Brad Pitt joins Prop 8 play

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How Andrew Breitbart changed the news

Andrew Breitbart, conservative activist and blogger, died ThursdaySTORY HIGHLIGHTSNick Gillespie says Andrew Brietbart, who died, was polarizing -- and liked itHe says Brietbart baited liberals but was not straight-up conservativeHe says his legacy was creating discussion outlets away from what he saw as smug mediaGillespie: His efforts weren't always pretty, but mediascape he grew was more interestingEditor's note: Nick Gillespie is the editor in chief of Reason.com and Reason.tv and the co-author with Matt Welch of "The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America."

(CNN) -- To get a sense of just how polarizing a figure new media innovator Andrew Breitbart was, get a load of this tweet from Slate's Matt Yglesias that went out mere hours after the news of Breitbart's unexpected death at age 43 broke: "The world outlook is slightly improved with

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Why the Monkees -- and Davy Jones -- should get respect

The Monkees, with Davy Jones second from left, in a promotional photo from 1970.STORY HIGHLIGHTSDavid Browne: Davy Jones' death has stirred new round of dissing of the Monkees as fakeHe says they were underrated band; that they get little respect raises issues relevant todayHe says Monkees rebelled against TV handlers, demanded control, made better songsBrowne: Lady Gaga is modern example of pop music mistakenly not taken seriously; Editor's note: David Browne is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and author of "Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the Lost Story of 1970." (Da Capo)

(CNN) -- The death of Davy Jones on Wednesday from a massive heart attack at age 66 elicited all the standard commentary about the Monkees, the band that made him a star: The Monkees were a made-for-TV boy band. They recorded tunes written not by them, but by reputable songwriters like Neil Diamond ("I'm a Believer"), Harry Nilsson ("Cuddly Toy"), and the team of Carole King and Gerry Goffin ("Pleasant Valley Sunday"). They were Beatles knockoffs and teen idols.

Those points are all valid, but they miss two essential aspects of the Monkees' story. The first is fairly simple: Despite their undoubtedly contrived origins, they turned out to be one of pop's finest bands, arguably the most underrated in rock history. The second is deeper: Their ongoing lack of critical respect speaks to struggles within the music world

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Advance screenings for 'Hunger Games'

With advance screenings of The Hunger Games to strike cities, may the odds ever be in your favor.STORY HIGHLIGHTSFans can show their support by tweeting a unique hashtag assigned to their closest cityPeople have a chance to receive two complimentary tickets on March 10 at select B&N storesThe top four cities with the most Twitter volume will be announced each day

(EW.com) -- There are less than 24 days left until the theatrical release of The Hunger Games (did you hear that EW is the official sponsor of District 7?), and in celebration of the countdown, Lionsgate has announced 24 advanced screenings of the film to coincide with the story's 24 tributes fighting to the death.

"Fans can show their support for #HungerGames24 by visiting Screenings.TheHungerGamesMovie.com and tweeting a unique hashtag assigned to their closest city to unlock Advance Screening locations. Starting tomorrow, March 1, the top four cities with the most Twitter volume will be announced each day and fans will then be able to enter to win tickets to those locations," Lionsgate said in a release.

In addition, on March 10, the first customers to purchase any Nook device at select Barnes & Noble stores will receive two complimentary tickets to the official Advance Screening on March 21 (while supplies last). You can find participating Barnes & Noble stores here.

The social media marketing campaign echoes the milestones from past countdowns: #HungerGames100, #HungerGames74 and #HungerGames50. But how many more hashtag activities can fans take before the release?

At least one, tribute friends. At least one.

See the full article at EW.com.

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Why we grieve teen idols

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You don't know Jack (Nicholson)

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Review: 'This is Not a Film'

Director Jafar Panahi attends the Sony Pictures Classics Party during the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Asghar Farhadi is the director of best foreign language film winner "A Separation"Farhadi's fellow fimmaker, Jafar Panahi, remains under house arrestPanahi is filmed in his home in what becomes "This Is Not a Film"

(CNN) -- By some measure the best speech on Oscar night came from an unexpected, or at least, unfamiliar, source: Asghar Farhadi, the director of best foreign language film winner "A Separation."

Farhadi spoke movingly about how culture can transcend politics even at a time when "talk of war, intimidation and aggression" dominates relations between the United States and his country, Iran. He went on to dedicate the award to his fellow countrymen, "a people who respect all cultures and civilizations, and despise hostility and resentment."

Regrettably, according to reports, Iranian state media framed his Oscar as a victory over Israel (a reference to fellow nominee "Footnote") and even reworded the speech to talk about "Western hostility and resentment." Meanwhile, Farhadi's fellow filmmaker Jafar Panahi remains under house arrest in Tehran and faces a six-year prison term for his open support for the opposition movement in Iran's 2009 election.

A celebrated filmmaker on the festival circuit, Panahi has award-winning movies like "Crimson Gold," "The White Balloon" and "The Circle" to his name. Like most Iranian filmmakers, he has necessarily become adept at cat and mouse games with the theocracy's censors, but the stakes are higher now than ever: how to make a film when he's been banned from making films (for 20 years, no less)?

That's the conundrum he discusses with his colleague, cameraman Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, whom he invites over for tea. Someone (his son) has conveniently left a camera running in the corner of the room, so we can spy as Panahi gets up, makes tea, and calls his friend. His idea: he has a screenplay all ready to go. He asks Mirtahmasb to film him as he reads the script out loud.

It quickly becomes apparent that this is not going to work. A film is images, not words on a page. So they start to block and stage the scenes, right there in Panahi's apartment. The rug marks out a wall and a window, the corridor is the road outside the house -- but still Panahi is playing all the parts. The process is exhausting and he recognizes they're not really getting anywhere. This is not a film!

And so he abandons the script. Instead, iPhone in hand, he films himself on the phone with his wife (visiting relatives for Iranian New Year), his lawyer (not optimistic), and interacting with the janitor (taking out the garbage).

If that sounds claustrophobic and frustrating, that is precisely the point.

But "This Is Not a Film" defiantly demonstrates the filmmaker's creativity and engagement just as forcefully as it emphasizes the grotesque and unjustifiable constraints imposed on him. It dares to be tedious, a little, but it also dares to be different, outspoken, challenging, funny, unexpected (look out for an amazing crane shot!) and inspiring. If that old term "independent cinema" still has any artistic currency, well, then consider this Panahi's declaration of independence.

Not a conventional film, certainly, but a powerful and important statement.

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