Thomas Wolfe famously opined that "you can't go home again," and that's true as far as it goes, but what if one never truly had a home in the first place? Where does one attempt to return to then? Robert Anderson's 1968 play I Never Sang For My Father tackles this sad issue head-on in its look at an adult man trying to find the love he never got from his elderly father, and its core truth that not everything can be fixed is so universal that time hasn't dimmed its emotional impact. The current production by the New American Theatre is excellent all around, but is made a must-see by Philip Baker Hall's magnificent lead performance. more ›

On Saturday night -- following yet another brilliant concert by Lisa Hannigan at the Troubadour -- my friends and I headed over to Pink's for a late-night "Mulholland Drive" dog. We ended up speaking to a couple from Covina who had just attended a screening of Madea Goes to Jail. That couple is now dead, as should all of those be who made the awful Madea this week's box office champ ($41.1M). The thrilling Taken was a very distant second ($11.4M/$95.1M) just ahead of the surging and splendid Coraline ($11M/$53.3M). more ›

It's a sad weekend for movie-goers across the country when it's a slam-dunk certainty that Madea Goes to Jail is going to easily top the box-office. I admire Tyler Perry's business acumen, but he is truly an awful filmmaker. Then again, is Madea really any worse than Fired Up!? The only way you could get me to see this flick is if it was rated XXX. If you are a fan of Project Runway (which I'm not) then Eleven Minutes is probably required viewing. Chain Link is a hard-core indie flick (one guy writes, directs, edits and produces) so support it if that's you're thing. Delhi-6 looks like it's trying the ride the coattails of Slumdog Millionaire. Good luck! more ›

R&B singer Ike Turner, who some consider a father of rock-n-roll, did not go gently into that good night when he died at his home near San Diego in December. In fact, the 76-year-old was high, high, high on cocaine. more ›