Roads were closed. Traffic was stopped. The routine morning hustle and bustle down Santa Monica Boulevard, for some reason, had come to a complete standstill. “Aw damn,” I thought frantically, “What am I missing? Are they actually starting to build a rail system? No, never. Is it Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s? Nope, that was last week.” more ›

What a weird town Glendale can be sometimes. "Boxing was banned 62 years ago under the pretense that the matches would have an 'unwholesome' impact on the city," reports the Glendale News-Press in relation to the recent lifting of the ban. However, professional mixed-martial arts and kick boxing are still verboten and "closely monitor" boxing events and ban it again if things become unacceptable. Last week, Glendale's silly news was about an Easter Bunny used in a pedestrian police sting. more ›

Thanks to LA's budget crisis, city officials opted to nix plans to host the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Downtown this year, saying to do so would "appear unseemly" in light of the cost of traffic control for such an event, according to LA Now. As an alternative, however, the city is co-hosting some Irish-inspired events today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live, which will feature Irish music, antique trucks, and a beer garden. But if you wait until tonight to hit up L.A. Live for some good ol' St. Patty's fun, you'll find yourself in the midst of a celebration for the great Irish boxer Oscar De La Hoya. more ›

Tonight the entire fight world turns its attention to Las Vegas, the site of the highly anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. Last week, however, Pacquiao stood center stage in his adopted city of Los Angeles before a packed crowd of supporters at the Montalban Theater. more ›

Name the last boxer of Mexican descent to hold the heavyweight title. Go ahead. Do you give up? You can't name one, can you? That's because there's never been one. It's shocking that the rich tradition of Mexican fighters has never produced a heavyweight champion. Tonight that all can change when Riverside's own Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola challenges WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko at the Staples Center. more ›

With nothing more than his fists and black trunks, Mike was able to, in his words, "win all the championships." With nothing more than Mike's stories filled with brutal honesty, a couple of HD cameras and footage of "Iron Mike" both in and out of the ring, Tyson has won over critics, festival committees (Regard Knockout Award winner at Cannes in 2008) and fans alike. more ›

LA Lakers defeat Utah Jazz 125-112. All day the talk had been whether the Lakers should tank the game so as to try and avoid the Jazz in the first round. All of that was put to rest as the Lakers made a statement against the short-handed Jazz with a flurry of assists. The 39 assists was the most by a Lakers team at the Staples Center. The starters looked great, the bench looked great. It was just a great showing for a team getting ready for the real season to start. The Lakers 65 wins in the regular season is the third best in franchise history tied with the 1986-1987 team that went on to defeat the Boston Celtics four games to two in the NBA Finals. The Lakers will face the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. more ›

Young R&B star Chris Brown says the media has the story all wrong, but it still seems as if a part of the tale is that he roughed up fellow singer and (ex?) girlfriend Rihanna and then turned himself in just before the pair were due to be at Staples Center for the Grammys. more ›

In the last five years, mixed martial arts has experienced a surge in popularity, thanks largely to the mainstream emergence of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. With MMA on the rise and it's cousin in combat sports, boxing currently holding on for dear life, the debate over which is the superior sport is rampant. Despite the fact that the two sports are quite different, the war of words wages on (a Google search for "MMA vs boxing" brings back 10,700 results). more ›

If you've lived in the greater Los Angeles area for any length of time, you know Adam Carolla. more ›

Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas. more ›

Saturday is going to be huge. more ›

The difference between great teams and pretty-good teams, or pretty-good teams and mediocre teams is small. It’s a demonstrated ability to make plays at critical junctures of games. Great teams do it often, pretty-good teams do it sometimes, mediocre teams only occasionally. Memphis Grizzlies, never. The Clippers’ deflating three-point overtime loss to the NO/OKC Hornets last night once again reflected the teams’ inability to make the plays in the clutch, an ability that has by... more ›

Do you hear the wind howling his name? Ken Layne is coming back to Los Angeles. That's why the gods are washing off the streets and blowing the smog aside. Wonkette's West Coast Bureau Chief began this year at the helm of the ridiculously funny and mindbogglingly weird Sploid. Instead of burning bridges, Nick Denton shuttered Sploid and moved the hilariously cranky Layne over to Wonkette in a rare move by the Gawker head,... more ›

False Containment, The Fifth Syndrome, Lewd at the Pool @ Whisky more ›

Everything has pretty much gone Christmukkah-tastic for the weekend, and dining options are slim or extra-special, since most folks will be roasting their own chestnuts over their own open fires at home for the next few days. This time of year is also about tradition, whether it be the Chinese food feast as avoidance strategy on Christmas Eve or Day, spiked Egg Nogs after Midnight Mass, baking cookies for Santa, hoarding the chocolate coin winnings after a rousing game of dreidel spinning, or only-in-LA twists on the holidays that owe a lot to warmer climate and cultural diversity. Shhh...don't tell, but this LAist is summing this weekend up long-distance; our own holiday traditions are family (ergo, chaos) centered, way up yonder in Vancouver, B.C. This weekend we've got cocktails (Bloody Caesars, Lemon Drops, and Dirty martinis) and appetizers on Christmas Eve, baked goodies like Panforte and Stollen (either homemade or smuggled up North from Trader Joe's), shortbread and Christmas cookies along with a leisurely Christmas morning breakfast, turkey with all the trimmings not once, but twice, thanks to Boxing Day on Monday. Whew! more ›

Here in Los Angeles, they say you should write about what you know. more ›