A 33-year-old white woman from Sherman Oaks, now living in Eugene, Oregon, has made national headlines today as news comes that her memoir was largely fabricated. Last week, Margaret Seltzer who goes by the pen name Margaret B. Jones was featured in the New York Times' Home & Garden section in a fascinating story about her book, "Love and Consequences." One LAist reader explains her fascination about it in an e-mail: more ›

Gearing up for another War on Christmas, combative conservative columnist David Horowitz and the College Republicans are calling out to their hate squad and killing Halloween (not to mention a week of breast cancer awareness month) with what they've dubbed "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week." Ann Coulter, recently listed as charging a $25,000 speaker fee by the Premiere Speakers Bureau (and now "call for fee") will speak in the name of Islamo-Fascism Awareness tomorrow night at USC.... more ›

Despite early expectations that it would top $20 million in its opening weekend, when I was twelve! more ›

After a week of talking tough about his desire to take over the LAUSD, the mayor backed off today. Everyone except the Teacher's Union and the LAUSD itself, it seems, wants something drastic to happen in the leadership and controls of the school district. Voters are in the throw everything at it and see what sticks mode by giving $4 billion for construction of more schools and structures. We got asked to sign some kind of proposition petition yesterday at the grocery store to do something or other for parents to make them feel better about public schools. We overheard one mom ask, "Do you really think this will allow me to take my kids out of private school? I doubt it" before signing on the line in the hopes that something would change for the better. more ›