Some are considering it "if you can't beat em - invest in em", but any good judge of fads know that the worst thing that Starbucks could have ever done to Pinkberry is fork over $27.5 million to the local frozen yogurt chain so they can continue to multiply at a rapid pace. Why would Starbucks want people eating a quasi-yogurt treat next summer at Pberry instead of slurping down a freshly made Frappuchino at... more ›

10/2, 4-6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 - Morrissey @ The Palladium 10/2 - Nick Lowe, Ron Sexsmith @ Safari Sam's 10/3 - Datarock, Foreign Born, Honeycut @ The Echo 10/3 - Mark Ronson @ The El Rey 10/5 - Metric @ Henry Fonda 10/6 - Bloc Party, Justice, Satellite Party, Kinky, Autolux, Celebrity Skin @ Detour Festival 10/6 - Lukas Rossi @ Viper Room 10/6 - Steve Miller @ The Greek 10/7 -... more ›

According to various reports, the condition for this year's Burning Man is going to be exceptionally dusty this year. Due to lack of rain fall and snow fall from the mountains, the lake that forms the Playa did not occur this year. As a result there has been white out conditions almost every day for several hours. The playa is comprised of million year old fish poop that have become fine dust over the... more ›

How good is Oreskaband, the all-girl teenage Japanese ska band? They're so good that after two weeks of non-stop rocking blogging and partying at SXSW in Austin (highlighted by our first exposure to Oreskaband at their show at the Elysium), and after a stressful flight home, instead of taking a break from rock shows we landed in LA, unpacked, and hit the Knitting Factory to see our favorite new discovery play again at Japan... more ›

Ken Layne is serializing his new book thing right here on LAist. He's also the West Coast editor of Wonkette. It’s a basic 1950s low-end ranch house of the sort you might have paid $659,000 to buy in Culver City last year — before the SoCal real-estate collapse was visible to the untrained eye. Although the people are gone and the windows are mostly broken out and boarded up, there are signs of a normal... more ›

If you've been to the Grove lately, you know about the American Girl Doll phenomenon: 7 year old girls dragging around $86 dolls with matching clothing that sells for about $80 per outfit for the girl (and $25 per outfit for the doll). Every westside 2nd grader must have a doll, and leaving the Grove without $300 worth of American Girl Place Merchandise is a cause for shame. Despite the fact that dolls were... more ›

NL West: 1) Padres 2) Dodgers 3) D-Backs 4) Rockies 5) Gyros NL Central: 1) Cubs 2) Brewers 3) Cardinals, 4) Astros 5) Pirates 6) Reds NL East: 1) Phillies 2) Mets, 3) Marlins 4) Braves 5) Nats NL Wild Card: Dodgers NL Pennant: Cubs AL West: 1) Rangers 2) Angels 3) A's 4) M's AL Central: 1) White Sox 2) Tigers 3) Indians 4) Twins 5) Royals AL East: 1) Red Sox 2)... more ›

There are countless reasons to love the Hollywood Bowl: the outdoor ambience tucked in the so-close-yet-so-far-away Hollywood Hills; bring your own... whatever you want; great sound and big screens that you can see no matter where you're seated. Best of all, if you act quickly you'll get to many more shows for far less money. Here's how: You can purchase tickets RIGHT NOW (as long as you purchase for at least 5 events). General... more ›

USC's Annenberg School for Communication has narrowed its search for a new dean to five candidates and will conduct meetings with the candidates -- open to students and faculty -- over the next few weeks. Last year Dean Geoffrey Cowan announced that he would step down after two five-year terms as dean of the Annenberg School, leading many to speculate on a qualified successor. He was endowed with the inaugural Annenberg Family Chair in Communication... more ›

The Jesus and Mary Chain, Tiesto, the Arcade Fire, Interpol, Manu Chao, Willie Nelson, Air, Happy Mondays, Decemberists, Faithless, Gotan Project, the Good, the Bad and the Queen, Paul Van Dyk, Arctic Monkeys, Roots, Jarvis Cocker, Sonic Youth, Crowded House, Placebo, Satellite Party, Stephen Marley feat Jr. Gong, Kings of Leon, DJ Shadow, Kaiser Chiefs, Kokono No. 1, LCD Soundsystem, Nickel Creek, Travis, Damien Rice, Black Keys, Blonde Redhead, Infected Mushroom, New Pornographers, Peeping Tom, Placebo, Rufus Wainwright, the Rapture, Explosions in the Sky, Richie Hawtin, !!!, Benny Benassy, Felix Da Housecat, Hot Chip, Jacks Mannequin, Julieta Venegas, Lily Allen, Lupe Fiasco, Ozomatli, Peaches, Ghostface Killah, Jose Gonzales, Amos Lee, Brazilian Girls, Fountains of Wayne, Regina Spektor, VNV Nation, Coco Rosie, Cornelius, Gillian Welch, Junior Boys, Pharaohe Monche, Roky Erickson and the Explosives, Soulwax, Sparklehorse, the Kooks, Tilly and the Wall, Andrew Bird, Peter, Bjorn & John, the Frames, Gogol Bordello, Comedians of Comedy, Justice, MSTRKRFT, We Are Scientists, Yeva, Grizzly Bear, Amy Winehouse, Avett Brothers, Circa Survive, the Coup, the Cribs, CSS, Digitalism, Erol Alkan, Evil Nine, Girl Talk, Klaxons, the Noisettes, Spank Rock, Tapes 'n Tapes, Fields, Tokyo Police Club, Rodrigo Y Gabriella, DJ Heather, the Feeling, Fratellis, Mike Relm, Silversun Pickups, Busdriver, Brother Ali, Nightwatchman, Bojones, Mika, Pop Levi, Anathallo and Fair to Midland.

The password for Goldenvoice's presale is... roxanne. Could there possibly be any more of a hint at a Police reunion? Also allegedly reuniting -- Rage Against the Machine, The Stooges (again)... Not a whole lot is confirmed but all we can say is THREE DAYS -- can you handle it? Presale ends at 8 PM for the 3 Day pass @ $199. April 27-29. UPDATE: Kevin at the Times' Buzz Bands blog sez: Damon... more ›

Gambling is illegal in Los Angeles and it should be. more ›