For anyone who has ever suffered the typical traffic cluster of Highland Avenue in the heart of Hollywood, this short and serene video from the 1940s will probably seem sweet. more ›

The heavyweight Hollywood mogul and talent concentration of power was so tremendous last night that the earth gave way, and opened up, and nearly swallowed Tinseltown. Okay, we are totally kidding. There was, however, a sinkhole in Hollywood last night, caused by a water main that was first reported broken at around 9 p.m. last night, just minutes after the Academy Awards ended. more ›

Traffic has come to a halt around Wilshire and Highland as a protest about Arizona's immigration law, which goes into effect today, becomes more out of control. Initial reports indicated some 30 to 40 protestors were lying in the street, according to Weho Daily, which monitors police broadcasts, but a further report by the LA Times says about 200 people laid down in the street. 14 people who chained themselves on a downtown street were arrested in a similar type of protest in May. more ›

About 50 librarians and book supporters gathered on all four corners of a busy Hollywood intersection last Friday evening during rush hour, earning honks in support of saving L.A.'s dwindling library system. This year, it has already faced major cuts--for one, libraries are no longer open seven days a week--and now faces even heavier ones in Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's proposed budget, which will take affect July 1st when libraries could go from six to five days of open doors. more ›

Outside Mozza at Melrose and Highland, there are two fresh posters comparing Obama's inauguration as the 44th President to Sidney Poitier's portrayal of Dr. John Wade Prentice in the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In the classic movie, Prentice's Caucasian fiance introduces him to her family--who is expecting him to be white--for the first time at dinner. Could this be artist Robbie Conal's work or someone else? Posters are graffiti and graffiti is illegal, but it's nice when street art brings dialogue, or at the very least, an interesting perspective. more ›

There's a pretty scary and disappointing, but very thoroughly reported story posted today on LA Weekly by Randall Roberts. If all is true and the alleged video survives to make it to YouTube, the internet is going to go nuts on Hollywood Bowl's contract security firm, CSC. more ›

Only a few more years of this before the Oscars moves out of Hollywood and Cirque de Soleil moves into the Kodak Theatre for a permanent show in 2010. Luckily, six days until the big event and impacts particular to tonight are minimal. more ›

The 2007 Silverlake Film Festival heads into its second and final week. Highlights include… more ›

Grindhouse The week kicks off with a pair of rarely screened gems of black 1970s cinema, Brotherhood of Death about a group of black Vietnam vets who fight back against the Ku Klux Klan, and Johnny Tough, a coming-of-age movie about a troublesome teenager. That's followed by a dose of Italian horror, Autopsy and Eyeball. Then it's a trio of bizarre wonders: Coonskin, a Ralph Bakshi-directed animated blaxploitation spoof about a trio of animals (Philip... more ›

Curated by… Guy Maddin Bizarro Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin (Tales From The Gimli Hospital, Careful, The Saddest Music In The World) has been invited to curate a program of films culled from the extensive collection of the UCLA Film Archive. His choices include On Dangerous Ground, Make Way for Tomorrow, Ministry of Fear and a slew of his own short films, all of which will screen over the next couple of weeks. But tonight Maddin... more ›

What Oscar Says... Here are the street and sidewalk closures according to them: Friday, Sautrday, Sunday, Monday. City Streets (According to the City) The City of Los Angeles will strictly enforce the parking restrictions and will cite and/or impound vehicles parked on streets at times shown (complete list after the jump). Hollywood Boulevard has been closed between Highland Avenue and Orange Drive since Monday for the construction of press risers, fan bleachers, and pre-show... more ›

Why woo your sweetheart with such tediously traditional notions as flowers, teddy bears and edible panties when you could watch Matthew Barney and his inamorata Bjork going at each other with flensing knives on the deck of a Japanese whaling vessel in Drawing Restraint 9? And if that's not enough Barney for you, there's the making-of documentary Matthew Barney: No Restraint. His work has sometimes been described as a "hauntingly dreamlike fantasy and surrealist odyssey," but I think Vern of Aint It Cool has the best take on Matthew Barney. more ›

RSVP: Go to the Creative Screenwriting website and sign up to receive information about future events. You should then receive an email with further instructions about how to sign up for this event. more ›

Anne Smith is the owner of the New School of Cooking in Culver City (which just happens to be a favorite of this LAist), which offers classes for everyone, from beginning to advanced. An aficianado of all things culinary, Smith is also interested in promoting sustainable agriculture, supporting local farmers and reducing our carbon imprint. She recently launched a blog that companions the School's website, and she has also offered us her top ten thoughts... more ›

Jonathan Gold just might be both the first and last word on food in the city. His Counter Intelligence column is the centerpiece of his coverage of consumption in the Eat/Drink section of the LA Weekly; many of his findings are tidily compiled in a book of the same name that we urged you to buy earlier this month for the person on your list who's ready to take their dining out to the next level. His quest for the exotic or unusual has been known to provoke countless taste buds in the readership he's earned since he signed on at the Weekly in 1986. We also love his regular on-air visits to Evan Kleiman's "Good Food" show on KCRW. Gold's Best of 2006 is an homage to the pig. Bon appetit! more ›