Last night the stars of Beverly Hills from the culinary world and entertainment aligned at the kick-off event for the four-day Taste of Beverly Hills, presented by Food & Wine. In a tented, tabled, sparkly-lit epicurean village erected adjacent to the Beverly Hilton, the first of a series of mega-watt food-focused events set the tone for the inaugural festival and honored the community in which it's set. more ›

Many people in Los Angeles consider a trip downtown as practical as visiting the moon, which may explain why it was never a big deal to Buzz Aldrin. "I used to come down to the Midnight Mission, I had a lot of friends working there," recalled the astronaut. Another charitable cause brought him back on Monday night, a fundraiser gala that generated over $300,000 for Virgin Unite and the Eve Branson Foundation. The charitable arm of Sir Richard Branson's empire supports social and environmental causes, including health care in rural parts of Africa. more ›

From dance schools to singing lessons, shopping at trendy boutiques, and watching loads of teen stars strut their stuff, Southern California tweens have loads of opportunities to feel like a pop star. To get the full experience, Los Angeles based company Electronic Arts has created a virtual pop star training ground for the Wii. Boogie SuperStar hit stores this week. more ›

And I was forced to rob the bank because LA has no money growing on trees. Dumb Natasha Bedingfield:Don't blame Lindsay Lohan for her latest drunken-driving arrest. British pop starlet Natasha Bedingfield says Linds was forced behind the wheel of that Denali because "L.A. has no public transport system." Well, aside from a thousand or so buses. But it's hard to chase down your assistant in one of those [Rush & Molloy - NY Daily... more ›

LAist is proud to offer a weekly, chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Billboard Charts... more ›

c l i c k__f o r__ v i d e o Another day, another do-wop. Beyonce continues to dominate, so this week I’ve gone ahead and given her a category of her own. Below, are the number ones for the week. Billboard Charts Issue Date: January 20, 2007 No. 1 - Beyonce The Billboard 200 - Dreamgirls:Soundtrack The Billboard Hot 100 - Irreplaceable:Beyonce Hot 100 Airplay - Irreplaceable:Beyonce Hot Digital Tracks - Irreplaceable... more ›

So if you don't feel like driving that hour+ to some party in the Valley, or to some party anywhere in Los Angeles, you can always turn on the TV. There's nothing like watching the 3-hour tape-delayed disco ball drop to reaffirm your existence. Tomorrow - Sunday - New Years Eve "Twilight Zone Marathon" (SciFi, ALL DAY) "Seinfeld Marathon" (TBS, ALL DAY) "Marx Brothers Marathon" (TCM, starting at 5:15 p.m.) (other marathons include "Ace... more ›

With all the hoopla surrounding this weekend’s Coachella Festival, LAist almost forgot to mention another upcoming music fest: 102.7 KIIS-FM’s Wango Tango on Sat., May 6 at the IrvineVerizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Now, we usually laugh at the lineup – think Hilary Duff and Jessica Simpson – but when we checked out this year’s schedule, we were kinda impressed. more ›