Oh, heck, they're already here. Italian cinema has long influenced the Hollywood big screen, and this year is no exception. (In case you've been living in a cave, check out Quentin Tarantino's exquisite Best Pic nom, Inglourious Basterds ). If you didn't know that Enzo G. Castellari directed the original Italian version of the film, titled Inglorious Bastards, back in 1978, get wise to the boot-shaped country's cultural contribs at “Los Angeles, Italia,” a festival of film, fashion and art. The Hollywood & Highland Center sets the stage for shout-outs to Marcello Mastroianni, Sergio Leone, Silvana Mangano, Vittorio Gassman and Dino De Laurentiis, an appearance by tenor Andrea Bocelli, who will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and lectures by noted directors, writers, actors and producers. Next door, Grauman's Chinese will be stuffed like a salsiccia pot sticker with weeklong screenings of Italian feature films and docs, including Gabriele Salvatores' Happy Family and Pupi Avati's The Youngest Son. Best of the fest is a salute to Tarantino's Basterds, with a special screening of the Castellari original.

Feb. 28-March 6, 2010