COMIC BOOK ART The gallery named for the year that brought us Hypercolor T-Shirts, Yo! MTV Raps, and Salt N Pepa's single "Push It" (that's 1988 for those who didn't immediately connect) is currently featuring "Under the Influence: A Tribute to Stan Lee" in a show that runs until February 1. Preview some of the artwork online and then activate your Spidey webs and crawl over to Melrose Ave. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. //......

Here's the good news of the day: It's almost Friday! Go out and celebrate tonight with these happenings about town: FILM The 2000 film Peppermint Candy opens with the suicide of its protagonist: a middle-aged, South Korean businessman. The film then flashes back 20 years — from student uprisings of the early '80s to the Asian financial crisis of the late '90s. "Lee's breakthrough debut unfolds a stirring story of regret, first love and letdowns."......

For those interested in entertainment I might liken to wrist-slitting, there's Disney on Ice or George Lopez live at the Nokia. For everyone else there's a few things going down around town. FILM Scarface (1932) scribe Ben Hecht's moody 1927 film Underworld screens tonight at the Silent Movie Theatre. "Viennese director Josef von Sternberg’s gritty revenge narrative follows the turbulent romantic and criminal phiursuits" of felon Bull Weed, and the film is often considered "the......

Melrose Alley Street Art...

In 1966, Huey Newton & Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party. A militia organization, made up of black men & women to fight for their rights, and defend themselves against “capitalist pigs” (the US government). In the politically charged-era of the civil rights movement, the party reached out to their wide membership, with distribution of a newspaper entitled The Black Panther. The publication featured regular artwork from its Minister of Culture, graphic artist Emory......

Here are a few spots for eats and drinks that we are looking forward to seeing open: 1. We were very excited to pass on to you that last month was National Grilled Cheese Month, and now we're gearing up for the impending opening of Culver City's Meltdown, which is a (mostly) grilled cheese eatery that's slated to open as early as this week. Their menu, which is available online, looks like an ooey-gooey......

With Joe Rogan's recent calling out of Carlos Mencia's joke-stealing habit, comedy has been a bit more interesting lately. This weekend, Rogan is performing twice at The Improv, and a few miles away, Mencia will be safe from him at The Comedy Store, where Rogan has been banned due to Mencia's feelings that he was "physically threatening." Comedians can be so dramatic sometimes. The Improv (8162 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles) 2/16 Joe Rogan @ 8:30......

Headlines still focus on the temperature and how Posh Spice has arrived to shop for the maybe next Scientology castle for David Beckham and family. Investigations over the plane crash in Van Nuys continue while the book is closed on the latest E.coli cases -- California is once again to blame for Midwest and beyond sicknesses. Tonight Hollywood (not the neighborhood) comes back big for 2007 with 24, Rome and Extras. Choices, choices. It's......

Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger are two of America's most beloved chefs. The duo have been business partners for over 20 years, beginning with the opening of City Cafe on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles in 1981. Currently they are hands-on owner-operators of the popular and critically acclaimed Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, serving upscale, modern Mexican food in a hip, urban cantina setting. The pair also own and......

In order to provide more space for drag queen street races, and due to the Annual West Hollywood Halloween Parade, the following streets will be closed from 1pm to 6am: -- Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienega Boulevard and Doheny Drive. -- Robertson Boulevard between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. -- San Vicente Boulevard between Cynthia Street and Melrose Avenue. From 6 p.m. through 6 a.m., La Cienega Boulevard will be closed between......

Sometimes you can't keep a good "let's tear down this god forsaken local monolith" LAist post down -- as is evidenced by today's resurgence of Tear It Down: Hollywood/Highland Edition. Previously, LAist suggested we tear down the gaudy 8500 Melrose Avenue building and the Hollywood sign to no avail. Apparently, city council members and local demolition experts didn't hear our cries of dissent and, well, didn't really care. But we digress, moving on to......

Paper, the very NY mag, has their sights set on LA this week, where they intend to create both colorful chaos and a February issue devoted entirely to our city. To accomplish this they've assembled a hodgepodge of quirky characters and are setting up shop--quite literally--in a storefront at Melrose and La Brea. For the next few days anyone and everyone is invited to take part in a sort of performance art meets (media)......

We saw Sideways not too long ago, and realized that we were among the uncultured masses who thought wine was just alcoholic grape juice. Apparently there's a lot more going on, with the grapes, the aging, the acidity, the complexity of flavors, and so forth. In fact, knowing this stuff can help you pick a great wine, but without knowing what foods go best with it, well, you're just a hungry drunk. Fortunately, LA......

LAist's Tear It Down is currently 1-0, with last year's desperate cry to tear down 8500 Melrose Avenue (the pink and black checkered monster) receiving cries of agreement and some nice legitimate placement in the Los Angeles Times for the cause. We were overjoyed to know that we weren't alone in voicing our opinion that, yes, there are some buildings and landmarks around town that really, positively must be demolished. This week is no......

WRAD, a non-profit organization for the deaf and hard of hearing people and their families and friends, has started a new group called the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professionals Happy Hour. The gathering will be held once a month on the SECOND Friday of the month and provide deaf and hoh folks with the opportunity to meet other professionals in any field for the purpose of exchanging information and to have a good......

It's been a banner week for LAist with press mentions in Los Angeles Magazine and now a great mention in today's Los Angeles Times. (Click here to read the piece, although a subscription may be required.) In the article, LA Times journalist Scott Timberg discusses the gaudy building located at 8500 Melrose Avenue, which was previously mentioned by LAist in our Tear it Down: 8500 Melrose Avenue Edition feature that ran late last year...and......

Although LAist has visited some coffee haunts in the last few months that felt as if we had miraculously ended up in a totally different part of the world (i.e. Pasadena), there are other pockets of Los Angeles that also make one feel as if they've taken a trip through the Twilight Zone. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf #14 7502 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90046 Hours: Monday - Friday 6:30 AM - 8:30......

There is a building. It is located at 8500 Melrose Avenue. It is situated in the city of West Hollywood. It sits just down the street from Urth Cafe, and on the corner of Melrose and La Cienega Boulevard. And LAist is pleading the City of Los Angeles to tear it down. Although featured in a prominent scene in the movie Ruthless People, the pink and black checkered building has done more than corner......

LA Theater geeks, rejoice! Three quirky shows are running at local theaters until mid-August. Precursor to professional curmudgeons like Larry David, Denis Leary, Lenny Bruce and H.L. Mencken, journalist Ambrose Bierce made everyone see the humor in misanthropy. TV regular John Billingsley brings the famous 19th Century pisspot and provocateur to life in �Bitter Bierce, or the Friction We Call Grief,� now playing at the Zephyr Theater in conjunction with Bonita Friedericy�s one-woman show,......