A view of the fire yesterday in Griffith Park | (AP Photo/John Antczak) Yesterday's 25-acre brush fire in Griffith Park forced the evacuation of nearby zoo patrons as well as animals from a breeding facility, like the endangered Condors. There was a quicker-than-usual response to the fire, which was first report at about a quarter to one in the afternoon, because firefighters from Hollywood were "already deployed nearby to conduct a brush fire drill,"......

A five acre brush fire broke out near Travel Town and the LA Zoo this afternoon around 12:45 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. 32 LAFD fire companies reported to the scene with help from LA County, Burbank and Glendale fire departments totaling approximately 200 firefighters on the ground. As of 2:00 p.m. no injuries, evacuations or damaged structures were reported and a knockdown had not been declared yet. "It's not progressing in......

Photo courtesy of Polyfoto via Flickr You know its officially summer when the Hollywood Bowl schedule is in full swing and your local Whole Foods boast empty shelves of wine and cheese. Yes, the sun is out later and perfect temperatures always serve as a pleasant compliment to any night of music, but that isn’t to say that there’s nothing going on in your favorite sweaty rock venue. July happens to be a jam-packed month,......

It was a beautiful night at the Los Angeles Zoo; perfect weather and a perfect setting made the LA Zoo's annual "Beastly Ball" an event to remember. Celebrities and guests wandered the grounds of the zoo, feasting on gorgeous dishes prepared by the city's best restaurateurs and interacting with friendly animals like a boa constrictor, an armadillo, and a gray horned owl. Participating restaurants included Yamashiro, Typhoon, Pink's, Malo, El Cholo, Fabiolus Café and many,......

Photo by AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes Even the animals in L.A. get top notch chefs cooking for them. Well, they do at least once a year in a preview for the Beastly Ball, an annual bash at the LA Zoo for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, a non-profit that supports the city's zoo. This year, the gala celebrates the California Condor Recovery Project and takes place on June 14 with tickets at $1000. Restaurants......

Sometimes even a 300-pound orangutan needs a break from the dreary routine of life. Bruno, one of six orangutans at the LA Zoo, decided to take a stroll out of his mesh enclosure just before 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Although the 29-year-old didn't make it much farther than "a holding area behind the cage where a handler soon noticed him," his afternoon walk was labeled an "escape" and led to an evacuation, reports the Daily......

As we reported in January, Robert Culp wants the LA Zoo's current elephant enclosure shut down and all construction on the new enclosure halted, due to alleged pachyderm cruelty. Yesterday, the judge's ruling in the case was made public and he issued a big "no." Despite claims from former zoo employees and animal activists that LA zoo elephant handlers have a history of abusing the elepehants, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Reginald A. Dunn said......

The 80th Annual Academy Awards are scheduled to take place Feb. 24 at Hollywood & Highland's Kodak TheatreAuthorities have released the names of the victims in yesterday's deadly airplane collision in the skies above Corona. According to KNBC.com, "one of the victims -- Earl Smiddy, 58, of Moreno Valley -- was on the ground when he was hit by falling debris. The other victims were identified as Anthony Joel Guzman, 20, of Hesperia; Scott......

Actor and animal activist Robert Culp is demanding an immediate closure of the elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo and that all work on the expansion of the elephant enclosure be halted. Billy, a 21-year-old Asian elephant, is now the zoo's only pachyderm, after the departure of Ruby last spring. KNBC reports that Culp and real estate agent Aaron Leider have filed a lawsuit against the city and zoo director John Lewis for allegedly......

The fountain at the LA Central Library is rather strange and fantastical "I'll have a footlong Subway club on white, hold the mayo, and GIVE ME ALL YOUR MONEY!" Police are looking for the man who held up a Subway sandwich store at gunpoint Monday on Beverly in the Wilshire area. The owner and manager of a Burbank apartment building was found liable for their role in the murder of one of his tenants, who......

A second victim of this weekend's street racing-related crash in Hollywood has died from his injuries. The first victim was Nigel Gudray, the driver of the Infiniti struck by the speeding BMW driven by an intoxicated Carlos Steven John, was burned past physical recognition in the accident and died on scene. The passenger of Gudray's vehicle died overnight as a result of his burns. The six-month-long search for missing college student Donna Jou continues......

How do you tactfully say "watch out for bird poo overhead"? The LA Zoo has it down. Even those "poo prints" on the sign look like decor, not the real deal. Photo by Just chaos via Flickr......

Jane Goodall - leading primatologist, National Geographic favorite, TED speaker -- is coming to LA. To Griffith Park. Wow, do we have monkeys? Where are the monkeys in Griffith Park? Damn. The only non-human primates in the park are at the LA Zoo. Goodall is coming not for science, but for peace. Part of Goodall's nonprofit is called Roots and Shoots, aimed at getting kids involved in positive change for the environment, animals, yadda......

Last week, we wondered if Reggie was truly ready for his big L.A. Zoo debut. It now seems that Reggie is saying, quite firmly, that he he'd like more time to ready himself for his public. Or that he'd like a break from putting on a happy face for the kiddies. Or maybe he's just having a laugh. According to the LA Times, he "disappeared" from his water enclosure overnight at the zoo: Zoo......

I'm a vegetarian so fortunately, that lifestyle choice did not lead me to a non-BBQ BBQ-event that has caused much irritation by many, and rightfully so. From experience, if you want some good BBQ in a festival environment, we know first-hand that the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival offers great food, including BBQ (well, this veggie at least recommends the best peach cobbler you'll ever have. As for the 'que, our meat-eating friends never complained......

Ruby, the 46-year-old African elephant who has been a mainstay at the LA Zoo for years, is retiring. In an announcement today, LA Zoo officials and Mayor Villaraigosa said that while the decision was a difficult one, it is the right one for Ruby. She will be transferred to PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society), a non-profit 2,300 acre sanctuary for captive wildlife located in San Andreas. Though zoo visitors are saddened to see Ruby go,......

As the year comes to a close, LAist is asking famous celebs, local politicians, and other movers & shakers of LA to tell us what they thought were tops of 2006. LACityNerd hit the blogging scene earlier this year and this cat has blown us away with the knowledge and history that is spewed upon the blog. Who is it? We will never know. At least we are allowed to ask questions. Lots of......

Gay Santiago High student sues principal for outting her - CBS2 Another Denver pastor, buddy of Ted Haggard, resigns for being gay - Seattle PI Orange Line is ruining the Streets of San Fernando - Daily News Bob Barker will fork over $300k (and that ain't peanuts) to move an LA Zoo elephant to a sanctuary - NBC4 Farrah Fawcett has completed treatment for her anal cancer and will now bring aid and tips......

- You know you've accomplished something good when you go outside and burn a couch. You know you've really accomplished something good when the cops shoot rubber bullets at UCLA kids - Daily Bruin - You know the Gods of College Upsets are on OT when the unranked Gauchos of UCSB beat the favored Bruins for the national soccer championships. They still burn couches in IV don't they? - AP - Congratulations Nick Douglas,......

couldn't happen to a skeezier industry: The FCC has launched the biggest radio payola investigation in 45 years. Clear Channel, CBS, Entercom and Citadel Broadcasting are being investigated for taking bribes for playing crappy music. OK, the FCC didn't specify "crappy," but when you have to pay somebody to get your records played on the radio, that's part of the problem. slippery and sneaky: They've set out the bait for Reggie the alligator at......

This weekend we headed to the LA Zoo, mostly because Penelope wanted to go and also because we love monkeys. We didn't realize so many people would also make Sunday their zoo day until we arrived at the parking lot, which was almost completely full! The parking attendants hadn't seen anything like it before. The line was partially due to the opening of the Sea Lion Cliffs immediately greet visitors as they walk into......

Yesterday the Parks Department revealed a draft master plan for Griffith Park, and we say it looks like one fun makeover. Included in the 25-year, wish-list-y proposal are a landscaped pier along the LA River and many improved natural wildlife corridors. The wow element is not one but two arial trams, one of which is designed to sweep over the LA Zoo (although the LA Times indicates that the zoo folks aren't keen on......

Her name is Kalim and she's just had a baby. Blogging.la's insider reports that the event almost didn't happen (dad was very sick) and that Kalim is doing such a good job taking care of the baby, born Feb 22, that zookeepers haven't had a chance to peek to determine its gender. Since orangutans are endangered in the wild, the LA Zoo is proud of the new arrival; you can see Kalim and her......

Treat your honey to a hot wild kingdom Valentine's visit to the LA Zoo. The adults-only event, on Sunday 2/13 in the afternoon, features wine, treats, and a guided tour of the sexy side of the animal kingdom by general curator Mike Dee. Reserved tickets -- which support the zoo -- are $75/pair. Author Katherine Gould will be signing copies of her book, "A Tiger in the Bedroom: Lessons from Mother Nature's Sex Shop."......

Ruby the African elephant is back in LA after an unsuccessful attempt to exile her to the Knoxville Zoo, where she was to join a breeding herd of elephants. Apparently, the peripatetic pachyderm found Red State living not to her liking, and never fully integrated with the new herd. Zookeepers speculated that she missed her longtime companion Gita, a female Asian elephant with whom Ruby had cohabitated with for a number of years. When......