FIFA World Cup

Omar Gonzalez: The Galaxy Defender

One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2013 issue. Check out our entire People 2013 issue here.Jan. 7, 2012: Los Angeles Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez was in an airport bathroom in Belek, Turkey, injecting himself with a blood thinner. He'd arrived in Belek two days before ... More >>

The Super Bowl Prostitution Hoax

Indianapolis mobilizes for an epic battle with an urban legend

Bulgarini Gelato Update: A New Outpost in Culver City

Fans of Bulgarini Gelato know the drill: head to Pasadena from wherever else you are, climb up Lake Avenue to Altadena, traveling up practically into the Mt. Wilson clouds, and then turn off into the vast concrete landscape of a Rite Aid parking lot. There, at the end of a long patio, you'll find Le ... More >>

Don't Call It a Comeback: Red Hot Rio 2's Paul Heck

​Since the late 1980s the Red Hot Organization has released over a dozen music compilations to help raise funds for AIDS research with help from artists as varied as George Michael, Wu-Tang Clan, Nirvana and Alice Coltrane. This year the Organization will be releasing Red Hot Rio 2 - a star- ... More >>

PLEASE DO NOT GET UP AND JOIN IN

World Cup Soccer Skips L.A. Again: Do You Care?

FIFAViva Qatar.​Who gives a flying f--- about World Cup? Well, you do, obviously. L.A. lost out on the possibility of hosting the 2022 big dance of soccer when it was announced this week that the small Middle Eastern country of Qatar will get to host this futbol fest. It's kind of a big deal ... More >>

L.A. Loses 2022 World Cup Host Bid To Qatar

Back on the plane, girls​You can uncross your fingers, Los Angeles -- the most adored sporting event in the universe is officially not going down in the City of Angels in 2022, taking its promises of worldwide honor, limelight and way more terrible traffic than usual right along with it. The ... More >>

Vote For One: An NFL Stadium Downtown Near Staples Center, Or One In The San Gabriel Valley, In The City Of Industry

Majestic RealityAn artists rendering of the Industry NFL stadium.​It's not like you have much of a choice: Two of Southern California's most-powerful developers will duke it out until the best man wins. But if you did have the choice, what would you pick: An NFL stadium at the Convention Cent ... More >>

THE TWO ESCOBARS

Paul Is Dead: We Say Goodbye to Everyone's Favorite Psychic Octopus!

Remember el Pulpo Paul, the psychic octopus who earlier this year predicted the outcomes of several matches at the South Africa soccer World Cup? Well, Paul is no more. Paul is dead. Paul went to the great aquarium in the sky. The Sea Life animal park in Oberhausen, Germany has announced that Pau ... More >>

Ed Roski's Proposed 'Los Angeles Stadium' Good For World Cup Soccer As Well As NFL

gnews pics via FlickrIs L.A. ready for another World Cup?​The developer of a proposed NFL stadium in the City of Industry has just sweetened the pot: The venue will be World Cup soccer compatible! And the crowd (of three people) goes wild. Developer Ed Roski's Majestic Reality says the San Ga ... More >>

Wanna Smell like Sid Vicious?: The Incredibly Strange World of Sex Pistols Merchandising (Yes--They've Just Put Out a Perfume)

I wannna beeeeee perfume-ayaaaaaa!​Eau de Rotten? No, just "Sex Pistols -- The Fragrance," ready to be issued in the US by Paris-based perfume brand Etat Libre d'Orange. There's gonna be a "Never Mind the Bollocks" soap as well. No, really. We've been reading Billboard's fascinating article ... More >>

Paris Hilton Arrested In Vegas After Cocaine Allegedly Found In Her Possession

​Is anyone surprised? Party girl Paris Hilton was arrested Friday night in Las Vegas after police said they found cocaine in her purse. Hilton has already hired a top Vegas lawyer, David Chesnoff, who asks us "not to rush to judgment until all of the facts have been dealt with in a court of la ... More >>

Q & A With Village Idiot Chef/Co-Owner Lindsay Kennedy: Cooking, Styling, Baseball, and the World Cup

The Village Idiot opened on Melrose in 2007, and has enjoyed a steady stream of loyal customers ever since. Chef Lindsay Kennedy is part owner of the bar and restaurant, building an eclectic menu that ranges everywhere from British pub food, to bánh mì, to Southern-inspired American food. He certa ... 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 >>

Paul the Psychic Octopus (aka "El Pulpo Paul") Celebrates Retirement With New, Super Catchy Theme Song

El Pulpo Paul!​Gawker reports that German aquarium authorities have announced that World Cup psychic octopus Paul (also known by its endearing Spanish sobriquet "El Pulpo Paul") has now retired from the soccer-fortune-telling business and will return to his former job of "making children laugh ... More >>

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Says It's L.A.'s Turn To Host World Cup

​You put away your vuvuzelas. Your favorite team lost. The late-morning hangovers have worn off. But that soccer high remains. Channel your energy here: It's a long shot, but Los Angeles could be in the running to host the 2018 World Cup. Last year the City Council voted to submit a bid to h ... More >>

FIFA World Cup: Spain vs. the Netherlands

The 2010 Nathan's Hot Dog Report: Chestnut Wins, Kobayashi Eats a Sandwich in Jail

Nathan's Hot Dogs​ Top sporting events over the weekend according to ESPN? The World Cup quarterfinals, some baseball, the LeBron watch, and--right up there on the actual ESPN iPhone Top Events page--the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Just when a competitive eating conte ... More >>

Guelaguetza

Oaxacan fare that's hard to beat

Zidane: A Twentieth Century Portrait

World Cup (Musical) Madness: 5 Great Vuvuzela YouTube Mashups

​A few weeks back, L.A. Weekly's music editor Gustavo Turner ruminated on the World Cup's unceasing dirge of a soundtrack produced by South Africa's favorite party favor, the vuvuzela. World Cup fans have become familiar with the chorus of skronking that has accompanied every game, but opinio ... More >>

Verizon iPhone Service In January? Yes: Hipsters Rejoice

Gizmodo​Woo-hoo. Echo Park hipsters rejoice. Verizon is said to be breaking AT&T's lock on iPhone service starting in January, when it will start selling the devices with its own service attached, according to Bloomberg News. Forget the improving economy, a win by your favorite World Cup team ... More >>

Eat Like a Montevidean at Uruguay Café Where to Watch the Uruguay Game

Jim Thurmanempanadas - beef (left), chicken (right)​ With the World Cup in full swing, it's time to welcome the cuisine of yet another country to the Los Angeles food scene, that of Uruguay. This nicely coincides with La Celeste, Uruguay's national team, advancing to the round of 16. Located ... More >>

World Cup: USA vs. Ghana

California Lawmakers Use World Cup Fever To Raise Money

​Two California lawmakers are using the excitement surrounding the World Cup to raise money for their re-election bids, according to the Sacramento Bee. Assemblyman Bill Monning of Carmel and Sen. Lois Wolk of Davis (both Democrats) invited supporters this morning to gather at local pubs to ... More >>

Free Pizza in Ireland For France's World Cup Exit

Flickr/rick​ I guess you could call this the luck of the Irish. After Ireland lost a shot at going to the World Cup after a dubious call (see Thierry Henry's infamous handball episode) sent France to the Cup instead, Pizza Hut's Irish stores decided to assuage the nation's pain with pizza. For ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Baaba Maal, Tinariwen and Yeasayer Play the Bowl

Fool's Gold (Andrea Whiting)​By Andrea Whiting Given that it was Father's Day and the dude half-responsible for my existence loves live music, I decided to bring my dad along to the season's first KCRW World Festival. And via this ploy to beat out my little sister for the Best Daughter Award ... More >>

Food Labelling: The End of Nutella?

A. ScattergoodNutella at Super King in Altadena​ The cult of Nutella is a large, insanely devoted and extraordinarily loyal group. Imagine a chocoholic crossed with an AC Milan fan. Maybe journalists eat more of the stuff than most people (possible), because when the European Parliament voted ... More >>

Our Way or the Autostrade

At Terroni, it's no substitutions, Southern Italian-style

Did Shakira Plagiarize Her Soccer World Cup Theme?

How many "Soccer World Cup Themes" are there anyway? We already reported on the official (R. Kelly) and the self-appointed (Weezer), but now comes an interesting allegation about yet another soccer World Cup Theme. Colombia's crossover diva Shakira recently released her "Waka Waka," a collaboration ... More >>

Meg Whitman Woos Latinos, Says She's Against Arizona's Immigration Law

​Even before she won the Republican primary after a dog fight with opponent Steve Poizner to determine who was more vehemently against illegal immigration, it was predicted that gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman would start to move left on the issue because the Latino vote in California is s ... More >>

World Cup Update: South African Grub at World Fare Bus

South Africa, in case you've been living under a rock -- but can for some reason still read Squid Ink -- is the host nation for this year's World Cup. Thus far, their team has tied with Mexico and lost to Uruguay, with another Group A game coming up against France. But what if you want to get into t ... More >>

Learning to Love the Vuvuzela

​If you're one of the millions of people around the globe (yes, US finally included) who have been watching the soccer World Cup taking place right now in South Africa, then we don't have to explain to you what a "vuvuzela" is. This simple plastic trumpet, ubiquitous in South African soccer s ... More >>

(Vuvuzela-Free) World Cup Music Scandal: Ghana With the Wind

​[The LA Weekly's Calendar Editor, Libby Molyneaux, points us to the following underreported incident at the South Africa soccer World Cup:] "Here's a charming little story that shows that corruption is alive and well in the World Music business. The incident involves some top acts in Ghana ... More >>

Short Attention Span Dinner Theater: Your Week in Food, 6/7-6/11

In which we highlight the past week in food, either at home or abroad. "She gets her cow, you can eat as low on the food chain as you'd like, and you all drink hoppy oceans of microbrew - everybody wins!"

FREE Weezer Song to Celebrate the World Cup

​Consequence of Sound reports that Weezer has joined R. Kelly in providing a theme song for the soccer World Cup. Unlike Kells, Rivers Cuomo and his crew have not been officially assigned the task by FIFA: they're doing it on spec and they're giving it away FOR FREE. Go to the iTunes Store a ... More >>

ONE BILLION FOOTBALL FANS CAN'T BE WRONG

Now Open: Paddy Rice, Not Your Grandma's Pho Shop

E. Courtland​ Whether consciously or not, there are a few specific signs we look for when approaching a pho shop. Among these: a B grade from the health department, and a waitstaff with limited English are often the first signals of the bounty of powerfully delicious, sweat-inducing, MSG-fille ... More >>

Top 10 Places To Watch the FIFA World Cup

​Tomorrow begins the the most widely watched sporting event in the world, the 2010 FIFA World Cup. And for the next month, from June to July 11th, even Laker mania will take a back seat to soccer. The World Cup, held for the first time in Africa, showcases 32 countries. And while you can of co ... More >>

Celebrate the FIFA World Cup with R. Kelly's Slightly Bizarre Official Theme Song

​R. Kelly is many things to many people: amazing stage performer, sexual deviant, Trapped in the Closet nutjob, Trapped in the Closet visionary genius, yodeler, RnB's MVP, etc. (Also, brilliant inspiration for Aziz Anzari's comedy routines.) The larger-than-life persona and periodic shenaniga ... More >>

Kogi BBQ World Cup = ESPN Match Truck, Launching Tomorrow

Does Los Angeles need another food truck? Probably not. But sometimes the marketing people come up with something better than Fred Astaire selling vacuums and combine things that actually make sense. What better than hybridizing the cult status of Kogi BBQ with World Cup fanaticism? Enter the ESPN M ... More >>

Star Wars Cantina Scene, Now With More Daft Punk, Snoop, etc.

(Via Pitchfork) Three huge brands, one MASSIVE marketing exercise: The Soccer World Cup. Adidas. Star Wars. If that wasn't enough, Daft Punk, Snoop, Noel Gallagher, Ciara, David Beckham, Ian Brown and others are edited into this.

Art for Goal's Sake

Soweto Gospel Choir

Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood

Heck's kitchen

King of Beers

Sam Samaniego and his 700 bottles of beer on the wall

Quest for Fire: Out of the Flames

L.A.'s best roasted, grilled sizzled and wood-baked cooking

A Perfect Day for Banana Pizza

Brazilian food - and soccer - in Culver City