"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be' - she always called me Elwood - 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me." -- Elwood P. Dowd, Harvey (1950) more ›

Hey check it, yours truly was invited to contribute some commentary to this ABCNEWS.com article (I'm on page 2). Thanks for your support! more ›

Talk show host, real estate mogul, crooner and all-around entertainer Merv Griffin has died. He was 82. Merv got his first big break as a singer with band leader Freddy Martin at L.A.'s Coconut Grove in 1948. He parlayed his singing career into acting in feature films in the 1950s. He jumped from the big to the small screen and found success as a game show host and sometime guest host for Jack Paar on... more ›

Beautiful downtown Burbank was the butt of many a Johnny Carson joke. Sometimes one does get the sense that Burbank is a little podunk town, caught in a time warp. It’s like living in Mayberry. People in the higher tax-brackets live in the hills, and around the The Equestrian Center. This post is going to focus on the flats, particularly around the neighborhood called "Magnolia Park" by Real Estate agents trying to make it... more ›

We love good books. We even love some bad books. What we don't normally go in for, however, are memoir-type books, especially those of Hollywood legends. They hardly ever write the books on their own (this is Hollywood after all) and the gossipy asides from yesteryear never intrigue as much as promised. more ›

After the Guinness buzz wears off, after the shamrock foam fades away, after all your St. Patty’s festivities have come to an end, you will have a chance to save a life. more ›

Tonight - Friday - March 9th, 2007 Lakers @ Sixers (KCAL, 5:40 p.m.) Clatterford (BBC America, 9:00 p.m.) Series premiere. A new show from AbFab'sJennifer Saunders Close To Home/NUMB3RS (CBS, 9-11:00 p.m.) New. Las Vegas (NBC, 9:00 p.m.) Season finale. Larry King Live (CNN, 9:00 p.m.) Remembering Johnny Carson - do you remember him? I do. 20/20 (ABC, 9:55 p.m.) New trial for momma murderer; Nigerian Internet scams Party Monster (IFC, 9:00 p.m.) Macaulay... more ›

Today we celebrate the birthdays of: iPod, miracle device Keith Van Horn, NBA forward Kaleena Kiff, Santa Monica born actress Shawn Wooden, NFL free safety Daryl Price, NFL defensive end Brooke Theiss, California-born actress Al Leiter, MLB pitcher Doug Flutie, CFL/NFL quarterback Mike Tomczak, NFL quarterback "Weird Al" Yankovic, singer/songwriter Sam Raimi, writer/director - "Evil Dead II", "Spider-Man" (more after jump) Louann Fernald, Playboy Playmate '79 Dwight Yoakam, singer/songwriter Ang Lee, director - "Crouching... more ›

So Jon Stewart will host the Oscars this year. Hosting the Oscars solo is a little like climbing Everest: the idea of doing it is always there, taunting America's elite comedians and raconteurs. Some, like Bob Hope, can beat it — 12 times he hosted alone, and more times with helpers tagging along. Others end up like Beck Weathers and David Letterman, beaten and barely alive, knowing they'll never do it again. But the challenge to climb it remains, irresistable, until the opportunity is seized. Many who've tried have passed into that good night. Stewart, we love ya: please bring a sherpa. more ›

Kotaku points us to a petition to get Hollywood to consider video games for the Walk of Fame. To this we respond: No. more ›

The Academy Award Nominations were announced this morning and with it brought a special gift: a free peek into Calendar Live for the article. It's been so long since we've actually seen the news website, we'd forgotten what it looked like. Apparently they have a section called The Envelope which covers all the entertainment industry awards ceremonies. Free Calendar Live! Free Calendar Live! more ›

Of course, the biggest local story is the death of Johnny Carson. The LA Times has an obituary written by Daily Variety's Brian Lowry and focuses on his entertainment career. The Daily News takes an even more local look and examines how America's greatest talk show host effected Burbank. Johnny Carson was 79 years old. more ›

CNN reports, "Dangerfield suffered a small stroke after the operation and developed infectious and abdominal complications. But in the past week he had emerged from the coma, the [Dangerfield's] publicist said. more ›