There's a Druid film fest in Echo Park tonight. / Photo by Lush.i.ous via LAist's flickr pool. FILM : The Zócolo Public Square Lecture Series is holding a special screening of the upcoming film Elegy, starring Penelope Cruz and Ben Kingsley. Based on The Dying Animal by Philip Roth, the movie is a “meditation on the power of beauty to bind, to reveal and to transform.” A college professor becomes enamored with and destabilized......

Part one of two. Today: Atmosphere and Marketplace. Thursday: Pornstars. Last month, the 12th annual edition of Erotica LA, "[featuring] over 300 erotic-themed booths and [attacting] over 40,000 consumers," took place Downtown at the LA Convention Center. While it is still the largest adult convention of its kind in Southern California, the consensus among several insiders in the adult industry was that it was the worst experience for them thus far. Indeed, many of......

Photo by Steve Deger via Flickr Thrifty bus service is not making the grade for Angelenos on the go to other cities via coach bus. "Maybe, truth be told, we were unable to get them out of their cars," Dale Moser, president of Megabus, told the LA Times about Californians not "warming up" to the service. "Quite frankly, the ridership hasn't been as robust as we'd like. We might just have to discontinue [the......

Two weeks ago I headed to Las Vegas for my friend's 21st birthday. There's nothing quite as fun as partying in Sin City while also celebrating a person's rite of passage into adulthood. With a killer hotel discount rate and swimsuits in hand, my friend's and I made the trek to Las Vegas for the most epic trip of the year. Photo essay after the jump!......

After a 5-month investigation, the Associated Press found that Los Angeles drinking water has traces of Anti-epileptic and anti-anxiety medications. "To be sure," the AP noted "the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose." Across the nation, the report found tainted water supplies in 24 major metropolitan areas, five of those in California: Los Angeles: 2 (meprobamate and phenytoin)......

Bob Saget will perform at 4th & B in San Diego on March 7, The Grove of Anaheim on March 8 and The Joint at The Hard Rock in Vegas on March 21 as part of his national theater tour and we're lucky to have another chance at him. Bob Saget is known to most people for all the wrong reasons.The cookie-cutter personas of "Full House"'s Danny Tanner and the "America's Funniest Home Videos" host......

At the Viper Room | Photo by brian boulos via Flickr Harry Morton, son of famed Hard Rock hotelier Peter Morton, is no longer content with opening crudely-named margarita bars. No, the Li-Lo-lovin' entrepreneur has decided to purchase the infamous Sunset Strip club The Viper Room: with plans to franchise, of course. While the Viper Room has only been a part of the Strip since 1993, it immediately rocketed to infamy when River Phoenix......

In yesterday's LAist interview with Hillary Clinton, we had to ask about public transportation. Clinton said she would increase federal funding for public transit by $1.5 billion per year, link funding to local land use policies that encourage mixed-use and transit-oriented development (discouraging sprawl) and invest $1 billion into intercity passenger rail (think high speed rail from Los Angeles to San Francisco, or more locally, the MagLev concept from Orange County to Las Vegas). Speaking......

One of my few gripes with Los Angeles is that it's not a 24-hour town. Las Vegas? Gimme, gimme more. New York? Reasonable facsimile. Los Angeles? Not so much. My bio rhythms are royally screwed up. I have no problem staying up until 5am. I also have no problem waking up at 4am. I often say to myself that sleep is for the weak -- until I pass out and wake up 18 hours later,......

Fire: La Salle Avenue Elementary School sustained damage today, but no injuries were reported, due to a fire on the second floor this afternoon. Rain: A small tornado did indeed land on shore last night in Ventura County which is probably what led the NWS to issue last night's tornado warning for LA. It was an "empty air station hangar at the Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu" that took the hit, losing its......

Projected Nevada Democratic caucus winner Hillary Clinton campaigned here in California this week, visiting supporters gathered at CSUN As the results of today's caucuses--including one being held at Caesar's Palace--in Nevada continue to stream in, most are projecting Senator Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney the winners of the Democratic and Republican races, respectively. The LA Times is reporting that "with 78% of the precincts reporting, Clinton had about 51% of the vote and Obama 45%.......

Sen. Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have spent the past couple days traipsing around the Golden State uncomfortably responding to allegations that their campaign is connected to a lawsuit brought last week by the Nevada teacher's union that would prevent casino workers from caucusing on the job. Many casino workers and hotel employees are members of the powerful Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which endorsed Barack Obama. The Nevada Democratic......

Dennis Kucinich, Democratic Presidential Candidate and Ohio Congressman, will be allowed to participate in tomorrow's Nevada debate in the wake of a lawsuit his legal team filed in Clark County, Nev., his lawyer said today. Kucinich filed the lawsuit in Nevada this morning alleging that his exclusion in the Jan. 15 Las Vegas Democratic Presidential debate would have caused, "irreparable harm to the public interest by robbing voters of the opportunity to hear his policy......

US Figure Skating champion Christopher Bowman, 40, was found dead yesterday in a room at the Budget Inn in North Hills. The former child actor and successful figure skater in the late 80s and early 90s was also known for his powerful struggles with alcohol and drug use. His death is being investigated as a possible overdose. A fire that took place last night at San Jose Edison Academy, a West Covina charter school, is......

A London vacation for $900 -- airfare and hotel? Cancun for $500? I got an email alert this morning about big after-holiday airfare sales -- and as a frequent traveler who is often frustrated by the price of airline tickets, I jumped at the chance to research some sweet mid-winter vacations. Via Expedia, if you book now and travel by mid-March, you can snag very cheap round-trip tickets out of LAX for places like......

I already find myself having to close my blinds before daring to pick up my plastic Guitar Hero 3 controller. Well, the folks at City of Industry-based Jada Toys, Inc., thought pressing buttons on a fake guitar in a musical version of "Simon" wasn't embarrassing enough, so lo and behold we have the Guitar Hero Air Rocker! For only $29.99, you can now strap on the specially-designed air guitar belt and strum away on your......

Article by Adam Rose and Ryan Jesena. UCLA has officially announced Rick Neuheisel as their new head football coach. Neuheisel was a walk-on quarterback for the Bruins and led them to the 1984 Rose Bowl victory against Illinois. He has a very successful track record coaching at the college level (66-30) but has spent the past few years clunking around the NFL assistant ranks. As a graduate assistant with UCLA, he was credited for the......

UCLA hires Rick Neuheisel to become their football coach....

Last night's Old Town Pasadena shooting that left an Arcadia man wounded is reportedly a result of a drug deal gone awry. Police today released the name of the accused shooter, who is 18-year-old Mark Cole of Claremont. It's awful hard to put a plain brown wrapper on the porn you check out online. A New Jersey-based company that runs several internet porn sites revealed they recentled suffered a security breach that made its users......

Lakers 95, Knicks 90 - Kobe Bryant had 20,019 points on 15,314 shots (plus 6,184 from the charity stripe) last night. Not bad for a guy under the age of 30 ... The Kobster was actually 14-of-28 for 39 points (plus 11 rebounds and 8 assists), but in the process became the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 20,000 career points mark. Bryant raved about playing in Madison Square Garden and said the......

Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Food Network’s “Too Hot Tamales” are Chef/Owners of Border Grill Santa Monica, Border Grill Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and Ciudad in Downtown Los Angeles. Last week we brought you a report from their fantastic Holidy Cooking Class (including two amazing recipes) and now it is our pleasure to share with you their tips for making your holiday gathering a deliciously smashing success. 1. Impress your......

Why do all these songs about frostbite conditions sound so wonderful in sun-drenched shirtless reverb? Ever try pushing a sled through sand? I don't recommend it. But I heartily recommend each of the following experiences. Don't worry, we'll get to more Beach Boys later on, today (with the exception of track four) it's all about those chiming guitars. THE VENTURES - Sleigh Ride This comes from their fantastic Christmas album, one of the greats......

Cardinal Roger Mahoney revealed that he had been assaulted in July outside of Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral; the attacker was "enraged by the Catholic Church's sexual-abuse scandal within days of a record settlement with hundreds of victims." Karl Dorrell will not be coaching UCLA in its upcoming Las Vegas Bowl game. Defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker will coach in the interim. If the world weren't already all shook up by Jakob Lodwick's departure......

I hope you've got a bunch of stuff Tivo'd because there's nothing on until Sunday. You tell me that there is stuff on tonight? What, you mean Friday Night Lights, NUMB3RS, or Las Vegas? Please. Tomorrow, there's no reason to turn on prime time TV unless it's for Citizen Kane on TCM at 8:30. The Big Story is Sunday, check it: Sunday 8:00pm Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project HBO - Special. Don Rickles is......

Last night Austrailian comedian Tim Minchin brought his act to Los Angeles and the ACME Theatre after performances in New York and Las Vegas. On the heels of being named Best Alternative Comedian at the 2007 HBO US Comedy Arts Festival, Minchin's act did not disappoint with a seamless blend of original songs, wry observations, and increasingly amusing audience interaction. Initially adopting a shy stage persona reminiscent of Mitch Hedberg, Minchin covered topics ranging......

As I've said before, I hate contests. But in life everything is negotiable, and if a contest is so good that I can't pass up, I will pass it along to you. And this one is a good one. We have two tickets to see the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, perform in the cozy confines of the Joint at the Hard Rock in beautiful Las Vegas on November 24th with special guest Rob......

In it's 3rd year of existence, this past weekend's Vegoose Music Festival featured quite the impressive lineup. Boasting the final North American Show of the ever incredible Daft Punk and the final stop of Rage Against the Machine's reunion (tour), the fest also included great performances from Gogol Bordello, Muse, M.I.A. and many, many more. Follow the jump for tonnnns (literally) of pics of Muse, Queens of the Stone Age, M.I.A., Gogol Bordello, Queens......

From RobertGoulet.com we hear this very sad news that was posted yesterday: Robert Goulet, the legendary star of stage, screen, television and recordings, was pronounced dead at 10:17am today. He had been suffering from a rapidly progressive pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that is most often fatal. Most treatments are ineffectual. The only successful treatment is lung transplantation. Mr. Goulet had been in intensive care at Cedars Sinai since October 14, 2007. At the time......

Guitar Hero was in full-effect at E-For-All I must admit that after three bleary-eyed, sore-footed days stumbling around the Los Angeles Convention Center like Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas -- to objectively write about the E For All experience is difficult. On one hand, the inaugural show has been rightfully panned by most mainstream media outlets for a variety of reasons. Many big gaming companies, Sony, Microsoft, Activision, and Square to name a......

From Mystere, which can be seen at Treasure Island in Las Vegas To have a body like this, all you need is an hour of working out a day... and a lifetime of doing this and 10 performances a week. Alright, back to CrossFit we go, sigh. By the way, Cirque du Soleil's Corteo is still playing here in Los Angeles until October 28th.......