The white smoke slowly rose from atop the Angelyne billboard which meant the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce had decided who would get stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.

The lucky winners included KROQ pioneer Rodney on the Roq who was the first d.j. to play such bands as the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Cure, Van Halen, Duran Duran, Oasis, the Smiths, Blondie, the Go-Gos, Depeche Mode, the Strokes, the White Stripes and scores of others. We will never be able to thank him enough for turning us on to bands like Teenage Fanclub, the Donnas, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Shonen Knife. Shit like that explains why he's the only d.j. to have a theme song personally written and performed for him by Brian Wilson, not to mention that sweet doc "The Mayor of Sunset Strip", and the support of those behind RodneyOnTheWalk.com.

Here are the other stars who will be recognized forever on Hollywood Blvd: Michael Caine, Matt Damon, Lauren Shuler Donner, Jamie Foxx, John Goodman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Altman, Erik Estrada, Kiefer Sutherland, Jerry Stiller, Barbara Walters, Dick Wolf, Mariah Carey, Sean “Diddy” Combs, The Doors, Crystal Gayle, Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, Leann Rimes, Shania Twain, Sir Tim Rice, Lily Tomlin and Stu Nahan.

OK, not Willie... but maybe 2008 will be the year for the joint-tokin red-headed stranger will get his props.

Ah, summer is here — summer, and the news that the earth's surface temperature is the highest it's been in 2,000 years. Tra la. Not relishing the idea of a monster utility bill, our thoughts turn to finding a public place where the AC is always set to Meat Locker — the movie theater. So, we trundle on down to the local MegaMechaMoviePlex to see what's playing. Click. The Lake House. Garfield 2. Feh.

Luckily, summer film festival season seems to be here as well, with the LA Film Festival starting this weekend (yesterday, actually) with plenty of offerings other than those that make us wonder about Bill Murray's paycheck or Keanu Reeves' strange powers over casting and studio executives that have made him a star. For an entire week we can keep cool while watching classic film noir, new art and music documentaries, indie shorts, Snoop Dogg's latest horror anthology Hood of Horror (yes!), and even a free screening of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, about — ahem — global warming. This sounds promising. All screenings are in Westwood. Oh. Westwood. Freeways. Traffic. Parking. That leaking air conditioning unit in the car. Feh.

But wait. What's this? Another film festival in the heart of Hollywood on Saturday? A film festival focused on bikes? Can this be? It can! We hear you saying, "Four films does not a festival make," but really, we're thinking that's just the road rage talking. Besides, the festival put on that nifty party at the Echo last night (so those kids really were talking about brake lines and derailleurs?) and has organized a bike-inspired art show at the Don O'Melveny Gallery (showing through Saturday) featuring works by Michel Gondry and Shepard Fairey. We may have to fire up the ol' velocipede and check it out.

Photo by ehoyer via Flickr

Safari Sam's, the new venue/bar/restaurant combo located on Sunset and Kingsley (between Western and Normandie) went through hell to open it's doors but we're stoked that it's now rocking. Located in the same parking lot as that giant 99Cent store that shines oh so brightly into the Hollywood night it's a hard club to miss.

Scissors For Lefty and The Giraffes played there last night for the CHECK YO' PONYTAIL / I HEART COMIX series of art/music shows that is apparently hoping to become a weekly mainstay at Safari Sam's. We think it's safe to say that after last night's turnout, they shouldn't ever have a problem with that.

First off, the parking was free. Thank you. Thank you so much. Finally, someone got it right. The place itself is completely unappealing from the outside and, frankly, seemed quite sketchy. But we never judge a book by it's cover! The inside is great. GREAT. It's got a great stage (though we personally found it to be too high), a pretty awesome menu of food to eat before midnight (we spied spicy hummus and pita and vegan meatloaf on it), and a jovial and polite staff who actually seem to want to be there. (We even spotted one of the doorman joining the dance party after Scissors For Lefty left the stage.)

Much much more after the jump!

What could get Paris AND Nicole to attend the same party? Us Weekly cover-girl appreciation day? George Clooney casting for a new film about heroin? Or was it such a huge event that if you didn't show up nobody would notice? T-Mobile Sidekick threw a bash at the Hollywood Palladium that Mischa, Jessica Simpson, the Duff girls, Travis Barker, Christina Milan, Taryn Manning, and Rachel Bilson waltzed into. Ten bucks they all walked out with new 'kicks.

Speaking of Travis Barker, the former Blink-182 dummer earlier appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Show a few blocks away, where he played a 4x4 beat for B-Real, who performed an amazingly awkward version of "Insane in the Brain" without any of the other homies of Cypress Hill. Kimmel kept saying that they were a last-minute replacement for DJ Quik, who had been struck by some fruit at a recent show in LA. Developing...

Oh wait, speaking of Travis Barker, the Holmby Hills crib he shared with his knock-out wife and lil kids (including that adorably mohawked son) is on the market. Thanks to Curbed LA's super-hot Marrissa Gluck, we now know that 8 bedroom mansion will only set you back $9.5 million. Blink sold THAT many records?

And here we remember when a mansion in that neighborhood with acres of land only cost $1 milliion.

You know there's really nothing on television when LAist watches a pregnant Britney Spears' sit-down with Matt Lauer for Dateline on NBC last night. (Do you need ratings this badly, Matt?)

It was a tiny little pity party for the Malibu princess -- just in front of a nationwide audience. Getting all teary-eyed when talking about how tough her life is with the media hounding her and her hubby Kevin Federline relentlessly... or how her parenting skills are questioned...ok everybody now: awwwww.

If Britney wants the press to back off, maybe she should work on being a iittle less, umm, herself. Show us how you've grown: Start by getting a stylist (stop wearing the hoochie mama outfits -- we really don't want your boobs that badly), wear less (but make sure it's waterproof) mascara, and finally: Don't do interviews chewing huge wads of gum.

Then Britney, maybe we'll start believing in you and your "happy" marriage to K-Fed.

Another Britney note: She followed Madonna into Kabbalah, now it looks like she might follow Brangelina to Nambia to have baby number two. Oye vey.

This morning on the Howard Stern Show the king of all media read a statement written by a former Clear Channel radio personality who is now on a mission to get Stern a star on Hollywood Blvd.

In the statement, "Mad Radio Show" host Wayne Perry concludes that the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce charges $15,000 to nominate someone for a star, but he suggests they raise about twice that to persuade the decision-making. Howard then stopped reading and he said that he doesn't want to have to persuade anyone, which got co-host Robin Quivers to question one of the latest selections in radio for the Walk of Fame:

Robin: They accepted Ryan Seacrest and they had no problem with that?
Howard: Of course not. He fits into their plan nicely. The homogenization of America.
Robin: But is that a star?

Howard: Robin, do I really want a star on the Walk of Fame?
Robin: I don't think you would mind having a star. Why not?
Howard: Well Rick Dees has one. I mean... Ryan Seacrest...
Robin: Robert Duvall also has one.
Howard: He does?
George Takei: Marlon Brando has one.
Robin: Yes there are stars on the Walk of Fame.

But then Howard eventually mumbled under his voice, "I guess if the guy put it together I wouldn't decline."

Finally he admitted that the real reason he wouldn't want the star is because you're required to attend the unveiling, and he doesn't want to come to California.

Then it was revealed that Judge Judy is getting a star this year even though Clint Eastwood doesn't have one.

Farting sounds were then played.

+ Partial list of Stars on the Walk of Fame

Coffee juggernaut Starbucks recently named former Herbie Hancock manager Alan Mintz to be its newest player to help in the quest for more of your disposable income. According to the Los Angeles Times, Mintz will help Starbucks shape its entertainment offerings and help it become more of an entertainment destination for consumers.

Starbucks has had some good results in the past with its entertainment offerings, particularly in music. In 2004, it sold 1 out of 4 copies of the Grammy-winning Ray Charles album "Genius Loves Company”. However, its plan to teach Hollywood a lesson about how to make and sell movies met with less than stellar success during the recent release of the film "Akeelah and the Bee".

Many people seemed to find the marketing campaign for the film confusing, us included. What was with all the green post-it notes all over our local Starbucks? It was all pretty much a mess. Only after seeing some print adds and a TV spot did we realize that it was actually a film that Starbucks was pushing and not some new kind of coffee or pastry.

Sources familiar with the campaign also conceded that Starbucks’ customers found it confusing and didn’t quite understand what was being sold. The fact that the film did less than spectacular numbers at the box office could also be a clue that something wasn’t working on the marketing side. Even though the film was generally well reviewed by critics, seats were empty.

Of course, Starbucks maintains that they measure success not necessarily by how successful something is but rather by the “reception” of its customers. And they feel the campaign resonated with customers and was well received. Lions Gate Films, which co-produced the movie with Starbucks’ Entertainment and released it, had a more direct reason for the films performance. Lions Gate executives privately say the white viewers they were counting on Starbucks to deliver never showed up in great numbers.

We pride ourselves on having some kind of knowledge about how things work here in Los Angels and how things work in the "business" too. The fact that we didn't quite "get" the marketing leads us to one of two conclusions. Either we don't actually know what we are talking about or Starbucks has something to learn about how to market a film. Just because you know how to filter hot water through beans doesn’t mean you know everything about everything.

So Starbucks you better get busy. Time to go back to school.

We tried ignoring this headline and story, but we just couldn't.

Hollywood heartthrob Keanu Reeves, who stars in The Lake House with Speed buddy Sandra Bullock on June 16, says he wants to get married. According to a preview story of this week's Parade Magazine, (inserted into Sunday's Los Angeles Times) Keanu says that he's lonely, and wants to get married and have kids.

Hear that? That was the sound of presses stopping all around the world.