Photo by _ROXANNE_ via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr After heisting a rental car that was just about to be rented out, a woman led police on a wild three-county tour of SoCal which ended with her being put out by a spike strip. The chase began in Anaheim and ended near Camp Pendleton. A pot bust took place late last night in a gated community in El Monte, netting cops 1,000......

During the go-go, greed is good ‘80s, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and host Robin Leach became the symbol of American opulence. It was hard not to aspire for 'champagne wishes and caviar dreams.' Of course these days, there are countless shows featuring the upper crust flaunting their wealth. And like a car wreck, we wretch at the sight of such blatant materialism while secretly keeping our eyes glued to the TV set. So......

There was a time when one would cringe to make a trip "behind the Orange Curtain". Those times are still with us. Perhaps now more than ever. But fortunately MTV, VH-1, Bravo, and A&E have decided to fight our (culture) war for us. Instead of castigating our neighbors through witty editorials, or knowingly pointed fingers, the networks simply shone a spotlight into the vacuous, empty, and shallow world south of the 91 (roughly). Thanks......

Every Friday, LAist is taking you on a trip down to Orange County to uncover the unique dining experiences that await adventurous eaters willing to explore beyond the county line. Saying the name ‘Park Avenue’ evokes images of wealth, of tony living, of elegance and class (or of crappy Buicks if you’re into cars). Kinda like Rodeo Drive. It’s the antithesis of the working class, the regular everyday lifestyle that most of us experience.......

As if the past couple of weeks haven't been bad enough for Britney, her former bodyguard has officially testified about her drug use, more specifically a bender she went on with singer songwriter and fellow rehaber Howie Day - News of the World Nicole Richie's pregnant body has her at a normal weight finally - Daily News Dennis Rodman has been accused of sexual battery for smacking a bar patron's ass and leaving a mark......

Moving Units Hexes For Exes Metropolis Records Release Date: October 9th, 2007 Come October 9th, throw everything that you thought you knew about the Moving Units out the window. Those minimal dance rock, "Between Us & Them" days are over. After a 4 year hiatus, the Moving Units are back with their sumptuous, sophomore album Hexes For Exes. While it is the next logical step from their 2003 release Dangerous Dreams, I did not......

Douglas E. Hanes became the new publisher for the Daily News today with the goal of strengthening the Los Angeles Newspaper Group's presence in the Valley. If you haven't noticed, it's still freaking hot out and it's not going away. Over 11,000 customers lost power today in Laguna Beach and it wasn't heat related. If someone is trying to rob you, throw a hot cup of coffee in his face. That's what a woman......

Every Friday, LAist is taking you on a trip down to Orange County to uncover the unique dining experiences that await adventurous eaters willing to explore beyond the county line. If you were to give me a word association test and prompt me with “Belgian cuisine”, I would immediately answer waffles. Then beer. The chocolate. Then French fries (despite the misnomer, I’m in the fries originated from Belgium camp). Then a big fat blank......

When I was in elementary school, we had this art program called Meet the Masters in which our “docent” would educate us about a famous artist and allow us to employ the artist’s signature techniques. As an eight-year old, it was an enjoyable way to not only about art history, but appreciate the creativity and skill of the masters, whether it was the pointillism of Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande......

Good grief, BET. First, the Black Entertainment Television network embarrasses black college students across the country with College Hill, a show that proves a house full of black college co-eds can be as useless as a house full of white ones. Now the MTV-show-dipped-in-chocolate experiment kicks into overdrive with last night's premiere of Baldwin Hills, a new single-camera docudrama that proves that when it comes to effortlessly reinforcing stereotypes, BET still reigns supreme. Promoted......

Nelly Furtado is engaged to sound engineer Demacio "Demo" Castellon - People Nicole Richie IS preggers with Joel Madden's baby, and reports are that its a boy - DListed Britney's got a new man, rehab counselor/real estate developer John Sundahl - Daily Mail Another pageant queen scandal- an unknown blackmailer has threatened to make certain scandalous photos public on Facebook of current Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo - NY Post Laguna Beach alum Jessica......

LAist has been giving a lot of love recently to the many fine eating establishments that exist all over the basin. No matter what type of cuisine you like, there’s a long list of restaurants that can meet the grade. However, there’s also been a noticeable lack of Orange County representation in these reviews. True, 95% of the non-five-star restaurants in OC are chains not worthy of being reviewed, unless you want to debate......

6. The couple who were shot and killed by cops in Laguna Beach died in a weird way. The wife was freaking out, cops arrived, she wouldnt put down the gun or stop pointing it at the cops, they shot her, the husband picked up the gun and pointed it at the cops, so they shot him and killed him, and the woman reached for the gun again and the cops killed her. 5.......

People talk shit about our local paper. Sometimes we're the ones talking shit. But every day there's gotta be ten things that you can learn from the Times. Right? 1. Houston's in Century City doesn't do reservations but accepts "call ins". 2. Rancho Cucamonga's mayor was once a heroin addict. 3. The Times uses Wikipedia as one of its sources. 4. Two people arguing at a Laguna Beach resort were shot and killed by......

Jenna Jameson's recent and dramatic weight loss is freaking her fans out - NY Post Jason Wahler, Laguna Beach alum, was arrested for the fourth time in nine months, this time fo calling a cop a "nig**r, fag**t, and poor f**k*r" - TMZ Avril Lavigne and hubby buy The Barkers old Bel Air mansion - People Does being pregnant mean you're allowed to wear ill-fitted bathing suits? - Dlisted New couple alert! Scarlett Johanson and......

Having just come back from touring in Europe, singer songwriter Shane Alexander, the former frontman of Los Angeles band Damone, will (heads up) play Tuesday night at Troubadour. Although he has been compared to the likes of Jack Johnson, James Blunt and Damien Rice, Alexander holds his own with a unique blend of raw melodies, soft vocals, haunting background harmonies and complex guitar parts. After leaving Damone in 2003 Alexander immediately launched his solo career......

The other day, LAist received an inquiry via email about our picks for the restaurants that have something inedible (but, perhaps indelible) on the menu: A great waterfront view. We did a little culling, and have come up with the following lowdown. Our favorite spot for drinks and light appetizers is Splashes Lounge at the Surf and Sand Resort in Laguna Beach. We loved watching the sun go down and having the waves pound......

Long Beach native Morgan J. Freeman has lived the good life, and finally he's sharing some of it with the rest of the world. Because Southern California wasn't plush enough, Morgan got his undergrad degree at UC Santa Barbara (where he met yours truly while we worked with each other at the college paper), jetted out to NYU for a little film school. Picked up a Sundance award during his last days at film......

The Golden Globes came and went, all while many, if not more, watched the second two hours of Los Angeles being terrorized in 24 on FOX. It was still brisk for the stars on the Red Carpet and the weather is expected to continue in the 60's throughout the week with the lows in the 40's. Luckily, the fire department has determined that the Red Flag will be lifted this morning. People celebrated Martin......

It's been a great ride, but the wheels have finally come off the bandwagon for The OC. TMZ is reporting that Fox has officially cancelled the show, with the final episode airing on February 22. As Tony mentioned a month ago, ratings for the suburban drama have been plummeting from the days of '04 when it was the must-see program on Wednesday nights. Certainly to many non-Southern Californians, "The OC" was the first exposure......

Maybe the Angels knew what they were doing when they were trying to distance themselves from Anaheim and instead trying to fool people into thinking they were part of Los Angeles. The LA Times reported yesterday that the Fox show that first got Orange County into the national consciousness, "The OC" is currently 97th among prime-time shows with just 3.7 million tuning-in to FOX on Thursdays, choosing instead to spend time with "Grey's Anatomy",......

- African-American LAFD firefighter Tennie Pierce (no relation) awarded $2.7 million in a racial harassment suit that was settled yesterday. A Captain bought dog food, a second firefighter mixed in into Pierce's spaghetti, and another Captain knew what Pierce was about to eat but didn't warn him. - LA Times - Unrelated: Fire Captain allegedly tortured Eagle Rock woman before he strangled her, making the murder eligible for the death penalty - LA Times......

The first time I saw you dear class of '93, I knew I had to have you for my very own. Now, after a mere 5874 days, you are mine. Those other DVDs on my shelf? They mean nothing to me, baby. Nothing! The past sixteen years are like a bad dream. I only have eyes for you. Come to mama. TODAY: The complete first seasons of Bev 9er (that’s ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ for......

Do you have an office culture where Friday is just as strict as Monday? One city employee (who shall remain nameless, as will their department) has found a cure to look like you're working... but not really: The 10/80News by People Who Work on Fridays Free 411 for Everybody Sometimes you may find yourself wandering the streets of Burbank lost with your significant other on a Friday night as he or she incessantly nags......

LAist tries not to play favorites. So for those who just are haters of Laguna Beach and all the O.C. stands for, enjoy the above clip of a MadTV skit on the tenn-popular show that has just launched its third season. For those who can't get enough, we encourage you to pop the Laguna Beach, Season 2 DVD on your netflix or grab from your fav. tenny bopper. The DVD relives all the moments......

USA vs Italy - 7pm (ESPN2) Red Sox at Angels - 7pm (FSN) Dodgers at Padres - 7pm (FSPT) Rock Star: Supernova - 8pm (CBS) Prison Break - 9pm (FOX) Inked - 9pm (A&E) 30 Days - 10pm (FX) Laguna Beach - 10pm (MTV) Project Runway - 10pm (Bravo) Joan & Melissa: Celebrating 1000 Interviews - 10pm (TVGC) John McEnroe, Artie Lang, Busta Rhymes - Late Show, 11:30p (CBS) Tommy Chong - Jimmy Kimmel,......

LAist was on the road last weekend – to the OC and Laguna Beach. While we didn’t run into Kristin Cavalleri and company, we did manage to have a good time despite the fact that we’re a) not rich; b) not blonde and c) not driving a 7 Series. Now, here’s a good tip if you want to do a relaxing summer getaway to Laguna: Stay in Irvine. Most of the hotels in Laguna......

LAist would first like to congratulate Candai who wins the Laguna Beach DVD Contest. And to keep the Orange County ball rolling we have access to two tickets for tomorrow night's Nickelback concert at the Pond in Anaheim, with special guests Hoobastank and Three Days Grace. We are holding a haiku contest for these tickets that will end at 9pm tonight. So send your haiku about Nickelback, Hoobastank, Three Days Grace, Orange County, Anaheim......

We have cool contests every week. The one that is about to wrap up is about Laguna Beach which premieres its third season tonight on MTV at 10pm (7pm if you have Directv). We have the complete season 2 dvd to give to the person with the best tale of the real Laguna Beach. After the jump you will find our favorite entry so far. If you think you have a better tale to......

LAist isn't sure how we feel about Laguna Beach. No, no, not the show, we love the show, the city is what we're unsure about. Typically we like to keep our 714-shit behind the orange curtain. But then we thought, maybe we're being too rough on our less-fortunate neighbors to the south. They can't help it that they live down there in those big houses near the beach, thinking that the Offspring is "rad"......