Former child film star John Howard Davies who helped bring "Monty Python" to TV has passed away. --- "Top Chef: Just Desserts" has given us a sneak peak of tonight's premiere. --- Showtime is developing a drama based on "The Damned" comic. --- All this and the TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan. more ›

USA's "Necessary Roughness" premieres tonight at 10pm but we're not sure it's enough to take us away from "Men of a Certain Age." --- The Monty Python team is working on an animated film based on the writings of deceased member Graham Chapman. --- All this plus news & The TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan for tonight. more ›

There's nothing particularly great about Black Dynamite (it's no I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!), but it is a hell of a lot of fun. The normally dour Michael Jai White has a great time as the titular hero, and any movie featuring the fantastic Charlotte Stokely is worth a look. Remember when Gerard Butler was an intriguing actor on the rise -- around the time as Dear Frankie? Now it looks as if he's just cashing checks to pay for big houses. Sad. There's a great story about how the Weinstein Brothers leveraged The Secret Policeman's Ball to first build Miramax. Given the precarious state of the Weinstein Company, is Private Party yet another spin-off? Few directors have had a better run at a studio than Clint Eastwood has had at Warner Brothers. Wish I had that life. Big day at Criterion today. Open your wallets! more ›

As long as he steers clear of movies with numbers for titles, John Cusack's all right with me. Sunday, the New Bev pairs Cusack classic High Fidelity with (500) Days of Summer, both in Scenesteround Sound! The Aero continues the Cusack attack with Better Off Dead, featuring a live commentary from writer-director "Savage" Steve Holland & cast-members Curtis Armstrong, Diane Franklin & E. G. Daily. Considering their work in the 25 years since, it should make for an animated discussion. more ›

Weekend Edition The prediction that TV was fading into the fog of yesteryear as a medium seems to not be true (for the moment). Overall viewership of TV is up by 4% and the departure of the coveted 18-49 demographic seems to have been arrested. The Hollywood Reporter offers a breakdown, network by network. more ›

Weekend Edition The world watches an empty balloon that could be part of a stunt to get a reality show, hmmm, that makes us think that this particularly family could easily head down the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" route - and whoops, TLC is now suing Jon Gosselin. Unless there is some kind of massive intervention, nothing will end well for anyone in that family. more ›

At the premiere of IFC's "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)" at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on October 15th LAist's TV Junkie met all the remaining Pythons other than Eric Idle: Terry Jones, Carol Cleveland, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, and John Cleese. They keep saying that the friendliest Python is Michael Palin but that was impossible to tell as they were all so very kind and patient standing outside in the rain in 40 degree weather (poor Carol Cleveland!). more ›

Some notes on morning programming as a couple new shows have started up fairly recently: Al Roker is a really busy guy, not only is he all over the "Today Show" on NBC but he also feels that he needs to do even more forecasting over at The Weather Channel with "Wake Up With Al" which airs at 3am and 7am. Roker usually (somehow) has a celebrity guest in the studio with him at these ungodly hours. more ›

Looks like "Family Guy"/"American Dad"/"The Cleveland Show" creator Seth MacFarlane is coming through on the idea of a music/comedy variety show. When we attended his "Family Guy" Pre-Emmy party (check out the vids) we marveled at his cabaret prowess an it looks like there were additional admirers at FOX and...... Microsoft? Yeah, MacFarlane will shill Windows 7 as part of the "Almost Live Comedy Show" special as part of an all-Seth MacFarlane night on November 8th. According to Variety, MacFarlane and co-host Alex Borstein "will use what is described as ridiculous and bawdy comparisons to describe what's 'as simple as Windows 7' and what's 'more difficult than Windows 7'" during live-action segments of the show. more ›

On Thursday we will have a chance to speak with some of the surviving members of Monty Python [video to come!] so if you have any questions that you'd like them to answer, please put them in the comments! Also, to remind you, IFC's Monty Python content starts broadcasting this Sunday - for details, check out our post. more ›

October is Monty Python month over at IFC, check out these items on their schedule: Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's cut): New Six-Part IFC original docu-series on Python legacy airs October 18-23 @ 9:00pm. We've watched this and it is excellent and should not be missed by anyone who remotely considers themselves to be a Python fan. We will be at the US premiere of the documentary next week and will ask you for your questions for the Monty Python posse. more ›

If you're anything like me, your Fridays are packed with dead bodies. No? Make some time this week to rectify that situation. The Warner Grand's deadly double of The Giant Gila Monster & The Giant Spider Invasion features radiation, rock & roll, and most importantly, a raffle for a dead body at intermission. Once you've won, high-tail it to the Nuart, where the midnight premiere of controversial coming-of-age-zombie-rape-melodrama Deadgirl will teach you what to do and what not to do with your new friend. If you still have questions, leads Noah Segan, Shiloh Fernandez & writer Trent Haaga will be on hand and happy to help! more ›

Thursday night was the premiere of the two-week Secret Policeman's Ball Film Festival. Festivities at the Egyptian were rolicking fun, with a Q&A between Martin Lewis and "Seventh Python" Neil Innes, clips from the decades of fundraisers, and various musicians getting up to rock the house at the after-party. more ›

Tonight at 9:30pm The Egyptian Theater will be home for the world premiere of The Secret Policeman's Ball Film Festival, beginning a four-week run covering three decades of comedic and musical performances. more ›

Before Live Aid, Farm Aid & Chef Aid came The Secret Policemen's Ball - which made the mold for the benefit concert, broke it, taped it back together, and ran with it. With a wealth of British comedy (including The Pythons, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry & Rowan Atkinson) and musical virtuosos (Pete Townshend, Sting, Eric Clapton & Phil Collins in then-unheard-of "unplugged" performances) donating their talents for Amnesty International, the show & tie-in albums, films & tapes, became a phenomenon more ›

This week didn't seem to be as hot as predicted, but this week's classical pick is packing some heat! Which is literally the case here, since they will have fireworks at the end of the show this Thursday at the Hollywood Bowl. The program has a distinctly Eastern flavor, with music from Russian and Chinese composers, with the world famous pianist Lang Lang and LA Phil's Assistant Principal cellist Ben Hong as the soloists. The program starts with Wu Zuqiang's arrangement of Hua Yanjun's Moon Reflected on the "Erquan" Fountain for string orchestra, followed by Tan Dun's Crouching Tiger Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, composed for the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (if you couldn't figure that out). more ›

Monday The Mods and Rockers Film Festival pulled out all the stops, and reunited The Rutles for the 30-year anniversary screening of the film All You Need is Cash at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. more ›

One of my favorite films of 2007 arrives to DVD today, , rectify that mistake today by buying the new, juicier version. more ›

a writer's perspective I’m not sure why, but there is such a difference between 5am and 6am. When I show up to picket at 6, it feels like it’s early in the morning. Today, when I pull up at Warner Brothers just before 5, it feels like it’s the middle of the night. It’s dark. It’s freezing. I drink 5 cups of coffee, not to wake up, but to stay warm. It doesn’t work... more ›

Okay, so for October, let me share with you my scariest movie experience, which was the original Dawn of the Dead. ...Good God this movie scared the hell out of me. For some reason my parents decided it was okay to rent this and watch it all together as a family when I was in fifth grade. I am still confused about why this happened, but okay, whatever. There's a good plot summary here, but... more ›

I confess to being somewhat of a geek. I read Zapp comics, collect vinyl records and can recite Monty Python sketches verbatum. Which I guess makes me a "stoner-variety" geek. I am not a "braniac-geek" of the chess club, sci-fi variety. I don't watch the Sci-Fi channel unless TiVo decides I have to watch Outer Limits. Because TiVo is my god and must be obeyed. more ›

Release Date: October 9th, 2007 more ›

Before catching The Simpsons this past weekend, this LAist poster had to sit through -- not just one -- but four lame ass trailers. Usually, you get a 50-50 chance of seeing at least one good trailer...because, now call us crazy, but isn't the purpose of a movie trailer to entice people to actually go see the film? At the very least, aren't we supposed to say, "Yeah, the trailer's the best part of that movie..." more ›

This might be a holiday week(end), but LA's theatre scene never rests. Here are this week's five picks: more ›

586 New Releases on the wall, 586 New Releases! Take 16 down, pass em' around... Monty Python - Monty Python and the Holy Grail [Bonus Tracks][REMASTERED] (Sony Legacy) Sly and the Family Stone - Collection [Box Set] (Sony) CocoRosie - Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn (Touch & Go) Madlib - Other Side: Los Angeles (DeAf Dumb & Blind) Blonde Redhead - 23 (4AD) Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (Saddle Creek) Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers (Nonesuch)... more ›

OUT TODAY: Aereogramme - My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go (Sonic Unyon) Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked Ladies Are Men Belinda Carlisle - Voila [Bonus Disc] (Rykodisc) Bloc Party - Weekend in the City (Vice) Chicken Shack - Complete Blue Horizon Sessions (Blue Horizon) Deerhunter - Cryptograms (Kranky) Dexys Midnight Runners - Projected Passion Revue (Umvd Import) Eleni Mandell - Miracle of Five (Zedtone) Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High... more ›

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together in the sight of Rock and in the face of Roll, to join together you, dear LAist reader, and this New Music Tuesday in holy Matrimony. This mystical union is not to be entered into lightly, or unadvisedly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly (ha), and in the fear of the reaper. More cowbell. L'chaim. OUT TODAY: .38 Special - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: (A&M)... more ›

Let's take a look back at a week that raised this Zen koan: if Kevin Federline got into a wrestling ring with a wrestler, who would you root for? more ›

Of the hundreds of shows going down in LA this week, heres two that we're thinking about checking out. more ›

LAist made the mistake of tuning in to Fox's Kelsey Grammer presents: The Sketch Show (they might want to trim that title...or the whole show) last night, and we will forever be longing to have those wasted 30 minutes returned to our lives. more ›