The Marvelous Wonderettes Saturday, Oct. 7 EL PORTAL THEATER Prom night is usually accompanied by a mix of anticipation and worry: Are my dance skills up to par? Read more...

I’m a big fan of wretched excess. Seriously now, I own a 60 gigabyte iPod. Who needs 60 gigs of music? The only thing anyone ever needs 60 gigs for is porn, and that might not even be enough. Read more...

In 1964, Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, seven child actors and a bunch of people dressed as nuns and Nazis all came to Salzburg, Austria to film “The Sound of Music.” And when you go there today, you can still feel the history spraying out of every fountain, shining from every raindrop on every rose, and singing from every hill. Read more...

In years past, a new wave crooner such as Baby Dayliner on his first national tour might have been sponsored by left-leaning radio stations such as KCRW. Read more...

When the Brentwood Public Library needed money to modernize 19 years ago, UCLA alumna and fundraiser Carole Schiffer swooped to the rescue with what is now the longest-running food festival in Los Angeles. Read more...

In the video game world, film adaptation is often the sincerest form of mediocrity. “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” for the Atari 2600, for example, rushed into production after only five months and the infamous flop was allegedly so bad that, according to urban legend, thousands of copies were buried away in the desert. Read more...

“Employee of the Month” Director Greg Coolidge Lionsgate With a token hot blonde, a Mr. Popular and an underdog trying to get the girl, “Employee of the Month” has all the makings of a teen movie ““ except instead of teenagers in high school, it’s about 20-somethings in a retail warehouse. Read more...