Zooey Deschanel famously loves (to hate but no, really, heart) Downtown Los Angeles. And lest you think that whole debacle where she was reported dissing the redeveloping 'hood had been put to bed, we were tipped off to a subtle nod to the deliciousness of DTLA in the perky actress/singer's recently-released iPhone 4s commercial. more ›

If you have a hankie, please reach for it now: The cutest, palest, sweetest, veganest alt-rock couple are donesville: Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel have announced the are breaking up. more ›

You guys, Zooey Deschanel is adorable. Well, that's what Entertainment Weekly says after her session with the hard-hitting journos in attendance at the annual TCA event today. Plus: you need to know that Deschanel was also asked questions about her love (or lack thereof) for Downtown Los Angeles, and where she likes to go when she goes there. Which she does. No really. She's been "many times," okay? more ›

Skewered in a L.A. Times opinion piece, Zooey Deschanel has posted an open letter to Patt Morrison on Hello Giggles, accusing the journalist of launching a "misguided personal attack" and spinning a baseless caricature of the actress/singer by taking a quote fragment out of context. more ›

While attending the black-tie BAFTA gala on Saturday with the royal honeymooners, Zooey Deschanel reportedly turned on her 500 Days of Summer locale, suggesting to USA Today that the surroundings of the Belasco Theatre left much to be desired. more ›

Director David Gordon Green’s latest film, Your Highness, brings back the star of his hit film Pineapple Express, James Franco, but puts him in a whole new world, or rather an old medieval one. It’s a world created by it’s co-screenwriter Danny McBride, who also appears in the film as Thadeous, the “spare” to Franco’s royal brother “heir,” Fabious. more ›

Tonight Caetano Veloso, most known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, will be gracing the Greek Theatre. Legendary Stockton-bred indie rockers Pavement are poised to take on the Pomona Fox Theater before following an eastward course. And, lastly, Portland-based alt-country duo She & Him (LAist Review), or rather Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, will be performing down the street at the Glass House. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Hotel Café to catch Portland-bred indie rock quartet Archeology. more ›

LAist was in attendance as an eager crowd filled up the sold-out El Rey Theatre for a night of googly-eyed swooning. Zooey Deschanel & Co.—best known as She & Him—took the stage in support of their latest album, 2010's Volume 2. The real highlight of the night though was the harmonious performance by the Living Sisters, which featured a very expectant mother-to-be Inara George. more ›

Having just gotten out of a relationship which had eerie parallels to (500) Days of Summer, I have no intention of seeing it anytime soon. You should, though. It's wonderfully melancholy and real (excepting the amazing musical sequence with the animated musical bird). I was thrilled to see that District 9 made such a large impact at the box-office. It gives hope to those of us who are tired of seeing nothing but pre-packaged concepts that have been given virtual body-cavity searches by the studios' risk-management trolls. more ›

I keep trying to resist these manufactured "bromance" movies, but damn if they don't continue to work on me. While some men enjoy the guilty pleasure of crappy, godless action spectacles like Transformers and G.I. Joe, I am helpless against the machinations of Paul Rudd. I gave 17 Again a chance in the theater only because I still have a soft spot for Matthew Perry. Probably should have waited for the DVD. The Class was one of the best-reviewed films of the year, so naturally no one saw it during its brief theatrical run. Correct that mistake today. Zooey Deschanel gets nekkid in Gigantic! Yay! (uh, the movie is okay, too). The way I figure it, any time I get a chance to point someone toward Led Zeppelin, I'm gonna point them toward Led Zeppelin. more ›

While it didn't manage to top the records of the deplorable Transformers 2: Racist CGI Moron Porn, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince did enjoy a fantastic weekend as it set a record for the franchise and easily won the weekend ($79.5M | $159.6M). Ice Age 3: More Ice Age placed second ($17.7M | $152M) while the aforementioned Transformers 2: Revenge of the Stupid gathered in a richly undeserved $13.7M ($363.8M). As expected, last week's champ -- the evil, hysterical Bruno -- crashed in its second weekend ($8.3M | $49.5M). more ›

LAist has already seen the excellent Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and this weekend the rest of Los Angeles will likely follow suit. One small quibble, though: how do you leave out the [ ] of [ ]? It would have been one of the most powerful scenes in the entire series. That said, the realization of the pathetic Horace Slughorn is fantastic; the scene in the cave is top-notch; and the Quidditch play (especially Ron's Keeper sequence) has never been better. Thank God, the Deathly Hallows is being split into two films. Lots to cover! more ›

The 15th annual Los Angeles Film Festival kicks off tonight at 7:30 pm with the premiere screening of Paper Man at the Mann Village Theater. The full festival begins in earnest the following morning as over 80 documentary and narrative features unspool in venues across the Westside. In addition to that, the festival features panels and seminars, coffee talks and poolside chats, short-film programs, music video showcases, live concerts and free screenings of such beloved films as Ghostbusters, Election and The Muppet Movie. more ›

Not headed east for the Coachella Valley this weekend? That's perfectly okay because there's plenty of stuff to do. And most of the stuff tonight doesn't cost nearly as much as a music festival pass. more ›

Photo courtesy of Kunal Sen Animation more ›

There’ s an evening showcase by New Filmmakers LA at Sunset Gower Studios. Short films by Bruno Miotto, Nicholas Wong, Robert E. Sperlinga and Sean Christensen, will be screened at 5:45 pm with feature films at 7 and 9 pm. The first feature is the LA premiere of Gigantic (starring Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman), followed by another LA premiere of Goodnight Irene (a foreign feature from Portugal starring Golden Globe winner Nuno Lopes). Guests will have an opportunity to meet the directors and actors from the films and participate in a Q&A. Tickets are a steal at $6 -- and that also includes an an open bar and appetizers. more ›

If you are looking for an evening of light entertainment with the whole family, what better choice is there than Doubt? I love priest-rape dramas. Are you like me -- do you marvel at the rare ability of Adam Sandler to not ever make you laugh at anything? Ever. As far as I'm concerned, Keanu Reeves probably would have done a better job of playing the giant robot in The Day the Earth Stood Still than his human counterpart. Yes Man = another slip down the rope for Jim Carrey. The bottom is sneaking up on you, Jim! I wish my life was like Donkey Punch (eg. hot, naked babes on big yachts). Just without all the rape and murder. more ›

If you find yourself on a street corner singing "Maybe God is God. Maybe the Devil is me!" like some crazed Hollywood and Highland street preacher, chances are good that Matthew Vasquez had something to do with it. Like the sensation of a raw nerve pulsing deep down in your ear, his voice reaches into your skull, takes command of your vocal chords, and orders them to sing along, with or without you. more ›

In a down weekend due to bad weather across the country, middling Jim Carrey "comedy" continued to hang around like a drunken slut ($7.7M/$100.1M). more ›

Throughout the month of December ArcLight Hollywood is offering a series of Monday night 21+ screenings of favorite holiday titles. On tap tonight is Elf at 8 pm with Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” more ›

Never before in Jenny Lewis' hyper-extended career has the ruddy-haired front woman sounded so affected. Her folksy, small-town image—which has been trumped by her larger-than-life affiliations—does give way to some semblance of musical authenticity. And, surely, the majority of her most ambitious effort to date, 2008's Acid Tongue, is performed with great gusto. But Lewis can not avoid giving the slightest impression that she is straining for her effects. Sometimes in the grip of great passion you fail to uphold your intent. more ›

M. Night Shyamalan continues his increasingly rapid descent towards irrelevance with the silly, overblown , today is an ideal buying opportunity. more ›

Despite early misgivings that it might be too soon for another ($10.1M/$119.9M). more ›

Despite a striking visualization of comic-book style, Ang Lee's endured swarms of criticism from fans of the character when it landed in 2003. Fast-forward five years later and it's as if that film never happened as Marvel re-boots the character with The Incredible Hulk. The film went through one of those so-called "troubled" post-production periods (e.g. Ed Norton=dicky). Recent word of mouth, though, has been strong. more ›

As far as live variety shows go, it doesn’t get much better than the 826LA Book*Smart events at Largo. The event, which usually takes place once a month, features an author, a comedian and a musician. Saturday’s event centered around headliner Zooey Deschanel, who blew the audience away with her vocal chops and helped raise funds for 826LA with sewn duck heads (it’ll make sense as you keep reading). more ›

Rain rain has gone away...so Tuesday we'll go out to play. Here's what's going on around town tonight: more ›

As the year enters week two, organizations are programming newer music, that which was composed in the last century. This weekend, the Los Angeles Philharmonic began their Concrete Frequency series to an excellent start wth Aaron Copland's "The City" played to film and Edgard Varèse's "Amériques." After the concert, hip-hop violinist duo Paul Dateh and inka one (we interviewed Paul him this summer) played in the lobby by the cafe while Breakestra funked up the BP Hall. more ›

Whats the best and the worst thing about being Buck 65?
The best thing is getting to see the world and the worst thing is that it's pretty much impossible for me to have a girlfriend.

Where are your favorite cities to do shows, and where does LA rank?
LA ranks very highly actually. Vancouver is always amazing. Brighton is very good. Glasgow. Melbourne. Seattle. It would be hard to pick a number one.What happened with you and Anticon? Are you still tight with those homies?
I'm tighter with Anticon than most people realize. Those guys are still good friends and I'm sure there will be more work in the future.What non-hiphop influences do you draw upon?
My main non-hip hop influence is film. Especially French film. Musically I could throw around a few names like Woody Guthrie, Howlin' Wolf, Leonard Cohen, Erik Satie... And old-time music in general.How did you get the name Buck 65 anyways?
My dad gave me the name, but when I ask him why, he won't tell me...Which artists would you like to collaborate with (besides The obvious choice: Nelly Furtado)
I met Nelly a few times and thought she was sweet. I can think of literally hundreds of people I'd like to work with. I have a few very interesting collaborations in the works right now. But at the top of the wish list would probably be... hmmm... Zooey Deschanel. Can you help me get word to her on that?Sure, we'll tell her.
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