A woman in her 50s died this afternoon after she was struck by a northbound Metro Blue Line train in Watts. The incident, which occurred at 1:20 p.m. is being investigated by Sheriff's Deputies. Trains were delayed by 15 minutes and are now running on schedule.

Remember last when in 2007 a major LAUSD computer glitch caused thousands of teachers to go without a paycheck while other teachers, including former ones six feet under, got paid extra? That's all fixed now, but the school district is still seeking $9.4 million from 2,400 current and former employees.

Weekend Edition We're very much looking forward to Sunday's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" season finale. The "Seinfeld" reunion has been played perfectly - not overemphasized and very realistically positioned for the best comedic effect. A comedian on the circuit told me that "Curb" wasn't funny, and he's right that it's not funny in a stand-up comedy kind of way but it's sure as hell funny...

In 2001 The Appleseed Cast found themselves in a sticky situation in Germany. Their booking agent had told some promoters at a record store that the band would do an acoustic set. Lead singer, Chris Crisci explains, "Prior even going over to Europe we had had this discussion with our agent. He wanted us to do an acoustic show. We said no. He asked again. We said no. So we get to this record store in Germany, and they were like "So you're playing this acoustic thing?" I was so pissed. How much more clear could we be? But it turns out that people really liked what we were playing." Crisci decided to try out some of the new material he had been writing on the side, and it went really well. So well, he decided to form his own folk side project, Old Canes.

                     

Is it just me or do the weird, little Mormon books by Stephanie Meyer not exactly qualify as a "saga"? And why does no one discuss the awful examples of social behavior (e.g. how awesome it is to date violent, distant men) that the books promote? Nevertheless, here comes Twilight Saga: New Moon. It will make close to a hundred million dollars this weekend, and in a few years people will barely remember it. I'm much more excited about Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Werner Herzog + a fully-caffeinated Nic Cage + a sleepwalking Eva Mendes = awesome. Yes, I am dead serious. Michael Oher has a great story which I'm sure will be watered-down and simplified in The Blind Side. Hey Hollywood -- less accents, more story!

LA Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke wrote an article describing the lackluster reaction of Laker Nation last night as Pau Gasol made his first appearance of the season. Coming off a hamstring injury that sidelined the Spaniard for the first eleven games of the season, Gasol was back to his usual self, contributing 24 points and 13 rebounds in a 108-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

A Noise Within is hosting White Russians and Discussions tonight following the 8 pm performance of a new adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. The Russian-themed reception features guest speaker Ed Bacon, Rector for All Saints Church in Pasadena, who will discuss the story of Lazarus, and the ways in which its tale of rebirth intersects with the central figure in the play. Tickets: $44.

This morning Oprah Winfrey spoke about stopping her show in September 2011, reports Chicagoist. There's no mention of what's next, such as the rumors of moving to Los Angeles to produce a show on her OWN network, but speculation will continue.

Tonight, as always, local multi-instrumentalist/producer extraordinaire Jon Brion (LAist Interview, #2, Review) will be jamming with friends at the Largo at the Coronet. Maine-bred folk singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne is taking on a three-night stint at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown with LAist favorite, Rock Island-based alternative country singer-songwriter Lissie. And, lastly, Austin/Brooklyn-bred electro pop duo Neon Indian will be gracing the Echoplex with none other than Northampton's own electro-infused indie rock act Tigercity. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Bootleg Theater to catch San Diegan rockers Delta Spirit (LAist Interview), who will be performing as a part of When You Awake's Neil Young Tribute. LAist favorites, Jason Simon of psych rock outfit Dead Meadow, indie pop outfit the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2, #3), alt-country songstress Leslie Stevens of Leslie and the Badgers, folk troubadour Ferraby Lionheart (LAist Interview, Review) and many other talented local artists will be chiming in to celebrate the music of Neil Young, of course, but also to support the Children’s Music Fund.

Other big (and colder) cities get ice rinks, so what's there to stop us? Great weather might be one factor, but it hasn't stopped the likes of the cities of Santa Monica and Los Angeles.

Our favorite recent piece of guerilla public art--that giant fork placed, well, at a fork in the road--will be the site of a food drive this weekend, says the LA Times. Benefitting the Union Station Homeless Services, volunteers will collect nonperishable food at the fork, located at Pasadena and St. John avenues, both days this weekend, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sculpture was a birthday present/prank for Bob Stane, founder of the Ice House comedy club and current owner of the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena. Stane always thought it would be funny if someone did that and his wish was granted by his friends. Now people want to see the piece be a permanent part of the city's public art collection.