While the action on the sand was unscripted, the action around it was incredibly choreographed. AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) knows how to market their events. Yesterday the men's finals of the Manhattan Beach Open was held in the South Bay on the sands next to the Manhattan Beach Pier. AVP built a stadium in the sand, complete with corporate luxury boxes and flashy attention-grabbers everywhere you turned. The PA announcer joked with the players,......

MTV to Bloggers: We sort of like you but not enough to give a shit about your coverage. LAist to MTV: We sort of like you but not enough to give a shit about your programming. When LAist was invited by MTV to live-blog the 2007 Movie Awards from an on-site "blogging tent," we asked ourselves one crucial question: is this going to be a cool opportunity to offer readers a unique perspective on the......

I collected baseball cards growing up. Baseball cards taught me math (ER*9/IP=ERA!!). Baseball cards taught me the art of negotiation ("I'll give you a Griffey Upper Deck rookie for that McGwire '84 Olympic card"). And, perhaps most importantly, baseball cards taught me last names. From Assenmacher to Zeile, I know 'em all. While I typically forget someone's first name 30 seconds after meeting them, their last names always seem to stick with me ("Wait, your......

The other day on VH-1 Classic they played this whole 1977 Kinks concert and we wondered "do children really know how good they have it?" When LAist were little kids we heard this song and thought it was the greatest thing ever. So Anti-Christmas while having the spirit of the season at its heart. But back then we had to wait for it to get played on Dr. Demento or somewhere random and only......

Earlier this year USC Daily Trojan editor in chief Zach Fox's re-election got cockblocked by the SC VP of Student Affairs. USC, like many colleges has a process of choosing their EICs by having a staff vote followed by a conformation vote by a group consisting of students, staff, and faculty. Because Fox had the audacity this fall to request the financial paperwork in regards to the Daily Trojan from USC, the VP of......

When LAist thinks about things to be thankful about we normally praise Jah for our health, our great friends, our sweetass job, our loving family, our ridiculous luck with the ladies, and the fact that we live in the greatest city in the world. But after watching this video we know that there are some people who are thankful to even be alive today. Aerosmith claims in "Amazing" that "life is a journey, not......

When LAist thinks of John Lithgow and food, some kind of a shiny extra-terrestrial pear pops into our head. We suggest you put that image out of your mind, however, if you're so inclined to see the former "3rd Rock from the Sun" star read aloud short-stories — about food — at this weekend's Food Fictions! at the Getty Center (Friday- Sunday, May 19-21). He's one of several actors who will be orating culinary-inspired......

When LAist thinks of schnitzel and sauerkraut, there is one place that does not come to mind: the San Fernando Valley. At first, we were hesitant. The Valley is known for many things: oppressive summer heat, acres of apartment buildings, terrible road conditions...but not German food. Unless, of course, you make your way to Oxnard and Woodman and the restaurant known as Matterhorn Chef. Originally Hoppe's Old Heidelberg, the restaurant was taken over by......

Pull the Rabbit Ears: It's not just a catchy title, it's a suggestion from PINE*am. "We named it after the old TV antennae," explained guitarist and backing vocalist Chizuko Matsubayashi. "We would like as many people as possible to receive the music." Those that choose to "receive" this CD are in for a trip. PINE*am combines digital clicks, drum loops and guitars with unpredictable vocals. The effect is a sound that ranges from the......

Any self-respecting LA foodie knows their way around the city's dining establishments; any self-respecting LA foodie with an internet connection probably knows their way around the Chowhound LA message board. LAist has lurked there recently, trying to get a taste for what the top tasters in town think of certain spots, or where to go to satisfy a particular craving. But it's an intimidating world, those jungle-like boards. Say the wrong thing (let's say,......

No matter how hard you might try, it's hard not to notice that something is happening today. Practically every streetcorner in the city is packed with people selling cellophane-wrapped baskets or red teddy bears or pink bouquets. When LAist got to work, there were chocolates on our desk ... from the building management. Ugh, we got valentine'd by building management! No more denial for us. If you're as excited about Valentine's Day as we......

When LAist showed up at The Hollywood Bowl last night to catch some fresh "Air", we didn't expect to find ourselves pleased with a pair of openers that we had yet to see perform live. The first opener, Sondre Lerche, performed without accompaniment to great crowd reaction while the light was becoming scarce -- belting out a variety of haunting and melodic songs and finishing up with a small orchestra at his side. Following......

When LAist began it's quest to bring you the sights and sounds of people gathering their morning buzz by using the backdrop of a particular coffee establishment, we never thought we'd endure such chaos and criticism by some jealous LA sites who had wished they'd thought of it themselves. The evidence? This week's subtle post over at LA Observed, in which they criticize LAist's The Coffee Buzz as "more unbilled product placement." Even more......