Santa Claus

Beard Papa's in Palms Now Open, Coming Soon to Rowland Heights, Koreatown

Despite operating more than a dozen other California locations, the Japanese cream puff chain Beard Papa's is declaring its newest Los Angeles location its flagship. Tucked inside a Palms strip mall on the corner of Palms Ave. and Sepulveda Blvd., the West Side cream puff cafe quietly opened three m ... More >>

Where The Chef's Eat: Rustic Canyon's Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan

Where the Chefs Eat is an ongoing series in which we ask a local chef to give us his or her favorite dining options. This week, we talk to Josh Loeb, co-chef/owner with his wife Zoe Nathan of Rustic Canyon, Huckleberry and Milo & Olive, about where the two eat out when they're not cooking, at home, ... More >>

Where The Chefs Eat: Night Market's Kris Yenbamroong (Otherwise Known as Banh Mi Santa Claus)

Where the Chefs Eat is an ongoing series in which we ask a local chef to give us his or her favorite dining options. This week, we talk to Kris Yenbamroong, chef and owner of Night Market, about his regular spots. Bánh Mì My Tho / Bánh Mì Buu Dien: "There's this thing I do -- it involves dri ... More >>

These Christmas Songs Are Not Actually About Christmas

Many so-called Christmas songs don't celebrate Christmas so much as the act of shopping. Other holiday tunes confuse that warm Christmas spirit feeling with that warm feeling in your pants. So, which of these songs are genuinely talking about the holidays, and which are just talking about raking in ... More >>

Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReinDOORS

Have a Happy, Tacky Christmas

Rise of the Guardians Review: With Alec Baldwin as the Voice of Santa Claus, What's Not to Like?

Beyond Avenue Q

Christmas in Los Angeles: Why Do Our Xmas Lights Suck so Bad?

It's not always easy being a New York transplant in Los Angeles. I defend you a lot, LA, to everyone back home who hasn't eaten at your taco trucks, felt your gleaming afternoon sunshine or appreciated the sweeping vistas mid-hike through your urban mountains. But this holiday season I chose to stay ... More >>

UCLA Scientists Prove Angels Don't Exist

Dear Elijah: Pics or it didn't happen. Love, Science.​Consider the Christmas spirit officially crushed -- by a team of Bible-wary researchers from UCLA. They oversaw a recent study by the Out-Of-Body Experience Research Center in Los Angeles. Shockingly, of 30 volunteers taught to enter an ou ... More >>

Henry Rollins: The Column! The War On Christmas Starts With Me

​[Look for your weekly fix from the one and only Henry Rollins right here on West Coast Sound every Thursday, and come back tomorrow for the awesomely annotated playlist for his Saturday KCRW broadcast.] I am a veteran of the War on Christmas. It's been a few days now, and I am just emerging ... More >>

Merry Contrarian Everyone

A Tubular Christmas Story

Top 5 Ridiculous But Awesome Christmas Shows In L.A.

​Need a break from all the credit card-maxing, house-lighting, bad party-attending and general seasonal stressing? Why not try something outside of the gift box this year? Here, five festive, somewhat freaky holiday haps in town that are anything but cookie-cutter Christmas confections. 5. Ch ... More >>

Top 5 Weekend Food Events: Boxing Match, Eat My Blog, Food of the Jews of France, Breakfast with Santa, Artisanal LA

It's a bake sale!​Boxing Match Boxed wine: scourge of snooty oenophiles, emblem of populist wine drinkers, re-embraced by thrifty contrarians. The stuff has, supposedly, improved by leaps and bounds since Trader Joe's cleverly repackaged the it in bottles and sold it as Two Buck Chuck. Decide ... More >>

Ryan Heffington's XXX-Mas Pageant at Cheetahs Hollywood with Performance Artists Actually Huizenga and Murphy Maxwell

Kelly McKayMerry XXX-Mas from Actually Huizenga​ I saw strippers blowing Santa Claus, under the dance pole Saturday night! Sir Ryan Heffington -- MOCA performer, TED talker, and choreographer of Ke$ha's "Take It Off" video -- curated an evening of dance, music and performance at Cheetahs Hol ... More >>

Arthur Christmas Review

Swiss Cheese

SLASH AWAY, SLASH AWAY, SLASH AWAY ALL

GOD BLESS US EVERY RUM

RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE

Taking the dick out of "dictionary" with 1988's The Nonsexist Word Finder

​Each Monday, your Crap Archivist brings you the finest in forgotten and bewildering crap culled from basements, thrift stores, estate sales and flea markets around Los Angeles. The Nonsexist Wordfinder: A Dictionary of Gender-Free Usage Author: Rosalie Maggio Date: 1989 Publisher: Beaco ... More >>

Ventura Roadtrip: A & F Country Market for Local Bee Pollen, Pickles and South Dakota Jam

J. GarbeeA & F Country Market​If you're trekking up the 101 to Ventura anytime soon for the last-of-summer surfing, fishing or general beach lounging, one of the best places to donate a few dollars to the local economy in thanks on your way out of town is at A & F Country Market, a roadside ma ... More >>

WHO'S YOUR GOLEM?

Peace on Earth: Rare Marvin Gaye Xmas Song Still 100% Relevant

​Motown/Universal is commemorating the 2009 holidays with the double CD The Ultimate Motown Christmas Collection. UK's Mojo magazine has a very nice review of the album today. Thanks to the magic of digital downloads, you don't have to run to Sam Goody's or Tower (remember those days!) trying ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Superbad Spotting at the Echoplex, Plus Classic Goth and Santa Claus Pub Crawl

There were holiday parties galore this weekend, with events catering to indie rockers, goths and people who just want to dress like Santa Claus and hit a couple pubs. Keep reading to see what we did. Jay Oligny​ Club Underground vs. Hang the DJs Long-running indie clubs Underground and Hang t ... More >>

Curing Christmas Kleptomania

The North Pole Melts with R&B, Funk, Soul-Jazz, and Boogaloo on 'In the Christmas Groove' [MP3]

By Daniel Siwek ​Not everyone dreams of a white Christmas, if I have to hear Bing Crosby one more time I swear I'll make Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places look like Kris Kringle in the Miracle On 34th Street. Luckily Strut Records offers a surefire way to get some mistletoe smooching this yuletid ... More >>

AWAY IN A TUBA

Mass Murder Victim Funeral

More than 1,000 people attended the San Dimas funeral services for nine members of an extended Covina family murdered during a Christmas Eve rampage. On the night of December 24, Bruce Pardo, wearing a Santa Claus suit, arrived at the home of his divorced wife's parents and began a reign of violence ... More >>

Theater Reviews: Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate's Christmas, It's a Stevie Wonderful Life!

Also, Inspecting Carol and Groundlings Holiday Show

Last Night: Enlightened Debauchery with Mindshare LA @ The Lacy Lofts

The process of Googling has come to define New Millenial thinking - if you lack some piece of information you can just borrow it from someone else, a stranger with whom you now share a connection. This collaborative borrowing is the main thrust behind Mindshare LA, an event held every 3rd Thursday o ... More >>

Holiday Fever!

Neil Hanburger? I hate that guy!

Surfin' Fools

The Fifth Annual Doo Dah Surf Day

Theater

Theater Reviews

This week's pick, Beautiful City. Also The Chase Lounge, Jackson Frost and more

Film Reviews

Including this week's pick, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

Film Reviews

Including this week's pick, Borat

Animations

Storm the Arthouse

Some of the year’s best independent movies are still snaking their way toward L.A.; others may not come at all

Still Waters

I got 5 minutes. That's it. 5. To ask John Waters whatever I could. But you may have to wait for the LA Weekly "list issue" to read what he had to say, he gave me all kinds of advice, about man-o-pause, how to get over a heartache, and what grosses out the Prince of Puke himself. Stay tuned... I ... More >>

Christmas Music for People Who Like Music

Materialistic Fetishism Reconsidered

(A last-minute gift-giving guide)

What Democracy Votes Like

Could a new way of voting save our system?

Rockie Horoscope

Santa is a Wildman!

Jeffrey Vallance in The Land of Hoarfrost

Phallus Aforethought: Gender Bender

Eloise

Almost first-grader, maker of birdhouses

Things That Mean Things