HOTTER IN HOLLYWOOD

HIH INTERVIEWS...THE CAST OF TRUST

Clive Owen has managed to stay warm and dry on this unseasonably wet March morning at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Outside on Doheny Drive, marathon runners continue to huff and puff through the rain which fluctuates between drizzles and torrents. The boulevards of L.A. tend to be desolate gauntlets during storms like this one, but factoring in the city’s annual marathon and subsequent street closures, you can imagine the nightmarish drive one must endure to commute across town.

Luckily for me, today’s road conditions didn’t delay my meeting with the cast of Trust, a domestic drama directed by Friends alum David Schwimmer and starring Owen, Catherine Keener, Viola Davis, and newcomer Liana Liberato.

The film focuses on the Cameron family, particularly Annie (Liberato), a 14-year-old girl who starts an online relationship with a 16-year-old boy named Charlie. Their chats and texts grow more intense as does with Annie’s feelings for this unseen friend. Finally, when Annie decides to meet Charlie in person, she discovers that he isn’t who he claims to be and quickly becomes the vulnerable prey for an online predator who affects not only Annie’s life but the rest of her family as well.

"I think it's hugely topical and it's a subject everyone should be thinking about and looking at," says Owen. "The way our children use the internet, relate on the internet...the whole thing has moved so quickly. My kids know more about how to use their computers than I do, and the things that they can do on their computers are way beyond what i can do."

The subject matter is close to Schwimmer's heart; he's on the Board of Directors of the Rape Foundation in Santa Monica, supporting their work and participating in fundraisers for the organization. After hearing one father's story about his dealing with his daughter's involvement with an internet predator, the director was affected by the emotional account: "I realized then that I had found an unusual path into dramatizing this delicate and difficult subject matter in a way that everyone can relate to."

For the young Liberato playing such an emotionally intense role was a challenge she welcomed with open arms. "It was really tough material," she says, "but I personally believe that the director sets the atmosphere for the whole cast and crew, and we kind of feed off that. Any time the camera wasn't rolling we were having a good time and laughing. We were all one big family on set. There was really no big tension."

Playing the mother of Annie, Catherine Keener learned a few things about today's ever-evolving, status-updating generation. "I realized that kids aren't stranger phobic as much, or at all anymore," she observes. "They talk to them all the time now, and my kid is now my tech support at 11 [years old]...It's frightening."

For more on the film, check out Change.org.

Trust opens in theaters tomorrow, April 1.

- Hiko Mitsuzuka

VIDEO PREMIERE: E.T.

According to Katy Perry's new video (for "E.T.", her out-of-this-world collab with Kanye), piegons will be extinct by the year 2030...That, and someone from the Haus of Gaga is going to get fired because the costumes in this thing are (dare we say) hella better. Take a look.

Very Martian Chronicles, no?

INTRODUCING...SIR CASTANON

It was only a matter of time. 

If the Usher/Justin Timberlake era begat the Bieber and the Britney/Pink oeuvre arguably helped shape the Miley, then one can assume that the stylings of Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga have borne Sir Castanon .

It has recently come to our attention that this 13-year-old avant-garde pop performer is making a splash here in L.A. Nominated for two L.A. Music Awards for Pop Artist of the Year and Pop Single of the Year (for "Puppeteer"), this comes as a nice cherry topper after his Male Pop Artist nod at the eWorld Music Awards (take that, Rebecca Black).

An unmasked Castanon on the set of the "Puppeteer" music video.

And yes, he designs all of his clothes himself (Gaga must be so proud). Check out this little monster and judge for yourself:

"BORN THIS WAY" GOES COUNTRY

Harmonicas and all.

And we likey.

EARTH HOUR IS TOMORROW!

At 8:30 PM on Saturday 26th March 2011, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour and people will commit to actions that go beyond the hour.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon leads a host of world and civic leaders supporting Earth Hour 2011 as a powerful symbol of a shared wish for a sustainable and secure future.

“All over the world individuals, communities, businesses and governments are creating new examples for our common future – new visions for sustainable living and new technologies to realize it,” said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. “Tomorrow, let us join together to celebrate this shared quest to protect the planet and ensure human well-being. Let us use 60 minutes of darkness to help the world see the light.”

Earth Hour 2011 has reached record participation, with an expected 1.3 billion people 131 countries and territories registered to switch off. Many countries will be officially joining in for the first time, including: Lebanon, Jamaica, Iran, Uganda, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Chad, Azerbaijan, Gibraltar, Palestine, Suriname, Uzbekistan, Trinidad & Tobago and Lesotho. - Christine Cover Ferro

HAVE YOU BEEN TO...CITY TAVERN?

Probably not...because it doesn't open until April 4.

For a while now we've been tracking City Tavern, that beer-centric watering hole conceived by the team behind Rush Street. While Downtown Culver City boasts more than enough restaurants and wine bars, finally a beer bar brings diversity to the neighborhood. It's about time.

Be fascinated by the bar's dark rustic design with distressed brick walls, exposed wooden beams and industrial Edison bulbs, and while that's all good and well, what's super cool and unique about this venue is its three Table Tap booths. City Tavern is the first California-state approved establishment to offer booths equipped with a computerized draft beer system which allows guests to pour their own beer from three draft handles at each table. Via a small monitor, this system also allows parties to keep track of how much beer is consumed. California wines and classic cocktails will be available as well.

And while you're probably coming here to drink, there's a slew of small plates crafted by Chef de Cuisine Jessica Christensen (Ritz-Carlton-Laguna Niguel/Studio at Montage/Tracht’s). Think Jidori Chicken Panini with Manchego, quince and almond pesto; Tomato Tarte Tatin with caramelized shallots; and Halibut Crudo with crushed coriander and fennel. City Tavern opens April 4, and will serve Mon-Fri, 11:30AM to close, Saturday 3:30PM-2AM, and Sunday 3:30PM-1AM. Booth reservations recommended. From: Eater LA.

THE SONG WE'RE OBSESSED WITH RIGHT NOW: YOUNG BLOOD

Could they be the next MGMT with a tad more 80s flavor? Introducing...The Naked and Famous:

HIH HOTTIES OF THE WEEK: HIPSTER EDITION

If you can get past that obsession with overpriced coffee, obscure references to underground literature, and a penchant for wearing organic cotton all the time, then you can find some genuine hotness lurking underneath the pretense of some of L.A.'s hipster population.

Luckily for HIH, we've been blessed with that ability after hanging out and writing in coffeeshops for the past month, especially in the city's eastern neighborhoods of Silverlake and Los Feliz (Pasadena, you have your fair share of them as well).

What makes most of them hot? Their complete sincerity in not realizing how hot they actually are (especially when they wear glasses for an actual prescription...and not as a trendy accessory - that is so annoying). Take, for instance, the bloke below.

Sure, he probably took a few bong hits and hasn't showered since Sunday when this picture was taken, but c'mon!

PIC OF THE DAY 3.22.11

A REMINDER TO WATCH GLEE...

...when it comes back in April to finish its second season and end with the highly anticipated Nationals episode in New York.