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The Six Types of Transplants Ruining L.A.

Every day, hundreds (just to go with a nice round number) of hard-working, diverse, interesting people come to Los Angeles and feed our desperately sluggish economy, buying tacos and facial treatments and what have you. But let's face it. We get a lot of the wrong kind of people moving to Los Angel ... More >>

The Economics of Music Festivals: Who's Getting Rich, Who's Going Broke?

By Chris Parker It's as though the sad, lamentable death of recorded music was accompanied by a kick-ass wake. Sure, label executives have had to sell their fancy homes and put their kids in public schools, but the rest of us have been feasting on a musical smorgasbord. Nothing better exemplifies ... More >>

Lil Poopy Is the Next Mozart

We seem to be awfully excessively protective of 9-year-olds recently. The Onion ate a shit ton of crow. And barely hours later another brilliant 9-year-old became the center of an unnecessary moral panic. We are, of course, talking about hip-hop phenomenon Lil Poopy. The pint-sized rapper Luie Riv ... More >>

How to Become a Music Snob In Four Simple Steps

I'm not going to begrudge anyone for not knowing who Coachella headliners The Stone Roses are. The simple fact is that their first album, (the only one that really matters), came out in 1989. If you're in college now, you most likely weren't even born then. Plus, The Stone Roses were a bigger deal i ... More >>

Why Artists Are Blurring the Line Between Real History and Pretend

Rap Genius Got $15 Million in Investor Financing. So Why Does Everyone Hate Them?

In Malibu last weekend, an ebullient crowd including rappers Mike G and Shawn Chrystopher have gathered for the birthday party of Mahbod Moghadam. Champagne is poured into red solo cups, while a volvano vaporizer circulates. Moghadam is an eccentric character who is the face of the extremely succes ... More >>

Los Angeles, Inglewood Officials to Sacrifice 400 'Majestic' Trees in Way of Space Shuttle Endeavour

"Space exploration events are like the Olympics; everyone just feels good," Inglewood Mayor James Butts said at a triumphant press conference on the September 20 arrival of the space shuttle Endeavour. And the spacecraft's 12-mile trip from LAX to the California Science Center on October 13, added ... More >>

5 Scariest Shark Attacks in SoCal History

Now that we're officially in the thick of summer, you'd be a lousy Southern Californian if you didn't take your board down to the beach and get your water-sport on. (Even Lindsay Lohan's trying. Key word "trying.") But because we're part of the fear-mongering mainstream-media machine, and we can't ... More >>

USS Iowa Is Caked in Marine Life, Will Need a 2-4 Day Hull Cleaning Before Arriving in L.A.

What happens to a battleship docked in airtight "mothball" mode for 20-plus years? It gathers itself a good thick coat of barnacles and bottomfeeders, according to Pacific Battleship Center, the company who's spent the last six months preparing the 1940s-era USS Iowa for its journey from the Bay Ar ... More >>

10 Best Reasons to Visit Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley (Besides Coachella)

The Coachella Valley was once known as a fantastic spot for a getaway from L.A., especially during its high season in winter, when it features almost-certain sunshine and better temperatures. In recent years, Coachella has become synonymous with just one thing: Coachella. But this year, the music f ... More >>

MOCA to Import 'Heavier Rock' From 'Much Farther Away'

In a move emblematic of the fierce competition for museumgoers, MOCA will follow the recent phenomenon of the LACMA Rock by importing a "heavier rock" transported from "much farther away," the museum announced in a statement. For MOCA's installation, dubbed Elevated Math, artist Layne Christensen w ... More >>

Want to Visit a Doctor Using iPad's FaceTime? Call RingADoc

Startups is a new column about new companies, big ideas and bold discoveries happening in the L.A. area. It's Sunday afternoon, and you've got chest pain. It could be the four Pink's chili dogs you hoovered at 3 a.m. after a night of mezcal and Tecate, or it might be something worse. Your primary-c ... More >>

SOPA: Hollywood Declares War With Obama Over Internet Piracy?

Floyd Brown​Did President Obama just bite the hand that feeds him campaign cash? You might remember him as the guy who ties up traffic a few times a year when he comes to L.A. with his hands out, looking for the millions in contributions that are surely coming to him. He's a relatively libera ... More >>

What The Hell Is Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" About? UPDATE: Mind-blowing Shit Has Come To Light

​Additional reporting by Ali Trachta UPDATE: SOME NEW, MIND-BLOWING SHIT HAS COME TO LIGHT! See the bottom of the post. See also: Backstreet's Back, All Right! Kevin Richardson Dons a Tuxedo, Talks Lusty 12-Year-Olds Welcome to our new column, Lyrical Dissections. It's pretty self-explanato ... More >>

Casting Call for 'Asian Man' With 'Extremely Small Penis': Racist? Or Just Unfunny?

Wikimedia CommonsFor no relevant reason whatsoever, here are some baby carrots next to a ruler. Thanks, Wikipedia.​ The following description appeared in a recent casting call for an indie television pilot, as identified by the blog angry asian man: [ CHANG ] MALE: 20's - 40's. Asian. Petite, ... More >>

The Matter With Kids Today

Unicorn Being a Jerk: C.W. Moss and His Friend Lemonade 'Unicorn' Steiny On Their New Graphic Novel

Courtesy of C.W. MossUnicorn Being a Jerk, published by It! Books, is being released on November 8.​ It's not so easy being a one-horned mythical beast. People freak out. Or they follow you around. Worst case scenario, they begin to worship you. That last one is the case for Lemonade 'Unicorn ... More >>

Cry Baby Lane VIDEO: Watch Nickelodeon's 'Banned' Halloween Movie Online

Viacom (Please don't sue me?)Scaredy cat.​So much hullabaloo, this Halloweentime, about the revival of Nickelodeon's fabled turn-of-the-century horror flick "Cry Baby Lane." According to Reuters, it'll be airing this Oct. 31 for the first time since it debuted in 2000. (Once at 12 a.m., and on ... More >>

Your Weekly Movie To-Do List

Halloween Horror Flick Crunch

Anonymous Review

The Shakespeare expose no one has been waiting for.

The Airborne Toxic Event Likes Motorcycles, Mexican Food and Blowing Stuff Up

Andrea DomanickThe Airborne Toxic Event holds it down at El Gran Burrito​See also: Airborne Toxic Event Want You On the Edge of Their Seat In this week's annual Music Issue, we go on a date catch up with hometown heroes The Airborne Toxic Event, on a motorcycle ride to some of their favorite ... More >>

Reviews of A Widow of No Importance; The Vault: Unlocked; The Stories of Isaac Leib Peretz; and more . . .

Hector Cruz Salvador"The Vault: Unlocked"​"The gentrification of downtown Los Angeles is a sinister metamorphosis engineered by spoiled hipsters and well-heeled land grabbers in this whodunit parody by the Latino Theatre Company," writes Amy Lyons about The Vault: Unlocked, at Los Angeles Theatre ... More >>

Facebook 'Spam King' Sanford Wallace Has Google , Seems Like Kind of a Nice Guy

Sanford Wallace via Google We almost forgive you.​"Someone's sneakiness is only fun when the joke isn't on me," reads self-proclaimed "spam king" Sanford Wallace's Google status from July 29. Ironic, right? Considering Wallace turned himself into the FBI a week later (today) after being indic ... More >>

Make Haste, Make Stew: A Recipe For Pork Stew with Olives, Green Beans and Herbes de Provence

Jeanne Kelleypork stew​ Make haste. Make stew? Summer is around the corner and very soon we'll be avoiding the stove, cooking everything from steaks to pizzas on the barbecue, and concocting cold salads for hot nights. Three-months-plus of nightly grilled and chilled entrees is not a bad thin ... More >>

MAKE US LAUGH, FUNNY GIRL! KAREN KILGARIFF

Karen Kilgariff Talks About the Upcoming Mitch Hedberg Celebration, Paraprosdokians, Twisteroos and the Royal Wedding

Karen Kilgariff: Mitch "was the kind of comic other comics would come in from outside to watch."​ Who said, "I like to hold the microphone cord like this, I pinch it together, then I let it go, then you hear a whole bunch of jokes at once"? If you said "Mitch Hedberg," then you already have yo ... More >>

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wants a Six-Foot Security Wall Erected Around His Mansion

Can we get a moat up in here, while we're at it?​The mayor is afraid. Very afraid. Much like the L.A. City Councilmembers, who quiver at the thought of potential Los Angeles Loughners with an eye on City Hall, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa believes he is in danger, and therefore needs a six-foot ... More >>

Best 2010 Food Reference Books: Salted The Encyclopedia Of Jewish Foods

Your New Low Sodium Diet​Do we really need another food reference book in today's Wikipedia-driven media era? Absolutely -- at least if you're the sort who appreciates well-researched studies by folks who have spent years exploring a single subject (rather than minutes skimming the Internet). ... More >>

L.A. Thrash-Pop Band KIT Talk About Making Their New 'Rain' Video, Working with Charlyne Yi and Phil Elverum (Plus: An Exclusive John Wiese Remix)

KIT with Charlyne Yi and friends.​KIT likes to thrash. KIT likes to party. KIT likes 'em short and sweet, heavy and melodic, fun and furious. This L.A. four-piece recently released its second album Invocation, produced by Phil Elverum (Microphones, Mt. Eeerie), on U.K. indie Upset the Rhythm. ... More >>

A Glee-Inspired Slushie Food Fight: Slurpee vs. ICEE

FOXGuilty pleasures: Glee & Slushies​ In a list of guilty pleasures about a mile long, two things rise to the top. First, the TV show Glee. Second, the slushie: a brain freeze-inducing, icy concoction sold at most convenience stores and movie theaters. Lucky for us, we can (sort of) enjoy bot ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Heart at the Gibson Amphitheatre

Nancy Wilson gets crazy on you​On Wikipedia, the band Heart pops up in search results before the blood-pumping organ does. From the ecstatic beer and arm swaying rapture rattling the Gibson Amphitheater Saturday night, it's possible that over the last 35 years, Ann and Nancy Wilson have become ... More >>

Spice, So-Called Legal Marijuana, Sold Near UCLA Campus

​It looks like "spice," the legal, marijuana-like substance that has sparked controversy across the nation, is making inroads in Los Angeles. The UCLA Daily Bruin reports that the product, sold under names such as K2 and Black Mamba, is available in Westwood Village and that, so far, the local ... More >>

Anti-billboard "renegade sign bandit" speaks about the fools at Fuel Outdoor

Editor's note: Our colleague at laist.com, Zach Behrens, published a post on January 29 about "renegade sign bandits" -- so dubbed by a city official after a mystery activist slapped real-looking "illegal sign" warnings adorned with the City of Los Angeles seal onto tacky mini-billboards placed all ... More >>

Top 10 Food Movies: Eat, Drink, Watch

Whether it's dinner and a movie or popcorn to munch on during the previews, your stomach is often tied to the cinematic experience. From the comic relief of Robin Williams cooking dinner dressed as Mrs. Doubtfire to Meg Ryan moaning over apple pie in When Harry met Sally, food can shape the story (J ... More >>

Top 10 Happy Hours: Penny Pinching Drinking

High on the list of traditional activities during economic hard times has always been watching movies--and hitting the bars. This town is, happily, very good for both. But it's really no fun to toast the movements of the Dow with a $15 martini, so save a penny at one of Los Angeles' many watering ho ... More >>

Eddie Haskell, We Hardly Knew Ye

Wikipedia​Those of us of a certain age can never get enough of Eddie Haskell -- even if, as Ralph Keyes wrote earlier this year in Editor & Publisher, "Journalists who lace their copy with such retro terms or names risk alienating those who are too young to get the allusions." (Keyes was refer ... More >>

Embrace the Coldwave at Killing Spree Tonight

​ Continuing the rush of nightclub anniversary parties hitting Los Angeles over these past few weeks, Killing Spree is celebrating its first birthday tonight. The monthly party has a great buzz in the LA underground and boasts playlists featuring "deathrock, coldwave and industrial."

Patrick Swayze Flower Tribute Today

​Patrick Swayze's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame will be the site of a flower-laying tribute this morning. The event, celebrating the star of Dirty Dancing and Ghost, is sponsored by the Hollywood Historic Trust and takes place 10:30 a.m., at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard, near the Hollywood Roosev ... More >>

Report: Manny Ramirez Used Steroids in 2003

Wikipedia Say It Ain't So, Manny -- Again ​​The New York Times reports that L.A. Dodger slugger Manny Ramirez was identified as asteroid user in 2003, when he played with the Boston Red Sox. Earlier this year Major League Baseball exiled Ramirez from the sport for 50 games following disclosure t ... More >>

The Holy Grail of Gaming: $17,500 for the World's Most Collectible Game Cartridge...And That's the Cheap Price

Would you spend $17,500 on a video game? An old video game? This guy did. He bought a gold (painted) Nintendo World Championships cartridge. It is considered "The Holy Grail of Gaming" to collectors of video games. JJ Hendricks bought the thing on eBay. It was listed for $25,000 so it seems he got ... More >>

West of La Brea, East of the Moon: Where the Hell Is West L.A.?

MapQuestAn L.A. Times squib about a stolen-car chase caught our attention Saturday, but for all the wrong reasons. The L.A. Now blog focused on snarled traffic that resulted in a 16-block shutdown around the LAPD's bomb-squad's search of the vehicle, though both events seem to be part of L.A.'s ever ... More >>

Advertising Now: Why Buy the Milk When You're Following the Cow on Twitter?

When death of your industry becomes default small talk in the conference lobby and every media related conversation devolves into something along the lines of "how do we save the Los Angeles Times?" you know things are not boding well. Perhaps this is why media buyers (the typically underpaid twenty ... More >>

Profiler Profiles the Grim Sleeper

The L.A. Weekly interviewed nationally known criminal profiler and CNN/Fox News correspondent Pat Brown to learn her thoughts about the Grim Sleeper - the longest operating serial killer west of the Mississippi. The Grim Sleeper has killed mostly African American women in South Los Angeles since ... More >>

Manny Ramirez to Wear Dodger Blue Again -- For $45 Million

The L.A. Daily News, among many other sources, reports that Dodger left fielder Manny Ramirez and his super-agent, Scott Boras, have agreed to terms that would let Ramirez remain in L.A. for the next two years for a $45 million contract. "The agreement," the DN says, "was pending results of a physic ... More >>

Jewish Boys and Comic Books: Zap! Pow! Bam! The Golden Age of Comic Books at the Skirball

View more photos of superhero and comic book rarities in the "Golden Age of Comics" slideshow. There is a pretty amazing collection at the Skirball Cultural Center's new exhibit "Zap! Pow! Bam! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950." Some stuff on display just blew my mind, like ... More >>

Two Trains Running -- Or Maybe Not

MTA Headquarters: Have the deciders decided?Photo: Dave Parker/WikipediaDamien Goodmon, South L.A.'s indefatigable public transportation activist, is sounding an alarm about the possible shelving of rail projects in his heavily African American community. Goodmon's group, the Citizens' Campaign to F ... More >>

Ten Reasons We Long For More Deadwood

It's been over two years since HBO aired the final episode of Deadwood, laying to rest one of its greatest original series in startlingly abrupt fashion.  David Milch's gritty - at times, downright greezy - western epic earned a cadre of deeply devoted fans and as much acclaim as either The Sop ... More >>

Proposition 11: The Most Misunderstood

The League of Women Voters, Common Cause and AARP seek change in Sacramento

Must See Art

Mary Heilmann’s “To Be Someone” and Tony Mendoza’s “Flowers”

Fo' Yo' Mama

Skip the carnations — pick up a real treat for your mum or mum-to-be this Mother’s Day