Friday night's grand opening party for the highly anticipated Rush Street in Culver City was an evening of fun food and drinks; inside the incredible space on Washington Boulevard were gathered friends of the restaurant, folks from the neighborhood, local dignitaries, and a handful of LAisters, all eager to get a taste of the new bar and eatery. LAist Featured Photos contributor Michael Ngim (aka hinducow) was on hand along with our Caroline on Crack... [continue]

A Lawrence Weiner piece graces the Vienna Skyline | Photo by Gastev via Flickr If you've been waiting for the hype to die down and waiting for the crowds to thin before visiting the Lawrence Weiner retrospective, you've almost waited too long. Weiner's conceptual art show at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA ends on Monday and this weekend is your last chance to get in and see As Far As the Eye Can See... [continue]

Tim Russert, NBC News' Washington bureau chief and moderator of "Meet the Press" died after collapsing at NBC Studios in New York this afternoon. He was 58 years old. Retired NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw delivered the news at 12:39 p.m. LA time:“Our beloved colleague,” a somber Mr. Brokaw called him, one of the premier journalists of our time. He said this was one of the most important years in his life, with his deep... [continue]

Photo of historic homes on Carroll Avenue in Angeleno Heights by Lindsay William-Ross/LAist You say Angelino, I say Angeleno. But ultimately, it doesn't matter how you spell it, Angeleno Heights is one of the coolest residential neighborhoods in LA, and the Angeleno Heights Trolley Line Open House Tour this weekend will give people a chance to see the area up close and personal, and inside the homes. The tour is part of a weekend-long... [continue]

The idea for Pangea Day was inspired by filmmaker Jehane Noujaim's acceptance speech after winning the TED Prize at the 2006 TED Conference. The global event begins this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. PDT with events in six cities including Los Angeles (Sony Pictures in Culver City) and numerous satellite gatherings. In addition to 24 short films, the four-hour event will include live music and speakers. Max Lugavere and Jason Silva, the founding hosts/producers of Current... [continue]

Last week, the attention of LAist's family of contributors was directed to Yahoo Music blog List of the Day, and an entry called The Ten Most Annoying Singers. Now normally, we love lists like this. Not only do we get to vent our seething jealousy of the success of idiots, but much needed schadenfreude washes over us like an embittered baptism. Now, no disrespect to Rob O'Connor (who frankly has a job we'd love), but... [continue]

On June 3, Aimee Mann’s new album, @#%&*! Smilers, will be released on her SuperEgo Records label. Throughout the 13 tracks, Mann delivers a musical experience that packs an emotional punch. The songs hint at her playful side and deliver melodies you’ll want to hum for the rest of the day. LAist caught up with Mann to get the scoop on her new record.... [continue]

Jesus Sanchez at the LA Times reports that the 150,000 estimated turn out (based on LAPD numbers) to Sunday's Fiesta Broadway celebration downtown was still was lower than previous celebrations and projections for this year. However, the fire department determined 400,000 people came out, still lower than the expected 500,000. Whatever the exact number may be, one things was for sure... it was hot and looked like a great time. LAist Featured Photographer Tom Andrews... [continue]

Last night Father's Office II in Culver City* Los Angeles finally opened to the thirsty and hungry, but mostly thirsty, masses. It was supposed to be a soft opening but word got out and the bar/restaurant filled up right quick. A line formed outside the front door but patrons who finally made it in said the wait wasn't too bad, just about 15 minutes.... [continue]

My first memory of Dutton's is of the one in the valley, hot on those unairconditioned summer afternoons, the faintly sour smell of the paper. It was crowded, a little uncomfortable, and yet it was a place that was full of treasures. A place where a kid could wander -- completely by accident, into the Literature section and discover something magical. After my family moved to the Westside in the early nineties, Dutton's became a... [continue]

Dear Tony Kornheiser, Your recent comments were clueless and hypocritical -- and some of the most ironic in all of sports media this year. That's quite an accomplishment considering the profession is full of overweight men criticizing the performance of professional athletes. The comments I'm referring to, of course, are your proclamations about bloggers. They have no sources. They make stuff up. They're toads. They're little toads. Actually, they're pimples on the behind of the... [continue]

We love when politicians and government officials chime in on LAist's comment section. The latest political celebrity, Senator Jim Battin (R- La Quinta), caught wind of an article this morning about SB 1374, a bill he submitted last week that would allow car pool lane access for any car owner who off-sets their emissions with carbon credits, ultimately letting solo drivers of all sorts, including SUVs and Hummers, onto California freeways. Commenters brought out ammunition... [continue]

Shepard Fairey (left) with Dericc Swinfard of Monster Media Inc. Swinfard printed and delivered the super-sized image pro bono. After discovering a massive Shepard Fairey-designed Obama print off Sunset yesterday, we went hunting for the background story, which led straight to the artist himself. The giant billboard (at 1331 W. Sunset) in question marks the location of Fairey's new HQ: Studio Number One with the soon-to-open Subliminal Projects gallery on the first floor. Shepard... [continue]

Next time your uncle and aunt are in town skip the usual Hollywood Boulevard shenanigans. The Walk of Fame and Mann's Chinese Theater are just as exciting as they look on Google Images. Instead take them to Pincher's Liquor and crush their spirits with these unusual murals.... [continue]

One of L.A.'s most unique and important centers for poetry, literature, and art, the non-profit center Beyond Baroque, may be in danger of losing its lease. According to an email sent out by the group's Board of Trustees, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo would like to begin the auction process for the building, offering it up for other non-profits to bid on. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl had promised to extend Beyond Baroque's lease for another... [continue]

The Happy Ending is the perfect place for your bachelor party to grab a bite to eat on the way to the strip club. It's also the perfect place for your divorced dad to park you in front of the video trivia game while he drinks too much and hits on a waitress half his age. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw the name of this restaurant. I thought perhaps it was... [continue]

Deadspin's Will Leitch will be signing copies of his new book, God Save the Fan tonight at Book Soup Will Leitch, Deadspin editor, New York Times contributor, and author is in Los Angeles today presenting and signing copies of his new book God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It... [continue]

Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks. Have you ever wondered why the very people that have tons of cash to drop at swanky stores can be such fashion trainwrecks? Often celebrities have the nerve to flaunt both their big paychecks and free designer clothes. Lucky for us, it's always fun to watch. That's where you'll find Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan of the super-popular Go Fug Yourself. Every day they skewer the super famous and... [continue]

Sometimes it seems like this city is out to beat us up, put us down, and lead us terribly astray. Even those of us who have lived here for years can't help but feel let down sometimes by L.A.'s impersonal and often contradictory nature. And we're just talking about transportation. But more often than you might expect, if you just open up and let the city happen to you, you'll find that L.A. is... [continue]

I didn't want to just do a "best of" list. So this year, I've decided to take a years worth of personal New Year's Resolutions, ask around for those of friends and put a call out to readers (email me here) about things you've always wanted to know, always wanted to do and then take those requests and ask an expert, an insider to help out. The result? Here goes... Today, we're kicking off... [continue]