Approximately 5,000 people came to the Gibson in Universal City and paid between $25-$250 to hear presidential hopeful (and TRAILS the California frontrunner, if you believe recent polls) Barack Obama explain why he's in the race. His speech brought tears from women, commanded several standing ovations, and even made this little kid near us shut his trap for 45 minutes. Bon Jovi wannabe's The Goo Goo Dolls played, James Brown wannabe Ne-Yo performed, and......

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is scheduled to make a stop in Los Angeles Monday at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City Walk. From his campaign: Barack Obama in Los Angeles Monday, December 10th Doors open 6:00 p.m. With performances by Ne-Yo and The Goo Goo Dolls Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City Walk 100 Universal City Plaza Universal City, CA 91608 For security reasons, do not bring bags. No signs or banners permitted. Purchase......

HIM - "Passion's Killing Floor" Lydia Lunch @ Largo HIM, Bleeding Through @ Orpheum The Roots, Erykah Badu, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Cory Chisel @ The Wiltern Film School, Division Day, Eulogies @ Echoplex Annuals, Manchester Orchestra @ Troubadour Jeff Buckley Tribute @ Key Club The Goo Goo Dolls @ Best Buy - West LA Monsters Are Waiting, Sabertooth Tiger, So So So, Aztlan Underground @ The Scene......

Common - "The People" "The People" was one of our most-played summer jamz. It was on Kanye's "Can't Tell Me Nothin" sampler because Kanye produced it and listen to how sweet it is. It's the sort of non-thug, uplifting, positive hip-hop that people once talked about, but now people are buying. This is the direction BEP could have gone if they hadn't chosen the path of the lowest common denominator aka the Gwen Stefani......

A Word or 68: At long last, The Sopranos takes its long walk off a short pier, "leave the gun, bring the cannoli" a famous gangster once said. The somewhat heavily promoted (color double spread NY Times) John From Cincinatti follows. Nicole Richie continues to make her last ditch appeals for favorable public opinion before she appears before a judge in the next month or so - watch the rich girl squirm. Tonight -......

If you're a dude you wanna hate Evan Dando for his flowing long locks and his runway model looks and his lack of irony of wearing an old school Lou Reed tshirt and Vans. But then he plugs in that SG and does his little stoney version of shredding and you sip your beer and chill the hell out. The Lemonheads are the Goo Goo Dolls without any aspiration. They're the sober man's Replacements.......

John Amato, once known as the sax-man for the likes of Duran Duran, Goo Goo Dolls, and Ringo Starr, is recognized today as the man behind one of the most popular blogs on Earth, Crooks and Liars. We stole the LA resident and LAist reader for a couple minutes before he sat on a panel at the Knight New Media Center's Covering Politics in Cyberspace seminar. Click here to subscribe to the LAist podcast and......

Richie Hass Benefit featuring: Potion Box, Present Tense, The Freda Rente Band, The Adz, Backbiter, The Amadans, The Richie Hass Band, Vinnie Golia, The BellRays, Mike Watt & the Missingmen, The Marc Mylar Mob, Joe Baiza's Congress, Saccharine Trust, Carey Fosse, The Atomic Sherpas, Fatso Jetson @ Safari Sams 4pm-midnight TV on the Radio @ Henry Fonda Theater Sweet Honey in the Rock @ Royce Hall Fishbone @ Malibu Inn Goo Goo Dolls @......

Nothing says I love you, quite like poor compression. Here to express how I feel about this week’s On The Charts, using only this week’s Billboard No.1s, is a video diary of my deepest sentiments. Well, really it’s only one video. And really it's only one sentiment -- Go Slash Go. In honor of Guns N' Roses' number one grab in the Pop Catalog category, and the impending floodish weather forecast for the Los......

Tonight - Thursday Kings @ Sharks (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) "Survivor: Cook Islands" (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) The scheming gets more intense, it's all in your head. "The Office" (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) Christmas party double episode! "The OC" (Fox, 9:00 p.m.) For those that can stomach its Chrismukkah episode. "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central, 11:00 p.m.) Rajiv "Say it 10x Fast" Chandrasekaran of the Washington Post "The Colber(t) Repor(t)" (Comedy Central, 11:30......

Avril Lavigne and Deryck Whibley were married today in Montecito. The diminutive Canadian couple claimed it's still too damn hot to get hitched in Great White North. kidding. People magazine is reporting that the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" will be the pair's first song, which makes only proves that the Lavigne/ Whibley spawn will not save rock. Unrelated - Britney Spears Caught Not Driving Illegally Nor Nearly Killing Her Baby - X17 Not sure......