After getting a leg up from director Judd Apatow in such movies like “Knocked Up,” Jay Baruchel takes center stage for the awkward comedy “She’s Out of My League.” Scene Staffer Yohanna Desta says Baruchel’s aptitude for shyness both endears and frustrates the viewer. In the end, though, it will leave you laughing.

Arena Stage’s latest production, “The Light in the Piazza,” follows a seemingly average plot: Girl goes to Italy, meets cute Italian boy and they fall in love. But the thin, overused basis for the plot is filled out by a dark, uncomfortable twist — one that is hinted at without subtlety — that gives the audience more than just another romance.

As far as culture in America goes right now, there’s the White House, the House of Blues and Dr. Gregory House. But as of last week, the most important house in all the land was the Haus of Gaga, which released the video for “Telephone,” Lady Gaga’s latest release. The second single off of Gaga’s sophomore album “The Fame Monster,” “Telephone” applies the starlet’s usual mix of pop and glamour and laces it with a theatrical tinge of macabre.

If after hours of reading Tolstoy you’re looking for the literary equivalent of a chick flick, Maria Dahvana Headly’s “The Year of the Yes” fits the bill.

Reviews of two new records on the rack.

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital provides the perfect medium of thought-provoking, inspiring and motivating films.

Corey Haim’s recent passing is the latest in a long tradition of talented actors dying long before their time, often to unusual circumstances.

It has been way, way too long since Hollywood released an amazing chick flick worthy of our time. Producers have been rolling out tons of female-targeted films over the past few years, but few of these movies have captured our hearts and landed spots on our DVD shelves. Never fear, ladies. You can stop settling for subpar acting and horrible endings. All of your needs for classic love stories and good looking men will at last be fulfilled. “Remember Me,” starring Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin, is the cure-all for a streak of mediocre chick flicks.

Still craving the badass cop heroes that made movies like “The Departed,” “American Gangster” and “Pride and Glory” box office hits? Prepare to get your morally-questionable, crime-fighting fix with Antoine Fuqua’s newest feature, “Brooklyn’s Finest.” Both Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke play police struggling with inner conflicts.

The weekend of Feb. 25 brought great success to AU’s theater department as they introduced four sold-out performances of Federico Garcia Lorca’s “The House of Bernarda Alba.”

Jay Leno returned to his 11:35 timeslot and hosting duties of The Tonight Show on Monday night. It was like he never left. The show started with a parody of The Wizard of Oz, acting as though Leno’s time off was just a horrible dream. Kevin Eubanks was there; Ross the Intern was there; Jon Menendez decided to return, and for some reason Betty White showed up to because she was clearly available.

I know that I’ve written about the Academy Awards over several of my columns, but I can’t stop. I can’t help it. The Oscars are the Super Bowl for movie geeks. Instead of the playoffs we have the Golden Globes and various Guild awards. After following the race, I’m happy that the awards season is coming to an end, but questions still remain before the big night — namely who will take the top prize.

The new LP by Clarence Greenwood, better known as Citizen Cope, is a self-produced effort to get in touch with his music on a more personal level. Released by his own label, RainWater Recordings, the album is commendable for being thoughtful, pithy and almost intentionally wishy-washy. But while it does score some brownie points for having heart and for showing off Greenwood’s versatility, it isn’t enough to redeem its overall dullness and poorly contrived intonations throughout.

In my last column, I looked at the shortfalls of Michelle Obama’s new “Let’s Move” campaign to end childhood obesity and the problems it poses regarding body image issues. This week I’m going to use the campaign as a springboard into what I feel is an even more dire issue: what lies at the heart of the obesity problem ­— our broken food system.

Chocolate. Lots of chocolate. A weekend of chocolate. Got your attention? I thought so. Whether you consider yourself a chocolate fanatic or just one out of the millions slightly obsessed with the sweet, do not miss out on The Chocolate Lovers Festival.