And who said culture doesn’t exist in Los Angeles? Check out these events for a little learning, a little entertainment – or both. THEATRE Joe Keyes, author of Bob's Holiday Office Party and Pete's Garage, brings us a new treat: Big Baby. The dramedy focuses on "a crazy Catholic mother living with her disturbed middle aged son who falls for the dominatrix next door and all hell breaks loose." It opens tonight. 8 pm //......

I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their......

Artist: The Real Tuesday Weld Album: The London Book of the Dead Label: Six Degrees Records Release Date: Fall '07 Listen to the track "Last Words": The Real Tuesday Weld is the recording project of Stephen Coates and The London Book of the Dead is his third release under the name and his second with the Six Degrees label. The name itself is very interesting because at the Six Degrees website refers to "the late......

MUSIC: Machine Project is back with an evening of experimental folk music mix. The evening features the sounds of Ryan Fuller, Julie Carpenter, Laura Steenberge, Ruthann Friedman, rickyricky, Pilar Diaz, Pawko and Marshweed. 8 pm // Machine Project // 1200 D. N. Alvarado, Downtown // Free. THEATRE: The Anteus Company presents two nights of eight Noel Coward plays. Night Two takes place tonight featuring the plays: Come The Wild - Red Peppers, Fumed Oak,......

Remember in high school when you had a crush on that guy a few grades older than you and you couldn't stop thinking about him or telling your friends about how you were totally going to go to prom together, and fall in love, and go to the same college, and live happily ever after- if only he knew who you were? What about in ninth grade when you dressed up as a “space......

Monday Edmund White presents Hotel de Dream: A New York Novel 7pm @ Central Library Patricia Hampl presents The Florist's Daughter 7pm @ Dutton's Red Hen Press poets read their work 8pm @ Boston Court Main Stage, Pasadena Tuesday Oliver Sacks presents Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain 7pm @ Central Library Roger Director presents I Dream in Blue 7:30pm @ Barnes & Noble, The Grove Francisco Goldman presents The Art of Politcal......

Last Friday night in a small, nondescript office space in the middle of Denton, Texas, The Strange Boys put on an unforgettable show for twenty five unsuspecting kids. After hearing Keith and Sean rave about them, I saw them at the Fuck Yeah Fest and they absolutely blew me away. I became obsessed with this band immediately because they're doing something literally no one else is: reviving 60s garage rock. At times I hear......

Monday Will Beall presents L.A. Rex 7pm @ Book Soup Robert Alter & Jonathan Kirsch discuss The Book of Psalms with David Ulin 7pm @ Central Library Mark Schapiro signs Exposed 7pm @ Dutton's Richard King presents Spirituality in the Workplace 7pm @ Vroman's Alan Alda presents Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself 7pm @ Borders, Westwood Tuesday Bill Clinton presents Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World 2pm @ Vroman's......

2008 Burning Man Art Theme announced, The American Dream....

Back on April 30, 2006 the Dodgers played the Pads in San Diego leading 5-0 going into the bottom of the ninth. Lance Carter comes out to pitch for the Dodgers and loaded the bases by giving up two singles and a walk with no outs. The Dodger’s then-closer Danys Baez tried to get out of the jam but gave up a single, two walks and two sacrifices to tie the game up 5-5.......

Artist: Bebel Gilberto Album: Momento Label: Six Degrees Records Release Date: 04/27/2007 Queen of the bossa nova, Bebel Gilberto is on tour promoting her newly released album, Momento. She was supposed to play the El Rey last night and tonight but this hadto be rescheduled to a later date for some reason. With all the heat and fires and smoke, the smooth, soothing, and romantic tones of Bebel might be what the doctor ordered......

Lakers 95, Suns 89 - After getting smacked around in the first two games of the series, the Lakers were looking up at a 17 point Phoenix lead in game three. Then something snapped. Kobe went on a 45 point rampage and -- surprise! -- Kwame Brown had 19. Lamar Odom had 18, but more important were his 16 rebounds (6 on the offensive glass). Los Angeles finally has the spark of hope that sometimes......

The LA Times has nominated five books in each of nine different categories for the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. In the weeks leading up to the Festival of Books where the winners will be announced, LAist will take a quick look at each category and will wax poetic on a few favorites (or least favorites) along the way. Black Swan Green is a Fiction nominee. David Mitchell’s Black Swan Green is a departure......

Once upon a time there was a secret place that lived beneath the staircase of a dusty, unassuming building, on a dusty, unassuming street. In this forgotten part of downtown, a magical, underground land was growing quietly, feeding on restless energy, and thriving in the warm glow of good lighting. Once upon a time, that is, until somebody opened their big, stupid mouth. Gracefully defiant and tucked neatly under the radar of the rules,......

10. More Foods Taste Good - If you try it, you'll like it. Mom was right. 9. Shorter Lines At Disneyland - When you're bigger, they seem shorter. And you're tall enough to ride everything. 8. R Rated Movies - Not to mention other places with an age minimum. 7. Naptime - Once dreaded, now our friend. 6. Reaching The Top Shelf - We can reach what's on the top shelf. If not, we......

Anne Smith is the owner of the New School of Cooking in Culver City (which just happens to be a favorite of this LAist), which offers classes for everyone, from beginning to advanced. An aficianado of all things culinary, Smith is also interested in promoting sustainable agriculture, supporting local farmers and reducing our carbon imprint. She recently launched a blog that companions the School's website, and she has also offered us her top ten thoughts......

- Courtney Love was a good girl, judge removes her from probation, she cries. "Thank you for not taking me into custody... You've been a good, fair judge. Sorry for crying." E! News - SUV chased by LAPD crashes into a house near Exposition Park - Mercury News - LA Opera gets $4 million to help recover music suppressed by the Nazis - Playbill - Teen Soccer sensation Freddi Adu gets traded to SLC's......

Teenage angst has become a cottage industry, thanks to David Nadelberg. The LA-based writer, editor and "angstologist" created the stage show Mortified in 2002, where people read/perform entries from the pages of their old diaries, letters, songs, poems and notes in front of an audience. Growing in popularity like a jock in high school, the show has reached other cities besides LA -- Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and New York -- as well as......

It's hard to tell the tone of comments. Sometimes someone will say something and you'll be all "fuck that guy." And then you'll read it a different way and you'll be all, "Oh he was being nice." Someone in the comments said that only I would waste my time at writing a bad novel during write a bad novel month. At first I took offense to it. Words like "waste" will do that to......

“Ta Dah,” the sophomore studio album by our favorite disco sympathizers, Scissor Sisters, is a transcendent, gold lamé dancefest with thumpy and dazzling momentum that’ll give even the stodgiest fuddy-duddies a kick in the pants. Dead-on-balls-accurate bass playing, melodies catchy like the herpes, and enough “homage” to fuel a thousand hustles, this polished and plucky record reads like a hazy, anthemic lullaby for the lubed. The flaxen five (Jake Shears, Babydaddy, Ana Matronic, Del......

It's after Memorial Day. It's sunny. And living in Los Angeles finally pays off. While theatres in the rest of the country are showing HORRIFIC movies, mostly in sequel form. Those sweet, air-conditioned, stadium seats are focused directly on filth. Hundred-million dollar filth. But in the evenings of our movie-obsessed city, we can find the indy, artsy theatres and alternative venues (Hollywood Forever Cemetery, anyone?) that show something better. Scrape the gum off the......

Unless otherwise noted, all shows are free of charge. SATURDAY, 10/22 Cross Hart Jazz Experience take the stage at the Skirball's Café Z. The show starts at 12pm. For info, call (310) 440-4500. The Janaki String Trio perform a preview concert at Trinity Lutheran Church at 2pm. Call (310) 937-7275. Rosalinde Gilbert Concert features the The Capitol Ensemble as a part of LACMA's Sunday Live series. The concert begins at 6pm in LACMA's Leo......

Unless otherwise noted, all shows are free of charge. MONDAY, 10/17 Colored Shadows continue their residency at Spaceland. The doors open at 8pm and the show begins at 9pm. Call (323) 661-4380. John Marx & the Blues Patrol take the stage at Cozy's Bar & Grill. For info, call (818) 986-6000. Thom Rotella’s Jazz Quartet play at Hal's Bar & Grill at 9pm. Call (310) 396-3105 for more information. Lavender Diamond continue their October......

Grab a jacket, some friends and get out of the house. There are plenty of free gigs to keep you occupied. SATURDAY, 10/8 Catch Hot Club Quartette at Cafe Z in the Skirball Cultural Center followed by a free screening of Algeria in a Smile. The show starts at noon. Call (310) 440-4500. DJs Michael Stock and Benjamin White of Part Time Punks continue their residency at MOCA. The show starts at 6pm. It's......

Someday I Suppose, since most of us really Don’t Know How to Party, it was bound to happen. Sick of Howard? Are Kevin and Bean just so five minutes ago? Are your mornings just too eclectic? Well, fear not loyal readers, you’re about to get a memorable Wake-Up Call. That Rascal King himself, Dicky Barrett, lead singer of legendary Boston ska-punk trailblazers The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, just got his own morning show. Finally. Beginning......

In the wake of Tom Berman's departure from the LAist staff, we've been hard at work gathering new contributors to fill the hole in our roster. Thankfully, LA is a city brimming with talent, so we face the end of Tom's editorial tenure with the addition of four new writers: Mark, Scott, Jerry and Paul. Chances are some of you are familiar with all four through their excellent personal blogging projects: Mark through Music (for......