National Treasure: Book of Secrets ($20.2M/$171M) and I Am Legend ($16.3M/$228.6M) continued to rule the box office, but the weekend's big news belonged to Juno. In its first weekend of wide release, the sly comedy raked in $16.2M ($52M) and has now eclipsed the gross of last year's indie-ish* hit Little Miss Sunshine (*both films were produced by major studios). Alvin and the Chipmunks was a hair behind at $16M ($176.7M). Crappy newcomer One......

In a crowded weekend of new movies, it was National Treasure: Book of Secrets that topped the box office with a haul of 45.5 million dollars. I Am Legend showed good strength in it second weekend ($34.2M/$137.4M) as did Alvin and the Chipmunks ($29M/$84.8M). Charlie Wilson's War managed fourth place in its debut ($9.6M), just ahead of fellow opener Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ($9.3M). P.S. I Love You had a......

George Bush issued the fourth veto of his presidency today, nixing a bill that would have provided insurance to poor children. Bush said the program was too costly, apparently cool with the fact that the Iraq war now costs over $455-billion. That's B for billion. And B for Bitch. Curbed LA takes a gander at a new development planned for West LA. In as much as the structure looks like a monument to cubism,......

- Green LA Girl takes her show to the LA Times via The Emerald City - congrats Siel! - LAT - Laker center Kwame Brown gets popped for Disorderly Conduct in Georgia on Saturday after his cousin was charged with drunk driving after going the wrong way down a one-way street. Laker fans would like to see that sort of effort in the paint - AP - Even though it's only 56-years old, and......

A Word or 50: It's premiere TV newsman Edward R. Murrow's birthday today. Doubtless he would be ashamed and aghast at how pathetic the mainstream press has performed with respect to questioning the powers that be over these last six years. To look more fully into this, check out PBS tonight at 9 p.m. Tonight - Wednesday - April 25th, 2007 Humphrey Bogart Marathon (TCM, 5-?? p.m.) Learn it all from Bogey: The Big......

You know the screenplay that Donald Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) is writing in Adaptation, the hackneyed, high concept spec script called The Three? Well, Joel Schumacher and Jim Carrey went and made that movie. Sure, they added a dopey numerology twist and tacked "Number Twenty" onto the title, but it's the same film, complete with the idiotic "twist". I'm sorry, am I ruining it for you? Don't worry. If you're stupid enough to waste your......

This film is best viewed when stoned. No joke here. About twenty minutes into the movie it dawned on me -- this movie is purposefully making fun of itself. Ghost Rider is a serious movie about a hero who doesn’t take himself seriously at all. Neither does Nicolas Cage for that matter. There is one scene in particular that spells this out, where Cage laughs uncontrollably for several minutes at an orangutan karate-chopping some......

Academy Award Nominated Short Films - A compendium of this year's live action and animation shorts. Breach - Based on the true story of Robert Hanssen who spent 15 years spying for the Soviet Union, a breach that is one of the worst intelligence disasters in US history. Chris Cooper plays Hanssen and Ryan Philippe plays the newbie agent sent to keep on an eye on him in this cat-and-mouse drama. The Boy Who Cried......

A Word or 116: So I missed the first 10 minutes of the Grammys which meant that I missed the effing Police. I punished myself by watching the rest of the Grammys: a collection of posers I will never go see perform and whose songs I've never heard and will never care to hear. 24 is back with a 2 hour allotment but my understanding is that I'm not supposed to watch 24 anymore......

Question: How many women being punched in the face does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: Nicolas Cage. If you're like me, by the time you get to the part where Nic Cage's head is forced into a basket of bees, you'll be rooting for the insects.......

Weekend Edition Friday - Today "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) An evening of stop-action animation starts with this one followed by "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Mysterious Island" "NHL Hockey" (5:30 p.m.) Kings @ Stars "NBA Basketball" (KCAL, 6:00 p.m.) Lakers @ Jazz "College Football" (ESPN2, 6:00 p.m.) Fresno State @ Louisiana Tech "College Basketball" (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) Long Beach State @ USC "Ghost Whisperer/Close To Home/NUMB3RS" (CBS, 8-11:00 p.m.) All......

This year saw one of the best LA bands reunite: The Plimsouls. The jangley 80s band led by Peter Case played some shows at Austin's SXSW and most recently at Safari Sam's to fans who had missed the group. Probably best known for their crucial role in the classic film "Valley Girl", The Plimsouls' big hit "A Million Miles Away" was basically the theme song for the cult flick starring Nicolas Cage. After the......

When one of the most controversial directors turns one of the most controversial tragedies into a love story, don't be surprised if you start seeing headlines like "WTF WTC?" Stone takes the easy way out in this film, which focuses around the obvious and predictable feelings of the families of two policemen who were in the World Trade Center when the towers collapsed. The renegade director chooses to use the attacks as a backdrop,......