Ryan Holiday a self-described "media manipulator for notorious clients like Tucker Max and Dov Charney" has landed a pretty penny for a book deal. more ›

Trojans, someone out there is not doing you proud. An email has been floating around -- and by floating around, I mean picked up nationally -- in which the writer, who is supposedly a member of USC's Kappa Sigma fraternity, lays out some not-so-flattering ideas about how to sleep with women. They include thinking of women as "targets" instead of people (see bolded, below), what makes a woman a desirable target (hint: it has little to do with her fine Trojan mind), and a rating system based on physical beauty. more ›

As the preeminent Keats scholar in my small cadre of illiterate friends, let me say that I was mostly outraged at the shabby treatment accorded the poet by director Jane Campion (LAist review here). I had such high hopes for this film when I entered the screening, but everything was dashed in short order. Gone was any indication of Keats' magnificent intellectual gift. Rather, he was rendered as little more than a simpering poet chasing after Fanny Brawne. Campion would have been better served focusing on Keats' last days in Rome with Joseph Severn. That would have made for some marvelous cinema. I probably liked I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell more than most, but then again I do fucking rule! Tucker Max is obviously a cretin, but the film is mostly a genial, albeit raw rendering of a bachelor party gone terribly south (LAist review here; LAist interview with director Bob Gosse here). It's definitely worth a peek on DVD (assuming there is tons more nudity). more ›

On first blush, Bob Gosse seems like an unlikely choice to direct Tucker Max's ribald memoir, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. After all, it was Gosse who co-founded the seminal independent film company The Shooting Gallery while also producing the early indie hits, Laws of Gravity and New Jersey Drive as well as directing the superb Niagara, Niagara. What is this guy doing directing a movie about a narcissistic alcoholic who fucks midgets? LAist recently had a chance to talk to Bob about exactly that. more ›

I can understand people disagreeing with Michael Moore's political beliefs, but his talent as a documentary filmmaker is unquestioned. This is a man who knows exactly how to move an audience. His latest, Capitalism: A Love Story, deals with the thieves that populate our financial industry. If all you are looking for are some good laughs, buck up and a buy a ticket to I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (LAist review here). I think you'll like it more than you expect. Sheesh, could Surrogates look any more obvious and silly? Pass. more ›

It's been a long time since a movie has riled up so many people before even opening in theaters. And yet that's exactly what's been going on with I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Based on the salacious memoir by Tucker Max, the film has been met by protests in North Carolina, had advertisements yanked from buses in Chicago and generally been nebulously associated with "promoting rape culture" by numerous blogs and publications. Tomorrow, Angelenos will be able to see what all the fuss is about as Beer in Hell lands in theaters. My take: it's a fucking comedy, people. Comedies are supposed to make you laugh. It does! more ›

Not since Magritte was in town at the beginning of this year have so many people talked about an art show. Featuring dozens of controversial pieces from a variety of artists like Jackie Beat, Angus Oblong, Plastic God, Mad Puppeteer, Jim Winters, Austin Young, Selene Luna, Jtodd Irby, Chris McKim, Garilyn Brune and Gay Bigfoot, who knew that a topless painting of Bea Arthur that was bought off eBay for a little over $100... more ›

Before we admit to liking Fall Out Boy, we just want to say that the easiest thing in the world to like are the cool things - Sonic Youth, Geto Boys, Iggy, Gwar, The Beasties. But to learn to appreciate something for what it is, and not for the pimply teens who also like it, takes a cultured and courageous critic. Not to mention an honest one. more ›

Tucker Max spoke yesterday here at SXSW on a panel called "Turning Your Blog Into A Book" where he explained the success of his website and how it landed him, first a book deal with a $7,500 advance, and once his book "I Hope They Sell Beer In Hell" spent a fortnight on the NY Times Best Seller's List, a new book deal worth $300k. So not only were we all ears, but we... more ›