If you want to do something else tonight besides the mind-numbing seventh season opener of American Idol, here are a few options: WORDS Nobel Prizewinner Mohammad Yunus has a conversation with Rick Wartzman, director of the Drucker Institute, Claremont Graduate University (and former editor of the Los Angeles Times' West) on "Creating a World without Poverty." The evening will focus on questions like: "What if you could harness the power of the free market......

Deadliest attack of the Iraq war claims at least 250 lives and as many as 500. Want to learn more about the local opportunities and challenges presented by global warming? Check out the Global Warming Forum at Cal State LA tomorrow from 9 AM to 3 PM. Progress made in improving California's public school system stalled this year after two years of promising gains. The L.A. City Council says no dice to Home Depot's......

Monday Jonathan Lethem discusses You Don’t Love Me Yet 7pm @ Central Library (one!) Susan Diamond signs What Goes Around 7pm @ Dutton’s Tuesday Joe Boyd presents White Bicycles: Making Music in the 60s 7pm @ Book Soup Jonathan Lethem presents You Don’t Love Me Yet 7pm @ Vroman’s (two!) Dani Shapiro signs Black & White 7pm @ Dutton’s Etgar Keret reads The Nimrod Flipout 7:30pm @ Skirball Cultural Center Wednesday Natsuo Kirino presents......

About once a month here in LA there will be a night of rock that is perfect. A night where you really should do yourself a favor and take advantage of the overflowing monkey cup of killer tunes happening in our own backyard. A night so filled with great music that if you don't go outside and listen to the music you should really ask yourself why you a) read this blog b) have......

The past is always present for Janet Klein. A devotee of early 20th century popular culture, Janet sings old hits on her ukulele and performs with her band "Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys." Last year, they hosted a weekly show called "Janet Klein & Her Borscht Belt Babies," directed by Amit Itelmann, at the Steve Allen Theater. The show recreated a vaudeville show, featuring a variety of performances involving animal acts, speakers, singers and......

First off she looks damn good for 68. Say what you will about her politics, I know people half her age that don't look as good as our congresswoman from the 35th in South Central. Like Nelly, Maxine was born in St. Louis but eventually made her way to LA in time to graduate from Cal State LA even before it was called Cal State LA. Back then it was Los Angeles State College,......

For the third time, the Stars will shine in Los Angeles. The four-year old version of the new ABA announced the third incarnation of the Los Angeles Stars will begin play this November at either UCLA, Loyola Marymount, or Cal State LA. Carl Harris, a music industry executive, is in charge of the franchise and hopes to create rap/hip-hop/R&B entertainment environment around the team's games. The Stars have already written an open letter to Jack......