After their triumphant dramatic success with “No Country for Old Men,” the Coen brothers revert to sophomoric snarky mode in “Burn After Reading.” A dark goofball comedy about assorted doofuses in Washington, D.C., only some of whom work for the government, the short, snappy picture tries to mate sex farce with a satire of a […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Film & Film Making No Comments »

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has agreed to make a film about the founders of social networking site Facebook.

Sorkin, who created US TV drama The West Wing and wrote the Tom Hanks movie Charlie Wilson’s War, has even opened a Facebook account to aid his research.
"I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Film & Film Making, Writing No Comments »

LOS ANGELES — In the past the Toronto International Film Festival helped to set up Hollywood’s awards season.

Abbot Gensler/Sony Pictures Classics
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Samantha Morton in “Synecdoche, New York,” directed by Charlie Kaufman.
This year it may be more about solving the industry’s problems.
Set to begin on Sept. 4, the 33rd Toronto film festival has […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Film & Film Making No Comments »

Randy Newman battles Republicans, death and a goddamn alligator

Randy Newman limps across the blue carpeting of his home studio, past the grand piano and a window looking onto a stream running through his back yard, and pauses at a cluttered countertop, his eyes settling on a piece of sheet music. "This is a song […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Music No Comments »

Venice International Film Festival
Silvio Orlando and Alba Rohrwacher in “Il Papà di Giovanna,” by Pupi Avati.

VENICE — Sixty years ago, when the Venice International Film Festival finally moved back, after World War II, into its home on the Lido, Britain carried off half the prizes: three for Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet,” one for Graham Greene for […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Film & Film Making No Comments »

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - While millions around the world spent Sunday watching the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, 7,000 fans lucky enough to score a ticket to Radiohead’s show at the Hollywood Bowl witnessed not only a band at the top of its game but also an act that at times seemed to […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Music No Comments »

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - British artist Damien Hirst’s human skull encrusted with 8,601 diamonds will go on show at an Amsterdam museum in November.

The artwork named "For the Love of God" was unveiled last year at London’s White Cube gallery and later sold to an anonymous investment group.
The skull fetched $100 million, but it was a […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Graphic Arts No Comments »

Fall Out Boy will release its fifth album, "Folie a Deux," Nov. 4 via Island, the same day as the U.S. presidential election. The project was heralded yesterday (Aug. 25) with the release of an online mixtape, "Welcome to the New Administration."

On it were five Fall Out Boy demos expected to appear on the album, […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Music No Comments »

DETROIT (Billboard) - The Allman Brothers Band plans to use its 2009 engagement at New York’s Beacon Theatre as the focal point for the Southern blues-rock group’s 40th anniversary celebration.

"We’re planning a big one, man, a real big one," founding band member Gregg Allman told Billboard.com. "We’re trying to get all the people we know […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Music No Comments »

Singing at the Democratic convention, Sheryl Crow dedicated her song "Strong Enough" to Barack Obama and then added a twist to the lyrics for the occasion.

"Are you strong enough to be my man, or my president?" Crow sang to her party’s nominee and his newly announced running mate.
Dave Matthews and Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles also sang […]

Posted in Arts and Culture, Music No Comments »