Recession? What recession? NBC reportedly has almost sold out of ad spots for the 2009 Super Bowl and are selling the spots at prices at least 11% higher than last year. This weekend it's all about Barack Obama appearing on Saturday Night Live with Michael Phelps hosting the season premiere, then Sunday with "True Blood" (which is excellent!!), and another great episode of "Men Men". Tonight 8:00pm The 2008 Alma Awards ABC - Eva Longoria......

US Sweeps Women's Individual Saber Medals. Gold medalist Mariel Zagunis (center) is flanked by silver medal winner Sada Jacobson (left) and bronze medal winner Becca Ward(right). AP/Andrew Medichini With so much going on in the world of sports right now with the Olympics, baseball, USC injuries and all, here's a list of things to keep an eye on. The USA got it's first medal sweep in women's fencing. Mariel Zagunis defended her 2004 gold......

This weekend presents a dilemma. The big deal this weekend is the season premiere of "Mad Men" on Sunday at 10:00pm but this puts it in conflict with HBO's excellent "Generation Kill" which runs until 10:30pm but it repeats again at Midnight so that's probably the way out of this mess. Also, this weekend the Tour de France concludes - the race will be decided (early) Saturday morning by a 53k/33 mile individual time trial.......

The Screen Actors Guild has officially rejected the June 30th offer from the studios. Cited among the reasons for the rejection was the fact that the major studios and networks have invested large amounts of money and/or have inked deals to distribute their content online or via video-on-demand but the contract offered actors does not account for this increased distribution. Considering that the contract would be for four years, to be locked out of that......

A disappointing crowd of just over 11,000 wasn't disappointed by the US National Soccer team, which crushed Barbados by a score of 8-0 this afternoon at the Home Depot Center in Carson. The World Cup qualifier match was the team's largest margin of victory ever and tied their record for most goals scored. While the game wasn't much of a contest, it was a rare scoring spectacle in a sport that many Americans clearly don't......

In contrast to the wildly cute meerkates to the right (yes, they're back), some seriously big numbers have been issued by the prestigious Milken Institute has put out an impressive study of the impact of the writer's strike. In summary: - 37,700 jobs lost - $2.1 billion in lost output through the end of 2008 The cascading effects of the strike are what reportedly tipped the state into a recession in early 2008, but......

Tainted sprouts might be on the shelves of your local grocery store. Although not considered a mealtime staple by many, a nice handful of sprouts can liven up a sandwich or a salad--that is unless they give you salmonella. According to cbs2.com:J.H. Caldwell and Sons of Maywood is recalling Always Fresh and Alfa One sprouts distributed to Trader Joes grocery stores in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. It also is recalling shipments......

OK so the Oscars are this weekend. Even though the writers' strike is over, the prediction is that this will be a ho-hum (excuse me?) Oscars. First of all, the majority of the films presented for consideration are real downers, secondly, because of the strike, many potential presenters thought that the awards ceremony would be canceled or drastically cut back so they made other plans and are now not available to present at the show.......

View Larger Map There was an officer-involved shooting down the street from Washington Irving Middle School and near Forest Lawn Memorial Park-Glendale at the intersection of Drew St. and Estara Ave. in Glassell Park. One man died and another was sought by police according to Officer Kate Lopez at the LAPD. The Southbound 2 San Fernando Rd. off-ramp was shut down due to police activity, according to Officer Jimenez of the California Highway Patrol. Other......

OK so the Oscars a week from Sunday are what we're building up to but as an enthusiastic follower of Dexter on Showtime, I'm intrigued to see how it will translate to its network debut on CBS at 10:00pm this Sunday. At first I was concerned that the end result would be a heavily edited, several minutes shorter, vapid and empty shell of its former glory. Not so according to my Showtime contact. Evidently when......

There's a good chance that the WGA strike will end tomorrow. What implications does this have for the rest of the year? Will we really not see any effects on TV until the late fall sometime, or will we get some reason to turn the TV on over the summer? 8:00pm American Gladiators NBC - conclusion of the semifinals, four contenders return to face off for a spot in the finals. American Gladiators.com 8:00pm Westminster......

PEN USA hosts literary panels tonight. WINE Silver Lake Wine is hosting winemaker Maynard Keenan of Tool (yes, you read that right!), who’ll be pouring his Caduceus wines at the shop. Call for reservations: 323.662.9024. 7 pm // Silver Lake Wine // 2395 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles // $20. FILM The Pan African Film Festival started yesterday and runs until Feb. 18. Not only does the festival screen films, but it also holds workshops,......

A Metro bus collided with two cars this afternoon, injuring twelve. "Four patients transported to area hospitals with minor injuries, eight were treated and released at the scene," Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman d'Lisa Davies said in a text alert. "Davies did not immediately know how the accident occurred, and whether the injured included anyone from the small cars." according to the AP via CBS2 News. The incident occurred at 5098 W. Rodeo Rd (map)......

The Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting a "water main rupture with pavement damage" on West Cahuenga Blvd. in the community of Cahuenga Pass. The street is passable, however, traffic is expected to be rerouted once the Department of Water & Power arrives on scene. For now, though, the DWP is stuck in traffic, so that won't happen right away. There will likely be delays this afternoon going over the pass in either direction, prepare......

TALK Natalie Angier, New York Times reporter and author of Woman: An Intimate Geography, has written foreword to Full Body Project, the recently published book of photographs by Leonard Nimoy (yes Trekkies, Spock). The two will focus their Hammer Conversation on the concepts of beauty and sexuality. 7 pm // Hammer Museum // 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles // Free. MORE TALK As we read in Get Your Lit On, yesterday, Fritjof Capra talks with......

Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist UPDATE: Seven Grand is a 21+ bar. We apologize for any inconveniences. There's no better way for LAist to have its first ever public event than next Tuesday, a day where Los Angeles, and all of California for that matter, votes, taking part in one of the greatest Presidential primaries ever. For the Democratic party, California carries more weight than any other state -- that's huge in itself. Locally, several......

Move a strip club into a neighborhood full of single family homes and you're looking for a big freak out. Skin is set to open at 3388 S. Robertson Blvd. (that's where Robertson, Exposition and Venice all meet) pending a police permit hearing set for tonight. A well organized South Robertson community effort has delayed the opening of the new local amenity at the border of Los Angeles and Culver City. "SKIN may have been......

Untitled by discarted via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr To update our avalanche story from yesterday, 3 have now been confirmed dead after the snowy storm struck near the town of Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains. One missing person was located Saturday, after apparently walking out of the snow encrusted mountain. Another missing person was located Friday, but died on Saturday morning. Remember when Fred Thompson was running for president and NBC......

Tonight's episode of HBO's "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel," will investigate the Reggie Bush controversy. This segment will include an interview with Lloyd Lake, the man who claims to have given Bush $291,600 in cash, living arrangements and other benefits while he was playing at USC. If these allegations are true, Bush may be stripped of his Heisman Trophy which he won in 2005 as a Junior and the Trojans' may be forced to give......

If you plan on participating in either the Republican or Democratic primary on February 5th (in two weeks) you MUST register to vote by midnight tonight. Don't panic, you don't have to rush out into traffic, just make sure your application (download it here) is postmarked by midnight. Dig the last-minute madness? You can drop your application in person at the LA County Clerk's desk in Norwalk (map) by midnight (see the OC Registrar [map]......

The Mars Volta, not that I'm some kind of outraged fan, had terrible terrible sound on Letterman last night. I've noticed this over the last few years, yeah I'm slow, that the sound production on the live band performances (not "the CBS Orchestra") is always sub par on Letterman. All the other late night shows have better live sound, Late Night needs to figure this out. In other newsies, I'm hoping that the Colbert vs.......

Suns 106, Lakers 98 - Maybe Mitch Kupchak isn't a cupcake, but an evil genius. After mis-managing the Lakers in recent years, it turns out he was right about Andrew Bynum. He refused to trade the young center, and all of a sudden the kid got GOOD. Unfortunately, he's out with an injury and his backup was worthless against Phoenix (hence the evil part). Kwame Brown had seven turnovers and missed an open dunk. Bravo.......

Frequent LAist Featured Photos Pool contributer Jonathan Alcorn (aka Sundogg) shares with us this incredible shot from yesterday of the efforts to locate a young boy who went missing in the waters off Point Mugu. He explains:Jan 12, 2008 - Point Mugu , CA, USA - A search and rescue diver jumps from a Ventura County Fire Dept helicopter to continue recovery efforts for the body of a 17-year-old boy who was swept off......

Whats even more shocking than Jamie Lynn Spears being preggers? That it may not be Casey Aldredge's baby. Thats right, reports are that the real daddy is an older man that would surely be charged ith statutoryw rape charges if revealed - Showbiz Spy Stacy Ferguson aka Fergie and her boyfriend of over three years, actor Josh Duhamel are engaged - TMZ Our favorite heiress's fortune has just been pulled out from right under her......

Mariachi USA Fiesta 2007 Rocket, The Satisfaction @ Safari Sam's David Garza @ Largo The Republic Tigers, The Hugs @ Spaceland Mariachi USA Christmas @ Disney Hall Social Distortion, The Johns @ House of Blues (WeHo) Amon Amarth @ Avalon The Binges, Dirty Kings, Jessie Deluxe, Roses on her Grave @ The Troubadour Faraway Places, Fools Golds, Sunset @ The Echo Rose Rossi, B.R.A.M., Learning Music @ Silverlake Lounge Cory Phillips & the Band......

Close, but not close enough: a 3.9 earthquake hit Baja California today at 1:50 p.m. Now that we think of it, getting yourself prepared for a major earthquake is a great New Year's resolution! Those rodes are slick, stay safe! This morning's crash on the 5 near the 170 left one dead and three others injured. Who loves the politics of hair? Pam Spaulding at Pandagon writes that Essense Magazine's Top Ten Celeb Hair......

[O]ur friends at Found LA have decided to get together and throw us a party at their amazing gallery in Silverlake (Google Map here), with free drinks and a cake to boot. It goes from 8PM - 10PM this Saturday (12/15) and is bound to be a blast......

I've always been intrigued by other "best of" lists, but this year I decided to take it to a whole new level. I e-mailed a handful of bands that I've seen this past year in order to unearth what exactly captivated them in '07. As music listeners, it is our duty to take a keen interest in our favorite musician's influences. After all, they rocked our little world, might as well see what rocked their......

Rodney King, whose videotaped beating by LAPD officers (and their subsequent acquittal) sparked the Los Angeles riots in 1992, was shot late last night, according to San Bernardino police. King was shot in the face and arm with a pellet gun (LA Times) or perhaps a shotgun (KNX, USA Today) while riding his bike home to Rialto. King, the 42-year-old man who gained national fame when his 1991 beating by Los Angeles police was caught......

Bruins 83, Colonials 60 - UCLA (ranked #1 by ESPN/USA Today and #2 by the AP) hammered George Washington at home and got a lot of players involved. Darren Collison returned from a pre-season knee injury to score 14 and Alfred Aboya had six points despite a broken bone under his eye. Three other players scored in double digits, including highly touted freshman Kevin Love who had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Kings 3, Sharks......