Clint Talks, Lemony Snicket Drinks, Cardinal Mahony Evades, and Nikke Finke Advises Schmucks ... Plus More Great Reading From L.A. Weekly

Clint Talks, Lemony Snicket Drinks, Cardinal Mahony Evades, and Nikke Finke Advises Schmucks ... Plus More Great Reading From L.A. Weekly LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- "Will I ride off into the sunset?" Clint Eastwood asks writer SCOTT FOUNDAS in the centerpiece story of L.A. Weekly's 2004 Holiday Film Issue. "Maybe. Will I be dragged off kicking and screaming? Probably." In a candid interview on the eve of the release of Million Dollar Baby -- his 57th film as an actor and 21st film as a producer -- Eastwood talks about the difficulties even a big star like he has raising money and studio interest in making challenging films. When he showed potential backers the script to his new film, Eastwood says, "They'd go, 'Uh, we were thinking more in terms of Dirty Harry coming out of retirement.'" Also, DAVE SHULMAN shares a dangerous drink with author Daniel Handler, whose Lemony Snicket series of children's books has just been made into a film starring Jim Carrey. NIKKI FINKE offers free advice to the $700-an-hour "schmucks" screwing up the Disney courtroom drama. And L.A. Weekly critics ELLA TAYLOR, SCOTT FOUNDAS and ERNEST HARDY review all the new holiday film releases. In news, MARC COOPER recounts the career of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb, who recently committed suicide, and damns the L.A. Times for not recognizing that Webb scooped them in their own backyard. Plus, in his continuing coverage of the Catholic Church sex scandal, JEFFREY ANDERSON weighs in on Cardinal Roger Mahony's deposition. Surprise: Mahony's words clash with earlier statements -- and reality. In anticipation of the gift-giving season, BRENDAN BERNHARD offers urban grit, hideous homes and smug Brits in his annual roundup of coffee-table books, while KATERI BUTLER, PLEASANT GEHMAN and MADELYNN AMALFITANO assess the latest in L.A. style, which includes the designer-friendly yet price-conscious creations of Jared Gold's Pink Chandelier and Black Chandelier, Raw 7's rock & roll princess-wear by Marisol Gerona, and Carolyn Polonsky's totes made out of covers from defunct tabloids. Also, JONATHAN GOLD revisits the history of the band that gave birth to the Seattle Sound, Nirvana, and sniffs out the versions of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the much-anticipated box set With the Lights Out. The above writers are available for interviews. The entire articles are available at www.laweekly.com and in the paper. Source: L.A. Weekly CONTACT: Audrey Limon of L.A. Weekly, +1-323-993-3658, alimon@laweekly.com Web site: http://www.laweekly.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment