Guest Contributor

A press conference and rally was held yesterday morning on the steps of City Hall in support of keeping Barnsdall Art Park a public facility. Tomas O’Grady, a board member of the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council who is running for Los Angeles City Council, along with a group of supporters called the Barnsdall Alliance organized the rally.

The current show at Actual Size Gallery explores the realm of the collectivism behind the process of the album. Artists have long been synonymous for clashing the visual world utilizing music as medium. Raymond Pettibon made a career in art when he clashed music and art in the early 1980’s Los Angeles punk scene. The artists in Vinyl Mandala practice art and music as an art form.

You just watched Kobe and Pau put in work on that 3-peat the entire city is pining for, now it’s time to find a downtown LA restaurant to satisfy your own cravings. You know what you’re in for at the army of steakhouses surrounding the Staples Center and you know what kind of gutbuster items await you at ESPN Zone. What other restaurant options within walking distance of The Staples Center can feed a Bynum-sized appetite, whether or not you’ve got a Bynum-sized salary?

Online discussion, countless reviews, and adamant experts seem to only agree on two ingredients: Steak and bread (which sparks a totally new debate: what kind of bread and steak to use). Others argue that an “authentic” Philly doesn't exist--here. You'll have to travel 3,000 miles for authentic Philly cheese steaks, unless you stumble across the Submariner.

The sweet suspense is finally over….Scoops Westside is now open! After a couple of pesky delays, the indie ice cream boutique opened its doors to the Overland Ave. masses last week. And already…it has had to close down early for running out of the uniquely flavored frozen goodness! The West L.A extension was made possible by Blogger-turned-Proprietor, Matthew Kang, a long time fan of the flagship shop near L.A.C.C.

All hail healthy cacti! A festival in honor of Mexico’s green, staple vegetable is set to take place this Saturday at the three-month-old Juan’s Restaurante in Baldwin Park. La Feria Del Nopal will include over fifteen dishes incorporating the tart and tender vegetable, a recipe contest (must be submitted by 3 PM) and even a green carpet!

It was a full church as more than 1,000 tortilla-loving Angelenos gathered at St. Vibiana's Cathedral last Saturday night. They were there not to eat a communion wafer but instead to celebrate 200 Years Of Mexican Cuisine, a tasting event put together by The Taste Of Mexico Association benefiting Heal The Bay Foundation. Just in time, as this year marked the bicentennial celebration of Mexican Independence…not to mention "Traditional Mexican Cuisine” making it to the list of UNESCO’s "Intangible World Heritage."

Tucked two blocks (yet a world away) from the holiday hysteria of the Beverly Center, you'll find the Roger Room--an intimate speakeasy boasting vintage cocktails and top-notch service. From a traditional Whiskey Cider to a modern take on the Old Fashioned, this season's five winter additions are designed to entice.

Darren Aronofsky's nine-year-old Grimm brainchild Black Swan is finally being released to the world on December 3. Brutal and beautiful, the film is a visually stunning journey of a not very pretty sight, the gory gorgeousness reaching its pinnacle with the ballet costumes -- particularly the glorious black swan costume -- designed by L.A.'s own Laura and Kate Mulleavy of the much celebrated line, Rodarte.

Before Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson, Angelinos of all ages hungrily awaited news of Fatty Arbuckle and the Black Dahlia, and before TMZ and Perez Hilton fit in our pockets, there was the afternoon edition of the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. Trafficking in the salacious and the spectacular and operating out of a building boasting hand-painted gold leaf in the lobby, the Herald-Examiner and its home said ‘LA’ like no other paper could.