L.A.'s homegrown conference, expo, and party for web startups, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists takes tonight and Thursday at the Skirball Cultural Center. Twiistup 8 will feature demos from ten hot startups on the verge of breaking out, panels and sessions geared toward L.A.'s unique media & technology landscape and the Twiistup afterparty. more ›

Huffpo released a roundup of big-city bashes for NYE on the West Coast today with one glaring omission: Los Angeles! Hey Huffy, we're all love for San Francisco, Portland, Tahoe, Santa Barbara, Vegas, San Diego, Napa, Seattle, and Palm Springs but surely you wouldn't discriminate against lovely L.A.? We won't take it personally. We'll just party through the pain. Anyone else thinking about New Year's already? We're still digesting turkey and latkes over here. more ›

Tuesday is opening day at Dodgers Stadium and that means it's party time. 56,000 ticket holders will descend upon Chávez Ravine and, as usual, hundreds more will come out to celebrate in Elysian Park and the Stadium parking lot. more ›

Remember back in December we had posted a story about Three Sheets host Zane Lamprey, the international party connoisseur that filmed his exploits traveling the world, learning about the drinking habits of various cultures? Late last year, fans of the show were distraught when home network Mojo HD went under, leaving Zane and his arsenal of drinking knowledge without a home on cable television. A New Year’s Eve party at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood and a St. Patty’s Day pub crawl in New York were thrown to substantiate Zane’s ever-growing fanbase, and it would appear that they just may have worked. more ›

If there's anything this writer loves more than the release of one of the most anticipated video game sequels of the year, its the fact that one of the finest skratch DJ's around is scheduled to perform the launch party. That being said, Street Fighter IV is a pretty big deal. Celebrating its 20th year as a Capcom franchise, developers went above and beyond to offer fans a completely unique 2d fighting experience for the latest installment. And what better way to launch the game than to rent out the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, set up 100 consoles with the game fully playable, and listen to Q-bert set fire to a couple of turntables? more ›

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There are a lot of events going on tomorrow morning (here's the inauguration schedule in PST) so below are some of the big ones and our picks. You can also find a lot of listings at the Presidential Inauguration Committee website and at MoveOn.org, finds David Markland at MetBlogsLA. Wherever you are, enjoy the moments as you share it with millions of others around the world. Just remember for wherever you are, it all begins around 9 a.m., PST here on the West Coast with festivities beginning at 7 a.m. PST. more ›

On New Year's Eve I found myself in the fortunate position of being invited to two parties. One was being held at the swanky Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, well known playground of the rich and famous. The other had an Old Hollywood theme and was thrown at the ancient Vogue Theater, which is no longer a theater but remains an icon (and is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in Hollywood.) The two soirees were four blocks from each other on Hollywood Blvd, but the price of admission cost ten times more at one than the other. more ›

In what has to be one of the grossest holiday-themed articles published this year on the LA Times (whose online content may or may not be controlled by gnomes) comes the breakdown of bacteria, as it can perhaps be found on the buffet table of your next holiday gathering. more ›

The answer is yes and no for the famed good times at the mansion in Holmby Hills. Yes, as Fox News' Pop Tarts feature says, the economy has had an effect on Playboy too: more ›

ALCOHOL more ›

Harry Potter is a touchy subject these days. The books have been around for so long, that kids who once loved Harry Potter are growing increasingly embarassed by that fact and now distance themselves from the teen magician. Still older kids -- like, say, ADULTS -- have followed every book with a frenzy and will no doubt join in this week's madness as Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows hits stores all over LA. Then there's the whole drama over leaked pages, the perfectly timed movie premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the will Harry die/won't Harry die debates raging on message boards and so on. There's even a crazy woman who has incoroprated the new book into her wedding plans! Ugh - it's all a bit nuts. more ›

OUT TODAY The Little List Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (Universal) -- Vintage sounds, modern frankness, and a smoky songstress who lays out her vices like a sexy Randy Newman (minus the funny). Prepare to have your brain rewired with dead-on 60’s soul and epidemically contagious tunes. The Fratellis - Costello Music [2007] (Cherry Tree) -- If you like bouncy, brit-pop and hanging out in your garage, this should be your record of... more ›

Looking to go to a music festival? Coachella is sold out, so instead, you should mosey out to Austin, Texas (Mar. 14-18) for this music spectacular, which features 1,300 acts from around the world. Walking from venue to venue is like putting your radio tuner on seek -- every style of music is represented. Besides performances, musicians like Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Emmylou Harris, Gilberto Gil, and Booker T. Jones are giving... more ›

Monday Barbara Taylor Bradford discusses and signs The Ravenscar Dynasty, 7pm @ Vroman's Frank Warren of postsecret.com fame speaks, 7pm @ Borders Books in Torrance Tuesday Vendela Vida presents Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, 7pm @ Book Soup Anthony Swofford (award-winning author of Jarhead) presents Exit A: A Novel, 7pm @ Vroman's Patricia Marx signs Him Her Him Again the End of Him, 7pm @ Dutton’s Brentwood Portia Iversen signs Strange Son,... more ›

Jagshemash! more ›