Results tagged “christmas”

Talk about disturbing: "Broadcrest Foothill Apartment Homes claims Alicia Ortiz broke her lease on an Upland apartment when she and her 17-year-old son were killed by her sister's disgruntled ex-husband. The landlord informed her former husband, Carlos Ortiz, that she gave 'insufficient notice to vacate.' The company says it is owed $2,821 in rent and penalties," reports the Associated Press today. And it's not just some oversight or a situation where they didn't know what happened, finds the Daily News. Worst of all, the property manager and the company won't even comment.

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo killed nine people, and then himself, on Christmas Eve. Dressed in a Santa Suit, the distraught man entered the Covina home of his ex-wife's family and went on a shooting rampage, then torched the home. Following what has become known as the "Santa Massacre" Pardo went to his brother's home and committed suicide.

December's Skid Row Neighborhood Watch Walk was lightly attended, likely due to the tree lighting events happening at LA Live. As always, the walk went on, and as always, the walk was unlike any prior walks. While feelings of sadness, confusion and hopelessness had ensued after previous walks, this one offered a new, fresh and somewhat hopeful perspective. One of the most intriguing aspects of the walk is having the chance to meet, talk to and walk with the individuals that have a true passion and dedication to Skid Row and those who make up the community.

Earlier suspicions that a ninth body could be inside the scene of a mass murder in Covina has been confirmed, the Chicago Tribune confirms. A man dressed as Santa Claus walked into his ex-in-laws home on Christmas Eve and began shooting before lighting the place on fire. He was later found dead after he apparently committed suicide at his brother's home in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles. UPDATE: Now the coroner's office is saying they will not confirm the ninth body. A 2 p.m. press conference is expected to update the press on what's going on.

Sad. Clad in a Santa Suit on Christmas Eve, Bruce Jeffrey Pardo arrived at his ex-wife parent's Covina home and shot and killed at least eight people. Here's how it played out, as described by the LA Times:

Honestly, at 31 years of age, I'm not afraid of too many things. Those that struck fear in my heart as a child - heights, for instance - have been supplanted by the wondrous world of science. If I'm on the balcony of a holiday party located on the 10th floor and g = 10m/s2, ignoring air resistance, when I fall off because I'm on my third vodka soda (extra lime) and am taking that bet that I can't do a handstand on the edge, then...carry the 2...I'll hit the ground and be dead and likely not feel it. No sense in worrying about heights.

       

Here at LAist, we all hope you are enjoying your holiday season! Just for fun, here's a throwback to a fews weeks ago when SantaCon took over the streets, previously covered here and here. Cheers!

The holiday season is a time for reflection. We’ve all been fortunate enough to make it through another year relatively unscathed; sometimes we stick out our hands to help those around us, and sometimes the hands reach out for us, but any way you look at it, there’s a lot that we’ve all done for each other, and ourselves. so when you finally sit down to relax this season, really try to reflect.

Three people are dead and three are injured after a Christmas Eve party in suburban Covina ended in gun shots and a house fire. The "person of interest," 45-year-old Bruce Jeffery Pardo (pictured), apparently arrived at the party in a santa suit and left the house in street clothes. He was reported to be having some marital problems and is considered armed and dangerous, according to CNN. UPDATE: The suspect, Pardo, was found dead at his brother's Sylmar home after reportedly killing himself.

It's Christmas and hey, not everything is closed. So here are some options of what you can do today...

A couple in their twenties who placed a candle under their Christmas Tree are probably feeling grateful they survived the fire they started around 9:45 p.m. tonight. Luckily, the newish two-story apartment building at 19039 Nordhoff Street in Northridge had a sprinkler system that extinguished the blaze before fire trucks arrived (sidenote: whatever happened to Season 2 American Inventor winner and Ventura County Firefighter Greg Chavez' Guardian Angel for situations just like this?). The fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage--about half to the structure and half to personal items. No one was hurt, a good thing, especially for a holiday night like this. The last time someone died in Los Angeles due to a Christmas Tree fire was in 2006.

For those in recovery, the holidays can represent the most trying time of the year. Good thing Los Angeles is plenty strong on recovery. All sorts of help can be found, including many 12-step meetings from all sorts of 12-step programs. Perhaps there's something to it. Happy Holidays!

It’s a quiet night around town tonight, but here are a few options if you feel like venturing out:

           

In Culver City, Royal/T celebrates Christmas pop culture style. When we heard they had on display a one of a kind custom Tokidoki Christmas tree, we knew we needed to see it for ourselves and have lunch in their "Maid Cafe".

              

When it comes to Skid Row's largest Christmas toy party, some wait over ten hours in line; some wait over night. Fred Jordan Missions' 65th annual Family Christmas Celebration was last Sunday and it brought out the masses, with smiles in tow.

'Tis the season, fellow Americans, to make sweet, sweet love. According to McClatchy, more people are doing the horizontal mambo around the holidays than at any other time of the year. More condoms are sold, and on the flip side, more babies are made. But don't worry about sin or anything. If this is your idea of a Christmas-y good time, you're in good company: "according to Gabriele Doblhammer of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany. Heavy Christmas-New Year's sex 'is characteristic of all Christian cultures in which it has been evaluated.'"

When times are tough, can Santa and Bleebo save Christmas? Watch Jessica Biel and David Koechner try.

Looking for a little holiday cheer in the frantic last days of frenzied mall crowds, last-minute shopping and party hopping? Well, today is your lucky day. Christmas in a cocktail glass at the following bars and even a little recipe to try at your holiday party!

      

This weekend, some neighbors in Beverly Hills called in the cops and broke out the video camera to tell the tale of the thieves who helped themselves to items from their outdoor Christmas displays. Expressing dismay at the theft of things from $1000-elves, the Baby Jesus in his humble manger, and a wreath, the real 90210-ers were horrified that they would now have to chain down their lit-up snowmen and reindeer, and hoped that the public knew about their plight. LAist photographer Tom Andrews took a trip to the home of Peter and Shera Falk, whose pricey decorations were swiped. Is their holiday display less than it could--and should--be?

          

It's hard to believe the DWP Griffith Park Light Festival is now in its 13th year. Driving the mile long route can take upwards of an hour, but for those of you who own coats, LAist recommends parking by the zoo and walking the path. (We wont tell on you if you bring a flask.)

On December 22nd, 1808, Beethoven held a concert in Vienna, premiering three works. You might have heard of all of them; the concert featured the Fifth and Sixth symphonies, along with his Piano Concerto No. 4. To celebrate, here is the first movement of the fifth symphony, conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

PhiLAnthropist's last minute picks for gifts that give more...check out the first PhiLAnthropist Gift Guide for more ideas.

If the warm fuzzy feeling of buying a child in need a toy is not enough, some local bars are giving you more reasons to buy toys and donate canned goods this holiday season.

When police looked through the window of one Orange County man's home and found an abundance of Christmas spirit inside, they knew they had a suspect for all the missing decorations from around the neighborhood. "Westminster police said Monday that officers responded to a disturbance call at the house of 48-year-old Vuong Pham, where they found rooms overflowing with wicker reindeer, plastic snowmen and inflatable Santas," reported the Associated Press. "For weeks people in Pham's neighborhood had reported a steady disappearance of lights, figures and faux trees from their front yards." It took three truckloads to empty the home.

This EXTENSIVE gift guide is not a reflection of any particular taste or preference; it is a gift guide for classical music lovers/enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes. Like always, it is recommended to support your local establishments and artists, especially in a city like Los Angeles that is rich in talent and culture. If you're looking to buy tickets as a gift, it is recommended to buy tickets for two people, because no one likes going to a concert alone. It's the perfect gift for a date! The LA Phil offers subscriptions to a series of concerts, and we also recommend tickets to go see Salonen before he's gone or for Dudamel to see what all the craze is about. The Ring Cycle is coming to town, and the LA Opera is putting on productions of Das Rheingold and Die Walkure that look to be very promising. These tickets can get pretty expensive if you go see all four, but up to half the subscription cost is tax deductible. Subscriptions to the Ring Cycle to see all four range from $100-$2,200, so choose the tickets according to how much you like that person. Don't forget LACO, the Cal Phil, Musica Angelica, or other fine orchestras featured on our website weekly. There are also world-class events at the Hollywood Bowl, Royce Hall, and Zipper Hall that you can purchase tickets for.

With Christmas rapidly approaching, we are taking this opportunity to inform you about ALL of the upcoming holiday concerts. Although you'll be hard-pressed to find any high quality freebies these days, you can always count on some free concerts to keep your family/date entertained for a few hours. All the free concerts are listed in bold. We will list them in chronological order, after a few updates. If there is an event you feel is missing, please feel free to add them in the comments section.

So much of this holiday season is about giving ‘gifts’. It’s all so commercialized, bro. You’ve got gifts for kids, gifts for drinkers. You’ve even got gift ideas for people who sure as hell can’t afford to buy you a gift in return. Thanks but no thanks, douchetards. This year, it’s all about getting people shit they don’t need. And probably don’t even want. For stocking stuffers, I’m just getting everyone a picture of my wiener inside the stocking they’re holding on to. That’ll teach you to trust a twentysomething with limited income and anger management issues. Bro.

        

Once again, mysterious elves have taken it upon themselves to decorate the tree sculpture at one Gold Metro stop. Under cover of darkness, they work every December to bring a little holiday cheer to Metro riders. No tape or other permanent adhesives are ever used. They only use string and ribbon that does not harm the tree. After the holidays, the same elves sneak back and quietly take down the decorations like the good citizens they are. Three cheers for the holiday elves and let's hope they inspire a little more outsider guerilla decorating!

              

SantaCon happens once a year in cities all around the world with Santas coming out in all manner of Santa Claus dress and celebrating the holidays in their own way...usually with a crazy-long barhop. This year's L.A. SantaCon kicked off on Saturday at Echo Park. It started at 1pm and promised to run through 2am. The Santas were going to tie one on in a major way: 11 hours of drinking and many stops. Since I'm a wussy Santa, I only stayed through the first two stops. Hey, the sleighs got a late start and I had places to be.

              

What's red and white and drunk all over (town)? Well, today, that would be Santacon.