Los Angeles is a place where, to put it mildly, it's a little hard to tell the truth from the lie. Are you really standing inside a giant ice cave? Or are you down on Stage 6 again? People come here to reinvent themselves. And sometimes they begin to believe that story they've told everyone. Then they write about it. In February of this year, Margaret B. Jones, foster child, incest victim, gang member......

You may remember a few years back when the workers of the South Central Farm, who maintained a grassy patch of garden just south of Downtown, were evicted from the land in a rather bitter eminent domain battle. Now, the collective has purchased land outside of Bakersfield, in a town named Buttonwillow (home to a speedway and not much else), in anticipation of rebuilding and replanting their farm. Thanks to a sizable donation from a......

Sherman Oaks and South LA made national news yesterday when a Los Angeles native, now based in Oregon, became the latest decried author who penned a fraudulent memoir. Yes, Margaret Seltzer grew up in the Valley, no Margaret B. Jones (her non de plume) did not gangbang in South Central as her book said. Today, the fallout came in the form of experts giving quotes to the media about this reoccurring theme. What first comes......

Remember the strike? | Photo by Kim Shattuck via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr It's all about last minute campaigning for the Democrats in Ohio and Texas; as of this writing, both primaries are still too close to call (Obama & McCain have taken Vermont). More updates on this morning's story about Margaret Seltzer, the author who fabricated a "memoir" about growing up as a white, female gangbanger in L.A.'s South Central.......

PEN USA hosts literary panels tonight. WINE Silver Lake Wine is hosting winemaker Maynard Keenan of Tool (yes, you read that right!), who’ll be pouring his Caduceus wines at the shop. Call for reservations: 323.662.9024. 7 pm // Silver Lake Wine // 2395 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles // $20. FILM The Pan African Film Festival started yesterday and runs until Feb. 18. Not only does the festival screen films, but it also holds workshops,......

Before MC Hammer's "Too Legit To Quit," there was a rap called "Legit" by Caldwell's Most Wanted - a little known group from a small town in Texas. Rather than emulating Hammer's mainstream, soft rap approach, CMW took inspiration from West Coast artists like N.W.A and Ice-T. Comprised of six high school students, the group longed to emulate the hard, thug lifestyle of South Central glamourized on Yo! MTV Raps despite their rural backgrounds.......

Photo courtesy of dmax3270 via flickr While the features and shorts at Sundance are occasionally hit or miss, the documentaries are always strong across the board. Yesterday, I was able to see two that I have had my eye on since the festival schedule was originally released: Made in America by Stacy Peralta and Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden by Morgan Spurlock. Considering all the frantic back-and-forths I've been doing since last......

Kudos to LA Indymedia for pointing out this amazing fantasy that the LA County AFL-CIO is living in. According to the LA Union website (who are trying to fight for higher wages in LA), they believe that a single adult needs to only make $13.52 an hour ($28k a year) to "support a modest standard of living in LA". The AFL-CIO has broken it down to explain to live modestly, one would be able......

When people think of Leimert Park, they usually focus on Leimert Plaza Park and the one block of Degnan to the north. But the neighborhood of Leimert Park encompasses the eastern side of Crenshaw Boulevard, including Crenshaw and King Blvd all the way north to Rodeo Road. M&M Soul Food sits right beneath one of the blue signs delineating the Leimert Park neighborhood. When you see a soul food restaurant on television, nine times out......

If you're anything like us and still incorporate large quantities of instant ramen noodles into your diet (is that shameful for a food writer to admit?), this morning's news might cause more than a little worry. We woke to our local news broadcasters discussing yet another American health worry: salt. Apparently Americans consume 50% too much salt in their diet, much of it locked up in processed and canned foods, and the FDA is......

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and......

Last night I was casually checking out what various travel websites had to say about the neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Most of the summaries in Frommers sounded like this: Silver Lake, a residential neighborhood just north of Downtown and adjacent to Los Feliz (home to the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park), just to the west, has arty areas with unique cafes, theaters, graffiti, and art galleries -- all in equally plentiful proportions. The......

Zuma Dogg was nice enough to post this video on Mayor Sam today which lays out a proposal that Jan Perry wants to inflict on the residents of South Central. Even though the councilwoman is ignorant in regards to the neighborhoods in her district, she does know that the people she represents are fat. They're so fat (and in her mind, ignorant) that she seems to want to protect them from themselves. It's her......

We are unsure when this ABC report was aired. Nevertheless, it is extremely well done and many of the issues represented here are still current challenges.......

Soaked in blood and reeking with suspense "L.A. Rex" is set in South Central Los Angeles, and is about cops, crips, rappers, and "are the killers of El Eme's tax collectors carrying an oval badge?" Will Beall is a cop in real life who worked in the most dangerous district in LA, the 77th. The craziest most violent shit happens there. Gang-bangin that's too fucked up for even the News stations to report on......

GOOD Magazine launched 6 issues ago on September 12, 2006, raising $383,760 through subscriptions for non-profit Choose GOOD partners. Here's the good in Los Angeles from their first anniversary issue released this week: Volunteer 4 hours of your time, get a free ticket to see Beyonce and The Game via Boost Mobile Rock Corps. Well, that already happened in LA a few months ago. Next time, next time. 7,370,880 6-inch tacos equals 698 miles, the......

Anyone interested in movies is familiar with Ain't It Cool News and anyone familiar with Ain't It Cool is familiar with the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow. The Roadshow was originally scheduled to make a stop in South Central to screen Friday next Friday, but lily-livered politicians decided to pull the permit at the last minute. Fortunately, the Roadshow decided they had to make a stop in L.A. so they've now scheduled a 10th anniversary......

Unless you've been living under a rock - in which case ow - you are aware that next month your girlfriend Paris Hilton is scheduled to go from the penthouse to the jail house. While on probation for a DUI, Paris failed to enroll in a mandated alcohol education program and was caught twice driving with a suspended license. The second time being on February 27th when sheriff's deputies pulled her over and charged......

Today marks the fifteen year anniversary of one of the darkest chapters in Los Angeles history: the 1992 LA Riots. On April 29, 1992, four police officers charged in the controversial 1991 beating of motorist Rodney King were acquitted, sending shockwaves through a community already in unrest. Anger had been rising over perceived racism by LAPD, poor economic conditions, and friction between minority groups in South Central. Nevertheless, no one could have anticipated the......

Everyday, the Mayor's office sends us his schedule. Alarm goes off at 5 a.m., snooze is hit for another 9 minutes. 5:09 a.m., snooze button, part 2. Okay, it's not that detailed. However, with Big Sunday (are you volunteering?), the mayor is busier than usual for a weekend. He has six appearances from 8 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. ranging from hanging with the Black Eyed Peas at Paramount Studios, giving trees away with the......

- Why did The Departed beat Dreamgirls at the Oscars even though Dreamgirls threw a lot of money in hyping it to voters? - Reuters - Where will you be tomorrow at 11:30am when the Doors get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Virgin Megastore? Also, according to the Doors website, jazzy drummer John Densmore, who helped give the Doors part of their unique feel, won't be in......

Nothing says I love you, quite like poor compression. Here to express how I feel about this week’s On The Charts, using only this week’s Billboard No.1s, is a video diary of my deepest sentiments. Well, really it’s only one video. And really it's only one sentiment -- Go Slash Go. In honor of Guns N' Roses' number one grab in the Pop Catalog category, and the impending floodish weather forecast for the Los......

The Mayor Who Wasn't Is The Solar Panel Man Los Angeles Mayor challenger in the 2005 election, Robert Hertzberg: “California does have this great image,” said Mr. Hertzberg, a former speaker of the California State Assembly and the co-founder of an investment firm, Renewable Capital. “But Europe still is much greener than anywhere in the United States, by several orders of magnitude.” His thin and flexible solar panels work in overcast and in rain.......

- Woman killed as cops break up biker rally in South Central - AP - Man found dead in the LA River - LA Times - 112 died in Iraq today - AP - Daily News declares the housing boom is over - LA Daily News - A propane truck (above) caught fire and exploded on the 101 South near Santa Monica Blvd. - AP - Thousands volunteered yesterday to help clean up Watts......

- Gannett, parent company of USA Today, eyes Tribune Corp, parent company of the Chicago Cubs, oh, and the LA Times - Reuters - LA Times has a problem with Apocalypto wooing Latinos and Native Americans? - fishbowl la - City Council will vote Wednesday on paying over 3,000 hotel workers a "living wage" of at least $10.64/hr - AP - Hero seeking heroes: 30-year LAFD Captain is in search of blood donors and......

- Late Late Show's Craig Ferguson has a MySpace - MySpace - South Central's The Game finds long-lost sister thru MySpace - Spin - TBS to use MySpace to host an online Comedy Contest - TV Week - "The OC" season premiere to appear on MySpace before TV - Monsters & Critics - Alleged MD rapist identified using MySpace - Baltimore Sun - 13 yr old girl uses MySpace to pretend she's a teacher.......

- A Correction letter was sent out by CA Secretary of State to all 14,000 OC voters who got the illegal voter fraud from the GOP wannabe - Lonewacko - Miami-bound American Airlines jet returns to LAX due to odor - NBC4 - Marilyn Manson to open an LA art gallery on Halloween - EarthTimes - Two plead guilty in $30+ million bank fraud scheme - AP - Orel interviews for Oakland opening. Will he......

- The first charitable Muslim medical institution in the US was founded in South Central LA. The UMMA clinic was started by UCLA students in 1996 and was honored recently with a special address on the floor of the US House of Representatives by Maxine Waters. - Two Egyptian Nationals who plead guilty for enslaving a 10 year old girl here in Southern California were given 2 years in prison and forced to pay......

Anna Nicole's new baby will have Howard K. Stern's last name. - TMZ via Defamer A 79 year-old woman was raped in her home this weekend - LAPD Blog Cops find a grenade in the home of a man barricaded inside his South Central crib - CBS2 Sheryl Crow in a bikini (which isn't so bad), at a John Mayer show (unforgiveable) - Egotastic Jack Abramoff via RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman got Allen Stayman......

If you missed the gubernatorial debate between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic state Treasurer Phil Angelides while watching the Dodgers getting killed, you missed this banter from our current governor: "I can tell by the joy I see in your eyes that you love to raise taxes. Why don't you just say right now, 'I love increasing your taxes.'" After RIDE-Arc last night, Metroblogging LA's Will Campbell climbed 75 stories to the top of......