Subject: Staples Center

• This Newsrack Will Self- Destruct in Five Seconds...

  Color us crazy, but we'd have thought someone would have raised an ethical concern or three after the Los Angeles County Sheriff's arson squad blew up an LA Times newsrack in Santa Clarita on Friday. The concern we refer to is not whether deputies were under orders from the Sheriff Lee Baca to get back at the Times for some journalistic slight against him (pick one), nor are we hinting at an excessive use of force to bring down a newspaper box because some passersby mistook a device attached to

  May 1, 2006

• Photos: Linkin Park, Chiodos & Coheed and Cambria on 03/04

  All photos from last night's Staples Center show by Christopher Victorio.

  March 5, 2008

• Upcoming in LA Times Obits: The Sunday Magazine

  Remember those Sunday mornings when the LA Times magazine was something to look forward to? Terrific profiles/color pieces/semi-newsy features—in-depth stuff you went back and read a second time (and, admit it, clipped and filed in your battered ol’ copy of Websters, under the appropriate word)? The ‘90s? Remember how enraged you were in ’99 when it was disclosed that the sleazy bean-counters had cut a secret deal to share magazine ad revenue with Staples Center? How happy you were when

  June 11, 2008

• Shaw Nuff

  January 27, 2000

• Yahoo for Wahoos

  June 22, 2000

• Expanaheim!

  February 15, 2001

• Matt Costa Models Oliver Peoples Eyewear

  Matt Costa's future is so bright, he's gotta so on and so forth.The dreamy (I'm using that word to describe his music, honest!) Huntington Beach singer/songwriter is featured in the new advertising campaign for upscale eyewear retailer/maker Oliver Peoples. Also featured is similarly adorable actress/She & Him singer Zooey Deschanel (why not read this review of their show in Anaheim last month, eh?). Oliver Peoples (one of their seven b&m stores is in South Coast Plaza) are apparently pl

  December 3, 2008

• Last Night: Oasis, Ryan Adams, Matt Costa at the Staples Center

  Last Night: Oasis, Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, Matt Costa at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, Dec. 4th, 2008.Better Than: Fighting with your brother.Download: New single "I'm Outta Time" from the album Dig Out Your Soul at the Oasis MySpace.Anglophiles filled the Staples Center Thursday to watch '90s icons Oasis show why they still--13 years after "Wonderwall"--are the flag bearers of British rock. The band's touring in support of latest release Dig Out Your Soul, an album that holds up well

  December 5, 2008

• Rumored/Confirmed Coachella Artists Start to Trickle In

  LAist has about 20 artists they say are "confirmed" for Coachella (coming up soon! April 17-19!), and many more that are "rumored"--and given that just about every act of note is "rumored" for Coachella at this point in the year, a classification that's about as meaningful as last night's Golden Globes (though any night when Tracy Morgan and Bruce Springsteen both get to give acceptance speeches is pretty awesome).Here's who they say are confirmed:

  January 12, 2009

• Just In: Fleetwood Mac Coming to Honda Center in May

  The Mac is back! No, not that one. The latest chapter in the British/American rock band's storied, tumultuous history is a greatest hits tour, coinciding with a new, reissued version of their most famous album Rumours. The tour was announced back in December, but with only east coast dates. But now we know that Fleetwood Mac--the current, Christine McVie-less roster of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood-- is coming our way on May 23, at the Honda Center in Anaheim. T

  January 14, 2009

• Blast from the Past: Another Connection Between Anti-Semitic KPFK Host and La Voz de Aztlan

  Perhaps the best exposé on the Jew-bashing, gay-trashing website La Voz de Aztlan was published in 2002 by the now-defunct New Times Los Angeles. This is where we got the information that sole writer Hector Carreon (last name has Jewish roots) worked in Buena Park. The article hasn't existed online for years, however, mysteriously scrubbed away from the grasp of Google and even the mighty Lexis-Nexis database--until now. Following the jump is the article in its entirety, written by Tony Ortega,

  March 25, 2009

• Sellouts

  October 14, 1999

• Summer of Sam

  September 30, 1999

• A Tale of Two Shootings

  August 7, 2003

• Letters

  December 6, 2001

• Oye Como Va

  December 22, 2005

• Diary of a Mad County

  April 14, 2005

• This Case Doesn't Gyve

  An open letter to DA Tony Rackauckas

  February 17, 2005

• My City Kicks Your Citys Dining Ass

  July 1, 2004

• Whos Your Daddy?

  January 15, 2004

• No Gun, No Witnesses, No Problem

  November 27, 2003

• The Thin Boo Line!

  Orange Countys 31 scariest cops!

  November 6, 2003

• Whiskey Night

  July 24, 2003

• Corporate Vulture

  May 8, 2003

• Press Clips

  October 3, 2002

• Capitol Idea!

  August 15, 2002

• The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Rock Star

  November 29, 2001

• Culinary Criminal

  August 31, 2000

• Wiggedy-Wiggedy

  August 31, 2000

• Sweatin' to the Oligarchy

  August 31, 2000

• Harald Martins Army

  August 10, 2000

• Brand New Karn!

  November 4, 1999

• Incoming: AC/DC, Beyoncé Coming to Honda Center (Separately)

  Attention, single ladies (and others): Beyoncé, will soon be touring behind her third mega-popular solo record, this one with the much-mocked title I Am...Sasha Fierce (Ben Westhoff reviewed it for us here when it came out last fall, check out the hilarious comments he attracted: "BBBBB I LOVE U GIRL. ALWAYS HAVE BUT THIS CD IS WHACK AS HELL! IT'S TOO WHITE AND TOO POP! THE LYRICS ARE COOL BUR THE MUSIC SIDE IS WHACK"). How this affects us: she'll be coming to the Honda Center in Anaheim on Jul

  April 20, 2009

• Last Night: Beck @ Club Nokia

  Last Night: Beck at Club Nokia November 9, 2008. Better Than: seeing Beck at the Hollywood Bowl. Download: "Gamma Ray" from the Beck website [http://www.modernguilt.com/#4] It was a grand evening for the grand opening of Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. Club Nokia appears to have studied many of the strong attributes of other concert venues before finalizing the design on their newest creation. A semi-circle of seats in the upper deck looked down on the stage strategically placed with exce

  November 10, 2008

• Fleetwood Mac

  May 21, 2009

• What If You Threw a Lakers Parade and Only Kobe Showed Up?

  Photo by Andrew YoussefM-I-C . . . See you in the paint . . . K-E-Y . . . Why? Because we OWN you!Disneyland Resort media types had said it would be Kobe Bryant and other unnamed Lakers visiting the Anaheim theme park today for a victory parade down Main Street USA. But just like the name on the MVP award, Bryant was the only Laker to be found. Now, there could be a lot of reasons for this. Many players live out of town--heck--out of state--hell's bells--out of the country. Prior commitments, f

  June 18, 2009

• Even More MJ News

  I'm really tempted not to type anything about Michael Jackson because I don't want to feel like some scumbag TMZ "reporter," but his passing -- and the word of his public funeral -- is news.Rumor has it an event is planned for 10 a.m. July 7 (that's Tuesday) at the Staples Center and the adjacent Nokia Theatre. Nothing has been 100 percent confirmed, but sources say there will be video screens outside the venues for the expected mass of people who wouldn't be allowed in.Here's my advice: If you

  July 2, 2009

• UPDATE: Eat It! Michael Jackson To Get Butter Statue

  If you didn't manage to get tickets to the MJ memorial at Staples Center tomorrow, fear not: you can probably still book a flight to Des Moines for the Iowa State Fair in August, when Jackson will be immortalized in butter. For ten days, the dairy King of Pop will stand next to the fair's traditional butter cow. Sculptor Sarah Pratt chose to portray the singer's famous moonwalk pose as a nod to the 40th anniversary of the moon landings this summer. Two years after that momentous event, the

  August 18, 2009

• More Michael Jackson! Memorial Participants, Plus Coverage Tomorrow

  Michael Jackson: still dead. If he wasn't, there wouldn't be that public memorial tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Staples Center, and we wouldn't be here talking about it. In fact, we're going to be able to do more than just talk about it. Our guy Gabriel San Roman (check his story on new Nekromantix drummer Lux, from last week's Weekly, here) actually snagged one of the ever-elusive tickets to the service, and is going to provide some coverage for us right here on this very blog. Should be quite t

  July 6, 2009

• Follow the Michael Jackson Memorial Service on Twitter!

  Hmm, I just paired the words "memorial service" with the word "Twitter" and an exclamation point. I guess I'm going to hell.Anyway, if watching the televised coverage of this morning's Michael Jackson memorial service at the Staples Center isn't enough for you (and why would it be? never enough dead MJ news!), your pals at Heard Mentality (that's us!) have it covered through a couple of different angles. Matt Fletcher, keyboard player for OC/LA band Satisfaction will be there, manning his trusty

  July 7, 2009

• Gabriel San Roman's Thoughts From Inside Michael Jackson's Memorial Service

  Gabriel San RomanBY GABRIEL SAN ROMANIt's been 12 incomprehensible days since the shocking news that Michael Jackson died. Since that time, the prevailing feeling was that the immensity that is the King of Pop's musical legacy hadn't been properly or adequately paid tribute to...until today.I was one of the fortunate few to be awarded a gold bracelet and ticket to the Staples Center memorial service, out of the 1.6 million people who registered online. After spending less than 10 minutes yesterd

  July 7, 2009

• 18 Reasons Sammy Davis Jr. Beats Michael Jackson in Heavenly Greatest Entertainer Who Ever Lived Smackdown

  Barry Gordy eulogizes Michael Jackson.At Michael Jackson's moving memorial in the Staples Center Tuesday, Motown founder Berry Gordy eulogized that the title "King of Pop" was not big enough for Jacko, calling him "simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived."Somewhere in Heaven, Sammy Davis Jr. fumes.See, it's been universally accepted that Sammy was the greatest entertainer who ever lived. Now that both he and MJ are sharing the bill at the Great Rendezvous Ballroom in the Sky, it behooves

  July 8, 2009

• Kanye West and Lady Gaga Set to Bring VMA Controversy to Anaheim

  Chris Victorio​Heard anything about Kanye West lately? The usually reserved rapper/producer/tireless self-promoter has uncharacteristically made a tiny amount of headlines these last couple of days, but you've probably missed them. (Seriously, though, it must be weird to be called a jackass by the president, off the record to not.)Well, now that he's gotten all of the "crushing happy moments in beloved teenage girls' lives" out of his system, he's about to start a new tour, one that's coming t

  September 15, 2009

• Kanye West/Lady Gaga Tour Now Officially Official

  S. Affandi, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.​After a good amount of speculation due to a lack of official announcements and tour dates disappearing from the Internets, the Kanye West and Lady Gaga "Fame Kills" tour is on for realsies, following press releases from Live Nation this morning.

  September 18, 2009

• 'Fame Kills' Killed; Kanye West and Lady Gaga Scrap Tour

  ​From the "well, you kind of had to see this coming" department: Kanye West and Lady Gaga have canceled their much-publicized, co-headlining "Fame Kills" tour, which was to stop at Anaheim's Honda Center on November 15. (Yes, surely a lot of people are going to be using "'Fame Kills' Killed." Who could resist?)

  October 1, 2009

• Foes of Proposed Orange County Fair Sale Launch Website

  Photo by Jennie WarrenAre certain fair board elements taking Orange Countians and state taxpayers for a ride?Some anonymous Orange County Fair employees have created a website that channels their displeasure with the proposed sale of the state-owned fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.OCUnfair.com takes particular aim at: Steve Beazley, the Orange County Fair president and CEO; David Ellis, a Newport Coast resident who serves on the governor-appointed Orange County Fair Board of Directors; and Richard "Di

  September 21, 2009

• Michael Jackson Memorial Tweet-Up Wrap-Up

  Were you working, sleeping, distracted, saving a cat from a tree, organizing your cheese label collection or otherwise unavailable to follow our live Twitter posts from Michael Jackson's memorial? Well, you're in luck, because here they all are (and pics!), both from Matthew Fletcher of the band Satisfaction live inside the Staples Center (he took that pic up above these words) and myself watching on the TV.

  July 7, 2009

• What You Missed: UFC 104, Autumn Food Festival, Zombie Pub Crawl, Kid Sister

  Keith MayNewport Beach Zombie Pub Crawl​Okay, so a whooooole lot of things happened this weekend. Like a lot. First up was the Zombie Pub Crawl in Newport Beach, where tons of fabulous zombies dragged themselves to Newps for the first ever undead pub crawl. Sponsored by LocalHipster.com, the all-day event featured plenty of braaaaaaains and beer. See the full set of awesome photos by Keith May right here. Now, after the jump: Many, many photos from UFC 104 and the UFC 104 After Party in Los An

  October 26, 2009

• Last, Last Night: Echo & the Bunnymen at the Nokia Theatre

  Andrew Youssef​Review By: Andrew YoussefSaturday Night: Echo & The Bunnymen at the Nokia Theatre (10/24/09)Better Than: Joining the sea of Tapout shirts at UFC across the street at Staples Center. (Editor's Note: Which, funny enough, we did actually cover. Heh.)A shroud of darkness covered the stage as shadowy figures reached for their musical instruments. The conductor of a small orchestra waited for Ian McCullough (Vocals) to position himself behind the microphone.

  October 26, 2009

• Last, Last Night: Echo & the Bunnymen at the Nokia Theatre

  Andrew Youssef​Review By: Andrew YoussefSaturday Night: Echo & The Bunnymen at the Nokia Theatre (10/24/09)Better Than: Joining the sea of Tapout shirts at UFC across the street at Staples Center. (Editor's Note: Which, funny enough, we did actually cover. Heh.)A shroud of darkness covered the stage as shadowy figures reached for their musical instruments. The conductor of a small orchestra waited for Ian McCullough (Vocals) to position himself behind the microphone.

  October 26, 2009