Playa Del Ray resident Joe Talamo is not your average 19 year old. The guy's already earned $4 million in purse money as one of horse racing's hot young stars, he's been featured on a reality television series, Animal Planet's Jockeys and in all likelihood is on his way to one of the biggest events in sports - The Kentucky Derby. more ›

So many events, so little time. Concete Frequency's latest installment is tonight and there's always Disney on Ice (skaters, not Walt), but here's a sampling of the other good stuff to be done in LA tonight. more ›

The Ruse, Malbec, Yogi, The Ivy Walls @ The Viper Room more ›

Himself, June, High Life Kingz, Artistic Expression, Conjuring Evolution @ The Knitting Factory more ›

Mark Sarvas has championed local reading series, excoriated the LA Times Book Review, and tirelessly blogged about all things literary on his site The Elegant Variation. With its smart writing, frequent updates and splashes of wicked humor, it has become required daily reading — for both Angelenos and folks in the Big Established Publishing World in NY. He is also a founding member of the LitBlog Co-Op (more about that below), which announced its latest book recommendation — Garner by Kirstin Allio — today. Mark has helped raise LA's literary profile, reminding the rest of the world that we're not just about breast implants and lunch at The Ivy. more ›

We half expected to trip over clatches of camera-burdened paparazzi lying in wait outside The Ivy's chaotic patio, or outside the beckoning glass doors of Kitson, but no such luck. In fact, aside from a couple of dour-faced town car chauffeurs and a whole lot of faces that had a whole lot of work done, our shopping excursion down the blocks of Robertson Boulevard between Third and Beverly was fairly uneventful. This little strip of boutiques has been getting a lot of press lately, mostly because today's tabloid fodder (Jessica! Paris! Nicole! Lindsay!--and by "Lindsay!" we don't mean us. Er, uh, me, that is) knows they can score some goods and some major photo ops on the sidewalks there. The December issue of Los Angeles magazine is devoted to where young Hollywoodites do their shopping in LA, which can be at times akin to an art form, for those with the time, money, and patience to devote to the indulgent passtime. Of course, this time of year, most of us--even the reluctant--find ourselves having to shop until we drop, either out of frustration, poverty, or exhaustion. But if you're willing and able, grab some quarters for the parking meters, and head on down to Robertson. more ›

Here in Los Angeles, they say you should write about what you know. more ›

Geez, what a novel way to panhandle. Let's all try it the next time we notice the paps sitting outside The Ivy or Kitson. more ›

Aaah, lucky number thirteen. Well, here on LAist, there's no such thing as an unlucky number, although there is such a thing as a coffee shop that's famous. You know, in sort of a trendy, wannabe, Paris Hilton kind of way. more ›