Colorful milk crates on Formosa Ave. | Photo by pink_fish13 via Flickr Monday Keith Gessen presents All the Sad Young Literary Men 5:30pm @ Vroman's Tobias Wolff discusses Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories with David Ulin 7pm @ Central Library Christophe Blain presents Isaac the Pirate 7pm @ Book Soup Baron R. Birtcher presents Angels Fall 7pm @ Vroman's John Landis signs his John Landis 7pm @ Borders, Santa Monica Tuesday Lydia......

Monday Eliot Tiegel presents The Latinization of America 6:30pm @ Book Soup Judith Freeman discusses and signs The Long Embrace 7pm @ Vroman's Roz Chast discusses Theories of Everything 7pm @ Central Library Robert Kuttner in conversation with Arianna Huffington about The Squandering of America 8pm @ James Bridge Theater, UCLA Tuesday Cesar Millan presents Be the Pack Leader 7pm @ Borders, Pasadena Frank McCourt presents Angela and the Baby Jesus 7pm @ Borders,......

Monday Mark Danielewski presents Only Revolutions 7pm @ Vroman's Ellen Sandler presents The TV Writer's Workbook 7pm @ Borders, Sherman Oaks Nell Freudenberger & Jennifer Gilmore discuss their work with Bernadette Murphy 7pm @ Central Library Sy Safransky discusses his work and The Sun 7:30pm @ Beverly Hills Public Library Tuesday James Ellroy discusses his work 7pm @ Central Library Diana Gabaldon presents Lord John & the Brotherhood of the Blade 7pm @ Vroman's......

Guest Day Editor Carolyn Kellogg joins LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read the introductory interview and check out the her litblog. James Ellroy -- the man who brough noir up to date at the end of the 20th century with his books The Black Dahlia, LA Confidential, White Jazz and more -- is back. He left California for parts midwest (why do people do that?) but has finally come to his senses......

David Fincher's obituary will likely refer to him as the director of Fight Club, but Zodiac is his most complete work. Luxuriate in its full 157 minutes this week when it reaches stores. The Number 23 had a pretty good trailer, but unfortunately the actual movie was longer than 90 seconds. Bring back Lloyd Christmas, Jim! Sure HBO seems to have the best shows on cable, but Showtime is quickly closing the gap. Weeds......

Oprah's favorite weight loss doctors, Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, would be proud of Los Angeles this weekend. In their most recent book, You: On A Diet, they say you should walk thirty minutes every day no matter what. "No excuses. It doesn't matter if you do this in one whole block or broken up into as many as three shorter sessions." Inspired by Franklin Ave's Wilshire Walk, Will Campbell from Metroblogging Los Angeles......

- LAFD Chief will probably fire himself today - LA Times - New MagLight flashlight capable of lighting things on fire - Extreme Geek - Local blogger Perez Hilton sued for $7.5 million by a group of paparazzi companies for illegally using their photos on his often unfunny and callous gossip blog - TMZ - Will Eddie Murphy return for Beverly Hills Cop IV? - Ain't It Cool - George Clooney will star in......

Deadboy & the Elephantmen @ The Troubadour James Ellroy @ Vroman's Bookstore (Pasadena) Dead Ponies @ Silverlake Lounge Alana Sweetwater, Laura Jansen @ The Hotel Cafe The Larks @ Taix The Shout @ Lighthouse Cafe Christian Simmons @ Cowboy Palace Saloon No Age, Silver Creme, The Mae Shi @ The Smell The Faraway Places,The Moon Upstairs @ Spaceland......

AFI @ Bren Events Center Chris Elliott & Alan Zweibel @ Skirball James Ellroy @ Barnes & Noble, Santa Monica The Black Keys @ Amoeba The Nightwatchman, Aztlan Underground @ Roxy Army Navy, Ima Robot @ Safari Sam's The Like Young, The Good Listeners @ Silverlake Lounge Nitzer Ebb, Babyland @ The Avalon Silver Jews @ Henry Fonda False Witness, Kings of Spain @ Whisky White Whale, Laura Viers, Karl Blau @ Spaceland photo......

James Ellroy (reading) @ Skylight Books A Tribe Called Quest @ Wiltern Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, Neko Case @ Hollywood Bowl Tracy Lawrence @ House of Blues Polyphonic Spree @ The Henry Fonda Carlos Guitarlos @ The Liquid Kitty Jews & Mexicans @ Mr. T's Bowl La Traviata @ Dorothy Chandler Bonnie Raitt @ Santa Barbara Bowl Megadeth, Lamb of God, Overkill @ Hyundai Pavilion photo by the slow wonder via flickr......

LA's favorite modern noir writer, James Ellroy, left our city a while back for the midwest. We're not sure why, since his stories — The Black Dahlia, LA Confidential — are so connected to our city's dark side. Lucky for us he's come back for a visit. James Ellroy will be kicking off the American Cinemathque's 8th annual Noir Festival Friday night. Ellroy will speak and answer quesitons between the two films at opening......

THURSDAY • The Gossip, We Are Wolves and The Sharp Ease are at the Troubadour tonight at 8 PM. Tickets are $10 advance, $12 day of. • The Blasters and James Intveld play tonight at The Viper Room. Doors open at 8 PM. • Calla, Celebration and Fly Better Broken perform tonight at The Echo at 8:30 PM. Tickets are $10. [18+] • The legendary Gang of Four take the stage at Avalon tonight at......

• Modest Mouse continue their three-day residency at The Wiltern with Love as Laughter and Cass McCombs tonight at 7 PM. Tickets are $23.50. • KCRW presents Gary Jules & The Group Rules tonight at The Hotel Cafe with Garrison Starr and Abba Roland, starting at 8 PM. • More Gilliam fun tonight at the New Beverly Cinema, with screenings of Brazil, followed by 12 Monkeys, beginning at 7:30 PM. • At 7:00 PM,......