It's 08-08-08, and you know what that means. Besides being a popular day for weddings (and just about any other kind of party you can imagine), this Friday marks the start of the Olympics. They're just twelve hours away! (This post is 8:08 a.m.) In order to get in the Olympic Spirit, check out Paul Brogan's latest masterpiece. You may remember classic NBA video from last year.... [continue]

Circle December 25 on your calendar. It's a pretty important day. The Lakers may unwrap some gifts in the morning, but the big moment will have to wait a few hours. That afternoon, they hope to open up a can of whoop ass on the Celtics. That's right -- David Stern has announced his Christmas gift to LA. Boston will make their first trip to the Staples Center since beating the Lakers for this year's... [continue]

There is no joy in Mudville, but Malibu is a different story. Who cares if Mighty Casey struck out? Perez Hilton reached second on a throwing error. On Saturday, a group of actors and Hollywood-types gathered for an ocean-side kickball game to benefit Friends of El Faro. The orphanage in Tijuana (officially known as Casa Hogar Sion) got a $15,000 check thanks to a title sponsorship from French Connection. Oddly enough, the scene felt like... [continue]

Moments ahead of the MLB trade deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally picked up a big bat. Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez will call Chavez Ravine home after a rocky end to his career in Boston. The slugger begged to be traded anywhere, saying he would play in Iraq and joking that he should be traded to the Green Bay Packers for Brett Favre. Recently, he was seen chatting on a cell phone during a... [continue]

Since the time of ancient Greece, the Olympics were designed to allow athletes to compete and travel in peace -- even if they hailed from war-torn regions. But this week, the International Olympic Committee said that Iraq is expected to sit out the 2008 games in Beijing. It's not that Iraqi athletes aren't good enough. In fact, seven athletes have qualified (many more for the Paralympics) and the IOC admits that they will "reallocate a... [continue]

Ready for your morning cup of irony? There's a list and map of all the Starbucks closures on the website of a newspaper making quite a few cutbacks of its own. The LA Times breakdown of espresso let-goes holds at least one surprise that may ease your jitters ... none are getting axed in the Valley, and only one is closing west of the 405. Angelinos obviously love their caffeine, even if it costs more... [continue]

As dusk was falling over Santa Monica Pier on Friday night, Ronnie Renner was rising. The motorcycle daredevil broke the Guinness World Record for highest air ever attained on a quarterpipe, which had been constructed near the pier's ferris wheel and roller coaster. A pair of towers, each 55 feet tall, were used by the crowd to estimate the height of each attempt. A team of surveyors used reflectors and lasers to confirm the official... [continue]

A redneck, a Hasidic Jew, and Michael Jackson walked into a bar. No punchline here ... just some funny photos. This Saturday a flip cup tournament was held in Hollywood to raise money to fight breast cancer. If flip cup and charity seem like strange bedfellows, well ... yes, they are. Some of the outfits were even stranger. Larry and Cheech's Second Annual Flip for the Love welcomed over 200 do-gooders, with most of the... [continue]

Need an activity for your inner philanthropist? Try drinking beer. Larry & Cheech's 2nd Annual "Flip For The Love" is a flip-cup tournament benefiting the John Wayne Cancer Institute and the Vail Valley Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation. It's going down this Saturday in Hollywood. Teams of four pay an entrance fee of $80 (individuals can enter for $25 each), which includes all beer for the tournament. Spectators can enjoy the madness for $7 and additional... [continue]

WNBA super-rookie Candace Parker has been tearing it up for the Los Angeles Sparks. On Sunday, she became the league's second woman to throw down a slam dunk. The only other player to accomplish the feat? Teammate Lisa Leslie. Both made their mark at home in Staples Center, with Leslie dunking in 2002. More from the LA Times.... [continue]

A disappointing crowd of just over 11,000 wasn't disappointed by the US National Soccer team, which crushed Barbados by a score of 8-0 this afternoon at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The World Cup qualifier match was the team's largest margin of victory ever and tied their record for most goals scored. While the game wasn't much of a contest, it was a rare scoring spectacle in a sport that many Americans clearly don't... [continue]

Ask any science teacher: the longest measurable unit of time is no longer the baseball season -- it's the final two minutes of a close basketball game. Want proof? Look no further than Game Four of the 2008 NBA Finals. If Laker fans thought Thursday's come-from-behind loss was painful, the rest of the nation probably thought it was painfully slow. This year's series is dominating TV ratings and has been wildly dramatic, but the... [continue]

Hang glider photo by Adam Rose for LAist. It's been a perfect weekend on the beaches near Los Angeles. There's a bike path that stretches from Pacific Palisades to Palos Verdes, and along one stretch of Dockweiler State Beach you'll find an area that's been dedicated by the City, County, and State as the home of modern hang gliding in the United States. Seemed like a perfect "photo of the day." For more information, you... [continue]

When the Dodgers host the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, the game could break baseball's all-time attendance record with almost 115,000 fans cramming into the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. A lot of people are excited about the exhibition, but it's not without detractors. Congestion and dimensions are two of the biggest fears. After going on a tour of the setup this morning, I don't think you could ask for more out of this historic location.... [continue]

This has nothing to do with LA, other than the fact that certain people on LAist have been Rick Rolling the begeezus out of each other the past few weeks. If you don't know what a Rick Roll is and you've never experienced a two-day long orgasm or won a free iPod, welcome back to the internet. We've missed you the past year. There's even a Rickroll database out there for your protection. Anyway,... [continue]

Recently we've been ranting about sports figures who have taken unnecessary swipes at the blogosphere (see Kornheiser, Tony and Cuban, Mark). Today, we half-heartedly enshrine Bob Costas on our list o' luddites -- not because of his attack, but because of his apology (in a different way than the self-condemning explanations of Kornheiser and Cuban). Just to be clear, we still love Bob Costas with all of our heart. Seriously, the man is an icon.... [continue]

Lakers 102, ??? 100 - The Los Angeles Lakers went to Dallas and apparently won, beating some unknown team owned by a guy who doesn't support media progress. OK, it's not that bad. What was bad? The Laker's second half. After amassing a 25 point lead, they allowed the Mavericks to climb back to within 98-97 with 41 seconds to go. Then it was 101-100 with less than 5 seconds left. Dirk Nowitzki, who had... [continue]

Rockets 104, Lakers 92 - Pau Gasol is out indefinitely with a sprained ankle, but losing your big man is no excuse if you ask Houston. The Rockets have won 22 in a row and 10 straight since Yao Ming went down. Los Angeles is now looking up at Houston, who owns the West's best record at 46-20 -- one game ahead of the Lakers. Kobe Bryant had 24 points, but most impressively held Tracy... [continue]

Besides crowning a champion for Pac-10 men's basketball, this weekend's Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament also provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the talent on the baseline. In a surprising upset, UCLA has officially been crowned LAist's Pac-10 Cheerleader Champions for the 2007-2008 basketball season. Can we get an 8-clap? Or a phone number? While Oregon led in the hearts and (filthy) minds of most Pac-10 creepazoids observers this year, in person they just weren't... [continue]

Magic 110, Clippers 88 - Chris Kaman missed his second straight game with a sore back as Los Angeles got mangled in Miami. Without their big man, the Clips allowed Dwight Howard 22 points and 13 rebounds. Ducks 4, Canucks 1 - Anaheim is getting hot when it counts, putting away their franchise record eighth straight win at home. Backup goalie Jonas Hiller made 30 saves for the Ducks and even picked up an assist.... [continue]