WORDS: There are three events scheduled tonight for the Greenway Court Theatre’s “Celebrate the Word Festival.” At 8 pm is a showcase of spoken word performers from the gay and lesbian community; at 9 pm, there’s a special appearance by KPFK radio personality Jerry Quickley (“Beneath The Surface,” “Live From The Front”); and at 10 pm, there’s the U.S. premiere screening of the documentary film The Words Are Burning Us, which examines the French poetry scene and the global influence of the power of slam. Tickets are $10 per event or $25 for all three. more ›

Mediocre political thriller ($5.1M/$21.7M). more ›

Ethan and Joel Coen, aka the Coen Brothers took home the biggest prizes at tonight's Academy Awards for the film "No Country For Old Men." It wasn't even the best film they've done but then again, Herbie Hancock. Jon Stewart ran the show as he did last year but could do no wrong with Regis Philbin there in the wings. more ›

Live, from in front of our television set, it's LAist's Oscar night liveblog extravaganza. more ›

I'm usually the first to slag the large theater chains for their lack of creativity in programming. As such, I feel compelled to point out when they actually make a good decision. In this case, AMC is doing something so obviously cool that I can't believe it isn't done every year (maybe it will be going forward). This Saturday, several AMC theaters in the Southland will be hosting a marathon of this year's Best Picture Nominees. For only $30 (including a free large popcorn and unlimited free re-fills) you can see . Click here for all the details. more ›

The title of this article was going to be Moona Lisa. Then I realized I'm not actually 8, but 28. There I am, jumping next to the latest mural by Nick Walker. (Why am I jumping? Check out the Whiskerino Project, but beware: you might be blown away by sexiness. Unless you don't like beards.) This Banksy-esque lady can be found on La Brea, past Edgewood (see map below). Walker is one of four artists pasting and painting all over the city, who always include a link to a website named itsawonderful-world.com. more ›

Eight Oscar nominations, a healthy box office gross and a popular catch phrase was not enough for There Will Be Blood. Now it sports the coolest billboard in town. The altered ad, located on Melrose and Mansfield, is another great piece of art by LA's own AUGOR. more ›

In what can only be seen as a ratification of Mike Huckabee's belief that Satan actually exists, . more ›

Not since 1992 when Billy Ray Cyrus sparked an ill-advised cultural revolution with his tuneless "Achy Breaky Heart" has the Cyrus family experienced a moment of such undeserved triumph. Defying all logic and good taste, finished a distant second with $13M, further solidying her status as an actress with middling taste and few passionate fans. more ›

In yet another blow to Western civilization, ($10.3M/$100.1M). more ›

"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 with a Best Supporting nom for his work in "No Country," neither Tommy Lee Jones nor Josh Brolin were nominated for the film (although Jones is in the running for a Best Actor award for his work in "In the Valley of Elah" -- did anybody actually see that?). more ›

Despite being thoroughly outed by Vikram Jayanti in his superb documentary, , the Globes do retain some credibility in certain quarters. I don't buy that they are any sort of barometer for Academy Award nominations, but they do give nominees the extra media attention that may tip an Oscar nod their way. That said, here's what I thought about tonight's results and what they may portend. more ›

Legend holds that after seeing . I'm not sure if it's Paul Thomas Anderson's best film, but I'm certain that it's his most peculiar and ambitious. more ›

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the worst opening weekend of the year! Granted, it's only the first weekend of the year but with a mere one movie opening--. It's your typical, 'let's trick bored teenagers into seeing another bad re-make of a better Japanese horror film.' I thought that trend had run its course, but sadly that's not the case. more ›

The list is a little long this week since I'm including the Christmas Day openers. Having already raved about yesterday, I'll lead off with what some are calling the best horror film of the year, The Orphanage. For any horror fan who's tired of torture porn and bad Japanese re-makes, this is the movie for you. Grim and spare, it's a horror film for adults and Spain's foreign-language entrant for next year's Oscars. more ›

I certainly can't speak for anyone else, but is sure to go down as one of the best films in what has already been a very strong year--maybe the finest since 1999. more ›

• There's still time to win Tori Amos tickets -- the concert ends tonight at midnight! To enter the contest, leave a comment telling us what your favorite Tori song is. Get over there and put the damage on!
• An update on the Sherman Oaks apartment fire that left one person dead: authorities have ID'd the victim as a 63-year-old man who died at the hospital after receiving second- and third-degree burns.
• There was another house fire in Norco late Friday night, and another fatality: this time a 38-year-old man was pronounced dead of fire-related injuries at the Corona Regional Medical Center.
• Are you wondering what to buy for the mustachioed man in your life? Maybe you'd like to surprise dad or brother with a Keg-A-Que Grill? Chicagoist has some great ideas for fun and unique holiday gifts.
• The LA Times launches "Primary Tracker": it looks pretty cool, but since there's no data to play with yet, we're not really sure how it works.
• OMG YOU GUYS VAN HALEN IS DROWNING!!!! Actually, no, but the pool at Eddie Van Halen's Studio City estate has been filled with mud and debris from a broken water main. School at Harvard-Westlake operated as usual today, although some classes were rescheduled.
• A new Department of Justice gun-ownership database might help to prevent more shooting deaths by tracking criminal records against who owns firearms: "LAPD have identified 110 fugitives, ex-convicts and other offenders who legally purchased guns then later were convicted of violent crimes."
• The Los Angeles Film Critics pick their yearly winners: on the list are "There Will Be Blood" for Best Picture, Marion Cotillard for Best Actress in "La Vie En Rose," and Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood."
• "Single greatest night in sports history"??? Last night's Derby Dolls 2007 Championship Match gets lots of love and a thorough recap from LACityzine.
• If those aren't crazy eyes, I don't know from crazy: Britney Spears stole a lighter from a Sherman Oaks gas station, TMZ has video.

Just surfacing amongst the depths of the Pitchfork servers comes the prospect of an unreleased P.T. Anderson short film featuring our beloved Elliott Smith. more ›