Dear Reader, This is my last LAist Interview. I have appreciated all your feedback, but I'm especially grateful to all the interviewees who graciously gave me their time and knowledge. Writing this feature validates my belief that everyone in LA has a fascinating story to tell and an interesting opinion to share. I'm confident that Tony will lead LAist on to bigger and better things, including more riveting interview features. It's been a fun... [continue]

Meet Daniel Hernandez, one of this LAist Interviewer's most elusive targets. He's only 25, but he's already an important voice in the Los Angeles media. Always on the go, we've been chasing him for an interview for the past year. We're glad our persistence paid off because Daniel has a keen sense about what's really interesting about this city. We first noticed Daniel's writing when he wrote a piece about the endangered graffiti art...... [continue]

Book people are the luckiest people in the world because they get to read what they love while on the job. So we envy Robyn Kamimura, the assistant Promotional Director at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena. She organizes book signings for authors and gets to meet and greet the celebrated and the strange everyday. Robyn contributes to the books column in the Arroyo Monthly magazine. She also writes a kick-ass email newsletter for the store.... [continue]

If you can't stomach the thought of sitting through "Snakes on a Plane" this weekend, you might want to consider a movie featuring rich girls on a bus. "Material Girls," starring Hilary and Haylie Duff, opens this weekend and it's worth a look, despite its troubled production history and bad reviews. The sisters Duff play the Marchetta sisters, Los Angeles cosmetics heiresses, who lose their riches and learn to live like the rest of... [continue]

The past is always present for Janet Klein. A devotee of early 20th century popular culture, Janet sings old hits on her ukulele and performs with her band "Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys." Last year, they hosted a weekly show called "Janet Klein & Her Borscht Belt Babies," directed by Amit Itelmann, at the Steve Allen Theater. The show recreated a vaudeville show, featuring a variety of performances involving animal acts, speakers, singers and... [continue]

Haven't you just wanted to escape the shackles of corporate America and become your own boss? Nicole Simpson is living proof that it's possible to achieve that dream. Once a senior executive for top advertising agencies servicing clients in the entertainment and packaged goods industries, she chucked it all to open her own boutique in Beverly Hills. Occupation: I own and operate a gift shop called Nicole's Beverly Hills How long have you lived... [continue]

Music journalist James Greer has influenced a generation of music fans via his work in "Spin" magazine. A novelist, musician, and screenwriter, James is the author of "Guided by Voices: A Brief History: Twenty-One Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock 'n' Roll." His latest novel, "Artificial Light," covers the alternative rock scene of the 1990s, the mythos of Kurt Cobain, Orville Wright's legacy and Midwestern indie rock in a book-within-a-book structure. James... [continue]

Hillary Carlip is a handful. She's an author, juggler, entertainer, and all around prankster. She's just published "Queen of the Oddballs," her memoir about about growing up at celebrity's edge in Hollywood. Independent booksellers selected the book as their Book Sense Pick for May. Hillary is also a familiar web presence. Two years ago, she started the FRESH YARN literary website, the first online salon for personal essays. The site resumes its publishing schedule... [continue]

Marshall Astor loves San Pedro something fierce. He is a working artist who not only manages programs at Angels Gate Cultural Center but also operates the Walled City art gallery in his spare time. He's organized a group show at the Brewery Project called "Contemplating Apocalypse" that will debut on September 9, 2006 with a reception starting at 7 PM. Custom brewed malt liquor will be on hand and patrons will be encouraged to... [continue]

Let's face it, Angelenos, we're all a bunch of gossips. How else to explain that peculiar L.A. habit of looking up at each new customer who crosses a restaurant's threshold, assessing their attractiveness and/or celebrity. In certain dining establishments around West Hollywood, the atmosphere is akin to a high school cafeteria. One keeps expecting restaurant patrons to break out in song like in that scene in the film, “Gigi,” where guests seated at Maxim’s... [continue]

On Monday we interviewed Michael Walker, author of "Laurel Canyon: The Inside Story of Rock-and-Roll's Legendary Neighborhood." Today, Michael channels his alter ego "Mick" St. Germain-Walker to answer the LAist Interview as if it were 1973. Mick lives in Laurel Canyon and once played bass guitar for Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys. We don’t know his exact astrological sign, but we suspect he’s a Leo. Age and Occupation: None of your f----- business;... [continue]

As any Angeleno will tell you, Los Angeles is less a unified city than an assemblage of distinct districts and neighborhoods. Due to the fame or notoriety of its inhabitants, some L.A. neighborhoods take on mythic status. Michael Walker, a journalist who resides in Laurel Canyon, explores the legendary attraction and inspiration his neighborhood--if you can call winding canyons a neighborhood- held for a generation of rock and roll legends, their fans and assorted... [continue]

Today is more than just Friday the 14th of July, it’s also Quatorze Juillet, as the French call Bastille Day, their holiday celebrating the storming of the Bastille as the beginning of the French Revolution and independence from tyranny. What better way to say “Vive La France” than posting a French-flavored LAist Interview with Gilles Amsallam, co-founder of French Tuesdays, a weekly members-only social club that has just established a presence in Los Angeles.... [continue]

Yesterday, LAist interviewed Michelle Markel, author of "Dream Town." Rick Reese illustrated the book. Her story begins with a young boy saying "When my nana told me where she came from, I didn't believe it. I was slipping on my snow boots to go outside. "Did you play in the snow when you were a kid? I asked her. "We didn't have snow," she said "No snow?" I said. What about fall. Did the... [continue]

Los Angeles may not be dreamy all of the time, but the area certainly seems to inhabit the dreams of Angelenos and non-Angelenos alike. Local writer Michelle Markel collected her favorite LA landmarks and wrote “Dream Town,” an illustrated book for children about a grandma telling her snowbound grandchildren about her days living in a magical land called Southern California, highlighting the best in LA's unique architecture in the process. Michelle has a couple of... [continue]

Our series of interviews with 20 cool Angelenos under 30 is winding down. But we were lucky to snag an interview with the busy Ben Goldhirsh, founder of Reason Pictures and GOOD Magazine (Ben is the fellow in the middle, posing with two friends in the above photo). Ben moved to Los Angeles when he was 25 in order to attend the Peter Stark producer program at USC Film School but dropped out to launch... [continue]

Our "20 Under 30" interview series with the coolest Angelenos under 30 continues (don't despair, we're almost done) with an interview with Jack Cate. A third party nominated Jack with this description: "Why they're cool: Jack's developing embedded electronic systems, handling IT for an international firm, and being a father to 3 kids. He's just 28 years old and on the fast track. He's been on the cover of MSI Magazine and speaks around... [continue]

Happy Summer Solstice! Summer is finally here. It's time to chill out, take a vacation, sit on the beach and get lost in a good book. Angelenos are lucky to have so many literary choices and librarians like Eileen Ybarra, a young adult librarian at the Los Angeles Central Library, to guide our tastes. As Eileen notes below, the library is still one of the best places to access information, preserve free speech and celebrate... [continue]

Meet Jed Shoemaker, a 24 year old from Florida. He's a film grip trying to make his way up the Hollywood food chain. He documents his experiences on his blog, Jedediah's Film Rant, featuring tales that are all too familiar to seasoned production types. Jed's intense energy, stamina, and dedication to his profession impressed LAist and reminded us of what so many newcomers go through in the Industry when they are just starting out.... [continue]

The folks over at the World of Wonder (WoW) production company never cease to amaze LAist with their entertaining documentaries. Anyone paid to probe the minds of Tammy Faye Bakker, Linda Lovelace or showbiz parents at the bidding of WOW principals and directors, Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato, must be super-fascinating in their own right. At least, that's what we told ourselves when we selected WOW employees, Steven Corfe and Moye Ishimoto, as two of... [continue]