L.A. Times - Entertainment News

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• Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All is performing rap on its terms
• Lumet was drawn to the messy business of simply being human
• Kristen Stewart celebrates 21st birthday
• 'Game of Thrones' star Sean Bean: 'Mel Gibson is a good man'
• The Sunday Conversation: Kim Cattrall
• Vanessa Hudgens has left 'High School' behind
• Sidney Lumet dies at 86; prolific 'actor's director' steered clear of Hollywood
• Critic's Notebook: Optimists emerge among television's cynical characters
• Felony femmes: Women as partners in crime dramas
• Film Studies: Chapman University wants to overtake USC and NYU

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All is performing rap on its terms Posted: The group of skateboarding, freewheeling rappers from Los Angeles are redefining the genre. The group is performing at the Coachella festival. The group of skateboarding, freewheeling rappers from Los Angeles are redefining the genre. The group is performing at the Coachella festival.

Lumet was drawn to the messy business of simply being human Posted: Whatever pushed Sidney Lumet in that direction, we are forever richer that he was fascinated by moral ambiguity. Somehow it has always felt right to me that Sidney Lumet's first film was 1957's "12 Angry Men," with all the elements that Lumet loved best. It was a dialogue-driven set piece by writer Reginald Rose that was perfect for a director who loved words. There was its powerful ensemble of actors, with Henry Fonda's lone dissenting juror facing off against Lee J. Cobb's rage. An unseen defendant's life hinged on a moral dilemma, with the jurors' debate an examination of social class and cultural perceptions as much as one man's guilt or innocence.

Kristen Stewart celebrates 21st birthday Posted: 09 Apr 2011 02:57 PM PDT So how will she celebrate this milestone?

'Game of Thrones' star Sean Bean: 'Mel Gibson is a good man' Posted: 09 Apr 2011 07:06 PM PDT Sean Bean is a big fan of "Braveheart" and, more than that, he sees a noble heart in Mel Gibson, that award-winning film's troubled star and director.

The Sunday Conversation: Kim Cattrall Posted: The 'Sex and the City' star talks about audience fantasies, being over 50, and her latest role as an ex-porn queen in 'Meet Monica Velour.' Kim Cattrall, 54, plays a former porn star who's the object of a misfit teenager's adoration in "Meet Monica Velour," writer-director Keith Bearden's first feature-length film, which opened Friday.

Vanessa Hudgens has left 'High School' behind Posted: The onetime Disney actress is all about living in the present, where she can forget the missteps of her past and just maybe figure out what's in her future. The onetime Disney actress is all about living in the present, where she can forget the missteps of her past and just maybe figure out what's in her future.

Sidney Lumet dies at 86; prolific 'actor's director' steered clear of Hollywood Posted: Sidney Lumet, a four-time Oscar nominee, was known for guiding strong performances in films such as '12 Angry Men,' 'Network' and 'Dog Day Afternoon.' He directed more than 40 films in his long career, many of them in his hometown of New York. Sidney Lumet, the prolific four-time Oscar-nominated director known for guiding strong performances in classic films such as "12 Angry Men," "Dog Day Afternoon and "Network," died Saturday. He was 86.

Critic's Notebook: Optimists emerge among television's cynical characters Posted: Sue Heck on 'The Middle.' Phil Dunphy on 'Modern Family.' Leslie Knope on 'Parks and Recreation.' They persist in believing the world is a bit better than it is. And we love them for it. On more than one occasion during the last several years, my 10-year-old daughter has expressed a desire to be an actress. This has led to Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel being banned from our household for long periods of time while I chastise myself for ever turning her on to "Hannah Montana" or "iCarly."

Felony femmes: Women as partners in crime dramas Posted: Female writers, producers and characters are having an effect on the 'CSI' franchise, 'Rizzoli & Isles' and other shows, which also are popular with female viewers. Veena Sud was tired of watching female cops in Louboutins chase down bad guys.

Film Studies: Chapman University wants to overtake USC and NYU Posted: The school's state-of-the-art Dodge College of Film and Media Arts launches a for-profit movie company to train its students and raise its profile. Last August, at a high-end hilltop Orange County restaurant, Bob Bassett told his fellow faculty members how he intends to make Chapman University's scrappy Dodge College of Film and Media Arts into what he calls "the film school of the future."

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