Facing declining sales and an industry-wide slump, record companies seem ready to shrug off the corporate bubble-gum pop of the past few years and start supporting a genuine sound. Read more...

The only thing worse than a hipster is a person who, whether knowingly or not, dresses like one. I’m not talking about the trucker hats, or the aviators, or that shaggy unwashed hair. Read more...

“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” 20th Century Fox Peter Weir’s excellent new film, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” seems on the surface to be geared to far too small an audience to merit the overwhelming advertising campaign behind it. Read more...

Two years ago, pop rock band Eisley performed regularly at a small coffeehouse in Tyler, Texas. This past spring, after releasing only one EP, Eisley played in front of 12,000 fans at the Hollywood Bowl when they opened for Coldplay’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head” tour. Read more...

The line at the Avco Cinema was long. Really long. It made sense, considering I was there on the Saturday night of the opening weekend of “Elf.” I was there on the Saturday night of the opening weekend of one of the biggest non-trilogy-related winter movies for college students. Read more...

It’s hard for someone to have two full-time jobs ““ and Jon Robertson, chairman of the UCLA Department of Music and conductor of the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra, has finally decided he has spent enough time juggling. Read more...

The phrases “ballet-like” and “Hong Kong action film” are not often heard together, but when talking about the work of director Johnny To, the description is apt. Read more...