Feelin’ Fear Factor-ish? We dare anyone on the Westside of L.A. to drink the water. Now that we’ve freaked you out, here’s a quote of the week to kick off your weakend, lovingly taken from way-cool Popbitch newsletter: “Lindsay Lohan is way wilder than I was at her age. Don’t put me with her. I don’t want to be dragged into her shit.” Tara Reid said that.

CALENDAR
Friday (2/4)
7:00 p.m.
Netflix: All the cool kids are doing it. So are the geeks. $17.99/mo. allows you three movies out at a time, for however long you want. Simultaneously, you keep your queue updated & whenever you send one back (no postage necessary), they automatically send you your next flick. Forget Blockbuster—I like Netflix better than most people in my life. www.netflix.com

9:00 p.m.
Check out the Key Club for a free all-ages show with two of LA’s Finest bands, Nimbus (recently won the award for best rock band in LA, which was voted on by the people) and The Moment. Also performing is From Satellite (Prc/Universal)

10:00 p.m.
www.empiresq.com: We can all check out the website for the new animated show, Empire Square. But only those of you in the U.K. will be able to watch when it starts airing on Channel 4 come Feb. 18. The animated show (created by Blur drummer Dave Rowntree & writer Matt Morgan) boasts that it’s dirtier than South Park, covering such topics as: bestiality, cannibalism, electroshock therapy, selling babies over the Internet and crucifixion. Sweet.

11:00 p.m.
Driveblind at the Viper Room

Saturday (2/5)
1:00 p.m.
Shoot some hoops. Go to your local park or a buddy’s house, cuz the forecast calls for sunshine. Then again, the forecast is always wrong. But if it is sunny, get your lazy ass outside. What are we, your mother?

3:00 p.m.
Head on over to the Farmers Market for their annual Mardi Gras Festival. Just think about it as a lil bit of N’awlin’s on Fairfax.

8:30 p.m.
Edendale Grill, 2838 Rowena Ave., Sliverlake: It’s a former firehouse. Hit up their Mixville Bar and grab the onion rings with jalapeno ketchup.

10:15pm
Taxi Cab Confessions: New York, NY (HBO): It’s baaack. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but ever since I saw the first one of these shows years ago I’m in constant search for the lipstick camera in any cab I get in. But thankfully, there are still some folks who are willing to share (sometimes “share” means have sex) quite a bit with their cab drivers.

10:00 p.m.
Club Carbon, 9300 Venice Blvd., Culver City (for all you Westsiders): KXLU’s own DJ Ned on the 1s and 2s. Bring your own booze if you’re poor, just don’t tell the bartender (you know how it works). There’s even an In-N-Out across the street, for fuck’s sake. No-doubt, after parties are sure to follow. But as per usual, there’s always a party in our pants.

11:30 p.m.
Saturday Night Live (NBC): Paris Hilton? Never heard of her. Lets see if she can bring the funny. And maybe her little dog, too. Keane is the musical guest.

Sunday (2/6)
12:00
Thing: New Sculpture From Los Angeles: Dig sculptures? Still having Patrick Swayze/Demi Moore sculpting fantasies? To each his own. Check out this show, featuring the work of LA-based sculptors. Hence the title. Hammer Museum (10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood)

3:30 p.m.
Ahhh Yeah, the Biggest day of the Year for Sports Fans…the Mother of All Games…The Super Bowl!!! The trash talking has already begun. Let’s just hope this game isn’t a letdown like the USC-Oklahoma game, which was a joke. These Super Bowl games are always hyped up but rarely good. The game’s on Fox in hi-def. If you don’t have a hi-def receiver, make friends with someone who does—fast. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a game in hi-def…then again, paint drying looks amazing in hi-def.

5:00 p.m.
Thousandbars.blogspot.com: Follow 60-year-old Dan Freeman’s blog as he aims to drink in 1,000 bars in 2005. Since Jan. 1 he’s been to 155 bars, and he only has one drink in each. Pussy.

7:30 p.m.
So you’ve got a chips ’n’ dip hangover and the keg of beer didn’t help either… Well, that’s not an excuse—get off your lazy ass and book your hotel and check out the fabulous lineup for Coachella! http://www.coachella.com/

8:30 p.m.
Beechwood: 822 Washington Blvd., Venice. Just weeks old, this Abbot Kinney spot is the new place to be. Fits right in the Pacific Coast with its artsy, laid-back hipster vibe that is true to Venice.

Upcoming:
Wednesday (2/9)
8:00 p.m
One Night Standable Comedy @ the Hollywood Improv, 8162 Melrose Ave.
10:00 p.m.
Keaton Simons performs at the Hotel Cafe.

Friday (2/11)
8:00 p.m.
Comedy @ Sportsman’s Lodge (yup, that place), 12825 Ventura Blvd., Studio City.

JE-C’S NEW-MOVIE RUNDOWN
Boogeyman
Starring: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, Tory Mussett, Lucy Lawless, and Skye McCole Bartusiak
Synopsis: A young man can't get over horrific experiences he remembers from his childhood, so he returns to the house he grew up in to face his fears and discover whether they are real or imagined
Reaction: I am banking on this movie being absolutely horrendous. I’m just not buyin’ into this whole Boogeyman thing. There hasn’t really been a really good scary movie lately, and this one is not going to redefine the genre.

The Wedding Date
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, and Holland Taylor
Synopsis: A woman, planning a return to London for her sister's wedding, discovers that her ex-fiancé will be serving as the best man. In a panic, she hires a male escort to stand in as her significant other.
Reaction: This is probably a heavily anticipated movie for all the Will and Grace fans out there who have been waiting for Debra to become a movie star. This looks like a total chick flick or a good date movie, but has the potential to be very entertaining.

Swimming Upstream

Starring: Jesse Spencer, Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Brittany Byrnes, Craig Horner, and Tim Draxl
Synopsis: Set in 1950s Brisbane, Australia, this biopic follows aspiring swimmer Tony Fingleton and his overbearing, alcoholic father, played by Geoffrey Rush, who refuses to acknowledge his son's talents until Tony finally begins winning competitions. But by then, their relationship might be irrevocably damaged.
Reaction: When I first saw this coming attraction I was immediately drawn in. This looks like it could be one of the first sleeper movies of the year. Very interesting story about a kid who is trying to reach his goal and his father who won’t give him the respect he deserves. If you have never heard about this movie until now, take my advice and check it out. Plus, it is directed by Russell Mulcahy, who directed one of my favorite movies of all time, Ricochet, with Denzel and Lithgow.

Lost Embrace

Starring: Daniel Hendler, Sergio Boris, Adriana Aizenberg

Synopsis: Argentinean filmmaker Daniel Burman writes and directs the ensemble film El Abrazo Partido (Lost Embrace), a follow-up to his 2000 feature Waiting for the Messiah. Daniel Hendler plays Ariel, a young man who lives in a Jewish working-class section of Buenos Aires. Since his father went missing in the war, his mother Sonia and brother Joseph work in the shopping and business district. With no interest in school or work, Ariel hangs out and sleeps with Rita. He finally gets the idea to move to Poland, so he asks his grandmotherex-girlfriend Estela and Rabbi Benderson for help

Reaction: I was recently put on to this movie by a review in the LA times, it is a very interesting story and well worth checking out. As quoted from the LA Times," The poignant Lost Embrace resonates with unexpected charm."

HOLLY’S CORNER
Johnny Carson: The man who made the night smart and sardonic. So cute, so much like the pluckiest one of us. A devilish Puck, poised to tease the irony of a moment out of the biggest stars, Carson kept the chasm between bold-faced and the rest of us from deepening by humanizing stars without degrading or making fun of them. Never a suck-up, he could elevate his guest, make them funnier than they were and give them the ball without ever being the joke. His characters were priceless. His wit quicksilver. The sparkle in his eyes better than diamonds, the smile on his lips distilled exuberance. America had no better friend, no better bridge between small towns and glitter, no greater equalizer who found it all fascinating—or left that illusion. He will be missed.