Nicholas Clark Ashbaugh

In a city permeated with entertainment and industry types, Netflix (or its rival Blockbuster) are becoming as prevalent as TiVo. At a recent LAist staff meeting, we got off topic and discussed how Netflix was the best and worst thing since sliced bread. After the chat, we nailed down the ubiquitous service's biggest pros and cons. The Good: Convenience and anonymity. The genius of Netflix is that it allows complete anonymity. Thus, you have...

Photo Essay submitted by: LAist reader Leilani Wertens...

In a city with such a large Latino audience, LAist is surprised at the lack of coverage of the 6th Annual Latin Grammys. Perhaps the awards are still ahead of the curve. After being aired on CBS for several years (and garnering low ratings) this year the Latin Grammys moved to Univision, the leading domestic Spanish-speaking language network. The awards were broadcast in Spanish for the first time, which makes perfect sense to us--and...

From gender-bending Mormon punk-rockers to stories about lost dreams in Los Angeles, there are plenty of off-beat, limited release movies to sink your teeth into this weekend. Christmas in the Clouds - Romantic comedy starring Tim Cahle and Mari Ana Tosca, directed by Kate Montgomery. Ray "Clouds on Fire" (Vahle) is the head of his tribes' struggling ski resort. When the chief's old pen pal "Tina" (Tosca) arrives from New York, she's mistaken for...

Although they've been playing the LA music scene for nearly two years and released an eponymous EP, Army Navy are probably most recognized for being featured on Fox's hit show, the OC. They also have a strong fan base in Seattle, thanks to KEXP. With influences ranging from British pop to Pacific Northwest post-grunge, Army Navy strikes that enviable balance of being both instantly familiar and unique. This particular editor thinks (or at least...

Green Day, R. Kelly and Toby Keith are the first confirmed performers for the 2005 Billboard Music Awards. The live awards show will be held December 6 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. You can catch coverage on Fox. Green Day and Coldplay were the biggest winners at the 12th MTV Europe Music Awards. The music publishing and copyright assets of "M.C. Hammer" (aka Stanley Burrell) have been put up for sale. The...

Photo Essay submitted by: LAist reader Justin Rudd...

Santa Monica-based MySpace.com announced its plans to create its own label dubbed "MySpace Records" that will be manufactured by Universal Music Group's Interscope Records and distributed by Universal's indie Fontana Distribution. Earlier this year, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. purchased MySpace's parent company, Intermix Media for approximately $580 million. MySpace Records will debut on November 15 with the release of "MySpace Records: Volume I." This compilation will be priced at $9.98 and will contain tracks...

And what good these myriad mythologies? And what good these magics (sic) not to be released? And what good unknowable divinity... if it's not the world? --Castanets, A Song Is Not The Song Of The World The enigmatic and brooding San Diego native, Ray Raposa, ponders these and other existential questions with his band Castanets on their second release "First Light's Freeze." Though Raposa's lyrics shift from prosaic to poetic, they never drift far...

Holidays have a penchant for sneaking up on you. Christmas is the most obvious example, but Halloween is equally as vexing. Even though we have 365 days between each Halloween to breathe, contemplate and otherwise prepare a killer costume idea, we're never completely ready. Fear not, we're here to help the Halloween-impared. Step One: Face The Facts Take a deep breath and embrace the fact that you won't be the belle (or beau) of...