It's Friday, and you know what that means: Time to get out of the office and go have some fun. But how do you find out where your friends are, and what's going on in your city? Why, with your iPhone of course!

Going.com lets you find cool things to do in your city, and they've got a newly updated iPhone app out. In addition to telling you about events to check out, people to see, and places to be seen right in your own city, you can share where you are with your friends by updating your status on Facebook and Twitter, right from the app. Once you're there, you can let your friends know what you think about the event with ratings, comments, and photos.

Browse popular events around town, share them with friends, get on the RSVP list, see who else is going and get all the info on where it's going down. Sign up at going.com (or log in using Facebook Connect), get the Going App, and get Going!

Of course, if you'd rather just spend a quiet evening over a dinner and a movie with a loved one, there's an app for that, too. Grab the Moviefone app to find out what's playing, view trailers, and get showtimes and directions to theaters nearby.

Either way, use your iPhone to check out what's going on near you, and have a great weekend!

When I was younger, Friday nights meant getting together with friends and going to see the latest movie that hit the theaters. Back then, GI Joe was a cartoon, not a feature film, and when we wanted to find out what was playing, we called 777-FILM. That's when I was first introduced to The Voice. You know the one; he'd answer the phone with "Hello and welcome to Moviefone. If you know the name of the movie you wish to see, press 1..." Over the years, Mr. Moviefone became enshrined in popular culture with appearances on Seinfeld and burned into the minds of a generation of moviegoers like me. I even got offered a job by Mr. Moviefone once (Seriously. He called me and I half expected him to say, "If you want to work in software, press 1").

Now, of course, when I want to see a film, I whip out my iPhone, and with the Moviefone app, I can find a theater near me with GPS, view trailers, read plot summaries and actor bios, even get behind the scenes or movie premiere photos. It's all very high tech and wonderful and a luxury I couldn't have imagined all those years ago. But I can't help be nostalgic from time to time of the era when finding out what was at the movies meant picking up a phone... and actually dialing. I wonder if years from now, today's kids will look back and think fondly of the time when they used to flick through film listings on their iPhone.

Anyway, if you haven't tried it yet, check out the Moviefone app before you check out what's showing. And as always, let us know what you like and don't like about it. We always appreciate your comments.

See you at the movies!

Epilogue: Another icon of the silver screen when I was growing up was, of course, John Hughes. With films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles to his credit, he helped to define a generation, not to mention made dozens of budding actors and actresses into household names. The movies - or at least my version of the movies - wouldn't be quite the same without Mr. Hughes, and so it seems appropriate to say thanks for making us laugh, for making us cry, and for being part of my life in those wonderful, scary formative years. Rest In Peace, John Hughes.

I'm a big movie fan. I try to get to the local cineplex as much as possible (I'll be in line for the new Trek film in May!) and I've been using the wonderful Moviefone iPhone-Friendly Web App for the past year or so. I deleted the Moviefone web app from my iPhone today and downloaded Moviefone App for iPhone/iPod touch.

Here's the product information from my good friend Magda Sypula, Product Manager for the AOL Mobile team. Go out and download this app today!


Moviefone for iPhone™ and iPod® touch gives you everything you love about Moviefone - on the go! Search for films, find show times, get directions, and invite your friends - all in one place. With the Moviefone for iPhone and iPod touch, you can also now play high-quality trailers -- including exclusive premieres.

Key Features:

• Find movies playing near you with advanced GPS features.
• High quality trailers - including exclusive premieres.
• Invite your friends with iPhone address book integration
• Enjoy exclusive Moviefone content including celebrity bios and info.
• View showtimes and purchase tickets - right from your phone.
• Map your route to the theater using integrated MapQuest.
• Store your favorite theaters for easy reference

Movie Overview Page:

• Showtimes and local theaters
• Call the theater
• Trailer preview (when available)
• Celebrity biography info
• Theater locations and mapping
• 'Invite a Friend'

Cool Shortcut:

• Double-tap on the 'Movies' or 'Theaters' tabs to go directly to the home list view.
• Tap on the movie poster to play a trailer (if available).

Thanks!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac & iPhone Product Lead