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,......

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......

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......

LAist keeps it real, others don't. We won't judge them for doing what they're doing but semantics doesn't solve the problems of gangs and crime and education and housing and disrespect. About three years ago the City of LA decided to officially change the name of the area known for 50 years as South Central Los Angeles to South Los Angeles. The reasoning is "South Central" had such a negative connotation that it was......

LAist is proud to publish the LAist Interview featuring a local and international legend who needs no introduction: Vaginal Davis. Performer, writer, DJ, hostess, artist, icon, splendid raconteur—Ms. Davis has done it all. As part of the Silver Lake Film Festival, Ms. Davis will be righteously honored as she prepares to leave our fine shores for Berlin, Germany. Be sure to check out her specially selected experimental films at the Vaginal Davis Career Retrospectacle......

The Los Angeles Times has finally discovered krumpin'. Jessica Hundley's story, "Cirque for the Soul," ran on August 21, 2004, several months after it was noticed by writers at The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly. What took the LA Times so long to notice something that was always in its own backyard? Oh, wait, that's right...this is The Lost Angeles Times we're talking about. For those still in the dark, krumpin' is the......