As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice......

The TelePromTer-readers and out-of-touch-hate-mongers of the mainstream media thought that they were being super-cool by discussing/bitching about the presidential candidate debates that were posted on YouTube. So since that new, interesting, and youth-vote promoting aspect of the next election has been talked to death by the talking-heads, I have found these candidate related webpages to occupy me during my early in the ante meridian down-time: At SuperBook.com, you can go to their "Exotic Lines"......

A Word Or 46: The Oscars blew its big TV wad all over the place so let's get on with our lives. The Daily Show and Colbert Report are back from hiatus -- did they think they were doing the Oscars again? What's their excuse? Lots of new TV tonight. Tonight - Monday - February 26th, 2007 Lakers @ Jazz (KCAL, 6:00 p.m.) Bobcats @ Clippers (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) How I Met Your Mother/The......

Local gang activity doesn't make the papers much anymore but the Crips and Bloods are still here. Maybe we've just grown accustomed to gang warfare as a part of our daily lives. Maybe we've just gotten good at hiding the problem. Maybe it's now just a part of our culture. That doesn't stop us from wondering about what Laura Bush is going to do as our newly appointed gang czar to deal with the......

Day 2 Recap: - Der Governator (looking ever more plasticized) trotted out his stale "girlie-man" line and name-checked Richard Nixon(!) in his speech extolling the virtues of George Bush, while Maria Shriver looked on, and Joe, Jack, and Bobby rolled over in their graves. - Laura Bush tried her best to put a compassionate face on her husband the "wartime president," and the Bush twins sobered up long enough to deliver a few flaccid......

Day 1 Recap: - John McCain kicks off his 2008 Presidential campaign by verbally bitch-slapping Michael Moore, to the delight of Republicans and Michael Eisner. - Rudy Giuliani invokes 9/11 and compares Bush to Winston Churchill(!?!), all in one speech. - Bush himself tells Matt Lauer he doesn't think the war on terror can be won. Whoops, wait a minute, it can be won, there just won't be a formal declaration of peace. Day......