Submitted and authored by Michael Zampelli The Los Angeles Derby Dolls hosted their own contribution to the Mayor's Day of Service with a banked-track skating demonstration for inner-city kids, seminars on self-improvement, a neighborhood clean-up, Thi Chi classes, Yoga, Self Defense instruction and even a hazardous materials disposal unit and oil recycling center. Mayor Villaraigosa and Los Angeles Laker Jordan Farmar along with other local celebrities arrived in the morning to address the crowd and......

The Mayor has been running these CommUNITY Days of Service since he got into office. Basically, a region is chosen and thousands of volunteers pour into that sector of the city to clean and beautify the neighborhoods. From tree plantings to picking up litter to free community workshops, there's lots going on. Tomorrow's area is in what the Mayor calls the "Heart of the City," aka Koreatown, Thai Town, Historic Filipinotown, MacArthur Park, Hollywood,......

After a full weekend of roller derby action, it was time for last night's championship game on Sunday between the LA Ri-ettes (LA Derby Dolls) and Team Awesome (an all-star team from all over the USA). The game came down to a chaotic ending with the enforcers deciding the outcome in a confusing mess. In the end, the LA Ri-ettes came away with the victory and the trophy. Michael Zampelli (aka rink_rat on Flickr) was......

This weekend marks the first ever inter-league meet-up of Derby Dolls here in LA, called Battle on the Bank and our own L.A. Derby Dolls are a big part of the fun and spectacle (last week we chatted with Micki Krimmel, aka Mickipedia, who is a "Baby Doll" on her way to joining the team). It's a banked track tournament featuring skaters from the L.A. Derby Dolls, Team Awesome, San Diego Derby Dolls, TXRD Lonestar......

This upcoming weekend is probably the biggest weekend the LA Derby Dolls have had so far. In a first tournament of its kind, the best skaters from Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County are having it out on a banked track. Not only will there be tons of games throughout Saturday and Sunday, there will be bands, food, beer and general awesomeness. What the Derby Dolls do is very special and unique to Los......

The Tough Cookies' Venus d'Maulr / All photos by Kelly C. Gallamore for LAist While much of LA stayed home watching movies Saturday night, the real action was in Historic Filipinotown, where a sold out crowd of 2,000+ ventured out into a meteorological maelstrom to watch the L.A. Derby Dolls season-opening bout. The Tough Cookies dominated each quarter to knock off the Fight Crew 35-28 in the new Doll Factory, a converted 30,000 sq.......

The BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team are taking part in the mischief of the Doo Dah Parade, as they did above in '05 Forget the pageantry and regal demeanor of the Rose Parade, the 31st Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade is the ultimate antidote. Billed as being the loud and irreverent twister sister of the aforementioned annual march down Colorado Boulevard, the parade promises to "send up a woolly range of mischiefs, grounded superheroes,......

There's still time to win Tori Amos tickets -- the concert ends tonight at midnight! To enter the contest, leave a comment telling us what your favorite Tori song is. Get over there and put the damage on! An update on the Sherman Oaks apartment fire that left one person dead: authorities have ID'd the victim as a 63-year-old man who died at the hospital after receiving second- and third-degree burns. There was another......

After a summer hiatus, the in-your-face punk rock action of the Derby Dolls are back. Tonight is a different brand of the Derby and of the Doll, as they will be playing at the Industry Hills Expo Center for a night of two games (including a mini-bout), bands and Hell's Belles Custom Classic Car Show. While the temporary one-time location is screwy for some, the advantage is the 2500 people the space can hold,......

We've been covering the Derby Dolls since the Winter and now we bring you the Angel City Derby Girls (ACDG). You won't see a Derby vs. Angel match because they are in two different leagues, respectively as banked track and flat track. And like Derby, Angel City is made up of local teams such as the Berzerkers and the Shore Shots who played head to head last night. Rules are also different with Angel......

With all that went down this week, we thought we thought we'd cheer everyone up by giving everyone a double dose of dogs. It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions this week at DCist. Like the rest of country, we were floored by the news of so many dead coming out of Virginia Tech, and with so many of the victims and their relatives from the D.C. area, we felt it important to pay......

Photo by Tom Rippe Tough Cookies 28, Fight Crew 23 In one of the most aggressive fall-done games, both teams stayed neck and neck throughout the first half. Then in the 3rd Quarter, Fight Crew slipped (and fell) and let their score fall 5 points behind the Tough Cookies. In the 4th quarter with less than 4 minutes to go, Fight Crew started to close the gap at 2 points behind. Tough Cookies resisted......

By week's end, Los Angeles is regularly littered with a handful of free rags. Combined, these publications put the Tribune Company's Spring Street operation to shame as far as reporting on the dozens of municipalities that make up this metropolis of more than 12 million people. LAist reads the weeklies so you don't have to. If there's anything we missed, pretty please let us know, or better yet, drop it in the comments section......

By the end of the first quarter on last Saturday night's game, it looked like it was over: the Tough Cookies already have won. In the first jam of nine, 5-points were scored off the bat; then another 2 in the second jam. Finally the Sirens caught on and started using their moves, but still not as tough as any cop should (think police sirens in their team name). The first quarter ended 5......

Photo of The Street Dogs by Nadia Kovacs at The Music Box on Feb. 22, 2007 Prepare for a weekend jam-packed full of punk rock awesomeness! Whether you're into boozin and bands or brawling and babes, we've gotcha covered! It's a Knitting Factory double feature this weekend: Friday, March 2nd 8pm- Main Stage: The Blasters Angel City Outcasts Mad Marge and the Stone Cutters Angel City Outcasts, recently returning form their European tour, team......

We'd like to start this week's run-down by wishing a very happy birthday to parent blog Gothamist, which turned four on Friday. If it wasn't for them, the rest of us wouldn't be here. They celebrated their birthday by nabbing an interview with Entourage star Adrian Grenier, who misses NYC public transportation when he's working in LA. They also reported on NYU students protesting a band whose name is also known as a slur,......

Before we get down and dirty with Saturday night's game, here is a little "audio postcard," if you will, that features some play by play action and Scientology bashing by the game announcers: You know you're missing something when celebrities start coming to an event that a few years ago used to be held illegally in warehouses in Chinatown. Last Saturday's game brought out John C. Reilly (pictured left) and Patricia Arquette (interestingly enough,......

It's never too early to plan for the weekend... LA Derby Dolls: Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Little Tokyo It's almost sold out, if not already by the time we press publish. This sport is about as local and special to LA as you can get. Two teams in the country play roller derby on a banked tracked and we have it here. Support your local punk rock kittens because it is a blast. Saturday's......

Here are the ground rules: five players from each team enter the track -- four blockers and one jammer. The whistle blows and the group of blockers start skating. The second whistle lets the jammers begin their jam. The jammers must skate through the group of blockers, go all the way around the track and catch up to the group again. Now, for every opposing blocker they pass, a point is gained. It's those......

Anavan, Crooked Cowboy, Bob Bellerue, Bizzart @ Il Corral (fundraiser - go) Brian Wilson @ Long Beach Terrace Theater (final all Pet Sounds concert) Robbers on High Street, Lemon Sun, Mezzanine Owls @ The Echo (6pm) Of Montreal @ Avalon Cherryholmes @ Citrus College The Chieftains @ Cerritos Center The Briefs @ Alex's Bar (LA Derby Dolls afterparty) Shirley Caesar, Angie Stone, Kelly Price @ Galen Center RTX, The Binges, Year Long Disaster, HDR......

WEDNESDAY • The Scene hosts the 2nd Annual Vaudeville Burlesque & Variety Show, "The Hollywood Hootch," starring Mr. Charlie, Jessika Von Fuhr, The Martini Kings, Violet Valentine, Downtown Val Fernando of the Derby Dolls and singer comedienne Veronica Cyphree, with DJ Skot from 400 Blows. Cover is $8. • The New Beverly Cinema has a Fritz Lang double feature, screening Metropolis at 7:30 PM, followed by M at 9:50.......

This weekend, say hello, dolly! The Japanese American Museum wants families to check out the dolls in their collection and join them for a tea party from 10:30-11:00AM Saturday. Children are encouraged to bring a doll -- or action figure -- of their own for storytelling. Don't miss the "Hey Doll" show, a collaboration of 13 women artists that's been more than a year in the making. Each artist constructed a doll-like art object......

We're probably going to be spending most of our weekend in doors as this wacky weather has finally gotten the better of us and we're nursing a scratchy throat and a head cold but that doesn't mean you have to. Tonight, if you're brave enough for the rain, Headinghome Records is having a record release party for Hawkeye & Bal Cath's "El Disco Acido 2" EP. Several DJs will be on hand to spin......