The White House today released the official portrait of the First Family. The photo was taken on September 1, 2009 by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz in the Green Room of the White House. As expected, their family portrait is waaaaaaay better than any of the ones the Chicagoist family has taken at the K-Mart portrait study over the years. more ›

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in... more ›

It’s official. Barack Obama is a rock star. The senator has already won a Grammy, but he’ll soon have something possibly even more coveted – a portrait by Annie Leibovitz. Leibovitz will photograph Obama for a Men’s Vogue piece due out in October, about the same time his new book, “The Audacity of Hope,” will hit shelves. If you don’t recognize Leibovitz’s name, and we’re not sure how you couldn’t, you’ve probably seen her celebrity... more ›