Back in June 2002, a crime drama from the minds of former Baltimore Sun writer David Simon (who spoke at USC earlier this week) and former Baltimore police officer Ed Burns made its debut on HBO. The Wire was more than just another cop show, it was an examination of both sides of the Baltimore drug trade - the organization profiting off of the projects' heroine addiction and the police department trying to stop them. The gritty, realism and complexity of the show helped the show win over critics coast-to-coast. However, that very same gritty, realism and complexity that won over the press might be the reason why nobody outside of the people who were being paid to watch television were watching the show. The American public, including myself, didn't want to jump into a fictional world that was as depressing and bleak as our actual world. more ›

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Tonight is the perfect night to cozy up inside a darkened theater and to go on a journey into the unknown. A really cool piece of LA history and lore comes to life on screen tonight at the Egyptian The American Cinematheque "presents a rare screening of six short films by the enigmatic Dutch/LA artist Bas Jan Ader (1942-1975) and the Los Angeles premiere of Here Is Always Somewhere Else, Rene Daalder's critically acclaimed documentary about the artist's life." more ›

10. PugThe AKC notes that we here in the City of Angels love our bulldogs more than anywhere else in the US: "The breed has made the Los Angeles Top 10 for three consecutive years and now ranks the Bulldog highest of any city in the nation." The Bulldog's close relative, the French Bulldog, also holds a bit of a West Coast distinction, because "San Francisco and Los Angeles were the only cities in the nation to include the French Bulldog in their Top 10 lists." Bulldogs in LA are somewhat legendary, like Tyson the "amazing bulldog" who does all sorts of cool stunts in his hometown of Huntington Beach. And because we take beauty so seriously here in the shadows of Hollywoodland, the prettiest and most charming of our bulldogs might want to take part in the annual Bulldog Beauty Contest, which is coming up on February 9th down in Long Beach and is put on by the Haute Dogs folks. more ›

The new "Man" for Burning Man is revealed. more ›

Here's what we know: on Thursday night at 7pm, Walter Kirn (who we believe is a genius, but we cannot prove it), former U.S. Senator George McGovern, writer James Q. Wilson and editor extraordinaire Robert Vare will be in discussion at the Central Library. more ›

BOO-ya! There's still time to check out some Halloween events, including the Hollywood Hell House and Bordello's Voodoo Vixens Burlesque show tonight at 10p. This accident on the 5 may tie up traffic until tomorrow: authorities are still counting only 3 casualties, but who knows how drivers will react to the construction and clean-up now taking place. First the water, then the power, now the phones? Mayor Villaraigosa is proposing a 9-percent phone tax.... more ›

2008 Burning Man Art Theme announced, The American Dream. more ›

Every Friday, LAist is taking you on a trip down to Orange County to uncover the unique dining experiences that await adventurous eaters willing to explore beyond the county line. Everybody has one fatal weakness. For Superman, it’s kryptonite. For R. Kelly, it’s teenage girls. For me, it’s pie. It can be any type of pie, really, it doesn’t matter. The American classic apple. The Southern special sweet potato. The light and fluffy lemon meringue.... more ›

Via Think Progress and Bob Geiger, it looks as though we may finally be seeing Democrats grow a spine: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced a few hours ago that he intends on forcing Republican obstructionists to stay in the Senate, over night if necessary, if they want to filibuster the Iraq withdrawal legislation. Here are a few key excerpts (for the whole schlemiel, head over here): more ›

Grindhouse Monday and Tuesday it's The Muthers, a combination blaxploitation and women-in-prison flick that stars Janine Bell and Rosanne Katon as a pirate duo who must rescue Bells sister from the private jail of an evil coffee plantation owner, followed by Fight for Your Life, a revenge thriller about a pacifist black minister whose family is taken hostage and tortured by a trio of convicts, until he finally snaps and wreaks his vengeance. Wednesday and... more ›

- Did you go to the Anti War Demonstration this weekend? Tony did - Tony Forberg - Life is so weird, when Gene Simmons was young he wore all that crazy Kiss makeup, now that he's old and hideous and in need of several layers of makeup he tries to keep it real - TMZ - A 9-year-old Novato boy is a hero after saving a drowning toddler from a swimming pool - CBS2... more ›

RSVP: Go to the Creative Screenwriting website and sign up to receive information about future events. You should then receive an email with further instructions about how to sign up for this event. more ›

This week's Question of the Week comes from Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, who asks through a letter to the President of the United States what the hell he's thinking reading American people's mail. In a letter that was posted yesterday by Raw Story, Feingold ends his letter with the Question of the week: You have already confirmed that you have authorized the NSA to conduct surveillance of communications without obtaining the court orders... more ›

That film the Beastie Boys adoringly spoofed for this video is the campy 1968 Euro spy movie Danger Diabolik, and it's playing at The New Beverly tonight and tomorrow. Danger Diabolik - If being a super villain really was all about dashing around the globe in the coolest mod clothes and sleekest sports cars while staging elaborate jewel heists before returning to your posh, super-secret lair to shag your blonde accomplice, this movie is... more ›

Special Screenings & Limited Releases Jean-Luc Godard's Two or Three Things I Know About Her opens for a week-long run at the Nuart in West L.A. Saturday at 7:30pm The American Cinematheque screens a real, live 70mm print of Lawrence of Arabia at the Aero in Santa Monica. See this movie on the big screen the way it was meant to be seen! Major Releases The Good Shepherd & The Good German -- I... more ›

2007 Chevy Malibu shown above...no seriously, that's a Malibu more ›

"Live with Regis and Kelly" guest-host Clay Aiken, during an otherwise boring interview with "Dancing With The Stars" winners, playfully put his hand over Kelly Ripa's mouth as he was clearly annoyed that Ripa was asking all the hard-hitting questions. This clearly annoyed Ripa, who quipped "Oh, that's a no-no." Followed by "I don't know where that hand's been, honey." The American Idol runner-up is rumored to be into homosexual fisting.... more ›

Our "20 Under 30" interview series with the coolest Angelenos under 30 focuses its bleary-eyed stare on the inexhaustible Chris Cruse of Echo Park. He's got a fantastic day job working on visual effects for "CSI:NY" (think bullets whizzing into bodies) but that's just the beginning. He also made a music video for Xiu Xiu, can be found DJing and/or running the projectors with his roommate at parties around town (currently they're at LiT at Memphis) and once had an indie record label. Did we mention he's just 23? Meet Chris Cruse, eastsider extraordinaire. more ›

American Apparel is known for two things: the antics of its iconoclastic/pornographic founder Dov Charney, and its really excellent cotton t-shirts. more ›

Well, someone did. We're not kidding. more ›

We don't know how else to say it except like this: Fuck Cancer! Breast cancer, throat cancer, stomach cancer, all of it. Kiss our ass, Cancer! Especially lung cancer which is the leading cause of cancer deaths in this country and the most preventable. Take those sexy cigarettes and break 'em up, throw them in the trash and never look back. LAist had, for a long time, been seduced by the allure of attractive people holding rolled tobacco on their lips and in their hands but no longer. Smoking may be sexy but a long life and being able to run up a flight of stairs without fearing for a heart attack is way hotter. more ›

We're changing things up a bit here at LAist. Because we live in such a vibrant, socially active city, there are things going on all the time. We have long wanted to be able to list events in advance (for the benefit of our wonderful readers), so starting today we have implemented a new strategy: a week's events in advance. We will still post featured events each day, but we've added a permanent sidebar (to the left) that will always link to a post containing this week's events. more ›

The American Cinematheque presents a double feature of Reese Witherspoon in "Vanity Fair" (2004) and Alexander Payne's "Election" (1999). A discussion with Ms. Witherspoon will take place between films. more ›

An In-Person Tribute to Animator John Kricfalusi at The American Cinematheque more ›

ASIFA-Hollywood presents "A Fred Ladd Retrospective," hosted by Los Angeles-based film historian Jerry Beck. Plus, Fred Ladd will attend this rare one-of-a-kind retrospective! more ›