Brooklyn

Aaron Swartz, who co-founded Reddit and became an Internet folk hero for fighting to make online content free to the public, committed suicide Friday. He was 26. Swartz hanged himself in his Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment, said a statement released by his family and his girlfriend. "Aaron's commitment to social justice was profound, and defined his life," the statement said. "He used his prodigious skills as a programmer and technologist not to enrich himself but to make the Internet and the world a fairer, better place.

Lana Parrilla, who plays Regina Mills/the Evil Queen on ABC's "Once Upon a Time," doesn't look very menacing as she reaches over to help with the French press coffee carafe on a recent trip to a Hollywood cafe. There's definitely a softer side to the sometimes vengeful monarch, and to the Puerto Rican/Sicilian actress who inhabits the fairy tale role. “I grew up in Brooklyn and was tough - kind of loaded with attitude - and then I came here. I'm sure people found me kind of intimidating,” Parrilla says.

No-win situation for Johnson The Lakers fired Mike Brown after opening the season 1-4. The Brooklyn Nets ousted Avery Johnson after winning only three of their last 13 games under him. Apparently, it's how you start or finish that determines whether you keep your job as an NBA coach. Johnson was out Thursday after an epic slide in which the Nets plummeted from Finals candidates to fringe playoff contenders. The decision came from Russia with loathing, owner Mikhail Prokhorov dismissing the same coach who had guided his team to an 11-4 start while earning Eastern Conference coach of the month honors.

Re “ Junior's Deli to close at end of year ,” Dec. 27 Junior's is closing? It's like taking away something from your childhood. Junior's means more to me than a landmark in L.A.; it's filled with memories dating back two decades: my girlfriend picking up a birthday cake from the bakery; taking my dad from Brooklyn to dine in one of the booths; and even getting into an altercation with another patron over getting a table on a crowded Sunday...

The Brooklyn Nets have fired Coach Avery Johnson, the team announced Thursday. After an 11-4 start through October and November, the Nets have struggled in December, winning only three of their last 13 games. "The Nets ownership would like to express thanks to Avery for his efforts and to wish him every success in the future," principal owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement. Johnson was hired by the Nets on June 15, 2010. He was in the final year of his contract. During his time with the team, the Nets went 60-116.

NEW YORK AT BROOKLYN: Tuesday, 4 p.m. PST. TV: ESPN. These teams have moved beyond the battle for city bragging rights. Way beyond. The Knicks have already handed the Miami Heat a pair of 20-point losses, and the long-lost Nets have found their way, even with Joe Johnson having misplaced his shooting touch. Oh, and Brooklyn also beat the Knicks last month after point guard Deron Williams collected 16 points and 14 assists. The "Broook-lynnn" chants inside the Barclays Center that night finally made the Nets feel welcome in a rivalry game in their own home, after years of being drowned out by Knicks fans in New Jersey.

HOW THEY RANK BEN BOLCH'S RANKINGS, COMMENTS THROUGH SATURDAY ATOP THE BCS STANDINGS 1. OKLAHOMA CITY (16-4) Kevin Durant's humanity trumps role model Kobe Bryant's 30,000 points. (2) 2. MIAMI (12-5) Washington, New York are double trouble in week LeBron James nets triple-double. (1) HOPING FOR A PLUS-ONE SCENARIO 3. SAN ANTONIO (16-4) Leaked Halloween photo of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker ends spooky stretch. (3) 4. MEMPHIS (14-3) Any chance the Lakers live to regret that Marc Gasol trade?

Winning in San Antonio to begin a weeklong four-game trip was the kind of start the Clippers figured would propel them to a successful trip. That wasn't the case. The Clippers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks, their first three-game losing streak of the season. "The bottom line is, you win or lose the games," Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said. "So it wasn't a successful trip for us. But I think everyone in the locker room understands that we're a long way from a finished product and we have a lot of work to do. We have to stay together and battle through it. " The Clippers started slow in Oklahoma before losing in overtime.

They've been the younger cousin with the bad haircut, wearing slightly out-of-fashion clothes, and for years, the target of endless jokes. At best, they might get a condescending tap on the head. Even worse, ignored. This could easily describe what the Clippers have been dealing with for decades in Los Angeles, trying to gain traction in a town obsessed with the soap-opera twists and turns of the storied Lakers. But the scenario also could describe the New York area. The Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn, neatly repackaged and rebranded, aiming for relevance in the vast shadow of an iconic franchise, the Knicks.

Looking ahead NEW YORK AT BROOKLYN: Monday, 4 p.m. PST, TNT This battle of boroughs finally comes with some bragging rights, and a say in who rules the Atlantic Division. The Knicks will play their first game at the $1-billion Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Amare Stoudemire's absence (rehabbing from knee surgery) has freed Knicks Coach Mike Woodson to sell his team on playing defense. And, yes, that is Carmelo Anthony you see hustling down to the defensive end, while new point guard Raymond Felton runs the offense.