Go to a nice restaurant with UFC welterweight Mike Swick and odds are you'll get to meet the chef. It starts when he orders something off the menu and has to specify that he'd like it prepared without garlic or spices, on account of an esophageal condition that doesn't react well to many of the mainstays of the restaurant industry.
Fans celebrate in the streets after the Los Angeles Kings take home the Stanley Cup.
LOS ANGELES -- Chris Paul wanted to play for the Lakers, was traded to the Lakers, and prepared to sign a long-term contract extension with the Lakers. But when he walked onto the court Monday night at Staples Center, in front of Lakers fans who 10 days ago called him the second coming of Magic Johnson, they booed him like the son of Larry Bird. Such is the strange state of the NBA in Los Angeles, where in the past week-and-a-half Paul was a Laker and then a Clipper, a dramatic swing that has shifted the tectonic plates beneath the city's basketball landscape. As Paul told teammate Chauncey Billups when they emerged from the tunnel: "This is crazy."
The pop star reportedly rents out L.A.'s Staples Center for movie night
LOS ANGELES -- Five players, three fans and one jersey were all tossed Thursday night at Staples Center, evidence that April in the NBA has finally arrived.
A young boy fell to his death from a luxury suite at Los Angeles' Staples Center on Sunday night, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
• David and Victoria Beckham earned major cool parent points after taking their boys - Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn - to Justin Bieber's concert at L.A.'s Staples Center. The family took in the ProActiv-sponsored gig from a VIP box, where they seemed upbeat as the kids waved glowsticks. The Beckhams, who were with another family and their little girls, were very attentive to their children, often kissing them or embracing them during the concert.
• After performing at L.A.'s Staples Center with guest Eminem, RIhanna had beau Matt Kemp by her side for a late-night bash at Drai's in the W Hollywood. Arriving after 1 a.m., the pop star was delivered a cake with sparklers. She also shared some smooches with Kemp, and listened as rapper Lil Jon performed his hits for the crowd. Also there: Brody Jenner and Avril Lavigne, who hung out in the outside, back bar with friends.
• Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson Wentz were bopping up and down from the side of the stage at Jay-Z's recent show at Los Angeles's Staples Center - and the two didn't go unnoticed by the rapper. "Pete Wentz, I see you," he said from the stage, adding, "Ash, I see you. Hope I didn't embarrass you." Standing next to them: Chris Rock, who threw his hands up and sang along to every song, while Justin Bieber and Paris Hilton were also at the show.
From Beyoncé's Alanis cover to the Pink's high-flying number, these are the musical moments you'll want to watch again
Beyoncé, Kings of Leon and the Black Eyed Peas also win big at Sunday's telecast
Prince Michael and Paris Jackson accept their late father's Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys
Kobe Bryant was given an "excused absence" from the Lakers' practice this morning after an armed robbery in his Newport Beach neighborhood Tuesday night, reports TMZ.com
LOS ANGELES -- It looked as if a party had broken out in the Staples Center corridors Wednesday as Clippers employees dressed in cowboy outfits handed out All-Star Game ballots to every fan in sight. Behind them a huge sign read, "Vote For Your Clippers Today"! with the names Blake Griffin, Baron Davis, Al Thornton and Marcus Camby etched into silver stars underneath.
It was tough to carry on a conversation with the board-stomping and chanting in the background threatening to completely drown out my caller, who happens to be an NHL scout. But through the din of the college arena, one sentence came through clearly over the phone:
Who was the evil NBA schedule maker who thought it would be funny to have the Clippers play the Lakers on opening night? It's one thing to be viewed as the "other team" in town, but it's another to be present on the night the Lakers are given their championship rings and unveil their most recent championship banner at Staples Center, which is also the Clippers' home -- although you'd never know it by looking up at the rafters.
The singer delivers a personal message to a special youngster at the Concert for Hope
The windowless suite on the second floor of the Pacific Palms, a resort 20 miles east of Los Angeles, is prosaically named the NFL Presentation Room. In this sterile bunker, decorated with maps, charts, schematics, architectural models and a wall-mounted flat screen tuned to the NFL Network, Southern California real estate developer Ed Roski greets visitors and lays out his plan to build a gleaming pro football stadium a few miles down the road, where the 57 and 60 freeways intersect in the City of Industry.
"This hurts," Tweets the pop star, who'll still continue with her concert tour
With Jon Wertheim on vacation, rising American star Sam Querrey graciously agreed to respond to fans' questions. The 21-year-old Querrey is ranked 26th after winning the Los Angeles Open last week, his third consecutive ATP final.
• Looks like they're still hanging out! A bubbly Lindsay Lohan joined Samantha Ronson at her table outside the
Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood after midnight. (Earlier, the two took in
the "American Idols Live!" tour stop at the Staples Center.) Lohan
left a table of her own friends to join her deejay ex, who had asked for Lohan by name when she arrived. The actress was openly affectionate as she spent the night leaning into Ronson and hanging on her every word. Meanwhile, Ronson was more restrained but still sweet.
• Tom Cruise, doing the famous "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" dance at Beyoncé's concert at L.A.'s Staples Center. "Everyone was laughing and taking pictures," a concertgoer tells us of the scene. When the actor originally arrived - sans wife Katie Holmes, who is filming her new movie in Australia - he waved and smiled at fans who stood up and cheered when they saw him walk in. Cruise then settled in next to the sound booth where he sang (and danced!) along all night.
"The speakers really spoke from their heart," says the producer of Tuesday's Michael Jackson tribute
The memorial service for singer Michael Jackson cost the city of Los Angeles $1.4 million, the mayor's office said Wednesday.
CNN's Ted Rowlands reports from the Staples Center in Los Angeles ahead of Tuesday's memorial service.
In death as in life, Michael Jackson continues to light up the Internet.
An 11-year-old girl who lost her father made the world cry with her on Tuesday.
No major security problems were reported at Michael Jackson's public memorial service on Tuesday in Los Angeles, California, according to police.
CNN's Kiran Chetry spoke with the LAPD chief to get the logistics of crowd control at the Jackson memorial.
They were there for Michael Jackson.
Find out how many fans are at the memorial and other fun facts about Jackson
Randy and La Toya Jackson are among those at Forest Lawn burial ground on eve of big memorial
"I cannot be part of the public whoopla," the actress says in a string of heartfelt Twitter messages
They poured in to Los Angeles from places far-flung, an army of Michael Jackson fans hoping to collectively mourn their idol in a massive ceremony at the Staples Center downtown Tuesday.
Melvin Price registered for the Michael Jackson memorial ticket lottery in England on Friday and jumped on a flight to the United States over the weekend.
The "onslaught of media attention" will cause a distraction, her attorney says
The cars drove up to the stadium in a steady, orderly stream Monday -- some drivers giddy with anticipation as they entered and shaking with excitement as they exited.
People walked by 12-year-old Yance Phillips as he danced on Hollywood Boulevard on Sunday.
New Orleans band Big Sam's Funky Nation plays "Dancing Machine" to pay tribute to Michael Jackson.
Some lucky Michael Jackson fans got the e-mails they were hoping for Sunday, saying they've won two free tickets to Tuesday's memorial service.
CNN's Ted Rowlands takes us on a tour of Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.
The first official indication that a family service for Michael Jackson will be held at Forest Lawn Cemetery came from a Los Angeles police official Sunday.
Fans from around the world are coming to Neverland Ranch to pay tribute to Michael Jackson. CNN's Sandra Endo reports.
About 1.6 million fans registered for a chance at fewer than 9,000 pairs of tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service next week, organizers said.
Organizers will randomly distribute 17,500 free passes; the ceremony also will be broadcast and streamed live
A guitarist tells PEOPLE the pop star - two nights before his death - was "excited, singing and dancing"
The odds of winning Saturday's lottery for 17,500 free tickets to Michael Jackson memorial may be long, judging from traffic to the Staples Center Web site Friday.
The public service will likely take place Tuesday morning, according to reports
Fans must register online for a lottery to win tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, organizers said Friday.
LOS ANGELES -- As the Lakers and Magic prepped for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, LeBron James was undergoing five hours of dental surgery to remove a benign growth from his right jaw. Which was less painful than the metaphorical dental surgery he had to endure later.
Amenities include halftime drinks at the Wachovia Chairman's Room and court side wait service
• Avril Lavigne and hubby Deryck Whibley supported pal Britney Spears at her L.A. show at the Staples Center. Seated 20 rows back, the two rocked out for the night with some friends who accompanied them. "They were enjoying the show," says an onlooker. "They looked really cute together." The twosome slipped out right before the encore and headed in the backstage direction.
LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday from complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an ATV accident, the band's publicist said.
Boosted by immense star power, the L.A. team beat Boston, 87-81
The actor, who is fighting pancreatic cancer, watches the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs
Amy Winehouse added to her growing trophy collection, winning best new artist and song of the year honors at Sunday night's Grammy Awards – while performers from Carrie Underwood to Kanye West rocked the Staples Center.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have found one way to spice up their marriage – turning out for a second Spice Girls show, this one Sunday night in Las Vegas.
Add another celebrity supporter to the Girl Power agenda: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attended Friday night's Spice Girls concert in L.A. The Governator held court in a VIP box at the Staples Center, while David Beckham and the kids cheered on mom Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham for the second night – though the soccer star clearly didn't want to stand up and show off his dance moves.
It was a family affair Wednesday night at the Spice Girls concert at L.A.'s
Staples Center: David Beckham and sons joined pals Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and daughter Suri to take in the 90-minute Girl Power party.
Over a pre-game beer in the Grand Reserve Room at Staples Center, I recently had the chance to talk to Hall of Fame-bound and current L.A. Kings President of Business Operations Luc Robitaille. Reminiscing about the golden age of the old Forum Club, a mid-90s Hollywood hockey hot spot, we talked Kings history, the team's current roster of promising young talent, marketing (a major part of Luc's new gig), and his desire to bring back the buzz to a team that is now playing second fiddle to the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks down the road in Anaheim.
Once mocked as the beautiful building that didn't attract enough visitors,
the newly named 02 has become the capital's coolest venue
Marc Anthony raised eyebrows Friday night when he made a special song dedication to wife Jennifer Lopez at their Los Angeles concert.
Party-hopping was mandatory for TV stars on Sunday, but Kanye West made the night's biggest splash with two surprise post-Emmy performances.
Paris Hilton is looking for her bunnies. It's really not as crazy at it sounds. Saturday night just turned into Easter Sunday morning and she's walking around her Tuscan-style home in the Hollywood Hills looking for her furry friends. "Where are they?" she asks her sister, Nicky, whose lounging by the pool and talking to their friend Brandon Davis. "They're not in the cage."
SI.com: Duck seasonupdated: Sat Mar 10 2007 22:29:00
Ernie Kent's eyes widened as he heard the question being asked.
SI.com: Getting Luckyupdated: Wed Jan 24 2007 16:31:00
I cannot remember the day I became a fan of the Los Angeles Kings. I can remember the Triple Crown line of Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer; the mania in the man who was Dave "Tiger" Williams; and the first Emperor, Rogie Vachon.
Upstart extreme sports are getting all grown up.
Business 2.0: Hits & Missesupdated: Wed Oct 01 2003 00:01:00
Better product, lower prices, and they actually give a damn: Major airlines canceled hundreds of flights during the Aug. 14 blackout. JetBlue could've easily followed suit. Instead, the popular low...
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