SoCal Starbucks fiends will soon be able to get a different kind of buzz from the coffee giant. While the company already offers beer and wine at some of its stores in the Pacific Northwest, Starbucks announced today that a handful of Southland locations will serve said alcoholic beverages by the end of 2012. more ›

Jon Hamm aka Don Draper aka Dr. Drew Baird is available for a date ......for charity. Paul Rudd, Kevin Smith, Nathan Fillion, Patrick Duffy, David Schwimmer, Julianna Margulies and others are also available for dates so take your checkbook to the Adrienne Shelley Foundation website who is auctioning off these wonderful people on eBay. more ›

Nielsen says that President Obama's latest press conference slipped in the ratings and that the CW series, "Reaper", gained (the implication is that Obama is suffering from overexposure). I'm not sure how many teens would be that in economics, much less everyday Americans. I guess former President Bush avoided these kind of comparisons by not doing press conferences and by spending more time on vacation than any other president. more ›

Jerry Seinfeld will be returning to TV as the producer and creator of "The Marriage Ref", a new series for NBC. No premiere date or time slot has been selected. more ›

Our friend Michael Ian Black and his fellow "The State" colleague, Michael Showalter, will finally again be gracing the airways on a new Comedy Central show this summer called "Michael and Michael Have Issues". The first of seven episodes will premiere in July and we can't wait for them [hint, get us screeners or even have us visit the set]. more ›

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One of the largest counterfeit currency rings in Southern California has been broken up after a three-month investigation leading federal agents to arrest five people. One of the caught suspects is a 35-year-old Sherman Oaks man, "who who allegedly cut the counterfeit bills and glued them together," according to the Daily News. more ›

Réne Enríquez fought his way to the top of one of America's most ruthless gangs, the Mexican Mafia, for 20 years. From behind bars, he was able to kill and order deaths of gang rivals on Southern California streets. But then he began to have a change of heart. more ›

$3.55 for unleaded. Check, albeit annoying. more ›

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There are two things you can count on living in LA: fires and earthquakes. Now, it seems, we might need to add some tsunami insurance to our list of must-have SoCal coverage policies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Seismic Safety Commission have launched a study to determine the potential tsunami risk to the LA and Long Beach ports. more ›

A mysterious email appeared in our inbox this morning, notifying us of a Dunkin' Donuts Shopping Cart Derby being held at the Santa Monica Pier tomorrow morning (check-in begins at 9am, you can register here through the Thrillist website). The event is being hosted by Maria Menounos, and the lucky winning team will receive a two-year supply of Dunkin' Donuts coffee, revered by many as the morning brew of choice. But wait just a... more ›

"The surf was so big, no one was surfing here and the Pier was closed. Apparently, all the surfers were in Redondo," explains LAist Featured Photos contributer, Jake Rome, about yesterday's surf. LA Times: No big waves yesterday. We beg to differ. [LAist] Lure of waves draws many from workaday world [LA Times] The Day of Waves [Daily Breeze] Photo by jakerome via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr... more ›

Fourteen fires are burning across Southern California right now. Evacuations in Malibu, Los Angeles, San Bernadino and San Diego are in effect. For more ongoing updates on evacuations, road closures, business closures and fire maps: LA Times & Sign On San Diego. more ›

Some are considering it "if you can't beat em - invest in em", but any good judge of fads know that the worst thing that Starbucks could have ever done to Pinkberry is fork over $27.5 million to the local frozen yogurt chain so they can continue to multiply at a rapid pace. Why would Starbucks want people eating a quasi-yogurt treat next summer at Pberry instead of slurping down a freshly made Frappuchino at... more ›

Sure, all over the country the kids are back in school, the temperatures are beginning to dip down, and Starbucks has begun to shill its autumnal fare, but here in Sunny So Cal we are still sweating out our eternal summer, gorging on frozen dairy product treats of often questionable origin. Try as we might, the world of fro-yo is too mighty to ignore, which is why we feel compelled to bring you This Week... more ›

Begging the question of "how much does gasoline cost in Riverside", a man was discovered carrying 125 gallons of gasoline in his van when witnesses saw vapors rising from his parked love machine. The fumes were occurring because the gentleman had placed the fuel in bottles like what once contained laundry detergent and other containers not designed to carry gasoline in vans. "It was just unbelievable," Battalion Chief Jeff Dredla told the Riverside Press... more ›

by special guest reviewer, Carolyn Kellogg more ›

With a 5-3 loss last night to San Francisco, the Los Angeles Dodgers' lead in the National League West has narrowed to one game over the Padres. The next two games at Dodger Stadium will be key, as a No Cal sweep over So Cal would move the Giants into a virtual tie with the Dodgers in the NL West. One player who will have absolutely no impact in either of the remaining games against the Giants is pitcher Mark Hendrickson (he's scheduled to start Saturday against the Pads). And given his lack of immediate importance, it's no coincidence that Mark is the subject in Part 5 of our 436 Part Series, Better Know a Dodger. more ›

"My idea is simple and I’m sure by no means original. A law should be proposed and soon after passed similar to the 'Click it or Ticket' law. If you don’t yield to a bus when it’s pulling back out into traffic you’re breaking a traffic violation and is punishable by fine or whatever else is decided on to bring forth change." Tyke Johnson over at MetroRiderLA is on to something, even if he recently... more ›

- If LAist smoked (cigarettes) we'd be so pissed at Santa Monica - Martini Republic more ›

- "These days, consumers are like walking TiVos, filtering out so much of what they see and hear in advertising. To reach this media-savvy demographic, advertisers have to 'give to get.' In other words, they have to give viewers something special, something unique, in exchange for their attention," Mark Kingdon, chief executive, Organic Inc. said regarding the fact that YouTube is opening its floodgates to movie studios, record labels, and other companies who want... more ›

Lately we've heard a lot of scuttlebutt on the local and national level about outposts of the hot and heavy-making donut purveyor Krispy Kreme locking their doors for good with little or no notice. Last week, at one of those typical meeting of the minds where baked goods are often set out in the attempt to temporarily appease or possibly numb attendees, the bringer of the Krispy Kremes let us know that this time... more ›

It's going to be a long time before any of this happens. If it happens. LA Mayor Villaraigosa and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom might go head to head for Governor. Both deny it though. A little closer to home, two bloggers debate over annexation and other issues in the Santa Clarita Valley. Should Stevenson Ranch, which has the highest sales-tax-revenue-generating strip mall in all of the county's jurisdiction, annex into the city of... more ›

a debate falls in the forest Steve Westly and Phil Angelides tusseled in their final debate yesterday in San Francisco; they'll face off in the June 6 Democratic Primary. They're both pro-environment, pro-choice and anti-Arnold. In case you missed it, you can listen: the whole thing is archived at KPCC. more ›

LAist contributor Josh Spector reports: For two hours on Sunday night inside the House of Blues, rock 'n roll was everything it's meant to be - raw, dangerous, meaningful, and moving. Veteran So Cal rockers Social Distortion brought more than two decades worth of musicianship, urgency, ups and downs to the stage in an inspiring performance. more ›

LA native Josh Kun demolishes the myth of the tweed jacket wearing, Euro-centric cannon defending, Ivory Tower clinging English professor. As an intellectual jack-of-all-trades, Kun’s interest in mainstream and far-flung aspects of pop culture ensures he’ll never succumb to the latter component of the "publish or perish" maxim. In addition to his position as Associate Professor of English at UC Riverside, Kun contributes to numerous periodicals and is the author of numerous essays, such as the introduction to Papa, Play for Me: The Autobiography of Mickey Katz. Other projects include his forthcoming book, Audiotopia: Music, Race and America (due this fall from UC Press), and a post as contributing critic to "The Movie Club" with John Ridley (coming to AMC in May). His professional roster also encompasses multimedia curating, serving as a DJ and VJ, consulting on matters related to Latin music and numerous aspects of pop culture, and writing about Tijuana. more ›

Should you ever be in need of a Mardi Gras dish to compliment or substitute for King Cake, then the Weiser Family Farms stand at Hollywood Farmers' Market is able to help. The staggering array of potatoes and cauliflower in particular at this time of year should not be missed. more ›

LAist is proud to publish the LAist Interview featuring a local and international legend who needs no introduction: Vaginal Davis. more ›