Shepard Fairey (left) with Dericc Swinfard of Monster Media Inc. Swinfard printed and delivered the super-sized image pro bono. After discovering a massive Shepard Fairey-designed Obama print off Sunset yesterday, we went hunting for the background story, which led straight to the artist himself. The giant billboard (at 1331 W. Sunset) in question marks the location of Fairey's new HQ: Studio Number One with the soon-to-open Subliminal Projects gallery on the first floor. Shepard......

The strip mall is perhaps Enemy Number One on the list of any urban-architecture appreciator: ugly, merely utilitarian, a breeding-ground for chain fast-food joints and Payless shoe stores. it's often mentioned in the same breath as freeways and silicone as tops on the list of Things To Loftily Despise About Los Angeles. The real Los Angeles foodie, however, knows that the magic words "well, it's this place hidden away in a strip mall" most......

- Illegals doing what Americans wont do: 61,000 pot plants spotted in Santa Barbara - CBS2 - North Hollywood man found guilty of 1997 murder of Nigerian soccer player - LA Daily News - Chino woman who was found guilty of murder and served 23 years, released on parole - Daily News - The Zorro Bandit strikes again at a Glendale bank - CBS2 - OC bus strike on its 6th day and going......

Just in time for Halloween, Gothic Beauty magazine (not to be confused with the ever-popular Goth Beaver Hunt magazine) has published the results of the 2006 Dark Cities Survey and reported that Los Angeles is the Number One place in America to be a goth. Huh. Well, not to sound ungrateful for the honor, but if we're to judge by such goth gatherings as Bats Day at Disneyland, we're a little underwhelmed by the......

Every week in Living in Sin, Jen Sincero provides advice for LA's sexually curious. Now you can see her column in print in the LA Alternative Press. Ask Jen your questions: all are posted anonymously. Dear Jen, You spout all kinds of wisdom that's basically begging people to become self-validating. But my question is this: How do you justify offering people validation while you're trying to get them to validate themselves? Isn't all your......

At the risk of enraging "clear" Scientologists across the city, today's LA Times has a long story about Scientology's Number One Celebrity, Tom Criuse, and his wooing by the church's head, David Miscavige. The paper tried to make sense of Scientology's theology in a long 1990 story they've put online to accompany this one. Shrouded in mystery, it involves ancient intergalactic souls called thetans, evil tyrant Xenu, engrams and implants. The more you read,......

That seems to be the question of the day with an area high school losing its accreditation for the first time in 30 years. Martini Republic's LA blog and Mayor Sam's Sister City both want to know how Crenshaw High School has been allowed to get so bad. Crenshaw High's website doesn't have any information about what the school is doing to regain accreditation and LAUSD's Budget Board Meeting tomorrow doesn't appear to have......