Jason Toney

It seems like everyone around town is all over Michael of Franklin Avenue's post about the possibility that Indie 103.1 isn't long for this world but we have our eye on another situation. The return of KDAY (now on FM at 93.5) seems to have put a little fear in the big kid on the block, Power 106. According to The Elements, some Power 106 Dee-Jays have been pushing hip hop artists to not...

Unfortunately, the death of Hunter S. Thompson on Sunday stole our attention from the passing of a true Los Angeles icon. Before Blue Crush, before Roxy gear, even before Sally Field, there was Sandra Dee playing Gidget on the big screen and, perhaps single-handedly, letting girls know that they could surf too. She died Sunday at the age of 62. We particularly like what movie critic (and California native), Carrie Rickey, had to say...

This obituary was written by Josh Strike, a new contributor to LAist.com. Unless it's all some elaborate hoax, Hunter S. Thompson died Sunday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the rest of us are left to wonder: What did it all mean? Common wisdom suggests that here was a man who should have died decades ago in some glorious drug-crazed rampage. He was alternately a born freak or a good-ol'-boy gone awry, a madman...

Speaking of Starring LA, Constantine opens this weekend with Los Angeles, Sunset Boulevard in particular, as it's major backdrop (well when Keanu Reeves isn't spending time in Hell). Hank Steuver in his review of the film says, "Hollywood really believes it's got a lock on the infernal...in the Goth mind-set of who-knows-how-many screenwriters, there can apparently be nothing creepier than a dive/dance bar populated by the demonic undead, in which you'll find your Lestats,...

Maybe local politicians aren't so boring after all. The Daily News says that US Congressman Gary Miller of the 42nd District -- which covers Diamond Bar, Whittier, La Habra Heights and Rowland Heights in LA County -- got into a shoving match with a CNN cameraman. Apparently after being manhandled by the cameraman, who must've wanted a better shot of Arnold, Miller pushed back saying, "do it again, push me again." Too bad Gary...

What kind of Southern California is this? Since July 1st, we've had over 25 inches of rain. Over two feet! This current storm is expected to drop another three inches on us over the long President's Day weekend. Watching local news this morning, we know that traffic accidents have already been caused. Maybe we'll just stay in today. Speaking of traffic, The Daily Bruin reports on how each of our Mayoral candidates are pushing...

Oddly, we're not ashamed to say we're watching American Idol this year. Maybe because they've given away with all pretense of being a legitimate competition, we can give up on thinking of it as a guilty pleasure. There's a subtle wink and a nod between the tv and us every time we sit down and speed through the boring parts to get to the drama. Last night, Simon, Randy and Paula finally widdled it...

Those crazy meteorologists keep saying the rain is coming but it's sunny right now so we're just going to ignore them. Besides that, this week the only things we're more obsessed with than "American Idol" and "Project Runway" is crime. NBC 4 reports that LAPD and Beverly Hills Police have formed the Hillside Burglary Task Force to deal with the rash of West Side residential crimes over the last two months. Meanwhile, in another...

Even with Ashcroft out of office, the Justice Department still wants to get its hands on some pornography. We caught this story first in Broadcasting & Cable (subscription required) but it's also available in The Daily News and elsewhere. Extreme Associates won a reprieve when a US District Judge dismissed the obscenity case against them last month but now the Department of Justice says it will appeal the decision. We're nervous about pointing to...

Someone should revoke our Valley membership card. We've lived in this part of the city for over 20 years and we've never seen The Great Wall of Los Angeles up close. We've driven past it regularly and spied it from the comfort of our cars but actually walking down the 2700 foot mural? Well, let's just say we're ashamed. Now, as it nears its 30th anniversary, it needs to be refurbished. SPARC is looking...