Talk of the shrinking middle class has gotten plenty of lip service in the U.S. political arena for several years. Some say the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and there seem to be fewer opportunities for those who would be content finding a comfortable life in the middle class. TV [...]

If you look hard enough in Los Angeles, you can find almost anything. The city and the surrounding area are known for obvious landmarks, such as the Hollywood sign, but there are smaller, more hidden destinations that are also worth a visit. If you venture into the smaller parts of the city, or simply keep [...]

Many of us forget about the musical guests on late-night talk shows. There is, of course, the omnipresent house band that provides a soundtrack for the show, but every program needs a good guest performance to cap things off. How each late-night show handles their guests, though, is worth discussing. Statistically speaking, musical guest performances [...]

It’s difficult to rise to fame in the comic book industry with hundreds of writers, artists, designers and editors trying to break in and hit the big time, even when the ultimate success rate isn’t that high. There’s a perception that a graphic artist can just shop around some work, get on a smaller title [...]

For years, the restaurant industry has trended toward wholesome dining: locally sourced foods with rustic presentations. The effect is meant to comfort the diner through “organic” eating, a reminder of a simpler era of literal farm-to-table meals that most diners have probably not experienced. And nothing gets much more wholesome, or comforting, than a true [...]

Vinyl records are not just for DJs to spin any more. These hunky, 12-inch pieces of wax are quickly becoming the physical medium of choice among music fans. In an age when thousands of songs can be stored on a miniscule device like an iPod Nano, younger consumers are discovering that perhaps their grandparents were [...]

Like many other old school mediums, comic books are being forced to adapt to the digital age. In the last year, comics have jumped onto the digital bandwagon rather than just awkwardly putting one foot in. The major companies have adopted day and date digital releases, meaning all readers get their issues at the same [...]

Winter vacation gave us a one-month hiatus from Los Angeles and, if the absence has not made my heart grow fonder, it has certainly made me hungrier.  I’ve discovered a dependence on Yogurtland’s Original Tart with gummy bears as well as the free muffin samples at Seeds. I’ve missed the spiced almonds at Moreton Fig, [...]

Fans talk, ratings walk. For network executives this season, the calculation involved in culling a revamped mid-season lineup seemed as simple as that. With the advent of Hulu, Netflix, DVR technology and readily available links to illegally stream shows online, the television industry’s cherished distribution model (“You’re going to sit through these commercials, and you’re [...]

When you finish that last final, the feeling is almost indescribable. Suddenly you’ve got more than enough hours to plan out your day the way you want, with no class schedules or impending deadlines standing in your way. If you’ll be staying in Los Angeles for winter break, spice up your stay by exploring the [...]