Sure, you could always stay in and watch reruns of [insert name of your favorite show here], but why bother when you have these things happening tonight to get you through hump day. WORDS The West LA Chapter of the Sierra Club hosts a lecture by UCLA Professor David Haake who’ll focus on the question, “Do green choices make financial sense?” The evening will also offer steps on how you can reduce your carbon......

So maybe you holed up inside last night with a hot toddy and are thinking, "rain be damned! I'm going out tonight!" Okay, fine. If you make it out earlier, you can celebrate the Japanese New Year, or you can lay low until the evening hours and then get yourself so theatre. Or you could just stay home and keep drinking. We'll never tell... JAPANESE NEW YEAR/SAKE-TO ME There are multiple events going on today......

It’s the first day of work for many of us -- and it pretty much sucks. Thank God it’s a short week. If you haven't gotten enough going out for the New Year, here’s what's going on around town tonight: PARADE REMNANTS If you want to see the Rose Bowl floats before they go off to the big parade in the sky, you have until 4 pm today. Noon to 4 pm // Post......

Franklin Ave: photos of striking writers from Lost, Family Guy, Chuck and other shows LA Observed: Daily News gives cartoonist a blog FishbowlLA: Luke Ford is being asked to delete a blog post because it ranks high on Google. Why isn't Google being bothered? TMZ: Of the things the lawyers of Shaq's ex-wife wants the former Laker great to produce are "all reports, cancelled checks, or any other evidence of payments related to expenses......

Defamer: The Reno 911 men slipped on their shorts and offered their support to the striking writers today EatingLA: Everyone's favorite unbalanced chef Gordon Ramsay is going to have "a conversation" at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills on the 20th. Bite me. Sean Bonner: points us to a gift for the man or woman who has everything and would like less (and no it's not a Mike Huckabee mask, but close) Luke Ford:......

- Franklin Ave: Photo of Elaine from Seinfeld as she was out on the picket lines, her new show is one of a half dozen that had to stop production today - LA Observed: No LA blog has covered the SB News Press fiasco better than Mr. Roderick, which is tricky since the N-P's website is decidedly Web 1.0. Today we learn that another staffer had to be escorted from the premises. - Defamer:......

I have an occasional habit of going to get coffee with a friend on weeknights at the 101 Cafe (6145 Franklin Ave, right across from The Hollywood Tower). It's just so darn comfortable. And of course, it's open till around 3am, so it's a perfect Late Night Eats spot. Attached to a mighty fancier than normal, even kind of hip, Best Western hotel, the 101 Cafe has a true retro feel, complete with a......

- El irony: Mayor Tony cancels media appearance b/c media will ask him about the fact that he's been playing hide-the-taquito with... the media - Daily News - LA Times' advertising and cash flow sunk by 27% last quarter - Bloomberg - It really is a gorgeous building, Remembering Bullocks Wilshire - Franklin Ave. - Tijunga alleged burglar ends up in a standoff with cops in Glendale - Daily News - Pro-lifers are calling......

- Pinkberry is yogurt-ish enough. Rejoice! - eating LA - The boats at Echo Park Lake might be dunzo. Sigh. - blogging.la - The weather is perfect to start watching movies outside under the stars - Franklin Ave. - LA City Nerd stumped by a simple question? Impeach! - LA City Nerd - Saturday is Bootie LA's 2nd anniversary. Word! - Bootie LA - Paris Hilton has the penmanship of a 7th grader -......

Tobias Wacker has uploaded just one video on YouTube, but it's a dandy. Walking from One Wilshire to the Santa Monica Beach is 16 miles and Tobias took a picture every 10 steps. As you see he isn't afraid to cross Wishire now and then and he has a bit of fun by checking out cool things like tall buildings, the La Brea Tar Pits, and the dancing guy at Westside Rentals. Definitely something......

- Graduation was canceled today at UC Riverside when police found a firebomb - LA Times - Shots fired at the Roosevelt Hotel. Just don't hit Prince - TMZ - Woman killed last night during a police chase where she was driving the wrong way on the 5 - LAT - Some bastards have snuck Sicko onto the Interwebs - CBS - Michael Moore says he's "happy" about it - Brietbart - Peaceful protest......

• The Atwater Village Newbie's wife, Mrs. Newbie, wins the Atwater Village Street Fair cookie contest - AVN • Al Sharpton met with Sheriff Lee Baca today regarding Paris Hilton - Fox 11 • Former Fox 11 TV reporter / LAPD sergeant Rod Bernsen cleared of accusations that he touched two 12-year-old boys in a hot tub - LA Times • Deadly auto accident on the PCH near the Ventura County line claims one......

- Jimmy Kimmel's Jake Byrd, the fake fan who howls "nooooo" at the end of the announcement that Paris is going to go back to jail fools the AP - TV Tattle - Barry Manilow, Superior Court spokesman, separated at birth? - LA Observed - Local tv news websites overwhelmed with Paris coverage - Franklin Ave. - Famed forensic scientist Henry Lee accused of talking to the Chinese press as the Phil Spector trial,......

A mysterious package left in the street at 5700 Wilshire Boulevard has closed down 3 blocks of traffic on Wilshire around the La Brea Tar Pits. At this time, 2:16pm, the bomb scare squad is on their way, office buildings are not being evacuated yet, but certainly exercise caution both in entering the area and also while trying to manuever around traffic. It is unknown how long this will last, but certainly the longer......

Dear LAist, Did you see Entourage last night? When Drama drove to Variety to beat the ass of the TV critic Paul Schneider, was that really Michael Schneider who also is a critic at Variety, appears on E!, and runs the Franklin Avenue blog? Also, where can I get that AD/HD shirt? Nancy, North Hollywood Dear Nancy, We thought the same damn thing! However, if we had tuned into the Franklin Ave. blog on......

blogging.la wins for best fire coverage of yesterday's blaze - blogging.la Zuma Dogg wins for reporting that Doug McIntyre of 790 KABC asked him for a hemp tshirt on the air - Mayor Sam We all win when Franklin Avenue takes the Gold Line and shows us what they did and where they ate on their journey - Franklin Ave h/t MetroriderLA Losanjealous wins for the meanest haiku review of the Jill Cunniff show......

Oprah's favorite weight loss doctors, Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, would be proud of Los Angeles this weekend. In their most recent book, You: On A Diet, they say you should walk thirty minutes every day no matter what. "No excuses. It doesn't matter if you do this in one whole block or broken up into as many as three shorter sessions." Inspired by Franklin Ave's Wilshire Walk, Will Campbell from Metroblogging Los Angeles......

Last Saturday morning, the Board of Public Works invited all neighborhood councils to attend a meeting to kick start the go-happy 1950s Keep America Beautiful program. Los Angeles has been chosen as the kick off location for the national program, the Great American Clean Up, that takes place from March 1 through May 31. Along with a crowd of about 50 folks, bloggers/downtown neighborhood councilmen Eric Richardson from Blog Downtown and Brady Westwater of LA......

Our pallie Mike over at Franklin Avenue has discovered something that he likes but LAist doesn't -- new signs, new font, and a new way to write I's... with a dot on them. Whisky Tango Foxtrot! Why must people insist on changing things for no good reason? Anyway, if you head over to Franklin Avenue you will see a progression of various LA street signs, including the new design that LAist gives thumbs down......

-- A prank caller gets on Wolf Blitzer's CNN air and when the caller delivers the punchline, Wolf Blitzer suddenly becomes the least cool person on earth and instant old man when he declares "All right. Well, that sounds like we've just been Howard Sterned, as they say." - NY Post -- There are so few people who want to drive MTA busses for up to $20 an hour that the Mayor is proposing......

This round up is in honor of the Raiders, who are playing a pre-season game against the Minnesota Vikings tonight at 5pm on Monday Night Football on ESPN; the game marks Randy Moss's first return to the Twin Cities. LA Observed lets us know that the times they are a-changing. The L.A. Times will no longer provide the TV Times to Sunday subscribers unless they call and ask for it. The rise of TiVo......

Nestled just above Franklin Ave. is Hollywood’s not-so-best-kept secret: Runyon Canyon, the hiking trail to stars and regular folks alike. It’s perfect for the Hollywood hiker who doesn’t want to fight traffic to get to the Palisades. There are several entrances (on Fuller, Vista and Mulholland) (on Fuller, Vista and Mulholland) to the very dog-friendly, but not bike-friendly park and paths. Many of the trails lead to the summit, which on the clearest of......