There's no doubt that the re-emergence (if you count a blip in '06 as the "emergence") of the Clippers as a respectable playoff contender has ignited a bit of a cross-town rivalry. Lakers fans see Clippers fans as bandwagon jumpers throwing themselves at a flavor of the week, and Clippers fans see Lakers fans as entitled older brothers desperately hiding their fear of being supplanted atop the food chain. Since it kinda sorta seems like neither team may get out of the Western Conference Semifinals, we may not be able to settle this on the court, so instead, let's go for the next best thing and figure out who's bringing the serious star power to the Staples Center these days. Hint: it's not the L.A. Sparks. More»

The last time I reported on the crowd at a Clippers game, the Clippers were a much different team. Those Clippers finished with a 32-50 record and were primarily characterized by their historically unpopular owner heckling his own overweight, apathetic "star" player. Now? The Clip Show is the hottest ticket in town, featuring two of the biggest stars in the league (Mo Williams and Caron Butler, obviously) and three spots ahead of Kobe & The Kobettes in the Western Conference standings. But has all this success changed the notoriously sparse, bizarre Clippers crowd? I hit up the Clips-Timberwolves game last night to find out. More»

Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte and others enjoy the premiere of HBO's new drama "Luck"; David Beckham cheers on the Lakers with Jack Nicholson and Chris Tucker; Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Amanda Peet take in a play at the Mark Taper Forum—it's all about having fun on a school night in L.A. and we have your insider's look in this installment of Last Night's Parties. More»

Man, being Connor Cruise must be the awesomest awesome time in the world. First of all, your dad is Tom Cruise, who clearly has it together, and your mom is Nicole Kidman, who left to go live in Australia, so hey, free trips to Australia! You've been shipped off to Scientology boarding school in Oregon, which is probably great because you don't have to read or do math or any of that boring stuff. And you've already chosen the rewarding and challenging career path of DJ'ing! What better way to celebrate than by having an MTV-worthy super sweet birthday bash at Hyde? No, not that Hyde, the one in the Staples Center, on Clippers game night! SWAGGGGG. More»

• The investigation of the severed head found by dog walkers Tuesday on a hiking trail in the hills below the Hollywood sign turns up two human feet and two hands. [LATimes]
• Ready to feel old? Kodak, a once Fortune 500 company, becomes another casualty of the digital age, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and obtains $950 million from Citibank to maintain operations. [KTLA]

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Since the Los Angeles Clippers moved here from San Diego in 1984, they have shared a "rivalry" with their championship-winning neighbors the Lakers that makes the relationship between Germany and Poland look equitable and balanced. Historically crippled by terrible signings, fan apathy, perpetually awful luck, and Ricky Davis, it seemed to most people as if the Clips were destined to be an eternal punchline. But in sports, conventional wisdom is only true until it's not anymore, and Monday night (in a game that admittedly means nothing) Chris Paul and the Clippers looked a hell of a lot better than Kobe and the Lakers. More»

• The L.A. Clippers beat the L.A. Lakers 114-95 in last night's exhibition opener in which Mr. World Peace missed all eight of his shots. [KTLA]
• A new initiative by proponents of marriage equality attempts to get the issue of same-sex marriage in California back on the ballot, a measure that could extend the court battle over Prop 8 for several more years. [KABC]

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Nicole Richie, Mindy Kaling and Samantha Ronson welcome Pressed Juicery to WeHo; cover girl Kate Beckinsale hosts a dinner at the SLS for FLAUNT; Gelila and Wolfgang Puck, Devon Aoki, Brett Ratner and more celebrate Vertu's new luxury mobile device; Justin Bieber, Jake Gyllenhaal and the Kardashians catch the final Watch The Throne concert at Staples—last night was proof L.A. is not slowing down for the holidays, get all the details in this edition of Last Night's Parties. More»

Jay-Z, Kanye West

If you've been following the NBA or those horrid Kardashians at all in the last week, you're probably aware that both the Lakers and the Clippers have at least for now been rebuffed in their efforts to acquire young superstar point guard Chris Paul. In other words, if the Staples Center were a human being, it would be going through some serious rejection anxiety right now. More»

• After not getting Chris Paul (who's about to close a deal to join the Clippers) or Dwight Howard, Kobe is seriously bummed noted candy fiend Lamar Odom was traded from the Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks in a first-round pick for the 2012 NBA season. [LATimes]
• Jessica Simpson is reportedly getting $3 million from Weight Watchers to join their program after she gives birth to stop being chunky lose her "baby weight." [Post]

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While most of our Daily Style Philes lately have focused on monsters of one sort or another– whether they happen to play one on television or just act like one in general– today's subject is probably the only one whose sheer physical abilities might actually deserve that qualification. That's right, we're talking about the Clippers' Blake Griffin, the most explosive power forward to happen to Los Angeles basketball since A.C. Green (at least on his wedding night). Oh yeah, and guess what? He's also a pretty funny dude. More»