When Mark Malkoff, a comedian and filmmaker, came to Los Angeles for a visit, he decided to test his luck at getting famous people to let him spend a night in their homes. 13 of them actually said yes. more ›

See what they wore to walk the red carpet on a hot January day. more ›

Tonight Canadian indie rock quintet Stars will be headlining the Wiltern with none other than San Franciscan indie pop trio Geographer in tow. LA-by-way-of-Michigan retro soul singer-songwriter Mayer Hawthorne is poised to grace the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater with actor/writer/comedian/MC Donald Glover, who performs under the pseudonym Childish Gambino. And, lastly, LA-based Cambodian rock outfit Dengue Fever will be providing the live score for the stop-motion film "The Lost World" at UCLA's Royce Hall. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Echoplex to catch NY-bred indie pop act the Pains of Being Pure at Heart (LAist Interview). LAist favorites, San Franciscan post-punk trio Weekend, who recently released one of 2010's most satisfyingly noisy discs, Sports, and "beach-pop" quartet Sonny & the Sunsets are slated to kick things off. more ›

It's with more than a bit of sadness that we note that Starz has opted to not renew its comedy "Party Down". We know that we'll soon see the very talented cast members in other shows, particularly Adam Scott and (the beautiful) Lizzy Caplan (remember her awesome turn in "True Blood" a couple years back?). But this doesn't mitigate the loss of a show that had such great humor about what is a very real experience for a lot of people in LA - surviving as a creative person while trying to "make" it. We personally know 4 people whose existence is similar to the characters of the Party Down catering team. more ›

Tonight Canadian indie rock quintet Stars will be concluding a two-night, sold-out stint at the Troubadour. Baltimore-by-way-of-San Francisco experimental electronic duo Matmos are poised to take on Rec Center Studio, also known as the Jensen Rec Center, in Echo Park. And, lastly, local alt-rockers Olin & the Moon (LAist Interview) will be gracing the Silver Lake Lounge. But we strongly suggest heading over to the Hotel Café to catch Essex-bred singer-songwriter Gemma Ray, who is touring in support of her latest studio-album—2010's It's A Shame About Gemma Ray. more ›

Tonight NY-based gypsy punk outfit Gogol Bordello will be concluding a two-night stint at the Mayan in Downtown. Canadian indie rock quintet Stars are poised to kick off a two-night, sold-out stint at the Troubadour. And, lastly, Highland Park's own experimental rockers Seasons will be headlining the Echo, ringing in their latest EP, 2010's Winter. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch Brighton-based folk trio Peggy Sue. LAist favorites, Silver Lake-based indie pop act Pepper Rabbit are slated to perform. more ›

This week critically-acclaimed English electro pop duo Goldfrapp will be performing at the Hollywood Bowl with New England-based experimental lo-fi musician Merrill Garbus, otherwise known as tUnE-YaRdS. Brooklyn-based soul/funk group Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings will be headlining the Wiltern. Canadian indie rock quintet Stars are poised to take on a two-night, sold-out stint at the Troubadour. And, lastly, Denton-based singer-songwriter Sarah Jaffe will be gracing the Bootleg Theater, warming up the stage for overall lo-fi rock pioneer Lou Barlow. more ›

If the weather cooperates, it's going to be a good night for looking into the skies. "The annual Leonid Meteor Shower reaches its traditional peak between midnight at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17 as seen from the west coast," explained Anthony Cook at the Griffith Observatory's weekly Sky Report. "About one Leonid every two or three minutes is expected. The earth may pass through enhanced streams of particles during the following afternoon, possibly providing Asia with an even better show, and may make the shower worthwhile to watch again from here between midnight and 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning, the 18th." more ›

The annual Perseid meteor showers has been around since July, but tonight and early tomorrow morning is its expected peak for visual gratification. Los Angeles' light pollution and the moon will distract somewhat, but there are some solutions if you can't travel afar to the likes of Joshua Tree or the Channel Islands. more ›

Starting at 5:21 p.m., you should be able to see the International Space Shuttle passing above Los Angeles. "The Space Station moves from northwest to southeast between 5:21 p.m. and 5:27 p.m., appearing nearly overhead at 5:24 p.m.," says Anthony Cook at Griffith Observatory's Sky Report. "The ISS should rival brilliant Venus on both passes." Kevin Roderick at LA Observed finds good info on the station's passing on the LBReport. more ›

This trio of planets were seen from around the world last night. And hopefully you saw it too because it won't be happening until 2052 (though, on New Year's Eve, Venus and the moon will be in view). This conjunction of planets have been seen in our skies since Thanksgiving night, but last night was when they appeared closest together. more ›

If you're into planet watching, the next time this will happen is on Nov. 18, 2052. So best to take advantage this weekend: more ›

LA will simply be bombarded with music tonight. On the agenda: We've got LA-based indie rockers One Trick Pony at Club Good Hurt. If you can get down with the notion of Venice Beach and bartenders clad in sexy nurse outfits, then head on out. The Québécois act Stars will be gracing the Avalon in support of their latest EP, Are You A Sad Robot?. The Diamond Cutter, otherwise known as Neil Diamond, will be performing all of his quintessential hits at the Hollywood Bowl. Bay Area punks Rancid will be continuing their six-night stint at the Henry Fonda Music Box. And Pattern Is Movement, a loopy and meticulous band from the City of Brotherly Love, will be hitting up Spaceland with LA locals the Minor Canon. But we propose that you take it easy on the wallet tonight by going to Tangier. Aaron Embry of AmniOn, a celebrated indie rock virtuoso, will be shelling out mellifluous strains with a backing band of friends. It's free, free, free! more ›

Joe Dolce, former editor in chief of Star magazine, blogs at the Huffington Post about the increasing reported skirmishes between celebrities and the paparazzi. Dolce leaves the blame, not only on the paps, but on the magazines that pay for the photos and the celebs themselves. He offers suggestions for each involved party while knowing full well that it's all easier than said. Here's his thoughts on how celebs should act: more ›

In a bid to revive the Hollywood stars after years of abuse and being stepped on, Absolut Vodka became the first corporate contributor to a $4-million dollar restoration plan in advance of the Walk of Fame's 50th anniversary in 2010. To recognize Absolut's initiative (and creative marketing tactics?), Leron Gubler, CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presented the company with an honorary star near the entrance to the Kodak Theatre. More on the "Friends of the Walk of Fame" project and the condition of the 2,365 stars at the LAT. more ›

Celtics 104, Clippers 76 - The NBA's top team won last night in the Staples Center, and it wasn't the Lakers. more ›

When you read something you like on LAist, we love it when you hit the "recommend" button, and we love it even more if you put your two cents' worth in the comments. Getting a dialog going with our readers and making sure we're giving you content you can use are top priorities for us. So here's this week's top posts, as endorsed by you via the recommend feature, or as indicated by the level of talk going on in the comments: more ›

It’s Super Tuesday and Mardi Gras. What other reason do you need to celebrate with LAist? Come to Seven Grand tonight to watch election returns. (Who knew that primaries would be this exciting?) You never know…people may start flashing for beads after a few Glenlivets. For questions or to RSVP: events@laist.com (Note: Seven Grand is a 21+ bar. We apologize for any inconveniences). more ›

The moment has finally materialized: The official lineup for the three-day mega music fest in the middle of nowhere (aka Empire Polo Field in Indio) has been announced. more ›

NFL Playoffs - It was almost the perfect Super Bowl match up. Instead of Brady-Favre, we get Brady-Manning -- but it's the wrong Manning, if you're going to have one. New England held off San Diego and New York stole it in OT from Green Bay to face off in the big game. Green Bay would have presented the better threat to the Pat's attempt at a perfect season (their secondary is better than the Giant's), and the QB showdown would have been epic. A lot of people also painted those teams as the "good" and "evil" of the NFL. It wasn't to be. Now, we get the team of destiny versus the team of a superstar's kid brother. more ›

Clippers 97, Suns 90 - LA picked up their second win in the past 12 games and snapped a 4 game losing streak on the back of Sam Cassell, who scored 32 ... In their previous three meetings, Phoenix won by an average of 15 ... The Clippers are the lowest-scoring team in the NBA (92.6 points per game) while the Suns are the highest (110.3 ppg). more ›

M.I.A. struts her stuff at the Echoplex, July 31 more ›

Johnny Grant was found dead tonight, around 7 p.m., on a bed at the Roosevelt Hotel where he lived on the 14th floor in a suite.

Grant, 84, has been one of Hollywood's most enthusiastic supporters for more than 50 years. Grant got his start in entertainment by hosting a daily radio show in New York City for servicemen and women during World War II, and later co-hosted the first national telethon ever produced to help send America's athletes to Helsinki Olympics in 1952. [CBS2]

I didn't want to just do a "best of" list. So this year, I've decided to take a years worth of personal New Year's Resolutions, ask around for those of friends and put a call out to readers (email me here) about things you've always wanted to know, always wanted to do and then take those requests and ask an expert, an insider to help out. The result? Here goes... more ›

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I'm hoping you got a bunch of DVDs to tide you over during this dead week as well as until the writer's strike ends. It looks like TCM is running an "aviation in movies" marathon tonight and IFC's featuring Harvey Keitel. For further marathon action, check out BRAVO which is showing all of Project Runway's fourth season (starts at 6:00pm). more ›

Everybody's doing it, right? I don't pretend to be hip or edgy or rebellious. I mean, I grew up on Billy Joel and Madonna and Motown and then the Gen Xer's basic dichotomy of KROQ versus Top 40 in the 90s. I find it increasingly harder to fall in love with albums in the downloading age, and am one of those people who obsessively compiles mixed cds for friends and iPod playlists full of individual tracks from a broad sampling of artists. The three places I'm most thankful for getting me turned on to new music would be my fellow LAisters, the awesome site 3hive, and good ol' KCRW. So without further ado, here are my pics for the 2007 releases I most enjoyed: more ›

Etta James & Chuck Berry - "Rock n' Roll Music" more ›

"A Little Prayer" by Evelyn Glennie, played with Fred Firth The Watkins Family Hour @ Largo Mike Stinson @ The Echo Sixteen Stars, Major O, Eggman & the Starkillers @ The Derby The Brown Out @ Fais Do-Do Wreckless Eric @ Safari Sam's Puddle Of Mudd, Solarcade @ Roxy Marc Cohn @ El Rey Theatre Francisco Aguabella Seven Piece Latin Jazz Ensemble @ Charlie O's Moutin Reunion Quartet @ The Jazz Bakery Evelyn Glennie... more ›

Ghostface Killah The Big Doe Rehab Def Jam December 4, 2007 "No time...there's never any time," cried a caffeine pill crazed Jesse Spano in that very special episode of "Saved by the Bell." Ghostface Killah laughs at you and your complaints, Spano. While you can't find the time to balance a geometry midterm, getting into Stanford and covering Pointer Sister tunes, Pretty Toney is having no trouble finding time to spit sick verses on 8... more ›