In 1996, Robert Dewey Hoskins was convicted of stalking superstar singer and actress Madonna, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Last week, Hoskins managed to walk away from a state hospital in Norwalk, and remains at large today. more ›

Actress and pop singer Selena Gomez, 19, says she has been living in "extreme fear" of a mentally ill man she says is stalking her. A judge has granted the Disney channel star a temporary restraining order against Thomas Brodnicki, 46, according to ABC7. Gomez says Brodnicki has threatened to kill her. more ›

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Melissa Widdifield has ruled that Halle Berry's alleged stalker will stand trial. Richard A. Franco, a mid-20s college student, was arrested on the night of July 11 after scaling a concrete wall along the perimeter of Berry's Hollywood Hills home. more ›

Richard A. Franco, an unemployed mid-20s college student, was arrested by the LAPD on Monday night after scaling a concrete wall along the perimeter of Berry's Hollywood Hills home, according to the L.A. Times. more ›

It's hard to believe someone obsessively adores socialite and heiress Paris Hilton this much, but 36-year-old James Rainford sure does. Enough to violate the restraining order taken out against him that prohibits him from being within 200 yards of Hilton or her homes, even. And yet there he was, shirtless, on the beach in Malibu yesterday afternoon, looking into Hilton's home. more ›

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice and the press making the speaker of the California State Assembly, Fabian Núñez, run away when being asked hard questions about sketchy luxurious and worldly expenses. more ›

There are some people, mostly retirees, who haunt the halls of the downtown LA courthouses, attending trials for entertainment. High-profile trials are mobbed, but the regulars know the secret is to attend the preliminary hearings instead. When the hearings were held for the Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez, the courtroom was practically empty. I only worked half-days, and I had graduated from taking acid to pills, so I had a lot of patience for just hanging... more ›

I made my way to the yellow covered tents at the far end of the WeHo Book Fair fifteen minutes early, for the panel that had made me cream when I read about it. Moderated by Hilary Carlip, “Cracking Up: Women on the Verge of Laughter” was a discussion with five female writers whose work ostensibly falls under the heading “comedy”: Beth Lapides, Cathryn Michon, Meghan Daum, and Erika Schickel. more ›

Dear MCA, I would like to marry you and have 1000 of your Buddhist-rapper babies. While this may come across trite or ill conceived I assure you I am neither a crazy person nor a stalker fan. Of course I think you make great music, but what I’m saying is that I have not been harboring these feeling for two decades hoping that one day I’d have a chance to spring them on you.... more ›

Larry Doyle presents I Love You Beth Cooper 7pm @ Borders, Westwood more ›

If you missed your soaps this week, and if your ex is actually complying with that restraining order, you may be missing out on your daily dose of drama. Well, if the three-dimensional world has been too uneventful of late, I can assure you the fur has been flying in cyberspace. And if I may be so bold to ask, please grant me one giant, all-encompassing (sic) for this post. This week, Martini Republic,... more ›

Word is that 16-year-old Emma Watson, who's made her mark in Hollywood playing Harry Potter's galpal Hermione Granger, is sick of the role. She's balking at signing on for the last two Harry Potter movies. Matters probably didn't help much last week when a 20-something stalker approached Watson at school to chat about the films. According to a Guardian article: It seems to have been Grint [Ron Weasley] himself who sparked off the speculation... more ›

With the sun out, the temperatures high, one can only think of one thing: what's going on in the World of the -ists? more ›

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-i-verse, so naturally, we're all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn't start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we're up to... more ›

Some people have already been eulogized here on LAist, for example, Robert Altman, so I've done my best not to repeat anyone who has been mentioned recently. As someone who studied film in college, I always try to look over and remember people who changed the industry, improved their art, or who changed/improved me. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I'm sure I've missed some people. Feel free to add and remind us in the comments. more ›

- Over the last few days two very odd, small blogs have reported a sex tape being released starring an actress who allegedly gave oral pleasure to her boyfriend while on a hot set with her mic still on. The actress's name was never revealed. Only the hint that she had a deeper voice.... and the actress could be known by a red letter A. So either it's Lindsay (because everyone thinks shes a... more ›

">Brady Bunch. You can find comparative data on home assessments and taxes and also comparable home prices for neighborhoods. Dig in! more ›

For all of you who missed episodes of LOST and Desperate Housewives due to a series of Adelphia Cable snafus in Los Angeles, fear not. The new version of iTunes now features downloadable TV episodes. Apple struck a deal with Disney-owned ABC ensuring the distribution of popular TV shows [exclusively through the iTunes Music Store] the day after they air on the network. Think of it as portable video-on-demand for PCs and Macs. The revamped music store works in concert with the brand new video-enabled iPod. Other notable product upgrades include the new iMac G5, which boasts a remote control device that further grows Apple's "digital hub" approach towards home computing. Additional Info:
• iTunes is available as a free download for Macs and PCs.
• Video downloads cost $1.99 (compared ot $0.99 for music).
• Other videos available now include: Night Stalker, That's So Raven and The Suite Life.
  

A new season is here. And we’re not talking about the crisper fall-ish weather of late. Or even football. LAist is ready for the fall TV lineup. So bring it on. more ›