Two big deals were announced today by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the CIM real estate group, sealing the geographic fate of the Oscars for the next 20 years.
Big Deals: Oscars Will Stay in Hollywood for 20 Years in Re-Named Dolby Theatre
Are the Oscars Moving Out of the Kodak Theatre?
The Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland is essentially the theatre the Oscars built, but when the venerable annual awards spectacle's lease is up after the 2013 show, the Academy might be putting on their telecast in another venue.
PETA Will Deploy Naked Ladies to Malls to Discourage Shoppers From Buying Fur and Skins
The Hollywood and Highland mall is going to be the site of the next naked-lady PETA demonstration, set to take place at noon tomorrow. The organization announced in a statement today that they'll be unleashing three "sexy PETA supporters" dressed in nothing but body paint (is that legal?) as a leopard, a snake and a cow.
13 Things Being Buried Today Under Hollywood Walk of Fame
As part of the ongoing celebration of the 50th anniversary of the globally-recognized Hollywood Walk of Fame, a time capsule will be buried beneath the concrete at the corner of Hollywood and Highland, according to the Daily News.
BoHo Moving, Will Take Hollywood & Highland's uWink Space
Is that restaurant space on the corner of Ivar and Sunset cursed or what? It seems no restaurant can make the Arclight-adjacent spot work. Add BoHo to the growing roster of restaurants who are packing up from that location, reports Eater LA, though this time you can follow the beer-centric eatery to its new digs. BoHo will take over the spot occupied by uWink, where diners could drink and play video games. Once they say so long to Sunset Boulevard, BoHo will have uWink's 7,300-square-feet of space for beers...and hopefully better food.
LAPD Launches Investigation of Use of Force Against Cyclists Captured on Video
Thanks to video captured Friday night, some of LAPD's Hollywood Area bike unit officers are under scrutiny by LAPD internal affairs following complaints raised by bicyclists participating in a group ride organized in protest of the BP oil spill. The bicyclists are questioning the officers' use of excessive force during the ride, and the LAPD has announced via a statement that they are pursuing the matter internally.
The Grill on Hollywood: Liver Let Die
When The Grill at Hollywood and Highland invited us to try their Liver Lover's Extravaganza (OK, I made that name up) which will be featured from April 19th to the 26th, I agreed under one condition -- that my mother accompany me. Let's just say we had a score to settle.
Another Illegal Supergraphic at Hollywood & Highland?
Dakota Smith at Curbed LA stuck it out into the wee hours of this morning as the large illegal supergraphic that landed one businessman in jail over the weekend was taken down. As she witnessed the slow operation alongside David Berger, special assistant to the City Attorney, the businessman's lawyer, Andrew Stein, asked why other supergraphics and billboards got to stay up. "Why is that one legal, because it's part of the building?" he asked of Berger, pointing out a billboard at the Hollywood & Highland complex across the street. Even more suspicious is an Asics ad that was apparently installed last week on one of the other corners.
Apparent Illegal Billboard Installed at Hollywood & Highland
Will the world witness Los Angeles' inability to regulate illegal signage on Oscar day? Just a day after city attorneys filed sweeping lawsuits against supergraphics across the city, a new one has appeared on the First National Bank Building, just down the red carpet from where the Oscars will take place on March 7th, says Dennis Hathaway at Ban Billboard Blight. "The supergraphic that went up two days ago without any permits is made of vinyl and attached to the building with eyebolts and cables, a method that has aroused the ire of historic preservationists" he said. The company responsible for the ad, iMedia, says the building will get two digital billboards and that an ad on Oscars night will cost $216,000.
Suicide Shuts Down Area in front of Hollywood & Highland's Kodak Theatre
Word quickly spread on Twitter this afternoon after a person committed suicide in front of the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. At 3:10 p.m., police were notified of someone attempting to commit suicide by jumping from the...
Midnight Movie: Hollywood & Western's Not Quite Right
A Metro station. Councilman Garcetti's office. The gateway to Thai Town. New development. The Hollywood & Highland ownership, The CIM Group's involvement (they were just given a princely loan from The City for another project too.) The Hollywood Boulevard and Western Ave intersection had a lot of puzzle pieces in place for it to be called a neighborhood on the rise. Not only has the rise ceased, but it's in an obvious tailspin. More on The Battle for Hollywood & Western over at Curbed.
Activists to 'Freeze' At Hollywood + Highland Saturday, Silently Speaking Out Against Human Trafficking
Take the concept behind Improv Everywhere and their guerilla style gatherings in public places (like the no pants subway ride) and add an element of activism and a desire to fight social injustices, and you have The Freeze Project.
Bow Wow, The Game Play a Game of Madden for Charity
Because there is a Michael Strahan-like gap between the amount of fun had in playing a video game and watching someone else play a video game, the answer I most frequently give when posed with the question "Want to watch two guys play Madden in Hollywood?" is "No."
LAistory: The Ugliest Building in Los Angeles
In 2007, Curbed LA named Hollywood and Highland the ugliest building in Los Angeles. From many (if not most) angles, they have a point. But In the center of this ode to modern consumerism is a secret, a reference to the glamor and debauchery that are Hollywood's past. It started, as all the best secrets do, a long, long time ago.
Mobile Clubbing Coming to a Subway Station Near You
UPDATE!!! The event has moved to in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. Check Facebook for updated details.
Coming on the heels of the announcement for Los Angeles' participation in World Pillow Fight Day scheduled for Saturday March 22 downtown, there's yet another spectacle of an event planned for the night before at Hollywood and Highland, sans bouncers and lines to wait in (h/t again to Bored-LA).
It's Presidents Day...
Today's holiday is a Federal one, so that means government offices, from city to county to state and beyond, are closed. Same goes for banks and public schools. No mail being delivered either. However, trash and public transportation in Los Angeles will be running as usual says the Daily News in their Presidents Day schedule.
14 Minutes from NoHo to Century City via Subway
Last night, a packed room of community members at LACMA listened attentively to Metro present nineteen options to serve the Westside. This first in a series of three public input meetings (two more meetings next week) was exciting -- wheels are in motion to get Los Angeles moving, even if that reality be around ten years from now.
Pencil This In: Thursday
Now with John Edwards out of the picture, Hillary and Barack only have eyes and one-liners for each other. Watch them duke it out during the Democratic candidates debate tonight with friends and bloggers in the comfort of CineSpace (because really, you don’t want to be anywhere near Hollywood and Highland). RSVP at RSVP@gatherinc.com.
Escalator Stunt Turns Deadly at Hollywood & Highland
What started off as some goofing off on the escalators at the Hollywood & Highland shopping complex turned deadly last night, when an unnamed man fell to his death.
Pencil This In: Wednesday
We comb through LA's listings so you don't have to. THEATRE: Feel like pondering human existence tonight? Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot -- a classic play about nothing (or maybe everything) plays in Glendale tonight. 8 pm // A Noise Within // 234 S Brand Blvd , Glendale // $28-$40. DANCE: The Debbie Allen Dance Academy presents Alex in Wonderland – a “re-imagining” of Alice’s version with a few other fairy tale characters mixed...
Hollywood Future Past
On November 27th, the striking members of the WGA held a rally on Hollywood Boulevard. As I walked towards the rally from my car, I could feel the sound of the helicopters beating down around me. It was one of those silver fall afternoons, the sky distant like winter, but it was still warm. Walking up a side street, all the different Hollywoods crowded up around me – each taking its turn in a...
Showtime's Fountain of Smelly Blood
There's a big ugly smelly fountain of blood in front of the Kodak Theatre on the sidewalk of the Hollywood & Highland strip mall. No, Elmo didn't finally get his, Showtime has figured out a way to get LAist off the couch and onto the Red Line. Even though our friends at Bostonist and Phillyist had pics, we saw that our pal Defamer didn't so we pushed aside the bong water pipe, dug around...
TV Junkie: Wednesday Night Picks
Holy jeebus my eyeballs are gonna fall out. There's about a 1/2 dozen series premieres and a 1/2 dozen season premieres tonight. Unfortnately the only new thing calling my name is the Bionic Woman (9:00pm NBC) but that's based on junior high school fantasies and not what I've seen so far of this show. Prime time offers such an overabundance of mediocrity I'm tempted to head off to TCM at 8:00pm and watch the...
Extra, Extra - Flex Alert Tomorrow & Thursday
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), charged with managing the electricity grid in California, has issued a Flex Alert for both tomorrow and Thursday due to the current hot weather and demand for electricity, which is approaching capacity. Flex it by turning off unnecessary lights, turn ing AC up to 78 degrees or higher and not using major appliances until after 7:00 PM Free jazz tonight at Hollywood and Highland along with a wine...
Yo! Bum Rush the Show: Free Public Enemy Concert Thursday
Did you think $75 for Rock the Bells tickets was too steep? Fight the power, and head over to Hollywood and Highland to catch one of the headlining acts for free. Yeeeeah Boy! Public Enemy will be performing on Thursday night's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live and Chuck D is inviting everyone to bum rush the show. Check out his new blog at ChuckD.tv for details to find out how you can see one of...
Screw Eric Clapton, Simon Pegg is God!
A hat tip to Quint over at AICN for alerting me to this little bit of coolness happening next week. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are two of my absolutely favorite movies from the past few years. Shaun has been in heavy rotation at home and Fuzz will surely follow now that it's out on DVD.
When Wookiees Attack
It's hard to find a good Wookiee these days, so LAPD is looking for a naughty one. A Chewbacca impersonator allegedly sexually assaulted a Marilyn Monroe look-alike near Hollywood and Highland last month, though the crime was just reported yesterday. When authorities showed up to investigate, the suspect fled. Police are presumably looking for a man who is tall, dark, and hairy. There has been no comment from LA County Sheriff Lee Baca, who may...
It's One of the Best Parking Tips Ever
Maybe we shouldn't be emphasizing this tip so we can keep our parking spots open in busy areas of the city. But we're feeling generous to those who read LAist on Sundays and we still seem to shock a new person everyday with this parking tip that the LACityNerd taught us so long ago. Yellow Loading Zones are only in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. So take advantage all...
Koreatown Rising
Maybe it’s because of its residents' blogginess, but these days everyone seems to know that downtown LA is booming. However, flying way below the radar is Koreatown. Yes, you already know it’s the place to go for your late night barbecue and karaoke needs, but the boozin’, beef-eatin’ hood (best known to those outside LA as one of the places ravaged by the 1992 riots) has quietly been getting a $1 billion makeover that...

