"Amanda Bynes drinks ... A LOT" begins a piece published today by TMZ. They include a video they say is evidence the former teen TV star has a serious partying problem. more ›

The legend of the casting couch usually tells the story of an older man sleeping with a young girl by promising her an acting or modeling career. But in today's refreshing news, this tired old tale ends not with a sexual encounter, but with the older man getting kicked in the face and the girl getting away. more ›

She's a native Angeleno and the progeny of a Hollywood icon, and now actress Mariska Hargitay is paying it forward for young actors. The "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star has given her alma mater, the UCLA School of Theater Arts and Television, $100,000 for an acting scholarship. more ›

Los Angeles City Council President (and possible Mayor hopeful) Eric Garcetti will take a second spin in primetime tonight as fictional L.A. Mayor Ramon Quintero on TNT's drama "The Closer." Garcetti last trod the TV boards in the fall in the same role. more ›

‘Tartuffe’, the 17th century French comedy by noted playwright Molière, can certainly be a bit heavy-handed at times. Written largely as a critical piece against the then-current Louis XIV administration (oh, how time flies), the play tackles themes of religious piety, virtuous behavior, and out and out sexuality - all in a few thousand rhyming couplets. Of course, the writing is a superb reflection of the times, yet something may be lost in the translation to today’s more modern, media-consuming culture. Great substance, but in the overgrown steel edifices of some downtown proscenium theater, there’s not a lot of context. more ›

Wallace Shawn has the face of an aging angel, which has borne itself onto screen in well-remembered roles in The Princess Bride, Manhattan, and Clueless. Yet, on stage, Shawn is a sharp-witted maestro of the theatrical arena, having collected an Obie award and many adoring fans for his thought-provoking, politically-driven pieces. In some cases, such as his one-man monologue The Fever, Shawn strips down the essence of the theatre itself, preferring to stage the show in living rooms and other close quarters. more ›

LA has a diverse cast of characters. Whether it's the characters with stirring stories or interesting occupations or the people who are just simply characters, this town has them all. In an effort to get to know some of those characters a little better, we've created "Seven Questions with..." If you have a suggestion for a future Seven Questions subject send us an email. more ›

"People think show business was in Hollywood, but I think [Ronald] Reagan was absolutely right," Schwarzenegger said on 60 Minutes last night. "If he wouldn't have the training in acting, this would have been a very difficult job." Did the ability to act help bring the state to a $40 billion budget gap, too? more ›

more ›

He may be young and may not have billboards of himself around Hollywood like Angelyne, but the twenty-something Chad Luckette does have a van and trailer displaying his name, which seems to be found in Silver Lake Sunset Junction area more than often. more ›

If you aren't familiar, Clinton Sparks has rapidly risen from the basement of his mother's house in Boston to an elite DJ, producer and on-air personality. Recently, the host of the nationally syndicated Smashtime Radio and producer of numerous classic mixtapes like the first two volumes of the "We Got it 4 Cheap" series by The Clipse and The Re-Up Gang, has crossed over into cable television as the music correspondent for E!'s The Daily 10. A man on the go, criss-crossing the country from coast-to-coast to throw down some of the biggest parties in the country's top clubs, to producing beats for A-list artists to appearing on your television screen, Clinton took a little time to talk with LAist prior to boarding his flight from Las Vegas, where he hosts Daily 10 Smashtime Saturdays at Body English, to LA. more ›