Following its debut at the Telluride Film Festival, Up in the Air was being heralded as a strong contender for a Best Picture Oscar. The fact that it didn't win anything at last Sunday's ceremony should tell you it wasn't nearly as weighty and significant as early press indicated. Still, it was another solid film by Jason Reitman and another effortless turn by Clooney. more ›

I'm still upset that Dumbledore's funeral was left out of Half-Blood Prince, but this latest installment in the Potter series definitely delivers a gloomier, more adult vibe than any of the previous films. Can't wait until 2/2/10 to see the newest chapter of Lost. Until then, the DVD set of Season 5 will have to do. Best documentary of the year? The Cove. Most important documentary of the year? Hmm...The Cove? Maybe so. Michael Mann's films are required viewing for any cineaste. Public Enemies may not be in the same league as Heat, but it's still a tense, macho ride. Julie & Julia would have benefitted from less Julie and more Julia. more ›

This Sunday "Robin Williams: Weapons of Self-Destruction" airs on HBO at 9pm. This is the first special Williams has done for HBO in over seven years and it will most certainly cover his recent stint in rehab and his open-heart surgery. See the above video for a couple leaked clips from HBO. --- Mark Wahlberg says there's two more seasons of "Entourage" left and then perhaps a movie. more ›

Phony romance New Moon reigned over the box-office for a second consecutive weekend ($42.5M | $230.6M), though feel-gooder The Blind Side almost nipped it in the end ($40.1M | $100.2). Disaster-fu disaster 2012 held onto third place ($18M | $138.7M), just nosing out awful newcomer Old Dogs ($16.8M) and the sturdy A Christmas Carol ($16M | $105.3M). Ninja Assassin debuted to a solid $13.1M ($21M), topping mediocre kiddy flick Planet 51 ($10.2M | $28.4M) and the superb Precious ($7M | $32.4M). more ›

I really enjoyed the first half-hour of Worlds Greatest Dad. The dialogue between the father and son was unflatteringly accurate, as frustrated family members will sometimes speak horribly to each other and this kid (played by Spy Kids alum Daryl Sabara) lives in a constant state of frustration. I had to pause the movie, however, after Robin Williams’ character discovers the body of his teenage son, dead from auto-erotic asphyxiation. My sister, who was watching with me, went from enjoying the film to sobbing during this scene and I needed to put on something happy for a while. Almost a decade ago one of our extended family members lost his 15-year-old stepson that way and this part of the script, too, was unflatteringly accurate. I returned to the movie a few hours later and watched the rest of it alone. Just like with my little cousin, first there is talk that he hung himself, but that doesn’t make sense to anyone who knows him, and eventually the truth behind the tragedy comes out. more ›

I was never a huge fan of the Terminator movies, so I wasn't too upset about the mythology-raping that goes on in Terminator Salvation. For me it was just good, loud fun with cool robots and Moon Bloodgood's amazing cleavage. During a family visit over Christmas I was snookered into seeing the first Night at the Museum. That will not be the case with the dreary-looking Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Yes, the flicks are stupid, but I am a fan of whatever the Wayans' brothers touch so I'll queue up for Dance Flick. In shame. more ›

NY Times, the paper of record, says that Tivo has struck a deal with DirecTV so that subscribers will be able to record programs in HD on a new recorder made by Tivo. Other than the coolness factor, what should be noted is that Tivo will now be the recorder of choice for DirectTV, Comcast, and Cox - and people were saying Tivo was gonna disappear. more ›

Enough with the Oscar talk -- Kimmel's long-awaited response to "I'm Fuckin' Matt Damon" is here and it's chock-full of hilarity: more ›

For over seven years, the Rebels of Comedy have created a warm and welcoming environment in one of America's most notoriously vicious industries. The comedy troop regularly brings Los Angele venues the biggest names and best up-and-coming talent in stand-up. more ›

I watched Saving Grace last night because there was nothing else on and I was sorry I did it. Holly Hunter I love you but there should be a better show than this for you - it's morphed into Touched By An Angel with touches of profanity. It looks like there's a lot of stuff tonight (below) but it's actually pretty sparse. I'll have some DVD reviews up soon since that's what I'm really watching,... more ›

I hope you've got a bunch of stuff Tivo'd because there's nothing on until Sunday. You tell me that there is stuff on tonight? What, you mean Friday Night Lights, NUMB3RS, or Las Vegas? Please. Tomorrow, there's no reason to turn on prime time TV unless it's for Citizen Kane on TCM at 8:30. The Big Story is Sunday, check it: Sunday 8:00pm Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project HBO - Special. Don Rickles is... more ›

Listen to the interview here: Bobby Slayton is an icon, he's been doing stand-up for 30 years, everyone in the industry knows him, and generations of us have grown up on his comedy. At his live show the crowd gets warmed up with a video of practically every single well-known American comic, from Don Rickles to Robin Williams, giving props to Bobby. I've been listening and seeing Bobby Slayton perform for 25 years, listening to... more ›

In a couple of weeks I will be joining 40,000 artists, misfits, deviants, hippies, vampires, musicians, furries, and nudists to participate in the 21st Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. So if you happen to be strolling through Venice Beach during the week of Aug. 27- Sept. 3 and wonder where all the freaks are at don’t be alarmed, we’re all just taking a much needed vacation from the default... more ›

Not ON cocaine, but a standup of where he stands on cocaine. This is from his classic "Live at the Met" show and is absolutely priceless. Peruvian Marching Powder. This is slightly NSFW, but you probably could guess that from the title.... more ›

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... more ›

6:22 - It's your last chance to text in your vote for Best Movie. I know it hasn't even opened yet, but I bet that somehow Transformers will win. 6:21 - Mike Myers gets a well-deserved laugh after he thanks his parents for teaching him to "never sell out" and immediately follows it with a deliberately over-the-top promo for a Pontiac sedan. Plug away. 6:19 - "Shall I shag him now or shall I... more ›

A Word or 4 dozen : Somehow I totally missed posting that the Shield was on last night and again it was good. I think one would be hard-pressed to find more raw and compelling performances on any other show available on the networks or basic cable. Being a former SF resident, I haven't been able to get enough of Conan's broadcast from the Orpheum theater on Market Street- too bad that's still bum-junkie... more ›

The Jesus and Mary Chain, Giant Drag @ The Glass House Stephen Marley, Damian "Jr Gong" Marley @ House of Blues Tapes & Tapes, Harlem Shakes @ Spaceland Jet @ The Troubadour Vast @ El Rey The Shys, Dirty Sweet, Lords of Jack @ Viper Room Vow of the Repentent, Artistic Expression, The Circuit, The New Colony @ Roxy Xu Xu Fang, Stephenson Ranch Davidians, Ludger @ Silverlake Lounge Elliot Randall Band, Pete Hopkins,... more ›

The Red Hearts, The Rolling Blackouts, Sonodora, Plans to Leave @ Viper Room more ›

Current Record: 17-20, 4th Pacific, 10th West more ›

Tommy Sands, Glen Glenn, Ray Campi, Barry Holdship, Dusk Devils, Patty Booker, Lisa Finnie, Candye Kane, Carlos Guitarlos, Rip Masters, The Blasters, Justin Curtis, Danny Blitz, Dawn Shipley, The Fleagles, Count Smokula, Rod & the Tonemasters, Crown City Bombers and others - Annual Elvis Birthday Bash @ Henry Fonda more ›

The Guitar Center Drum-Off Grand Finals starring +44, Street Drum Corps, Hellride @ Henry Fonda Theater more ›

Tim Sullivan writes a weekly column for the San Francisco Chronicle. He says he still has no idea what it's about. He likes punk rock music and posting photos on Buzznet. And, according to this list, he likes Frisco over our beautiful paradise. more ›

Tuesday Night "NBA Basketball" (PRIME 42, 6:00 p.m.) Clippers @ Jazz "Nova" (PBS, 8:00 p.m.) A genetic impairment causes an entire Turkish family to walk on all fours. PBS is attempting to become the Discovery Channel, or TLC or something sensational. What next, "When Anthropologists Attack"? "Dancing With the Stars" (ABC, 8:00 p.m.) This is the finals, finally - does anyone think that they'll let Emmitt Smith walk away with this thing? I'd like... more ›

Monday Night "Monday Night Football" (ESPN, 5:30 p.m.) Buccaneers @ Panthers "Kingdom Come" (IFC, 6:00 p.m.) Feel good neo-blacksploitation flick starring LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox "College Football" (PRIME 42, 7:00 p.m.) Oregon @ USC "NHL Hockey" (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) Sharks @ Kings "Prison Break" (FOX, 8 p.m.) see if these guys finally make it out of prison before the show goes on extended hiatus "Two and a Half... more ›

Remember Green Jell-O? Remember when they had to change their name to Green Jelly? Remember when they were given their own studio on Hollywood Blvd. a few blocks east of the Palladium to dig into their endless banks of creativity and bring back gooey nuggets of rock? Remember how they don't have that studio any more and now they have to open for Metal Skool? We kid our local Gwarabees. The Roots @ Avalon... more ›

Grim news about a Southern California staple: Chris Morris, a 103.1 dj, says in the Hollywood Reporter that the nation's largest free-standing record store chain, Tower Records, is in huge financial debt and may not last another year: The amount of money that Tower owes evidently is staggering. One confidential source familiar with Tower's balance sheet put the company's debt to Warner Music Group's distributor WEA Corp. at $20 million. The same source said... more ›

E3 has once again left the City of Angels, leaving in it's wake a trail of litter advertising the newest, hottest games, tons of Starbucks cups, the swag no one wanted, and booth babes sporting a bit more money in their wallets. Everyone that exhibited during the week of videogames is still probably recuperating, we can only imagine. Best thing overheard at E3 this year? "Man, this is where nerdy girls get laid." more ›

Despite the huge marketing campaign by Starbucks Entertainment and the not-too-terrible reviews, Akeelah and the Bee debuted in 8th place with an anemic $6.3 million at the boxoffice. Kind of disappointing for the feel-good film to finish behind the number one film, RV (Robin Williams' take on Vacation), and Stick It, which, LAist guesses, does for gymnasts what Bring it On did for the cheerleaders of America. more ›