A friend of mine told me yesterday that she was feeling left out of all the Christmas merriment--she converted to Judaism prior to her marriage to a member of the tribe--so she sent her husband to the mall to buy her a gift. While my friend is a bit of a nutjob, I can imagine that for those who don't celebrate Christmas today, especially in this age of consumerism, there's a risk of feeling......

There was no local action last, night, so enjoy ESPN's top 10 things that have been thrown onto fields. Included are a soccer player being plunked with a lit flair, referees being pelted with beer bottles (that game was called early), and a manager pleading with the crowd to stop throwing baseballs into the game. Oh yeah, then there are the rats. Can't forget those. If you need your post-present sports fix (especially is......

A suspected drunk driver brough his Sunday to a crashing conclusion when he led officers on a chase from Santa Ana to Glendale late last night. The PIT maneuver was employed on the Colorado Street offramp of the 5 North to bring things to a halt. Kids, don't go spiking Santa's milk tonight with rum; we don't want the cops chasing any reindeer-led sleighs! The LA Times chimes in with their thoughts today on the......

Christmas Eve is here. And today is no time for cynicism, irony or nastiness of any sort. Time instead to make something nice to eat, clink your glass with a loved one, and count your blessings with total sincerity. Preparation is over. The moment to let it go and be happy starts now. To help set the mood, we offer twenty of the most joyous, uplifting, totally Christmasey of all Christmas songs known to man.......

Power-pop is above all feel-good music, designed to hit all your pleasure centers at once, which makes it a natural fit for Christmas time. Click below for five super-charged riffs to restore your faith in humanity. THE SHITBIRDS - Christmas is a Comin' (May God Bless You) With a name like that you may be expecting sonic assault, but this local troupe, led by elfin chanteuse April March, aims for maximum joy and adorable-ness. &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/Shitbirds......

Need some butt-rock to motivate your ass out the door to finish shopping? Luckily it's not just Satan, Satan, Satan all the time with these guys. TWISTED SISTER - Heavy Metal Christmas (Twelve Days of Christmas) That's quite a swag bag Dee Snider's accumulated by day twelve... twenty-two pairs of spandex pants, thirty studded belts, thirty-six quarts of Jack... but one wonders where he can possibly fit twelve Ozzy tattoos on his body. &righticonhover=0x333232&text=0x333232&slider=0xF2F2F2&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0x838383&soundFile=http://aprodxn.com/laist/10 Heavy......

While I deeply love many different kinds of Christmas music, this is one form that tugs hard at the heartstrings. Soul music is just a perfect vehicle for the kind of unironic SINCERITY that I want from a good Christmas song, that makes their heartwarming messages hit home completely. Here's a few to put your mind at ease. BIG DEE IRWIN & LITTLE EVA - I Wish You A Merry Christmas An oldie but goodie......

Nothing says Merry Christmas like mosh pits, sweaty fans and loud rock music, unless of course it is KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas. Night One, the more "edgy" of the two nights of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas featured performances by rising stars Paramore, legends Bad Religion and chart toppers Linkin Park.......

from all of us at LAist photo by Scott J Lowe......

There's nothing like an over-elaborate Christmas lawn display to get us in the spirit of the season. Unfortunately, it seems that this year there has been some neighborly discord regarding a particular display in Hancock Park. You see, a nice Jewish lady in this nice Jewish neighborhood appears to have more of a sense of humor than her neighbors and, among other things, has erected a large Santa in her yard that asks rhetorically,......

- Beyonce will be holding auditions in LA for background dancers for her new tour at Alley Kat Studio in Hollywood on December 6th and 7th - SOHH - An environmentalist heckler interrupted a speech by the president of GM yesterday and asked him to sign a weird contract to be the fuel economy leader, which is silly because Schwinn is the leader - AP - First E! gave Ryan Seacrest $21 million to......

Just about everyone around here, except our friendly neighborhood Weekend Editor, made the extra long holiday weekend an excuse to get away from the computer. We'll be back to a regular posting schedule tomorrow but for now - the week that was: - Said Weekend Editor spent Thanksgiving in the ER... - ...but somehow still had time to interview Imogen Heap. - We took a look at the case against match.com and revealed our......

As those of you who read this blog weekly know, Tuesday is new release day. Keep reading below for new releases in music, film and TV. CD Beep Beep—Business Casual Junior Brown—Down Home Chrome Jeff Buckley—Grace (remastered 3-disc set with bonus dvd) Clinic—Winchester Cathedral Donovan—Beat Cafe Drive-By Truckers—The Dirty South Dropkick Murphys—Tessie EP Steve Earle—The Revolution Starts Now Endochine—Day Two Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music—Platinum Collection Four Tet—My Angel Rocks Back and Forth (bonus dvd) The......