Killing on the big screen at the New Beverly tonight, courtesy of Eli Roth. / Photo by hemmob via flickr. TALK Author Katha Pollitt discusses her new book On Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories with UC Irvine Professor Jon Wiener as part of the ALOUD at the Central Library series. Pollitt is a poet and columnist for The Nation who’ll discuss her latest essays that deal with sex, death, ex-lovers, politics, motherhood,......

When you list the truly groundbreaking films in the history of Hollywood, The Jazz Singer would be right up near the top (if not at the top). For those who don't know, it was the first successful "talkie"--a film that has synchronized dialogue. It opened in New York on October 6th, 1927 and changed the course of cinema history. Silent films, which until then had dominated the film industry, would eventually become little more......

Big Bad Mama & Black Mama, White Mama Big Bad Mama, a 1974, Roger Corman-produced breasts-and-bullets flick, features the brilliant tagline, "The family that slays together, stays together." This B-movie version of Bonnie & Clyde is set in 1932 Texas and stars Angie Dickinson as a bootlegging, bank-robbing mom who joins up with Tom Skerritt and William Shatner to bilk society for all they can get. In between the robbing and killing are numerous sexy......

Oscar Shorts at the Academy To kick off Oscar Week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present "Shorts!" a program featuring the 10 Academy Award-nominated films in the Animated and Live Action Short Film categories. The program, hosted by director Taylor Hackford, will feature onstage discussions with the nominated filmmakers. Short Film (Animated) The Danish Poet, Torill Kove, director Lifted, Gary Rydstrom, director The Little Matchgirl, Roger Allers, director; Don Hahn, producer......

Still making up your mind about what to do with yourself this weekend? There may still be tickets left to hear "Incredibles" director, Brad Bird. speak at "The Animated Performance: Art Meets Technology" lecture tonight Friday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. $5. Bird joins the director of "Ice Age" (2002) “Aladdin” Genie animator and animation branch member Eric Goldberg, Academy Award winner Jan Pinkava (“Geri's Game”) and “Lord of......

The first week of February is a momentous time in Los Angeles. Alas, other matters eclipse Groundhog Day here. For February 1st is the day eager beavers can obtain reservations for the The 2004 Foreign Language Film Award Nominees Symposium on Saturday, February 26, at 10:00 a.m., in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Wilshire Blvd. Moderated by Mark Johnson, producer of "Diner," "Rain Man," the symposium features representatives of the 2004 Best Foreign Language......

Is it us or is Variety.com becoming more accessible? Well, it's Oscar Nom eve and those Hollywood-types still left in town are counting down the hours til actor Adrien Brody joins Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences president Frank Pierson in announcing the 77th Academy Award nominations on Jan. 25th at 5:38 AM out at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Wilshire in Beverly Hills. Scott Robson quizzed Industry vets about surviving the......