It looks like Time Warner Inc. will be spinning off Time Warner Cable and announcing that sometime today. No word yet on how that might affect subscribers (like yours truly) of the TV, phone, and web services that the cable entity offers. 9:00pm MI-5 BBCA - This show kicks butt over any similar US show: "CSI", "NUMB3RS", etc. 9:15pm Brief Encounter TCM - (1945) Hey romantics, this tale of unrequited love directed by David Lean......

Comedy Central has started to establish some control over Wednesday nights. What's funny is that I started to go back to them on Wednesdays because of Lewis Black's excellent show "Root Of All Evil" (anyone catch him on Conan last week? He was great) and now I'm finding myself re-engaging with "South Park" but I'm sure that program directors at Comedy Central were planning for the flow to happen the other way. Whatever, it's working......

Comedy-rich LA has a lot to choose from. Here are some highlights for the month of April: Upright Citizen's Brigade LA has Jeff Garlin on Sundays and Greg Proops & Ryan Stiles on April 9th. Jon Lovitz @ The Laugh Factory Hollywood every Thursday April 4-6 Jay Mohr @ The Brea Improv April 24-27 Anjelah Johnson @ The Brea Improv (of the famed "Nail Salon" YouTube video & others)And there's always the very good grab......

With Lost sent off to Hiatusland for the next month, Thursday's have suddenly deflated to an extraordinarily flaccid state - makes me hunger for the return of Thursday regulars like "My Name Is Earl" (check out NBC's CEO Jeff Zucker season rehash promo). After scouring the listings I can only come up with Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train(1989) on IFC at 8:15pm and then Don Rickles on Jimmy Kimmel for late night watching. In news......

Human Giant unleashed itself upon an unsuspecting public last year via MTV and the bell just rang for Round 2 - are you ready? There's sketch comedy, there's underground sketch comedy, there's in your face on-the-streets sketch comedy, and then there's Human Giant, a team that presents, in each episode, collections of bits that are more like experimental movies than the sketch comedy we've been seeing for the last 15 years. There's plenty of parody......

It's the start of a beautiful, long weekend in LA, and we just really liked this photo from LAist's flickr pool. / Photo by el daverino via flickr. Yes, we know it's the start of a three-day weekend, and many of you are getting out of dodge. But if you're around, there are a lot of quality events going on all weekend. Here's a sampling of what's happening tonight: THEATRE The 10 Minute Play......

Today, December 5th, is the 4th annual International Day of the Ninja. While we don't recommend taking swords to work, come nightfall, you can let out your inner ninjutsu at the El Rey Theater on Wilshire. Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine of Ask a Ninja will host. The Ninja awaits your questions, so don't be talkin' like a pirate. Get there early for special guest performances from funnyman Patton Oswalt and the hilarious audio-visual offerings......

LA Scumbag just busted with a nice photo essay of Alicia Keys, later LAist photo editor Joey Maloney will give you some more pics, and if we're lucky perhaps LAist's own Heath Biter - a WGA member - will write about what the vibe was like at this huge rally that didn't quite reach 10,000 marchers, but got damn close. But in the meantime, how about some photos of the celebs and the cool......

I decided to hold this review (and the Pixar Short Films DVD) for as long as I could because I wanted it to be fresh in everyone's minds as they prepared for the start of the Christmas shopping season this Friday. Whether you are looking for something for a girlfriend or a nephew or even a grandparent, Ratatouille belongs in your basket. It is another in the increasingly long string of delightful movies that......

Pixar's long streak of superb movies is starting to feel vaguely satanic, but I'm willing to keep embracing evil as long as it's this rich and funny. Ratatoille is the latest and resides in the very top tier. Michael Moore's Sicko didn't rouse as much rabble as Fahrenheit 9/11, but it's a better movie. Interesting that Seinfeld: Season 9 is dropping on the same day as Flight of the Conchords: Season 1 since Murray......

Morrissey @ Pasadena Civic, 2/1/07 Morrissey @ Palladium John Prine @ Cerritos Center Limbeck, The Fareckiea White Soul Band, Jason Karaban @ The Hotel Cafe Redman, Kidz in the Hall, Akir @ House of Blues Fionn Regan, Brandi Shearer @ The Troubadour Justice @ Henry Fonda Patton Oswalt @ Largo Oliver Future @ Spaceland Holly Golightly, Castledoor @ The Echo Fireball Johnson, The Uglysticks @ The Gig AD Chandler, Pam Shaffer @ Genghis Cohen......

Holy jeebus my eyeballs are gonna fall out. There's about a 1/2 dozen series premieres and a 1/2 dozen season premieres tonight. Unfortnately the only new thing calling my name is the Bionic Woman (9:00pm NBC) but that's based on junior high school fantasies and not what I've seen so far of this show. Prime time offers such an overabundance of mediocrity I'm tempted to head off to TCM at 8:00pm and watch the......

Spoon - "The Underdog" Spoon @ Henry Fonda The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Viper Room I'm a Bird You're a Bird @ The Cat Club 14 Year Old Girls @ Pehrspace Lucinda Williams @ El Rey Gram Rabbit, Donita Sparks @ Spaceland Metal Skool, Zombies Ate My Nation @ Key Club Todd Rundgren @ Grove of Anaheim Doug Benson, Patton Oswalt @ Largo The Happy Hollows, The Western States Motel, Tigers Can Bite......

Morris Day & the Time, Sea Wolf, The Broken West, Ben Harper, Blonde Redhead, The Emotions, Medusa, Breakestra, Autolux, Culver City Dub Collective, The Parson Red Heads, The Pity Party, Division Day, others @ Sunset Junction (10a-10p) Yolanda Adams, Angie Stone, Clarence Carter, The Laws Family, Eloise Laws, Barbara Morrison, Linda Hopkins, Billy Valentine @ Compton Summer Soul Jam, Par 3 Golf Course Stevie Nicks, ZZ Top, The Pretenders, Stray Cats, Sugar Ray @......

Saturday Other than sporting events, including NFL pre-season football (we're practically only just out of July for chrissakes), all there is, if you are a glutton for punishment, is a Doris Day Marathon on TCM - the 12 movie block started at 3:00am so you'd best pop some corn and get that ass on a couch. Sunday 10:00pm Roast of Flavor Flav Comedy Central - Snoop, Patton Oswalt, Jimmy Kimmel, and the rest of......

PB&J playing their hit @ Red Eye Fly, SXSW 3/14 Peter Bjorn & John, Cass McCombs @ Henry Fonda Godsmack @ The Wiltern MIA @ Echoplex Michael Penn, Patton Oswalt @ Largo Oliver Future, The Gray Kid, Astra Heights @ The Troubadour The Last Town Chorus @ Amoeba (6pm) Maxeen, The Mercy Kiss, Acute @ Key Club Mower, Lords of Rock & Roll Thunder & Lightning @ Viper Room Bat For Lashes, Tara Busch,......

Rush @ Hollywood Bowl Slint @ Henry Fonda Sanjaya Malakar, Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, Jordin Sparks @ Staples Center Division Day, Saint Motel, The Health Club, Moving to France @ Viper Room Buckwheat Zydeco, Doug Legacy & the Zydeco Party Band @ Safari Sam's Patton Oswalt @ Largo Snow Patrol, Hot Hot Heat @ Greek Johnny Polanco @ El Floridita Metal Skool, D’Amato, The Hammer, AL-CE-MI @ Key Club Plasticsoul, Brandon Schott, The Breakups,......

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge) Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta! (Side One Dummuy) Mark Ronson - Version (RCA) Oh No! Oh My! - Between The Devil And The Sea (Dim Mak) Gravy Train!!!! - All the Sweet Stuff (Cochon Records) Danzig - The Lost Tracks of Danzig (Evilive) The Monkees - Headquarters [DELUXE EDITION] (Rhino) Chris & Rich Robinson - Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy (Eagle) They Might......

A CG rat, a couple documentaries, John McClane and a Swiss genius...should make for an interesting weekend in the theaters. Be sure to also check LAist's LA Film Festival coverage for some other gems playing around town this weekend. Ratatouille - As far as I'm concerned, Pixar has yet to put out a bad film. Some of my friends argue that "Cars" was a glorified NASCAR commercial and "The Incredibles" lacked originality (just like......

Bad Manners @ Safari Sam's Thailand, Radars to the Sky, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, Fast Computers @ Silverlake Lounge Metal Skool, Inberst, Sound of the Struggle, It’s Revenge @ Key Club Patton Oswalt @ Largo Nomo, The Lions @ Temple Bar Health, Robin Williams on Fire @ Pehrspace Cracker & a Coaster, The Abe Lincoln Story, The Digs @ Mr. T's Bowl Eagle & Talon, Open Air Stereo, Van Gunn, Barcelona @ The......

Clutch, Year Long Disaster, Backyard Tire Fire, Warner Drive @ Roxy Michael Penn, Patton Oswalt @ Largo A Flock of Seagulls @ Hollywood Park Uncle Monk, String Theory, Groovy Rednecks @ Knitting Factory The Autumns, The Sugarplastic, The World Record, Veil Veil Vanish @ Spaceland The Mae Shi, Abe Vigoda, Anchors for Architects, Maria @ Pehrspace Nous Non Plus, Porterville, Pity Party @ Safari Sam's Malcolm Jamal Warner's Miles Long, David Ryan Harris, Dujeous......

A Word or 52(approx): Gouge away if you wish, but Lost was excellent last night. I need some comic relief tonight so it's My Name Is Earl in Smellovision (go get your TV Guide now with the Smell Card) and the Office for me - I can't commit to more than that, I have a couple bottles of beer waiting for me. Tonight - Thursday - May 3, 2007 Angels @ Royals (FoxSports, 7:00......

About ten days ago at Spaceland Shapes of Race Cars (not Races Cars, LA Weekly), played with the Binges in a show that even Mummy from The Monster Squad attended and rocked out to. Tonight you'll have to choose which one you want to see, unless of course you're interested in laughing, in which case you might consider Patton Oswalt... or Metal Skool who are known to attract celebs to their shows. After the......

Besides exposure for new and upcoming music, SXSW also serves as a launching pad for products, companies and shows like MTV's upcoming Human Giant. Starring funny men Aziz Ansari, Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer, the show kicked off a sneak preview party last night at Friends on 6th St. We ran into Sam Grossman, development exec at MTV. He talked about the new sketch comedy show with us over beers. “There’s a Bugs Bunny......

A Word or 28: Am still impressed with the fact that Bill Gates went on the Daily Show on the eve of a major product kick-off. Too bad the product sucks. Tonight - Tuesday - January 30th, 2007 Lakers @ Knicks (KCAL, 5:30 p.m.) Kings @ Flames (Fox Sports, 6:00 p.m.) Dateline NBC (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) Members of 'Perverted Justice' search for perverts! If only it were the other way around. American Idol (Fox,......

Peaches & Herm, Whitey, Jeffree Starr - she is the foul mouthed over-sexxed rappergrrl and Herm, her backing group consists of JD Samson (Le Tigre’s) and Samantha Maloney (Hole). Jeffree Starr is the transvestite who somehow became one of your Myspace friends @ Avalon The Bangles, Matthew Sweet, The Southland, and others perform as a benefit for the TunaHAKI foundation which helps AIDS orphans @ The Roxy Golem, Jill Soloway, DJ Anaan - Join......

Alice Cooper @ Grove of Anaheim Patton Oswalt, Doug Benson @ Troubadour Comets on Fire, Indian Jewelry, No Doctors @ Echo Get Him Eat Him @ Spaceland World Party @ Tower, Sunset (free - 7pm) The Kids of Widney High @ Key Club Brass Monkey Brass Band @ Temple Bar Eyes of Fire, Soul Take @ Whisky Tyler Hilton @ House of Blues 50 Cent Haircut @ Canter's Kibitz Room photo by the sweaty......

Happy birthday to Wolfgang Amadeaus Mozart, born today in 1756 in Salzburg. If you're reading this, odds are you're not in Austria at the big celebrations. And locally, well, things are a lot more low-key. The LA Chamber Orchestra will perform all of Mozart's piano concertos — it will take a while, and their big shindig won't be until Saturday. If you're booked, on Tuesday head to the Pacific Palisades for a smaller chamber......