In 2003, former corporate exec Steve Poizner had sold off his business and had some time on his hands, so he called around to several local schools to offer his services as a teacher. He'd never taught before, but wanted to reach out to school-aged kids and make a difference. more ›

There's that magical moment when you're hearing a story being told when you're hooked. You might not say it aloud, but there's that pressing sense of wonder: "And then what happened?" The action unfolds, and then there's that pause. The "ahhhh" moment. You're digesting the lesson, the connection, the revelation. You're satisfied. Exhale. more ›

Last month KCRW announced an event that had many This American Life addicts abuzz. The show's beloved host, Ira Glass, will be appearing live onstage at Royce Hall for a night of two shows in March during which he'll talk about his career in radio, and give audiencce members a chance to put him on the spot and ask him the questions. During KCRW's recent Winter Pledge Drive pairs of tickets to this one-night only event were snapped up as premiums to subscribers as soon as they were offered on the air. If you weren't one of the lucky few tomorrow is the first chance for you and to buy tickets when they go on sale at 10 a.m. The tickets are only available for purchase online, and Glass is doing the show as a benefit for the Santa Monica-based station. Tickets are $32-$58 (plus fees); shows are at 7 and 10 p.m. more ›

C'mon, admit it...you've got a serious crush on Ira Glass of This American Life. Maybe it's an intellectual bromance, maybe it's a schoolgirl geek chic sweet-on-you kind of thing. You know it's the voice (who else can say "From Chicago Public Radio, this is..." and make you grin?) but how about in the flesh? Well, we can't guarantee you just how close to the flesh you'll get, but we can let you know that in late March you'll have the chance to get at least in the same room as Ira Glass, as KCRW presents "A Night With Ira Glass: Radio Stories and Other Stories" at UCLA's Royce Hall. more ›

Kind of a weak selection until you get to Sunday evening. HBO has been pushing Recount on all the talk shows and some Democrats have been howling about it because we are in the middle of what could be yet another tightly contested election. Let's think about this for a second, would such activists for the Democratic party, like Kevin Spacey, Ed Begley Jr., Laura Dern, John Hurt, etc. participate in a piece of work that would help dash Obama's (let's face it) White House aspirations? It's the TV Junkie Pick O' The Weekend. more ›

A Word or 52: Some people hated last week's "useless" Lost because it didn't further the storyline but I thought it was a humorously macabre and welcome break that reminded me of some of the better tangential X-Files episodes from 10+ years ago. If looks like we're going back to that story line tonight, oh well. Jericho (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) Roger goes off the deep end, and who can blame him Friday Night Lights/Crossing... more ›

With the year winding down, LAist is asking famous celebs, local politicians, and other movers & shakers of LA to tell us what they thought were tops of 2006. Before founding PostSecret, Frank Warren grew up in the Valley and attended Colfax Elementary School with Adam Carolla. If you missed his book signing last month, you can catch him on January 15th at Borders Books in Torrance as he signs the next PS book, "The... more ›

Rapper Tone Loc turns 40 today. Music geek favorite Robyn Hitchcock is 53. more ›

Ever wonder what it's like to be renaissance woman Sarah Vowell? It probably looks a little like this. At least, that's what it looked like last night as people crammed into Skylight Books to hear her read from her latest book, Assassination Vacation, now out in paperback. more ›