Hello, Friday! We missed you! So are you looking to blow off steam before all the Halloween parties this weekend? Here are few events we found: a cosplay photo exhibit; stargazing in Calabasas; horror comic book recreations; and a Young Literati event to benefit the Los Angeles Public Library. Read on for all the details. more ›

Last year's inaugural L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade food and drink event was a delicious success, and the upcoming sophomore effort looks to be a tasty follow-up. It's back to the Culver Studios on Sunday, November 6, as the hosts once again are drawing from their pool of talented culinary cohorts to put on an afternoon "cookout" for a cause. more ›

It was rock for the cause of rock on Wednesday night when the Red Hot Chili Peppers played a show at Club Nokia at L.A. Live and raised $1 million for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. more ›

If you are in a giving spirit, and would enjoy a night out filled with food, drink, and fellow giving folks like yourself, you may want to pick up some passes to Simply diVine, the annual benefit for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. more ›

When you send out a press release about a "secret" gig, things aren't so secret anymore. Such is the case with Green Day, the chart-topping rockers who are expected to play a teeny-tiny club-sized benefit show in Costa Mesa Thursday night. more ›

A new pop-up dining event is teaming up good work and good food and drink for where the 100% of the proceeds benefit a high-profile cause. "Food For Thought" kicks off tomorrow night with its inaugural event, pairing Echo Park's City Sip Wine Bar and Large Marge Sustainables with Medicines Global for a dinner at The Green Beacon Foundation in Elysian Heights, where each of the dinners will take place. more ›

In the middle of a tour that included sets before tens of thousands of fans at Bonnaroo and Sasquatch! festivals, My Morning Jacket set one night aside to give back to KCRW. A few hundred KCRW members were lucky enough to see one of today's finest live-performing bands in a rare intimate performance at Village Studios in West L.A. Tuesday night. more ›

For those who like their goodie-getting to do some good, save room in your belly and budget for a visit to the fifth annual No Cookie Left Behind bakesale which is happening this Sunday, June 19th, from 2-5 p.m. at the original Scoops at Heliotrope and Melrose. The money goes to Share Our Strength, the organization that works to fight childhood hunger in the U.S. more ›

A rumor exists which claims L.A.'s night sky is devoid of stars. See for yourself at tonight’s Astronomy Night Hike. If physical exercise lacks appeal this evening, take a seat at Cinefamily’s Silent Movie Theatre and enjoy Sunrise. Or opt to do good and attend one of two benefits - Billabong’s Design for Humanity and Ha-Has for ta-tas. more ›

Enjoy a free evening of art, music, food and entertainment at ArtNight Pasadena tonight from 6-10 pm. The city’s arts and cultural institutions open their doors to the public, including the Armory Center, Side Street Projects, One Colorado, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pacific Asia Museum and more. Free shuttles, a bike tour, food trucks also abound. more ›

A recent reader e-mail prompted us to look into the possibility of there being a really (really, really) expensive bowl of pho out there. Our reader writes: "I heard that Tiato restaurant in San ta Monica will have a Pho Noodle with KOBE beef for $5,000.00 a bowl. Is this true?" The answer: Yes. more ›

Seven people were shot at a single family home on Holmes Avenue in South Los Angeles on Saturday when gunmen allegedly opened fire at a benefit party sometime around 1:00 a.m., reports KTLA. The party was reportedly a fundraiser arranged to "offset funeral costs for a 22-year-old man that was recently murdered," according a partygoer who said she and others were dancing when the incident occurred... more ›

The dance-theater experience Burn the Floor opens tonight at the Pantages Theatre for a two-week run. The show features 20 dancers who take the audience through dance history from the waltz to the paso doble to swing. Choreographed by Jason Gilkison, a guest choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance in the US & Australia. Tonight at 8 pm. Tickets: $25-$78. more ›

The 9.0 magnitude Japanese earthquake and tsunami that hit Northern Japan last month has left the media's collective memory and most front-page headlines, but help and assistance is still needed. A number of local benefits tonight and on Tuesday aim to help the Japanese people—all we have to do is listen to music or eat, drink, shop and be merry. more ›

Moby, The Crystal Method and Shepard Fairey headline tonight's Dance For Equality at Avalon. The MoveOn.org / Courage Campaign fundraiser benefits continued efforts to overturn Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California after being approved by a majority of voters in 2008. more ›

Saturday afternoon more than 50 professional and amateur bakers will present their dainty delectables at Los Angeles' first-ever Cupcake Camp. more ›

Now in its 24th year, the Great Chefs of L.A. is a culinary event that easily ranks as one of the best of its kind, and it is happening this Sunday from Noon to 3:30 p.m. on the lot at the CBS Radford Studios. more ›

Attendees will be privy to a an organic & sustainable wine, spirit and local food tasting and organic food truck cuisine. There will be a silent auction including works of art by Shepard Fairey and others as well as travel, spa, fashion and other lifestyle items from environmentally sustainable businesses. more ›

People all over the country fell in love with Alex's Lemonade Stand, a very grassroots campaign to raise funds to help tackle childhood cancer. Now Los Angeles is loving Alex's Lemonade, too, via a culinary event next Sunday that will feature local star chefs, plenty to eat and drink, some celebs, and the chance to help out a great cause while enjoying a great time. more ›

Next Thursday, Lou Adler is bringing a hybrid musical production of Rocky Horror to The Wiltern in a tribute to the 35th anniversary of the movie's release, complete with a costume ball. The event is a fundraiser for The Painted Turtle, Adler's summer camp for children with chronic, life-threatening illnesses. He spoke with us last week from his Malibu offices. more ›

For its inaugural event, Savor Los Angeles will offer guests a sweet escape for a very good cause. Presented by Parallel Lines, the dessert-centric food event will bring together like-minded businesses who focus on using fresh and organic ingredients, alternatives to sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, provide vegan options, and, well, that are just simply delicious. more ›

Last night Hollywood's Sunset Gower Studios were filled with guests indulging in some of the city's most beloved sips and bites all to benefit the good work of the Saban Free Clinic. more ›

Just a reminder that tonight is the night to head Downtown to show your support for the folks who ran and worked at The Must, the wine bar that found themselves the subject of a bizarre and surprising eviction over the 4th of July long weekend. more ›

Half a dozen Los Angeles music venues are hosting benefit concerts tonight as part of the global Gulf Coast Benefit Concerts. Proceeds from all participating venues will be donated to The Gulf Restoration Network, a nonprofit committed to uniting and empowering people to protect and restore the natural resources of the Gulf Region for future generations. more ›

A fun night out and a way to benefit a good cause, the 13th Annual Extravaganza for the Senses food and wine event will take place on Saturday, July 17th at the Sunset Gower Studios, and guests can score big savings if they buy tickets before July 1. more ›

Last month at the Vendy Awards, the judges selected Nina Garcia, the Breed Street vendor of Nina's Food in East L.A. as the best in show among her esteemed peers. more ›

LA-based Airborne Toxic Event's new song "Neda" is a eulogy for Neda and proceeds from sales of the song are going to Amnesty International's Neda Project (iTunes link). The band's frontman Mikel Jollett (LAist interview) wrote and directed the video, with artwork by Mona Shafer Edwards. more ›

There's no room for bluffin' when it comes to these muffins: No Cookie Left Behind [Twitter] is an awesome charity bakesale which is a part of Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale, and you can pick up some locally and home made treats on Sunday and contribute to a more-than-worthy cause. more ›

Once a popular sport at the Santa Monica Pier dating back to the 1940s, paddleboarding is riding a comeback wave with a competition to kick off the summer on June 12th. more ›

Project Ethos is putting on a night of fashion, music and art at the Music Box tonight in Hollywood. The collections of 10 designers will be featured, including two from Project Runway: Gordana Gehlhausen (GOGA by Gordana) and Jesus Estrada (Haus of Estrada). Live performances by R&B singer, Bruno Mars, Love Grenades and DJ Mando Fresko (Power 106) will be heard throughout the evening. There’s also live painting and visual installations. 8 pm. Tickets $20-$1000. Ages 18+. more ›