Reza Aslan is a Los Angeles-based writer, commentator and Islamic scholar. His new book is, “How to Win A Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and The End of Terror.”

"Jerichow" is the story of two men and one woman with lots of secrets among them, mostly about things in their various pasts that they would rather remain hidden.

The first time Dave Alvin performed with the Guilty Women, last year at a bluegrass festival in San Francisco, the musicians did not rehearse until an hour before they went on stage. But with this particular group of pros, Alvin didn’t have any fears.

I laughed at some of the gags in Mel Brooks' "The Producers," but I also felt uncomfortable with many of the portrayals. I wrote this in my notebook: “Gay minstrel show.”

As a bank robber, John Dillinger  demonstrated some style. Unfortunately, these scenes don't appear in "Public Enemies." Director Michael Mann focuses instead on Dillinger's physicality as a bank purloiner, leaping on top of counters, threatening bank employees and blasting his way out of jams.

Stock your iPod, MP3 player or stereo with songs perfect for Independence Day celebrations.

When I was a kid, growing up and impressionable, Michael Jackson was the coolest person. I wanted to sing like him, dance like him, dress like him – I wanted to be him. My parents even got me a Michael Jackson coat one year for Christmas. I was the bomb, doing a little dance and turning around.

Dinosaurs, Dillinger, and a pair of films imported from Europe.

Computer animated movies have come a long way. They typically attract top-notch talent for the voice work and, while aimed mostly at children, have enough oomph to keep an adult entertained. That’s why, when a derivative stinker such as the first “Ice Age,” rolls around, it’s almost shocking.

An alleged pimp whose mom was a Massachusetts state representative in the 1970s and '80s told detectives he saved his female captive from life on the streets by forcing her to have sex for money.

“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” may start out slow and dumb, but once it finds its feet and begins to evolve and adapt, it grows into something pretty special.

Whoever thought it a good idea to cast Johnny Depp as the infamous John Dillinger should be shot in a dark alleyway, along with director Michael Mann.

It takes a lot to distinguish yourself in the blues world. Rick Estrin & the Nightcats' "Twisted," while it might be revolutionary, hits all the right notes.

For two years, Larry Tye pored through thousands of research pages and wrote hundreds of pages about an often-overlooked American icon: baseball great Leroy “Satchel” Paige. Satchel’s story, said Tye, is about overcoming “every obstacle any human being could ever imagine.”

There was no mustard to be found, but firefighters from the Mid-County Fire Protection District in Cadmenton found more hot dogs than they’d care to remember.