The big news this morning is that the Writers Guild is striking beginning today. Although LAist isn't part of the Guild, we are writers and we support our brethren. Not enough to strike with them, of course, but in spirit. Therefore above you will see Jon Stewart's take, and below David Letterman's. And after the jump you can see where the writers will be today from 9am-5pm so you can drive by and honk......

Although LAist has previously reported that Pan’s Labyrinth is dull -- more than once mind you – this reviewer found it necessary to take one more look. I agree with what the other reviews put forward however I would also say that PL, although not originally clever, is a well-told story. The film is set in 1944 Spain, during the time of Francisco Franco. A young girl, Ofelia, is sent with her mother to......

After their bid at history fell short against the Longhorns of Texas, life at USC has moved on. Part of that process would inevitably involve change of players. Although the loss to graduation of key seniors Matt Leinart, Taitusi "Deuce" Lutui, and Tom Malone were unavoidable, as was the loss of Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush to the NFL inevitable. The loss of other key juniors puts the Trojan squad in a new situation.......

Although LAist has visited some coffee haunts in the last few months that felt as if we had miraculously ended up in a totally different part of the world (i.e. Pasadena), there are other pockets of Los Angeles that also make one feel as if they've taken a trip through the Twilight Zone. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf #14 7502 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90046 Hours: Monday - Friday 6:30 AM - 8:30......

Aaah, lucky number thirteen. Well, here on LAist, there's no such thing as an unlucky number, although there is such a thing as a coffee shop that's famous. You know, in sort of a trendy, wannabe, Paris Hilton kind of way. Coffe Bean & Tea Leaf #13 8793 Beverly Boulevard West Hollywood, CA 90048 Hours: Monday - Friday 6:00 AM - 12:00 AM Saturday - Sunday 7:00 AM - 12:00 AM If you watched......

Let's face it. People in California have pretty much resigned themselves to the fact that come November 2nd, the electoral votes from this great state will most likely be piling up for Mr. John Kerry. It's the result of having a very liberal state which almost always ends up voting for the Democratic candidate. That's the reality, and that's fine. But lately, LAist has come in contact with (if you can believe it) a......

The LA Times reported yesterday that Comedian Jay Leno, host of TV's "The Tonight Show" called Assemblywoman Sally Lieber's office earlier this year and "delivered a monologue that wasn't funny at all." Although LAist isn't surprised that Leno's monologue wasn't funny, we were surprised when we heard just what he was monologuing about. Apparently, Leiber was sponsoring legislation to end a Calfornia exemption that spares many old cars from smog checks. And since Leno......

Don't look now, but Adrian Beltre leads the Major Leagues in home runs. Beltre hit his 40th yesterday, in the Dodgers 10-2 rout of the Expos. At this rate, Beltre may become the first Dodger ever to hit 50 home runs one season. Who would have thought that a year ago? But at 25, it is now obvious that Beltre was called up to the Majors when he was too young, but at least......

September's Los Angeles Magazine highlights their own choices for the 25 Best Mexican Restaurants in all of LA. Among some of their favorites, Tacos Baja Ensenada (5385 Whittier Boulevard, East LA / 323-887-1980) for the "holy grail of fish tacos", Teresita's (3826 E. 1st Street, East LA / 323-266-6045) for its family-run atmosphere and "costillas de puerco en chile negro", and Mario's Tacos and Burritos (3764 S. Overland Avenue, West LA / 323-314-2298) for......

A collective sigh of relief blew through Hollywood today as Patty Duke, the star of the 1962 film The Miracle Worker, received her very own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. Although LAist often sits back and thinks of Patty Duke fondly, having had been entertained immensly by her turn as twins on "The Patty Duke Show" way before "Big Brother 5" integrated such a concept, apparently the rest of the world isn't quite......

Although LAist knows that most die-hard Angelenos consider driving anywhere out of their zip code to be blasphemy, there comes a time when branching out of your area code (not just for dating) can have its advantages. A wonderful example of one such advantage is the Pageant of the Masters, part of Laguna Beach's "Festival of Arts." The show, which painstakingly recreates some of history's greatest and most influential paintings and sculptures, uses real......