......

With sweat dripping down my neck and the taste of stale whiskey on lips, I rocked the dance floor of the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana this past Saturday night. The reggae themed Surf Rock Tour took place just east of L.A., bringing out the fabulousness of Chapter 11, OPM, and Common Sense. Oh, and did I mention, there were even a few drunken guys boogieing down to James Brown between sets. Not to......

After Wired ran a story documenting the GoogleCenter of the United States a bunch of ists jumped on the opportunity to figure out their own middle. Gothamist, Chicagoist, Bostonist and Seattlest all zoomed in on their creamy GoogleCenters. A crack cartography team is hard at work determining the GoogleCenter of the Ist-a-verse as you read this... Austinist read a book about Olympian Bode Miller and liked it. They also took a few pictures of the......

Earlier this week kissy couples were wading through roses and red tissue paper deeper than an east coast snow dump and singles shook a tiny, lonely fist (no ring!) at it all. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Valentine's season is in the can, finally. Austinist is already pulsing with SX energy and posting on the People's Choice Award nominees and the short films that will be playing while the......

"We've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark...and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it." It's hard to believe that 25 years have passed since the Blues Brothers first appeared on the silver screen, but they have. Harder still to believe that this movie holds up so well, and packs a powerhouse assembly of Blues and Soul music that have never been seen since in a film other than a......

Tomorrow night, Avalon Hollywood in conjunction with Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas is hosting a Tsunami Benefit. All of the proceeds of the show, which features Justin Timberlake, James Brown, Carlos Santana, John Legend, Macy Gray, Herbie Hancock, Earth, Wind & Fire and more, are going towards UNICEF's Tsunami Relief efforts. We're not quite sure of all the details yet but we will update this as soon as we do. A week from......

BoingBoing dot net has come across an amazing discovery today -- an auction on eBay for a grilled-cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary forever burned into the oily, butter-coated surface. The seller, genuinely serious about selling a grilled-cheese sandwich that has been mysteriously preserved over the last 10 years without ever getting moldy or maggot-infested, confirms that this particular grilled-cheese sandwich has been blessed by God Almighty. And blessed by the......