I'm still waiting for all your hot happy hour tips, Los Angeles! We'll be posting happy hour listings at least a few times weekly in 2008; send your secret spots and recommendations my way at carrie@laist.com. more ›

Winter really gets me down. It's cold, it's rainy, everybody's on vacation except for me. Worst of all, when I get off work every evening, it's already dark outside. Can we say SADS? So how best to beat the winter blues? Why, BOOZE, of course, the cheaper the better, and there are a ton of happy hours and special events taking place across the city that will lighten your holiday-heavy heart without lightening your wallet. more ›

LAist has been sending undercover reporters to UCLA's undie run for the past few quarters and trust us, there's no better place to be embedded than in a throng of thongs. Try as they might to duplicate our coverage (we're looking at you, KTLA ... and the creepy dude with a camera lens that was a lil' too long, if you know what we mean), nobody can uncover a story like we can. Thanks... more ›

I watched Saving Grace last night because there was nothing else on and I was sorry I did it. Holly Hunter I love you but there should be a better show than this for you - it's morphed into Touched By An Angel with touches of profanity. It looks like there's a lot of stuff tonight (below) but it's actually pretty sparse. I'll have some DVD reviews up soon since that's what I'm really watching,... more ›

I was a bit skeptical at first, I knew nothing about chiropractics. But I kept having this pain in my neck that no amount of massage or yoga could take away. I was at a loss and then I met Dr. Robin Hawkey who explained, for the first time in my life, what exactly chiropractics was without any strings attached at a dinner party we both attended. So I decided to try it. My... more ›

The holidays are a great time to sarge (pick up) women. Why now? Because shopping malls are FILLED to the brim with hot women doing their last minute shopping. Go to any major mall in the country and you'll have the chance to meet all the smokin' babes you could possibly want! Use any of these 4 basic approaches, adapted for the holiday shopping season, to meet the sexy girls of your dreams! more ›

Welcome to Hollywood Today, an LA City commission voted recommending that Charles Bukowski's former home to be designated a historic cultural monument. Yay books and reading! According to state representative Fabian Nunez, who represents the Downtown LA area, the biggest crisis we're facing today is foreclosures. ""It's a more immediate crisis," he told the AP. Meanwhile, protests are beginning to hit the streets over this. Drink up! It's the holidays! Caroline on Crack has... more ›

Just read that one of Sid Caesar's writers, Mel Tolkin, just passed away at age 94, godlove'im. Instead of running vintage Leno re-runs they should be running some of this classic comedy that actually had great writing from way back in the day. The kids might learn something. 8:00pm A Charlie Brown Christmas ABC - If only this didn't have commercials, hmm, but if it didn't have commercials the show would be about 11 minutes... more ›

Although most of us here at LAist are gourmet vegan chefs, a few of us (hi!) get our meals via drive-thru's not just daily, but several times a day. more ›

Earlier this week we had interviews with the Rev. Bob Levy, Miss Howard TV model Stephanie Petruso, and we touched base with Greg Fitzsimmons. Today we say Hey Now with Richard Christie's bff and emotional friend, Sal. Sal The Stockbroker is performing at the Avalon tonight in LA with the Killers of Comedy (Rev. Bob Levy, Jim Florentine, Richard Christy, Shuli, Yucko the Clown, Beetlejuice & The Iron Sheik). If you're a chick, leave... more ›

What can I say? We're huge fans of Aussie collective Architecture In Helsinki. Mr. Sternberg gave you 5 reasons to go see them back in June and for good reason. AIH's funk-infused, pop jams make you feel downright good. Their latest album Places Like This is an addictive romp that draws comparisons to Talking Heads and Muppets On Crack. I don't care what Pitchfork has to say. Their music is adorable and inspires lighthearted shimmying.... more ›

There's a lot of books out there claiming that they contain the secret to being funny, but only the authors of Comedy by the Numbers actually know how to crack a joke. LAist spoke with co-author Eric Hoffman about the how-to-guide to makem-laughs and crackem-ups, and even got him to reveal a few of the secrets just for you. But, be warned, Eric also reveals the means by which you'd know if you're currently funny or not, so you might find yourself making a shocking discovery. Don't worry, though, either way you'll be one step closer to being funnier than you've ever been by the time you finish this interview more ›

Saturday night's huge LACMA Halloween party sold out so quickly I had to buy my tickets on Ebay. Even then, 40 bucks a ticket for an entire night of drinking, hors d' ouvres, DJs, and entry into the Dali exhibition sounded too good to be true. It was definitely clear where corners were cut to make the event affordable. But I don't know anywhere you will find more creative costumes. Even WeHo has some... more ›

Would you pay $85 for truffle mac n' cheese? Or would you rather enjoy the cheaper, classic versions at Larkin's or Lucky Devil's? The Glutton over at the LA Times samples the goods for you. What do we want? Conservation programs, access to healthy food, and promotion of renewable energy! When do we want it? Whenever the Senate gets around to voting on the Farm Bill. There's still time to make your voice heard.... more ›

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice and the press making the speaker of the California State Assembly, Fabian Núñez, run away when being asked hard questions about sketchy luxurious and worldly expenses. more ›

If you don't get yourself to a festival this weekend, we're really going to question your priorities in life. Andy Sternberg lists the highlights, while Caroline on Crack narrows in on the awesome food festivals also happening this weekend. We have spent the entire month eating our way through Thai Town. We're winding down our series with Thai Town Express, Sanamluang Cafe, Thailand Plaza, and Thaitown Noodle. New Zagats are out! New Zagats are... more ›

It seemed like a ridiculous challenge, and now it appears that all 50 Cent did by declaring that he would give up his solo career if his new record was outsold by Kanye West's new record was help Kanye's record. Both discs dropped on Tuesday and 50 looks like he might be the one having to drop out - if the former crack dealer is good with his promise. Billboard is reporting that first-day... more ›

I should have known that nearly a month without a night on the town was enough to render me out of the loop. Unfortunately, that possibility didn't occur to me until I was already cruising down Hollywood Blvd. at 10:30pm on Friday. I was headed towards Star Shoes with my boyfriend's 21-year-old sister in tow, ready for a wild L.A. night before she went back to Tennessee. Absent-mindedly wondering if I could find a... more ›

I am not a fan of Britney Spears, but I do have respect for her. No really. I do. I think it was pretty damned smart of her to totally whore herself out to the entertainment industry like there was no tomorrow, make loads of money, and then happily retire after a few short years of work. The Britney business model let her quit working while she was still young so she could have... more ›

I have just spent the last two weeks researching and cataloging every single Thai restaurant in Thai Town. I have driven up and down Hollywood Boulevard more times than a horny john. I have eaten every kind of Thai food. I have eaten boar, crunchy frog, durian, horrible purple salted crab and some things I cannot even pronounce. So this morning I finished my last graveyard shift for the weekend, and with some relief, I realized I didn't have to go back to Thai Town for the the rest of the week. I am going to take a Thai hiatus and let the other posters rock the curries. I pulled into the 24-hour drug store on the way home for some trashy magazines and ice cream to enjoy on my little Thai-free vacation. I was so tired, I realized only at the very moment that I slammed the door that the keys were in the ignition. I never do that. Fuck. more ›

The fallout from Appalachian State’s upset over Michigan extended beyond Michigan falling out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The AP announced on Thursday that lower division schools are now eligible to be included in the poll. It’s great that the Championship Subdivision (aka Division I-AA) has a chance of being ranked alongside the big boys. While I highly doubt that a team even as accomplished as Appalachian State will crack the Top... more ›

Fueled in part by the injustice described in this post, the Midnight Ridazz will get their protest on this morning at the crack of 7 in the morning. We meet at Vermont/Santa Monica Red Line Station at 7 am and ride at 7:30 am Two weeks ago a cyclist was assaulted by a motorist and then ticketed by a Beverly Hills cop. We think cyclists deserve better! Join us as we encourage Beverly Hills... more ›

By the time I got to Gorky's Russian Cafe, its communist-leaning founder had sold out to a south bay capitalist named Fred. He hired me as a server, promoted me to cashier, then made me manager -- of the 1am-9am shift. From 2-6, I was the only staffer there at the corner of 8th and San Julian downtown. People would come in after Jac Zinder's dance club, or a show at LACE, arty people... more ›

We bought an 8th of this stuff from the living room of a shirtless guy with a goatee. It's a popular and familiar strain known as Green Crack and also sold on the market as Mango. People sometimes nickname it "Gee-Cee" for the initials. more ›

Stop the presses. The horror story unraveling in central Utah just lost the plot. Tragically. The doomed efforts to assess the fate of six miners missing after a cave-in was the daily go-to lead for news outlets of all media for nearly two weeks. The "race to save trapped Utah miners" [LA Times, August 9] never quite seemed real -- a human interest spectacle rivaling that of serial programs such as "Lost" -- with... more ›

Not letting the bedbugs bite is getting harder than ever these days. Deeming it "troubling" and "unacceptable," Mayor Tony is urging federal officials to take steps to prevent a repeat of this weekend's Customs and Border Protection computer glitch that stranded some 20,000 travelers. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag warning - signifying a higher risk of wildfires - for the L.A. County mountains that will remain in effect until Wednesday... more ›

Photo via Palmpictures.com more ›

If your not ready for the races mentioned in our Alt Races Guide, then maybe you are up to a race of a different breed: Nike's 5-mile Run Hit Remix: The PowerSong Edition featuring live performances along the route by Naughty by Nature, Sir Mix-A-Lot, The Sugarhill Gang, Dawn Robinson of En Vogue, and a finish line concert by MC Hammer on September 15th at 9 a.m. (you might also spot Caroline on Crack... more ›

Photo by MAXIMUMSHOTS via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr more ›

I received an e-mail today from Netflix. Usually I delete those messages right away, assuming they're advertising something or encouraging me to sell Netflix to my friends. But the subject line on this one caught my eye: "We're lowering the price of your Netflix plan!" more ›