L.A. Times - Entertainment News

'Iron Man' vs. 'Dark Knight': The box office watch
3-D films boost domestic box office in time for summer
Joaquin Phoenix documentary: Even buyers aren't sure if it's a prank
On the Media: Kobe, it's time to man up and own the photo shoot
'Spoken From the Heart' by Laura Bush
Gustavo Dudamel injures himself mid-concert but returns to podium the next day
Latest in MGM drama: Len Blavatnik is out and Peter Chernin isn't interested
For better or worse, summer is here, courtesy Katy Perry and Dr. Luke
For musicians, economy is the mother of invention
With Beatles biopic, Oasis' Liam Gallagher will take a long and winding road

'Iron Man' vs. 'Dark Knight': The box office watch

Posted: 07 May 2010 06:19 PM PDT

Early ticket sales indicates that "Iron Man 2" will gross about $50 million on Friday and roughly $125 million by the end of the day Sunday.

Early ticket sales indicates that "Iron Man 2" will gross about $50 million on Friday and roughly $125 million by the end of the day Sunday.

3-D films boost domestic box office in time for summer

Posted: 08 May 2010 12:00 AM PDT

Domestic receipts jump to $3.4 billion on the strength of pricey 3-D tickets, while audience numbers barely grow from 2009.

Hollywood loves to boast about setting box office "records," but with the summer popcorn movie season getting underway this weekend, movie studios may have to rely on a new tactic — skyrocketing 3-D ticket prices — to make big claims this year.

Joaquin Phoenix documentary: Even buyers aren't sure if it's a prank

Posted: 07 May 2010 06:07 PM PDT

Film buyers still aren't sure of its genuineness.

On the Media: Kobe, it's time to man up and own the photo shoot

Posted: 08 May 2010 12:00 AM PDT

Saying that the photos were doctored in some way just doesn't cut it.

Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. It must seem like the Week of Judgment that followed your "White Hot" fashion statement should be disappearing, at long last, over the horizon.

'Spoken From the Heart' by Laura Bush

Posted: 08 May 2010 12:00 AM PDT

The former first lady's memoir is beautifully written, unselfconscious and hasn't an iota of political mean-spiritedness.

Today, the title "First Lady" comes so freighted with elaboration and expectation that it's easy to forget that it's a position without any official or statutory existence. Our notions of how a first lady is supposed to behave or of what her obligations may be are entirely creatures of custom and social convention that have emerged rather slowly over time.

Gustavo Dudamel injures himself mid-concert but returns to podium the next day

Posted: 08 May 2010 12:00 AM PDT

The conductor injured his neck Thursday evening during Dvorák's Cello Concerto and was replaced by Lionel Bringuier. By Friday morning, however, Dudamel was back. A national tour is still on.

Gustavo Dudamel is known for his energetic and indefatigable presence on the classical-music podium.

Latest in MGM drama: Len Blavatnik is out and Peter Chernin isn't interested

Posted: 07 May 2010 03:18 PM PDT

In the seemingly never-ending drama that is MGM, one of the near-bankrupt studio's would-be white knights, billionaire Len Blavatnik, has withdrawn his bid to salvage the company, a person close to the situation confirmed Friday.

For better or worse, summer is here, courtesy Katy Perry and Dr. Luke

Posted: 07 May 2010 01:56 PM PDT

Expect this glob of aural suntan lotion to be liberally slathered all over the radio.

Expect this glob of aural suntan lotion to be liberally slathered all over the radio.

For musicians, economy is the mother of invention

Posted: 09 May 2010 12:00 AM PDT

Enterprising music makers are turning to the Internet and micro-financing through donations.

Los Angeles singer and songwriter Sam Phillips turned up recently for a small-scale show at Hollywood's Hotel Café. Playing for an intimate audience of several dozen, she was testing on a live audience new material she's been working on in her home recording studio.