This week's Senate Committee Hearing on the Future of the Internet featured notable speakers on both sides of the net neutrality debate including Stanford Prof. Lawrence Lessig, FCC Commissioner Kevin J. Martin, Patric Verrone, President of the WGA-West, and Michele Combs of the Christian Coalition. And Justine Bateman, aka Jason's sister, aka Mallory Keaton. What is Ms. Bateman's interest and/or expertise in the Net Neutrality debate? "I have acted in many projects, from TV’s 'Family......

Mere hours after we interviewed Veronica Belmont last month, news broke that she was leaving the daily video podcast she helped launch -- Mahalo Daily. Soon enough, Jason Calacanis, founder of Weblogs, Inc. and CEO of the people-powered search engine Mahalo, announced an American Idol-esque contest to find the next host of the Mahalo Daily vlog. As dozens of potential hosts lined up to audition in side Mahalo HQ in Santa Monica, we grilled Calacanis......

Los Angeles resident Douglas Campbell embarked last year on The Tuxedo Travels (subtitled: Two Fools. One Adventure. No Idea), along with a crazy British chap named Heath. It's all well-documented in these photos and often-hilarious videos. The clip above has been nominated as one of the best clips ever on a CNN show. Hell, even Nancy Grace wouldn't have a problem with this. You've got one day left to vote for Tuxedo Travels here.......

Even Current TV caught the UCLA Undie Run bug a couple years ago. If you missed this last quarters action, here's the photo gallery.......

If you live in Los Angeles or know anything about punk rock circa 1977 then you know about X. If you don't, Perry Farrell will tell you in the clip on the right. Farrell introduced X last month at SXSW, headliners of Spin's day party at Stubb's BBQ. The place was only two-thirds full after a mass exodus of sweater vests following a short set by Vampire Weekend. But all four original members of......

Our photo storage/sharing network of choice, Flickr, is finally offering a video component. In other words, Flickr will store, stream, and enable the embedding of any kind of content that can be produced by a basic digital camera (now that most shoot moving as well as still pictures). A Flickr Pro account is required to upload video, which at $25/year was already necessary to upload more than 100mb of photos each month. Also, at......

We caught up with Mahalo Daily host/producer Veronica Belmont at Community Next over the weekend to discuss her daily (weekdays) video podcast for Santa Monica-based Mahalo. Veronica discussed her sci-fi affliction, World of Warcraft habit, and LA vs. SF. We also coined the term "puppy roll," a unique variation on the Rick roll featuring the Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis' bulldogs. What will Veronica get up to next?......

Rafat Ali (left), founder of PaidContent with Robert Scoble (right) and his Nokia N95 We ran into former Microsoftee and current FastCompany.tv man and ubiquitous Web 2.0 presence Robert Scoble at Hollywood & Highland today, in front of Level 3 Nightclub, where Community Next: The Next Generation of Media and the Web is underway. After being caught on Scobleizer's live streaming Qik-cast, we took him and his Starbucks aside and drilled him about tech......

So what DOES Rick Astley think of his accidental role as star of the viral Internet prank that keeps on never giving up? Despite rumors of a possible Super Bowl halftime appearance and the pining of journalists and geeks around the world, the Rick behind the Rickroll has remained mum. Or perhaps nobody bothered to call his management. But in a breakout week for the Rickroll that included a nod from the Gray Lady, David......

We ran into two of our favorite LA-based music bloggers, Justin Gage of Aquarium Drunkard and Ashley Jex (Jax) of Rock Insider at SXSW last week. We ducked behind The Mohawk, where Aquarium Drunkard cosponsored the Hot Freaks! day party featuring performances by Jens Lekman, Film School, British Sea Power and more. In the 8-minute video above Justin and Jax discuss their SXSW highlights, favorite acts coming up on the LA scene, the influence......

Dave Koenig of LA-based Spindrift, Little Radio Day Party, Red Eyed Fly, SXSW 2008, Austin, TX We made it through another South by Southwest Interactive, Film, and Music Conference and Festival in Austin, TX. After writing out that sentence, we need a nap but stay tuned for more interviews and live footage documenting LA's presence at the 21st annual event. Shout Out Louds at the Austinist Day Party, The Mohawk, Austin Enjoy some live......

Less than a year after being acquired by CBS Interactive, Wallstrip executive producers Jeff Marks, Adam Elend, and host-producer Lindsay Campbell (interviewed above at the MobLogic launch party this week at SXSWi) have added a second daily video podcast to the mix. MobLogic aims to take daily news and politics to the people, with daily topical summaries and commentary from everyday people-on-the street. Though based in New York City, MobLogic will be criss-crossing the......

Clippers 116, Kings 109, 2OT - Down by 17 points, it looked like Los Angeles was about to give Sacramento their first win this year against a Pacific rival. Anybody seen Sam Cassell. Two overtimes later, the Clips pulled off a wild victory and send the Kings to 0-9 in the division. LA led the entire second overtime. Al Thornton led the game with 27, Chris Kaman had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Dan......

Family, the great little bookstore on Fairfax is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a huge art show that opens tonight at 8pm and you're invited. The show is a "Thank You" to all those who've made Family's first year a success. And what a Thank You it is - the 26 artists they've assembled for this celebratory art show are impressive and reflect everything about the store that we love - eclectic and slightly off-kilter,......

photo by swanksalot via Flickr Tomorrow is the finish up the AMGEN Tour of California in Pasadena. But before hitting the old money city, they're headed towards Santa Clarita this afternoon (where Six Flags Magic Mountain has decided to stay put). From 4 to 10 p.m. tonight “Rock the Bike,” a free outdoor cycling expo and music festival, will bring together an array of people following the stage 6 finish. Various bands will be......

You can't block a sidewalk, it's a public right-of-way, and in West Hollywood doing so can get you arrested as TMZ reports:By our count, six camerapeople were busted last night; two outside the salon where Brit was getting her hair done and four outside Villa nightclub where Lindsay was partying. Two TMZ photogs were among those busted. [...] One TMZ photog says he had just stepped off the sidewalk when he was cuffed and thrown......

In late January a video documenting the mistreatment of cattle at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino was released the Humane Society. The media (LAist included) was sensitive enough to leave this video on the rack but that didn't keep government officials from investigating and announcing the largest beef recall -- nearly 150 million pounds -- in U.S. history this weekend. This video contains footage of inhumane treatment of animals......

Headdress plays tonight at McCabe's Guitar Shop | Photo by Briana Purser Photography Har Mar Superstar, Electrocute @ Spaceland Wooden Shjips, Mariee Sioux, Headdress @ McCabe's (read our Interview about Sunday nights at McCabe's) El Manifesto, Orgullo Café @ House of Blues Maceo Parker @ The Roxy (Video after jump) DJ Craze, Klever, Treasure Fingers, Villains @ Henry Fonda Sunday Residency (see all February residencies here) Alex & Sam, Rachel Cantu, Dustin Boyer @......

Just in time for the release one of the most anticipated titles for the Wii this year, the folks over at Nintendo are staging a regional tournament for fans of Super Smash Brothers Brawl, the game that just recently shattered Wii sales records in Japan. According to our sources, the first 256 people who show up at the Orpheum theater downtown will have a chance to fight to the finish in an attempt to......

Think Valentine's Day is for suckers? Afraid of sending the wrong message by giving Valentine's cards (or by failing to)? You can still run out on your lunch break but chances are you won't find any cards as perfect(ly inappropriate) as this collection from Hallmark's Shoebox division. Because transparency (and quite often romance) in the workplace begins with a YouTube channel and a self-mocking blog.......

Video found via Markland at blogging.la This is Britney Spears on Wednesday after being released from UCLA. She may be troubled these days, but who is insane? The Paparazzi. Is anything being done about this? One City Councilman is trying, but non-paparazzi media worry how it could affect them.......

A member of the Los Angeles Police Department's elite SWAT team was shot dead in a gunbattle with a barricaded suspect in the San Fernando Valley this morning. * UPDATE: The suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police around 7:30 a.m., leaving the death toll at 5 (AP). The Mayor has lowered city flags in honor of the officer killed on duty. Randal Simmons, 51, a 27-year veteran officer with the LAPD,......

He tried to vote for Ron Paul, but couldn't LA Times headline: Few election glitches, except for independents Daily News headline: L.A. County ballot flaw could void hundreds of thousands of votes CNN was streaming video from inside a polling place all day long in California (we think Fullerton). In training for poll inspectors by the county registrar, video taping guidelines were reported inconsistent according to election activist and Dharma & Greg actor Mimi......

Video by Zach Behrens/LAist LAist and Video The Vote teamed up to visit Dharma & Greg/Pump Up The Volume actor Mimi Kennedy over at her Van Nuys polling location where she is the poll inspector. She also happens to be the National Chair of the Progressive Democrats of America and sits on the California Election Protection Network. In the video, see the spot you're supposed to check if you are registered as a non-partisan......

This morning at Elysian Elementary in Echo Park | Photo by Andy Sternberg/LAist *UPDATE, 5:33 P.M.: More problems continue throughout LA County at the beach, in Santa Monica. At Los Angeles City Hall, two City Councilmembers had an emergency press conference telling voters to pay attention when voting and Dharma & Greg Actor Mimi Kennedy explains what's going on in a video interview with LAist. Also, Hillary Clinton answered our interview questions. We're getting......

via BoingBoing TV. Check out RoBo's website for more wacky gadgetry.......

Video spoof of "Lost" and "Friends" found on 10ZenMonkeys.com If you didn't watch last night, well, you're only missing out on the best show on television. I will now spend the rest of the day obsessing over the Oceanic Six and mapping out how these new flash-forward episodes might affect my carefully-wrought theories. Hungry for more "Lost"? We recommend you check out Jezebel's awesome article on the much-anticipated Season Four Premiere (I have to......

Silverman came clean last night, honoring boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel's 5th anniversary on late night with a music video. The real surprise: Damon is actually funny in this video and he gets a little payback at Kimmel, whose show often closes with a gag along the lines of: "Apologies to Matt Damon, we've run out of time...."......

Barack is on a roll. He doubled Hillary Clinton's vote count in South Carolina's primary election yesterday. And Caroline Kennedy's op-ed (titled "A President Like My Father") in this morning's New York Times is adding fuel to the fire as pundits across the ideological spectrum ponder the B.O. mo-mo like they haven't since Iowa, a long three-and-a-half weeks ago. Now it's all about February 5. Consider your feelings about the primary today and think about......

*UPDATE: Saturday, 2:45 p.m.* 3 people are now confirmed dead in the aftermath of Friday's avalanches -- LAT. *UPDATE: Friday, 8:50 p.m.*One person was killed and at least one other was missing after avalanches struck near the town of Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains. The victim, 23-year-old Michael McKay, was an employee of the Mountain High Resort ski patrol. Around noon, an avalanche struck as McKay and two friends were skiing in the backcountry......