It's almost that time of the year — 'tis the season to booze with the Africans mammals and have a dance-off with T-Rex. That's right, the Natural History Museum announced that First Fridays are going to be kicking off again in January. more ›

Arachnophobes beware: Spiders have invaded the Natural History Museum's South Lawn for Spider Pavilion. Free to spin their webs for all to see, arachnids of all kinds - from common orb weavers to jewel garden spiders - will safely be on display for the rest of October. more ›

The Dinos are coming. The Natural History Museum's Dinosaur Hall opens three Saturdays from today on July 16. Make sure Newman is no where nearby and get yourself a ticket before they're all extinct. At the time of this post, the first two entrance times are sold out. Admission is every 15 minutes. more ›

Once again, the Natural History Museum will be opening up its Butterfly Pavilion, where patrons can "wing it" with hundreds of free-flying butterflies in a fun, interactive environment. This is the 13th year the seasonal attraction is operating at the Museum. more ›

First Fridays is back at the Natural History Museum! This past friday, lucky ticket holders were treated to Little Dragon and Sister Crayon as the first bands of the 2011 Nostradamus Edition kickoff.
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The Los Angeles County Natural History Museum took possession this week of a rare, ribbon-like, serpentine fish typically found in deep, tropical waters, that floundered near the shore in Malibu and died. more ›

The new Dinosaur Hall is set to open at the Natural History Museum next summer and it promises to be twice the size of the old dinosaur galleries and rival some of the best dinosaur exhibits in the world. more ›

The Natural History Museum in Exposition Park is known for it collections of dinosaurs and mammals, for its exhibits about history and Native Americans and for interactive opportunities like the Spider Pavilion. In L.A.'s Miracle Mile, the museum operates the famous La Brea Tar Pits.And in the Santa Clarita Valley, they operates silent cowboy film star William S. Hart's former home and ranch. Now another facility is gearing up to open to the public on a limited basis. more ›

There may be no better way to get over your fear of spiders by entering a room full of them. Hundreds of them. And did we mention there were no barriers between you and the arachnids? more ›

This Sunday marks the opening of the newly restored historic 1913 Building at the Natural History Museum. A long time in waiting, the opening of the building, along with three exhibits, is the first to come out in a five-year project that is expected to take the museum to new levels. more ›

LA is home to some of the world's biggest, best, most well-known, and most important museums, as well as some lesser-known gems. The role of museums in providing an informal educational experience for children and adults alike is clear, but it often costs money to go to these museums. And even though the money almost always goes directly back into the museums' operations, if you love museums as much as we do, then you could make a pretty sizable dent in your bank account. more ›

It’s the end of the first week of May, and if you’re a nerd (just admit it) and like good music, then you might’ve considered yourself a hot dog wrapped in bacon the other night at this season’s fifth First Friday at the Natural History Museum. If you haven’t heard, First Fridays are a miraculous transformation in which one of the most prestigious science museums in the world transforms into a rump-bumpin’, hip-happenin’, love-makin’ nightclub. I wouldn’t be surprised if I discovered a secret switch that flips the DJ table from out underground, or maybe that certain elephant tusk you tug on twice to descend a disco ball from the ceiling. more ›

THEATER* The Chalk Repertory Theatre explores the Los Angeles real estate market with the opening of Full Disclosure by Ruth McKee. Performances begin at 8 pm tonight for a four-weekend run. The performances aren't being held in a theater, but rather in a house for sale in the Lake Balboa area of Los Angeles (with additional neighborhoods to be announced). According to Chalk Rep: "Set up as an open house, the audience is invited into... more ›

Natural History Museum officials yesterday revealed plans to expand the facility's programming area by 50 percent with the addition of a 3.5-acre urban wilderness area called North Campus (but that's just a working title). Located mainly between the museum building and Exposition Boulevard, where a Metro Expo Line station will be located, the $30 million plan will bring interactive outdoor exhibits, a new main entrance to the Museum, and a new car park (this is how they explain it: "a nature-filled structure that will feature a canopy of flowering vines and hummingbird and butterfly habitats creating a 'park' like setting instead of a stark concrete parking garage.) more ›

During his speech last night at a fundraiser event for the Democratic National Committee and Senator Barbara Boxer's re-election campaign, President Barack Obama was interrupted several times by shouts from the audience calling for a repeal of the "Don't ask, don't tell policy," according to the Daily News. more ›

Downtown's Main Street isn't actually the city's historic principal thoroughfare, so how did it come to get its name, and which street actually was? Next, imagine heading to a bar called "7 Charity" instead of 7 Grand, and a time when the name Broadway was a moniker selected to evoke "American-ness." more ›

Just in case you missed it over the past four years, that huge 63-foot (that's two school buses long), 7,000 pound fin whale is back on display at the Natural History Museum. Originally acquired in 1926 from a whaling station in Northern California's Humboldt County, this fin whale specimen was continuously exhibited from 1944 through 2006 before it was removed to make way for the retrofit, restoration and renovation of the Museum’s 1913 Building, which is set to re-open in July 2010. more ›

Local indie band (and LAist favorite) Castledoor tweeted yesterday that "No easy way to say this... tomorrow at Spaceland will be the last show for Castledoor as we know it. Spread the word." Once branded in 2008 by Buzz Bands' Kevin Bronson as a "Band to Watch" alongside The Airborne Toxic Event and The Deadly Syndrome, the band self-released a full-length album last year ( in 2008). more ›

The Natural History Museum brought out the big guns for their second installment of 2010's First Friday's series. All musical talent aside, it was like the Pitchfork version of Maxim's Hot 100 List with the beautiful ladies of Warpaint opening for the handsome gents of Yeasayer. An intense amount of excellent genetics in one room upstaged only by key picks from their respective oeuvres. (Speaking of which, you should really grab the latter's Odd Blood if you haven't already. Good stuff.) more ›

With advance tickets selling out two weeks ago and people lined up yesterday before noontime (and in the rain no less!) to buy the remainder, interest in last night's edition of First Fridays at the Natural History Museum, with performances by Warpaint and Yeasayer, was at a near-record pace. It was the most ambitious project yet for Spaceland Productions, who set up a whopping 14 videocameras, four of which were also used for the live webcast via Stickam, and two RED ONEs converted for shooting in 3D. more ›

Below the collections of artifacts from around the world, dinosaur bones and historical displays that make up most of the Natural History Museum is a room full of living things. You can still find bones, rocks and artifacts in the Discovery Center, found tucked in the museum's basement, but it's in this interactive room where living animals make their home. From exotic reptiles to turtles and snakes, it's where the public can learn about, not just animals from around the world, but local wildlife. more ›

You're encouraged to "have a drink with the dinosaurs" at the Natural History Museum's First Fridays showcase, which is a helluva lot more exciting than you'd think. It's not just dioramas and deciphering Latin genus-species information, folks. more ›

Tonight at 7 pm, the Graphic Artists Guild is holding a Los Angeles Area Graphic Artists Meet & Greet at Dinah's Family Restaurant1 near LAX. Graphic artists--whether guild members or not--are welcome to attend. A round of complimentary appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided, but there's food and booze available for purchase, too. more ›

With 2009 and New Year's Day now in our collective memories, Mysty at the female-focused local Internet radio station KGRL provides their list of Top 10 Albums To Watch Out For In 2010. more ›

The Natural History Musuem and Spaceland Productions have once again teamed up to produce a season of First Fridays for the first half of 2010. Although the full line-up of bands has not announced, January and February has been booked: Atlas Sound and the Tune-Yards on January 8th and Yeasayer and Warpaint on February 5th. DJ Them Jeans (aka Jason Stewart) will spin throughout the season. more ›

Last week, the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park continued its monthly First Fridays program with a sold-out show of music by The Phatal DJ and Chico Sonido in the African Mammal Hall and performances by the New Zealand-based The Ruby Suns and Australians Wolfmother in the North American Hall. more ›

The Natural History Museum mixes music and science tonight for its First Friday series. The museum’s celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin all year, and it’s reflected in the tours and discussions. At 5:30 and 6 pm there will be tours of the Vertebrate Paleontology Collections with Dr. John Harris, NHM Chief Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology, followed by “Lucy's Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins” with paleoanthropologist Dr. Donald C. Johanson. The live music kicks off at 7 pm courtesy of Wolfmother and The Ruby Suns and DJs in the African Mammal Hall. Tickets are $9. more ›

The Aero begins a two-night stint featuring the “The Erotic Films of Pier Paolo Pasolini,” and Italian filmmaker, screenwriter, essayist, poet, critic and novelist. He considered himself a Catholic Marxist despite having being kicked out from the Communist Party for being gay. Tonight’s double feature begins at 7:30 pm with The Decameron (1970), which is based on a Giovanni Bocaccio novel. The film’s followed by the way more intense Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975). The film depicts “with cold precision the sexual and psychological atrocities visited on 16 young men and women, held hostage by a group of depraved nobles at the end of WWII.” Due to the graphic sexual nature of these films, no one under 18 will be admitted to the screenings. more ›

The greatest generation not only saved the World from the tyranny of the Nazis, they also helped saved many of the World's most treasured works of art. The Rape of Europa chronicles the stories behind the massive theft of said works by the Third Reich and their subsequent recovery by the Allied Forces. A must see for World War II or art historians. Screening begins at 7 PM at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and best of all, it is free. more ›

Tonight’s the opening night of John Gabriel Borkman, by Henrik Ibsen at CalArts in Valencia, directed by MFA directing candidate Maureen Huskey. The play’s story is still so familar: A turn-of-the-century family tries to forge a new path through the their past failures. “The clash between generations and the tenuous grip of family loyalty provide the backdrop for a beautifully grotesque dance between the forces of death and destruction and the life-giving impulse to move forward.” The play runs at 8 pm through March 14 (except for March 8) at the Walt Disney Modular Theatre at CalArts. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. more ›