NEWS
May 8, 2012 | By Robin Abcarian
In a preview of Rick Santorum's first appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (see video below), the former Pennsylvania senator, who could be prickly in debates, seemed relaxed and able to joke about some of the topics that cemented his reputation as the most conservative candidate in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Leno prodded Santorum, who wore his trademark sweater vest, about the timing of his endorsement of Mitt Romney, which came at the end of a long email to supporters Monday.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 12, 2012 | By Susan Carpenter, Los Angeles Times
Ed Savko, who bought a small-town grocery known as the Rock Store on Mulholland Highway in 1961 and turned it into an internationally recognized motorcycle mecca frequented by celebrities, businessmen, outlaw clubs and other bikers, has died. He was 86. Savko, who made it a weekend ritual to ride the twisty Santa Monica Mountains roads and stop at his hangout to swap stories and grab a bite to eat, died April 2 of congestive heart failure at Los Robles Hospital's Transitional Care Center in Thousand Oaks, according to his daughter, Sandra Clark.
NATIONAL
March 28, 2012 | By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times
Making his first turn on NBC's "Tonight Show" this election cycle, Mitt Romney mostly played the straight man Tuesday — but allowed himself a jab at his rival Rick Santorum for losing his cool over the weekend. Santorum created a kerfuffle by scolding New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny in Wisconsin on Sunday after the journalist asked him to clarify his remark during a speech that Romney was "the worst Republican in the country" to run against President Obama. The former Pennsylvania senator lashed out with a curse word — telling the reporter to "quit distorting my words.
NATIONAL
October 26, 2011 | By Kim Geiger, Washington Bureau
President Obama got a taste of Los Angeles traffic Tuesday on his way to NBC's studios in Burbank, where he taped an interview with Jay Leno before jetting to San Francisco to raise more money for his reelection campaign. Obama's motorcade slowed to a crawl on Highway 101 just past Ventura Boulevard, setting the president about 10 minutes behind schedule. A few dozen supporters greeted him as he rolled through the studio gates. It was Obama's second appearance on "The Tonight Show" as president.
NATIONAL
September 17, 2011 | Robin Abcarian and Seema Mehta
Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann, whose gaffes have made her a favorite punching bag for Jay Leno and other late-night comedians, paid Leno a visit Friday. In her first appearance on "The Tonight Show," Bachmann tried to show her lighter side -- even making a joke about Christian anti-gay therapy, but Leno challenged her on gay rights, the HPV vaccine, her opposition to raising the federal debt ceiling and other conservative positions. The comedian's gentle persistence could not budge Bachmann from her talking points.
TRAVEL
August 28, 2011 | By Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
We'll call the movie "Three Beaches and an Airport. " It'll star Hugh Grant as a buttoned-up business traveler who is separated from his job, money and luggage at LAX, then befriended by a team of wise-cracking Olympic volleyballers who introduce him to the sun-baked, wave-splashed piers and brew pubs of L.A.'s South Bay. In no time, he soars to entrepreneurial success, leading beach-cruiser bike tours along the Strand, living in an ocean-view condo and...