This past Saturday night, the Los Angeles Police Department set up a Sobriety Check Point on Hollywood Boulevard between Gower and Bronson and staffed the effort with officers from the local Hollywood Station as well as a couple of dozen officers from West Traffic Division. Captain Nancy Lauer, Commanding Officer of West Traffic, said they were committed to making the streets safer for everybody. "One of the most effective things we can do is remove......

View Larger Map The LAPD has released a break down of events that occurred last night in Hollywood that occurred around 8:45 p.m. where two pedestrians were killed during a short police pursuit. Here, in their own words, is their version of what happened accompanied by a handy LAist map: "A West Traffic Division Officer was in the area of Highland Avenue near Camrose Avenue when he observed a 2005 Honda Civic travelling on the......

You may not know LAist Featured Photos Flickr contributor discarted's name or even what he looks like when he snaps a shot of you on Hollywood Blvd., but trust us, he's there, always documenting the people on the street, especially those who frequent it daily. Above, he captures a raw and silly moment with two of the many professional dress-up characters seen on the famous boulevard during some off-duty time. Also: discarted is leading......

A puppet show without Kermit: Concrete Folk Variations at The Manual Archives / Photo by Susan Simpson MEET THE PO-PO The public’s invited to meet the police and talk about safety issues at a neighborhood meeting between the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council, the Glassell Park Safety Committee and LAPD. Senior Lead Officer for Atwater Village Gina Chovan, gang detectives and City Attorney Donna Wong will be in attendance. 4 pm // Glassell Park Community......

LAist Featured Photos contributor at our Flickr pool submits this photo from outside Union Station where this group protested the death of fleas. She asks "were they serious? Or some type of public theatre art. Thoughts? Also, where'd she get the flea costume?" Well, we found this video below of the same people, this time protesting on Hollywood Blvd. saying fleas are needlessly murdered.......

HISTORY It's happening right now until 4 p.m. today, so check out some of the over 200 Los Angeles area focused historical organizations over at Heritage Sqaure (right off the Gold Line). More info at an earlier LAist post. 12-4:00 p.m. // Heritage Square // 3800 Homer Street, LA, California 90031 // $10 FILM Walk Cheerfully screens tonight in the Cinefamily Asian Sunday series. Directed by Yasujiro Ozu, the 1930 film blends multiple genres and......

Do you think this is part of the Reno 911! marketing campaign? / Photo by Bernard Mickey Wrangle via flickr. COMEDY* Paging Reno 911! fans: Robert Ben Garant, who plays Deputy Travis Junior, hosts The Armando Show tonight. (It’s an hour-long improvised comedy show inspired by an audience suggestion). He’ll be joined by a few other Reno castmates: Carlos Alazraqui, Thomas Lennon, Niecy Nash, Kerri Kenney and Cedric Yarbrough. 8 pm // iO West......

Life doesn't stop in LA because it's raining. / Photo by kristi.nicole via LAist's flickr pool FILM The American Cinematheque’s Outfest Wednesdays continue at the Egyptian. On the big screen tonight is With You! -- director Yaniv Dabach’s documentary on the formation of New York City’s first gay rugby club, the Gotham Knights. A discussion with Dabach follows the screening – plus there’s a reception hosted by Absolut. 7:30 pm // American Cinematheque at......

Only a few more years of this before the Oscars moves out of Hollywood and Cirque de Soleil moves into the Kodak Theatre for a permanent show in 2010. Luckily, six days until the big event and impacts particular to tonight are minimal. From 10 p.m. tonight to 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, closures include Hollywood Blvd. from Highland Ave. to Orange Dr., part of the Hawthorne Alley on the east side of the El Capitan......

FILM* Charlie Chaplin's legendary Modern Times is on the big screen this afternoon at the Silent Movie Theatre. The film "marks the final screen appearance of his beloved and iconic Tramp. It’s also one of Chaplin’s most thematically and stylistically audacious films." 4:00 p.m. // The Silent Movie Theatre // 611 N Fairfax Ave // $12 WIN AN OSCAR! Oh, okay, fine, you probably aren't nominated for one this year (don't worry, your time will......

It's the start of a beautiful, long weekend in LA, and we just really liked this photo from LAist's flickr pool. / Photo by el daverino via flickr. Yes, we know it's the start of a three-day weekend, and many of you are getting out of dodge. But if you're around, there are a lot of quality events going on all weekend. Here's a sampling of what's happening tonight: THEATRE The 10 Minute Play......

Arts and Crafts class at the Craft and Folk Art Museum tonight. / Photo by CarbonNYC via flickr. GET CRAFTY Make your Valentine’s Day gift tonight instead of picking through the lame leftover cards in the Ralph’s card aisle tomorrow. The Craft and Folk Art Museum hosts “A Creative Valentine” and provides materials for you to let your inner artist loose. Couples are encouraged to attend to get a jump start on the Valentine’s......

And you thought the Burger King Chicken was crazy? Check out the Crazy Chickens this week at the Mayan / Photo by upslases via flickr. TALK Could you not get into Michael Pollan last night at the Central Library? No worries because American eating habits and food policy are a hot topic this week. Tonight, the Center for Healthy Communities presents “Hungry for Change: The Politics of Food with Marion Nestle.” The nutritionist, author......

FILM The Egyptian is having a John Ford film fest this week, focusing on some of the 50-plus films made while he was at 20th Century Fox. Screening tonight is 1924’s The Iron Horse, a silent film that chronicles the American push out West. Ford shot the film on location in Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. The film will be introduced by historian and author Robert Bircard. 7:30 pm // Egyptian Theatre // 6712......

The Happy Ending is the perfect place for your bachelor party to grab a bite to eat on the way to the strip club. It's also the perfect place for your divorced dad to park you in front of the video trivia game while he drinks too much and hits on a waitress half his age. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw the name of this restaurant. I thought perhaps it was......

The LA River in all its glory. DEBATE WATCHING Now with John Edwards out of the picture, Hillary and Barack only have eyes and one-liners for each other. Watch them duke it out during the Democratic candidates debate tonight with friends and bloggers in the comfort of CineSpace (because really, you don’t want to be anywhere near Hollywood and Highland). RSVP at RSVP@gatherinc.com. Doors open at 4:30 pm // CineSpace // 6356 Hollywood Blvd., Los......

Jim Wirt is a St. Louis native living in LA, but most people know him as Gay Bigfoot. The 42-year-old North Hollywood resident moved out to Los Angeles in 1996 and is a local artist who recently found himself in the middle of some online censorship when he tried to get one of his pieces printed on a t-shirt. Here's his story... You're an artist, you had some art you wanted to put on a......

The Daily News has more details on those marijuana vending machines. Besides, you know, the fact that they are TOTALLY AWESOME! A rash of gang violence in Watts since the weekend has led to two shooting deaths and the injury of at least 13 others. Yahoo is not doing so well: a major drop in fourth quarter profits is going to mean layoffs somewhere in the neighborhood of of 7% of the workforce. Four......

Get your green drink on tonight. WORDS Author and USC professor Gina Nahai and actress Bahar Soomekh (Crash) read from Nahai’s latest book Caspian Rain – about a family falling apart just before the Islamic revolution in Iran. Immediately following, there’s a discussion of the changing lives of women of the Middle East, and relationships between Iran’s Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as how these communities interact in Los Angeles, “home to the largest......

"He knows, Doctor. He knows." A Flickr user gives us what he calls a "dramatic and gritty view of [his] silly Star Trek action figures." GEEK OUT You know you want to...so you may as well do it. Star Trek: The Tour has docked on the Queen Mary. Beam yourself up and get yourself to Long Beach to see exhibits from all five TV shows and each of the 10 movies, including Captain Kirk's chair.......

From my dear friend, musician and LAist reader, Jaime Pina: Vampira (real name Maila Nurmi) has haunted me since i can remember. Her elegant pictures from PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE in FAMOUS MONSTERS and other horror mags burned themselves into my brain. As a teenager, me and my associates in the kiddie horror punk band LOS CREMATORS de Santa Maria would drop LSD timed to peak at whatever late-night hour one of the......

Hollywood's honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, passed away Wednesday night. LAist Featured Photos photographer, Jonathan Alcorn, visits his Hollywood Walk of Fame Star:Flowers on the star of Honorary Mayor Johnny Grant beneath the Kodak Theatre during a memorial held by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Honorary Mayor Johnny Grant has died of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles on Jan 9,,2008. He was found by police in his room at the Roosevelt Hotel......

Rain rain has gone away...so Tuesday we'll go out to play. Here's what's going on around town tonight: MUSIC The LA Phil’s Concrete Frequency series continues tonight. “Songs of the City” is being billed as a program where “urban troubadours share lo-fi songs about city life.” We’ll believe it with a lineup that features: Marc Bianchi, Biirdie, Franklin Bruno, Zooey Deschanel, John Doe, Inara George, Stevie Jackson, Sondre Lerche, Kyp Malone, Bob Mould, Zach......

For those of us not stuck on the 15 to Vegas, here's what's going on around town tonight: FILM The So Bad It's Good Film Fest presents the movie that showed how crazy Joan Crawford really was: Mommie Dearest. But it's "Faye Dunaway's over-the-top performance in the lead role has become legendary." There are prizes for the best Joan Crawford costume at the show: dinner for two at Saddle Ranch Chop House and a guest......

On Hollywood Blvd., we've got many characters to take pictures with. There's Superman, The Hulk, Spiderman and now, we introduce Santa in a G-String with a tinge of rum and egg nog coke on his breath. The driver -- 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds -- was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving [on Sunday evening], in this case a misdemeanor, police said. In addition to a red Santa hat, he wore a blond wig, red lace......

COMEDY: Good for the Jews brings their rock/comedy show to the Knitting Factory tonight. Check out their MySpace page for their hits like “Jews for Jesus,” “JDate” and “They Tried to Kill Us.” ...

Found on Hollywood Blvd. late yesterday morning: PETA members demonstrating against Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's use of animal fur. "The only bigger fashion victims are animals." The small text at the bottom of the posters tell people to play an online game where you can interactively dress up "Hairy-Kate and Trashley Trollsen". See our Mary Kate carrion inspired design after the jump.......

MUSIC: The Los Angeles Master Chorale performs Handel's Messiah tonight at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. But the audience has a part in this fun sing-along. So get your "hallelujah" ready. 7:30 pm // Walt Disney Concert Hall // 111 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles // $16-$69 (Cheaper tickets are getting scarce). OUTDOORS: Santa Monica pretends its Pershing Square with an ice rink of its own. It’s a stone’s throw away from the Third Street......

MUSIC: CalTech isn’t just about nerdy rocket scientists. They have glee clubs, too! All kidding aside, tonight's concert will feature traditional holiday favorites as well as the Women's Club taking on Porpora’s Magnificat, written in the 1730s. 8 pm // Dabney Lounge at California Institute of Technology // 1200 East California Blvd., Pasadena // Free. DANCE: From CalTech, we’ll head over to CalArts in Valencia. The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance is holding its......

MUSIC: Machine Project is back with an evening of experimental folk music mix. The evening features the sounds of Ryan Fuller, Julie Carpenter, Laura Steenberge, Ruthann Friedman, rickyricky, Pilar Diaz, Pawko and Marshweed. 8 pm // Machine Project // 1200 D. N. Alvarado, Downtown // Free. THEATRE: The Anteus Company presents two nights of eight Noel Coward plays. Night Two takes place tonight featuring the plays: Come The Wild - Red Peppers, Fumed Oak,......