According to a recent UCLA study, as more fast food joints pop up around schools in LA, kids are eating more junk food for lunch. Despite the high number of local produce being sold at farmers markets from Glendale to Huntington Beach, teenagers find the convenience of close unhealthy eateries too much to resist, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

The study itself intends to show problem areas and why improving the retail food environment surrounding homes and schools of children is important for young people's health. Home and School Retail Food Environment Index (HSRFEI) was made by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research in order to “examine the relationship between the food environment near home and school and consumption of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages." It’s basically a way to measure environments with less healthy food options against those that have more, and builds upon a study that discussed the link between diabetes and local food environments. Read more...

Dom Kennedy has been blowing up the blogs for a minute; he's one of those guys who could be a mainstream artist. This song isn't my favorite, but if he continues to create more high quality art like this video for "1997" off latest project From The Westside With Love, he will get there.

Have dreams of becoming a big film star?  Forget moving to Los Angeles.   You might be better off where you are right now. Over the years, Los Angeles has lost a lot of revenue due to runaway film/television production.  Total productions in the city have declined 21.4% last year, with a 37.4% decline in feature film production.  That's according to Film LA, the agency that handles production permits for all projects in Los Angeles.   More and more producers and studios are heading to other locations, taking money and jobs with them. Now the Los Angeles City Council has declared a "crisis" and formed a committee to explore the feasibility of an LA Film Commission.  The commission would promote Los Angeles as a go-to destination for filming. The commission would also work to undo some of the red tape and hassles that lured producers and studios outside of Los Angeles.

Competing with other cities to cement Los Angeles as a go-to destination for filming projects is a dangerous game for the city to play. Sure, production jobs within the city’s film industry have shrunk, but I wouldn’t call it a crisis. Spending more money to woo production back to the city, however, takes away resources in an already cash-strapped budget.   Los Angeles hasn't been the primary destination for production in over a decade.  That's according to Phil Sokolosk, the Manager of Communications at FilmLA.   Read more...

The New Boyz is a hot new rap group with an even hotter style. They came out with the song called “You’re A Jerk” that had a dance to it. A lot of teens grew to love it, including me. With the new song and the new dance, they even came out with a new style for hip hop. Usually guys would wear a long t-shirt that hangs below the waist or a black hoodie with blue sagging jeans and Nikes, but now its all about skinny jeans and shirts that fit exactly along the hip line, a pair of Blazers, and Nikes shoes. Read more...

I love it when rappers make videos based on popular films; even when it fails. But thankfully both videos managed to steer in a completely original direction than the films they emulate while also paying homage.

U-N-I & Fashawn take on the cult classic Pulp Fiction with the song "Pulp Fiction" directed by Fredo Tovar & Schott Fleishman for AplusFilmz.

Atlanta's underground king Mike Bigga (formerly known as Killer Mike) and Big Kuntry King team up with director by Rock Jacobs (Rush Films to re-create "The Hangover" with the song "I'm A Fool With It"

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Ana Beatriz

Even though I grew up in South Los Angeles, I always thought Hollywood was somewhere else. I really didn’t watch much TV when I was younger, so I had no idea Hollywood existed until I got to the 8th grade. My friends would always talk about the Hollywood, with famous people just walking, shopping, and eating just having a good time like every one else. I was surprised when my brother told me that the place people came too from all around the world, in hopes of catching a piece of the movies, was only 30 minutes away. The famed HOLLYWOOD sign, I didn’t recognize until my brother told me what it was.

All Day Play on Vimeo.

Before Jerkin, there was Turfin...

Two weeks after his passing and one week after his nationally televised memorial, Michael Jackson is still leaving his mark on the world. Unfortunately for the city of Los Angeles, the mark left by the late singer was a hefty financial one. So heavy, that city officials have engaged in a little bit of in-fighting.

Freddie Gibbs - Bury Me A G 09

Off of the forthcoming and long awaited "The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs." myspace.com/freddiegibbs

Rob Roy's music isn't something life changing but definately cool looking. His flow is sharp and unorthidox reminisent of a young Eminem.