This past Sunday, HBO changed the world; or at least its marketing department convinced me it did. With an old episode of “The Sopranos” leading into the summer season finale of “Sex and the City” and series premieres of “Carnivàle” and “K Street,” the premium cable network redefined must-see TV, largely through its aggressive (to put it modestly) ad campaign. Read more...

FILM & TV: ManiaFest Laemmle Monica Theater Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to midnight The last day of this sci-fi, fantasy and horror extravaganza finds the likes of Stan Lee, Guillermo del Toro, and Chuck Russel serving as panelists on a day featuring films inspired by comic books. Read more...

Frank Black’s innovative guitar-playing and songwriting skills seem to always be one step ahead of the rest. However, despite his major influence upon the music community, Black appears to have a casual attitude about his musical career and seems content to remain on the fringe. Read more...

Leave it to an exuberant Danish duo to put radio programmers and other media types into a tizzy of cultural confusion. Ever since Junior Senior’s party vibes made its U.S. Read more...

This is the story of a middleman ““ a middlewoman to be exact. Sandwiched between the artist and the press, a publicist usually facilitates interviews, instead of actually giving them. Read more...

For the past few weeks, something sinister has been infiltrating my favorite nightly news shows. And just because my friends and family members keep trying to convince me that the normal content of programs like “Access Hollywood” and “Extra” shouldn’t qualify as “news” (clearly these individuals have very screwed up priorities) doesn’t make this recent trend any less disturbing. Read more...

“Once Upon a Time in the Midlands” Sony Pictures Classics Directed by Shane Meadows “Once Upon a Time in the Midlands” is a film with a bit of an identity crisis. Read more...