Carolyn Kellogg

This morning, in Burbank, a car went up against a Metrolink train and the driver lost. What makes this so awful is that, as far as investigators have been able to determine, all safety mechanisms were working properly. It appears that the car's driver shot past the gates in order to beat the train. You can't beat the train. You may notice that the train was pretty much OK; its passengers were unhurt. And...

So Jon Stewart will host the Oscars this year. Hosting the Oscars solo is a little like climbing Everest: the idea of doing it is always there, taunting America's elite comedians and raconteurs. Some, like Bob Hope, can beat it — 12 times he hosted alone, and more times with helpers tagging along. Others end up like Beck Weathers and David Letterman, beaten and barely alive, knowing they'll never do it again. But the...

We all know that freeways are dangerous. Our highly unscientific estimate is that there are about 30 highway traffic incidents reported every hour, which includes everything from "there's a couch in the breakdown lane" to multiple-car crashes with serious injuries. If you're morbid, try the link, which is to the CHP realtime online report center. We know, we're kinda morbid. Lately, freeways have been particularly hazardous for people on foot. Last night, a pedestrian,...

Horseraces! Handicaps! No sooner had we posted about the not-quiet-announced Oscar host than the SAG Award nominees were announced. The biggest surprise must be the nomination of Hustle & Flow in the "best performance by a cast" category (SAG's version of "best picture"), while none of the cast members were nominated individually. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Terrence Howard was robbed. Other than that, it's what you'd expect. Both leads...

If you're anywhere near a TV, you'll want to tune in to ABC right now. Yes, for the USC-Texas Rose Bowl game, but that starts in about 20 minutes. What we don't want you to miss is the matchup of bad facial hair, Will Farrell and Matthew McConaughey. The funnyman is a USC alum; the sexiest man alive went to Texas. Hurry -- they boys are on! Thanks to TrojanWire.for the excellent call....

The headline on the Jewish Observer-LA website — Sharon Suffers (Mild) Stroke — is both sad and embarassing. True, he did suffer a mild stroke in December 18. But today the 77-year-old leader of the state of Israel had "a significant stroke" followed by "massive bleeding." Doctors say he may not survive. Vice Premier Ehud Olmert has taken on his duties. The future of Sharon's new centrist Kamida party is in doubt, and elections...

This Friday the LA Auto Show opens to the public, and for ten bucks you can look at all the cars and crowds you like. But gearheads and the cognoscenti are already getting previews, and some are excited about what they see. You can see too: look at the Volkswagen in the picture. Count its tires. You only see 3, right? There only are three. VW will be showing off a 3-wheel car-slash-motorcycle. We...

There's no question that the plantation owners of the antebellum South had reprehensible politics. Nevertheless, Gone With The Wind is a fantastic movie; Scarlett O'Hara's attempt to save Tara is classic (as are her efforts to steal Ashley and hold on to Rhett). It's a movie that's totally worth seeing on big screen, as big as the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro for $15 on January 22. Special added we-live-in-LA bonus appearance by...

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 confused and curious. Got a question for Jen? Ask her. We promise to be discreet — all questions will...

We're as stunned as Laura Chick at the news that the LA DWP -- the tidy acronym for "Department of Water and Power" -- was buying bottled water for its offices, even as it spent a half-million dollars to promote how safe and delicious its tap water is to drink. We love it when the LA Times does local news like this. Just how much water does $31,160 buy over two years? Records show...