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Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY For most people, Monday isn't exactly a night out, unless it involves Monday Night Football. Or Monday Night Bowling. Bowling? Bartenders, waitresses, bouncers, chefs and managers […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Bostonians have many longstanding options for New Year's Eve, from the massive First Night celebration, nightclubs and comedy clubs to staying home to watch the fireworks, […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Known for his many character voices on "The Simpsons," Harry Shearer has found his literary voice in "Not Enough Indians," a satirical novel about a small […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY His movie features a language no Americans speak, about a civilization long dead, with actors no one knows. And Mel Gibson isn't exactly Mr. Popular since […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY To most, Beantown is just a nickname for Boston. For Tom Hayes, it's a mission. If you've seen a giant red bean walking around Boston - […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Katt Williams can understand why the Rev. Jesse Jackson would call for an end to "the n-word" in entertainment. But Williams, who said the word countless […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Many Boston tourists count Legal Sea Foods as an essential stop on their first visit to the Hub, and the restaurant has made the city's "best-of" […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Think Michael Richards bombed onstage? At least he wasn't mugged by a transvestite hooker. That infamously happened to comedian (and Worcester native) Doug Stanhope years ago […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY If every comedian wants to be a rock star and every rock star wants to be a comedian, then perhaps Tenacious D really is "the greatest […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY There will come a time, maybe even today, when you stare blankly at all of that turkey, stuffing and other leftovers in the fridge and want […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy skewer the media's coverage of them - and movies in general - in "For Your Consideration" (opening today; see review on […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Ready or not, the holiday shopping season unofficially kicks into high-def gear tonight with the North American launch of Sony's long-awaited PlayStation 3. Best Buy's Landmark […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY MADRID, Spain - George Clooney won't walk in through the front door every night, sauntering over to a nearby table with bodyguards and babes at 3 […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Chelsea Handler had to postpone our phone interview Monday to have lunch with her family. Was it worth it? "I don't know if you've ever seen […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Daniel Craig makes his debut as James Bond on Nov. 17 in "Casino Royale." For a franchise that has spanned four decades and 20 films (21 […]

Byline: JESSICA HESLAM, GREG GATLIN AND SEAN L. McCARTHY Katie Couric, Charles Gibson and Brian Williams were in their own race last night for the best network anchor. Gibson gets […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY While Madonna and Angelina Jolie go to Africa to adopt needy children, Uma Thurman is improving the lives of poor kids much closer to home. Thurman, […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Anthony Clark doesn't do Halloween. "It's a nightmare," Clark said. "The traffic here in Hollywood is terrible. You can't go anywhere. People are throwing eggs. "I […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY "Hi, I'll be your waiter this evening, but I'm really an actor." It's an iconic image of the aspiring actor or actress: hustling to make enough […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Carlos Mencia is loud, offensive, juvenile - and proud of it. His TV show, "Mind of Mencia," finished its second season this year as Comedy Central's […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Just like James Bond, Bond Girls never grow old. And for reasons unknown to the naked eye, their skin does not appear to be shaken or […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Who is Borat? His first film, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," (opening Friday) is a wicked satire. Media coverage, […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Cranky comedian Denis Leary will continue his slagging of Hollywood basket case Mel Gibson at his annual Comics Come Home tomorrow night at the Agganis Arena. […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Demetri Martin has a new CD/DVD, "These Are Jokes," to promote and an hourlong Comedy Central special to prepare for - reason enough to perform tomorrow […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY D.L. Hughley is happy to be in Boston this weekend, performing before live audiences through Sunday at the Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. On NBC's […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY At last month's Boston Comedy Festival, Steven Wright told the audience that "you have to take risks" in life. For him, that meant putting his introverted […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Talking about harming the president will land you in jail. But on Oct. 27, for the price of a movie ticket, you can see what would […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY In Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" (opening Friday), the harsh, complicated realities of war don't fit the public's need for easy answers. The narrator's opening […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY If this month's crop of horror movies seems all too familiar, that's because it is. You've seen it all before. Last weekend's debut of "The Texas […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Craig Ferguson enjoys leaving his CBS "Late Late Show" platform every so often to speak his mind via stand-up. "It's therapeutic," Ferguson told the Herald. "The […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY "Grey's Anatomy" or "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" - what must you see tonight, and what can wait until tomorrow? How about both? The brave new world […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY If a B-movie actor like Ronald Reagan can become president, why not a politically minded comedian? That's the premise of the film "Man of the Year" […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Jon Stewart stepped onto the Wang Theatre stage last night to the opening notes of The Who's "Baba O'Riley." It's also the TV theme for "CSI: […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Michael Showalter and I share an obsession with Hoagie Haven. Showalter grew up in Princeton, N.J., where the Greek-run sandwich shop has achieved legendary status among […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY "The Departed" opens with historical 1970s footage of Boston's racial confrontations, then cuts to a luncheonette with a Herald newspaper box on the sidewalk. But director […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Any mob movie set in Southie will prompt comparisons to James "Whitey" Bulger and his crew. Even if the movie in question, "The Departed" (opening Friday), […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Getting naked was only the beginning. Once you're a playmate, you're always a playmate. Playboy photos have a life of their own, but the young women […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY We told you so. The CBS "Survivor" segregation experiment lasted only two episodes - six days in real time on the Cook Islands - before the […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Many young local comedians impressed at this year's Boston Comedy Festival, but none more than 20-year-old Dan Boulger of Norwood, who won the annual stand-up comedy […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Dionne Warwick thought singing with actress Lucy Lawless on Fox's "Celebrity Duets"made perfect sense. "It was kind of cute, and it tied in very well with […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY The Ship has long since sailed from Lynnfield, but another of Route 1's restaurant giants marks the start of a new Chinese dynasty in Saugus. Jin […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY If Bobby Brown needs cash, he should call up SoundExchange. The non-profit organization - which is in charge of collecting millions of dollars in digital royalties […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Christian Finnegan is missing his regular "Today" show appearance to tell jokes in Boston. "I will be at the Comedy Connection, so I shan't be there," […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY On Friday, teens can watch Johnny Knoxville and his "jackass number two" friends hurl themselves into dangerous predicaments onscreen, facing bulls, snakes, iron-hot brands, bear traps […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Wackie Chan needs two scoops of luck to pull a Cherry Garcia and land a permanent spot on Ben & Jerry's ice cream menu. Inspired by […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY At the climax of "Art Showdown," game-show contestants face "A Brush With Danger." The object: Wearing special white suits with paintbrush helmets, cover the opponent in […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY Day-Day Jones has won the lottery again, sort of. Mike Epps, who played Day-Day in the "Friday" movies, began hosting the revived "Def Comedy Jam" on […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY James Ellroy has talked about his obsession with the Elizabeth Short case - and how it has become inextricably entwined with his mother's own unsolved murder […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY In the days after Sept. 11, 2001, Ground Zero was sacred ground; President Bush, a hero; New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a legend; irony was […]

Byline: SEAN L. McCARTHY "Gridiron Gang" hits so close to home for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, it almost could be his autobiography. The film (opening Friday) is based on the […]