Carolyn Kellogg

We're just not able to get upset by another story of fat salaries and benefits for museum heads. The latest kerfluffle in the LA Times is about the housing expenditures for the new Getty Museum director, whose rental is $15,000 per month, which is $180,000/year. The Getty purchased a house for him that (oops) was mold-ridden so they're putting him up elsewhere. But if we want to have world-class museums we have to pay...

The 78-year old man who was shot by Vice Prez Dick Cheney had a heart attack today. But, doctors say, it's not that bad, really; "heart attack" is the lay term. Uh, right. We're just glad we're not having one. A tranformer fire blacked out 30,000 homes in Long Beach today; power was restored by lunchtime. Good thing for them, because a major TV battle is on tonight for those avoiding the Hallmark-mandated public...

It started when we headed to the Huffington Post to see what they had to say about Cheney's hunting accident: we got distracted. Look, they had a link to the CheneyHunt Game! Shoot along with Cheney! But the game doesn't last long enough for us. Of course Jon Stewart nailed it on The Daily Show last night: Cheney: #2 With A Bullet!. Incidents like these are like manna from heaven for satirists, and they...

The LA County Coroner has announced that Chris Penn died of heart disease. Some prescription medications — particularly a cough syrup — may have been a factor. Apparently Penn's death in Santa Monica was atypical; a Department of Health Services Report finds that people in poorer areas of the county, like South LA and Lawndale, are more likely to die prematurely from stroke and heart disease. A 6-year old California boy is the successful...

John Stewart recently called John Hodgman "very funny." That would be enough to keep us home playing the Daily Show video over and over, but it's not enough for Hodgman. He was center stage at the McSweeney's thing at REDCAT on Saturday and will be at Book Soup tonight. Because it's all about his book, The Areas of My Expertise, which includes the heretofore unknown Hobo Rebellion. Stewart says the book should not be...

The geniuses at losanjealous are attacking the holiday head-on. They're creating custom last-minute Valentine's Day cards, with LA themes and your own personalized message. Just pick your background (Burrito King? OkiDog?) and tell them what you'd like to say. No two are the same! Speaking of unique, you can even get a custom boquet at one of the "oh shit" vendor corners packed with last-minute Valentine's Day gifts. Of course, you can also pick...

Jen Sincero is a sexpert, musician, and the author of the bestselling book, The Straight Girl’s Guide To Sleeping With Chicks and the semi-autobiographical novel, Don’t Sleep With Your Drummer. She currently hosts the weekly sex talk radio show Dr. Happypants on killradio.org. Every week in Living in Sin, Jen provides advice for LA's sexually curious. Got a question for Jen? Ask her. We promise to be discreet — all questions will be posted...

Just in time for Valentine's Day comes news that Heidi Fleiss is going back into the sex business. This time, though, she's decided to do it where it's legal. In case you don't know Heidi, she was the Hollywood Madame of the 1990s; she was busted at age 27. The list of clients at her Benedict Canyon brothel was headed by Charlie Sheen. Back then, she was peddling ladies women; now she's decided to...

So when the fights first broke out at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic last week, people tried to explain why. Some say that dorm-style jails are at fault. Some blame racial tensions. At one point, a clergy tour of the facility set off a new series of disturbances. Head Sheriff Lee Baca's immediate response was to say that his department doesn't have enough staff; there aren't enough sheriff's deputies. The numbers seem to...

The Gold Line's new express service between Pasadena and Downtown LA starts today. It'll make just 4 stops in addition to Union Station: Highland Park, Mission, Del Mar and Sierra Madre Villa. US snowboarders are SICK! A 17-year-old Long Beach teen has climbed 6 of the world's 7 highest peaks with her dad. Next up: Everest. If a full-sized monorail isn't likely for LA, maybe Ray Bradbury can get this one for his puppies....