L.A. Times - Entertainment News

Teen girls in film showcase true grit
TCA Press Tour: Tavis Smiley in talks with AEG Live to move TV show downtown
Movies take an adult attitude about seniority
Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Arizona: Sick, political or both?
The Sunday Conversation: Julian Fellowes
Cultural Exchange: In South Korea's entertainment industry, exploitation remains an issue
A Second Look: The urgency of 'Germany in Autumn'
New on DVD: 'The Social Network' and 'Alpha and Omega'
Midseason TV: Kathy Bates tries her wings as a legal eagle on 'Harry's Law'
'The Social Network' dominates the National Society of Film Critics awards

Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

The plucky young women who drive 'True Grit' and 'Winter's Bone' highlight the evolution of dumbed-down female characters into ones that save the day with smarts and courage and the growing influence of women in the film industry.

"I am about to embark on a great adventure," says the hero, tucking a Colt revolver into a flour sack, donning a wide-brimmed Stetson and riding out into the wilderness on the trail of a killer. Smart, stoic and purposeful, this avenger is a stock western movie protagonist in every way but one — Mattie Ross, the central character in the new film "True Grit," is a 14-year-old girl.

TCA Press Tour: Tavis Smiley in talks with AEG Live to move TV show downtown

Posted: 08 Jan 2011 06:31 PM PST

One big sticking point: Money. KCET gives Smiley a major break on rent for his current studio space.

Movies take an adult attitude about seniority

Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

These days, movies are taking an adult attitude about seniority.

For years, the movie business has blown past older audiences.

Gabrielle Giffords shooting in Arizona: Sick, political or both?

Posted: 09 Jan 2011 09:11 AM PST

Although he said the suspect's motivations remained unknown, the plain-talking sheriff overseeing Saturday's shooting made it clear he thought anti-government speech on radio and TV wasn't helping.

Although he said the suspect's motivations remained unknown, the plain-talking sheriff overseeing Saturday's shooting made it clear he thought anti-government speech on radio and TV wasn't helping.

The Sunday Conversation: Julian Fellowes

Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

The Oscar-winning writer ('Gosford Park') returns to an English manor for 'Downton Abbey' on PBS.

British film hyphenate Julian Fellowes, 61, who won an original screenplay Oscar for "Gosford Park," returns to early 20th century England for the script of his latest TV drama, "Downton Abbey." The four-episode series about life on a great country estate, starring Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville, last year became ITV's most-watched costume drama in the U.K. since 1981's " Brideshead Revisited." "Downton" makes its American debut on PBS' "Masterpiece" on Sunday night.

Cultural Exchange: In South Korea's entertainment industry, exploitation remains an issue

Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

Critics say little has been done to protect young talent after actress Jang Ja-yeon's 2009 suicide and her details of sexual abuse roiled the TV, film and music industries.

She was a young actress with designs on mega-stardom. But to realize her dreams, Jang Ja-yeon was resigned to take her place in the seamy realm of the South Korean sexual casting couch.

A Second Look: The urgency of 'Germany in Autumn'

Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

The 1978 omnibus film, released on DVD, vividly captures the confusion and frazzled emotions of the era of the Red Army Faction in Germany.

Omnibus films, those multi-episode endeavors that string together the contributions of disparate talents, are uneven almost as a rule. But the jaggedness and nagging irresolution of 1978's " Germany in Autumn" — a collaboration among 11 filmmakers, most of them associated with the German New Wave of the period — points to a desperate sense of urgency about a prevailing mood of confusion.

New on DVD: 'The Social Network' and 'Alpha and Omega'

Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

Also new: 'Hot in Cleveland: Season One' and 'Piranha 3D.'

Also new: "Hot in Cleveland: Season One" and "Piranha 3D."

Midseason TV: Kathy Bates tries her wings as a legal eagle on 'Harry's Law'

Posted: 09 Jan 2011 12:00 AM PST

The actress says her character is an unconventional curmudgeon like herself.

After decades in Hollywood, Kathy Bates still believes it's a great place — if you're looking for somewhere to fire your shotgun.