Director Jason Reitman's live read of the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski at LACMA's Bing Theater was the hottest ticket in town on March 29. The L.A.-set cult film capped off Reitman's Film Independent series, and the casting was inspired: Seth Rogen (The Dude), Rainn Wilson (Walter), Christina Hendricks (Maude), Hank Azaria (Donny), Jason Alexander (The Big Lebowski), Catherine Reitman (Bunny), Fred Savage (Brandt), Nick Kroll (Jesus) and Sam Elliott reprising his role as The Stranger. more ›

For those of you who simply cannot get your fill of Jeff Bridges' "The Dude" character from the 1998 film The Big Lebowski, mark your calendars for November 2012. No, we're not talking about a movie sequel (unfortunately!). We're talking about a big bad book. more ›

"2011: The Adult Industry in Photos" is a candid look back at the past twelve months at a business that is headquartered in the San Fernando Valley. more ›

Beloved for his role as patriarch Dan Conner on TV's Roseanne, among several other roles, actor John Goodman is one of the "dudes" in the cult classic film The Big Lebowski. Well, happy birthday, dude. Today's video lunch is all about you. more ›

The Downtown Independent has a winning line-up this weekend! Everyone's favorite Adonis warlock has been booted from the small screen, but Charlie Sheen truly explodes on the big screen! The Charlie Sheen Weekend Bender features Wall Street on Friday night, and a tenacious trio of The Chase, Hot Shots & Major League on Saturday! Between films, the Bender boasts #tigerblood competitions & a Charlie Sheen Lookalike contest. Fans of the Downtown Independent have also started a #wewantcharlie campaign on Twitter in an attempt to lure the actor away from his "goddesses" and into an appearance at the event. more ›

Earlier this month, the local adult business publication XBIZ held its ninth annual XBIZ Awards at the Hollywood Palladium. Hosted by Jesse Jane and comedian Whitney Cummings, the show awarded 106 prizes in five categories (Movies & Production, Web & Tech, Pleasure Products, Retail & Distribution, and Special Recognitions). more ›

Thousands of miles, 12 set visits, 4 award shows, 2 conventions, 2 colleges, and 1 benefit. Those were the statistics for LAist last year in covering the adult industry, headquartered in the San Fernando Valley. more ›

Tonight marks the start of Lust & Larceny: The 12th Annual Festival of Film Noir at the Egyptian. The festival brings 12 nights of films on murder, deception, crime and revenge and most of these titles aren’t available on DVD. Tonight’s features include Cry Danger (1951) at 7:30 pm, directed by Robert Parrish, and features views of Downtown LA. The second film on the bill is Tight Spot (1955) with Ginger Rogers and Edward G. Robinson. more ›

Frank Henenlotter is the J. D. Salinger of exploitation cinema - a few game-changers and he's gone. Sure, Brain Damage (about a hallucinogenic space worm), Frankenhooker (a romantic retelling of Frankenstein with dismembered hookers) and the Basket Case series (horror-comedies starring homicidal siamese twins) may not be required reading at your local high school, but his latest, Bad Biology, is required viewing at your local Cinefamily. It's a black-humored, black-hearted love story, with an oversized genitalia, an overabundance of clitorides, and more mutant babies than a playdate with Trig Palin. And if that's not enough to get your butt in the seat, Frank himself will make a rare in-person appearance. He'll also be at Burbank's Dark Delicacies earlier in the day, in case you want two signatures before he disappears again. more ›

Because there's just too much fun to be had tonight, we couldn't decide on our favorite Pencil pick. So we chose two: more ›

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With one very notable exception, it's a fairly dull weekend in the movie world. That exception, of course, is the sterling No Country for Old Men. After several misfires (Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers, The Man Who Wasn't There), the Coen Brothers are back with their best film since The Big Lebowski. Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones all give superb performances in this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name.... more ›

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice and the press making the speaker of the California State Assembly, Fabian Núñez, run away when being asked hard questions about sketchy luxurious and worldly expenses. more ›

This weekend fans of "The Big Lebowski" will gather for Lebowski Fest LA and Book Release Party. Followers of the religion Dudeism and of the film can be found wearing bowling shirts, drinking White Russians, and getting a little crazy "Dude" style. Known for his memorable interpretive dance scene in the film, I asked Jack Kehler who played Marty, the Dude's Landlord, about the cult status of this Coen Brother's classic. LAist: The film opened... more ›

There probably isn't a city in America that has more fans than our own beloved Los Angeles. So why not spend a weekend commingling with dozens of other Lebowski devotees? While the event isn't until October, tickets for the 2007 Lebowski Fest go on sale tomorrow at 1 p.m. through Ticketweb.com. more ›