Actor Steve Martin, a former Oscars host himself, has offered up some unsolicited advice to next year's host, Eddie Murphy, on his blog. more ›

KCRW’s “Martini Shot” is TV writer/producer Rob Long's weekly peek into showbiz. Told from his experiences, Long's four-minute commentaries explore Hollywood's inherently humorous dualities, and eccentricities. more ›

Can we now add eating habits to the long list of modern relationship deal-breakers? The New York Times published a pre-Valentine's Day article this morning discussing the difficulties couples face when their diets are dramatically different:

Ben Abdalla, 42, a real estate agent in Boca Raton, Fla., said he preferred to date fellow vegetarians because meat eaters smell bad and have low energy. more ›

A looming Valentine's Day is like the last few strains of musical chairs. Everyone is in a hurry to partner up. Women get a lot of advice on picking up men, but there is not much out there for the average man. Most of the advice I read for men seems like so much bullshit. It's usually just a guide for getting laid, and even that is opportunistic bullshit. more ›

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and veggies in South Central. On the entertainment front, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime over the show titled Californication and Rami Kashou of Project Runway chatted with LAist about his Palestinian heritage and, of course, designing beauty. more ›

Driving under the speed limit can cause you to fail your drivers test. From the Top 10 Reasons for Failing the Driving Test In October, the California DMV took a step out of the 1970s and into the current generation. Okay, so they have had online reservations for awhile now so you can avoid waiting in line. And now you can avoid some reading by watching the 55 videos they uploaded on YouTube. The... more ›

If you don't want to watch football over the next 4 days you are screwed. Normally I would tell you to head over to TCM or IFC for some fine movie action but it's slim pickins my friends. TCM has (lamely) decided to schedule a 3 day Andy Hardy marathon starring everyone's favorite short actor, Mickey Rooney, as the misguided but lovable Andy Hardy. One or two Andy Hardy movies is fine, but several days... more ›

Over 10,000 people are scheduled to march today along Hollywood Blvd., and Grammy-award winning singer Alicia Keys will sing in support of the WGA strike which is now into its third week. Beginning at the intersection of Hollywood Blvd. at Ivar Ave. at 1pm, members of the Service Employees International Union, California Nurses Association, Teamsters, actors, musicians, elected officials will join the striking WGA members. Keys is planned to perform at 1:15pm for about... more ›

This week, Fodor's online published a little Q & A with editor Jennifer Paull who recently spent a long weekend in our dear city. She wanted to catch up on all that's been recently new to her as a frequent(ish) tourist. Among that was the Griffith Observatory, The Getty Villa, restaurants Osteria Mozza and Röckenwagner Café in Venice and Moss, the high-design housewares store on Melrose. What caught our attention the most, though, was her... more ›

Ever since I started writing food reviews, I have been haunted by Jonathan Gold. I would be researching pho for a post, and come across one of his articles, "Cinnamon, anise and the funk of simmering beef, the soup's unmistakable signature, perfumed the air." Sometimes Jonathan Gold just makes me want to stick a fork in my head. I used to play "Restaurant Roulette" on Ventura Boulevard, where I would just stop at random eateries.... more ›

Thursday night I almost invariably turn to NBC - what's gonna happen if we run out of new episodes of our fave shows? I might have to get creative, perish the thought. I apologize for writing the word "fashionistas" yesterday, I also apologize for saying that Kenny vs. Spenny was premiering - what we got last night was a sneak preview, not a premiere, the premiere happens on Sunday. more ›

The more we learn about the Temecula shooting that left five people dead, the sadder the story becomes: three of the victims of Sunday's shooting were a mother and her two teenage daughters; the remaining two dead were the mother's boyfriend and his son. A group of men in a Honda Civic opened fire on the driver of a truck on the 91 freeway today; road rage may be the culprit. The victim sustained... more ›

Home Depot is suing the city of Los Angeles because they didn't get what they wanted they say Councilwoman Wendy Greuel acted in a biased manner by helping neighborhood groups challenge the project while voting to require an environmental review. Greuel calls shenanigans in an LA Times article: "Is Home Depot and their lawyer suggesting that if a council member supports or opposes a project before it comes to the council, that there is... more ›

Meet Gobstopper. more ›

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, I'm a 37 year-old guy who has recently started seeing someone who could very well be... more ›

The West Hollywood Book Fair, now in it's sixth year, will take over West Hollywood Park this Sunday from 10am - 6pm. We like to think of the WeHo book fair as the calmer, cooler cousin to the LA Times Festival of Books - great authors, excellent panels, live readings and good food - but much easier to navigate. As with any festival, planning the who/what/when is key...especially when trying to pack it all into one day. more ›

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, I love to watch porn and have fantasized about group sex with my wife and this... more ›

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, I’ve been in love with my neighbor since we were 6 (we’re both 21 now). We... more ›

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, One afternoon I found myself waiting for your column to arrive in my inbox. Since that... more ›

"... the kids who join the Greek organizations are very spirited. They are very much involved with all aspects of college life. They run for office and they are big philanthropists," a California State University Northridge (CSUN) student told the Daily News in an article about the city of Los Angeles ordering members of two off-campus CSUN fraternity houses, Zeta Beta Tau and Pi Kappa Alpha, to shut down. Hrmmm, if these students are... more ›

Life is confusing, shrinks are expensive and complaining will make you unpopular. Ask Jen instead. Dear Jen, I own a very successful business, have two kids and a husband and donate much of my time to a charity that I’m very passionate about. The problem is that I’ve always thought of myself as a traveler, it’s truly one of my favorite things to do, but I recently realized that I haven’t left the country... more ›

When Howard Stern left the airwaves, many of us in LA were too cheap, or too lazy, or too broke to follow him to Sirius. Adam Carolla took over, coming from years of experience in radio, and a frequent guest on the Stern show when it was on KLSX. Adam has since built his following, fine tuned the show, and is kicking ass in morning radio. more ›

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, I'm a 20 year-old, bisexual-leaning lesbian who has not done anything sexual with either gender. I... more ›

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, Many years ago I purchased my first vibrator and became hooked. My orgasms are amazing, intense... more ›

On a personal blog called ...yep by a guy named Glenn, the Los Angeles transit system is examined. Glenn has never taken the subway in L.A. before and he commutes one-hour by car everyday. He's not complaining though, "it’s just a way of life here in the city," he states pragmatically. He finds it to be "a fairly pleasant experience" and listening to podcasts on his iPod is a much better choice than some... more ›

Photo by toastycakes via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr more ›

If you haven't made your daily Rilo Kiley Myspace check, then you've missed some important news. As a part of the continuing Myspace Secret Shows series, Rilo Kiley will be playing tonight at the All Star Lanes bowling alley in Eagle Rock. Ahh, good ole All Star Lanes. I've spent many a night there drinking, bowling, and laughing at the karaoke regulars. It will always hold a fond place in my heart. My advice... more ›

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, I have a question that's been driving me NUTS. I can't decide between boys and girls.... more ›

Chrisette Michele busted out before our very eyes and ears at the end of 2006, singing the hook on her boss, Jay-Z's "Lost One".Shortly after the 24 year-old's incredible voice was heard on Nas' hit single, "Can't Forget About You." That same voice, according to her bio, gave L.A. Reid, DefJam Chairman, goosebumps. In June, Michele dropped "If I Have My Way," the lead single from her debut solo album, I Am. LAist caught up... more ›

Sex is something that drives us, empowers us and gets us into really stupid situations with people we have no business seeing naked. Jen Sincero is the bestselling author and sexpert with the carnal knowledge you need. Ask her your questions (all are posted anonymously). Cuz there's no such thing as being too good in bed. Dear Jen, Recently it was revealed that the Pentagon, under Bill Clinton, was working on a secret Gay... more ›