He can't run for Governor again, and his Austrian birth means the Presidency is out of the question, but Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters in Europe yesterday that he won't be vying for votes once his term is up in 2010, according to an Associated Press report. While traveling in Milan, the actor-turned-Governator said "I have never labeled myself as a politician, so I am not going to run for anything else." more ›

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In the wake of the big Fidel Castro seemingly-non-news of him stepping down as president (meanwhile the US recently bombed Pakistan without notice or permission), it's interesting to look back at the impact of the man on Los Angeles. The divide between those who wanted to work with Castro's Cuban government and those who vehemently opposed it led to violence -- eleven such terrorism incidents occurred in the Los Angeles area alone according to Cuban Information Archives, a site dedicated to "source materials pertaining to Cuban Exile activities as they pertain to their struggle to wrestle Cuba from Fidel Castro." more ›

The eighth grade student who was shot by a classmate at Oxnard's Green Junior High School on Tuesday died in hospital Wednesday. more ›

I'm one of those paranoid, overly dramatic people who convince themselves that the entire world is out to get them. A lot of my paranoid delusions revolve around driving, of course: that dude slowed down just to piss me off! Every time I change lanes traffic gets worse! (Also known as the "Office Space" rule.) These lights are timed badly just to slow me down! more ›

He goes by the name 'frazgo' and he had an encounter with a Monrovia Public Information Officer that left a sour taste in his mouth. In a post on blogging.la, he ventures into that new media gray area that still is fuzzy... is a blogger considered media?

I attended the city press conference regarding the gang warfare here. The city Principal Information Officer was giving transcripts of the mayors speech. Several of us asked for a copy and he replied "it is for media only". I said, that's fine "I am the media, I am frazgo at blogging.la and I happen to live here". He said" I am familiar with your work, you are not media you do not get one" He turned around and walked away from me I said, "oh, can I quote you on that?". He stopped for a second and then walked on. [blogging.la]

Perhaps one of the finest Super Bowl commercials of all time, Terry Tate: Office Linebacker was actually more of a short film that ran, in part, during the Super Bowl. more ›

Attention comics, those who think they are comics, or those whose friends said they were "comedians" - here's your chance: this TUESDAY, January 29th, NBC's Last Comic Standing is having an all-day open casting call at the Hollywood Improv on Melrose starting at 9:00AM to show off their best 2 minutes of comedy. "Comics" who qualify and are 18+ (are they gonna strip?) are asked to come back Tuesday night to perform in front of an audience and TV cameras. Guest talent scouts will be Angela Kinsey ("Angela") and Oscar Nunez ("Oscar") from "The Office". Also on hand, all day, will be show host, comedian, and comedy impresario, Bill Bellamy, who will be working the line of contenders, doing spot interviews, watching auditions, and emceeing the first night. Full audition details are available HERE more ›

Today, Councilman Eric Garcetti delivered the annual State of Hollwood address at an event organized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. He dedicated the address to Johnny Grant, who passed away earlier this month, and spoke about what makes a great neighborhood, at-risk youth tragedies and all that has been great and to be great for Hollywood. Here are excerpts from the address (please excuse the capitalization):

TO DATE, THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES HAS USED $700 MILLION IN PUBLIC MONEY TO ATTRACT $5.5 BILLION DOLLARS IN PRIVATE INVESTMENT. more ›

With exactly three weeks to go until the Tuesday of Destiny, John Edwards will stop by Los Angeles tomorrow. Though he has to stand on 37 crates to equal Sen. Hillary Clinton's footing in California, according to the latest L.A. Times/CNN/Politico California poll, John Edwards will visit the city to stump for votes and reinforce his standing as a man of the people. more ›

And who said culture doesn’t exist in Los Angeles? Check out these events for a little learning, a little entertainment – or both. more ›

Starting a business in Los Angeles is what thousands of people do. In fact, in the City alone there are over 300,000 registered business, which means their is one business for every 13 residents (no matter their age). Starting a business is the realization of a dream for many, and can be lifechanging. But how do you start? more ›

Here is a self-portrait of Watt braving the frigid January waters off of San Pedro in the 37th annual Cabrillo Beach Polar Bears Plunge on New Year's day. more ›

Happy New Year from LAist and your brand new Food Editor! I've arrived home refreshed from a fantastic vacation in the Philly/New Jersey area, and now I'm revved up and ready for the New Food Year. It was difficult to leave Philadelphia and its fabulous dining options behind (cheesesteaks are only the tip of the iceberg), but nothing beats Los Angeles for its range of offerings. Here's my wish list for places to go, ingredients to cook, and meals to eat in 2008. What's tops on your list of must-eat destinations and recipes this year? more ›

You Me and Iowa more ›

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Photo by ellwoodite via LAist Featured Photos Flickr Pool more ›

Sorry I missed y'all yesterday but we're back. With just a few days before Xmas you may still have a hankering for your own personal favorite holiday shows and movies. LocateTV which is still in its Beta might be able to help you - just go to the site and type in your flick or program and it will hunt it down for you whether it be on TV, DVD, or online. Next week watch for a rant from me about this season's poor offerings. In a way, it's a good thing that there's been a hiatus in writing and producing new content, perhaps the networks have had more time to think about what they put on the TV for us to consume. more ›

Now of course, it's important to remember that you might get these shows on DVD, and DVD residuals are an issue of debate in the strike, so you might not feel comfortable renting them. If that's the case, I'd recommend watching Clark and Michael on loop. For everyone else, it's Canceled TV Disco Party Island after the jump! more ›

So most of the shows are either about to run out or have run out of new episodes (raise your hand if you're sad that there wasn't an Office Christmas show this year!) What will you do instead? I could suggest that you knit quilts for poor children, invent a plausible substitute for gasoline, start that novel you've been thinking about. But you're not going to do that. You're going to watch tv. So let's talk about what you can do to not get caught up in the increasingly noxious diet of reruns and reality tv. more ›

Say, what's that in your mailbox? Is it perhaps an invitation to the company's holiday party? It is? Are you worried about making a good impression? Or the inevitability of making a bad impression? more ›

Dear PBS, eff you and your dumbass Doo-Wop shite - I'm sick of it! Grasping at straws here, no decent movies on tonight either, frickin' TCM has Show Boat (again) and IFC has Sid and Nancy (again). more ›

"Big Fish" - Jesca Hoop more ›

If you want to laugh non-stop for an hour and a half, then go see Bob's Holiday Office Party at The Lounge Theatre in Hollywood. This slapstick Holiday play is hilariously fucked up and the riot that is the party at Bob's will leave you smiling like no other. The whole audience is LOLOLOLOLOLOLROFLOLOLOLOL the whole time -- pure insanity. Every year in a small Iowa town, insurance agent Bob Finhead throws an office party... more ›

Remember when Charlie Brown had a bad case of S.A.D. and after he gave Lucy a nickle, she tells him that he needs more "involvement." Then they put on a nativity play and well, you know the rest. It's December and Los Angeles is rife with holiday plays and musicals. Just because you're too old to land the starring role in the Christmas pageant, or don't happen to have kids who are performing in one, don't think you get to skip your seasonal dose of fabricated sentiment. Afterall, when it's 80 degrees outside, we Angelinos can use all the holiday cheer (or parodies there of) we can possibly stand. more ›

Simon Pastucha is the kind of city government employee Los Angeles needs more of. Why? He walks the talk and the Daily News tagged along for a day of his car-free, public transportation life. The Pasadena resident is an urban designer and planner at the Urban Design Studio, a two-person office charged with making the city a more community oriented, walkable and people friendly one. With his salary, Pastucha used to lease a Mercedes... more ›

Remember back in the mid 90s or so, when MTV used to play videos? Think hard. Okay, and then there was this period where, right before they cut to a commercial, there was a clip of a Sinatra wannabe singing the song you just saw a video for? Like a snazzy rendition of "Kharma Police" or something of the sort. (Okay, that would've been late 90s. Whatever.) Well, that dude is "Rudy Casoni", a character... more ›

Since 2001, about 230 people have died in the U.S. after being shocked with a Taser. One of the most recent incidents was in an unincorporated part of South LA last Friday night when a 32-year-old man died after being shocked twice by LA County Sheriffs. Apparently, Cesar Silver was under drugs or alcohol and fought and struggled with five sheriffs before the Taser gun was brought out. "Eyewitnesses indicated there was a real struggle.... more ›

• Need for food donations is increasing, while food available for those in need is on a downturn. The good folks over at SOVA in the Valley are scrambling to provide for hungry families this holiday season; rising energy and food costs are partly to blame.
• So why do I still see people checking the coin slots for loose change? AT&T is selling off their pay phones to "independent" operators; will the machines be kept in working order or will they devolve into so many graffiti magnets?
• Downtown L.A. is welcoming its first new movie theater in twenty years this week, the ImaginAsian Center -- but will its location, right next to punk club The Smell, prove problematic?
• Maybe it fell over because it had too many jello shots last night: an overturned crane blocked off the southbound lanes of the 5 freeway near Mission Hills this morning -- traffic is being diverted but the freeway has yet to be reopened.
• Gridskipper rounds up some of the worst parking lots in Los Angeles: thumbs up on recognizing the horrors of The Grove and the Hollywood Bowl but nothing deserves to be on this list more than that god damned Trader Joe's Santa Monica lot. Worst. Ever.
• I'm sorry, but men can be such useless, vile idiots sometimes: "Two males were arrested in connection with last month's stabbing death of a 19-year-old man in a case police said started when one person disrespected another." [Emphasis mine.]
• Tickets for Garth Brooks's series of concerts benefiting victims of the recent California fires sold out in less than an hour -- 85,000 tickets at $50-75 a pop, with all proceeds going to charity? Not bad, Garth, not bad!
• IWantMedia's media person of the year? Striking Writers!!!
• How's our man Rex over at Fimoculous.com doing with his 2007 predictions? "6) Jim chooses Pam on The Office. Yes! Score: 10 7) Studio 60 catches on. No! Score: 0"