While the common adage suggests everyone has one book in them, it fails to mention that book will average 28 rejections. Or that publishing it might take as long as writing it. Nor is it even insinuated that your one book, once it’s published, will hopefully make you about $1 per book—that is, if you can sell 7,000 copies first. So yes, everyone might have one book in them, but getting it published warrants an entirely different—and perhaps less optimistic—outlook. Thankfully, this past weekend, the LA Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association made it their mission to bring some clarity to the often-murky realm of publishing. more ›

Inspired by ImproTheatre's LA Noir UnScripted, we thought about looking at present-day Los Angeles through the lens of the genre, and a time gone by. So we dug into our LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr, where we found a few noir-esque shots that evoke the spirit of a time immortalized in film and stories, where trenchcoat-sporting private dicks navigated the dark streets--and darker barrooms--of the City of Angels. more ›

Laptop: Check. Screenplay notes/freelance deadline: Check. Need for caffeine and WiFi: Check. Now, where to? The Huffington Post's LA site has a piece today giving their picks for the 10 best non-chain cafés or restaurants where writers can open up their laptops and tap away (mostly) happily. The list includes everything from Palihouse to the members-only Soho House, along with Larchmont's Bricks and Scones, Intelligentsia, Abbot's Habit, and Casa del Mar (home of LAist's least favorite brunch). But the list comes with another 10 points: Rules for good behavior that will ensure you don't ruin a good spot for others. Any good writing place you're willing to share that didn't make their list? Let us know! more ›

If you follow any "foodies" on Twitter you may have woken up to a stream of 140 character obit-like wails echoing the death rattle that's just been shook at print publication mega-player Conde Nast. They've just announced that they're going to close up shop at Gourmet magazine, a 68-year-old monthly whose colorful photos and thoughtful words have inspired cooks and eaters here in Los Angeles and around the world for decades. more ›

Hollywood can have problems giving credit where credit is due. Ideas get stolen, supporting actors go unnoticed, and many times the writers who make up the foundation of the entertainment industry never get the limelight in the way that they should. That is, until they decide to go on strike, or a blonde bombshell declares them unfit for accolades. So it should be a source of honor and pride for these men and women when, once a year, they are truly recognized and heralded for their achievements. This is the Writers Guild of America Awards. more ›

Monday 12/29 more ›

Happy Hanukkah everyone! And Christmas is on its way, too! You're probably getting enough awkward laughter mileage out of your families this time of year, but if not, take a look below for some interesting tidbits that could keep you rolling through this most festive of weeks. And since things are slowing down for the holidays, be sure to let us know about your own shows in the comments section, or email Farley. more ›

Gear up for a series of holiday-themed comedy shows and benefit events in the coming weeks. Luckily, there are also plenty of heathen shows for us ne’er-do-wells to give our money to for no good cause. And if you’ve got one you’d like to see here, email Farley or leave it in the comments below. And don’t forget to tag those big ol’ Flickr photos in the LAist Featured Photo Pool with ‘lastlaugh’ so we can slap them up here each week. more ›

Latino Night, 8p Laugh Factory. Spice up your stand up. tml more ›

It is a rare treat to see masters at work in any medium, which is why you may walk the streets of New York City and encounter countless tourists taking pictures of overweight men behind counters flicking thin sheets of pizza dough. A luxurious craft, or particularly lucrative? No. But these men are good at what they do, plain and simple, and there is a sense of pride and honesty to their work. This is what brings out the cameras. more ›

It’s turkey week, so make sure you work off some of those cranberry sauce pounds by laughing extra hard. If you need help getting started, try checking this out. And don’t forget to add to Flickr’s LAist Featured Photo pool with any pics you want to run for the weekly LAst Laugh segment. Just tag it with ‘lastlaugh’ so we can find the hilarity and showcase it on the site. more ›

Another stellar week of comedy in the Los Angeles area. If you know of / are in a comedy show you think we should be covering, leave it in the comments section. more ›

Monday 11/10 more ›

Author Dave Freeman died at his home last week in Venice. The USC graduate and later advertising agency executive wrote in his co-authored book, "100 Things to Do Before You Die: Travel Events You Just Can't Miss," that "this life is a short journey. How can you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last time?" His family told the Associated Press that he had been to about half of the places in his book before he died. Between he and his co-author Neil Teplica, they had visited nearly all the places. more ›

This week, Fodor's online published a little Q & A with editor Jennifer Paull who recently spent a long weekend in our dear city. She wanted to catch up on all that's been recently new to her as a frequent(ish) tourist. Among that was the Griffith Observatory, The Getty Villa, restaurants Osteria Mozza and Röckenwagner Café in Venice and Moss, the high-design housewares store on Melrose. What caught our attention the most, though, was her... more ›

Richard M. Sherman is half of the famous Sherman Brothers songwriting team. Responsible for the scores of “Mary Poppins” and “Jungle Book” He has two Academy Awards, A Grammy, A star on the walk of fame, 23 gold and platinum albums, and is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. I got a chance to speak to Mr. Sherman about his current projects and some of his much beloved past ones. His current project is... more ›

There's a box that generally lives on a shelf in my closet that holds pretty much every single journal, diary, and notebook I've kept since my mom brought me back my first diary (a lavender lock-front Minnie Mouse book with "Journal Intime" embossed in gold block letters) from a trip to France when I was nine years old. I will confess readily that I love to pull that box down and rifle through the... more ›

Peanut butter has jelly and bacon has eggs, so why not make a go of pairing writers with food? Well, that's one of the underlying philosophies of the workshops offered through Writing Pad. Writers hungry for a comfortable and inspiring environment to sharpen their skills, rejuvenate their creativity, or hurdle over their writer's block can take advantage of a variety of single or serialized classes that are rounded out with catered tasting plates, desserts,... more ›

Welcome to the latest edition of Ask the MACist, the column where I answer your Macintosh, Macintosh-related and other technology questions with hopefully more clarity and insight than you could ever need. We'll get to your questions in a moment but first I just want to thank those of you who sent well-wishes to me during my bout with pneumonia last week. I'm happy to say that I'm well on the road to recovery... more ›