Guest Contributor

In 2012, Californians may have the opportunity to vote on a grassroots ballot measure requiring food purveyors to label food when it contains genetically-modified organisms, or GMOs. GMOs are organisms that have been genetically engineered to include genes from other organisms.

Angeleno cocktailians, start your engines. The five finalists of the 2nd Annual L.A.’s Best Bartender Competition have been announced. Now, we knew last week that Joseph Brooke of Next Door Lounge won as People’s Choice and therefore automatically earned a spot as a finalist. But who are the other four he’ll be going up against in the final showdown?

Staying true to its theme of Childhood Items We Miss The Most Month, Gallery1988 will debut its Old School Video Game Art Show tonight with an opening reception in Venice. More than 90 artists will give their creative spin on ‘80s favorites, including Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Donky Kong, MegaMan, PacMan, Metroid and many more.

We are all members of the church of beauty. We worship the long legs and skinny waists of Vogue models, and while maybe 2 percent of the general public can look that way, the quest to gain this unattainable appearance drives people to buy the newest diet book or eye shadow.

Bony Joanie, Snotwich Sandra, Charred Chad…Garbage Pail Kids were all the rage for kids in the ‘80s. This Friday, Gallery 1988 is hosting a tribute to “the grossest trading cards ever” with more than 100 artists giving their individual spin on the iconic stickers as part of their Childhood Items We Miss The Most Month.

Crowds. Sun. Parties. Crazy promotional programs. Strange outfits. Studios and indie scenes. These are the ingredients for events in Hollywood, but they also came together for this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego.

Tomorrow afternoon, 70 girl musicians will take the stage at the Echoplex to show off their musical prowess after attending the second annual Rock n’ Roll Camp For Girls in LA. Over the past few days, campers aged 8 to 17 have picked up instruments and learned to rock without fear. Campers learn an instrument, form a band, write a song, and cap it off with a rock-fueled showcase for the public.

Just when you thought you had The Veggie Grill figured out - it's tasty, but no, the meat isn't real - The Veggie Grill surprises you. There's a secret menu!

Chef Mary Sue Milliken is an institution in the Los Angeles culinary world. As a partner with Chef Susan Feniger for over 25 years, she has opened two Border Grill restaurants in LA (and one in Las Vegas) in addition to owning the wildly successful Border Grill food truck. As a chef, cookbook author and TV personality on “Too Hot Tamales”, she has introduced thousands of people to high-end modern Mexican and Latin American food.

Craving an excuse to spiffy up your summer wardrobe? Well you're in luck, as the bi-annual THREAD Show takes over the Cooper Design Space in downtown LA this Sunday. The one-day show will feature over 100 hand-picked indie designers, giving us all a great reason to shop locally from prices marked well below retail.

This week’s adoptable pets are from the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA, an independent, donor-supported, non-profit agency that provides care for abandoned and homeless animals. PHS welcomes and cares for all animals in its service area regardless of age, medical condition, breed or any other criteria.

This week’s pets are from the Bill Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that rescues primarily dogs and sometimes cats from the Los Angeles City Shelter System and places them into loving homes. The Bill Foundation is a tribute to Bill, a rescued Golden/Lab who succumbed to cancer in August 1998. Bill Foundation founders, Jo and Peter Forman, chose to focus their grief into a positive channel by saving the shelter pets in peril.