Lindsay William-Ross

It's been a brief period of uncertainty and quiet over at the Music Box, after an abrupt shut-down in January that found the current operators evicted. Now comes word that the venue is born again as The Fonda Theatre, and Goldenvoice will be its exclusive promoter and operator.

Metro swears the Expo Line will open soon, but they're still in the testing phase of the light rail route. Now Metro says they are expanding their testing to better simulate regular service on the line, and will be running test trains from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week on a schedule of every 12 minutes.

In today's Extra, Extra we've got some klassy kompetition for the Kardashians on E!, a tour of literary Los Angeles, a review of the Guns N' Roses show at the House of Blues, and more news of the day. Plus: Keep up with us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter: @LAist @LAistFood @LAistSports.

71-year-old Joseph Robert Brancato was sentenced today to two years in prison for a July 5, 2011 attack on his wife Marie. Initially charged with murder, Brancato struck his wife in the head with a chair leg.

A Southern California high school student is accusing an English teacher of seducing him and having sex with him in the classroom, and that among her appeals to the minor, she said he resembled "Twilight" star Taylor Lautner.

The sign bearing the name of the historic and shuttered Rialto Theatre in South Pasadena could be dangerous, and might have to come down.

Fans of Lou, the unassuming wine bar tucked into a strip mall at the corner of Melrose and Vine, got the sad news yesterday via a blog post from owner Lou Amdur that he is closing up sometime in the next few weeks.

22-month-old Joshua Montes was in his uncle's arms when the two were fatally struck by gunfire in South Los Angeles on May 23, 2011. Neither the boy or the man, Josefat Conchola, were the intended targets of what investigators determined was a drive-by shooting gone awry. Now a pink bicycle may prove to be what links the suspect to the crime.

This doesn't happen too often: A once-prominent chain restaurant that's been closing down locations in recent years is opening up a new location, taking over for an indie restaurant, in an indie-centric 'hood. Hamburger Hamlet is taking over the Avocado Grill space in Larchmont.

Call it a prank, a punking, or just ironic ad space purchasing, but the KPCC billboard that went up recently outside local Pacifica station KPFK's Valley studio raised a few eyebrows. For one KPFK supporter, though, the billboard needed a little re-imagining, considering its placement, and they decided to "occupy" the KPCC slogan and station ID on behalf of KPFK.

When it comes to Arcadia resident Rudy Kurniawan, his "days of wine and wealth are over," according to Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who announced charges against the allegedly fraudulent wine dealer in New York yesterday.

The L.A. Times has implemented some big changes in their Food section, including bundling it up with a bunch of other lifestyle-y sections and pushing it to Saturday, and hiring (Pulitzer Prize-winning) writer Jonathan Gold to spill some ink on the subject of eating in L.A. Now they've announced they're doing away with star ratings in their restaurant reviews.