I discovered this street art on 8th, just west of Grand in downtown LA last week. But where is the chair? It looks like Brooklyn chalk artist Ellis Gallagher has decided to grace Los Angeles with his presence and art. His cryptic signature, "© Ellis G. 2007" seems to be barely decipherable on the other side of the parking meter, along with "NYC". Well-known artist Michael Neff has identified it for me as an authentic......

I think reasonable people would agree that Deadwood was one of the best shows on television over the last few years. It never got the pub that The Sopranos did, but I know which show I was more excited to see (Tony Soprano's lucky he never had to face Al Swearengen). And while John from Cincinnati was confusing as hell sometimes (okay, most of the time), I still tuned in for every episode. Anyway,......

Hey, even though there might not be much newly written TV on tonight (that's worth watching) tomorrow you are cordially invited to see acclaimed TV show creator and writer David Milch (creator of Deadwood, NYPD Blue) host: "The Idea of the Writer: A Writing Discussion with David Milch" tomorrow from 2:15-4:00pm at the WGA Theater at 135 S. Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills. This event is FREE and all are welcome on a first come,......

The cold weather - and holiday festivities - descended upon Gothamist. The Rockefeller Christmas tree was lit, Broadway stagehand finally ended their strike, and NASCAR decided to run their victory lap through Times Square. There were disturbing photographs revealing the working conditions in which many city manholes are produced and ninjas were also a hot topic, either robbing homes or entering into alibis. But the city was really rocked by how Rudy Giuliani's visits......

The state says the Mayor should get an automatic $8,283 salary increase retroactive to July 1. The mayor says not so fast: “With the City of Los Angeles facing a tough budget year, I do not believe now is the time for me to accept an automatic and retroactive pay raise. Being Mayor of Los Angeles is reward enough, and I’m committed to working twenty-four-seven to protect essential services.” (via a press release) The......

Waiting on hold just got a lot better. Forbes ranks L.A. as one of the "top 10 cities for foodies." A highway overpass under construction near Oroville, CA, collapsed this morning, burying a delivery truck and seriously injuring at least one man. The J. Paul Getty Museum has resumed talks with the Italian government over disputed antiquities after an eight-month deadlock. City officials want a new system to estimate traffic that would be based......

Tonight - Friday - January 26th, 2007 Paris (the City) Marathon - Paris, When It Sizzles / An American In Paris / To Paris, With Love (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) A mental vacation for you. Winter X Games (ESPN, 6:30 p.m.) Skiing, men's Superpipe final, Snowmobile SnoCross Women's Final - the Australian Open (ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.) It's Sharapova vs Serena Kings @ Canucks (PRIME, 7:00 p.m.) Charlie Rose (PBS, 11:30 p.m.) Oscar nominees Dame Helen......

Props to Jack 93.1 FM for their dedication today on the radio. During their "Playing What We Want Lunch Hour" (not to be confused with their "Playing What We Want AM Drive Time," "Playing What We Want PM Drive Time," "Playing What We Want Late Night," and "Playing What We Want Weekends"), they aired a clip from a caller asking that they break station policy and play a dedication in honor of the firemen......

LAist is traveling around the country trying to find out the secret to life, the universe, and everything. Currently we're just about finished with five days in New York City. We sorta wished someone would have told us about this crazy town, you know, written a book about it, filmed a movie here or something, cuz the place is In-Sane. We had fun eating the various foods found from all over the world, we've......

On CSI: Miami, David Caruso plays Lt. Horatio “cool-as-a-cucumber” Caine, or “H” for short. Early NYPD Blue fans will remember Caruso as Andy Sipowicz’s first partner – and the guy who left the show in order to have a “movie career.” But that didn’t quite happen. So now he’s back on TV leading the procedural crime drama ensemble (filmed in Manhattan Beach) -- which is great for those of us who want to entertain......

LAist loves to watch television and also loves museums, which is perhaps why we love the Museum of Television and Radio so very much. This week the MTR kicks off its William S. Paley Television Festival here in LA, with two weeks worth of boob tube programming on the big screen, with the not-available-at-home bonus of stellar in-person guest appearances and moderated panel discussions. The Festival starts off with a bang with a night of......

You never know when you're going to run into someone whose life is all things Entertainment, so why not use LAist to keep you in the loop on a variety of high-watermark happenings. Opening this weekend, the Sam Raimi (of Spiderman 1 & 2 fame) produced, and Lucy Lawlesss co-starred whack-a-mole horror flick, Boogeyman. Telling the story of a young man traumatized by memories of terrible events he experienced in his childhood bedroom --......

It's that time of year again. The Museum of TV and Radio has announced their lineup for the 2005 William S. Paley Television Festival, with event panels being organized for NYPD Blue, In Living Color, Adult Swim, Law & Order, Desperate Housewives, Jack & Bobby, The L Word, Lost, Veronica Mars, Boston Legal, Deadwood, and An Evening with Michael Palin. LAist highly recommends buying tickets to an evening for one of your favorite shows,......

BoiFromTroy weighs in disapprovingly on a county ballot measure to levy the sales tax in an effort to raise funds for the Sheriff's Department and municipal governments. The Boi approvingly cites a Daily News editorial that complains about County staff perks in relation to this issue - as if free downtown parking consists of anything more than a drop in the bucket when it comes to what it takes to police Los Angeles County. Republicans......

Why can't we get more funny and sharp long-form commentary on city politics? That's exactly what Marc Haefele provides in the latest L.A. Alternative Press with his essay on recent media flame-ups and Mayor Hahn's reelection. Some of these lines had LAist howling: So why did Bill Bratton meet with the Reverend? Probably for the same reason New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly would meet with former L.A. City Councilman Nate Holden whenever the......