· Earlimart, Afternoons, Red Cortez, Dazzler at The Echoplex, The Soul of John Black, Katie Costello, Shane Alexander are at The Hotel Café, and Travis play The Troubadour. · TC Boyle performs a reading of his own work—maybe something from his upcoming novel, The Women, perhaps? (Don't worry—it has nothing to do with Meg Ryan.) At the Hammer Museum. · Black Chrome, at the California African American Museum, explores "African-American motorcycle culture's little-known contributions to automotive history—such as the chopper bike."

As we anxiously await lesser Baldwin brother Stephen's self-imposed exile, the McCain-grieving, born again zealot remains on domestic soil, plugging his latest book—an essential addition to the religio-detective canon called The Death and Life of Gabriel Phillips: A Novel—on the Christian bookstore circuit. And who should pop up at a Tennessee signing table but Disney Channel superstar Miley Cyrus, with Underoos-flaunting man-candy Justin Gaston tucked under her arm. Why? Not even a befuddled flack could say:

The successful Cheech and Chong reunion tour has found precisely the messiah you'd expect to bring the pot-culture icons to the wider audience that slipped away from them almost 30 years ago: The Weinstein Company. Harvey and Bob today announced they are clearing space on their cluttered basement shelf for The Cheech and Chong Concert Movie, which the brothers acquired for worldwide theatrical, DVD and TV release in 2009. And the really funny thing? This may turn out to be their most profitable release of the year.And not just because TWC picked it up for roughly $500 and a tank of gas to San Diego, where the film will shoot next March. That won't hurt, but compared to the rest of the Weinstein slate — most notably the high-end gambles Inglourious Basterds [sic] and Nine— the The Cheech and Chong Concert Movie is the only place the Weinsteins make money these days: Cheaply acquired genre-cult junk. And we mean that as a good thing; the comedians' manager told Variety that the tour has "already grossed in eight figures, and a licensing deal has netted roughly $9 per concertgoer" — rock concert numbers, not 70-year-old burnout numbers. Roll that over to the DVD/cable/streaming markets where both the audience that pushed them to equally strong numbers in the '70s and '80s and their stoner kids are watching? Back up the Brinks truck! Who needs Fergie's labia, anyway?

Si Se Puede: If the anti-Prop 8 movement has begun to realize that a Sundance boycott isn't quite in the cards, at least there's one homegrown establishment they can direct their ire towards: the Beverly Blvd. mainstay El Coyote. After word circulated that Marjorie Chrisoffersen, the restaurant's family manager, had donated to the "Yes on 8" cause, the gay community decided to boycott El Coyote's potent mixture of cheap Mexican food and kitsch. A panicked Chrisoffersen has now thrown together a hasty "early lunch" at the restaurant (tomorrow at 11am) to talk to protesters. Better pick up the tab, Marge! [Box Turtle Bulletin via Towleroad]

Hollywood PrivacyWatch: 11/8 — Saw TOM HANKS, TOM FORD, RITA WILSON and unidentified older man eating dinner together at Giorgio Baldi. Seemed like an unlikely friendship. TF looked like his airbrushed self, TH was looking slimmer and Rita was looking good as well. [Hollywood PrivacyWatch is written by and for Defamer readers; send your sightings to tips@defamer.com.]

As near as we can tell, Ryan Reynolds is known for these five things, in order: shirtlessness, marrying Scarlett Johansson, that Pizza Place show, the Canadian teen soap Fifteen, and pantslessness (NSFW). Considering that two of those five accomplishments leave Reynolds pretty exposed, we thought that there was little left to discover about his impressive physique — that is, until he sat down with Rachael Ray to talk about the effect his recent marathon run had on his body:

Gas is cheap, cats are fighting, and the leaves on the palm trees are maintaining their color. It's fall! WATCH The Real Housewives of Atlanta [10 PM, Bravo] - If Anderson Cooper endorses it, you know it's kosh. Tonight, AC's favorite housewife, NeNe, pushes ahead in her child's paternity case, hoping for a DNA test. DeShawn hosts a BBQ and Sheree and Kim take a boating trip. It wouldn't be a full episode without a lavish party, so Sheree throws a soiree to promote her clothing line.

Behold, your first look at J.J. Abrams's vision of the Enterprise for the upcoming Star Trek—both incredibly familiar, and yet...totally familiar. But that's intentional, says he: "If you're going to do the Enterprise, it better look like the Enterprise, because otherwise, what are you doing?" It certainly hews closer to the original than its bridge does, already derailed by purists as far too Apple Store Genius Bar-y to adequately photon torpedo Klingons. (See how down with the mythology we are?) We get more of a Famima! checkout counter vibe from it, however, which is fine with us. Set a course for Char Siew Pork Steamy Buns! Mmmmm... (Click for full-size view.) [EW]

Despite recent complaints around the Web asking why Paramount hadn't yet issued a one-sheet for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the studio has in fact delivered the poster to theaters. And what an effort it is, with the pores of Brad Pitt's face blown up to nickel-size and every word but the release date printed backwards in tribute to its namesake's reverse chronology. Or maybe the first run was messed up and simply displayed last night at the Bruin just in case a confused security guard didn't recognize the leading man. Or perhaps the whole thing is just deliberate ploy to attract the disaffected, backwards-face-carving youth contingent. Click through for the full-size paparazzi image. [X17 Online]

Pop-country tween phenomenon Taylor Swift dropped by Ellen today to promote a new album of songs that tap deep into the wells of heartache she's already amassed in her scant 18 years on this planet. The most achy-breaky of all? Her breakup with dreamy-haired Jonas brother Joe, about whom she says pragmatically, "One day...I won't be able to remember the boy that broke up with me over the phone in 25 seconds when I was 18." What follows is a thunderous wave of "Ohhhhhhwaaahhhhhhwhoooooooaaaa" from the audience we think is supposed to encapsulate their shock, sympathy, and outrage over the callous tele-dumping. While we feel for the singer, we too are certain there's far more worthy suitors in her future, and she'll chalk this experience up to yet more grist for the country-song mill, culminating in a CMA-winning composition entitled, "I Need Your Lovin' (Like I Need A Fartin' Dog in My Dodge)." [Ellen]

After a week of attention-getting protests against Proposition 8, gay activists and allies are ready for their next big target — and some, like blogger John Aravosis, are suggesting a boycott of the Sundance Film Festival. Sure, the Prop, 8-pushing Mormon Church has no direct ties to Sundance, but the Park City fest could be affected by a growing movement to boycott not just Mormon-owned enterprises but the entire, caffeine-fearing state of Utah in general. So, should Robert Redford be shaking in his stylish snow boots? We think not, for these reasons:The boycott talk is coming from outside the industry, not inside. So far, calls for a boycott are mainly coming from bloggers, not influential directors, producers, and actors. We don't see that changing, unless the cash-poor Harvey Weinstein decides to make a dramatic nonattendance statement as a way to save face (and plane airfare). A boycott big enough to matter is unlikely. The young filmmakers accepted into the festival would crawl over their own mothers to be there, and the Sundance hangers-on like Paris Hilton have never been bastions of activism. Without enough straight allies who could bear to part with their tickets to Park City, there's no chance to make a big dent, because... The gay presence at Sundance has waned. Back before your associate editor took up blogging and adopted the royal "we" at Defamer, I held a regular gig as The Advocate's film critic and attended several Sundances working the gay beat (not as hustler-ish as it sounds!). Though the film festival has a deservedly gay-friendly rep, it's gone through some pretty sparse queer years as of late. At the 2007 festival, the gay slate had so little on it that the centerpiece was a Chad Allen movie. If Sundance was boycotted by gay filmmakers and queer-themed films, the lineup wouldn't change that much. We're all about new and novel ways to protest (what's this we keep hearing about "A Day Without a Gay"?), but the Sundance idea seems DOA to us, especially when everybody's already got their plane tickets set for January. Next year might be a different story — there'll be a lot more lead time — but let's hope there won't be reason to protest then, OK? [Photo Credit: AP]

We already know Jennifer Aniston thinks Angelina Jolie's spouse-theft is the very picture of "uncool." But a little context couldn't hurt in understanding the true depth of Aniston's lingering antipathy over her split from Brad Pitt — like that whole part about Jolie's "detailed timeline" of their illicit courtship on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Definitely uncool, says Aniston:

So, have you heard that Jaden Smith, son of mega movie star Will, is going to be the next Karate Kid? Yeah, they're rebooting that old franchise—about street tough kids getting lessons in fightin' and thinkin' from mystical Asians—as a star vehicle for the kiddie. Sure, he's already starred (with Pa) in The Pursuit of Happy[sic]ness and has a role in the upcoming The Day The Earth Stood Still. But, the savvy tyke he is, Jaden's booked himself in the update of an iconic role that can shake off the simple title of "Will Smith's Kid." Now he'll be, well, "that new Karate Kid." He's not the first celeb spawn to go into the industry, and he won't be the last teetering into the fray to ditch associations with their famous folks. So who's next?? Who will be the next children of celebrities to hurl themselves in front of the camera in search of non-genetic fame? We'll take a look at some other famey babies after the jump and cast them in ideal (read: fake) break-out roles!

· In what THR dubs a "Rasinet recession," candy counter sales are dwindling, as families in these rough economic times are opting to meet their mortgage payments instead of investing in a tub of popcorn large enough to later turn into a cardboard shelter. [THR] · The Weinsteins have come on board to produce the movie of Pulitzer and Tony-winning play August: Osage County, which we saw this summer and can honestly say lives up to the hype. Weinstein says he has "already received calls from reps of interested actresses who've seen the play." Here's your cast: Judi Dench, Holly Hunter, Meryl Streep, Mary-Louise Parker. Bam. Back on the Oscars express. [Variety] · "Since I'm really curious about the world, what better place for [my partner Tom Leonardis] and me to exercise this interest than at Discovery?" said the delightfully gay-rights-incurious Whoopi Goldberg of her Discovery Emerging Networks deal. [Variety] After the jump: What lesbianwashing network is now playing God with its schedule?· CBS's Monday night comedy block won the night, including a series-best for The Big Bang Theory, which we're glad to know is 10.0 million people's dirty little secret as well. [Variety] · ABC is futzing with its schedule, putting Private Practice after Grey's Anatomy, and Life on Mars after Lost, in what they'll multi-platform promote as their new, "Let's Hope You Stick Around For Suckier TV Night in America!" campaign.

Though Lindsay Lohan has recently revealed herself to be a stickler for semantics, we have a feeling there's a word or two in her recent interview with Access Hollywood that she might want to take back right around now.Maria Menounos quizzed the part-time actress on her reaction to Barack Obama's historic victory, and Lohan (clearly still reeling from the use of Homer Simpson's makeup gun) obliged with warm, hoarse words about "our nation's first colored president." That is maybe not how we would have put it, but neither would we have starred in the Chris Parnell vehicle Labor Pains. Someone's gotta be at the vanguard! Clip below:

We've already expressed to you how American Idol runner-up David Archuleta could literally save the world. How big an Archie fan are we? Let's put it this way: You see that video above us? We're the one in the orange shirt and glasses. Well, we've just downloaded his debut CD on iTunes, made available today, and have jotted down our thoughts on every track. Our occasionally tear-smudged first impressions follow:1. "Crush"

The only thing more stunning to us than learning The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screened last night for the first time, like, ever, was that Brad Pitt himself dropped by to have a look at the Bruin Theater. It wasn't much of a secret to the hundred or so paparazzi to 24/7 Pitt detail, but a security guard working the screening did not get that memo, accosting the star and his pap trail in the theater lobby. Would peace prevail, or would the War of Westwood be the first of many bitter obstacles to befall Button's path to Oscar? The pictures tell the story after the jump.

It's Alive! Last week, we brought you word that Pushing Daisies was closing up shop after finishing the 13th episode of its second season. Now, Save Daisies has word that while that's true, the series is still expected to be revived for a third season. That whole "renewal after a truncated second season" gambit didn't end up saving Arrested Development in the end, but given Daisies's subject matter, we suppose that constant teetering between ratings life and cancellation death is rather apropos. [Save Daisies]

Hollywood's steady death march to the Idea-Killing Fields continues with news today that Jaden Smith—smarmy hatchling of the dangerously in black love super-couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith—will star in a re-imagining of sacred 1980s cinematic text, The Karate Kid. Set to shoot next year in Beijing and other locations, the film won't be a straight-ahead remake, but will rather "borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor." With no word on who will play the pivotal role of handyman mentor Mr. Miyagi, we thought we'd offer some casting suggestions to go along with the logical "Ralph Macchio : Jaden Smith" equation:1. Nicolas Cage We can think of no other actor more capable of tapping into both Miyagi's quiet dignity and flying-insect-assassinating ferocity than Cage—to say nothing of his intimate familiarity with Far East mysticism, having served for years as a pachinko pitchman on Japanese TV:

If you're excited to read something terrible today, you're in luck! The LAT's Patrick Goldstein has taken time out of his busy, blogger-excoriating schedule to continue his second career as a one-man promo machine for the Samuel L. Jackson/Bernie Mac vehicle Soul Men, and today, he's produced a real whopper. Periodically, Goldstein has used his column to check in with the film's producer David Friendly (also a former LAT writer, and thus easy to get on the phone) to rebut rumors about Soul Men that you haven't heard, but rarely have the results been this dunderheaded: