Citing the incoming storm and risk of mudslides, county officials tonight warned foothill residents in Station Fire burn areas that mandatory evacuation orders will go into effect tomorrow morning. By 10 a.m., residents of over 500 homes (.pdf) must vacate their La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge, and Acton neighborhoods, according to an alert stated. more ›

• A small experimental plane crashed today in San Bernardino County, killing a man and woman.
• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be one of the last few torchbearers on the relay leading up to the opening of the Vancouver Olympics.
• Actor Charlie Sheen (whose car mysteriously tumbled down a hillside last week) was charged in Colorado with 3 felonies in relation to an alleged assault on his wife on Christmas in Aspen.

[Update: Hollywood Sign Expected to Read 'Save the Peak' on Thursday. Read about it here.] more ›

This week has a bunch of good stand ups, including two special Bill Maher shows that are selling like things that sell well. Hotcakes? Not hardly. There's also a large amount of fantastic indie improv, be it at the iO West Loft, Room 101, Crashbar or out at Westside Comedy. Simply put, there's just no reason for you not to be pumped about this week in comedy. more ›

A study released late least year ranked Los Angeles as a paltry #62 out of 75 when it came to the city's literacy. And when each year seems to bring word that more and more small independent bookshops are closing down, like this weekend's end of Equator Books in Venice, it seems the good old fashioned printed word is having a hard time staying afloat. But we are readers, right? We still love books, don't we? And while you're looking at our words on some sort of screen, we wanted to pay tribute to books and the act of reading; what better way than to skim the virtual pages of our LAist Featured Photos pool... more ›

The news is out that the Super Bowl was the most watched program ever and that the remnants of The Who are the most embarrassing senior citizens ever. Viewers were also generally very unimpressed with the commercials that ran during the show and while a lot of people think "so what" let's not let them get away with that. more ›

Now that Conrad Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, Michael Jackson's autopsy report has been released, listing “acute propofol intoxication” administered by another person as the cause of death, according to the report via the LA Times. The amount of propofol used was equivalent to a major surgery, it said. more ›

When we were sent an early copy of Marisa Matarazzo’s first book Drenched: Stories of Love and Other Deliriums, the title, the naked woman swimming on the cover and the gimmicky Valentine’s Day release date made us a little dubious of its contents. Would it be a Harlequin-eque bodice ripper? Or another innocuous but banal attempt at chick lit? more ›

Quentin Tarantino is in person tonight at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood for a double-feature of his films: Pulp Fiction at 6 pm, followed by Inglorious Basterds. There’s a moderated discussion following each film with director Tarantino. Tickets are $11 and student/senior are $9. more ›

Over the last week, the L.A. Bike Working Group has been releasing their vision of how the city should be connected for cyclists. It's a plan in opposition of the Los Angeles' current and official draft master plan for biking, which since the beginning has been steeped in controversy. more ›

Tonight local blues-infused indie rock duo Rumspringa (LAist Review, #2) will be opening up the second night of Red Arrow Messenger's free residency at the Bootleg Theater. LA-based alternative rockers the Useless Keys will be gracing the Echo once more. And, lastly, bicoastal electro-pop singer-songwriter Guy Fantastico will be performing at the Silver Lake Lounge with LA-based indie pop outfit HAIM. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch the second night of Eagle Rock-bred indie rock outfit Princeton's (LAist Interview) month-long residency. more ›