Cyndi Lauper on Her New Reality Show: 'My Life Is a Comedy, So We Might as Well Film It' (Q&A)

Cyndi Lauper on Her New Reality Show: 'My Life Is a Comedy, So We Might as Well Film It' (Q&A)

The singer talks to THR about her WE tv series "Still So Unusual" ahead of Saturday's premiere.

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Agensys' New Campus Connects Public to Bergamot Station

Agensys' New Campus Connects Public to Bergamot Station

A new $95 million home for Agensys, a biotech firm that manufactures antibodies to treat cancer, opened Thursday on city-owned property near the Bergamot Arts Station.

The 160,000-square-foot research and development facility centralizes and expands the company's operations, which were formerly located in three separate buildings. Over the next few months, 250 employees and contractors will move into the former railroad yard at 1800 Stewart St.

At Thusday's grand opening, City Councilman Bob Holbrook, a pharmacist, said he hopes a cure for cancer "can someday come from Santa Monica."

After signing a development agreement with the city in the fall of 2010, Agensys paid an undisclosed sum to take control of the land lease from real estate investment firm Lionstone Group, according to published reports.

"There was a point in time when this project hung in the balance," said Assemblyman Richard Bloom, who was on the City Council when the development agreement was negotiated. "This is a business, this is an agency, that needs to remain in this city."

Under the agreement, Agensys agreed to build a pedestrian pathway connecting its campus to the arts center and a café open to the public. It will also host a job fair and internship program.

Then-council member Bobby Shriver voted against the agreement, contending the city wasn't getting a good enough deal, in part because Agensys refused to guarantee it would hire Santa Monica residents, the Santa Monica LookOut reported. Cycling advocates also lost their fight for a bike path through the property.

"In Santa Monica, we like to think that we are business friendly, but we are not business easy," said City Manager Rod Gould. "You chose to stay in Santa Monica and for that we are deeply, deeply grateful."

Agensys was founded in Santa Monica in 1997 by oncologists at UCLA. In 2007, it was acquired by Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc.

Its employees will see major changes in the Bergamot Arts Station area over the next few years.

Construction is underway next-door to build a train stop for the Expo Light Rail, set to open in 2016. The arts center will get a major redo, and across the street,...

How Did Humans Figure Out That Sex Makes Babies?

How Did Humans Figure Out That Sex Makes Babies?

When the Explainer asked you to vote on a favorite unanswered question of 2012, the majority opted for a rather lascivious query regarding why rich ladies sunbathe topless, and the Explainer has duly delivered your pound of flesh. But in perusing the runners-up, another question so intrigued the Explainer that he could not resist answering it as well: When and how did humankind figure out that sex is what causes babies? It's not exactly the most obvious correlation: Sex doesn't always lead to babies, and there's a long lead time between the act and the consequences—weeks before there are even symptoms, usually. So roughly where do we think we were as a species when it clicked?

PETA Names L.A. Their 2012 City of the Year

PETA Names L.A. Their 2012 City of the Year

In the same year that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) tried to convince us going vegan is good for guys' junk, the animal rights organization has bestowed upon Los Angeles the honor of being their 2012 City of the Year. 

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ABC Boss Paul Lee Talks Future of Comedies 'Happy Endings,' 'Apartment 23'

ABC Boss Paul Lee Talks Future of Comedies 'Happy Endings,' 'Apartment 23'

"We haven’t made any decisions [regarding renewals or the future of a Tuesday comedy block,] but I can tell you that these are shows that we love," Lee told reporters gathered for the TCA press tour.

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Santa Monica Gets Its First (Very Bright) Green Bike Lanes

Santa Monica Gets Its First (Very Bright) Green Bike Lanes

Santa Monica is rolling out its first eye-catching green bike lanes.
The paint is still drying, but once the work is finished, the dedicated bicycle lanes will extend from Neilson Way on Ocean Park Boulevard .6 miles east to Lincoln Boulevard.
They're hard to miss—and that's the point, said city transportation engineer Jay Dinkins.
"It's about visibility and safety," he said.
L.A. Streetsblog considers the neon lanes among the “best practices” in bicycle and pedestrian planning.
In talking about a busy a bike lane that had been painted green near a congested intersection in his hometown of Thousands Oaks, the blog's San Francisco editor, Aaron Bialick, said: “The green treatment not only helps improve visibility for people on bikes to drivers... but when I used it, I felt it helped legitimize my place in the massive intersection.”
The green lanes are part of a bigger project to transform Ocean Park Boulevard into what city officials call a "complete green street" that's oriented to cyclists and pedestrians with more trees, wider sidewalks and a system to capture urban run-off before it washes into the ocean.
Local cycling advocate Gary Kavanagh said he hasn't had a chance to ride up Ocean Park Bouelvard yet, but told Patch he is "very excited" to see Santa Monica experimenting with the treatment.
"Gauging from how many of my readers retweeted the news and the photo city engineer Jay Dinkins shared before the paint was even dry, passed around locally and as far away in the SoCal region as San Diego I'd say a lot of other people are excited, too," Kavanagh wrote in an email.
Dinkins said Santa Monica wants to build its aresanl of the green lanes. There are plans to add them to the entire length of Broadway and Main streets.
Kavanagh said the green lanes would be a "significant improvement," because the two streets have some of the highest bicycle ridership of any corridor in the city.
"However I would also like to see the city in the coming year and beyond, pilot what's known as cycle-tracks or protected bikeways, that use physical separation, either curbs or bollards," he said.
They might also be added to Second Street in downtown, between Wilshire and Colorado, but that would require eliminating one of two traffic lanes for cars,
Dinkins said.

Oscars 2013: Records Broken for Oldest, Youngest Nominees

Oscars 2013: Records Broken for Oldest, Youngest Nominees

Quvenzhane Wallis and Emmanuelle Riva are the youngest and oldest people to be nominated for the best actress Oscar.

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New Line Puts a Director on 'Y: The Last Man'

New Line Puts a Director on 'Y: The Last Man'

The project is based on the acclaimed comic created by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra.

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'Anchorman 2' Offices Burglarized; Reward Offered for Information

'Anchorman 2' Offices Burglarized; Reward Offered for Information

The Atlanta warehouse used for production of the sequel was broken into on Dec. 27, with thieves making off with $300,000 in electrical equipment and computers.

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New Venice Business Going to the Dogs

New Venice Business Going to the Dogs

Dog owners throughout the Westside can now order treats, toys, dry and wet food for their pooches straight to their doorstep.
Go Fetch Delivery was officially launched on Monday and delivers high quality products to homes and apartments in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Venice, Mar Vista, Culver City, Del Rey, Marina del Rey and Playa del Rey.
Partners Katie Sullivan and Les Cook started the delivery company in Venice after receiving requests from clients at their other company, The Dog Au Pair, which they started last year to provide dog day care, boarding and grooming.
Customers can order food and treats online and they will be delivered to them within the next business day. And they can set up one-time, weekly or monthly deliveries.
For more information, visit www.gofetchdelivery.com

What Did Google Earth Spot in the Chinese Desert? Even an Ex-CIA Analyst Isn't Sure

What Did Google Earth Spot in the Chinese Desert? Even an Ex-CIA Analyst Isn't Sure

Late last month, former CIA analyst Allen Thomson went poking through Google Earth imagery -- and found something kind of weird in western China.

Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Announce Dorian Award Nominees

Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Announce Dorian Award Nominees

"Argo," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Keep the Lights On," "Les Miserables," "Lincoln" and "Moonrise Kingdom" are nominated for best film of the year.

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Why 'The Walking Dead' Killed Off Its Latest Showrunner

Why 'The Walking Dead' Killed Off Its Latest Showrunner

Insiders tell THR that "very protective" comic book writer Robert Kirkman was one of many who clashed with now-fired Glen Mazzara.

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Josh Brolin to Star in 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'

Josh Brolin to Star in 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'

The actor will star as Dwight, a role played by Clive Owen in the series' first film.

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Starbucks Selling $1 Reusable Cups

Starbucks Selling $1 Reusable Cups

Starbucks fans can do their part to help the company with its green efforts.
The coffee giant last Thursday began selling $1 reusable plastic cups at all of its company-owned North American cafes in a push to reduce waste, reported the Los Angeles Times.
The cups bear the company logo. They are available in grande or tall size, 16-ounce and 12-ounce sizes respectively. Those who use the cup or any other reusable container will receive a 10-cent discount for each refill and a boiling-water cleanse for their recyclable receptacle, the newspaper reported.
The company tested the cuts at 600 stores in the Pacific Northwest beginning in October. The region had a 26 percent increase in reusable cup usage in November compared to the same period in 2011, the Times reported. The trend towards using reusable cups saw a 55 percent hike in the last three years at Starbucks, the company told the newspaper.
Starbucks also announced Thursday that it plans to start selling Square mobile card readers in 7,000 company-owned stores, the Times reported. The devices, couple with the free Square Register app, enables iPhone, iPad, and Android users to accept credit card transactions using their mobile devices. The stores will sell the readers for $10, with a $10 rebate at sign up for new users.
The Starbucks in Pacific Palisades is located at 15300 Sunset Blvd.

Sign Of The Wines: Is Santa Clarita The New Napa Valley?

Sign Of The Wines: Is Santa Clarita The New Napa Valley?

Experts say the dry hot days and cool evenings make it conducive to growing grapes.

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Ask Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally your relationship questions

Ask Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally your relationship questions

Though we've just barely escaped the forced affection of the holiday season, the next expectation of acceptably demonstrating human feelings is just over the horizon. Yep, Valentine's Day is right around the corner—waiting to jump out and ask you why you didn't buy it anything for Valentine's Day and what this means for your relationship—and with it our annual feature wherein a celebrity answers your questions about love, sex, and other things related to not being horribly alone.

In the past we've sought the counsel of guests like Sarah Silverman, Tim & Eric, Eugene Mirman, Julie Klausner, and Michael Ian Black, and—while all of them were great—this year we dare say we've found someone who can genuinely help you get it together in Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally. Regarded as paragons of romantic love around these parts, Nick and Megan have ...

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Final Talks to Star in 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'

Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Final Talks to Star in 'Sin City: A Dame to Kill For'

The actor will play the part of a smooth talking gambler in the adaptation of Frank Miller's noir comic books.

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Patton Oswalt Declares War on Pro-Heckling Columnists

Patton Oswalt Declares War on Pro-Heckling Columnists

Chicago Tribune writers Nina Metz and Chris Borrelli have earned an angry rebuke from the stand-up comedian.

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Food Network Star Dishes on Her Favorite Culver City Haunts

"Household name," huh?



Food Network Star Dishes on Her Favorite Culver City Haunts

Aarti Sequeira became a household name after winning the The Food Network's 'The Next Food Network Star' and starring in her own show called Aarti Party.
Sequeira, who lives in Culver City recently sat down with LAist to talk about some of her favorite food places in and around Culver City. Along with Samosa House and the Culver City Farmers' Market, Sequeira said she's also a fan of the newly-opened Cognoscenti Coffee and the local staple - Metro Cafe.
Click here to check out some of Sequeira's other top Culver City haunts at LAist.
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