There were tears before bedtime yesterday when a Facebook "splashmob" got a little out of hand and resulted in 9 people being arrested. The ES pictures show a jolly group of plastic bazooka armed lovelies frolicking in the evening sun enjoying a refreshing water fight but the BBC reports that the “high spirited” aquatic combat scared horses, unseating some small children riding nearby, so the rozzers were sent in to break up the fun. There’s......

The year was 1959, and in an often overlooked corner of Hackney, one of the world's most recognisable Hollywood beauties was bringing just a touch of Californian colour to a peculiarly English affair: a budgie show. Jayne Mansfield, living in London while making the film Too Hot To Handle, was invited to the All Saints church in Haggerston in September 1959 to help judge the East London Budgerigar and Foreign Birds Society show. Michael......

Government departments are being asked to switch from bottled to humble tap water for lubricating the endless meetings involved in running the Civil Service. Hot on the heels of Ken's campaign to get London's diners to insist on tap water in restaurants, this switch could save Whitehall more than £100,000 a year according to a Panorama investigation into council spend on bottled water. DEFRA, which has already made the switch, was draining a jolly......

Time was when getting into the Guinness Book of World Records really meant something. You had to walk 130 kilometres with a milk bottle balanced on your head. Or keep on teasing the ladies with your Hot Stuff routine well into your sixties in order to qualify as the world’s Oldest Male Stripper. Now, it seems, all you have to do is drink a cup of coffee. At least we know that we all......

Even on its quietest weeks, London is something of a happy haven for bibliophiles such as ourselves, though we may be doing nothing more than perusing one of the city’s many lovely bookshops. This week, however, we’re in a veritable book geek heaven, as the London literary scene goes all glittery, playing host to some major names and fantastic events, leaving us tongue-tied and weak at the knees. Do we gush? Very well then,......

This week saw Londonist Get Scientific when we previewed We Are Scientists playing Soho Revue Bar this Tuesday, get excited about Eurovision and get cosy with Portico Quartet. A busy week all in all! Looking ahead to this week however, we have Eels playing Royal Festival Hall on Monday night. They've invited the Queen too, so it could be an amusing evening. Austin, Tx stars Spoon play a sold out show at Scala and rising......

Greetings, FOBGs (that’s Friends of the Book Grocer to the uninitiated), and a belated happy new year to you all! After an extended holiday slumber (bad, lazy Book Grocer), we return to bring you our weekly picks for the best of London’s literary(ish) events. And so, without further ado, let’s jump right in, shall we? Today: One too many spoonfuls of sugar this holiday season? Counteract it with a Spoonful of Poisoning at Rhythm......

• Londonist pondered who might be the next sponsors of the London Eye and whether or not readers would be willing to donate £1,000 each for a Londonist Eye.
• Shanghaiist was shocked to find a cameltoe in the city's only English-language paper.
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Continue Reading "Week Around the -Ists"

Lets face it, everybody loves a bit of zombie, there’s something oddly loveable about the undead as they lumber about feasting on flesh and being generally hungry. So what could possibly be better than a whole night of zombies on the truly massive and awe-inspiring screen that is the BFI IMAX? Absolutely nothing that’s what. The perfect date night in fact! The After Dark Zombie All-Nighter on 19 January features 4 of the best......

Last full week before Christmas, we expect your bank account's feeling the strain. All that Christmas shopping and partying taking its toll? If you want to make the most of being out and about before Christmas cabin fever and complete exhaustion set in then we're here to help. Monday: Keep the braincells going through silly season. Go to the free lecture at Gresham College about why our society rewards celebrities, fads and fashions and......

If you're free on Thursday night (13th Dec), then Mercury nominees The Young Knives are playing a pretty cool headlining gig at Canvas, Kings Cross. The Rage Out In Winter is an all evening event (7.30pm - 2am) aiming itself an a more discerning gig goer, hoping to provide cool bands in luxurious settings. They've even got proper caterers on the case to provide food to gig goers which we think is a great......

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and......

Toot toot! And honk, honk! For the London Transport Museum has finally reopened after two years and £22 million of renovation. Hot on the (w)heels of St Pancras. Typical: you wait years for a major nexus of transport heritage to open, and then two come along at once. The Covent Garden attraction tells the story of the trotting, crawling and whizzing of our city over the past 200 years. There’s also a section looking......

Hot on the heels of basketball and ice hockey, the third of America's big four sports has begun its landing on our shores. The advance guard for Sunday's NFL encounter between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants consists of just one man. Albeit a very big one. Pictured above is the specially commissioned twenty-six foot high animatronic statue of Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor which is touring London and the South East......

Londonist asks that most pressing of daily concerns: where to go on your lunch break. Hot Dog Stand outside the British Museum 63 Great Russell St WC1B 3BF Hours of operation seem to reflect the museum’s hours Expect to Pay: £2.50 for a jumbo hot dog Map Rating: 6 out of 10 Haut cuisine it’s not, but what’s more indulgent than a hot dog every once in awhile? And, at £2.50 for a “jumbo”......

It's not everyday you come across a band with a name like Tits of Death, so it was about time we took 10 minutes with a band we'd formerly christened a ten-breasted rock machine. Playing Kinki at Madame Jo Jo's tomorrow night (Thursday), they've promised reduced guestlist to anyone emailing hello@titsofdeath.com with the subject line LONDONIST. Not only will you get to see this smokin' hot quintet but also electro-poppers Huski and the unbelievably......

A slap on the wrist for Londonist - we're three days late in previewing this year's Oxjam music festival, and we haven't even got a "dog ate our homework" excuse to cover our blushes. Must try harder next time. So what is Oxjam? It's only the most fun you're ever likely to have raising money for charity. Throughout October, thousands of budding Michael Eavis's are promoting gigs and club nights across the country. Working......

As part of the ongoing campaign to stop music venue The Spitz closing down, everyone's favourite geeky toy last.fm are getting involved with a special support gig tonight at the venue. Last.fm founders Felix Miller and Martin Stiksel are ex-promoters at the venue so throwing a fundraiser with some high charting last.fm new talent seemed like a perfect idea. So tonight from 7 till midnight, The Spitz will be home to a veritable selection......

It seems that half the country (and Londonist staff) is on holiday at the moment. Still, here's the best of what's on musically across the capital this week.Jazz singer-songwriter Norah Jones  is the highlight of Bank Holiday Monday night, playing with M. Ward at Hammersmith Apollo. Tickets are sold out, however be sure to check out scarlet mist and other providers. Meanwhile hardcore punk stars Bane play Underworld, with £10 tickets available either on the......

Hot on the heels of the pay as you go pups comes brilliant news that Ken Livingstone has ordered a feasibility study into a pay as you go bike scheme for London. We were in Paris the other week and saw the excellent Vélib' (freedom bike) set up. Specially designed, heavy grey cycles are stationed at bike stands all over the city, available for hire for as little as 1 Euro for half an......

With grey skies, low temperatures and ever-present rain comprising the key features of our lovely non-summer, it may seem unwise to choose to see a film anywhere lacking the protection of a roof and four walls. You certainly could choose to stay inside the confines your local multiplex, but then you'd miss out on the return of Film4's fabulous Summer Screen tradition at Somerset House. For ten nights from 2 August until 11 August,......

We love London Lit Plus - it's the capital's independent festival as packed as any other London book-based love-in, such as the London Literature Festival. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and London Lit Plus is finishing its two weeks of literary doings today. If you haven't been to any events yet, tonight is your last chance... * Anything But Hackneyed: Niven Govinden reads from his acclaimed debut novel Graffiti My......

LAist was comped front row seats by the Dodgers due to Malingering being struck by a foul ball last week, and she came back with some great photos, and earlier made fun of 4th of July on Venice Beach. But the biggest stories of the week was that the Mayor's Hot Tamale was revealed, and that a Kwik-E-Mart was erected in Burbank. Phillyist was busy doing the Fourth of July up right, exercising their......

Hot on the heels of their demi-donut, MAKE Architects have designed this swish new office block with a rippling glass frontage to stand opposite the Monument, on the site of the dilapidated 11–19 Monument Street in the City of London. The building will contain not only office space, but also a visitor center for the Monument and spectacular public roof gardens that will create a large open space exposed to the elements. At night,......

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. Being the nation's capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they......

Not only does the fantastic French dance music and fashion label Kitsuné have a foxy new compilation hitting the shops next week, but they're crossing the channel just to celebrate its release with you. From 8 p.m. this evening, Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen will play host to a record release party for the aptly-named "Kitsuné Maison Compilation 4". With exclusive tracks from Dragonette, Feist and Hadouken, this disc's dirty disco will certainly soundtrack......

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried......

Though it hasn't been that well publicised, everyone's favourite electro indie kids Hot Chip had a new album out on Monday. It's called "DJ Kicks" and is a compilation that: "takes the listener on a sublime journey through the dusty crevices of Hot Chip’s 10-legged record collection it manages to take in wonky electro-pop, Detroit techno, off-kilter house, hip hop, mellifluous drum’n’bass, R’n’B, blues, jazz and Joe Jackson without ever sounding contrived or hackneyed.......

Another exciting week of music in the capital coming up, with us here to give you the best guide through what's hot and what's not in the indie / pop scenes this week. Want a lazy way to spend your Bank Holiday Monday? Why not see Good Shoes at Morden Park bandstand? They're on at 2pm, and we previewed it earlier last week here. Later on Monday evening The Holloways play The Electric Ballroom......

The nicer the weather gets, the busier we get across the Ist-A-Verse. But we like being busy. Here's a peek at what we've been up to since last week! Chicagoist had an interview with Audrey Niffenegger, whose popular book, The Time Traveler's Wife, was based in their fine city. They also had a heated discussion about Rush Limbaugh's controversial Barack Obama parody, talked about whether Uncle Julio's Hacienda is a good place to get......