It's Valentine's Day, and we found a number of eclectic events going on around town tonight that you can do with or without a date. Love Hurts is the theme for The Moth storytellers; the silent film Sunrise screens at the Cinefamily; queer cinema takes over the Hammer; and Lucha VaVoom is at the Mayan. And, there's more: Read on for all the details. more ›

It seems there’s not much room for magic these days. “Oohs” and “Aahs” have been replaced with narrow-eyed skepticism, while the lovely darkness of simply not knowing something is little more than a Siri answer away. Thankfully, there are guys like Justin Willman out there, trying not to let us ruin all the fun for ourselves. more ›

Like many people out there, we’re fascinated by magic—the slight of hand that leaves us scratching our collective heads asking, “Uh, how did they do that?” This week, the Skirball Culture Center opened two fascinating exhibitions on prestidigitation: Houdini: Art and Magic and Masters of Illusion: Jewish Magicians of the Golden Age. more ›

Tonight at 7 pm the Santa Monica Museum of Art hosts Helen Varola, co-editor of Con Art, a book on art and magic. She’ll discuss history and symbolism of the pulling a rabbit out of the hat trick. Varola’s lecture is part of the museum’s current exhibit Diana Thater: Between Science and Magic. Free admission, but seating is limited. more ›

Ghettogloss is celebrating the 12 days of Christmas. Each night until Dec. 15, they’ll have special exhibits, performances and cocktails and spiked egg nog. Tonight, Eddie Ruscha will be performing a live musical meltdown based on the concept of love in outer space. The instruments will be old synthesizers, echo machines and a sampler. 7 pm to midnight. more ›

Self Help Graphics holds the 36th Annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration at the East LA Civic Center tonight from 5-11 pm. The event features children's art workshops, art and crafts vendors, elaborate altars and local food. Guests will also enjoy a day of the dead fashion walk, live music from top local performers including Killsonic, L'Esprit d'Africque, Ollin, La Santa Cecilia and surprise special guests. One of evening's highlights a traditional public procession featuring people of all ages in colorful calavera face paint and attire. Also: Our guide to Dia de los Muertos events around the city. more ›

The Dodgers really weren’t supposed to win tonight’s game. “It just comes down to one really weird inning,” said Saint Louis Cardinals Cy Young candidate, pitcher Adam Wainwright, of the bottom of the ninth. “We were in the driver’s seat there. They had two outs, nobody on base.” more ›

Last night's win already caused people to run amok in East LA. And even though Sunday night's game is in Orlando, should the Lakers win the Championship, the LAPD and LA County Sheriff's say they are prepared, citing the win 2000 when 11 people were arrested and close to a million dollars in damage was caused on downtown streets. Yeah, police cars were torched. more ›

This is just... darling. "I don't see how you guys stand a chance. It's going to take some magic for you to come even close to us," Los Angeles Congresswoman Maxine Waters told Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Florida yesterday. Waters was right, Lakers kicked some ass, beating the Magic 100 to 75. more ›

How GOOD is Steve Zahn?! LET'S TALK ABOUT IT. Photo courtesy Magnolia Pictures. Showmanship in the long-held traditional sense just keeps getting moved more and more to the fringes of contemporary entertainment. Circuses, for all of the revelry and majestical wonder they inspired only a decade ago, are in serious decline. David Blaine and Criss Angel are the magicians and mentalists of our day. Indeed the horizon looks bleak. That is, unless you ask the Great Buck Howard. Or, rather, see the film. more ›

Next Saturday in nearby Sin City the legendary pairing of Siegfried and Roy will take to the stage in an event billed as both "a comeback and a farewell," explained LA Unleashed on Friday. The duo have not performed since Roy was mauled by one of the tigers in their show in 2003. Although there will be magic inside the Bellagio, there will be protesting outside, thanks to PETA, who have plans to "gather outside the Bellagio holding signs that read 'Retire the Tigers' and 'Make Animal Acts Disappear,'" in the hopes of urging the retirees to send their animals to a sanctuary. PETA elaborates: "Siegfried and Roy have made a fortune, and they owe it all to their exploitation of these tigers. The least that they can do is retire the animals to a sanctuary where they can live out their lives in peace and never be beaten, mistreated or caged again." more ›

Great stuff this week, including a 2nd Aziz Ansari show (Aziz interview here), The Lampshades in limited engagement at iO West, and the Birthday Boys at UCB. Don't miss out, and email Farley your next show! more ›

(This is from the film's promotional material, rest assured I would never think a magician's assistant is an uneducated bimbo, Pam-Anderson-in-Vegas nonwithstanding. You don't trust your body parts to a man with a saw or knives just because you can't find another job.) more ›

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My heart wasn't saying Bruuuuuuuuce, it was booing. The biggest cliche in amateur criticism is to say "I liked his older stuff better". Bruce Springsteen is supposed to be held on the same level as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, or Johnny Cash. However, if one is to keep it real, the songs The Boss released after the mid '80s don't hold up to contemporaries like Tom Waits or Tom Petty. Seriously, after the Born... more ›

That faint murmur you heard this morning weren't boos. It was three guys quietly saying "Bruuuuuce" to themselves as they heard that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will return to LA on Oct. 28 to a venue to be named later. The Boss has seem out of sorts since Born in the USA, churning out mopey, cheesy middle of the road forgetables. Even the 9/11-inspired The Rising didn't hold a candle to... more ›

If you haven't heard of Dutch designer Wieki Somers yet, you really should. I was browsing through a magazine the other day, and came across a picture of a white vase that had its own limbs like a plant. Titled "Blossoms", the ceramic actually seems to have grown upwards from the mouth of the vase, and is painted with leaves and buds, while real flowers peek out of the ends of its limbs. It's... more ›

Magic 91, Clippers 86 - Orlando rallied from a seven point deficit once they started putting more pressure on LA's big men. After going 15 of 19 in the first half, Brand, Thomas, and Kaman only combined for 4 of 17 in the second. This was the Magic's first win against the Clippers in the last 4 games. The Clippers, still without Sam Cassell, are now just 2-11 on the road this season. Red Wings... more ›

Seminoles 44, Bruins 27 - UCLA came into the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco riding a three game winning streak and a giant upset against cross-town rival USC. They looked solid for three more quarters but collapsed in the fourth, giving up 21 points in under five minutes to Florida State. UCLA ends the season with a record of 7-6. Florida State improved to 7-6, giving coach Bobby Bowden 30 consecutive winning seasons. The Pac-10... more ›