Do It. Clean the beach.

Long Beach is a bit of a misnomer. The beach isn't exactly "beachy" as much as just plain filthy. On a hot summer's day, nearby beaches are packed while Long Beach's are without a soul. It could be the breakwater, or that people don't clean up after themselves.

But before summer hits this year, head out to Alamitos Bay beach to do a Long Beach beach clean up with other LBers, meet some new people, get outdoors, and make the city a prettier, more sanitary place to spend time. Only a half hour ever second Saturday of the month, it's not a whole lot of time, but with plenty of people it can make LB beaches ready for up-coming hot months.

Gloves and bags are provided.

For more information write cleanalamitosbeach@gmail.com.

-- Lauren Williams

Eat Out. Black & Black at LaMill [Thirsty Thursdays!].

Coffee and alcohol. Two such wonderful vices, and yet they unfortunately only rarely ever get paired with one another. This, however, has changed, thanks to LaMill.

The hip coffee and fine grub spot in Silver Lake just recently received its beer, wine and sake license, which is definitely a sign of good things to come. Among some fancier and foreign choices, LaMill has also concocted a few specials: the Tea Champagne and the Black & Black. The former, as obvious, mixes bubbly with pomegranate tea; the latter pairs stout with the beloved LaMill coffee.

It was definitely a beer night, so my date and I only sampled the Black & Black. For having only ordered two beverages, the service took a while, but our waiter finally showed up with a pint in one hand and a bottle in the other. The pint was already half-filled with the dark liquid of the aromatic coffee, and the server then made the elaborate display of pouring the Old Rasputin Imperial Russian stout in (and I guess since there was no resulting foam, it was impressive).

And black and black it was indeed. Maybe it was the darkness of the liquid that made it seem misleading, but it was strange to sip the drink and have it not be full or dense, in the way beer can taste at times. It wasn't ice cold, either, and I'm not too sure if that was a good or bad thing. But overall, the mixture presented an intriguing, rich and complex flavor with bitter--but not unpleasant--aftertastes. It's definitely a drink to experience slowly and appreciated over time. I tried the stout on its own (since only half was used in the drink), and it had coffee undertones that really seem to make it a great drink on its own too.

Worth a try? Probably, for the curious. But you can probably just opt for the Rasputin by itself too.

LaMill is located at 1636 Silver Lake Blvd. in Silver Lake.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: theBEAT

Do It. Bike night at the Hammer.

Get your bike on/get on your bike tonight and head to Westwood's Hammer museum for Bike Night at the Hammer!, an evening that will include free vegan food and live entertainment.

There will be a bike valet, screenings of UCLA student bike-themed short films, and a 9:00 p.m. screening of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (I'd say Pee-Wee is up there with Lance Armstrong on the 'everyone's favorite bicyclist' list).

Thursday April 8 at 7:00 p.m. - the Hammer is located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Michael Chen/hammer.ucla.edu

Advance Notice. Autolux at Detroit Bar.

The LA-based trio that is Autolux will be performing at Costa Mesa's stripmall bar, the Detroit Bar next Thursday. Although it's nestled in the corner between a laundry place, some shops, and little restaurants, the Detroit Bar is actually one hip place--and since most of its neighbors are closed by the time shows start, there's (almost) always plenty of parking.

I was a fan of Greg Edwards' last band, Failure, which he left in 2000 to found the more electric-based Autolux with Eugene Goreshter and Carla Azar.

Detroit Bar is very loungy (if you can't tell from their website), with low, leather couches and tables, but has a decent sized stage and pit area next to the bar. Drinks are weak, and beer selection is definitely lacking. The last time I went the most exotic thing they had was Newcastle, which is classic, but still.

If you can't make the journey out to OC, Autolux is playing the next day at Silverlake's Bootleg Theater on April 16.

Tickets are $10 at the door at Detroit Bar and doors open at 8 p.m.; $12 at Bootleg Theater, Autolux is set to take the stage at 10 p.m.

Detroit Bar is located at 843 W. 19th St.; the Bootleg Theater is located at 2220 Beverly Blvd.

-- Lauren Williams

Check It. Mayer Hawthorne's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

One of my favorite musical discoveries of last year was Mayer Hawthorne, a soft-voiced crooner bringing a retro sound to modern soul. His debut album, A Strange Arrangement, was full of fun and sweet doo-wop tunes, garnering him fans from tastemakers like Mark Ronson and the overzealous like John Mayer. What I've really come to love about Mayer Hawthorne, though, is how diverse he is.

For one, he and his back-up band, the County, are currently on tour with another hipster fave of 2009, electronic pop band Passion Pit. The tour ends next week in San Francisco (although he'll also hit Coachella on the 18th), and to commemorate the event, MH has recorded a cover of Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." It's an appropriate tribute, and completely fits his style, but even made more awesome by the accompanying skaterific video:

Soul and skateboarding--who knew? ...Mayer Hawthorne. The song is being released via a heart-shaped USB drive (aww) with a specially designed T-shirt, which you can purchase here.

And on another note, MH also recently remixed the latest Snoop classic, "Gangsta Luv." And yes, it totally works. Consider me swooned.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Mayer Hawthorne

Eat Out. Chego.

Kogi BBQ Chef Roy Choi's stationary restaurant Chego opens today in the Palms area of Los Angeles. We hear it will feature rice bowls with interesting toppings, which we'd definitely be up to trying. The same winning Korean theme carries over to Choi's land locale, which should be good news for how the restaurant will fare.

Their menu is casual, sprinkled with slang, like the dessert called "Rock Yer Road" that's smoked almond brownies, with caramel melting marshmallow fluff ($5).

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: gothamist.com

Advance Notice. Grilled Cheese Invitational.

I don't know how this whole every-day-is-a-food-holiday thing got started, but one thing I can definitely stand behind is Grilled Cheese Month, which by the way, is right now. How to celebrate, you ask? (Other than diving into that gooey concoction every chance you get, of course.)

The Grilled Cheese Invitational is calling your name. Yes, this is an entire festival and day devoted to the one and only sandwich, and it is set to be filled with competitions for grilling, cheese yelling (??) and cheesy costumes, along with surely endless amounts of grilled cheese samples and overall cheesy goodness.

There's really no need to say more, but here are a few extra details. The event will be taking place on April 24th at the Los Angeles Center Studios in downtown from 12pm-6pm. One can apply to be a grilled cheese judge (is there a better job in the world? There's not even an age limit!) by filling out the info here, or on the other hand, one can register to compete (amateurs and professionals welcome) by clicking here. For everyone else, the $10 tickets for the entire event can be purchased online now, and understandably, this will sell out. Don't be the odd cheese out!

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Grilled Cheese Invitational

Eat Out. Shillelagh.

This is a super cute, tiny restaurant on Long Beach's Fourth Street, just a few blocks from the ocean. I absolutely love Shillelagh (which strangely, is named after a type of Irish "fighting stick"). Maybe it's because it's adjacent to a rowdy pub that it has such a peculiar name, but this place is anything from crazy.

If you wind up having lunch or dinner at this place, you'll definitely meet the co-owner, who with his wife's excellent, homestyle cooking, gives this place a legitimate mom-and-pop feel.

The food here is quite tasty. They make wonderful veggie black bean tacos, pastas, and veggie burgers. The tiny patio in the back feels like a seculsive garden with its mismatching chairs, plants and candles. And if it's a bit chilly outside, there are plenty of blankets for guests.

Shillelagh is located at 2742 E. Fourth Street in Long Beach.

-- Lauren Williams

Photo credit: Yelp!

Check It. Bad Lieutenant.

Werner Herzog's (Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn) Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans is over-acted and sort of unbelievable, but also pretty cool.

Nic Cage is a bad cop, and Eva Mendes plays his junkie prostitute girlfriend. It's crazy. Cage's Terence McDonagh is a proponent of a type of vigilante justice that isn't quite right, but it's fun to watch. His wild laughter makes it all the more insane, but keeps you intrigued.

Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk, and Jennifer Coolidge also appear in the film, out on DVD today.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: www.filmofilia.com

Advance Notice. Slash at Amoeba for Record Store Day.

Living in Los Angeles, it can be easy to take all our wonderful entertainment options for granted, from being able to see that limited-release film at the Arclight or Landmark, to having anything we could have ever wished for just sitting in an aisle at Amoeba. For that latter privilege, at least we have Record Store Day to celebrate.

Saturday, April 17 marks the third annual Record Store Day, which celebrates the culture surrounding independent music shops all over the U.S. and the U.K. with special limited-edition releases and fun events like free shows and meet-and-greets. And L.A. is, as always, spoiled, so there are more than enough options for you to honor your local record shop accordingly.

We'll keep you updated on those options as the day gets nearer (stay tuned!), but right now, we've got a special heads-up on a cool event: in honor of Record Store Day, the one and only Slash will be signing his new self-titled CD at Amoeba. However, the only way to get a pass is to be one of the first 300 people tomorrow to purchase the album at Amoeba when it's officially released. Once you purchase the album (limit 2 CDs per person), you'll get a laminate to bring back on the 17th, when you can come and meet the infamous guitarist and get any one item signed.

Amoeba opens at 10:30am tomorrow--set that alarm, and see you on Record Store Day!

Amoeba Music is located at 6400 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Slashonline.com