Snow Tempest

We just walked out and cheered the LA Marathon runners along mile 21 down Third Street. People lined the sidewalks, some of them, it's true, lounging in chairs with picnic feasts, but also holding up their babies (or parrots -- there were several of each) to see the runners, or lifting up signs with messages like "Go Sergio" or "Run Auntie Liz Run." Some of the spectators clearly lived in the houses and apartments...

In Los Angeles, it's easy to run out and sample super fresh and authentic food from all over the world, or even any sub-region of a nation, like the many provinces of China, Sometimes you can stumble into a dim little deli in Chinatown and emerge with rich and tender pastries. Sometimes you can head out to a Monterey Park banquet hall, and end up with plate after plate of delicious dim sum. And...

MSN has a new article on ways you can go broke in real estate: for example, if the neighborhood changes for the worse instead of better, if a tenant moves out, or if your interest rates balloon. The Southern California real estate market has slowed down a little bit, but it's still tempting to feel that it might be easy to make money in real estate here. It's also good to remember that it...

We dropped by the ""Hammer Bash" last night. First of all, great name for a party. Also, it's always fun to be in a museum at night, like the characters in The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler -- Thursday nights at MOCA are good for this too. The weird weather hadn't gotten really weird yet, and it was only a bit chilly, and very pretty, sipping wine or cocktails on the balcony...

So Southern California-born Trader Joe's goes to Manhattan, and Manhattan, in the words of a Gawker poster, is "wetting pants in anticipation of bargain-basement wasabi peas." Bon appetit, Manhattan! Oh, and while we love Trader Joe's, don't bother trying the whole wheat ravioli with herb chicken. It's bland and some of the herbs have little twiggy stems. Go for the gyoza instead. Classic....

"If they were giving you medical or something, maybe I could understand." -- Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, today on his Jonesy's Jukebox radio show, on why he plans to blow off the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame awards ceremony. Just before that, he also said, "We don't believe in what it stands for." -- thus demonstrating both his punk rock and middle aged inclinations in the space of a few minutes. That's...

If you've only seen one of the nominated movies, haven't voted in any pools and are really only tuning in to the Oscars to see Jon Stewart, the, highlights of the evening are not so much the awards as any funny or memorable moments in the ceremony. So far: - Stewart turned his trademark self-deprecation into a funny opening film that poked fun at all the rumors that he was far down on the...

Time for JON STEWART! And, like, some movie awards or something. Whatever....

Well, it's Red Bulls and vodka for those of you playing the LAist Oscar drinking game. Crash? Really? That was the one nominated film this contributor has seen, and, as Jason observed months ago, that movie featured well-crafted dialogue, but blatant messages more than subtle insight. But it was the cherry on top of the Academy's Sunday of earnest self-congratulation. Awesome: Queen Latifah's genuine exuberance at fellow hip-hoppers Three 6 Mafia winning the Best...

It was funny enough when Northwest Airlines chose the web address nwa.com. Now, from what we've seen on a recent flight, it seems they've redesigned their logo and branding to emphasize the NWA identity -- as though an identity as "NWA" wasn't already taken by Compton's original Boyz-N-The Hood. First of all, going by their initials did not work out for Kentucky Fried Chicken, which has put the "fried" back in their name after...