There's a new twist to the zombie economy climate, and it's actually quite sunny. As you tune in to the latest episode of "The Walking Dead," press play and watch (again) "Shaun of the Dead" and/or add the finishing touches to your zombie costume for Halloween this year, think about the masses of other consumers just like you. more ›

Strong sales of new releases from the top ladies in song and multiple reissues of classic albums made the first half of 2011 the best 6 months for album sales since 2004, according to Nielsen-Soundscan. more ›

AEG has selected global architecture, planning and design firm Gensler to take the lead on the Farmers Field project, a large sports complex slated for construction at current site of West Hall of the L.A. Convention Center. Though it has no experience with NFL stadiums, Gensler is already familiar with the area having designed another L.A. Live cornerstone, the J.W. Marriott hotel and Ritz Carlton Residences. more ›

The city of Santa Monica has been moving towards a ban of single-use plastic bags, however the next steps in the process are a little less clear right now, thanks to the recent state-wide election, and in the wake of a bag ban approved this week for L.A. County, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. more ›

Passed by voters in 2008, Proposition 2 ensures that our state's poultry "be able to freely lie down, stand up, extend their wings and turn around by 2015," explains SF Gate. "The law essentially bans the use of small cages that cram the animals so tightly they sometimes cannot turn around." more ›

Majestic Realty, the company planning to build a NFL stadium some 25 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, appears to have slim pickings when it comes to the seven teams that may be up for grabs, finds the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The 49ers, Rams, Jaguers, Chargers and Vikings all want to stay in their respective homes, or at least close to them. As for the Bills, they have no intention of being sold. That leaves the Oakland Raiders, which did not return comment to the paper's requests. Add to that other loops involved in selling a NFL team plus doubts about the stadium ever being built. And there's this: what teams would say if a stadium imagined for downtown L.A. was in play? more ›

This is for the procrastinators. According to the United States Post Office, a select handful of locations will be "extending service" tonight to "accommodate last-minute filers who want the safety and security of sending personal information contained on tax returns through the U.S. Mail. In Los Angeles and Orange Counties." There's not that many, but here's the list is below. more ›

NAMM (National Assocoiation of Music Merchants) holds an annual convention in Los Angeles. For a few years it was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but soon moved back to its home at The Anaheim Convention Center. There are over 1500 exhibitors, who are there launching new products, hosting signings, and organizing jam sessions. The thing about NAMM is that it is not open to the public--not for any price. It is industry only. So it is common practice to hit up friendly guitar shop owners, PR reps, and your sound guy's second cousin to try to get a pass. Last year press passes were only given on site. You had to show up with proof of past NAAM coverage and didn't even know if you were in until you had already hassled with driving and parking. more ›

With filming down, thus affecting the local economy, L.A. Councilmember Richard Alarcon this morning introduced a motion to explore the creation of a film commission. “Los Angeles needs an entity that can promote our city as a premiere filming destination and a Film Commission could do this as well promote the positive impacts of the industry to our communities," he said in a statement. more ›

With runaway production affecting the local economy, Los Angeles wants filming to come back home. Last month, the city council adopted a motion that brought 19 ideas to the table that would hopefully entice more local filming. One of those tasks was to identify the ten hardest places to film in. And in record time--less than a month, that's saying something for a city report--that list was just released. more ›

Tomorrow, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign the bill that will exempt developers of the proposed NFL stadium from some environmental laws, reports James Wagner at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Once the law goes into affect, Ed Roski's Majestic Realty will be able to break ground on the 600-acre project, which has been delayed a year and one half. more ›

Watch out, Los Angeles. We might be having a Raider Nation soon enough (or hey, maybe even get back the Chargers). In a legislative session yesterday, the state's senate approved a bill that "would grant the 75,000-seat stadium project an exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act, the environmental law that governs development," according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. more ›

Although the city of Walnut has settled with the developers of the proposed NFL stadium, the project has yet to get the green light. A lawsuit by a citizen's group is still active and a vote by the Senate, which is expected to pass, should be voted on this week. And now one Walnut councilman is speaking out, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. more ›

Although the proposed football stadium in the city of Industry awaits an important, yet possibly disastrous environmental vote in the State Senate, planners are eying what teams they could bring to Los Angeles County. more ›

That's the current economy for you. Own a lot of property and Forbes Magazine will catch on in their most recent 400 wealthiest Americans list. Developer Ed Roski Jr., CEO of Majestic Realty Company, dropped from No. 163 to No. 236 on the annual list, which has one sports consultant speculating trouble for the proposed NFL stadium in the city of Industry. more ›

A lawsuit that was delaying the prospect of a National Football League stadium in the city of Industry--some 26 miles east of downtown Los Angeles--was dropped last night by the neighboring city of Walnut in exchange for a number of concessions. Last April, Industry and the city of Diamond Bar settled their lawsuit. more ›

The cities of Diamond Bar and Walnut are not exactly thrilled with Industry's plan for a a professional football stadium. But as of last night, Diamond Bar is dropping their objections after approving a settlement with Industry. They will get $20 million to deal with increased traffic from the stadium, $1 million for a middle school athletic field and $700,000 a year for community facilities as long as the stadium remains in operation, reported the Associated Press. A suit filed by Walnut to stop the construction is still pending. more ›

The 61st annual Directors Guild of America Awards were held here last night at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza. The DGA named Brit import Danny Boyle as Best Director for his inspiring film Slumdog Millionaire; Boyle is up for the Oscar in the same category, and many believe these awards are "one of the most reliable indicators for the Academy Awards," which take place at the Kodak Theatre on February 22 this year, explains the LA Times. "The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the guild have disagreed only six times in their selections in the last 60 years." more ›

Figuring union members would vote down any authorization to strike, Screen Actors Guild officials have suspended plans to protest contract offers from movie studios and producers. "The declaration represents an about-face and follows months of preparations for a strike vote that would have given the guild the power to shut down production of major studio movies and prime-time TV shows," reported the Associated Press. SAG's contract with AMPTP expired last June. more ›

Warner Bros. Entertainment announced today that they'll be slashing their worldwide staff by 10%, or 800 people. Yes, it's the recession. Hollywood has become more savvy to outsourcing and for Warner, management information systems and accounts payable are among the first to go that way. "There are both cyclical and secular issues with film production. For many years, there has probably been too many movies being produced and a cyclical downturn has forced some rationalization," an analyst told Reuters. Sony has already announced a cut in 8,000 jobs in their electronics division, but their Hollywood division is expected to be next. more ›

When the Gold Line Eastside extension opens this summer whisking commuters from downtown to East LA, that won't be the end of the line if Metro gets their way. Metro staff has four light rail routes they are studying and proposing that would go from unincorporated East LA to the possibility of other cities such as Monterey Park, Whittier, Montebello, El Monte and others. more ›

Plans to vote on a $25 billion bailout for the "big three" automakers were scrapped by congress yesterday after discussions focused, not on how the industry will fix the problem with taxpayer money, but on how they each used corporate jets to travel to Washington DC. more ›

Attracting business to (or keeping it within) Los Angeles is a good thing for the economy. Having them be green is hip and great for the future. So that's why the Community Redevelopment Agency of the city claimed one million square feet of downtown industrial land for green research, development and industrial manufacturing at the new Los Angles Clean Technology Manufacturing Center that was announced today at a press conference. more ›

A multi-year study conducted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District has found that cancer risk from air pollution is down overall by 8 percent. However, some areas of the region have an increased risk. more ›

Talk about a super blockbuster, The Dark Knight continues to come in at number one in weekend box office returns ($43.8 million) after its third weekend, but The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor came in close at second ($42.4 million). Rounding out the top five are Step Brothers ($16.2 million), Mamma Mia! ($13.1 million) and Journey to the Center of the Earth ($6.9 million). more ›

As gas prices have been stagnant at $4.61/gallon for regular in Los Angeles (the average is $4.075 for the country) for the past five days, John McCain is calling for, among other things, offshore drilling laws to be eased. He's obviously gaining oil industry support. more ›

• In part to honor the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr and in part to "increase the peace" a 40-hour moratorium on violence goes into effect for the City of Los Angeles starting at 6:01 p.m. tonight. Do your part!
• Because "You can't fire me...I QUIT!" lacks that certain je-ne-sais-quoi, perhaps? An employee in the midst of getting the boot today in Industry stabbed his boss with a pocket knife.
• 31-year-old Keven Lee Graff was sentenced to two life terms in prison today for two murders he committed in June 2004. Graff, a former Marine who is homeless, beheaded a 91-year-old screenwriter then murdered his 69-year-old neighbor.
• The mother of the dead baby found earlier this week near a home in Santa Ana has been arrested by US Marshals after a short stand-off in Henderson, NV. 20-year-old Michelle Pedroza used to reside in one of the houses near where the infant's corpse was discovered by a resident.
• A crowd of about 4,500 gathered today to honor firefighter Brent Lovrien, who died on the job last week in an explosion. His services were held downtown at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and he was remembered as a man with "a true sense of loyalty."
• Actor Chris Rock took the stand for about 15 minutes this morning to testify in the trial of pro-snoop Anthony Pellicano, who allegedly used some shady methods to do is generally shady job. Rock hired the private dick to dig up dirt on a model who claimed the comedian knocked her up.
• Ever wonder if renting a garage is legit in the city? CurbedLA reminds us about housing and tenancy laws in their Ask Curbed column.
• In the days before WeHo, there was grub The Gay Way... EatingLA gives us a culinary chuckle and throwback with a photo of a 1940s era downtown eatery.

LA is a gadget kind of town. We’re also, it seems, swiftly becoming quite the literary town. And so, as the year draws nigh and you scramble around the city trying to score the latest whatever for your loved ones this holiday season, it would be wrong of us to ignore Kindle. more ›

I have said it before and I'll say it again, the best designers on Project Runway this season are from Los Angeles. In my holiday wish, I see Rami Kashou, Sweet P, and Kit Pistol in the final three and visions of their collections on the runway in the finale. more ›

The Guardian has an irritating blog post about LA writers. The gist: LA poet and novelist Rob Woodard wonders where all the good novelists in LA have gone. He points to the well-known "great" LA writers (Chandler, Nathaniel West, John Fante, Bukowski) and a few others, then deems LA literature mostly dead for the past thirty years. more ›