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Throughout the early 2000s, the rock ‘n’ roll film festival “Don’t Knock the Rock” was one of the highlights of any L.A.-based cinephile’s year, an impeccably assembled program of movies, live performances, and panels celebrating the intersection between rock ‘n’ roll and cinema. Created by writer-director Allison Anders and music supervisor Tiffany Anders, “Don’t Knock the Rock” was beloved for its determination to showcase difficult-to-see music documentaries and for the breadth and depth of its programming.

The festival last graced L.A. screens in 2016, but now it’s returning to Hollywood via the American Cinematheque with a line-up that’s one of the best ever. From May 23-27, “Don’t Knock the Rock” will screen an eclectic mix of documentaries, music-themed narrative films, and essential retrospective programs at the Cinematheque’s Los Feliz venue, with an added virtual component that will stream from May 23-July 31. Among the...

The former Beverly Hills home of singer Nancy Sinatra — where she was once photographed with some of her iconic made-for-walkin’ boots — is hitting the market for $2.95 million. Much of the midcentury property remains the way it was when Sinatra owned the home in the 1960s.

“It’s been my family home for 50 years,” says Orly Frank, the home’s current owner, whose parents Abraham and Renee Frank purchased the home from TV and film director Sobey Martin (Four Nights of the Full Moon, Lost in Space), who had himself acquired it from Sinatra. “He lived in it very briefly,” continues Frank, who recalls that she was in high school when her parents moved in to the house.

Over the years, according to Frank, “Nancy Sinatra stayed in touch with my family. She came up and visited, and she sent some handwritten notes to my parents. She loved the house.”

The white-painted,...

Abe Applebaum used to be loved. Back when he was a kid detective — think Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys, with a generous dose of street smarts to boot — Abe was the star of his small town, a whiz kid with charm and pluck and all the other good stuff necessary to solve relatively benign crimes. Someone stole the school fundraising cash? Abe will find out who did it! Worried about the light vandalism plaguing picture perfect downtown? Abe’s your guy! But what happens when a kid detective grows up?

Such is the clever conceit of Evan Morgan’s feature directorial debut, “The Kid Detective,” which picks up decades after Abe’s fledgling career was felled by a truly heinous crime. Oh, Abe is still a detective — he’s even got the same office, just with the “kid” scratched off the old-school frosted glass door, he’s...

Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV.

Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, “Insatiable” debuts and “Ballers” and “Insecure” return.

“Sugar Town,” Investigation Discovery, Monday, 8 p.m.

This two-hour documentary special examines the death of Victor White III, who died in police custody in what became known as the “Houdini suicide:” authorities say White shot himself through the chest in the back of a police car despite his hands being cuffed behind his back. The doc follows the White family’s journey for the just as, even after multiple accounts of abuse, New Iberia’s sheriff, Louis Ackal, remains in power.

“Better Call Saul,” AMC, Monday, 9 p.m.

In the Season 4 premiere, Jimmy struggles to cope with Chuck’s tragic death,...

Two episodes were provided prior to broadcast.

For the third successive season, the premiere of Better Call Saul begins with a terrific, symbolically-rich cold open set after the events of this show’s parent series Breaking Bad, depicting its titular character working under the assumed name of ‘Gene’ at a Cinnabon as a fugitive from the law. Once again, the sequence is shot in black and white, emphasizing the blandness of his new life; once again it scored by a retro pop hit (this time Nancy Sinatra’s “Sugar Town”); and once again there is a threat of his cover being blown, when two policemen approach him to ask about a shoplifter.

This time, however, he’s unable to maintain his usual caution, as he blurts out almost unwillingly to the shoplifter as he’s escorted away: “Say nothing, you understand? Get a lawyer.” It’s a simple scene, but...

Talent is currently being sought for the television show “Sugar Town.” The producer of “Sugar Town” says, “It is a cross between ‘Shameless’ and ‘Californication’ where the main character quits her job as an escort to start her own company in hopes of supporting her dysfunctional family.” Several supporting roles are being cast for the show, and submissions are being sought from the Los Angeles area. For more details, check out the casting notice for “Sugar Town” here, and be sure to check out the rest of our Los Angeles audition listings!

As I compiled this list of musical scenes written or improvised by the actors who performed them, I quickly realized that I could never cover everything. The amount of music written by the actors in Christopher Guest films alone would more than double the size of this article. So I tried to limit myself to scenes and movies that I'd be able to give some fun insight on.

I literally got goosebumps rewatching some of these musical scenes. I hope you're inspired to give some of these movies a whirl in the DVD/Blu-ray player afterwards with a new sense of appreciation for the work that went into these musical moments.

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The Return of The King (2003) - "The Edge of Night"

Though the lyrics are straight out of the J.R.R Tolkien novel, the tune for "The Edge of Night" was written by actor Billy Boyd. After...

ABC Jaleel White and Kym Johnson

Live! On Speakeasy! It’s the 14th-season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars!”

The usual panoply of “DWTS” types – TV stars, sports legends, musicians and people you’ve probably never heard of – will spend the next few weeks and months in dance studios and a ballroom, attempting to win the hearts of three fawning or crotchety judges as well as millions of viewers. Will another football player shuffle off to stardom? Will an unknown capture America’s hearts?...

Soap star Jack Wagner strutted his stuff on the Season 14 premiere of "Dancing with the Stars," performing a foxtrot with partner Anna Trebunskaya to Nancy Sinatra's "Sugar Town."

Bruno said Jack's foxtrot was "beautifully acted, beautifully danced," asking him, "What are you gonna do in week 2?" Carrie Ann said, "I was very impressed. You can act, you can sing, and boy, you can dance." And Len said, "Your footwork is haphazard ... but the feel of the whole thing was uplifted and I enjoyed your performance."

Kind of a mixed bag, but Carrie Ann and Bruno gave him an 8 and Len a 7 for a total of 25. What did you think of Jack's dance?...

A little over two years ago, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel graced the screen together in what became one of the best indie sleeper hits in years, (500) Days of Summer. The two were already rising stars at the time, and the brilliance of the film boosted their careers even further, with Gordon-Levitt going on to star in Inception, this year’s 50/50, and next year’s The Dark Knight Rises, and Deschanel starting up her own Golden Globe-nominated TV series, New Girl.

One of the many great things about (500) Days of Summer was its soundtrack, which included both of the two stars – Gordon-Levitt providing a drunken rendition of Here Comes Your Man, and Deschanel singing Sugar Town solo and Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want with her band, She & Him.

To celebrate the coming New Year, which is just a few hours away, the duo have reunited for...

If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter.com, you should know it’s the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world, including film, art and technology. Any person can pledge any amount towards a project they feel should be developed and in return they receive unique gifts selected by the project creators. Indie helmers Allison Anders and Kurt Voss are using Kickstarter to finance the costs of their feature film Strutter -- the closing chapter in the trilogy that began with Border Radio and was last left off with Sugar Town. The two studied at UCLA together after meeting as production assistants on Wim Wender’s Paris, Texas and since then, they together or separately written and directed over 20 films and a number of television episodes and music videos. We guess this means that, Anders will work on this project in the first portion of 2011 before heading into Smile Now,...

Music has always been a major element of Allison Anders' films. "Border Radio," "Grace of My Heart" and "Sugar Town" are actually about musicians. "Sugar Town" is named after a Nancy Sinatra song and features John Taylor of Duran Duran, Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet and John Doe of X in major roles. The lead character of "Things Behind the Sun" (named after a Nick Drake song) is about a music journalist who tracks down a childhood friend turned rising rock star.

"Things Behind the Sun" came out in 2001, and Anders hasn't done a film since, directed instead episodes of "The L Word" and "What About Brian" and founding the Don't Knock The Rock Film And Music Festival. But she has a new project with longtime collaborator Kurt Voss up on Kickstarter:

"Strutter" tells the story of 22 year old Brett (Flannery Lunsford), a singer for a Los Angeles rock...

· Scarlett Johanssen is farting fireballs on this brand-new Iron Man 2 poster. Superpowers just ain't what they used to be. (Click for bigger.)

· Liam Neeson will play Lbj and Cedric the Entertainer is set for Ralph Abernathy in Lee Daniels's Selma. Good move, Cedric: Daniels has a history of guiding hairy-legged black comics to Oscar glory.

· CSI and The Mentalist are changing time periods! Stop the CBS lineup, I want to get off.

· Kim Zolciak has admitted that she is in a same-sex relationship (that Andy Cohen and Real Housewives producers arranged for her, cough cough).

· Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge won a contest to become a new Adult Swim series. Why, that doesn't sound like an Adult Swim show at all!

The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide - your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases - it helps to keep us going…)

When I interviewed Berke Breathed a few years back, I asked him if there would finally by a comprehensive Bloom County collection like the recently available Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts volumes. Breathed was dismissive of the idea, claiming that no one wanted to read the strip, that it was no longer relevant, and it just wasn’t going to happen. Well, a few years have gone by,...

It's almost time for an update of the Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list! Before our rundown featuring the actors below, let's have a look at some hitlists from across the web - Moviefone has a 25 under 25 and Fandango a 10 Young Actors to Watch list. ScreenDaily publishes Stars of Tomorrow and there is the annual European Shooting Stars celebrated as part of the Berlinale. The first 2 only consider Hollywood movies and cast, while ScreenDaily is exclusively for UK-based filmmakers and actors. The 'shooting star' programme is, of course, for Europeans.

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- - - These hitlists are more than point of references to our own - they are inspiration to keep us on our feet and come up with a listing that consider all angles. I don't think anyone is naïve enough to list down and rank 50 young actors ( and 50 young actresses) and expect everyone to agree and be happy,...

It's almost time for an update of the Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list! Before our rundown featuring the actors below, let's have a look at some hitlists from across the web - Moviefone has a 25 under 25 and Fandango a 10 Young Actors to Watch list. ScreenDaily publishes Stars of Tomorrow and there is the annual European Shooting Stars celebrated as part of the Berlinale. The first 2 only consider Hollywood movies and cast, while ScreenDaily is exclusively for UK-based filmmakers and actors. The 'shooting star' programme is, of course, for Europeans.

- - -

- - - These hitlists are more than point of references to our own - they are inspiration to keep us on our feet and come up with a listing that consider all angles. I don't think anyone is naïve enough to list down and rank 50 young actors ( and 50 young actresses) and expect everyone to agree and be happy,...

It's almost time for an update of the Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list! Before our rundown featuring the actors below, let's have a look at some hitlists from across the web - Moviefone has a 25 under 25 and Fandango a 10 Young Actors to Watch list. ScreenDaily publishes Stars of Tomorrow and there is the annual European Shooting Stars celebrated as part of the Berlinale. The first 2 only consider Hollywood movies and cast, while ScreenDaily is exclusively for UK-based filmmakers and actors. The 'shooting star' programme is, of course, for Europeans.

- - -

- - - These hitlists are more than point of references to our own - they are inspiration to keep us on our feet and come up with a listing that consider all angles. I don't think anyone is naïve enough to list down and rank 50 young actors ( and 50 young actresses) and expect everyone to agree and be happy,...

It's almost time for an update of the Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list! Before our rundown featuring the actors below, let's have a look at some hitlists from across the web - Moviefone has a 25 under 25 and Fandango a 10 Young Actors to Watch list. ScreenDaily publishes Stars of Tomorrow and there is the annual European Shooting Stars celebrated as part of the Berlinale. The first 2 only consider Hollywood movies and cast, while ScreenDaily is exclusively for UK-based filmmakers and actors. The 'shooting star' programme is, of course, for Europeans.

- - -

- - - These hitlists are more than point of references to our own - they are inspiration to keep us on our feet and come up with a listing that consider all angles. I don't think anyone is naïve enough to list down and rank 50 young actors ( and 50 young actresses) and expect everyone to agree and be happy,...

It's almost time for an update of the Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list! Before our rundown featuring the actors below, let's have a look at some hitlists from across the web - Moviefone has a 25 under 25 and Fandango a 10 Young Actors to Watch list. ScreenDaily publishes Stars of Tomorrow and there is the annual European Shooting Stars celebrated as part of the Berlinale. The first 2 only consider Hollywood movies and cast, while ScreenDaily is exclusively for UK-based filmmakers and actors. The 'shooting star' programme is, of course, for Europeans.

- - -

- - - These hitlists are more than point of references to our own - they are inspiration to keep us on our feet and come up with a listing that consider all angles. I don't think anyone is naïve enough to list down and rank 50 young actors ( and 50 young actresses) and expect everyone to agree and be happy,...

I'm not surprised at all to learn that 500 Days of Summer is making a very good showing at the box office. Take a look: a good story, an amazing cast led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, a cool soundtrack and yeah, word of mouth.

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- - -

Reports IndieWIRE:

Fox Searchlight looks like it might have a big indie hit in Marc Webb's "(500) Days Of Summer." The Zooey Deschanel-Joseph Gordon-Levitt romantic comedy nearly cracked the top ten films at Friday's daily box office, according to estimates. On only 27 screens, "Days" grossed an estimated $260,000. That could translate to a final weekend gross in the range of $850,000-$950,000, giving it an average of around $30,000. [ read more ]

I always look forward to any movie starring Joe Levitt - for obvious reasons. He's an amazing actor and definitely the hottest today. I'm also beginning to find Zooey to be an amazing actress herself.

I'm not surprised at all to learn that 500 Days of Summer is making a very good showing at the box office. Take a look: a good story, an amazing cast led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, a cool soundtrack and yeah, word of mouth.

- - -

- - -

Reports IndieWIRE:

Fox Searchlight looks like it might have a big indie hit in Marc Webb's "(500) Days Of Summer." The Zooey Deschanel-Joseph Gordon-Levitt romantic comedy nearly cracked the top ten films at Friday's daily box office, according to estimates. On only 27 screens, "Days" grossed an estimated $260,000. That could translate to a final weekend gross in the range of $850,000-$950,000, giving it an average of around $30,000. [ read more ]

I always look forward to any movie starring Joe Levitt - for obvious reasons. He's an amazing actor and definitely the hottest today. I'm also beginning to find Zooey to be an amazing actress herself.

I'm not surprised at all to learn that 500 Days of Summer is making a very good showing at the box office. Take a look: a good story, an amazing cast led by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, a cool soundtrack and yeah, word of mouth.

- - -

- - -

Reports IndieWIRE:

Fox Searchlight looks like it might have a big indie hit in Marc Webb's "(500) Days Of Summer." The Zooey Deschanel-Joseph Gordon-Levitt romantic comedy nearly cracked the top ten films at Friday's daily box office, according to estimates. On only 27 screens, "Days" grossed an estimated $260,000. That could translate to a final weekend gross in the range of $850,000-$950,000, giving it an average of around $30,000. [ read more ]

I always look forward to any movie starring Joe Levitt - for obvious reasons. He's an amazing actor and definitely the hottest today. I'm also beginning to find Zooey to be an amazing actress herself.