a writer's perspective Returning to Warner Brothers to picket yesterday and today felt like a bit of a homecoming. Between Monday’s SAG unity day at Fox, and the last holiday-shortened week that saw me putting in appearances at Paramount, WGA headquarters, and, of course, Xena Appreciation Day at NBC, it seemed like I’d been working out of the office for ages. It felt good to be home. I don’t know what they’re putting in......

New Year's Day, most in LA seemed to be up in Pasadena watching either the Rose Parade or the Rose Bowl, or getting over their New Year's Eve hangover at home watching TV. Why do I think that? Because the roads were EMPTY! It seemed that no one was on the roads. My goal was to head out with a friend, with cameras in hand and hit the roads and drive around LA on......

I think many residents of this fine city have a love-hate relationship with it. For everyone person I hear say "I love Los Angeles," Three others chime in "this place is driving me nuts." I'm as guilty of this as anyone. I love the city but routinely bitch about the lack of snow or wide open spaces (C'mon, I'm from Minnesota. What is Christmas without a foot of snow to contend with? Over the......

Zuma Dogg was nice enough to post this video on Mayor Sam today which lays out a proposal that Jan Perry wants to inflict on the residents of South Central. Even though the councilwoman is ignorant in regards to the neighborhoods in her district, she does know that the people she represents are fat. They're so fat (and in her mind, ignorant) that she seems to want to protect them from themselves. It's her......

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.......

Was last night's earthquake cause to some full moon effect madness? Breaking News: "A man from the San Fernando Valley has contracted this year's first human case of West Nile virus in Los Angeles County, health officials said Thursday." (NBC4) A female suspect has been shot by police in a Sylmar Bank robbery. (KABC) "A SWAT standoff in the parking lot of a Taco Bell ended early this morning with the arrest of a......

There is a song in the early summer evening air and it’s a song of hipsters, small yummy tacos, and very, very strong drinks. I live a considerable distance from Malo, but it’s always a great place to meet up with people before going to the Greek. Malo is on Sunset Boulevard, the décor is dark, iron is very much in evidence, there are lots of curtains. Outside, the décor is minimal, with a......

This dog delivers beer! Click here to find out how. Photo by C-Monster. Larry Birkhead to World: I told you so! Sleazy paparazzo beats off human parasite, fake prince, former bodyguard and clump of seaweed to prove he's Anna-Nicole's baby-daddy. -TMZ Howard Stern cozies up to Birkhead, says Papa Larry can spend as much time as he wants with little Mealticketlynn. World's #1 Mom Virgie Arthur expected to sue for custory. -TMZ MSNBC punishes......

First it was spinach, then Taco Bell lettuce, then last week peanut butter, quickly followed by the chicken breast strips. Now the spotlight has shown its disapproving face on cantaloupes that were shipped to LA and Frisco. A wholesale produce importer on Friday recalled several thousand cartons of cantaloupes after some tested positive for salmonella. Castle Produce said the recall covered roughly 2,560 cartons of cantaloupes delivered on or after Feb. 16 to wholesalers......

We've seen issues with spinach, Taco Bell lettuce, and most recently peanut butter, and now there is a recall on a product that is stamped ok for the South Beach Diet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said today that Carolina Culinary Food is recalling packages of Oscar Mayer ready-to-eat chicken breast strips with rib meat as well as the same packages branded "Louis Rich" because Georgia Department of Agriculture......

- Bam's Uncle Vincent "Don Vito" Margera will be arraigned next month for allegedly fondling two 12-year old girls and a 14 year old girl last year in Colorado - AP - Lancaster burglars toss yapping ratdog into freezer - Daily News - Forget the Denise Richards up-bikini-bottom shot... is that Bill Maher she's with at the beach? - dlisted - Happy 60th birthday Farrah Fawcett, you're now cancer-free - AP - Gunmen hold......

Before the current tyrannical rule of Tony Pierce, Carolyn Kellogg was the editor of LAist, in a time many yearn for. But she decamped for the University of Pittsburgh, where she's getting an MFA in creative writing. In between bouts of homesickness, she blogs about books and podcasts interviews with writers who rock at pinkyspaperhaus.com. Top 10 LA Things You Don't Realize You'll Miss, Until It's Too Late 10. Beaches. I hardly went to......

If onions could high-five that's exactly what they'd be doing right now in scenic Oxnard. Less than a week ago all eyes were on Boskovich Farms, who despite claiming that the FDA hadn't come calling to investigate, still seemed guilty since they provide a good deal of the green onions that Taco Bell uses. The veggies were being accused of being the cause of the E.coli that had made dozens of east coast fast......

- Oxnard onion farmers must be shedding tears of joy. Taco Bell sez the green onions grown at Boskovich Farms did not cause the E.Coli. Then they re-opened some stores - AP - Find Saul Jaime Vaca Arceo (who threatened his ex-wife and tried to burn his two children alive in his car) and get $10,000 stuffed in your stocking - CBS2 - Despite a 25% drop in attendance, Magic Mountain wont be leveled......

Farms are like NFL referees: if they're getting noticed, that's bad news. Bad news hit Oxnard's Boskovich Farms, when it was discovered that their green onions were part of the east coast E.coli incidents that caused dozens of people to get sick after eating at Taco Bell restaurants. In a statement that Boskovich posted on their website, the farm hints at the idea that the E.coli might have been developed at the "third party"......

Ducks 3, Oilers 2, OT - Anaheim captain Scott Niedermayer's 1,000th game was looking to be a bad night as the Ducks were down 2-0 in the second period, which thrilled the crowd in Edmonton who had come to boo the shit out of their former star Chris Pronger who helped them get one game from winning the cup last year before defecting to America. But after a power-play goal shot by Pronger and......

outside Safari Sam's after the Boatel + Killola + The Binges + Tsar show last night......

The Westmar Sun reports that Mar Vista neighbors lost the latest round in their fight to oppose the redesign of a Taco Bell franchise at the intersection of Inglewood and Venice Blvds when the City Council’s Planning and Land-Use Management Committee gave a quick green light to the plan on Oct. 27. The Los Angeles City Council also approved the new Taco Bell, 13-0, on Nov. 9. The Mar Vista district's Council Member Cindy......

September's Los Angeles Magazine highlights their own choices for the 25 Best Mexican Restaurants in all of LA. Among some of their favorites, Tacos Baja Ensenada (5385 Whittier Boulevard, East LA / 323-887-1980) for the "holy grail of fish tacos", Teresita's (3826 E. 1st Street, East LA / 323-266-6045) for its family-run atmosphere and "costillas de puerco en chile negro", and Mario's Tacos and Burritos (3764 S. Overland Avenue, West LA / 323-314-2298) for......

The Dodgers are playing great baseball right now, and that usually calls for some kind of outrageous distraction. It was reported yesterday that the Dodgers have hired Greg McElroy as their chief sales officer. The Los Angeles Times notes that McElroy was instrumental in selling the naming rights for two Texas sports facilities, and points out that Frank McCourt has considered selling the naming rights to Dodger Stadium. Message to McCourt: Stop right there!......