Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle had the dubious distinction of being the movie business' first scandal. Born in Kansas in 1887, Roscoe Arbuckle (who only used the name "Fatty" professionally, and otherwise detested it) was catapulted to fame in Mack Sennett's Keystone Cops movies. He made famous the "pie in the face" gag so familiar to many of us. For a larger gentleman, he was an astonishingly graceful tumbler, and was said to have a lovely singing... [continue]

Pasta with mushroom sauce usually means cream. That's pretty rich and kinda boring, so I decided I would try to make something that was more like the Italian version. 2 tablespoons of porcini mushroom olive oil 3 or 4 leaves of fresh basil, or 2 pinches of dried 1 clove of garlic, minced About a quarter of a white or yellow onion, minced 5 or six crimini mushroom caps, finely chopped 1 cup of white... [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]

Just like there was an original "It" Girl, there was also an original "platinum blonde." Jean Harlow was born Harlean Harlow Carpenter on March 3, 1911 in Kansas City Missouri. Her father was a dentist from a blue collar background, while her mother was from a rich family. These were only the beginnings of their differences and her mother grew very unhappy in the marriage, eventually turning most of her attention to her daughter. Harlean... [continue]

Old Spanish Kitchen photo used with permission by eyetwist via Flickr Some ghosts (though it's a little late in the season for it) aren't what you think. They aren't wailing waifs or glowing skulls. They're a restaurant called the Spanish Kitchen. I'm not talking about the Spanish Kitchen on La Cienega -- decorated like there's a South America Land in Disneyland and it's in it, though they have a sign that is an authentic... [continue]

What better way to celebrate Halloween than to talk about Harry Houdini, the greatest magician who ever lived. He died on Halloween in 1926 and on that day for 10 years thereafter, his wife tried to contact him by holding seances. He starred in a few early movies even -- mostly silent pics and serials. And he lived here for a time, though he was based mostly out of New York. These days, magicians... [continue]

Five years ago today, on October 21, 2003, Elliott Smith died. The intentions behind his death still not been confirmed, but some time that day, Elliott met the Big Nothing. Born Steven Paul Smith in Omaha, Nebraska, he grew up in Texas and Oregon. In high school, he began calling himself, "Elliott" as he felt that Steven was too "jock-like." The changing of his name was a pattern that he repeated throughout his life. He... [continue]

We talk about "It" girls in this town. There's a new flavor every week. It could be Mischa Barton, Scarlett Johansson, or Sienna Miller. We all kind of know what that means. A young starlet, largely untried but definitely gorgeous and sexy. But did you know that the phrase comes from one "It" girl? The original was the one and only Clara Bow. Clara Bow was an original Hollywood legend; born into the tenements of... [continue]

We don't get much autumn in LA. Mostly, things get hot and then the Halloween stuff comes out. Everyone gets a little worn out on the notion of endless summer. But there are delights to be had. More apples appear on the scene (and in desserts), there's the county fair, and some of the better Italian restaurants start serving truffles. Granted, it's not cheap, but shared with the table, one dish can be a delectable... [continue]

Photo by Jacy/LAist Unlike its unsubtle brother, the Grauman's Chinese, The Egyptian is set back from the street. You just might miss it if you aren't paying attention. It's a delicate place, a secret from the roar of Hollywood. Instead of being taken over by some mall, it has been carefully restored. It was designed by architects Meyer & Holler for Sid Grauman. It was example of the Egyptian Revival Style. The original emergence... [continue]

This story didn't happen at Union Station. It was about four years too early for that. But at least in reading the story, we can imagine that it happened there, as all good noir stories should. It was 1931, and something fishy was going on. The train from Phoenix had pulled in on time, now all the luggage was gone, except two trunks -- that stank so badly, the porters wished it was fish. It... [continue]

While we're talking about train stations, a man by the name, Fred Harvey forged a partnership in 1876 with the railroads to open chains of hotels and restaurants along the railways, they continued to be built and operated through the 1940s, though Fred Harvey himself died in 1901. They became a civilizing force in the wild west. Food was served on china, and coats were required in the dining rooms. It's thought that blue... [continue]

There are few places in Los Angeles where you can feel the history, where if you squint hard enough, you could easily be in the 1930s, and yet that have a key place in Los Angeles' future. That place is Union Station, one of the most beautiful buildings in our city. Most of it is open to the public and it's central to anyone who wants to take a train, bus or subway (which makes... [continue]

In 2007, Curbed LA named Hollywood and Highland the ugliest building in Los Angeles. From many (if not most) angles, they have a point. But In the center of this ode to modern consumerism is a secret, a reference to the glamor and debauchery that are Hollywood's past. It started, as all the best secrets do, a long, long time ago. In 1916, D.W. Griffith made Intolerance, his response to the widely maligned Birth of... [continue]

I live on the Westside. I like it pretty well. It's cooler (temperature-wise) and a little less...precious than the Eastside. I like the Eastside -- it attracts a higher number of cooler (and less expensive) bars, restaurants and boutiques. It's just a fact. Sometimes, I take a 'staycation' and spend the day over there. But when I want a little of that without circling the whole city on the freeway to get there, I go... [continue]

Every day we make trash. We do it without thinking. Our refuse is barely a part of our lives. But all around us is a separate, secret culture, created to care for and dispose of this garbage, a world of silent signs and messages that we don't even see. But without it, our lives would be impossible. We would be surrounded by stinking refuse and vermin, able to think about nothing else. The Center of... [continue]

LAist is into Rush Street, the new eatery in downtown Culver City. Even I've had a good time there. But the last time I went was pretty unforgivable. It was mid-afternoon, and we had a hankering for some butterscotch pudding, which we still hadn't experienced yet. We stopped by Rush Street, where they seemed to be suffering from a serious case of popular-new-restaurant-itis. We were told that they would not serve us (even though... [continue]

Love it or leave it, you have to admit that the San Diego Comic Con brings out the ten year old kid in all of the attendees (including, this year, many entertainment types, who ran around the floor pleading, "I want it. I WANT IT.") Here are some pictures of life in and around last weekend's con, some great displays, awesome costumes, even a couple of panels. This year there were significantly fewer slave Leas,... [continue]

Last Wednesday, I spent happy hour at Ugo Wine Bar in Culver City. The week before, we spent it at Bottle Rock (where I've had a great time on the weekend), which was disappointing. It was loud, the service was slow and the food was expensive. Ugo Wine Bar was exactly the opposite and it was such a pleasure. We thought it was Vinum Populi, and it used to be, but these days, it's... [continue]

On October 28, 1966, commuters between Malibu and the Valley were surprised by the image of a large, running depiction of a naked woman. Sixty feet tall, painted in pink house paint, she was quickly dubbed The Pink Lady. At first, there was much speculation as to the artist and the purpose of such an image. Due to the subject matter, it was assumed to be a man. It turned out that this mysterious image... [continue]