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Jane's Addiction, which first played on the Sunset Strip as the opener to Gene Loves Jezebel at The Roxy nearly two decades ago, is returning to West Hollywood in September as the king of the influential live-music scene. The L.A. rockers will headline the first day of the newly expanded Sunset Strip Music Festival and receive the Elmer Valentine Award, which salutes those who have made an impact on the iconic 1.5-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard. Australian electronic music duo Empire of the Sun ("Walking on a Dream") will topline the second day of the street

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We're back again with the third chapter in our ongoing feature on vintage Italian cinema thrillers, and since we've previously covered titles from Lucio Fulci (Don't Torture a Duckling) and Mario Bava (A Bay of Blood), it's time we examined a film from the final member of the genre's “Big Three,” Dario Argento. While Argento's most beloved work is unquestionably the stunning 1977 horror classic Suspiria, which was set in a dreamlike supernatural world, he was previously most famous for his pioneering approach to the giallo genre, beginning with the stylish The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – the huge success of which earned him the nickname “The Italian Hitchcock,” a handle he didn't particularly care for at the time. After that film, audiences craved more thrillers with Dario's eccentric touch, leading to what is loosely described as his “Animal Trilogy,” in that all of the titles include the name of an...

At the conclusion of Lamberto Bava's Demons a universe of possibilities had been opened, suggesting a myriad of directions for sequels. Despite their penchant for cashing in, the Italians seemed to favor ripping off Hollywood successes, rather than carving out their own franchises.

Spaghetti takes on The Exorcist, Jaws and, of course, Dawn of the Dead were produced as a means of "cutting in" on those global successes. But the Dario Argento-produced / Lamberto Bava-directed Demons had created such a stylish and energetic universe that those creators were quick to recognize the potential for more, quickly putting Demons 2 into production and throwing a bit more money behind its architecture. The creation of Demons 2 represented a rare - and surprising - instance where Italian horror attempted to capitalize on its own success with a direct sequel. And despite a somewhat mixed result, it begs the question: "why...