Protesters at National Prop 8 March in Downtown LA (more photos here) | Photo by Tom Andrews The California Supreme Court agreed yesterday to consider Prop 8 opponents' arguments on the validity of the proposition that banned gay marriage in California on November 4th (court motion in PDF here). However, the justices denied a stay that would have let county clerks resume issuing marriage license to gay couples until the case finished. So what's... [continue]

Beneath the blazing sun and high temperatures, thousands gathered yesterday before Los Angeles City Hall to protest Proposition 8. The public demonstration was one of many throughout the state and even spanned to cities outside of California, including Portland, Chicago and New York City. Here in LA, the crowd marched from downtown to Chinatown to Los Angeles State Historic Park (the former Not a Cornfield site).... [continue]

UPDATE BELOW THE JUMP. Braving unseasonably (and unbearably) hot summer-like weather*, thousands of equality supporting Angelenos gathered this morning in Downtown to protest the nefarious assault on the civil rights of gay Americans, the much reviled Proposition 8. It was a fitting end to a week that's seen a tremendous (albeit much too late) backlash against the measure - Protests at Mormon temples, a boycott of a longstanding staple of West Hollywood dining - even... [continue]

The fire that tore through the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar left total devastation in its wake. According to LAFD Captain Steve Ruda, who spoke to evacuees gathered at Sylmar High School this morning, almost all of the approximately 600 homes in the community were burned to the ground. The Sayre Fire began at 10:30 Friday night and has burned at least 6500 acres and remains far from being contained. The LAPD now considers... [continue]

No on 8 Protesters outside a Mormon Temple in Los Angeles | Photo by sundogg via LAist Featured Photos But Marjorie Chrisoffersen, who is also a Mormon, is not feeling good about her actions. She wants to speak to people about it tomorrow before lunch at the restaurant on Beverly Blvd. near La Brea: I have been sick at heart that anyone has been offended by me. I have family, friends, employees from the... [continue]

The LA Derby Dolls showcased their up-and-coming skaters on Saturday night with a rare "all-ages" Halloween-themed battle called the Baby Doll Brawl. Aspiring Derby Dolls, who participate in the weekly "Fresh Meat" practices, were formed into two teams named "Toil 'n Trouble" and "Witch Slap" and given a chance to show their stuff. The real "treat" for the fans was a mini-bout at halftime amongst the Junior Derby Dolls, who are the next generation of... [continue]

No insult instended, but it would be tremendously foolish not to see Eath Sucks. Think about Earth Girls Are Easy, by way of Little Shop of Horrors, combined with Phantom of the Paradise. If you can kind of conjure up what that might be like, you're halfway to getting a sense of Earth Sucks, an hilarious* (and kinda brilliant) take on the history of Rock N Roll, America during the Bush era, and the... [continue]

What do you do when the club you DJ at closes down temporarily? You can either get a new job, do nothing or follow a dream you've always wanted to do--open a restaurant. And that's exactly what Chef Doomie (some may know him as DJ Doomie) did when Roberto's closed down and the owners gave the "ok" to use the kitchen to start a comfort food (yes, not Thai) vegan restaurant in the space. Doomie's... [continue]

Photo by Tom Andrews/LAist at Wedding Park in West Hollywood (more photos here) Outraised by $10 million and with polls taking a turn, now showing Prop 8 winning, opponents of the initiative that seeks to eliminate gay marriage on the November ballot sent out a "critical" e-mail this afternoon saying that their "worst nightmares are coming true." Today we learned of the massive $25.4 million our opponents have raised so far. They are using... [continue]

Photo by Open Air Control Testing Ground via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr At today's Metro board meeting, the group unanimously approved a pilot program that would extend Red Line hours until 3:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays from November through January 3rd. Yes, Los Angeles will finally have a subway that operates until 3:00 a.m... well, at least for a short period of time. The approved motion allows for the program to begin... [continue]

On your commute home tonight, don't be surprised if you see corners full of people protesting President Bush's proposed bailout of Wall Street (did anyone catch Bush's broadcast last night?). Instead, members of True Majority want to save Main Street. Protests are planned for 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, at Highland and Melrose across from Mozza and a few other locations from around town.... [continue]

The LA Times launched a new blog today called Culture Monster covering "all the arts, all the time." Funny thing is, there's a well-noted (NYT, WSJ, TIME) blog out there in the internetz that is called C-Monster that focuses on... culture. The blog's main author Carolina Miranda had to say something: I mean, really, people. I know you’re just hoping to ride C-Monster’s coattails out of dead-tree obscurity, but did you have to be... [continue]

No, We're not talking about the proposed 700 Billion Dollar giveaway/complete abbrogation of checks and balances that Henry Paulson is trying to mad-dog out of congress this week*. We're referring to the latest diseased rumblings from the filth merchants who call themselves Studio Executives. In this case, much like a frat boy found date-raping someone, who then reacts to the horrified shrieks by asking "want a piece?", Universal has announced that some hackneyed reprobates... [continue]

In a stunning twist of logic that has breathed new life into the once moribund TV series John McCain For President, Republican Presidential Candidate and POW-Tourrette's sufferer John McCain has selected Alaska Republican Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice Presidential running mate. During weeks of intense media speculation that can only be described as "compulsory", "not as relevant as the interest in Obama's decision", or "barely interesting", McCain played coy, leading on a number... [continue]

Submitted and Written By Dan Collins For ice cream lovers, Scoops is the frozen jewel in the Heliotrope Corridor crown (also called the Bicycle Districk and Hel-Mel), just around the corner from the legendary punk rock pavilion on Melrose known as the Ukrainian Center. Today’s urban sophisticate finds that nothing cools one down after a midnight bike ride’s next day sun-soaked hangover more than gourmet ice cream at bargain prices. And Scoops has all the... [continue]

Tuesday nights in LA can be slow in the Spring; the energy of activation to get prettied up and brave the slick streets is much higher than that required to crack open a beer and settle on the couch. But when a heat wave hits with its concomitant restlessness, suddenly a weeknight outing is not only desired but sorely needed. It was in this fitful state I found myself making my way down a... [continue]

A very Zen moment: "I bet he is thinking, 'where did I park my car?'" | Photo by hinducow via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Rest in Peace, Mister Egg McMuffin inventor! Now you will not live to see the day when McDonald's food is made up entirely of plastic and high fructose corn syrup. So apparently Mexicans hate emo kids so much that they are now rioting. Somebody please remind Death... [continue]

Is your jump shot lacking? Are your rebound skills not up to par? Well never you fear, Coach Wiener is here! Honor Student (an up-and-coming Los Angeles sketch/short-film troupe) brings you the latest installment of the Peabody-winning* sports series, "PE With Coach Wiener." *J/K on the Peabody! It was actually a Pulitzer. Or was that a Razzie? We don't keep track.... [continue]

Photo by Clinton Steeds via Flickr While many mourn the loss of stalwart indie bookshops like Dutton's, many may want to celebrate the fact that LA (County, at least) is home to the nation's best bookstore, as deemed by Publisher's Weekly. Pasadena's 114-year-old Vroman's has been given the top spot, and is thriving in its Colorado Boulevard home, with no signs of falling prey to the big box bookstores and online buying. Now their staff... [continue]

Students these days are so lazy...Instead of taking it to the streets like their parents' generation and brandishing signs and making noise they're opting to stay inside, chained to their computers. Except sometimes they discover that the medium is what makes the message, and in the SGV right now students who want the Gold Line extended to Montclair have found that their campaign is positively viral. Students have created a website called I Will Ride... [continue]