Ron Perlman

You won't find the town of Charming on any real map of California and the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club - with all of its schemes, politics and skull-cracking heritage - is nothing more, of course, than a dark fiction that rumbles to life on FX for an hour every Tuesday night. But, when you actually visit the bad-to-the-bone clubhouse that has been created on the set for "Sons of Anarchy," it's tempting to leave disbelief leaning on a chrome kickstand in the parking lot. The illusion of Charming's most dangerous den is especially hard to resist when you hear the croaky baritone of Clarence "Clay" Morrow, the old lion of the gang, who is leaning over the club's bar like a blackjack dealer waiting for the first mark of the night.

You won't find the town of Charming on any real map of California and the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club — with all of its schemes, politics and skull-cracking heritage — is nothing more, of course, than a dark fiction that rumbles to life on FX for an hour every Tuesday night. But, when you actually visit the bad-to-the-bone clubhouse that has been created on the set for "Sons of Anarchy," it's tempting to leave disbelief leaning on a chrome kickstand in the parking lot. The illusion of Charming's most dangerous den is especially hard to resist when you hear the croaky baritone of Clarence "Clay" Morrow, the old lion of the gang, who is leaning over the club's bar like a blackjack dealer waiting for the first mark of the night.

His face is a triptych of granite-like features. When the camera focuses on Ron Perlman, it captures, with clarity, the sum of his distinguished parts -- the lantern jaw, the deep-set eyes and the high, square forehead. Perlman is 6 feet 2, which hardly conveys the berth he has occupied on-screen over the years, in movies like 1982's "Quest for Fire," where he played a Neanderthal, and 1995's surrealist French film "City of Lost Children," where he was a tender circus strong man.

His face is a triptych of granite-like features. When the camera focuses on Ron Perlman, it captures, with clarity, the sum of his distinguished parts -- the lantern jaw, the deep-set eyes and the high, square forehead. Perlman is 6 feet 2, which hardly conveys the berth he has occupied on-screen over the years, in movies like 1982's "Quest for Fire," where he played a Neanderthal, and 1995's surrealist French film "City of Lost Children," where he was a tender circus strong man.

A star-studded, seven-hour telethon on Sunday raised nearly $4.8 million for social services and drug rehabilitation programs run by a national organization of Hasidic Jews. Telethon spokesman Ron Solomon said Monday that donors pledged $4,786,237 during the eighth annual "L'Chaim/To Life!" telethon held from 5 p.m. to midnight Sunday.

Scrape away the phony tinsel of "Tinseltown" and what you find underneath is unprintable. This penny dreadful is an example of a January doldrums release at its worst. Arye Gross and Tom Wood play struggling screenwriters so down on their luck that they're about to board a bus out of Hollywood when, at the very last second, someone actually takes a call from them.

Poor ratings killed the beast. Now he's back as "The Westwood Strangler." Ron Perlman, who portrayed Vincent in CBS-TV's "Beauty and the Beast," until its cancellation last year, has resurfaced on stage in the new dark comedy "Self Storage" at the Odyssey Theatre. He wanted to play the slimy Hollywood agent or the upstart producer in this spoof of the film industry.

"Beauty and the Beast" deserves high praise for its richness and honesty. Victor's (Ron Perlman) intensity, depth of feeling and wisdom pull at something deep--reaching inside our hearts with compassion and sensitivity. The concept of a secret life under the city parallels the subconscious mind, challenging us to greater introspection and greater love for our fellow man. Nancy Trowbridge, Tujunga

A Loving Pair: Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman, who starred in TV's "Beauty and the Beast," are the final pair set for "Love Letters" which is wrapping up its run at the Canon Theater. They will perform the two-character play Tuesday through Thursday nights and the Aug. 3 matinee. Whoopi Goldberg and Timothy Dalton will perform next Friday, Aug. 3, and close the show Aug. 4.

A Loving Pair: Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman, who starred in TV's "Beauty and the Beast," are the final pairing set for "Love Letters" which is wrapping up its run at the Canon Theater. They will do four performances of the two-character play: Tuesday through next Thursday nights and a Saturday matinee Aug. 3. Whoopi Goldberg and Timothy Dalton close the show Aug. 4.

Scrape away the phony tinsel of "Tinseltown" and what you find underneath is unprintable. This penny dreadful is an example of a January doldrums release at its worst. Arye Gross and Tom Wood play struggling screenwriters so down on their luck that they're about to board a bus out of Hollywood when, at the very last second, someone actually takes a call from them.

Poor ratings killed the beast. Now he's back as "The Westwood Strangler." Ron Perlman, who portrayed Vincent in CBS-TV's "Beauty and the Beast," until its cancellation last year, has resurfaced on stage in the new dark comedy "Self Storage" at the Odyssey Theatre. He wanted to play the slimy Hollywood agent or the upstart producer in this spoof of the film industry.

A star-studded, seven-hour telethon on Sunday raised nearly $4.8 million for social services and drug rehabilitation programs run by a national organization of Hasidic Jews. Telethon spokesman Ron Solomon said Monday that donors pledged $4,786,237 during the eighth annual "L'Chaim/To Life!" telethon held from 5 p.m. to midnight Sunday.

I love "Beauty and the Beast." Finally, a series that has class. And the three main actors help to make it that way. Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman have a natural chemistry and magic that lights up the TV screen. Also, Roy Dotrice is excellent as the beast's mentor and father. The dialogue (and acting) is smooth and well polished. The set designs of the underground city are great. Michelle DeForest, Los Alamitos