[Huffington Post] Given his much-publicized distaste for Sacramento, it’s good to see that Gavin Newsom is finding ways to keep himself busy.

On his Current TV chat show this week, our Lieutenant Governor took part in an enlightening conversation with cinematic auteur Oliver Stone about where we might find the stankiest buds on the face of God’s green earth.

SPOILER ALERT: The answer is California.

“We have the best weed in the world; I’m telling you from my own experience of 40 years,” said Stone, who stopped by the show to promote his new film “Savages.” “Vietnamese weed, Thai weed, Jamaican weed, Sudanese weed, it’s all great stuff. But, because Americans are so technically minded (like mad chemists), they’ve taken Afghan seeds from the Afghan War, which is the hypothesis of the movie, and rededicated themselves and made the finest seeds in the world, the finest grass you can smoke.”

Stone went on to slam the federal government’s anti-drug policy. “This drug war is insane,” said the Academy Award-winning director. “I know this first-hand because I was one of its first victims.” “Savages,” based on the best selling novel by author Don Winslow, is the story of a pair of drug-dealing buddies who get tangled up in a violent dispute with a Mexican drug cartel.

Read Full via Huffington Post

(Huffington Post) From Obama to Occupy, a majority of the historic moments of our time have been made iconic through the eyes of street artist Shepard Fairey. Thus it comes as no big surprise that when seminal hip-hop artist Adam Yauch passed away, he would be remembered in Fairey’s signature style. The surprise, however, is the unlikely story behind the billboards that have appeared in two Los Angeles locations.

Yauch, known as MCA of the Beastie Boys, passed away on May 4 at 47 years old after a long battle with cancer. His street art tribute began with Los Angeles Beastie Boys fan Jason May, who rented out three Los Angeles billboards to pay homage to Yauch’s legendary musical impact. He first enlisted Brooklyn artist Kaves to design a billboard, and Fairey was next. Fairey had been a longtime fan of the Beastie Boys’ innovative punk-rock, hip-hop fusion, and remembered the band’s impact on him in New York Magazine: “Hip-hop was the new punk rock, and I wouldn’t have embraced that if not for the Beastie Boys. They opened the doors for a lot of people to be more courageous about blending genres.” Both Fairey and Yauch are known for attracting youth culture to social causes through their optimistic works.

Read Full via Huffington Post

(Huffington Post) Magic Johnson stood up on a podium at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday and flat-out lied to Dodger fans.
Johnson, the front man for the team’s new ownership group, said that ex-owner Frank McCourt was “not involved in any shape or fashion” with the team. He also said McCourt would not get any of the parking revenues.

“He doesn’t get a dime from the parking,” Johnson said.

False. In fact, as the Times’ Bill Shaikin reported Friday night, the Dodgers will pay $14 million a year to a company half-owned by McCourt for the privilege of parking cars at the stadium.

Magic Johnson simply lied about that, as he continues to obfuscate
about his partnership with the most hated man in Los Angeles.

Asked on Saturday to explain Johnson’s comment, in light of the $14 million parking lot lease, Dodger spokesman Joe Jareck said, “It’s got nothing to do with parking. It’s a lease deal for the land.”

You got that? The Dodgers are leasing the parking lots from Frank McCourt, in order to park cars there, but it’s got nothing to do with parking. That’s what you have to believe in order to claim that Johnson was telling the truth.

Read More via Huffington Post

(Huffington Post)Venice Beach’s Rose Avenue has a new nickname: ‘Skid Rose.’

The city’s new enforcement of its boardwalk curfew has resulted in the homeless moving from the beach into the surrounding upscale residential neighborhoods, CBS reports.

Venice homeowners are furious. Resident Virgil Chao told CBS, “The homeless are hassling us, they’re yelling at us.” He added, “They unload their toilets right onto the street. And it’s just right in broad daylight.”

Mark Ryavec, of the Venice Stakeholders Association, said the problem is that the homeless individuals don’t want to go to shelters. “They’re so comfortable with this lifestyle…with the drugs, with the surfing, the skateboarding…with the easy access to the beach,” he said. “They don’t want to go into any environment where they might have to deal with rules.”

Read More via Huffington Post