A group of classical musicians on their way to a Riverside Philharmonic concert this weekend were on the 91 freeway as the fire literally crossed it. They took this video (it gets crazy at 47 seconds in) and being orchestra geeks, most appropriately gave it the soundtrack of Shostakovich's Symphony #10 (Mvt 2). "I chose this music for several reasons, but mostly because we were actually on our way to perform this piece at... [continue]

Now here's one way to show how large scale Saturday's national Prop 8 protest will look like. The above image is from a flyer being used to promote the Los Angeles event. But it doesn't stop there. Versions for San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacrament and San Diego are also being distributed. Related: The map reminds us of this typographic map of Los Angeles neighborhoods.... [continue]

Pulitzer-Prize-winning and family-feuding restaurant critic Jonathan Gold published his updated list of L.A.'s 99 Essential Restaurants in the LA Weekly today, an annual tradition that arrives this year sans fun interactive Google map. L.A. classics like Langer's and Phillipe's are still holding down their spots (and may they forever more), while modern masterpieces like Melisse and Providence continue to reign over the dining scene. New to the list are Akasha, Animal, Anisette, BLD, Comme... [continue]

The last living member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience was found dead in his hotel room in Portland, OR earlier today. Mitch Mitchell, along with bassist Noel Redding, played with Hendrix on albums such as "Axis: Bold As Love" and their debut, "Are You Experienced?". He beat the skins relentlessly behind Jimi and Noel as they stormed on to the American music scene at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 after gaining fame in England.... [continue]

Forrest "Forrey" Ackerman, the nearly 92 year old coiner of the term "sci-fi" and honorary lesbian (for his work as "Laurajean Ermayne") is said to be ailing. "He wasn't sounding very strong," Harry Knowles said in an entry on Ain't It Cool News, "It hurt to hear his voice." Ackerman helped to bolster the burgeoning sci-fi community by publishing the inspirational journal, Famous Monsters of Filmland. He is a publisher, author and literary agent (to... [continue]

A man and his message to the Mormon Church at Thursday's Prop 8 protest | Photo by Malingering No, not Peter Griffin, although I have to give it up to him for spouting the phrase that has run through my head more and more in recent months, “If gays want to get married and be miserable like the rest of us, I say we should let them.” Actually, I was referring to me, this... [continue]

Caption used for image on right: 'Obama talks about all those presidents that got their names on bills. If elected, what bill would he be on ????? Food Stamps, what else!' First, we have the Sacramento County Republican Party, who recently had to remove certain images from their site, like the one at left, because they were all offensive and stuff. And in the other corner, the Chaffey Community Republican Women Federated of San... [continue]

With all the buzz surrounding restaurant newcomers Anisette and Comme Ca, another elegant French bistro has quietly slipped under the foodie radar: The Hall at Palihouse. This serene, casual, but sophisticated space within the "extended-stay" hotel has recently changed chefs: Anisette's former chef de cuisine, Brendan Collins, has taken over from Stephanie O'Mary, and in doing so has invigorated the traditional French bistro menu with more exotic Mediterranean influences. The updated fall menu features classics... [continue]

Writer and legend, Ray Bradbury, will be speaking tonight at The Los Angeles Film School following a free screening of the film Chrysalis, adapted from one of his works. Mr. Bradbury was fully involved in the production of this film, from each draft to the visual effects. Here's the synopsis from the official website. In the future: The world is ravaged, a third world war has left our planet in a state of decay.... [continue]

The Angels have been dating a mysterious figure known as World Champion off and on over the last 5 years or so. It hasn't reached the serious level yet, but they've flirted with the possibility of going all the way. There's always been competition, because quite honestly, World Champion is a slut. She's always willing to go with whoever is offering the most bang at the time. This year she's had her eye on... [continue]

The average labor length for a third child is about 5 hours. That's how long it took the Angels to squeeze out a win in Game 3 of the ALDS last night in Boston. It was their first postseason win against the Red Sox in 11 straight attempts. The Halos avoid the sweep and now trail in the series 2-1. Powered by two monster home runs by catcher Mike Napoli in the 3rd and 5th... [continue]

It’s not that the Angels lacked offense in Game 1 Wednesday night in Anaheim, but like me at the end of every high school dance, they just couldn’t score. The Halos had 9 hits to Boston’s 8. However, their traditional small ball way of playing the game is not going to work against these guys…again. Hey, that’s why they went out and bagged Texiera from the Braves so they wouldn’t find themselves down a... [continue]

Manny Shares the Celebration with the Fans. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill San Diego Padres defeat LA Dodgers 7-5. Yeah the Dodgers lost, but as Vin Scully so eloquently put it, "Who cares?" The Dodgers found out at 2:32 pm that they were NL West Champs. They went through warm ups, batting practice and the game, then the celebration began. Now this is the first celebration I have seen where the players took to the... [continue]

Disney wants you to spend your birthday money at their parks next year so they're letting you in for free in 2009. You've just got to prove your birthday with a valid ID. And for those who are annual pass holders, then you get a FastPass which lets you cruise to near the beginning of the line. Maybe street artist Banksy will visit again after installing his Guantanamo Bay piece (video) a couple years ago.... [continue]

You know Hal Sparks from hosting "Talk Soup" on E!, or as Michael from "Queer as Folk", or even from VH1's "I Love the..." series. Sparks has a local appearance before heading back out on national tour. He's also got a TV show and a couple feature films in the works, not to mention voicing Tak in Nikelodeon's "Tak & the Power of Juju" - LAist was pleased to be able to ask the busy... [continue]

The out-of-state Monolith Music Festival at Red Rocks was this past weekend (did you go?) and this year's lineup of Band of Horses, The Avett Brothers, Mickey Avalon, TV on the Radio, American Bang, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, among many others did not disappoint. Set up on five stages over two days at arguably the most scenic venue ever, Monolith brought indie-rock fanatics a mile-high in the air to celebrate all things music.... [continue]

High-profile, pricey dining events are fun and all, but most of us would rather spend our dining dollars on an event that supports a great cause. If you're one of those people, you're in luck this weekend, because Savor The Season is one of those worth-it events. Not only does it feature a catered spread from some of L.A.'s best restaurants, but proceeds from the event are going to Break The Cycle, an organization... [continue]

Riding the Red Line into Hollywood this morning a track from David Gilmour's On an Island made its way into my ears. As I sat there half asleep listening to the guitar hero uncharacteristically blow his sax, I picked up on the somber mood of the tune and attributed it to Richard Wright's majestic keyboard playing, so subtle yet so brilliant. The original Pink Floyd founder passed away from cancer today at his home in... [continue]

New Kids on the Block will be performing at Staples Center in October and November | AP photo by Bill Kostroun Everyday at 6:56pm I step off the Gold Line at the Highland Park station and see my wife waiting for me with our 2 year old son in the minivan, of course. The stress of the day washed away from a relaxing train ride from Hollywood, and there's nothing better than to see... [continue]

Joe Greene and the Heavy Steppers will be on hand performing at this Saturday's fundraiser | Photo courtesy their myspace page The nation is two months away from selecting a new leader bean, as Homer would say, which of course means it's rally time. No, it's not the bottom of the ninth with Manny up and runners on the pads, and the monkey hasn't made it's way up the 5 from Anaheim. It's political... [continue]