Nicholas Clark Ashbaugh

Former US Secretary of Education William Bennett is in the media hot seat right now. The conservative talk show host made the following statement during a Wednesday broadcast of Morning in America: "[Y]ou could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." (listen to the clip) Yesterday White House spokesman Scott McClellan made an official statement on the matter. McClellan said that the President "believes the comments were...

Yesterday, like most of you, we wanted to stay abreast of the latest developments with the local fires. However, by noon, the major LA television networks were simply showing a loop of the same video. They labeled it as breaking news, but they had no new information, footage or insight. This led us to ask how much coverage is too much? Likewise, when are local news stations milking a disaster for ratings? Is it...

Nine Inch Nails drummer Jerome Dillon has been hospitalized for the second time since NIN began its fall tour. According to the band's website, Dillon returned to Los Angeles today to undergo tests. NIN's September 30th (Oakland) concert will be postponed and a replacement drummer will be used for the rest of the tour. We already knew there was a corporate heart beating behind the 21 JACK FM stations. Meet the voice behind the...

Today the late Notorious B.I.G. and Bob Marley released a new duet (with the help of technology and questionable morals). The song, titled "Hold Ya Hand" was produced by Clinton Sparks and contains sample of Marley's "Johnny Was." The track is available now on AOL Music. It's part of a larger effort called "The Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter." This is hardly the first time an artist has been involved in a posthumous...

These tracks were in heavy rotation in our iPod this week. Some are old, some are new... all of them are worthy of a listen. Fire up iTunes and enjoy. Local Rock | Red Sparrowes Free Download: Alone and Unaware, from At the Soundless Dawn. This heavy, multilayered instrumental track is dreamy, three-dimensional and intriguing. It's a sonic trip. Electronica | Autechre Download: Bike from Incunabula. "Bike" is an epic, original and experimental electronica...

The biggest problem with being a Vegan or vegetarian is finding variety. Sometimes we feel like an insomniac switching past the same channels at 3 am... everything looks/tastes the same. "Healthy" shouldn't be synonymous with "boring." If it is, the chef is usually stubborn or ignorant. Thankfully, Westwood's cramped, but creative Native Foods shatters two myths at once: (1) Vegan food tastes bad and (2) it's expensive. Their entire [non-dairy] menu includes earth- and...

Photos (C) 2005 Nicholas Ashbaugh, all rights reserved Cine-Space is by far one of the most impressive music venues in town. Combining a unique mix of visual effects with stellar live performances, it's worthy of investigation. Two shows are scheduled for October. Stay tuned to LAist for full details. In the meantime, take in the sights. Bands photographed: Colored Shadows, El Ten Eleven, Huge and Remote. More Photo Essays...

Unless otherwise noted, all performances are free. SATURDAY, 9/24 DJs Michael Stock and Benjamin White of Part Time Punks continue their two month residency at MOCA. The show starts at 6pm and it's free with general museum admission. Call (213) 621-1734. JB and The Rebellion's play at One Colorado in Old Pasadena, from 9pm to midnight. Call (626) 564-1066. SUNDAY, 9/25 Pianist Sara Naomi Sumitani performs at the Beverly Hills Public Library at 2pm....

Space invaders, poltergeists and psychics litter the ominous fall TV landscape. After a decade of bad sitcoms and friends photocopies, 2005 brings us the return of the supernatural genre. The latest entity to materialize is CBS' Medium-wannabe Ghost Whisperer. Like Medium, the show is based on experiences of a real-life psychic. LA-based medium James Van Praagh co-produces the series. Since she was a small child, Melinda Gordon been tortured with her gift to see...

Huge are quickly making a name for themselves in the LA music scene. They've been instrumental in sponsoring and creating the successful Cine-Space shows. Huge is also infamous for having a sound that packs a sonic punch, despite the fact that they're a trio. Continue reading to find out the band's stance on digital music, how LA music compares to New York and where to go to find a killer taco. Can you quickly...