Staples Center

X Games Leave Los Angeles

When the summer X Games started out in cities other than L.A., we were frustrated:WTF? This is where half those sports began. This is the action sports capital of America. This is the biggest media market for this stuff. And then, in 2003, they came, and we were like, Yes! And now? Not so much. Aft ... More >>

Morrissey - Staples Center - 3/1/13

Morrissey Staples Center 3/1/13 Better than... bacon-wrapped hot dogs. There was the requisite Morrissey drama, for that's who he is, who we want him to be: the postponement last year of the Staples Center gig with Iggy Pop & The Stooges because of his mother's health; the postponement of earlier ... More >>

Maná Gets Inducted Into the Hollywood Guitar Center's Rock Walk

Mexican rockers Maná made their mark in concrete as the foursome were inducted the Hollywood Guitar Center's Rock Walk yesterday. Like Bon Jovi, The Boss and Guns N' Roses all rolled into one (but from Guadalajara, Jalisco), Maná has garnered dozens of accolades -- including winning eleven Grammys ... More >>

L.A. Food & Wine Festival: Rosé, Ribs, and Summer Heat

After a weekend filled with many bottles of rosé and short rib sliders, the second annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival wrapped up Sunday afternoon at L.A. Live after four days of chef-driven tastings, demos, samplings and other events that featured some of the top culinary talents in the countr ... More >>

Tiesto to Play Staples Center on October 20

See also: Our review of Tiesto at Home Depot Center in October Top Ten Awkward Electric Daisy Carnival Dance Move GIFs Interview With a Raver Who Wears Electrical Tape on Her Boobs DJ Gets Death Threats for Playing Dubstep In an exclusive to West Coast Sound, massively popular Dutch DJ and produce ... More >>

L.A. City Hall's 'Elephant Awareness Day' Apparently Not Enough to Keep Ringling Bros. Out of Staples Center

Surprise, surprise! Not one month after L.A. politicians wasted time and resources designating August 3 as the city's official "Elephant Awareness Day," the poster corporation for alleged elephant abuse is coming to town. This very evening, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus (owned by Feld E ... More >>

LAPD Bracing for L.A. Kings Riot at Staples Center Tonight

If the L.A. Kings win Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals this evening, it will be the first Los Angeles championship won at Staples Center since the NBA finals in summer 2010. And we all know what happened after that series. Lakers fans went absolutely nuts outside Staples -- throwing bottles at poli ... More >>

Chris Brown - Staples Center - October 20, 2011

Timothy Norris ​See also *More photos in Timothy Norris' slideshow "Chris Brown at Staples Center" *Fuck Guilty Pleasures: Chris Brown Can Do No Wrong Chris Brown, T-Pain, Bow Wow, Tyga Staples Center October 20, 2011 Chris Brown seems much older than 22. Of course, he's been famous since h ... More >>

Farmers Field or Blade Runner Stadium?

The downtown NFL arena deal allows a sea of billboards, congestion and millions in public costs

Two-Year-Old Falls 50 Feet To Death In Staples Center After L.A. Lakers Victory

Associated PressLucas Anthony Tang fell to his death from a luxury suite in the Staples Center​Updated after the jump: Should a two-year-old really be allowed 30 feet in the air, with only 10 inches of concrete and a 16-inch piece of glass to protect him? Update, Nov. 22, 12:15 p.m.: what Tan ... 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 >>

Teen Girl Fatally Shot At 4th Of July Celebration Near Downtown Los Angeles

​A 14-year-old girl was fatally shot as she celebrated the 4th of July near downtown Los Angeles Sunday night, police said. She was hit as gang members fired on rivals about 10:30 p.m. in the 1300 block of South Toberman St. in the Pico-Union neighborhood, according to authorities. "The girl ... More >>

Did City City Hall Just Give Staples Center A $1 Million Gift? In This Economy?

zerega via Flickr​It's a question that's been lingering, so we decided to try to answer it. If the city spent nearly $3.2 million to help Staples Center put on its Michael Jackson memorial, why did Anschutz Entertainment Group, the company that owns Staples, recently announce that it's ponying ... More >>

Despite Tickets Controversy, Mayor Villaraigosa Says He'll Be At Lakers Game

​Despite a snowballing controversy about his acceptance of often four-figure tickets, sometimes from sources who have business before City Hall, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says he'll be at the Lakers championship match-up with the Celtics at Staples Center Thursday night. Because, while accept ... More >>

Mayor Villaraigosa Urges Lakers Fans To Behave

​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave his "can't-we-call-just-get-along" speech to the media Wednesday, one day before the Lakers and Celtics face off for the NBA championship at Staples Center downtown. Mayor V. wants to avoid the kind of mini-riot -- including a bonfire and looting - ... More >>

LAPD Chief Says Outsiders Without Tickets Won't Be Allowed Near Staples For Lakers Final

ABC7​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and police Chief Charlie Beck on Wednesday warned outsiders not to come to the Staples Center area during and after Thursday's final game in the team's championship series against the Boston Celtics. Outsiders without business at Staples would be sto ... More >>

Live Review: Activision's E3 2010 Preview Event with Eminem, Jane's Addiction & Usher - "We Got the Cash!"

Last Night: Activision E3 2010 Preview Event with Eminem, Jane's Addiction, & Usher

City Ethics Commission Investigating Mayor Villaraigosa, According To Report

​Fox 11 News reported that the city Ethics Commission has opened a formal investigation into Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's acceptance of sports and entertainment tickets, which could be a no-no as their value was not reported by the city leader as gifts. Reporter John Schwada says that the comm ... More >>

Does Vanessa Bryant 'Look Illegal,' Or Just A Little Insincere?

​It's a question our friends over at OC Weekly ask after spotting the wife-of-Kobe sporting a "Do I Look Illegal?" t-shirt at Monday night's Lakers game in apparent solidarity with those upset over Arizona's controversial new immigration law (and/or perhaps in-line with protesters outside Stap ... More >>

Big Wangs, Little Wangs: Bieber, Glambert, Ke$ha and more at Wango Tango

No matter how indier than thou you think you are music-wise, uber pop hits can make it into your consciousness, whether you like it or not. Unless you make an adamant point of blocking them, these ubiquitous confections need not be heard on mainstream radio like KIIS FM, either. They will seep in vi ... More >>

Music Picks: Soweto Gospel Choir, Paul McCartney, Melissa Auf der Maur

Also, Jay-Z, Metric, Triorganico, Air and others

Rock Picks: Prefuse 73, the Gaslamp Killer, VoicesVoices, Beyond the Pale

Also, Do Make Say Think, the Living Sisters, Wale and others

Phil Anshutz's Paper Criticizes L.A. Times Over Same-Sex Marriage Reporting

​On Monday the Washington Examiner, the conservative daily newspaper owned by Staples Center magnate Phil Anschutz, called out the Los Angeles Times for its coverage of events surrounding the same-sex marriage trial in San Francisco. As the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked streaming vid ... More >>

Council Committees Pass Buck To City Attorney Regarding Jackon Memorial Bill (UPDATED)

Councilwoman Jan Perry has sometimes relied on the kindness of corporate strangers.​[UPDATED] City leadership has been bold when it comes to pressing issues like cat declawing, so it's no surprise that two Los Angeles City Council committees on Monday took up the issue of who should cover the ... More >>

Los Angeles City Hall's Funny Michael Jackson Figures

Is the "millions" spent by memorial-goers on food and rooms mathematically impossible?

The Jackson Memorial's $4 Million City Windfall Dubious

It was cool to hear City Councilman Dennis Zine on news radio this morning discounting the benefit of the purported $4 million tourist-and-shopping stimulus brought by the Michael Jackson memorial at Staples Center in July. The city paid $3.2 million, mostly in overtime and regular staffing for pol ... More >>

Los Angeles Corporate Welfare: Ritz-Carlton and AEG

Rich entities siphon taxpayer money while real communities struggle

Rock Picks: Pink, the Grates, Doug Paisley, Ooh La L.A. Festival

Also, Slavic Soul Party, Pet Shop Boys, the Humpers and others

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE POST-MORTEM SPENDING SPREE

The blame and the buck fly furiously after the pop icon's burial

Rock Picks: Jon Brion, Andrew Bird, Tortoise, Vice Squad

Also, Beyonce, the Datsuns, the Veils, the Germs and others

$4 Million Jackson Memorial Cost to Taxpayers?

By Tibby Rothman City Hall is begging Jackson fans for alms, but upset L.A. residents face paying a king's ransom for the memorial to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. During the hours leading up to today's globally viewed memorial, the Los Angeles Police Department and other city offices were str ... More >>

Michael Jackson Memorial: The View from Inside the Staples Center

View photos from the Michael Jackson memorial at the Staples Center. And then the casket came in, and washed away the helicopter swarms and camera eyes staring at us outside. We, the few witnesses, an itsy representation of the world at large, gathered in an arena downtown to bid farewell. Before t ... More >>

LA Live! Opening

Downtown and out — L.A.'s urban renaissance

Best Hot Dog: L.A. Street Dog at Fab's

Laker Fans Brawl at the Staples Center

Laker fans, embarrassed by their team's drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics, got a small, violent, modicum of revenge last night at the Staples Center as they stomped the bejesus out of some Celtics fans who had gathered to watch Game 2 of the NBA finals. Hey, if you can't beat 'em, make ... More >>

Recruited by the LAPD?

One woman's lunch with L.A.'s finest

Death Makes a Holiday

What to do in Los Angeles this week

Rock Picks: The Hives, Buck 65, Redd Kross, Yo La Tengo

For the week of Nov. 1 - 8

Justified and Potent

Justin Timberlake, Good Charlotte at Staples Center, September 17

Eli Broad's Grand Illusion

While real L.A. goes begging, City Hall pours millions into a plastic promenade

Rock Picks

For September 7-14

grammy diary

Tue., Feb. 7 LL Cool J at the House of Blues Wed., Feb. 8 The Grammys at the Staples Center Now, for my personal awards

Going to the Grammys...

Considering I may be tone deaf, can't sing to save a life, it's pretty safe to say performing at the Grammy's is a dream out of reach. That is until I was chosen to be a stage performer for the Gorillaz's duet with MADONNA at this year's Grammy Awards!!  I was a little older than their projec ... More >>

Where Hope Grows Like Fungus

Manic Monday

Raging against the Establishment

Rage and the LAPD

Ruling keeps alive protesters’ lawsuit in aftermath of Democratic Convention

Thieves in the Night

People’s Podium

A protester’s guide to the Democratic convention

Blundering Times

Publisher and editor still have some answerin’ to do about the dumb Staples Center sellout