Denis Johnson, author of several books including Jesus' Son and the National Book Award-Winning Tree of Smoke, has the first of a four-part serial installment in Playboy's July issue. Playboy is playing it oh-so-smart and isn't providing the highly-anticipated Nobody Move work of fiction online. What's a Johnson fan to do? You can pony up and buy Playboy, or you can head on over to Jacket Copy, the lit blog at the LA Times, to......

Photo by Peggy Archer via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr 60-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura "was arrested Friday while visiting Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth territory in the Pacific" for the murder of his wife, which took place in Los Angeles in 1981. Miura is awaiting extradition. The LA Times takes a look at two major Downtown projects that remain delayed, Park Fifth and Grand Avenue. Financing woes and pushed back start dates have led......

It was a great year of new books, re-discovered books, and books we meant to get to last year but didn't. The end of the year is nearly here and before we look forward, we'll take a look back. LAist Editors share their favorite book they read this year: Who: Zach Behrens, Editor What: The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris Why: Inspiring words on how to improve workflow, automate tasks, and get more......

This week Zach Behrens became the sixth editor of LAist. Behrens is no stranger to LAist staff or readers -- he was Co-Editor for nearly a year before taking the reins from Tony Pierce and contributed more than 1100 posts since 2005. We asked Zach a variety of questions to put in perspective how and why he came to be editor of the best city blog this side of the Hudson. Andy: When and why......

Don't forget to enter our Arcade Fire ticket giveaway contest for their Thursday appearance at the Hollywood Bowl. Lobster Festival in San Pedro continues through tomorrow, as well as WIRED Magazine's NextFest at the convention center. Immigrant experience, community and the "delirious noble dream." LAist Editor-At-Large Carolyn Kellogg reviews 'The Last Chicken in America: A Novel in Stories' by Ellen Litman for the LA Times. Long Beach is the first to begin mandatory water......

LAT tells us what L.A.'s top 25 "culinary bargains" are (find more Foodie news from today here). Did you know that a Louis Vuitton store also qualified as a public art gallery? Sex, scandal and assault at the Playboy Mansion: oh my! The Walk of Fame's stars have been temporarily "displaced" to make way for the construction of the new W Hotel. City Beat pleads L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's case. A woman in......

Looks like a visit to the Pyrenees may be ahead for the jurors in the Spector trial -- Phil Spector's Pyrenees Castle, that is. The defense wants all 12 jurors (and 6 alternates) to come and see the room where Lana Clarkson died. But getting them there is complicated -- the judge will also come along, and the court reporter, and sheriffs deputies, not to mention the lawyers for both sides. If all the......

While SFist cringed at the fatal dose of crime littering the Bay Area, it found solace in Hillary Clinton's San Francisco campaign headquarters opening, which featured loads of exposed mammary glands. In other news, SF Taxi Commission ruled that Satan's cab must keep its (in)famous medallion number, 666; and in an un-fashion-forward frenzy, San Francisco Fashion Week (chortle) bars bloggers from covering and getting smashed at their shows and parties, respectively. Also, they found a......

Good taste in architecture: rumors fly (here and here) that he's bought the penthouse of the gorgeous bluegreen Eastern Columbia Building in downtown. The Eastern Columbia building is in the national register of historic places and is an LA Cultural-Historical landmark (#294, to be precise). It is coated in turquoise terra cotta from the ground level to the top of its 13th floor. The building will celebrate its 77th birthday on September 12. Johnny......

Actors want to be rock stars. Rock stars want to be actors. But when comedians decide to record pop dance hits -- well, that's a party all the time. Guest Day Editor Carolyn Kellogg joins LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read the introductory interview and check out her litblog.......

This week the prosecution rested its case against Phil Spector, who is accused of murdering Lana Clarkson on February 3, 2003 with a tidy shot to the head. And I do mean tidy: the "spatter" on Spector's jacket, which has been the focus of much testimony this week, consists of tiny spots, most smaller than a dime, many far littler. The defense spent the week putting forensics experts on the stand to contradict the......

This photo is of 6th Street in downtown LA, looking east, between Hope and Grand. The Hotel Savoy on the left later became the Crocker National Bank Tower (how it looked in 1969 or so, when it was the tallest building in LA). The building is still there, and -- no surprise -- it's slated to go condo. LA so relentlessly tears down its buildings that I'm always hoping to find a way to......

Of course Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite-Burke lives in her district. Or maybe not. (Los Angeles Times) Nicole Richie appears at the Glendale courthouse, reporter gets elbowed in the head (East of the 5/Daily News). As for Nicole, she gets 4 days in jail. (KCAL) Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out, Paris. The Hilton heiress' Hollywood home is for sale. (Curbed LA) How much do you love your botox?......

Guest Day Editor Carolyn Kellogg joins LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read the introductory interview and check out the her litblog. James Ellroy -- the man who brough noir up to date at the end of the 20th century with his books The Black Dahlia, LA Confidential, White Jazz and more -- is back. He left California for parts midwest (why do people do that?) but has finally come to his senses......

Hot Hot Heat have been added to the Sunset Junction bill. I know you know Sunset Junction, the festival spread along Silverlake's streets in late August. It's sweltering, and us indie rock fans could never quite understand how old-skool Silverlake gay men could promenade in their leathers all day long. The days of gay old Silverlake are mostly gone now; heck, the 4100 Club took over Detour years ago. Anyway, I reminisce: no matter......

Guest Day Editor Carolyn Kellogg joins LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read the introductory interview and check out the her litblog. One man decided to stash a couple of the South Asian monkeys in his underwear to get them into the US. This week, National Geographic looks at animal smuggling schemes caught at LAX. Authorities there have found the exotic -- rare butterflies, leopards and more. But they also catch the......

Guest Day Editor Carolyn Kellogg joins LAist with a few posts throughout the day. Read the introductory interview and check out the her litblog. Happy 35th birthday to the guy who directed the scary as fuck original Grudge movies, Takashi Shimizu, and the funny as all get-out Maya Rudolph of Saturday Night Live. Country musician Bobbie Gentry celebrates her birthday today, as do musicians Juliana Hatfield and Pete Yorn. It's Yahoo Serious' birthday, too. Don't......

LAist Editor Tony Pierce has blogged here non-stop for more than a year deserving a well-earned vacation (and did he ever earn it). While out of town, we decided to have a little fun and bring some guest day editors in from around the blogLAsphere. Monday we had Green LA Girl and Tuesday saw Fred Camino of MetroRiderLA.Zuma Dogg took Wednesday and LA City Nerd yesterday. Today, former LAist Editor Carolyn Kellogg makes a comeback!......

interview by Carolyn Kellogg A year ago Tony Pierce took over the reigns of LAist, and I have to say he's done wonders with the place. It's bigger and shinier and got a gorgeous crowd standing out front (that's you). Will he tell us what it's like behind the LAist editor's curtain? Can we ever really know the man, the blogger, Tony Pierce? Carolyn Kellogg: Where'd you grow up, Tony? I was born in......

by special guest reviewer, Carolyn Kellogg Watching the second season of 90210 is Euphoria. Make that Ecstacy. Make that U4EA. Aw, heck, put that DVD in and let's go. When it comes to TV series about bratty So Cal high schoolers, 90210 is OG to The OC. Season one started with a classic hook: normal teen bro-and-sis from Minnesota find themselves attending Beverly Hills High when Dad gets a new job. Realism it wasn't......

Carolyn Kellogg, previous editor of LAist, heads up Metroblogging Pittsburgh while she works on her MFA 19,215 dogs and cats were euthanized last year by the Department of Animal Services. It was a drop from the previous year, but General Manager Ed Boks is dreaming of a no-kill city Purple Line, Purple Line, Purple Line! Until the Purple Line takes us from 3rd St. Promenade to LACMA in 14 whole minutes, maybe this site will......

Before the current tyrannical rule of Tony Pierce, Carolyn Kellogg was the editor of LAist, in a time many yearn for. But she decamped for the University of Pittsburgh, where she's getting an MFA in creative writing. In between bouts of homesickness, she blogs about books and podcasts interviews with writers who rock at pinkyspaperhaus.com. Top 10 LA Things You Don't Realize You'll Miss, Until It's Too Late 10. Beaches. I hardly went to......

We're flashing a sad peace out to their editor Carolyn Kellogg with one hand and bumping knuckles with our new head typist L.A. blogger king Tony Pierce with the other. Where do ist editors go when they hang up the 'editorial we'? They take on MySpace, apparently. At least Ben Brown does. Austinist reminds of the just rewards of less savory careers this week and then they witness the Arctic Monkeys and We Are Scientists......

In the wake of the announcement that our own near and dear editor, Carolyn Kellogg will be leaving us at LAist to go on and pursue her MFA at Pitt, also comes news that Claude Brodesser, editor of Fishbowl LA, is leaving his post as well to write for Time Warner and Telepictures' newest venture, TMZ.com, as their industry columnist. TMZ.com has been getting a lot of press lately for their video of a......

There's a literary "voice" and a spoken voice, and if you were listening to the National Public Radio show "Marketplace Money" today around 2:30 on KPCC, you might have recognized both "voices" in one piece as belonging to LAist's own Carolyn Kellogg. She didn't mention it here herself, but Carolyn wrote, produced, and narrated a piece on whether people actually use algebra once they are grown up. If you missed it, or want to......

Phillyist notes a fistfight between local pols that leaves one man down for the count. Jehovah's Witnesses get a Philly contributor out of bed, things get a little geeky with a film festival and geeky gets taken to a whole new galaxy when they talk with the Dragon Queen of the Dark Kingdom. Shanghaist gets all excited this week over a new nightclub in the city unfortunately named "Snatch" and Mike Tyson is scheduled to......

Our very own Carolyn Kellogg warned us back in December to be careful with candles, and it seems like no one listened to her. KCAL 9 aired a very important and groundbreaking story yesterday echoing her sentiments, warning us that candles can and have caused several fires so far this year. Apparently, things that TOUCH the FLAME in the CANDLE might ALSO catch on FIRE. Why has it taken so long for this news......

Carolyn Kellogg has been the editor of LAist for just about a month. She's been writing for the site for much longer than that. At the same time, she hosts Pinky's Paperhaus but we'll get into that later. She explains her professional past as a "former music journalist turned web producer". We'd describe her as energetic, intelligent, invested, excited and colorful. And that's just her hair (rimshot). Thank you, please tip your wait staff.......

First an announcement: this is my last post as lead editor of LAist. I've got a new job that is taking much of my time. I love laist, though, so I'm staying on as "editor-at-large" which mostly means I get to post when I feel like it and bug everybody around here with my opinion on everything. Thanks for putting up with me on a daily basis for the last 10 months. Carolyn Kellogg......

Jim Ruland is a writer who has had a strong impact on the LA literary scene. He hosts a series of literary readings called "Vermin on the Mount" in Chinatown and supports many writers and lit magazines. Jim also nurtures the talents of students who take his composition classes at Santa Monica Community College. A devout punk rocker, his work has appeared in the late, great punk magazine, "Flipside," and Razorcake magazine. Jim served......