UN HOMME AND A BABY: THE STROLLER STRATEGY

It’s a concept we’ve seen onscreen before: manchild suddenly becomes primary caretaker for baby, makes all sorts of goofs; there are invariably a few poo jokes, and hilarity supposedly ensues. Luckily, The Stroller Strategy brings a fresh twist to this tired tale, as only the French can do.

AN EVENING WITH MICHAEL BUBLE: TO BE LOVED

Only one person on this planet can make me want to sing Christmas carols in the springtime, and that is Michael Bublé. For the past few years, this crooner has become as synonymous with the yuletide season as Santa himself, and PPLA was thrilled to spend a recent holiday-themed evening with Michael at the Wadsworth Theatre.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT AT THE GEFFEN: AMERICAN BUFFALO

We all know movies are amazing, but, as PPLA was reminded this week, there is no substitute for the energy of live theater. Director Randall Arney has revived Mamet’s classic American Buffalo at the Geffen Playhouse, and the entire experience was a treat from the get-go. If you haven’t been to the Geffen, you’re missing out on a sweet little oasis right in the middle of Westwood, with a courtyard and not a bad seat in the house.

ALKALINE TRIO PERFORMS ATOP HOLLYWOOD TOWER FOR 98.7FM

It got mighty loud atop the historic Hollywood Tower as an intimate group of Rockaholics gathered in the name of Alkaline Trio, presented by 98.7 FM. While the sun sank over the hills, casting a crimson glow on a classic rooftop view, about 50 taco-eating fans rocked out to a few old favorites from albums of yore, and PPLA was front and center for a live sneak preview of some of the best songs from the Trio’s new album, My Shame is True.

Q & A WITH TAYLOR HANDLEY, "VEGAS"

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the new 1960s-era CBS drama series Vegas, from the writer of Goodfellas and based on real-life cowboy sheriff Ralph Lamb (Dennis Quaid). PPLA got the inside scoop from Taylor Handley, who plays the sheriff’s son Dixon Lamb.

HELLO I MUST BE GOING...TO SEE THIS FILM!

Big screens usually demand big characters, but here’s a film that bravely breaks the old mold by telling the story of a character who isn’t even the protagonist of her own life. Sundance darling Hello I Must Be Going, one of this year’s best movies, opens today and we had the chance to sit down with the filmmakers!

LITTLE WHITE LIES

Americans love Marion Cotillard and Jean Dujardin...but does anyone love them enough to spend almost three hours reading subtitles? Little White Lies, arriving in U.S. theaters on August 24, will be the test.

MAGIC MIKE DELIVERS THE GOODS

Ladies, stop reading right now and just go. You’ll pay a lot less to see Magic Mike than you will at a strip club, and the performances here are much higher quality and full of close-ups. The interesting thing is that you may still leave feeling just as seedy!

TAKE THIS WALTZ...DON'T MIND IF I DO

“It’s very, very hard to turn away from falling in love and very few people can do it,” said Sarah Polley, writer and director of the fearlessly intimate new relationship dramedy Take This Waltz. The film, starring Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen as a late-twenties married couple, Margot and Lou, is a real look at the marriage myth and the truth about human desire.

LAFF: BEAUTY IS EMBARRASSING

Described by Matt Groening as “a little Zach Galifianakis, a little Snuffy Smith, a little Unabomber,” artist Wayne White is fueled by a very rare breed of inspired, constructive insanity that you have to see to believe—which is why Beauty is Embarrassing is mandatory viewing for all creative types.