Photo of crowd at Los Angeles debate in January by shredded77 via Flickr Last Friday, Sarah Miller's Open Letter to Barack Obama in the LA Times Opinion section caught my eye. Got me thinking. Had me nodding my head. I'm not the only one, as the comments on her letter are getting heated. As an Obama supporter, she raised some concerns about his seeming inability to be concrete and clear about how he is......

Photo by karynsig via Flickr This month at LAist, we've been covering breakfast in our Wake Up LA series helping you explore new morning nosh options. On Saturday, there's a one-time breakfast event that we highly encourage you to attend -- one that continues the spirit of giving that exemplifies a man who gave his life for the people of this city. In honor of fallen LAPD SWAT member Randall Simmons, from 7:00 to......

The Cuban Cowboys, who were profiled on NPR last October, play tonight at the Temple Bar | Photo from their MySpace page Last Friday when A-Trak and Kid Sister played at New York City's Natural History Museum, Kanye West made a surprise visit. Neither Flavorpill or the Natural History Museum list Kanye for tonight's version of the NYC event, First Friday, but rumors are afloat, as they're bound to happen. Nevertheless, the evening looks......

Last Friday I trundled up in the tram at The Getty Center to see a 'sold out', intimate performance. For the mere cost of parking and a little bumper-to-bumper on the 405, I and my brother from another mother, MX, got to sit in a comfy auditorium and listen to the laconic stylings of ex-punk (no pun intended) troubadour, John Doe. Now, ain't yah jealous? Of course, I've always had a crush on Mr.......

Last Friday night at Bordello, Elite Yelpers gathered for drinks and music to wish Stephy S, Community Manager of Yelp.com for Los Angeles (she's like Tom of MySpace, but goddess style), a farewell adieu as she takes on a larger responsibility for the website up at its San Francisco HQ (sister site SFist should feel so lucky). Since May 2006, Stephy has been leading the way for Yelp.com, bringing in the energy for a site......

As you can see below it's slim pickins tonight. Last Friday the Wall Street Journal ran an article about all the smoke that the networks are blowing with their overuse of the word "new" as it applies to their programming. ABC's "all new (but partial) season of Lost" and the "all new funny" Carpoolers, which would be a welcome change for that sub par offering. I guess we're supposed to be excited about this and......

Last Friday, I made a plan to go out to Club Underground at The Echo for my birthday, and I had all my friends meet me there. On a total stroke of luck, I realized a band I had discovered a month or so before was also playing that night before Club Underground started. So I told everyone to get there at 9 if they wanted to see a good band first. The Morning......

Last Friday night at the Roxy, Paper Magazine treated attendees to a raucous tournament-to-the (almost) death, of guitarist vs. guitarist. We might all be playing Guitar Hero III but these guys were doing it for real. At least 8 guitarists competed head-to-head over several rounds - each guitarist had 90 seconds to shred their guts out with an optional rhythm section. A three judge panel would decide or resort to a 30 second face off......

Last Friday night, I went drinking with my friends to celebrate the end of the 40-hour workweek. With the assistance of free sake and Asahi beer, I was buzzed by 10 PM, couldn’t feel my face by 12:30 AM, and was on top of the world by 1. Admittedly, I drank more than I usually do, but not too much. By the end of the night I was feeling pretty good/pleasantly drunk. As the......

Last Friday night in a small, nondescript office space in the middle of Denton, Texas, The Strange Boys put on an unforgettable show for twenty five unsuspecting kids. After hearing Keith and Sean rave about them, I saw them at the Fuck Yeah Fest and they absolutely blew me away. I became obsessed with this band immediately because they're doing something literally no one else is: reviving 60s garage rock. At times I hear......

Yesterday, September 20th, was the day that Mychal Bell was to be sentenced after being found guilty as an adult on the charge of aggravated battery. Prosecutors were asking for a sentence of 22 years at one point, then reduced it to 15 years. Last Friday the appeals court overturned his conviction. The court determined that Bell, who was 16 at the time, should not have have been tried as an adult. In spite......

Last Friday, a hundred or so technology and internet locals filled up the offices of ThisNext.com in Santa Monica for a little lunch and lots of conversation and networking. It's called Lunch 2.0, a phenomenon that began serendipitously in Google's lunchroom. In short, this is how the free meal with geeks got started: Guy gets fired from Google, makes big headlines, invited to Google's lunchroom to eat with a friend, fired guy brings a......

Photo of my little sister by my cousin Kevin for LAist, to represent the fact that I was treated like a five-year-old!!! (And also how I currently feel.) I would like to share a story with everyone about my morning. Last Friday, in my thrilling, endless job search, I stumbled upon a listing for a Marketing Director at a company that organizes conferences on subjects like digital media, the entertainment industry, etc. I would......

Last Friday I was graciously invited to check out Ford's Filling Station's kick-off of their new "Ford's Play" snacktime menu. Billed as being "not quite lunch, not quite dinner" the comfy Culver City eatery has introduced a late afternoon menu boasting small bites and discount drinks. This Happy Hour-esque array of tasty offerings is available from 4-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and certainly does take the edge off those late-in-the-daytime munchies with......

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......

Sometimes we wonder if Bill O'Reilly isn't just trying to get on "Countdown's" Worst Person in the World. Last Friday after inviting University of Minnesota-Duluth Professor Jim Fetzer on The Factor to discuss why he believed the 9/11 tragedies were orchestrated via the White House, O'Reilly refused to let the man speak. LAist trusts this government, blindly. And we object to questioning anything this administration has been involved in, or in the case of......

Last Friday night LAist happened to be in the northern outskirts of LA County and decided to check out a local band named Capra. They were the last band in a small revue at the Santa Clarita Sports Complex and were apparently on the last stop on their summer list of shows. We arrived just before their set began and observed a modest crowd. We would hesitate to call their set small; it would......

Last Friday night the NBA witnessed the worst event in its history. Never before has a riot errupted like that in an NBA Arena. The suspensions handed down to Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace, and others were completely warranted. It doesn't matter if fans are throwing plastic cups at you. If there's one rule in the NBA that everyone understands, it's that you always stay on your side. Players should never......