Jason Toney

So how did a decade old piece of art become the center of California illegal immigration activism over the weekend? By Save Our State finding some of the quotes on the Judith Baca piece that stands at the Baldwin Park Metro Station offensive. Along with the quote featured in the picture is a quote by Gloria Anzaldua This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and is, And will be again. and quotes by...

NPR ran a story last week by Luke Burbank about the newly built Midnight Mission at 6th and San Pedro downtown. The $17 million dollar facility has been getting criticism from some homeless organizations and some conservatives. The homeless organizations think the money could be better spent on affordable housing while conservatives think the amenities (which include a gymnasium and a barber shop) are too much. In the comments to one particular blog post,...

Okay, so this has nothing to do with LA but we find it highly amusing. Time Magazine has the exclusive interview with funny man Dave Chappelle who wants to set the record straight: The first thing Chappelle wants is to dispel rumors--that he's got a drug problem, that he's checked into a mental institution in Durban--that have been flying around the U.S. for the past week. He says he is staying with a friend,...

Didn't get enough of M.I.A. at Coachella? Didn't catch her this weekend as she opened for LCD Soundsystem at the El Rey? Need more Galang Galang Galang?! Yeah, we do too. Thankfully she continues her love affair with Los Angeles tonight with a show at The Echo. Diplo is in tow as usual so you know the beats will be ridiculous and, thus, the crowd dancing will be frenetic. The show is sold out...

While a mayoral candidate is bussing around town today, Lisa started venturing through the city yesterday on foot. We think. She has yet to post her first video blog entry but we imagine she's somewhere between Echo Park and Mt. Washington today. If you see a lady walking around with a video camera attached to a baby stroller it is her. Visit with her. She's looking for what's really happening in LA. The stuff...

If you're driving around Hollywood Boulevard over the next two days and traffic is even more annoying than usual, you have the Jimmy Kimmel Show and Audioslave to thank. The late night show and the band are throwing a free outdoor concert Wednesday evening. The concert is free and open to the public but you can get closer to the stage through 1iota tickets. You can get front row VIP passes if you pre-purchase...

Mayor Hahn and his opponent, Antonio Villaraigosa, are all over the city today trying to excite voters for tomorrow's election. Well, maybe Hahn is trying to convince people to stay home. Villaraigosa's lead is probably much less so if there is low voter turnout. The challenger needs to energize the masses while the incumbent should be confusing and annoying enough of the populace that they throw up their hands in disgust at our electoral...

Did you know you can now download movies, music and games while you purchase your overpriced deli meals? Buried in this story about the launch of Yahoo's Music Unlimited is the announcement that Jerry's Famous Deli now provides wifi downloadables throughout their LA restaurants courtesy of OnAir technology. We don't know what they're charging for the service but we think it is pretty cool. We aren't always impressed with the quality of food at...

The granddaddy of teen slasher flicks celebrates its silver anniversary this weekend at Hollywood & Highland. Friday the 13th debuted in the summer of 1980 and spawned 9 sequels and the generally horrible Freddy vs. Jason. Jason Voorhees is the signature figure in the film series but he didn't get his most recognizable costume piece, the hockey mask, until the 3rd film when Larry Zerner's Shelly brings the mask to Crystal Lake to scare...

The hook of Crash is its language. The characters, while archetypes and stereotypes through and through, sound real when they speak to each other and at each other, almost always leaving the conversations misunderstood. Outside of a Persian shop owner and his family, everyone in the film speaks English yet each character's assumptions about each other limit recognition and comprehension. More often than not, a character is too busy hearing his or her own...