Andy Sternberg

Photo by Mark Seliger via http://men.style.com/gq/ Superintendent Ramon Cortines is going apeshit over photos of Sacha Baron Cohen with Lake Balboa high school football players published as part of a GQ magazine cover story, as we reported Saturday. Cohen's salacious poses with the stars of Birmingham High's football team... continue reading on LAist

Cirque Berzerk's extended run at the Big Top in the park opened last night to ooh's and ahh's from the 1,750 circus-goers in attendance. This year's show, under a 45-foot tall big top, benefits from a $650,000 budget and a dynamically talented cast of 150 aerial daredevils, firethrowers, burlesque dancers,... continue reading on LAist

Nestlé voluntarily recalled Toll House chocolate chip cookie dough today after an outbreak of illnesses possibly linked to eating the raw delicacy. More than 60 people have fallen ill so far in 28 states. Toll House cookie dough already comes with a warning to not eat the dough raw... continue reading on LAist

If you've been by Los Angeles State Historic Park in the past week, you've likely noticed a gigantic red-and-white-striped big top tent. Perhaps you wondered why a tent would be necessary in LA, the stationary circus town in which you live. But this time, we implore you to take... continue reading on LAist

A USC Annenberg School reporting project was one of eight community journalism initiatives to be awarded $25,000 in grant money from the Knight Foundation's New Voices program, the Institute for Interactive Journalism announced today. Intersections: The South Los Angeles Reporting Project, spearheaded by The Annenberg School at the University... continue reading on LAist

No that wasn't the neighbors getting it on again... A couple microquakes -- small earthquakes measuring 2.0 and 2.5 on the Richter scale -- rumbled through Silver Lake (at 7:47) and Echo Park (at 10:07) tonight. Didya feel it? Such microquakes are common along fault lines but we're reminded... continue reading on LAist

This hilarious video is full of ideas and initiatives for newspapers to employ to shake the downturn and become more like LAist. the more economical and timely Internet publications of today. Fill the news racks with shots of bustling double-D racks? Open up an LA Times Smoke Shop on... continue reading on LAist

By the time dozens of LA-based bands descend on Austin for South by Southwest next week, LA's greatest freaks and geeks will have already mad an impact at SXSWi. The interactive component of SXSW, which begins tomorrow (along with the opening of SXSW Film) is a long weekend packed... continue reading on LAist

The latest iteration of Modest Mouse rocked the mid-sized (4,000 capacity) Hollywood Palladium last week leaving most fans -- young, old, industry, walk-ins -- satisfied. But for those waiting to hear the opening notes of the band's radio (and video game) hits "Float On," "Ocean Breathes Salty," and "Dashboard," it... continue reading on LAist

Two people were killed and one was injured in apparently connected drive-by shootings Sunday evening. The first victim was fatally struck in the 1600 block of Baxter Street in Echo Park just after 5 p.m., according to the LAPD. The second shooting, around the corner on Echo Park Ave, injured... continue reading on LAist

Great multi-camera video and soundboard audio of about half of last Monday's set at Echoplex was posted today at Pitchfork.tv. Following the Echoplex show -- the third small club show in L.A. after La Cita and El Cid -- Jane's bassist Eric Avery posted about the band's reformation and... continue reading on LAist

Jonathan Jarvis, a master's candidate at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, kept it more than a little bit real with "The Crisis of Credit Visualized." This 11-minute animation is just one part of Jarvis's thesis. May his grad school debt vanish with great haste.... continue reading on LAist

Chris Brown arrives at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles) Rihanna and Chris Brown are madly in love. At least that's what every R&B and pop gossip rag would have you believe. But it appears that Mr. Exclusive... continue reading on LAist

Even before President-elect Barack Obama nominated New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be his Secretary of Commerce, a grand jury investigation was under way regarding Richardson's hiring of Beverly Hills-based CDR Financial Products. CDR won a lucrative contract to advise the New Mexico Financial Advisory in 2004, but not... continue reading on LAist

We've spent much of the past few weeks reviewing the year that was, in music, movies, TV, food, and more. We've talked New Year's resolutions but now's the time to get real: What is really gonna go down over the next 12 months? Below are some of our early... continue reading on LAist

Saturday night's marquee lineup at Club Nokia of X, New York Dolls, and Cracker was a perfect set up for a reenactment of the evolution of the clichéd rock fan: the MC5 meets Stooges and Stones 70's garage rock of the Dolls; the timeless West Coast iteration of late '70s... continue reading on LAist

After weeks of speculation, Tangier will shut its doors for the final time Saturday night. It is not known what will replace the restaurant/bar at 2138 Hillhurst, which is in escrow, according to the Daily Dish. Singer-songwriter Brandon Schott (LAist review) will perform the final set in Tangier Saturday night.... continue reading on LAist

Screenshot of radar showing rain and snow at 6:24 a.m. via weather.com. Are we in for a wet, wet winter ala 2005 or will we see wildfires again in January? You can consult Dallas Raines or even a pig spleen but you likely won't get an accurate answer. One... continue reading on LAist

National Public Radio is cutting two daily shows and the majority of its Culver City-based NPR West staff as part of companywide layoffs and program cuts announced today. Both Day to Day and News and Notes will go off the air March 20 and the 34 journalists working on... continue reading on LAist

Considering the dour state of local gossip blogs predicting who's next to be laid off, how many years OJ will spend in the pen, and the latest word on a SAG strike, we're glad to hear that a fresh LA gossip blog is set to hit the interwebz next week.... continue reading on LAist