In years gone by, L.A.'s annual porn convention has been busting at the seams with hundreds of adult film aficionados vying for an autograph or picture with a beloved professional fornicator. But on August 26-28, Exxxotica L.A. - which took the place of similarly-timed, identically-themed Erotica L.A. - was a little different. Instead of snaking around booths for 50 feet, lines to meet well-known porn actresses like Alektra Blue, Joanna Angel and Bobbi Starr were just two or three people deep. more ›

The L.A. City Council is expected to vote today on a plan for an NFL Stadium at L.A. Live, reports CBS News. The plan, which would represent an agreement between the city and developer AEG, lays out the financial framework for the stadium. more ›

Last weekend, the fifth annual Fans of Adult Media and Entertainment Awards, co-hosted by Jessica Drake and Sunny Leone, were held during the inaugural edition of eXXXotica Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center. If the AVN and XBIZ Awards are the Oscars and Golden Globes of the adult industry, the FAME Awards are the equivalent to the People's Choice Awards. more ›

As mentioned previously, last weekend was the inaugural edition of eXXXotica Los Angeles at the LA Convention Center. "Like superstar Kobe Bryant and his teammates, eXXXotica attracted a multitude of A-list stars for three days of selling products, promoting new projects and the de rigueur meet and greet with fans," reported AVN. more ›

For the past several years, Erotica LA has been an annual summertime tradition at the LA Convention Center, with Conan O'Brien on his short-lived edition of even mentioning its existence. But while that adult convention is not happening this year, in its place this weekend is eXXXotica Los Angeles. more ›

Dwell on Design, self-touted as the largest design event on the West Coast, is back this weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Although solely focused around the theme of home and design, the event itself cannot be described by one activity. From home tours to expert panels to the exhibition floor, we present you with LAist's favorite activities, as based on experiences at Dwell over the past couple years. more ›

With the ongoing recession and continued threat of piracy, 2009 may have been tough for the multi-billion dollar adult industry, but it was also Sasha Grey's most prominent thus far. With the leading role in Steven Soderbergh's labeled her "The Dirtiest Girl in the World" and Fleshbot included her in their Top Ten Crush Objects of 2009 (NSFW). So it's no surprise that she will be honored with The Jenna Jameson Crossover Star of the Year at the AVN Awards this Saturday at the Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. more ›

You've probably seen the billboards and other advertising promoting this weekend's Erotica LA at the LA Convention Center. While smaller in scale than AVN's Adult Entertainment Expo, the 13th annual incarnation is still the city's largest yearly adult consumer exposition, with predictions of over 40,000 people in attendance, many of whom will be women and couples. more ›

Today: Pornstars. more ›

Looks like their parents have been giving them a formal education in comics. I would have to say that these kids are set for life. Aren't they adorable? more ›

As if the San Diego Comic Con wasn't enough to satisfy the spandex-loving appetite of the Southern Californian comic book nerd, WizardWorld LA takes over the LA Convention Center this entire weekend. For the cost of $25/day or $45 for the entire weekend (tickets must be purchased HERE in advance!), fanboys + fangirls will have the opportunity to meet modern day comic celebrities including some of my personal favorites Jeph Loeb (The Ultimates 3), J Scott Campbell (Spider-Man), Tim Sale (Long Halloween). Other guests include Seth Green, Alyssa Milano, Summer Glau from the Terminator & Firely series, and also Peter from Heroes (full guest list here). more ›

This sounds fun... or not: the Apartment Owners Association Convention is this week at the convention center downtown. more ›

Sure, the inaugural E For All doesn't really hold a candle to the bloated spectacle of old E3, but then again, the new low-key Santa Monica-based E3 doesn't hold a candle to the old E3 either. more ›

Attention all gamers: Guess what, there’s a new video game expo in town. No, I’m not talking about the enormously underwhelming downsized version of E3, but an aptly titled “E for All” convention. Amidst the drug-infused connotations of the show's title, E for All will be a more consumer-based spectacle geared directly towards nerdy and sexy gamers alike. From the E for All website: “Entertainment for All™ Expo (E for All) is the event... more ›

Written and photographed for LAist by Cecil Castellucci, author of The Plain Janes and Beige. More pics available here. more ›

Gentlemen (and real estate robber barons), start your engines! Today’s LA Times reports the city plans to sell 9 million square feet of unused air rights above the LA Convention Center to developers, and at the bargain basement price of $20 per square foot. For the unacquainted, air rights are what developers like Donald Trump usually have to quietly buy up in order to build a ginormous new tower. more ›

Have you ever wanted to immerse yourself in Soccer Shangri-La? Can't afford a quarter of a billion dollars to play with a European icon? Not even a lengthy vacation in Brazil? OK, we've got a freebie that will kick your weekend into high gear. Time for all you soccer moms to gas up the team bus -- errrr, SUV -- and head to the Soccer Nation Expo this Saturday at the LA Convention Center. Over... more ›

OMG we'd be so pissed! After willing $1 to each of his five siblings, Theodore DiFiore, who at 79 years old, passed away in late 1990, donated the rest of his fortune -- $442,173.77 -- to the city of Los Angeles! more ›

This third and final part of our 3 day photo coverage of the 2006 LA Auto Show features pictures from the import tuner floor. Our first part covered new designs and concepts, our second part covered the exotic car room. more ›

This second part of our 3 day photo coverage of the 2006 LA Auto Show features the exotic car display. Our first part covered new designs and concepts which you can check out here. more ›

Not able to make it out to this year's LA Auto Show? Don't sweat it because LAist has all of the photo coverage you'll need. Peruse through our 3 part photo journal from the comfort of your own home/office/cafe. Today's first part covers all of the new cars coming out this year as well as the concept cars that are featured at the show. more ›

In what must surely be a blow to video gaming enthusiasts, scantily-clad women, fans of scantily-clad women and, of course, the City of Los Angeles, the Entertainment Software Association announced Monday that they are going to scale back the size and scope of E3 convention next year. In fact, the convention, the video gaming industry's largest, most-likely won't be at the LA Convention Center either. Instead, it will take place at various hotels around... more ›

This Friday the LA Auto Show opens to the public, and for ten bucks you can look at all the cars and crowds you like. But gearheads and the cognoscenti are already getting previews, and some are excited about what they see. You can see too: look at the Volkswagen in the picture. Count its tires. You only see 3, right? There only are three. VW will be showing off a 3-wheel car-slash-motorcycle. We know, LA has a reputation for car-love, and we're a little ashamed. But that 3-wheeler looks pretty cool — and VW says that it'll get 46mpg. It also accellerates pretty darn fast — which you shouldn't expect to do in the auto show throngs at the LA Convention Center. more ›

Spending the last three days at E3 has almost completely drained our will to live. All that time walking around at the LA Convention Center (and believe us, its a big place) has taken its toll. As we limp back to the welcoming embrace of the plush and eminiently comfortable LAist HQ, we are gathering our thoughts and checking our notes and putting together a hopefully interesting wrap-up of the sights, sounds and yes, even smells, of the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo. Ok, here goes. more ›

Bus stops all over town are adorned with advertisements for the Real Estate Wealth Expo, coming to the LA Convention Center April 30 - May 1. Donald Trump will be speaking on How to Get Rich (saving how to file for bankruptcy for the next expo, we suppose). And Tony (oops, Anthony) Robbins, the "foremost authority of peak performance for business and life strategies" will be self-helping those who want to fork over the $150 bucks (act now and, big surprise, you can get a deal!). There are also exhibitors, the guy from Trading Spaces who likes to paint cozy country kitchens gunmetal gray, and an apparently insane Russell Simmons, who so doesn't need this. If you must go, please tell us about the freakshow. Just don't buy any prime swampland while you're there. more ›

This weekend LAist visited the California Gift Show at the LA Convention Center. Sunday's show was pretty well attended. more ›