Once upon a time, Angelenos flocked to 8000 W Sunset Blvd to buy CDs at the Virgin Megastore's US flagship. But since no one seems to buy actual discs anymore, the Virgin Megastore fell prey to economic hard times, and, following on the heels of iconic Sunset Strip music retailer Tower Records, closed up shop for good over a year ago. more ›

What Made Milwaukee Famous finish up their Los Angeles tour playing along with Tulsa and the British Sea Power/Colourmusic bill moves over to Spaceland. On the Westside, there's only one choice to make and that is hip-hop violinist Paul Dateh at the Temple Bar (check out our interview with him including video). Over in Little Tokyo, Vosotros is having a record release party at LAND for their new album featuring 12 bands. You can get the music free on iTunes via their podcast (search "vosotros the lazy susan" and click on the image) more ›

Agreed--for what it's worth--it's just not the same. more ›

Record shops and CD purveyors are going the way of the 8-track. Joining the now-defunct ranks of Aron's Records, Rhino Records and Tower on Sunset is the Virgin Megastore. The rent's too high (tell us something we don't know!) And maybe, the sluggish music sales don't help much, either. more ›

As Kanye West says in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, "Hip-hop is the only sport of music. Rock artists aren't thinking about each other to that extent. And these are like the championship moments." more ›

A hat tip to Quint over at AICN for alerting me to this little bit of coolness happening next week. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are two of my absolutely favorite movies from the past few years. Shaun has been in heavy rotation at home and Fuzz will surely follow now that it's out on DVD. more ›

If you are gay or European, or considering becoming gay or European, this record may already be yours. For the heterosexual American who has never heard of Mika, however, fret not. You will not be excluded from this elite club. This album is for you, too. Perky, discoed, electro-pop ala Scissor Sisters (but less Elton John, and more Queen) awaits your every, equal opportunity, partying need. Road trip? Perfect. Getting ready to go out... more ›

- Why did The Departed beat Dreamgirls at the Oscars even though Dreamgirls threw a lot of money in hyping it to voters? - Reuters - Where will you be tomorrow at 11:30am when the Doors get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Virgin Megastore? Also, according to the Doors website, jazzy drummer John Densmore, who helped give the Doors part of their unique feel, won't be in... more ›

GWAR, Municipal Waste @ House of Blues Barbara Streisand @ Staples Jello Biafra @ El Rey (spoken word) The Rapture @ Henry Fonda James Blunt @ Virgin Megastore (signing) Sarah Silverman @ Largo Sierra Swan, OK Stranger, Hope Republic @ Viper Room Matt Fishbeck @ Silverlake Lounge Mr. Divisadero @ The Scene Desmond Child, Billy Steinberg, Jill Sobule @ Hotel Cafe Van Gunn, Lions in the Street @ Safari Sam's The Need, LCD, Start... more ›

She's Miss World, Mrs. Cobain, Momma Bean, America's Sweetheart, and the Widow Courtney. While some of the punk and grunge icons of days gone by have faded out, Courtney Love's fire still rages despite the fact that so many just want her to sit still and shut up. But shutting up is one thing Ms. Love will never do. Thankfully. Just the opposite, in fact, as her memoirs Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney... more ›

Jedi Mind Tricks, Ra the Rugged Man @ Troubadour more ›

Sorry for the short notice, but with a guy like Chappelle you never quite know where he'll pop up...or when. Hell we've been waiting for him to re-appear on Comedy Central for years now. more ›

Got the itch? Get it scratched all over town. more ›

Reno 911! opened its third season last night with the deputies locked up in prison. They were released by show's end but are no longer on the force. Their new jobs run the gamut from the expected mall security guard gigs to Lieutenant Dangle trying out for "American Idol" while Clemmy decides to be a full time groupie for Steely Dan. We love those cops. more ›

And now for something completely different. At midnight tonight, entirely beyond the pale freak-savant auteur Elan Gale will be screening the world premiere of his nineteen-minute short film "Fuck/Kill" at the Laemmle Sunset 5 (by the Virgin Megastore.) Admission is free. The opening short, "Lukewarm," by Bradley Reed, received a lukewarm reception at Cinespace a little while back, but "Fuck/Kill" promises to live up to its name as an unrated, hysterically funny, horribly evil hump & snuff thriller. Gale, only 22, is the next Charlie Kaufman in many ways; only much more affable in person. Disdaining film school, he's spent the past couple years passing around one script after another that name actors attach themselves to and no studio in its right mind will touch. We're expecting "Fuck/Kill" to be a maniacal example of everything unholy that can come only from the deepest, darkest underbelly of the film-making universe. more ›

With the holidays all around us, LAist has noticed that some people aren't fully embracing the "treat your fellow man respectfully and with love" concept. And so, we decided to take advantage of the stress and the chaos and the ill-will around town by seeing just how many annoyed dashboard notes we could elicit by parking in two spaces at once, too close to the driver's side doors, at awkward angles, double-parking and a myriad of other "no-no's." more ›

Back from the Holidays, LAist brings you yet another look at people and coffee and buzz-like activity (we're going into our fifth month, people) as it relates to Los Angeles. This week, LAist took a trip to the hip and happening and happy and horror-filled location that is Hollywood -- more specifically, Sunset Boulevard where there's more billboards per capita than in any other place in town. more ›

Yesterday evening the barrage of hellish water torture began to fall down upon the innocents of Los Angeles county, trapping most inside in what some have called (some = LAist) "almost as bad as Hell, but not as hot, but really really darn scary." more ›

If we had our way, every garage in this city would have 100,000 spaces, all with easy elevator access, and they'd have 100 exit lanes, each staffed by a friendly cashier with a lenient approach to the validation policy, and oh yeah, all the walls would be made of rich milk chocolate with a creamy nougat center. But if we can't build our garages in Fantasyland, we'll take the one at the Grove instead. more ›

Today in the Daily Trojan there appeared the article "Record Penny-pinching," a profile of the best record stores in Los Angeles. While LAist can't fault the need for such a list—and the conclusion that Amoeba Music is the best in LA—there are some fairly notable omissions. more ›