Paul Davidson

After consulting a variety of mathematicians, statisticians and happy-hour food experts, LAist has determined that out of all the mega-cities in the United States, Los Angeles is the one place where a down-on-their-luck, individual who is lacking "funds" could actually survive the longest without any professional assistance whatsoever. Why? Because Los Angeles is the town of 'free'. On any given week, if you know someone or know someone who knows someone -- you could...

With it, your Mondays are full of life, excitement and enthusiasm (at least until lunchtime when the caffeine runs out). Without it, you are useless — inundated with headaches and less-than-stellar attitudes. Let's face it: the buzz is your friend, and without it you may never reach your full potential. But some people make it their life, as LAist found out this week when we visited... Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf #9 829 Wilshire...

You may or may not recall back in August when LAist brought the skewed politics of the Hollywood Walk of Fame to your attention. Back then, it seemed as if the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce was (gasp!) just giving out stars on the Walk of Fame to stars who had (double-gasp!) studio pictures coming out soon, studio publicists willing to pony up the $10,000 to secure said spot on the Walk of Fame, and...

This is London reports this morning that "Britney Spears' one-woman vendetta against the paparazzi continues..." This time, she's been photographed throwing Coca-Cola over an unsuspecting photographer outside a Subway shop in Malibu. Spear's new back-woods husband just laughed vindictively as his bride flipped off the Coke-splattered photographer. Married life seems to have emboldened the pop princess as the Malibu fracas follows last week's incident where Brit Brit flung a milkshake at on-lookers while wearing...

"NBC 4 TV" reports today that East Coast-based MetroNaps has stepped up to offer fatigued workers and sleepy executives an alternative to taking mid-day naps in bathroom stalls and car backseats. For the low low price of $14 dollars per 20 minute nap, those who have partied the night away but need clarity for the daylight hours can drive to a local MetroNaps location (read: one in NYC, as of present) and take a...

It's official. At least as official as anything Stern says on his morning radio show (on 97.1 FM in Los Angeles). But today Stern confirmed on-air that in 15 months, when his contract with Infinity Broadcasting ends, he will be leaving the company to start a new radio show to be broadcast solely on Sirius Broadcasting's satellite radio. For Stern, this means a future of radio broadcasting where the FCC cannot penalize Stern for...

Movie theaters are starting to make LAist feel really, really guilty. First, the MPAA started running their own "Respect Copyright" advertisements, hosted by set painters, stuntmen and the jelly-bean dish refillers at craft service tables. Fortunately, people fought back. What followed was a call to arms against the MPAA's "Respect Copyright" in-theater commercials by a myriad of Internet sites, including our friends over at Defamer. But just as stuntman Manny Perry has faded into...

Like someone hopped up on the caffeinated-equivalent of twenty-three double-espresso shots, LAist is constantly on the lookout for the trends that shape our city. Imagining ourselves as the Town Crier for Southern California consumer behavior, we've created a special edition "Trendspotter Gazette" in order to spotlight a trendy item ready for the refuse pile. That trendy item? Candles. About seven and a half years ago, candles hit the Los Angeles scene — filling the...

At approximately 8:16 AM this morning, SpaceShipOne landed successfully in Mojave after reaching outer space — making them the first of over sixteen privately-funded companies to win the $10 million dollar Ansari X Prize for private space travel. The rocket ship, piloted by Brian Binnie, flew for the second time over the last 14 days — fulfilling the requirements as set forth by Ansari, and funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Although as of...

Celebrating almost two full months in existence, LAist's "The Coffee Buzz" continues its exploration of Los Angeles neighborhoods and the people who populate it as colored by the coffee they drink. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf #8 1500 Westwood Boulevard, Westwood Hours: Monday - Sunday 6:00 AM - 12:00 AM Just south of Wilshire Boulevard and the University of California at Los Angeles, the Westwood Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf could be dubbed the...