More and more, local governments are making use of social media to keep in touch with their constituents. Now a University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) ranking has taken a closer look at how cities use tools like Facebook and Twitter to apprise the community of what's happening. more ›

TV comedy superstar Michael Ian Black is playing at the Largo tonight - we've included our podcast interview with the man, have a listen and go to his show. --- Zach Woods of "The Office" is doing a web series. --- More news & the TV Junkie Must Watch Plan in the full post. more ›

"Arrested Development" fans rejoice. The cult classic is finally gracing the silver screen come 2012. In case you missed it, Will Arnett confirms claims of the movie's potential production on Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast on July 11. more ›

Local comedians Christine Blackburn and Hannes Phinney are the creators and co-hosts of Story Worthy, a series of podcasts and live story-telling performances that tell the often-hilarious true tales of LA locals. You know, stories about sleeping with yoga teachers, scalping tickets at the Greek Theater, and trouble-shooting old Craftsman plumbing before the rabbi arrives. more ›

Marc Maron's podcast, "WTF with Marc Maron," has become a hugely influential juggernaut that is breaking it's way into broadcast radio and maybe even television. We interview Marc Maron who has brought his many talents (stand-up comedian, writer, interviewer, TV host, broadcaster, musician, cat wrangler) to bear to create the most consistently interesting hour of audio to your ears twice a week from Los Angeles for the last 2 years. more ›

Oh look, another New York transplant is heading out west - at least for a night or two. WNYC’s Radiolab, the popular public radio / podcast storytelling show with a scientific bent, will be at Royce Hall on Wednesday (sold out) and Thursday evening as part of a three-city tour, eventually culminating in Seattle at the end of the month. more ›

The Paley Center for Media has announced some of the lineup for PaleyFest2011. Shows to be highlighted include "The Walking Dead," "True Blood," "Freaks and Geeks"/"Undeclared" Reunion, and "American Idol." --- Read the full post to see our list of DVDs from the Roger Corman Cult Classics, new Channel Zero and Greg Proops podcasts, and the Must-Watch picks of the night. more ›

Last time LAist chatted with Jimmy Pardo, the comedian was never not having fun. He held two excited jobs: hosting the popular podcast Never Not Funny (The Pardcast,) and warming up The Tonight Show's live audience for Conan O’Brien. Now, for Pardo, life is similarly fun but looks a little different. Never Not Funny is still a comedy juggernaut in MP3, though Pardo no longer spends his days at NBC. He's over on the Warner Brothers' lot, again loosening audiences for Mr. O'Brien, now on TBS' "Conan." more ›

Actor Jon Hamm's (Mad Men's Don Draper, obviously) secret has started to slip out over the last few years. The handsome, Emmy-nominated thespian is hilarious. Hamm was a recent guest on Never Not Funny, the highly successful comedy (audio and video) podcast hosted by stand-up Jimmy Pardo (LAist Interview,) and produced by Matt Belkap. The rapid-fire three-way banter reveals that, while Pardo has legendary timing and quickness (to which Belknap is a great compliment,) Hamm's comedy chops are enough to earn him comedic leading-man consideration. more ›

Scott Aukerman is one of the main brains behind Los Angeles’ healthy world of alternative comedy. Comedy Death-Ray, the weekly stand-up show he started with BJ Porter in 2002, sells out the Upright Citizens Brigade Theare every Tuesday. Last year, he started launched Comedy Death-Ray Radio on the post-terrestrial radio Indie 103.1. This podcast features regulars from the live show being hilarious. more ›

Anyone who routinely drives along the battered Santa Monica Blvd. blocks known as ‘Theatre Row’ has undoubtedly noticed there’s a new kid in town: SModCastle. Located in a downstairs corner theater of the always-bustling Complex (a series of small black box theaters squished together just west of Vine), the ‘castle is the new de facto home for all things podcast and Kevin Smith. After the successful 2007 launch of his weekly SModcast, Smith began taking live tapings of the podcast on the road for all to see. Eventually, the travel really started to catch up to Silent Bob, because he decided to bring the shows home to roost in their very own nest - SModCastle. more ›

Of all weeks, this one can be a tough one to get out and see shows. There are *ahem* important issues at hand over the weekend, and lots of kids are getting back into the swing of school and all that jazz. Luckily, there's so many good shows happening all around down you don't need much more motivation to get out and experience some laughter. Jeff Garlin, Kevin Smith, Marc Maron, David Alan Grier, Joe Rogan and a grip of other folks are out getting out to bring you the laughs, so why not complete the circle of life and actually show up. more ›

Despite what you may have read on Wikipedia, Ryen Russillo is not a native of Compton or Inglewood. Russillo can, however, be heard in Compton, Inglewood and throughout the area weekdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on AM 830 KLAA co-hosting "The Scott Van Pelt Show." more ›

It hasn’t taken long for well-known curmudgeon Adam Carolla to embrace his role has the new podcast king. Within months of losing his cushy CBS Radio job, Carolla had the most-downloaded podcast on iTunes, and vowed to keep content flowing fast and free. And while that model has continued to exist in some form, the year anniversary of the Adam Carolla Podcast brought with it a few changes, including the always popular ‘freemium’ option (where a small minority buy into enhanced content, and thus support the whole), and an expansion of the live podcast tapings that started up at comedy clubs around town. Now those shows make up a sizable portion of what Carolla does with his time; taking live shows on the road, wherever there’s demand. And with millions of downloads behind him, there’s always demand. more ›

Jordan, Jesse, GO! can be consistently found in iTunes' Top 50 Comedy Podcasts, year end lists, and on my stereo. more ›

Those who over the years that have diligently kept their podcast subscription current with KCRW since they launched the free downloadable Today's Top Tune have built quite the arsenal of good music. It started with Alexi Murdoch in April 2006 and has brought us Lilly Allen, Justice, Fleet Foxes and a lot more that we've enjoyed. Today, in celebration of their 1,000 free tune giveaway, Spoon's “Something to Look Forward To" is available for download. Cold War Kids’ singer Nathan Willett's solo version of “Cryptomnesia” will be featured on Wednesday and Thursday will see a song by Jose James. more ›

The Adam Carolla Podcast has recently turned mobile. Last month, in Orange County, Carolla sold out multiple shows featuring his own stand-up, and chats with hilarious guests like Greg Fitzsimmons, Whitney Cummings and Aisha Tyler. The show will be on the road for the month of February... well, a few roads: The 5, The 101 and The 10. more ›

Marc Maron, comedian and host of the popular podcast, "WTF With Marc Maron," offers up what he calls: "The REAL Baby Jesus Story." It involves the La Brea Tar Pits and a lot of dinosaur ass-kicking. Merry Christmas, all. more ›

Comedian Jimmy Pardo's (LAist Interview) popular and hilarious podcast, Never Not Funny, hosts its first ever all-night webcast telethon tonight (Pardcast-a-thon) from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. This all-nighter is a fundraiser to benefit The Smile Train, a charity focused on repairing the cleft lip and palates of afflicted children in developing nations. more ›

Pardo’s Monday-through-Friday gig is “The Tonight Show”'s warm-up comedian, where he cracks up the studio audience before Conan O’Brien does more of the same. He’s also one of the few financially successful podcasters, hosting the award-winning weekly show, “Never Not Funny” (”The Pardcast,”) alongside co-host Matt Belknap. more ›

Colored lights flared and strobes flashed. Dozens of exotic dancers gyrated and jiggled as music suited for getting undressed pulsed through Las Vegas’ Spearmint Rhino. Thirty year-old Bryan Bishop, or “Bald Bryan” as he’s known to listeners of The Adam Carolla Show, and now The Adam Carolla Podcast, opened a tiny plastic baggy and slushed back a pill with his ice-cold vodka and Red Bull. A glittery stripper expressed her curiosity for what she assumed was Bishop kicking his Bachelor Party revelry up a notch. more ›

Even the occasional Adam Carolla listener -- whether during his decade on KROQ's Loveline, mornings via KLSX's The Adam Carolla Show, or digitally on his iTunes-topping The Adam Carolla Podcast -- knows the Ace Man has a great much to say about his formative years in North Hollywood. This 2007 rant (part of Zocalo's Public Square lecture series) is no different. (Zocalo hosts the full chat: How to be a Genius Without Even Trying: A Conversation with Adam Carolla.) more ›

KCRW today officially launched three iPhone apps connecting listeners with live streams, calendars, videos and archived shows. Each cost 99-cents, which "will help offset costs for future iterations of this app and future apps," says a station spokesperson. more ›

As podcasts go, more often than not there are the kings of the ring, and everyone else is sitting on the sidelines. It’s sort of like the presidency: technically anyone can run for office, but historically old white dudes have passed the torch from one wrinkly hand to another. But every once in a while, there are wonderful examples of podcasts, and presidents, rising from the ground up to really do something spectacular. Barack Obama is one of these. The SuperEgo podcast is another. more ›

Here in Los Angeles, the non profit charged with conserving most of Catalina Island's 76 square miles is not exactly one you hear about every day. But who knew that the Catalina Island Conservancy has been producing a daily environmental podcast for over three years now that is broadcast on over 225 radio stations across the country? They're short and sweet, fact checked by two scientists and speak to the group's larger mission of the environement--after all, as they say, we are all on an island. more ›

Gone from KLSX 97.1 FM, Adam Carolla has taken to the Internet. The North Hollywood-native’s first podcast was released today. It spanned a commercial-free 37 minutes. This begins Carolla's promised Monday - Friday daily podcast. more ›

There’s a screening of Sam Fuller’s The Crimson Kimono tonight at 8 pm in Ramo Auditorium. Here’s the premise: “A pair of LAPD detectives, a murdered stripper, and a love triangle—the quintessential mid-century L.A. story. The twist in director Sam Fuller's largely unseen gem are its interracial relationships and Little Tokyo setting.” A panel discussion, hosted by Larry Mantle of KPCC FM, will features Lon Kurashige, Associate Professor of History, American Studies, and Ethnicity, University of Southern California; Henry Sheehan, Film Critic; James Shigeta, actor from The Crimson Kimono.. more ›

Los Angeles is filled with hardworking comedians; they’re practically bussed in from Milwaukee or St. Louis or Tampa or wherever funny comes from. For long-time writer/actor/comedian Jason Nash, it took years to discover that maybe the comedy can come from your own basement. With the continued success of his long-running podcast Guys With Feelings, Nash uses his own basement to talk about familial frustrations, life in (and outside of) ‘the biz’, and any interesting tidbits his hilarious comic friends can think up. more ›

We caught up with Mahalo Daily host/producer Veronica Belmont at Community Next over the weekend to discuss her daily (weekdays) video podcast for Santa Monica-based Mahalo. more ›

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