Check It. 2010 movie mash-up [The Monday Download].

It's coming to end of 2010, a time to reflect over the past year. And for us culture junkies out there, that means thinking about your favorite films, music, moments, etc. Can't think back far enough to consider all the movies that came out this year? Here's a fun cheat sheet, the ultimate 2010 mash-up:

And now the rain and holiday vacation make for the perfect excuses to catch up on all those films you missed. Let us know what your must-sees are!

-- Chau Tu

Etc. The Grammys.

I was originally going to write about Imogen Heap's Twitter dress and all of its implications in this Modern Age, but despite Colbert replacing the winner's envelope with an iPad, and the Black Eyed Peas announcing, "Welcome to the future," I found myself saying repeatedly during last night's Grammys ceremony, "Really? I never thought I'd see this in 2010." Some of the throw-backs were welcome, but all of them proved just how outmoded and ridiculous the Grammys really are (and probably always have been).

1. Every single nominee in the Best Rock Album category. U2, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, Green Day, and Dave Matthews. Great, over forty years of legendary talent... each more irrelevant than the last.

2. Beyonce singing "You Oughta Know." OK. This was rad. It was just this subtle, yet powerful feminist statement, from the all-girl backing band (including horn section) to Beyonce's pelvis grab in the very beginning.

3. Seal as a presenter and "A Kiss From a Rose" as his entrance music. Hahaha.

4. Pink's recycled aerial ballet, similar to last year's VMAs. It was quite good, but certainly did not warrant tears from Keith Urban.

5. The big to-do about Bon Jovi's performance debut. Maybe the fact that it hadn't already happened in the last twenty years was a sign that it never needed to.

6. All those stupid pairings of nominees and "classic" artists.
- Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift. Fine, I get it. Keeps NARIS heads happy or whatever. But seeing a 50-something year old woman sing, "You Belong with Me"=Rock Bottom.
- Elton John and Gaga. Brilliant. I loved it on so many levels, but most of all, it just didn't feel awkward. Sir Elton and the Lady actually fit together at their shared piano.
- Jaime Foxx, T. Pain, and Slash. Could this have been anymore disastrous? Blame it on the ah-ah-ah-alcohol, I guess.

7. Neil Portnow's plea to music fans. This was the last straw for me. It's 2010 and people in the music industry still think that somehow the record label, physical music sales, and the notion of ownership are going to rise from the dead a la Thriller. Better yet, they still imagine that it's all the consumer's fault and if we'd just pay them, it'd be OK. Listen, Neil, maybe if your industry came up with a business model that worked, we'd participate in it. How dare you guilt trip me on the stage of a completely useless awards show that costs millions dollars to produce. It is beyond insulting.

-- Heather Robertson

Photo credit: zimbio.com

Advance Notice. Ricky Gervais.

Ricky Gervais is seriously hilarious. I don't know how many times I've watched him on BBC's The Office and rewinded the DVDs to catch snippets of his genius humor again (and again). His films and HBO comedy special have been great post-Office treats, and now he's hosting the 2010 Golden Globes on Sunday night, and will be at L.A. Live for two nights in May--the 15th and 16th.

Tickets go on sale on ticketmaster.com next Friday (January 22) at 10:00 a.m. for Gervais' Los Angeles shows.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.digitaljournal.com

Happy New Year!

We'd like to thank our readers for all the support in 2009. We wish you all an excellent 2010!

Happy New Year!

-- the BEAT

Advance Notice. Martin Scorsese at LACMA.

Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Color of Money, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed ... ) is championing a cause--film preservation. During the summer, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art-LACMA announced the planned end of their weekend film program--or at least an indefinite break from it due to lost funds. Scorsese wrote an open letter to LACMA CEO Michael Govan, which resulted in an outpouring of community support for the program. A Film Club is now in place, and the announcement of it's inception resulted in $150,000 in donations, as well as the $50 fee for each new member who joins.

Now the New York Academy Award winner is headed to the West Coast to give us some more of his thoughts on the matter.

The legendary director will be in conversation with Govan at LACMA on January 20 at 7:30 p.m. I know those of you who have 2010 calendars are just dying to mark them up with January plans, so write down January 4 as the on sale date (as well as of course the 20th).

LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles - (323) 857-6000

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.listal.com