The music featured in John Hughes’s films is currently getting a delightful cabaret tribute with “For the Record: John Hughes (Holiday Road)” at Show at Barre. more ›

If you have a tuxedo or formal wear at the ready, think about participating in the Tuxedo Tyrants' adventure in bar hopping for charity tonight. But if you're in the mood for something more casual, then Grand Performances kickoff at the California Plaza might be more your style. Read on for the deets and other ideas for your Friday night consideration. more ›

I'm always stuck when it comes to New Year's resolutions. I've already got a great job, a beautiful lady & a weekly soap-box to rave about my favorite theaters. But there's always room for improvement. For instance, I'm not as curmudgeonly as I'd like. Luckily, the Aero has my late lifecoach, W.C. Fields, and two of his finest films to help me on my way. I'd also like to increase my martini consumption. New Year's Eve is a lovely opportunity to brush up, but if I'm resolving to do this, I should enroll in the Egyptian Theatre's weekend seminar, led by inspirational drinker James Bond. more ›

UCLA Live presents Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis tonight at 8 pm at Royce Hall. Under Music Director Wynton Marsalis, the 15-piece resident orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC will perform rare historic compositions to modern jazz, including compositions and arrangements by members of the band. Tickets: $38-$85. ($15 UCLA students). more ›

A wise man was once misquoted: "Beer is proof that God loves us". May I further bastardize: "And so are horror movies!" It's no coincidence both are celebrated in October, the most wonderful month of the year. Par ejemplo: long-awaited horror anthology Trick 'r Treat. Scheduled for release years ago, the film was instead shelved in a nasty trick, despite a bankable cast (headlined by the fang-banging, award-winning Anna Paquin & all-around-awesome character actors Dylan Baker & Brian Cox) and unanimous acclaim from the few who have seen it. Which is why it's such a treat that there are two screenings this week before its descent into direct-to-DVD hell. The Cinefamily has Trick 'r Treat's writer-director Michael Dougherty as special guest on Friday, while the New Bev unearths Stephen King's Creepshow on Sunday. Be scared or be square! more ›

Fig Restaurant in Santa Monica helps celebrate the Santa Monica Pier’s Centennial celebration next week with special menu items that are on a stick, on bread and in a basket. Specials include: Wagyu Corn Dogs ($9), Scotch Duck Egg ($7), Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll ($9) and Blue Cheese Filled Buffalo Chicken ($9). more ›

In what turned out to be an unhappy coincidence of timing, the Hollywood Outdoor Cinema presented a screening of the classic 1986 teen flick about love, class consciousness and the prom, Pretty in Pink. The film's screenwriter, Johh Hughes, died suddenly last Thursday in NYC at 59, which has prompted a wave of cinematic nostalgia, many of whom made their way to the parking lot of the empty Circuit City on Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake this weekend to attend the screening. more ›

Director John Hughes, 59, has died, according to TMZ. He was in New York City on a trip taking a morning walk when he suffered from a heart attack today. Hughes' movies--some of them that he wrote, director or both--many of them based in around Chicago, included classics such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Home Alone and Planes, Trains & Automobiles. After stepping back from the film industry, he resided in Northern Illinois on a functioning farm, enjoying his time with a family and supporting independent art, notes Variety. R.I.P., John Hughes and you were right when you wrote this line for Ferris: "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." more ›

After graduating high school outside of Chicago, most peers of mine got jobs as lifeguards at the beach, day camp leaders or book worms at Borders. For me, I went straight back to the place I was so excited to leave... to be a janitor for the summer. My high school was not just any public school, it was New Trier, a well tax-funded North Shore suburban institution, standing four stories high (five if... more ›

Streets of Fire (1984) releases today on HD-DVD, something we at LAist believe is a big fucking deal. It's one of the greatest films of the 80's, right up there with The Wizard, WarGames, and Adventures in Babysitting. I fail to mention any John Hughes films, since the holy grails of teenage-oriented motion picture go without saying. more ›

We're looking for new interviewers. We're also giving away a signed poster from The Chumscrubber. We opened a merch store as well featuring LAist branded American Apparel shirts (amongst other things). And we talked about... more ›