Who brought in the big bucks in the last year in showbiz? Vanity Fair has released their rankings of the Top 40 biggest earners in Hollywood, and Avatar's main man, James Cameron, takes the #1 spot, with $257 million earned in 2010. VF says this list is "limited to creative figures—stars, directors, producers—and to the money they earn from film," mind you, so what's actually in the bank is a whole other issue. Also on the list: Katherine Heigl (#33), Vin Diesel (#29), Owen Wilson (#26), Tyler Perry (#17), Taylor Lautner (#9), and Johnny Depp (#2). Yay, rich people! more ›

Writer Dominick Dunne died today at his home in New York, according to the LA Times. The bestselling author of crime-meets-celeb scandal tomes like Another City Not My Own (based on his involvement in the OJ Simpson trial), film producer, and Vanity Fair contributor was 83, and had been battling bladder cancer. Born to an affluent East Coast family, Dunne moved to Los Angeles in the late 50s and worked extensively in television. His writing career took on new proportions following the 1983 murder of his daughter, Dominique. Dunne's only surviving child, son Griffin, is an actor, and his sister-in-law is iconic Californian writer Joan Didion. more ›

The much-maligned, oft-hated James Frey, author of the fictional memoir A Million Little Pieces and the man most well-known for being dissed on national TV by Oprah Winfrey, is back. While many now agree that blame for the whole Frey-affair rests with both Frey and his publisher, Frey got the bad end of the deal and has been vilified ever since. This time, he's sticking with fiction instead of peddling fiction-as-truth. His new novel, Bright Shiny Morning, is about LA and he's signing books tomorrow night (with Josh Kilmer Purcell and Black Tide) at the Whisky a Go Go in a joint event with Book Soup and Vroman's. more ›

Photo by GarySe7en via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr more ›

Photo by williamnyk via Flickr more ›

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To hear them tell it, Lana Clarkson had two best friends, Jen and Pie. Jennifer Hayes-Reidl (right) testified last week. Punkin Irene Elizabeth Laughlin, aka Punkin Pie, is testifying today. Why are both of her friends testifying on behalf of the defense? And why are they both so orange? more ›

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- You've come a long way baby. Maxim ditches the usual suspects (models, actresses, hookers, waitresses) and celebrates the sexiest comedian of our time, next to Gallagher of course - egotastic - Talk about burying the lede... magician du jour Criss Angel spotting partying with Cameron Diaz AND Drew Barrymore. If that dude has any magical powers he would have dressed up as Lucy Liu and played Charlie's Angels 4 with the pair all... more ›

Tonight - Friday - March 9th, 2007 Lakers @ Sixers (KCAL, 5:40 p.m.) Clatterford (BBC America, 9:00 p.m.) Series premiere. A new show from AbFab'sJennifer Saunders Close To Home/NUMB3RS (CBS, 9-11:00 p.m.) New. Las Vegas (NBC, 9:00 p.m.) Season finale. Larry King Live (CNN, 9:00 p.m.) Remembering Johnny Carson - do you remember him? I do. 20/20 (ABC, 9:55 p.m.) New trial for momma murderer; Nigerian Internet scams Party Monster (IFC, 9:00 p.m.) Macaulay... more ›

Kyle Bunch watches the blogosphere every day as head honcho of Blogebrity. Prepare as he breaks down the top 10 Blogebrities and sneaks in an eleventh when noone's lookin: more ›

Last night was Katie Couric's debut on CBS -- and she had a scoop for those watching. No not secret government prisons or anything like that -- but photos of the just as mysterious Suri Cruise. The nearly 5-month-old scion of the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes pairing will make her debut in a 22-page Vanity Fair spread that will be released next week. Now LAist got a look at the cover of the magazine and... more ›

Born in Japan as the only child of a Japanese mother and Anglo American father, novelist Nina Revoyr now makes her home in Los Angeles. Nina mines childhood experiences living in South Central to craft exquisite novels about the historical interrelationships between Angelenos of Asian American and African American descent. Indeed, her second novel, Southland, literally explores the historical connection between the two communities as the book's protagonist tries to solve a family mystery involving her grandfather's secret will and a 40 year old murder case that awakens memories of the internment of Japanese American citizens and Japanese nationals during WWII and the Watts Riots. The Los Angeles Times named the novel one of the best books of 2003. Nina's work has been featured in many magazines, newspapers, and radio shows, including the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, and NPR's Weekend Edition. more ›

Publishing's not just for Manhattan any more. The bombastic right-wing industry mogul Judith Regan, of ReganMedia, is officially abandoning her NY offices and moving the operation to Century City. She claims it's too expensive to operate out of Manhattan these days. Regan is one of the most powerful women in publishing, and the most intimidating. A former editor told Vanity Fair in Roundtable: "I know this sounds ridiculous, but there was always … this vague sense she might actually do physical damage," more ›

everbody loves jack mccoy: Shows like "Law & Order" are helping Angelenos trust lawyers more, according to a recent study by a jury consultant in Manhattan Beach. The more TV people watched, the more they found lawyers trustworthy. But it's a marginal improvement: lawyers still only beat building contractors and CEOs. More trustworthy than lawyers? Professors, judges, journalists, movie producers, actors, pharmaceutical salespeople, television writers and jury consultants. more ›

We track an award-winning TV writer who worked on Good Times to a homeless shelter and see a Little Old Lady get a jaywalking ticket because she can't get across fast enough (in the same post!). Poets invade Metro and an LAist contributor's new book asks WWJB. more ›

A few hours from now, "Vanity Fair columnist Christopher Hitchens debates political theorist Andrew Arato of the New School for Social Research on the war in Iraq and its impact on the present and future of America" at REDCAT (8:30 p.m.) more ›

We have to admit, we're inclined to like hotelier Jeff Klein, who told Vanity Fair that he didn't want Lindsay Lohan drinking $16 cosmos at the bar in his newly-restored Sunset Tower Hotel. So when we pulled in to the valet last night (excellent service from a guy with distinct rocker-scruff) we were bouncy and excited. Friends were meeting in the bar for drinks. We ordered what turned out to be a $13 martini -- maybe the fact that we're not Lindsay Lohan makes all the difference. more ›

The Golden Globes are over, Industry-types are off to Park City for Sundance and the Oscar nomination/winner odds-making begins in earnest. Now is the time for out-of-town journalists to do their legwork about town in order to find new ways to describe the luxuriousness of Wolfgang Puck's Oscar Ball menu or give readers a verbal blueprint of this year's location for the Vanity Fair party. more ›

Then I told [Di Caprio] I had lunch the other day with his next door neighbor in the Hollywood Hills – Joan Linclau, who owns the house just above his. When we visited her out there a couple summers ago, she told us Leo liked to shoot hoops in the wee hours – this she knew because … ahem … she could hear the bouncing ball. The other day, when I asked her about the late night hoop shots, she told me he’d built a full basketball court in its place. Which was quite a production, lights and all. However, she told me that although she was worried at the outset, they've done a great job on the court and that it won’t affect her sleep. And, that “Leo couldn’t have been nicer.” Their neighborhood is pure star-land. Leo lives in Madonna’s old house. On the other side of Joan is Keanu Reeves and one beyond that is Toby Maguire. more ›

The American Cinematheque presents a double feature of Reese Witherspoon in "Vanity Fair" (2004) and Alexander Payne's "Election" (1999). A discussion with Ms. Witherspoon will take place between films. more ›

The film is very entertaining, if lightweight; it's sexy, stylish and has a groovy soundtrack showcasing the talents of Dave Stewart and Mick Jagger. Jude Law's performance finally delivers on the promise of his turn as Dickie Greenleaf in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." We've never seen Law so relaxed and funny. more ›