In Theaters Today


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The Lovely Bones: Peter Jackson helms his first project since 2005’s King Kong with this adaptation of Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel. Saoirse Ronan, fresh off her Oscar-nominated performance in Atonement, plays a murdered girl who attempts to communicate with her family from beyond the grave. The Spy Next Door: Borrowing its thematic elements from Vin […]

Weekend Picks


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thursday, january 14 L.A. Connection: Reefer Madness 10 p.m. > Laemmle’s Royale Theatre > $10 L.A. Connection kick starts a series of eclectic monthly events, presenting the now-classic 1936 anti-pot film Reefer Madness. The much-lampooned PSA will be enhanced with live and in-person redubbing by L.A. Connection’s resident voice-over comedians. Kimya Dawson 8 p.m. > […]

More than ever, viewers look to the web for new T.V. shows


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These days it is hard to find something good on T.V. Long-form shows tend to get canceled in their first season because of poor ratings and network meddling (like the genius shows Firefly and Traveler), while the ones that are lucky to last long are nearly done, such as Lost. Because of the recession, it […]

Doughnut company tosses out the fryer


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Few things are more sinister than doughnuts. They may be soft and fluffy, but nix the glaze and creamy filling and doughnuts are really just a piece of deep-fried cake. At least the deep-fried Snickers bar was honest about it. Those looking for an alternative to sugary-sweet breakfast pastries, however, could end up dealing with […]

Indie band’s second album fails to impress


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If you’re in need of background music for your next vegan barbecue with your American Apparel-clad hipster friends, Nana Grizol’s Ruth would be a good candidate. It would fit in seamlessly on your “Indie” playlist, and don’t worry —  no song is so fast it makes you bob your head to the point of choking […]

Poor execution stakes vampire movie


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Amid the number of vampire films emerging from the recent craze, it has been hard to find a true vampire story. While vampire movies released lately do pertain to blood-sucking creatures, they lean toward one of two ends of the vampire myth spectrum. On one end of the spectrum are the Anne Rice and Twilight […]

New Year’s Eve performance reveals timeless pop diva


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This past New Year’s Eve, Manhattan witnessed a second hotspot of frenetic plastic sunglass and top hat-clad citygoers in addition to the 12-hour long bash at Times Square. Barely 10 blocks south of the world’s most famous bejeweled ball, “the world’s most famous arena” was abuzz with something much larger than an ordinary Knicks or […]