Bruno Mars

Gibson Amphitheatre To Shut Down

Gibson Amphitheatre, the mainstay mid-size concert venue at Universal City, will close its doors in September, according to its operator Live Nation Entertainment. As announced in December 2011, the 6,200-capacity amphitheatre is expected to be demolished to make way for The Wizarding World of Har ... More >>

Chris Robinson: Rock Star Revisionist

Once a rock and roll cliché, the former Black Crowes frontman re-writes his character

Music Picks: No Doubt, Nikki Hill, Alice Cooper

Here Are What People on Twitter Think Are the Best Songs Ever

I wish I were smarter. Were I a Stephen Hawking or a Marie Curie (or even Master Splinter) I'd be able to explain how Twitter is the unedited consciousness of young America, how it is simultaneously vitriolic and beautiful, how maybe no form of social media has before, or ever will, function as perf ... More >>

Hollywood's Favorite Haunted Hospital Is Being Flipped Into $40M Old Folks' Home

Even the handiest of set designers would be hard-pressed to recreate the years of organic decay that have made Linda Vista Community Hospital into the ultimate film set -- streaks on the walls, peeling paint, broken pipes, the occasional stray syringe. (Mixed in with some Hollywood props, left behin ... More >>

Ivy Queen, Plan B, Alexis y Fido - Latino 96.3 Spring Break Bash - 4/14/2012

Latino 96.3 Spring Break Bash Gibson Amphitheater 4/14/12 Better than... Listening to 96.3 on crummy car speakers in traffic. It was ladies' night at Universal Citywalk on Saturday. The girls worked the runway from the parking structure to Gibson Amphitheater, elbows locked and dodging tourists wh ... More >>

Lady Danville's Van Flipped Over. It Was Inspiring

Trio Lady Danville formed in 2007 by two former UCLA a cappella boys and a musical theater major. Capturing the yearning harmonies and earnestness of college scene bands like Guster and Fleet Foxes, they've ridden that wave around the country, opening for Ben Folds, pop-punk band Jack's Mannequin an ... More >>

Why the Grammys Stink

See also: *2012 Grammys: The Best, the Worst and the Weirdest *Deadmau5, Rihanna - House of Blues - 2/13/12 *Dan Wilson: From "Closing Time" to Adele's "Someone Like You" So, our Grammy credentials were fairly limited last night. In fact, we were trapped in a room for eight hours, with journalists ... More >>

2012 Grammys: The Best, the Worst and the Weirdest

Rebecca HaithcoatDrake's after-party​See also: *Why The Grammys Stink *Deadmau5, Rihanna - House of Blues - 2/13/12 *Dan Wilson: From "Closing Time" to Adele's "Someone Like You" Adele won everything. Kanye didn't show. Nicki Minaj out-Gaga'ed Gaga by showing up with a Pope imitator as her e ... More >>

Brody Brown: From the Compton Crips to the Grammy Stage

Inside a white-walled room in Interscope Records' co-founder Ted Field's film production company, a relaxed Brody Brown leans back into his chair. "You know, I feel like it's coming true, the dream I have been fighting for my entire life," he says. "It's unfolding in front of my eyes." That will ne ... More >>

50 Most Ridiculous Vanity Plates in L.A.

Forget 140 characters: try eight! In a city full of networking self-promoters and wannabe celebs, it's no surprise that ridiculous vanity license plates abound. That little space on the back of your car represents a precursor to the away message and the Facebook status, albeit a near-permanent one. ... More >>

Kelly Clarkson's "Mr. Know It All": Why This Song Sucks

[Editor's note: Why This Song Sucks determines why particular tracks blow using science. It appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday.] Song: Kelly Clarkson's "Mr. Know It All" History: "Mr. Know It All" is the first single from Clarkson's fifth* album, Stronger. *Since this is the "History" t ... More >>

Music Picks: M83, Club Cheval, Chuck Inglish, Meshell Ndegeocello

Also, Elvis Birthday Bash, Barbara Morrison, Phonte and 9th Wonder, and others

Why This Song Sucks: The Worst Rap Tracks Of 2011

​I still don't understand why more people didn't like Unbreakable. It was suspenseful, smart enough, featured an attractive color palette, and it had a horribly creepy opening. (Remember the baby who was born with all of his bones broken?) And the most clever part -- the crux of the entire mov ... More >>

Belanova - Conga Room - 9/22/11

Giovanni SolisDenisse Guerrero​Belanova The Conga Room 9/22/11 Better than ... anything without keytars and handclaps. Belanova plays that perfect kind of bouncy, synthy pop -- the kind you might get ready to before hitting downtown in a new pair of heels, or the kind you might find yourself ... More >>

Sirah: Your New Favorite Female Rapper Indie Pop Princess

​A couple of years ago, Sirah, a young, white, female California rapper, was on the rise. She was in talks with major labels. She was about to release an album. She stitched together her outfits with two-dollar thrift store finds and no Fendi. Sound familiar? But unlike Kreayshawn, the white ... More >>

Spirit Hoods: The Weirdest Fashion Startup Ever

Last Night: Bruno Mars, Janelle Monáe and Mayer Hawthorne at the Gibson Ampitheatre

Sarah BennettBruno Mars​ Bruno Mars, Janelle Monáe, and Mayer Hawthorne June 12, 2011 Gibson AmpitheatreFresh off their smashing performance at this year's Grammys, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe linked up once again to tour. With the addition of Mayer Hawthorne, you've got three of the truest pu ... More >>

Music Picks: Matt & Kim, Partch, Booker T, Motley Crue,

Also, Spain, Civil Wars, Bruno Mars and others

David Schubert, Las Vegas Prosecutor Who Went After Paris Hilton For Cocaine Possession, Allegedly Caught With Crack

Las Vegas SunDavid Schubert, busted (allegedly).​He was the guy you least wanted to see if you were an L.A. partier in Vegas. He was the guy who prosecuted Paris Hilton and Bruno Mars for cocaine possession. And he's the guy Vegas cops say was caught buying crack cocaine over the weekend onl ... More >>

Grammy Party Report #2: Model DJs at Colony, MSTRful Turntablism at Roxbury, and an Un-Friendly Reception at Paramount

Lina LecaroDance floor fatales at Colony​ One of the best things about Grammy Party Weekend? Getting to check out the velvet roped dens du jour one might not frequent in Hollywood in fell swoop. Most pre-Grammy events this year were at the newest and nicest swankpits in town (Roxbury, Supper ... More >>

Tonight: Odd Future, Faith No More, Eve 6, Train, John McLaughlin, the Grouch

Brook Bobbins via Village VoiceOdd Future with Mos Def in NYC earlier this month​The headline earlier this month in the New York Times read: "Young, Gifted and Outrageous: Can Odd Future Survive Popularity?" Which is a fair question. The outrageous L.A. hip-hip crew whose unabbreviated monik ... More >>

L.A. Radio Personality Michael Linder To Start Venice-Centric Internet Station, Following Layoffs At KABC And KNX

KVB.fmFinally -- a voice for stoned skater kids and funnel cakes​Internet-only news outlets Yo! Venice! and AOL Patch's fluffy Venice branch are about to have some friendly competition on the neighborhood news watch. "If Venice Patch was a print newspaper, it'd be more of a shopper," says L.A ... More >>

Cee Lo's "Fuck You," Now with Helpful German and Spanish Subtitles!

How do you say "though you should know, nigga" in German?​Ever wonder how you say "though you should know, nigga" in German and Spanish? Wonder no more, my friend. Someone has subtitled Cee-Lo's breakaway hit "Fuck You" in German and Spanish. If you're a bit tired of the original (how could ... More >>

Tonight: K'naan/Bruno Mars, El-P, Wavves, Andy Clockwise, Michael Runion, Death Kit

K'naan​K'naan's single "Wavin' Flag" is nothing if not global. After the song got the nod as Coca-Cola's official World Cup jingle -- and its lyrics were, ahem, tweaked, to make it more uplifting -- the Somalian-born Canadian rapper trotted "Wavin' Flag" out in 86 countries on FIFA's World C ... More >>

Music Picks: Baaba Maal, Snuffaluffagus & Rats, Carlene Carter and Friends, Country Throwdown

Also, Freestyle Fellowship, Bebe Buell, Billy Joe Shaver and others

Nightranger: We Wear It Well

Music Picks: Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Donovan, Ana Tijoux, John Wicks

Also, Janelle Monae, Devendra Banhart, the Low Anthem and others