News

Jake Gyllenhaal commented on Natalie Portman‘s first pregnancy during the 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival, and whether you want to take it as a joke or not is completely up to you.

The former couple dated for a short period of time before going their separate ways, but more on that later. During the film festival, Portman was all set to be awarded the Desert Palm Achievement Award for Black Swan, and who better to present the trophy than her ex-boyfriend, right?

Before calling her on stage, Gyllenhaal’s speech was a mix of both admiration and jokes that were all in good fun. From calling her “the Audrey Hepburn of our generation” to being an advocate for her kind personality, the actor had great things to say about his ex-girlfriend.

He then made a joke about her pregnancy, stating that her kids would need therapy after seeing their mother in Black Swan.

The activist and music production non-profit Red Hot have announced TRAИƧA, a new 46-song compilation of both originals and covers serving as a celebration of trans and non-binary people. The full project is out November 22nd, but Red Hot has already released TRAИƧA’s first single: Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U,” reimagined by Wendy & Lisa of Prince’s band The Revolution alongside London-based singer Lauren Auder.

The three-and-a-half hour tracklist is broken up eight chapters, and the project as a whole features over 100 contributing artists. In addition to a new song from Sade Adu titled “Young Lion” — serving as her first new song in six years — the compilation features contributions from André 3000, Jeff Tweedy, Faye Webster, Clairo Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Perfume Genius, Alan Sparhawk, Bartees Strange, Adrianne Lenker, Fleet Foxes, Julien Baker, Sam Smith, Laura Jane Grace, Moses Sumney, Kelela, Kara Jackson, L’Rain, Julie Byrne, Teddy Geiger, Frankie Cosmos,...

An ambitious new compilation, Transa, will collect music from Sade, Sam Smith, Jeff Tweedy, Laura Jane Grace, and more than 100 other artists to celebrate trans and nonbinary people. The album, which features nearly 50 tracks and runs nearly three-and-a-half hours, will come out Nov. 22 via the Red Hot Organization.

The first single is Lauren Auder’s interpretation of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U,” a recording that features two artists who recorded the original song with Prince, the Revolution’s Wendy and Lisa. Where the original was more synth-pop focused, the...

Ethan Hawke and Maya Hawke are just a couple of over 20 musicians who’ve contributed to Light in the Attic & Friends, a covers compilation that’ll be released for Record Store Day’s annual Black Friday event. As a preview, the father-daughter actor duo have shared their rendition of Willie Nelson’s “We Don’t Run,” featuring production from Christian Lee Hutson and mixing by Jay Som’s Melina Duterte.

Considering the delicate indie folk Maya releases on her own, it’s not too much of a surprise that Nelson’s classic outlaw country would be a staple of the Hawke household while she was growing up: “This song is off Willie’s brilliant album Spirit, which has been a mainstay in our home since it was released in 1996,” Ethan said in a statement. “Everybody needs a good anthem song. This is one of the best.”

Both Hawkes exchange verses...

Ethan and Maya Hawke have shared a cover of the Willie Nelson deep cut, “We Don’t Run,” which will appear on an upcoming compilation from the venerable reissue/archival label, Light in the Attic.

Light in the Attic & Friends — out Nov. 24 for Record Store Day Black Friday — will feature an array of artists covering various far-flung rarities Light in the Attic has released over the years. The compilation was borne out of Lita’s Cover Series, and will feature a handful of previously issued recordings, as well as nearly a dozen new ones.

Marc Bolan has been pretty well served with documentaries over the years, to the point that most fans have heard numerous anecdotes about his fabled life many times over. Ethan Silverman’s Angelheaded Hipster at least brings something new to the party by framing the story around the making of a tribute album (released a couple of years back), allowing the film to focus on Bolan’s songwriting rather than the more iconoclastic, flashy or tabloidy aspects of his life and, indeed, death.

The beats of the Bolan story, after all, are pretty well known: the working class Jewish kid dragged up in post-war London, who becomes a proto-mod at 13, spends the mid sixties, alongside David Bowie, doing everything possible to become a popstar, drifting into Tokienesque hippiedom in the psychedelic era before donning glitter on his cheeks and a feather bower to kickstart the age of glam rock in...

Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos of the alt-rock outfit Y La Bamba starts out talking about rain. “I feel like I’ve been going through my Saturn return for ten years,” they confide early in our conversation. “I’m in the eye of the storm.”

In some ways, it’s the perfect place to begin: Storms and rains are central to Lucha, Y La Bamba’s sumptuous seventh album. The disarmingly gentle opening track “Eight” invokes light summer showers. Shortly thereafter, “La Lluvi de Guadalajara” plays out like an interlude with ambient rainfall in the background.

Get ready to revisit the New York indie music scene circa 2008, because the soundtrack for Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is receiving its first-ever vinyl reissue. Celebrating the movie’s 15th anniversary, it will be out on April 7th via Real Gone Music.

Pressed on yellow vinyl to match the color of Michael Cera’s Yugo in the film, the 2xLP release will be housed in a “scrapbook” gatefold jacket featuring production stills from Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Pre-orders are ongoing.

In case you forgot, the soundtrack is stacked with songs from indie mainstays like Vampire Weekend, Devendra Banhart, We Are Scientists, Band of Horses, and Richard Hawley, as well as Big Star’s Chris Bell and Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo.

Directed by Peter Sollett from a screenplay by Lorene Scafaria, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist starred Cera as Nick and Kat Dennings as Norah, who meet at the...

The Mountain Goats, Los Lobos, and Rickie Lee Jones are among the acts set to appear at the always intriguing Big Ears Festival, returning to Knoxville, Tennessee, from March 30 through April 2, 2023.

The 2023 festival — which is held at a variety of venues around Knoxville — will also feature performances from Andrew Bird, Iron and Wine, Devendra Banhart, the Weather Station, Kvin Morby, Bonny Light Horseman, and Son Lux. Famed banjo player Béla Fleck will also be on hand, as will jazz artists Charles Lloyd, Christian McBride, and William Parker.

Additionally, Big Ears...

The third volume of the massive, ambitious, and unique project, For the Birds — in which hundreds of artists created new recordings inspired by birdsongs — has arrived today, July 29, with music from artists like the Beastie Boys’ AdRock and Wild Belle singer-songwriter Natalie Bergman.

AdRock’s contribution “Pasadena Parrots” clocks in at just under a minute and begins with some screeching and squawking that gives way to a rush of hardcore guitars peppered with some laser-like synths. Bergman, meanwhile, has turned in a sweet and charming tune, “The Little Bird,” that...

Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers don’t take themselves too seriously — even the name of their band, Wet Leg, was born out of combining random emojis together on a keyboard. “It’s a really good way to find band names,” confirms Chambers, 27.

Teasdale and Chambers are sitting in the Ace Hotel in Brooklyn in early December, fresh from a goofy session inside the lobby’s photo booth. It’s the British duo’s first time in New York, and so far the experience has exceeded their expectations of a place...

Nick Cave, Vanessa Carlton, and more appear in the new trailer for Karen Dalton: In My Own Time, a new documentary on the folk singer out October 1st.

Directed by Richard Peete and Robert Yapkowitz, the trailer features archival footage of Dalton, from her upbringing in Oklahoma to her days New York City’s Greenwich Village folk scene, where she sang with Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, and others. It chronicles her tumultuous life that ended with her death in 1993 from AIDS when she was just 55 years old — and the...

The War on Drugs, Kamasi Washington, Japanese Breakfast, and Ty Segall are among the artists set to perform at this year’s Desert Daze festival, which returns to Lake Perris, California, the weekend of November 12th.

Toro Y Moi, Tim Heidecker, Weyes Blood, Yves Tumor, Devendra Banhart, the Budos Band, and more will also be on the lineup for the three-day outdoor festival, which will be scaled down in scope in 2021 in order to maintain proper Covid-19 guidelines.

“It’s been a long year-plus away from the Desert Daze community...

Devendra Banhart and his frequent producer Noah Georgeson have announced their new collaborative ambient album Refuge, which the duo wrote and recorded separately during the pandemic in 2020.

“We’re hoping to create a sense of comfort and coming back to the moment,” Banhart said in a statement. “It’s really important to have a little bit of space between us and our anxieties and impulses. What you do with that space is up to you.”

Ahead of the LP’s August 13th release via Dead Oceans, the pair have shared...

Angelique Kidjo, Yo La Tengo, Bill Frisell, and Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart are among the artists featuring on a 50th-anniversary musical tribute to beat poet Allen Ginsberg’s The Fall of America: Poems of These States 1965-1971.

Sonic Youth bandmates Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, Andrew Bird, Devendra Banhart, Gavin Friday & Howie B, the Fugs’ Ed Sanders, and more also appear on the album, which boasts musical interpretations of poems from Ginsberg’s 1971 book; some tracks feature the late poet reciting his works accompanied by the new music.

“In...

Angel Olsen, Brittany Howard, Kathleen Hanna and Phoebe Bridgers are among the artists performing during Panache’s upcoming Village of Love Planned Parenthood benefit concert. In partnership with Like Management, the virtual event takes place on October 25th via Live.ly, where tickets are available.

The lineup also includes Deep Sea Diver, Devendra Banhart, Ezra Furman, Kah-lo, Mac DeMarco, Margo Price, Perfume Genius, Rodrigo Amarante, Spellling, Tenacious D and Weyes Blood, who will perform originals and covers through the course of the event. The night also features a raffle, silent auction,...

Beck, Jeff Tweedy and Phoebe Bridgers were among the artists to participate in a Daniel Johnston tribute that aired Friday, September 11th on the website of Electric Lady Studios and Johnston’s new YouTube page. Friday marked the one-year anniversary of Johnston’s death.

The tribute is titled, “Honey I Sure Miss You” — after a Johnston song of the same name — and it will feature a stacked lineup of artists who have submitted pre-recorded performances of their favorite Johnston songs. Joining Beck (“True Love Will Find You in the End...

Just a day after Nick Cave covered T.Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer” on Late Late Show With James Corden, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts appeared on the show for a blistering rendition of “Jeepster.” Both recordings appear on the Hal Willner-produced comp Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex.

“She’s just the embodiment of power,” house bandleader Reggie Watts told Corden just before the performance. “It’s just incredible.” Jett appeared virtually with her band, launching into the Electric Warrior track: “You’re so sweet/You’re so fine,...

In celebration of the Grateful Dead’s Blues for Allah turning 45 this week, Devendra Banhart released a dreamy cover of “Franklin’s Tower.”

Released on Amazon Music, the rendition is significantly slower and more cerebral than the cheery original that Jerry Garcia sang the lead on. “God save the child who rings that bell,” he sings. “I may have one good ring baby, you can’t tell.”

“We chose ‘Franklin’s Tower’ for its opening line, one of my favorite opening lines of all time: ‘In another time’s forgotten...

R.E.M., Phoebe Bridgers, Hayley Williams and more appear on the new compilation Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, available on Friday for 24 hours only as part of the Bandcamp Fridays series.

The star-studded, 40-track comp boasts previously unreleased songs, demos, covers and remixes. It includes a live version of R.E.M.’s “Begin the Begin” from 1989, Williams’ Broadcast cover of “Colour Me In” and Bridgers’ voice memo of “Chinese Satellite” from her new album, Punisher.

Weyes Blood recorded a rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “River,...

Peaches has shared a cover of T. Rex’s “Solid Gold, Easy Action” off the upcoming star-studded tribute compilation Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, out September 4th via BMG.

Peaches puts a dizzy, electronic spin on the late icon’s 1972 single about sexual frustration. “Life is the same and it always will be,” she observes. “Easy as picking foxes from a tree.” Later, she sings: “I know you”re shrewd and she’s a dude/But all I want is easy action.”

Angelheaded Hipster was produced by Hal Willner,...

Joan Jett has shared a cover of T. Rex’s “Jeepster,” part of the upcoming tribute compilation Angelheaded Hipster, out September 4th via BMG.

Featuring Marc Ribot on guitar, Thomas “Doveman” Bartlett on piano, and Jim White on drums, Jett takes the Electric Warrior track to new heights. “You slide so good/With bones so fair,” she sings, “You’ve got the universe reclining in your hair.” Later, just after the three-minute mark, her husky voice proclaims, “And I’m gonna suck ya!”

The two-disc Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T.

Kesha delivers a high-octane performance of the T. Rex classic “Children of the Revolution” for a new compilation album, the Hal Willner-produced Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex.

As seen in the accompanying video, directed by Ethan Silverman, the pop star recorded the classic track while accompanied by an orchestra in the studio. Clips of her performance are interspersed with archival footage of Marc Bolan, his band T. Rex and their fans.

“Through a stroke of luck, I met the incredibly talented and kind Hal Willner,...

Devendra Banhart released a wistful cover of T. Rex’s “Scenescof,” off the upcoming tribute compilation Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, out September 4th on BMG.

“Scenescof” was originally released off T. Rex’s 1968 debut My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair… But Now They’re Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows, produced by Tony Visconti. Banhart offers a serene interpretation of the track, complete with synthesizers and the trippy production of the late Hal Willner, who died last month due...

A first film from an actor turned director is always an interesting thing to study. In particular, what kind of movie they choose to make their first time out. For Clark Duke, he really seems to have wanted to honor his cinematic influences, namely the Coen Brothers. Arkansas, his directorial debut, is the sort of crime tale, with occasional bursts of dark humor, that Joel Coen and Ethan Coen made a career out of, especially in their early days. Duke, however, ends up with a much more uneven effort than the Coen Brothers, even if it does display the sort of chops that will serve him well in the future. The movie is a crime thriller, centered on two low level thugs who get caught up in a wave of violence. Kyle (Liam Hemsworth) and Swin (Clark Duke) are the two gangsters, who are soon to begin living under the...

Nick Cave shared a tender interpretation of T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer,” the first offering from the upcoming tribute compilation, Angelheaded Hipster, which was produced by the late Hal Willner. The record will arrive September 4th via BMG.

For his cover, Cave transformed “Cosmic Dancer” into a poignant piano ballad buoyed by a rich orchestral arrangement. The track arrived with a video of Cave and others recording the song in the studio, paired with a montage of archival footage of T. Rex.

Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T.

“AngelHeaded Hipster,” a long-percolating tribute album to Marc Bolan and T. Rex — featuring U2, Elton John, Nick Cave, Joan Jett, Lucinda Williams and Father John Misty, and which is a companion to a forthcoming documentary film on the legendary rocker — is due on Sept. 4. The first track from the album, Cave’s take on Bolan’s 1971 song “Cosmic Dancer,” can be heard here.

The 26-track album, helmed by veteran producer Hal Willner — who passed away April 7 due to complications from coronavirus — features a tag team between U2 and Elton John on T. Rex’s biggest hit, “Bang a Gong (Get It On),” as well as contributions from Cave, Jett, Williams, Misty, Todd Rundgen, Perry Farrell, Soft Cell singer Marc Almond, Kesha and many others. The full track list appears below.

Both the album and documentary are from BMG, in collaboration with Who/Robert Plant manager Bill Curbishley’s Trinifold company.

Mykki Blanco enlisted Devendra Banhart for a spiritual odyssey on their new song, “You Will Find It.”

“You Will Find It” boasts twinkling guitar and an atmospheric aura, although Blanco ramps up the tension with a run of crackling verses peppered with periodic synth throbs and drums. In their lyrics, Blanco namechecks Lady Gaga and Alice Coltrane (plus Betty Rubble and Snow White) as they alternately mull deep existential questions and slip in a few clever clapbacks: “All Hail, her highness, La Dona Blanco,” Blanco spits, “I see some fakes,...

Ben Gibbard, Jim James, Fred Armisen and more will participate in a livestreaming charity concert hosted by the archival label Light in the Attic this Friday, April 3rd, on YouTube and Twitch at 4 p.m. Pst/7 p.m. Est.

The concert will feature a mix of contemporary artists and older musicians whose music Light in the Attic has released over the years. All donations accumulated during the event will go to MusiCares’ Covid-19 Relief Fund, which is dedicated to helping those in the music community — both artists and behind-the-scenes personnel...

Y La Bamba, the Portland-based indie band helmed by singer-songwriter Luz Elena Mendoza, have spent the past decade weaving both dynamic guitarwork and regional-Mexican flair into the vivid tapestry of the American folk tradition. And just months after releasing their 2019 LP, Mujeres, the band has returned with a heartrending Ep titled Entre Los Dos.

Released in February, Mujeres found Mendoza reckoning with her family history, drawing from the trauma (and unflinching fortitude) passed down from her foremothers. Mendoza was born in San Francisco to Mexican parents of indigenous Purépecha descent...

Devendra Banhart released a breezy, upbeat song called “Abre Las Manos.” The track is the second single off Banhart’s upcoming album Ma, out September 13th via Nonesuch Records.

“Abre Las Manos,” which translates to “open your hands” in English, was inspired by the musician’s homeland of Venezuela. The video features a slideshow of vivid, scenic photographs taken of the capital Caracas and El Avila National Park. “Cierra tus ojos y mira tu alma/Una hojita en el árbol de amor,” he sings (“Look at your eyes and look...

Andy Cabic was exploring the stacks in a Tower Records in Japan when he had an epiphany. The musician, who fronts the folk-rock band Vetiver, was on tour with Devendra Banhart in the mid-2000s when he walked into the store and found displays highlighting Japanese artists from the Seventies and Eighties, like Tatsuro Yamashita, Sugar Babe and Happy End. He spent the next few hours tucked in a listening booth, devouring this music that was at once totally new, yet somehow familiar. It sounded like American soft rock, Aor,...

The Strokes, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jenny Lewis, Tash Sultana, Incubus and Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats will lead the 2019 Ohana Festival. The fourth annual fest will run from Friday, September 27th through Sunday, the 29th at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 8th at 10 a.m. local time.

The eclectic line-up also features Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, Glen Hansard, Mudhoney, LP, Devendra Banhart, White Reaper, Benjamin Booker, Jacob Banks, Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real,...

In an election year marked by unprecedented grassroots energy on the left, and with just one month to go until the midterms (Nov 6th), dozens of notable cultural figures have come together in a video series launching today with the goal to drive mass volunteer action that transforms our government this November.

Amid a slew of celebrity PSAs and reminders to vote, their message is different: “Don’t just vote this year — volunteer!”

Entitled The Last Call for The Last Weekend, the video series is the last big push for The Last Weekend, a coalition campaign organized by Swing Left and backed by more than 60 other progressive organizations including Indivisible, MoveOn, Organizing for Action, and Emily’s List to enlist people from across the country to volunteer a collective 1 million hours to help get out the vote when volunteering matters most: on the last weekend before the midterm elections (Saturday 11/3 – Tuesday 11/6).

In the video series,...

When it comes to politics, Dolly Parton often chooses to stay mum on the topic. But in a just-released video the singer-songwriter celebrates one of the most hard-fought battles for American women, the August 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reserved suffrage rights for women and allowed them to vote.

Parton contributes the typically bubbly yet poignant and empowering “A Woman’s Right” to 27: The Most Perfect Album, a collection of songs about the Constitutional amendments that have shaped our democracy, and yet are...

Outsider folk artist Devendra Banhart has penned a five-minute history of the 25th amendment, the entry in the U.S. Constitution that allows for the president to be replaced by the vice president if he or she is incapable of carrying out the duties of the president. The song is part of a compilation put together by Wnyc’s More Perfect podcast, 27: The Most Perfect Album. The record comes out September 18th.

With a gentle guitar line and a restrained voice, Banhart details the line of succession that has...

It’s well over a month until Radiohead wrap up their 2017 A Moon Shaped Pool Tour at Park Hayarkon in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 19th, but it’s already shaping up to be the most controversial show of their career. They’ve performed in Israel eight times – most recently in the summer of 2000 – but this is the first time they’ve visited the country since the Bds (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement began in 2005.

The movement calls for a complete cultural boycott of Israel until Palestinians are granted the...

Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio has a little star on her hands. Anja, Ambrosio’s eight-year-old daughter, took the stage at the Coachella Music Festival’s first weekend. Accompanied by her dad, Jamie Mazur on guitar, Anja performed with Venezuelan singer Devendra Banhart during his set on Sunday. Related: Alessandra Ambrosio Strips For Her Neighbour In Day 19 […]...

After Silicon Valley had one of its best seasons yet, you may be looking for some more Thomas Middleditch this summer — and you are in luck. He leads Joshy, which finds him recovering after his fiancée (Alison Brie) commits suicide on his birthday. Four months later, he can’t get the deposit back on the house in Ojai, California he rented for his bachelor party, so he decides to make the best of it and invite his closest friends to spend a weekend together.

Featuring the stacked ensemble of Adam Pally, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, Brett Gelman, Alex Ross Perry, Joe Swanberg, Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Lauren Graham, and Jake Johnson, the first trailer has landed today. Coming from Jeff Baena, it does a strong job of selling the mix of comedy and drama.

I said in my review, “This story of thirty-somethings going through their own pre-midlife crises is a familiar one,...

The former star of Home Alone stars in a surreal stoner version of the Arabian Nights tale masterminded by his musician friend Adam Green

Anyone raised on the Disney version of Aladdin may be surprised by Adam Green’s take on the Arabian Nights tale. Green, who rose to fame as one half of the early 2000s indie-rock band the Moldy Peaches, has created an acid-dipped retelling of Aladdin set in a papier-mache world, ruled by a sultan played by painter Francesco Clemente, with a princess that Green describes as “kind of like a Kardashian”, and a magic lamp outfitted with a 3D printer.

Green stars as the titular character, alongside Natasha Lyonne, former child star Macaulay Culkin, Alia Shawkat, Zoe Kravitz, Devendra Banhart and the Moldy Peaches’ guitarist Jack Dishel who plays a hilarious double role. Along with them are many more actors and musicians romping through a cartoon...

The former star of Home Alone stars in a surreal stoner version of the Arabian Nights tale masterminded by his musician friend Adam Green

Anyone raised on the Disney version of Aladdin may be surprised by Adam Green’s take on the Arabian Nights tale. Green, who rose to fame as one half of the early 2000s indie-rock band the Moldy Peaches, has created an acid-dipped retelling of Aladdin set in a papier-mache world, ruled by a sultan played by painter Francesco Clemente, with a princess that Green describes as “kind of like a Kardashian”, and a magic lamp outfitted with a 3D printer.

Green stars as the titular character, alongside Natasha Lyonne, former child star Macaulay Culkin, Alia Shawkat, Zoe Kravitz, Devendra Banhart and the Moldy Peaches’ guitarist Jack Dishel who plays a hilarious double role. Along with them are many more actors and musicians romping through a cartoon...

Stx Entertainment’s much buzzed about, adrenaline-fueled action film Hardcore Henry hits theatres nationwide on April 8.

The digital version of the soundtrack and the score by Dasha Charusha will be available on April 8 followed by a CD version of the soundtrack on April 15 by Sony Music Masterworks. Vinyl will be released in early summer.

Winner of the “People’s Choice Award Midnight Madness” at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, and a Headline Premiere selection at the SXSW film festival, Hardcore Henry is an unflinchingly original, first-person action film where You are the main character, Henry. You have just been rescued from the brink of death by your wife, who is kidnapped moments later. You have no memory, and no idea why the people who took her want you dead. Your mission is find her, solve the mystery of your existence & discover the truth behind your identity.

The film, which stars Sharlto Copley,...

If the last few years were any indication, it’s shocking to have no official Joe Swanberg feature at Sundance in 2016, but Joshy comes remarkably close — albeit with a different, more effective brand of comedy. Beginning like many other indie dramedies, a tragedy spurs a group of old friends (and a few new ones) to retreat to a secluded house where they bond and work out their fractured lives and emotional insecurities.

Thomas Middleditch stars as our titular lead, whose fiancée (Alison Brie) — seemingly happy, although later revealed to be stricken with depression — commits suicide on his birthday. Four months later, he can’t get the deposit back on the house in Ojai, California he rented for his bachelor party, so he decides to make the best of it and invite his closest friends to spend a weekend together.

Director Jeff Baena (Life After Beth) brings together a mightily intriguing ensemble,...

Los Angeles - Last night musicians and comedians gathered at the Ace Hotel to honor the 60th anniversary of Allen Ginsberg's groundbreaking poem "Howl," in the form of a benefit concert thrown by the David Lynch Foundation. The non-profit centers on spreading the word about the benefits of Transcendental Meditation. Sounds like a laugh riot, right? Actually, everyone fared pretty well... "David Lynch... the man who made me afraid of hallways." Musician Kevin Drew, as an introduction "Live abortions! Raise your hand if you've had an abortion... or you can just slap me five when you leave." Amy Poehler "I love rap music but I despise poetry." Chris Parnell, prior to rapping "The Ballad of the Skeletons" with Amy Poehler "This should go for two or three hours. Let's round it up to six... Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness. You have to if you wanna see Nic Cage.

Today is Easter, one of the holiest and most chocolatey of days for Christians worldwide. So let’s take this to the Church of the Bearded Celebrity (it’s awaiting tax-exempt religion status but I’m sure we’ll totally get it). In terms of the western concept of Jesus that we grew up with, the one that doesn’t 100-percent (or at all) jive with what the dude (his Holy Dudeliness) would have actually looked like, here are the celebrity gentlemen who, at one pre-shave-and-a-haircut point in time or another, most resembled Jesus.

Jared Leto

Jesus and I.

A photo posted by Jared Leto (@jaredleto) on Apr 17, 2014 at 4:32pm Pdt

Christian Bale

Brad Pitt

Matisyahu

Viggo Mortensen

Devendra Banhart

John Lennon

Dave Grohl

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]...

Today is Easter, one of the holiest and most chocolatey of days for Christians worldwide. So let’s take this to the Church of the Bearded Celebrity (it’s awaiting tax-exempt religion status but I’m sure we’ll totally get it). In terms of the western concept of Jesus that we grew up with, the one that doesn’t 100-percent (or at all) jive with what the dude (his Holy Dudeliness) would have actually looked like, here are the celebrity gentlemen who, at one pre-shave-and-a-haircut point in time or another, most resembled Jesus.

Jared Leto

Jesus and I.

A photo posted by Jared Leto (@jaredleto) on Apr 17, 2014 at 4:32pm Pdt

Christian Bale

Brad Pitt

Matisyahu

Viggo Mortensen

Devendra Banhart

John Lennon

Dave Grohl

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]...

Lil Jon and DJ Snake's "Turn Down For What" has been reborn, as "Turn Out For What" for the Rock The Vote campaign. Nov. 4 mid-term elections are rolling around the corner, so Lena Dunham, Whoopi Goldberg, Natasha Lyonne, Fred Armisen, E.J. Johnson, Darren Criss, Sophia Bush, Ireland Baldwin, Devendra Banhart, Ioanna Gika and Gabriel Valenciano have come to tell you why they're voting. And, of course, Lil Jon's there too. Watch everybody's voting booth dance moves, and develop some of your own.

It's officially fall which means pumpkins, scarves, sweater weather and of course, election season. That's precisely why Rock the Vote is gearing up—with the help of several famous faces—to encourage everyone to educate themselves and make their voices heard in the polls. Lena Dunham, Glee's Darren Criss, Sophia Bush, Fred Armisen, Orange Is the New Black's Natasha Lyonne, celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, Whoopi Goldberg, Devendra Banhart, Ionna Gika and Gabriel Valenciano all team up for a special rendition of Lil Jon's hit, "Turn Down for What." The twist? The new track is called "Turn Out for What." Rock the Vote Spokesperson, Audrey Gelman, told...

Dare I say this is the most clever "come on, we're famous, let's try to get people to vote" campaign since Diddy's 2004 Vote or Die? (Vote or Die returned in 2008 but wasn't nearly as pervasive as the first go-around.) "Turn Out for What," a play on Lil Jon's summertime anthem "Turn Down for What," is not bad at all. In fact, it already got a bunch of famous people to the (fake) polls. What are they turning out for? Lena Dunham, a.k.a. Lil Lena, is turning out for reproductive rights; Devendra Banhart is here for deforestation; Natasha Lyonne is for prison reform; and Lil Jon himself is supporting the legalization of marijuana. Then they dance. Good job!

Okay, so a lo-fi release on Bandcamp isn't quite the same as Queen Bey unleashing an entire digital library of music videos when a great deal of the world was snoozing, but give Michael Cera credit where credit is due. The sweet-faced actor, who was last seen acting like a total a-hole in "This Is The End," uploaded an entire called "true that" to Bandcamp a few days ago. (The album's Bandcamp page indicates it was released on August 8th, but most sites are reporting it was released last night. Ymmv.) Jonah Hill tweeted the link last night, and lots of curious folks clicked over to listen.

My great friend Michael Cera not only is a brilliant actor, he also makes great music. Check it out: http://t.co/lbc8sDcSco

- Jonah Hill (@JonahHill) August 13, 2014 Yeah, it's easy to say that it sounds like the kind of music you'd...