"No Country For Old Men," "There Will Be Blood," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," and "Atonement" all received nominations for Best Picture this morning, as the Academy Award nominations were announced in Beverly Hills. "No Country" and "There Will Be Blood" are the front runners with eight noms apiece, including a Best Actor nod for perennial Oscar fav Daniel Day-Lewis, and directing nominations for the Coen Bros. and Paul Thomas Anderson. While Javier Bardem was recognized......

Decades later the moviegoing public is finally blessed with a sequel that lives up to the full potential of the Alien franchise. All it took was some lovingly modified action figures, skillful puppeteering and lo-fi effects wizardry. Ridley Scott never had it so good! Please enjoy the first episode of Alien 5, a clever sci-fi parody from the clever folks at Probot Productions.......

WEDNESDAY • Dinosaur Jr. are back, performing tonight at Avalon at 8 PM. Tickets are $27. • The Silversun Pickups, Fly Better Broken, The Moon Upstairs and Sound Team are on stage tonight at Spaceland. Doors open at 9 PM. • The White Stripes continue their week-long stay at the Greek Theatre, performing tonight with Autolux at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $45. • AFI at ArcLight is screening Ridley Scott's scifi masterpiece Alien at......

And let the thoughts pour in... Stimulate your intellect at some of these happenings around town: Tonight, Book Soup presents Gerard Jones who will sign "Men of Tomorrow: Geeks Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book." In a real-life Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, long-time comic book insider Gerard Jones (Killing Monsters, Honey I’m Home) chronicles the birth and enduring life of the American comic book. Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd. W.......