I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their... more ›

Let’s face it—with a few notable exceptions (Arclight, Grove, Bridge, Landmark), movie theaters in Los Angeles sort of suck. The seats are often stiff and cramped; the over-priced food is no great shakes; and every feature is front-loaded with a solid ten to fifteen minutes of commercials. And this is coming from someone who loves going to the movies! I wallow through this crap two or three times a week! There has to be a better way, right? Dear reader, of course there is. more ›

We get a lot of email at LAist. A lot. We reply to almost none of it because then that would double the email, if not triple it. When people are patient, polite, and do us the favor of being persistent if something is truly special, they usually get what they want. And although we might not reply, we do read everything that we get. Today we got something that was just so good... more ›