A string of fires that broke out overnight, mostly cars parked in carports in Hollywood and West Hollywood, had the Los Angeles Police Department on tactical alert as emergency personnel worked to put out the suspicious blazes. Officials believe it is the work of an arsonist. more ›

Jim Morrison may not be interred at Hollywood Forever, but plenty of his peers make spirited appearances there this weekend for Cinespia's Movies From Dusk Til Dawn. The event runs from 7PM Saturday through 6AM Sunday. Don't worry, the coffee is free. more ›

The curse of 27 claims another soul, adding to the perilous popular mythology that 27-years-old is the age that separates the boys from the men, the lost from the found, the dead from the living and the higher auto insurance rates from the lower auto insurance rates. Today's video lunch is a heavy one. Ironic, considering how much never even made it to the plate. more ›

Jim Morrison, the leather-pantsed lizard king of Venice Beach and lead singer of The Doors died this day in 1971 in Paris, France. The Doors, though perfectly audible and resonant the world over, sound just a little clearer when played within limits of Los Angeles. more ›

Ready to leave your Brokedown Palace and start living living like a rock star in a piece of musical real estate history? Good news my little L.A. Woman, the legendary homes of Jim Morrison and Jerry Garcia are on the market in your neighborhood (-adjacent). more ›

A significant portion of the American movie-going audience probably avoided Hot Tub Time Machine because of its banal title. They missed a movie that was funnier than it had any right to be, particularly in the manic performance of Rob Corddry. Any fan of The Doors should automatically buy When You're Strange. It features a wealth of material previously unseen (though the narration by Johnny Depp leaves something to be desired -- namely, passion). If you missed White Ribbon during its brief theatrical run last winter, correct that mistake today. Michael Haneke is as good as it gets, folks! Think it's a coincidence that the film The Eclipse was released on DVD on the eve of Twilight: Eclipse hitting theaters? I say, nay! more ›

While most of the smart money had the godawful Clash of the Titans repeating as box office champ, it was the scrappy Date Night -- the middling movie that could -- which ultimately won the weekend. The marginally funny "comedy" hauled in $27.1M to best the marginally mythologically accurate Clash ($26.8M | $110.4M). The wonderful How to Train Your Dragon enjoyed a strong third weekend ($25.3M | $133.8M) while Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too cratered ($11M | $48.5M). In disquieting news, The Last Song was pretty solid ($10M | $42.4M). This means more Miley movies, America. Shame on you. more ›

The presence of Tina Fey and Steve Carell gives me hope for Date Night, but the directorial hand of Shawn Levy really, REALLY worries me. I saw When You're Strange: A Film About the Doors at Sundance back in 2009 and, as a Doors fan, really dug all the previously unseen footage. Johnny Depp's newly recorded narration should improve an already solid film. The Australian The Square has been sitting on the shelf for awhile, but if comparisons to the Coen are valid, it should be fantastic. more ›

The 15th annual Los Angeles Film Festival kicks off tonight at 7:30 pm with the premiere screening of Paper Man at the Mann Village Theater. The full festival begins in earnest the following morning as over 80 documentary and narrative features unspool in venues across the Westside. In addition to that, the festival features panels and seminars, coffee talks and poolside chats, short-film programs, music video showcases, live concerts and free screenings of such beloved films as Ghostbusters, Election and The Muppet Movie. more ›

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No bookish events on Mr. King's Day. more ›

Like Jim Morrison before him, Ian Curtis exists in the mind's eye as more of an idea than a real person. Certainly, his early death contributes mightily to this perception. Anton Corbijn's , however, rescues him from the murky fog of legend and restores him to a state of full humanity. It is, simply, a remarkable film, as much for what it is as for what it is not. It resists the temptation towards the high, operatic drama that infects so many biographies, creating instead a brilliantly elliptical portrait of a troubled, gifted man. more ›

Only one major event for the Los Angeles Fire Department today in which 30 firefighters quickly fought a three-story commercial building at 515 S. Los Angeles St. Lindsay Lohan lawyers claim she's innocent in the crash involving Raymundo Ortega and his black Mercedes, citing that Ortega made an illegal U-Turn to snag a parking space putting him in Lohan's tracks. The case will go to trial in April. Five oriental fruit flies have been... more ›

- Does UCLA really want us to believe that they have to pay cops overtime to provide security for the Undie Runs? On-duty LAPD wouldn't find it in their hearts to just happen to mosey over to Westwood a few times a year for a few hours to protect co-eds in unmentionables? - Daily Bruin - Free, online, ad-supported version of Photoshop coming this fall - TechCrunch - Bad news: New Angel outfielder Garry... more ›

Let's take a look back at a week that raised this Zen koan: if Kevin Federline got into a wrestling ring with a wrestler, who would you root for? more ›

LAist's very own Paul Davidson has published a second book, The Lost Blogs, which came out last Tuesday. It features fictionalized blogs of historical figures from Jesus to Jim Morrison, and is a great way to kill a plane trip from here to anywhere. We suggest picking up a copy, and then laughing as much as you can. more ›

It's a moment every writer either dreads or dreams of — the appearance of your very own fan base. more ›

It’s true. Jim Morrison, who so many loyal fans thought had perished of a drug overdose some 34 years ago, apparently faked his own death. You heard us right—in what amounts to perhaps the most anticipated announcement in a generation, what follows is a piece of investigative journalism that is unrivaled in its depth, scope and focus. After decades of frustrating dead ends, bad leads and cold case files, LAist proudly presents to you, our loyal readers, the distinguished Cheri Woods, a former actress, former madam and, uh, former inmate. But we urge you to disregard her checkered past and take a good, long look at her story in the Los Angeles Independent. We know you’ll thank us…(thought-provoking excerpt below) more ›