"Human activity" is what the LA Times is reporting is the cause of the fires. That's arson if it wasn't an accident. The most destructive fire in Malibu in nearly 15 years raced through parched canyons Saturday, consuming 49 homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. The so-called Corral fire burned 4,700 acres before the fierce Santa Ana winds died down, allowing firefighters to make a stand. By evening, the blaze, which......

Fires raged across Southern California for the second day in a row. Helicopters joined the effort as did a Boeing 747, according to NBC TV. Also, 250,000 San Diegans were told to evacuate their homes. LAist is on top of recent developments. Fires in the region always make me think of when NBC newscaster Chuck Henry reported on the forest fires in 2003. His news van caught on fire and he and his crew had......

I’m a huge Chicago Bears fan, and my friends saw the terrible pain I was in watching the Superbowl this year. After that loss it pained to me to make the prediction that the Bears would be in a lot of trouble this season. The fact that it has come true makes me feel like I’m passing a kidney stone. Just like Grady Little was obstinate in keeping Nomar Garciaparra at first base this......

I know our city hasn’t had an NFL team in over a decade, but that doesn’t mean the NFL is dead in this city. Since most of us Angelinos come from other parts of the country, we still hold on to our hometown football teams. Even though I grew up in Baton Rouge, LA until I was eight, I am a huge Chicago Bears fan. My first recollection of football was Superbowl XX which......

Hand it to Todd Marinovich to get chased by an OC cop for skateboarding and later arrested when the officer "discovered a small amount of methamphetamine, a metal spoon and a hypodermic needle" on the former number one draft choice's person. And leave it to the former QB to also get tagged for resisting arrest, proving that old #13 still crumbles when blitzed. This is the sixth time the USC Trojan, who led his team......

Lest we forget. 13 reasons to love the season. PRIDE. TRADITION. UCLA. Bruin football has started practicing for the coming season this week. The opener will be at Stanford on September 1st, just four weeks away (FSN). The first at-home game will be against BYU on September 8th. The Bruins clock in as the most experienced team in the PAC-10 (25 seniors) including 10 returning starters. Bruin defense was shown to be a powerhouse......

I'm not impressed by Beckhamania. Sure, I'm excited about David Beckham's arrival. He's a world class icon coming to compete in our backyard. I planned my Saturday around his first match in a Galaxy uniform, despite the fact that it's just a friendly in an obscure tournament during the MLS All Star break. I embedded a semi-regular "Beckham Watch" in our "LAst Night's Action" segments and I've posted highlight videos of his greatest plays. Beckham......

- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls the Scooter Libby commutation "a betrayal of trust of the American people" - The Gavel - "Bush is to Libby as Baca is to Paris Hilton", says AnnieH - LA Times - Three Dodgers (Saito, Martin, Penny) make the NL All-Star Team - Daily News - Even the most generous forgiving man must admit that 3.21 inches is seriously lacking - LA Times - Unrelated, even scheduled Rain......

Here at LAist we faced a tough decision last year - to cover the Raiders or not cover the Raiders. With no football team, LA is in a rough situation. We pretend like it doesn't bother us and perhaps it doesn't bother some of us, but you know what, if it doesn't bother you then there's something wrong with you. So we were either going to cover the Oakland Raiders or the Chicago Bears......

This was supposed to just be a reminder to sign up for the Super Bowl contest before kickoff, but I may as well tell you how I came to my prediction of Bears 41, Colts 16 with Devin Hester running for 170 yards. Let it be known that I am not a psychic or a medium or seer or anything, I'm just a mild mannered American man who watches way too much football and......

Lakers 108, Warriors 103 - The Lakers kicked off a slow week in local sports (only five pro games in total) by pulling out a win against the Golden State Warriors. Los Angeles had lost two in a row, but hasn't dropped three consecutive games all season. LAist was in attendance and watched the Lakers once again play to the level of their opponent. While the Warriors are better off since a massive eight player......

Flames 3, Ducks 2 - It's safe to say the Ducks didn't waddle into the All-Star break. They fell flat on their bill. After loosing five in a row and 9 of 11, it's a miracle that they still lead the division. While they had one of the greatest season starts in NHL history, their goose was cooked by a string of key injuries. Against Calgary, they quickly fell behind and were trailing 3-0......

Tonight - Friday "NBA Basketball" (PRIME, 5:00 p.m.) Clippers @ Spurs "NBA Basketball" (Fox Sports, 7:30 p.m.) Hawks @ Lakers "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (CBS, 8:00 p.m.) Yup, the original, with Burl Ives -- come on misfits, tune in! "Primetime" (ABC, 9:00 p.m.) Diane Sawyer visits North Korea "Battlestar Galactica" (Sci Fi, 9:00 p.m.) New episode! "Charlie Rose" (PBS, 11:30 p.m.): journalist John F. Burns, Stephen Colbert(!!), billionaire Anthony O'Reilly "The Tonight Show With......

- The always outrageous kids at T-Shirt Hell have done it again, this time featuring KKKramer - T-Shirt Hell - Black leaders ask comedians to stop saying "nigger". Richard Pryor laughing in his grave - LA Times - CBS2 shows the Tustin apartment complex and front door of the OC high school teacher accused of blowing her student - CBS2 - Bush appoints extremist pro-lifer to head federal family planning office - LAT -......

Weekend Edition Friday - Today "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (TCM, 5:00 p.m.) An evening of stop-action animation starts with this one followed by "Jason and the Argonauts" and "Mysterious Island" "NHL Hockey" (5:30 p.m.) Kings @ Stars "NBA Basketball" (KCAL, 6:00 p.m.) Lakers @ Jazz "College Football" (ESPN2, 6:00 p.m.) Fresno State @ Louisiana Tech "College Basketball" (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) Long Beach State @ USC "Ghost Whisperer/Close To Home/NUMB3RS" (CBS, 8-11:00 p.m.) All......

"Monday Night Football" (ESPN, 5:30 p.m.) (the former LA) Raiders @ Seattle "NHL Hockey" (Fox Sports, 7:00 p.m.) Penguins @ Ducks "NBA Basketball" (PRIME, 7:30 p.m.) Trail Blazers @ Clippers "Deal or No Deal" (NBC, 8:00 p.m.) I don't care how many girls they got in this show, how could you possibly watch it for an hour? "American Experience" (PBS, 9:00 p.m.) Finally one about California - the Gold Rush starts in 1848 when......

Kobe Bryant, William A. Macy - Live w/Regis & Kelly, 9am (ABC)* Ludacris Live - 3:30p (E!) Food City 250, Nascar - 4:45p (TNT) The Hill - 6:30p (Sundance) Raiders vs Detroit Lions - 7pm (KCAL) Max Cleland, Christopher Hitchens - Real Time, 8pm (HBO) Kyle XY - 9pm (ABC) Katrina, Where Things Stand - 20/20, 10pm (ABC) Sarah Silverman, Cheech, Mobb Deep - Last Call, 1:36a (NBC) * * rerun photo by the......

LAist isn't sure how we feel about Laguna Beach. No, no, not the show, we love the show, the city is what we're unsure about. Typically we like to keep our 714-shit behind the orange curtain. But then we thought, maybe we're being too rough on our less-fortunate neighbors to the south. They can't help it that they live down there in those big houses near the beach, thinking that the Offspring is "rad"......

This round up is in honor of the Raiders, who are playing a pre-season game against the Minnesota Vikings tonight at 5pm on Monday Night Football on ESPN; the game marks Randy Moss's first return to the Twin Cities. LA Observed lets us know that the times they are a-changing. The L.A. Times will no longer provide the TV Times to Sunday subscribers unless they call and ask for it. The rise of TiVo......

If you're gonna see a movie in this town, there really is no better place to do that than at Mann's Chinese Theater. They've had a digital projection system for awhile now, the sound is great, and the experience is just incomparable. Now we know people will wave their Arclights and their The Bridges in our face, but to them we say, "Bite us." Last night we caught a sold out showing of SUPERMAN,......

Gothamist posts on the capture of a NYC perv thanks to Little Brother and a camera phone. They also scour the city for vodka martinis and Shamrock shakes and spot the friend from the Wonder Years at a city law firm. New York police think that Littlejohn is their man. Houstonist is no stranger to megachurches or stripmalls or mega-strip-churchmalls. The children of Houston are under assault by unknown forces as this week a playground......

The NFL season begins tonight in Los Angeles... well sort of. To kickoff the Raiders and Patriots, the NFL will have concerts at the Coliseum (site of Super Bowl I), Detroit (site of this year's Super Bowl XL), and Foxborough (where tonight's game will take place). Kanye West will headline the Coliseum concert, and props to the NFL for not giving into pressure and yanking him because he expressed an opinion. While discussion continues......

We'll save you all the shnizzle speak, but our favorite Dogg - Snoop - has set up "A Very Special Night with Snoop Dogg, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Friends in Concert." Scheduled for August 25 at the Greek Theatre, all proceeds from the concert will benefit the Snoop Youth Football League, created for kids who might otherwise not have access to organized sports. The young playahs must keep up their grade to......

If you're like me, and you love both NFL Football and the city of Los Angeles, the last decade has been tough. Without a team to root for (I go for the nearby Chargers as a temporary fan), LA football fans have simply been longing for the next team to waltz through our doors. Based on reports from last week's NFL owners meetings, it looks like we'll have to wait longer. The NFL is......

The New Orleans Saints may be on the move, and Los Angeles might be their destination. The Saints, of course, have used LA for leverage in the past, and the franchise might be using us again. But this time, Saints owner Tom Benson has also suggested San Antonio and Albuquerque as possible relocation sites. LAists thinks that's garbage. If the Saints are moving anywhere, it's to Los Angeles, even if Tom Benson has ties......

Well, UCLA, it was fun while it lasted. But the 2004-05 came to a non-descript end last night as Bobby Knight's Red Raiders out-muscled the Bruins 78-66. While Dijon Thompson had a decent senior game, UCLA clearly needed a better performance from Jordan Farmar who was constantly frustrated and finished with a measley 3 points on 1-9 shooting. Still, LAist is actually optimistic about the Bruins future. Washington may see an exodus of their......

The NCAA Tournament brackets were just revealed, and it's fair to say UCLA got screwed. While the Pac-10 was complimented with Washington getting a number-one seed, giving UCLA an 11th seed is downright insulting. How is the 4th place team in the Pac-10 seeded 11th? How is UCLA worse than Creighton, Iowa, or St. Mary's? To make matters worse for the Bruins, they now have to play a Texas Tech team that probably should......

Here in Los Angeles, they say you should write about what you know. Which gets us to thinking about the whole Raiders of the Lost Ark scenario where a movie presents a classic sequence involving a dirty, unshaven college professor who is running for his life as an unwieldy boulder chases after him, threatening to end his life once and for all. And that, of course, makes us think about the Topanga Canyon folks......