Yesterday we introduced a contest where several winners would receive two pairs of tickets to see the Robert Rodriguez zombie flick Planet Terror on Monday at the Mann's Chinese as part of Screamfest 07. Today we received word that each of the five winners will also win the Grindhouse Cherry action figure with removable leg/machine gun. Can you think of a better way to celebrate the ways of Rose Macgowan's character than through doll-play?......

We have a few pairs of tickets to a rare theatrical screening of the extended director’s cut of Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror at Screamfest 07 this Monday at Mann's Chinese. In many people's minds Planet Terror was the better of the two Grindhouse films that came through town as a double-feature. Not even Quentin could compete with the zombies vs the hot one-legged babe w/ machine gun attachment. That babe, by the way, one......

As Halloween draws ever close, what better way to spend an evening than having the shit scared out of you in a movie theater? Screamfest, in my opinion the best horror film festival out there, begins tomorrow in Hollywood. Screenings on tap include George Romero's brand new Diary of the Dead, Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3-D, the director's cut of Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, 30 Days of Night and the terrifically spooky......

- According to Pat Saperstein of Eating LA, the LA Times is starting a food blog…ooooh, how 2005 of them! - Jonathan Gold checks out ChiliMySoul. Damn him. Now we've got to go to Encino. - EaterLA finally gives a shout-out to LAist's fabulous food reporting, and mentions Callie Miller's excellent expose of bakery Sweet Lady Jane (more like Pissy Lady Jane). - There's beer in Santa Barbara??? No! You'll never make us believe......

We've mentioned our utter distaste for most movie remakes, but here's one that might actually be good. Robert Rodriguez has signed on to remake the classic space nudie Barbarella. The original 1968 Eurotrash film starred Jane Fonda as a super-sexy space vixen sent to the planet Lythion to find the evil Durand Durand (yep, that's where the band gets its name), an evildoer who's fond of killing his victims by forcing them to OD......

I really, really, really liked Grindhouse for many reasons that I can probably only effectively communicate to you orally and/or non verbally. But this is the written word, so alas, I must force myself. Meanwhile, you will have to imagine my excited gesticulations. I do a lot of pointing, and thumbs up, and punching motions, karate kicks, Elvis arm moves, and touchdown dance type shit when I talk about Grindhouse. It’s that type of......

Here's an audio clip of Rose McGowan singing "You Belong To Me" from the soundtrack of Planet Terror, directed by Robert Rodriguez. The film opens today as part of the Grindhouse double feature. Rodriguez, who named his kids Rocket, Racer, Rebel, Rogue and Rhiannon, filed divorce from his wife Elizabeth Avellán of 16 years in April of 2006. He reportedly started having marriage trouble after his wife discovered Rodriguez had been having relations with......

Don't forget. If you want to see a sneak preview of the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double feature, Grindhouse (Planet Terror = Rodriquez; Death Proof = Tarantino), head over to the New Beverly tonight at 11 p.m. Actually, head over at 9:45 p.m. That's when tickets go on sale, and there's a good chance it will sell out. If you wanna go in true grindhouse style, I recommend rolling up in a 1970s Dodge Challenger......

Starting tomorrow, lots of folks are going to be rushing area theaters to check out the latest Quentin Tarantino+Robert Rodriguez splatterfest, Grindhouse. And yes, Los Angeles has definitely gone grindhouse crazy in general. But before running off to The Grove, consider a truly authentic alternative. We think the best way to see the Tarantino/Rodriguez homage to 1970s and 1980s schlock cinema is by heading to an equally entertaining relic of a bygone era; the......

A Word or 52: Some people hated last week's "useless" Lost because it didn't further the storyline but I thought it was a humorously macabre and welcome break that reminded me of some of the better tangential X-Files episodes from 10+ years ago. If looks like we're going back to that story line tonight, oh well. Jericho (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) Roger goes off the deep end, and who can blame him Friday Night Lights/Crossing......

I was lucky enough to score a couple of last minute tickets to last night's world premiere of the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double feature, Grindhouse, at the Orpheum in downtown LA. I am happy to report that after months of festering anticipation, Grindhouse lives up to the hype. Grindhouse, which is actually two feature-length movies in one (total running time: 185 minutes), begins with vintage title cards promoting "prevues of coming attractions." Then comes......

Back in January, SXSW launched a contest looking for the scariest, freakiest movie trailers. In honor of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's upcoming movie Grindhouse, amateur filmmakers were invited create their own grindhouse trailers. The best submissions were presented at the festival a couple of weeks ago by Rodriguez. Here's one that I like, Hobo with a Shotgun. Simple, direct and hilarious. Plus, it delivers what it promises.......

Looking to go to a music festival? Coachella is sold out, so instead, you should mosey out to Austin, Texas (Mar. 14-18) for this music spectacular, which features 1,300 acts from around the world. Walking from venue to venue is like putting your radio tuner on seek -- every style of music is represented. Besides performances, musicians like Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Emmylou Harris, Gilberto Gil, and Booker T. Jones are giving......

The New Beverly has announced the schedule for 2007 the Los Angeles Grindhouse Festival Grindhouse festival, which is this year programmed by Quentin Tarantino and runs from March 4 - May 1. Many of the prints come from Tarantino's vast and awesome private collection, reputed to be among the best in the world for such films. As we reported last week, Los Angeles' best revival house will screen themed, handpicked double features on weekdays......

UPDATE: FUCK YEAH! I have confirmation from an unnamed but reliable source that Quentin Tarantino will indeed be programming the New Beverly for March & April. It's no rumor. It's reality. Rumor has it that Quentin Tarantino himself will be taking over programming at revival house The New Beverly for March and April as a way to promote the upcoming release of Grindhouse, which hits theaters on April 6. Supposedly the Q-Man will be showing......

- Now that's a bad ass trailer - Defamer - My bad little girl is bringing her bi-hotness back to Lost - tv squad - Is the Pope gay? - NY Post - The Answer is a Question Mark for tonight's game in Denver - AP - Woman thrown from her car and into LA River during a traffic accident, probably fatal - LA Times - Clippers only a game and a half out......

Not that Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez need any free publicity, but you gotta love the 1970s-style color palette and cheeseball film effects of the Grind House trailer -- complete with Josh Brolin looking like a young Jeff Bridges, Danny Trejo as the badass knife-sharpening Machete, Tom Savini as a shotgun-wielding sheriff's deputy and Rose McGowan as an amputee stripper with a machine gun for a shin.......

When we heard that Tom Hanks was cast as the lead Prof. Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci Code, LAist was worried. Then when we heard that Dan Brown's page turner would be directed by Ron Howard, we were totally bummed. Not to take anything away from Hanks or Howard, but really, why do the studios need to always take the safe (read: boring) route with the blockbusters? We reserved comment until the film......