With a blend of heavy hip-hop beats and politically conscious, peace-promoting lyrics, the Oakland duo known as Zion I will perform today in Westwood Plaza in support of the student walkout against the war with Iraq. Read more...

Monica Bellucci, French film star, recently discovered a universal truth: while shocking audiences can be great, embarrassing your mom is not. “My mother called me, and said, “˜Monica, what did you do?'” Bellucci said. Read more...

“Aladdin ““ A Musical Spectacular” Disney’s California Adventure Running indefinitely (714) 781-4565 With the less-than-successful addition to Disneyland, “California Adventure,” Mickey and friends needed a miracle, or at least a good marketing scheme: enter “Aladdin ““ A Musical Spectacular.” Following in the same vein as “Lion King’s” Broadway success, the Disney sorcerers (and their apprentices) have creatively translated the feature-length animated cartoon to an exciting 45-minute stage show in the snazzy Hyperion Theater. Read more...

In less than 20 days, millions of people from around the world will be eagerly watching as Hollywood hosts its biggest party of the year, the Academy Awards. Read more...

It’s got to be hard being one of the most beloved authors in the United States. And by hard I mean pretty easy. Take Michael Chabon, he’s recently been the first guest editor of the hip literary quarterly McSweeney’s, seen one of his books get turned into a hit movie (“Wonder Boys”) and another win the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 (“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay”). Read more...

To score or not to score, that is the question. Sunday’s screening of silent Chinese martial arts films at the James Bridges Theater, showed that sometimes it’s better not to score. Read more...

Actor, rapper, producer and possibly emerging sex symbol, Queen Latifah is shaking up movie star stereotypes on her rise to prominence in Hollywood’s aristocracy. “I don’t want to fit into other people’s idea of me. Read more...