Lindsay William-Ross

Who knew cream puffs could ignite such a hot bed of activity and response? But we heard you "had no beard" and were turned down, so we checked with the folks who clued us into the promo and got things straightened out. Here's the deal: Friday July 10th, from 11 a.m. to Noon, if you say "I don't have a beard" to the employee at either The Pacific Center (6th st) and California Plaza...

Peel back the layers--like the paint on this old building--of historic NoHo by taking a walking tour. (Photo by Lindsay William-Ross/LAist) Don't buy into the old notion that there's no history in Los Angeles. If anything, our weekly LAistory series will handily prove otherwise. But, fine, don't take our word for it. Why not take some experts' words and get out and about for yourself in the remarkably historic North Hollywood neighborhood, where you...

Photo courtesy Compartes Brentwood chocolate boutique Compartes sells some amazing cocoa confections, and now they're adding coffee to the works. They tell us that they will "will serve coffee daily along with our handcrafted aritsan chocolates (specials for summer include passionfruit, wild strawberry, lychee and more), handmade sorbets and gelatos and a brand new thick european-stlye hot chocolate drink with a kick (that is served in shot glasses)." Tomorrow you can score a sample...

Estimates peg yesterday's massive memorial service for Michael Jackson costing the city at around $4 million, but "one economist says Los Angeles may end up breaking even," according to abc7. "Jack Kyser says the event costs may be offset by the money spent on food and lodging from all the fans and media who came to L.A." To help cover the unexpected expense, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office established a website yesterday to collect donations....

iPhone photo of Getty Drive fire via Emily Lerman for LAist An LAFD Alert reports that a brush fire of approximately 2 acres is burning in the heavy brush near 1200 Getty Center Dr, in the Sepulveda Pass. "L.A. City Fire Department says they will need to fight this fire from the air, as the area is inaccessible," according to abc7, who are also live streaming video-only (no audio) coverage of the fire. UPDATE,...

Photo by GarySe7en via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr The 2009 Urban Mobility Report was released today, and the study gives us insight into how much time and gas we waste in traffic, according to abc7. Published by the Texas Transportation Institute, the study uses 2007 data to compare to earlier years, and while we may want to cheer that we shaved one hour from our "stuck in traffic" time from 2006 to 2007,...

CurbedLA shares this good-news bit for preservationists and fans of Fatburger, and report that the original 1952 South LA stand where the popular fast food franchise began has been purchased by the CRA and will be preserved and made a part of the new development on the property. According to family rep Frank Evanisko," The actual shack still on the property cannot be torn down but must be rehabbed and incorporated into any new...

Say what you will about the entertainer, the headline-maker, the musician, the defendant, the humanitarian, and the man who was Michael Jackson, but as she briefly took the microphone on stage, surrounded by her siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, 11-year-old Paris Jackson's few tearful words said the world about Michael Jackson--her dad. "I just wanted to say...Ever since I was born...Daddy has been the best father I could ever imagine...and I just wanted to say that I love him...so much."

Fans hoping to head to Hollywood & Highland to watch a live simulcast of this morning's Michael Jackson memorial service shown at the Mann Chinese movie theatre--steps away from Jackson's Walk of Fame star--will have to make other plans. The venue has just announced that they are canceling the broadcast, according to a press release. The request to cancel this viewing opportunity came by the Los Angeles Police Department, "resulting from the overwhelming demand...

Two Downtown locations of Famima!! want to pass on a secret involving a sweet treat. The convenience chain will be carrying Beard Papa's cream puffs at their stores on 6th Street (Pacific Center) and at 350 S. Grand Avenue (California Plaza) until the end of the month weekdays between Noon and 5 p.m., and they want to give you a taste for free. Between 10 a.m. and noon today through Thursday if you tell...

Photo by www.voteJoeC.com via Flickr Last night at around 9 p.m., LAPD Detective Susan Clemmer, 41, waked into the Santa Clarita sheriff's station at 23740 Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia, "placed a box of personal items on the counter," then ended her life with a single gunshot, according to the LA Weekly. Clemmer was "one of the first officers to testify during the Rodney King trial," having been in the ambulance with King following...

Tomorrow morning's public memorial service for Michael Jackson has not only been an epic ticketing drama and financial burden, but will also impact how vehicle and public transit traffic moves--or, rather, doesn't move--through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles tomorrow. The area around Staples Center will be shut down to traffic and controlled by about 1,400 LAPD officers assigned to manage the crowds. Although hundreds of thousands of people on top of the 17,500...