While some may argue that what actress Amanda Bynes wants is a Lindsay Lohan-style career downward spiral and tabloid drinkity-drunkity headlines, it seems apparent that what this girl wants is another drink. more ›

There was a little something "extra" in the air Downtown on Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, and it wasn't part of the celebration. It was "a cloud of noxious gas," that caused some folks to vomit and one "Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy to experience a burning sensation in his eyes and lungs," according to the LA Times. more ›

We gotta love when our pals in the gaming industry invite us to check out their latest suite of titles. Since the season is creeping slowly upon us various companies like to invite the press to various events to check out some games for a pre-holiday push, and with free booze and food you can bet LAist was there. This week’s event was held at the Standard in Hollywood by our buddies at Namco/Bandai, publishers of such big named titles as Soul Calibur IV and Tekken and classics like Pac-Man, and Galaga. The night was filled with mine shaft rides, cheerleading, and ninja slashing, all within the confines of the swanky Sunset Strip hotel. Check out more pics and reviews after the jump. more ›

The City of West Hollywood's Planning Commission met the other night to discuss the Standard Hotel's request to extend their poolside hours to 1:30 a.m. from the current weekend midnight closing (closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays), keeping the hotel's poolside bar competitive with other Sunset Strip nightlife options. B-Side Blog attended the meeting to support the idea, but left the meeting fuming. He was the first to speak during public comment:

... as I wrapped up my little speech, something came over me. I just felt the need to be... snarky. I told the Commission that the Sunset Strip has been around for decades. People who move next door and complain about the noise, well, that's like moving next to a dumpster and complaining about the smell. ZING!

If you’ve driven through downtown LA you’ve definitely seen the Bonaventure Hotel. Next time you’re stuck in traffic on the 110, look to the side for four cylinder glass towers. Designed by developer and architect John Portman in 1977, the Bonaventure on south Figueroa stands out in the LA skyline as one of the few buildings worth looking at twice. I’d been hoping to visit it since seeing it from the roof of The Standard, and I got my chance while diagramming the building with a class from Otis College of Art and Design (field trip!). It turns out what I had first simply evaluated as a good-looking building is a postmodern masterpiece. more ›

the CIA in North Hollywood WILL BE JUMPING with Haunted Cologne, the McDaniels, and special mystery guests??? Doors open at 8pm, all ages (ps. We suspect THE RADIOACTIVE CHICKEN HEADS!!!) more ›

Could it be? Did someone finally out ArcLight the ArcLight? If one of The Standard hotels built a theater, it would look like the new Landmark. The most accurate way of describing it is “boutique”. The Landmark is all about the visual angles; sloping fixtures light the theaters and give a completely different feeling of space than you would expect for a “mall theater”. Angled walls line the hallways, and an angled ceiling compliments... more ›

This weekend is the launch for the new Sunday Tea event at The Standard in Hollywood (4-7 p.m). From the Cactus Lounge, lobby, or poolside, the hotel is offering a special menu of sandwiches, desserts, brewed teas and it wouldn’t be The Standard without cocktails. Called “mar'tea'ni's,” these drinks are booze infused with tea and herbal blends by La Mill, a nice change if you want some antioxidants with your buzz. There are five... more ›

Not: Slap Taggers more ›

Metal Skool @ Key Club Hinder @ Roxy Messiah Sing-Along @ Disney Hall The Delta Spirit, Army Navy @ Spaceland Libbie Schrader, Jen & Abby @ The Hotel Cafe Matcli, Amity, Goodbye Valentine @ The Knitting Factory High Speed Scene, Electromagnetic @ Silverlake Lounge Native June, Coda Vesta, Dirty Kings, Brutus Gets the Girl @ The Troubadour The Parson Redheads, The Kris Special, Stevenson Ranch Davidians @ The Echo The Peppermint Creeps, Romak &... more ›

If you've spent time near the front desk of The Standard on Sunset in West Hollywood, you may have noticed there's a woman there in a glass case. She's on display wearing very little, a tank top and boxer shorts or boy shorts, all white. What's it like to the be the girl in the box? more ›