Speaking of Cheech and Chong, the other greatest LA stoner comedy of all time has to be The Big Lebowski. Now you can add to your man-child toy collection with Lebowski action figures, exclusively from Los Angeles-based Entertainment Earth. They’re 8 inches tall and come complete with accessories. There are other models as well, check out the link in the previous sentence.

Cheech Marin of Beverly Hills, and Tommy Chong of Pacific Palisades will be reuniting and touring the nation with a standup act later this year. The two have put aside their differences, which seemed to primarily revolve around Marin’s reluctance to revisit his Cheech character. I’d guess he realized that the big $$$ is out there for the revival of the classic weed humor that propelled them to stardom in the 1970’s. “I think it’s time for a revival of dope jokes. It’s a much bigger audience now, it’s much more widespread and institutionalized,” Marin said in an interview earlier this month. If the tour works out, and we think it will, look for a Cheech and Chong film in 2010.

We wish Cheech and Chong the best. Their film Up in Smoke, directed by music legend and Laker floor-seat owner Lou Adler, is one of the all-time classic films set in Los Angeles, and shows the city off in all its 1970’s glory. It’s tough being funny in the back of a limo, but it’s good to see an LA act back on the road. Original Up in Smoke trailer below:

Dame x Retna x Werc, Por El Suelo ruined.  The word is that it will be redone ASAP.

Agricultural Commisioner/Weights & Measures Dept. ~ County of Los Angeles

Snr. Ortiz is fishing for Mediterranean fruit fly, the far-traveling native of Sub-Saharan Africa also known as the Med fly or Moscamed. These colorful and destructive flies lay their eggs inside thin skinned, juicy ripe fruit. As Inspector Aid to the Pest Detection Division, Snr. Ortiz is placing sticky fly traps baited with pesticide and insect attractant. The traps are periodically retrieved and sent to a labratory in order to target potential outbreaks. In 1989 L.A. County initiated a controversial and short lived campaign to spray Malathion from low flying helicopters over threatened agricultural areas.

To stop the bugs, the food and agriculture department has ordered a series of further aerial sprayings of Malathion over a 270-sq.-mi. area of Los Angeles and Orange counties. Beginning this week, 28 communities with a total population of 1 million will be sprayed by low-flying helicopters. (Times Magazine, 1990.)

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Shep did this image for Upper Deck and both he and Kobe signed them. On sale for between $350 and $1300 depending on what options you get.

It was a few months ago that we sat with our friend Galo “MAKE ONE” Canote for this interview. The legendary Los Angeles graffiti pioneer and founding member of our city’s Second to None Crew had some unusual free time due to a regionally not too-uncommon traffic mistake. A lot has been said about Galo and his contributions both past and present to the art world, but knowing him to be a funny, deep, and intelligent guy, we figured it best to let him do most of the talking on his art, city, women, and everything else you’ve ever wanted to know about the man. Since talking, Galo has been characteristically up to his old flurry of tricks, waist-deep in the art world and recently having dropped STN as his crew, which we caught up with him to explain within. Enjoy the q&a and learn of Galo’s orgins, his inspiration, his work with Los Angeles youth, and of his in-demand services as a male escort. Apparently, LoveGalo has more meanings then we thought…

TACO: Yo Galo, what’s up man? Spending a lot of time at home recently? What exactly happened to get you that anklet?

MAKE: (Laughs) Wassup man? Yeah – a lot of time!! Well…what can I say? I made a bad decision and got popped for a DUI again. SUCKS! So being such a lightweight – they assigned me house arrest for two months. Beats being in jail having to deal with all the lame politics they have. It’s alright though, just have to step-up and take responsibility for my actions. Things are coming along.

TACO: You’re a legend in today’s graff art world, and a hero in Los Angeles…

MAKE: A legend maybe. But a hero? Aummm…Yeah I guess I can consider myself one too. (He smiles)

TACO: Where in L.A. did you grow up? What neighborhoods did you hang out in back in the day?

MAKE: I grew-up mainly in the Mid-Wilshire area, just south of Hollywood. I hung out a lot around the Belmont Tunnel/Yard. Other areas were: Pico-Union, Alhambra, K-Town, North Hollywood, Little Tokyo, ELA, Baldwin Hills Area, by Laurel Canyon Elementary, Venice Beach, and of course Hollywood. Pretty much all over L.A.

TACO: Where would you most want to live in the city if you had your choice?

MAKE: Any area where people care about their neighborhood, where people take pride in their community. Any area where all neighbors get along. Any area where all my neighbors are hot, single, sexy women. Once you know of one let me know. Oh and where Winona Ryder, Drew Barrymore, Elisha Dushku, Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Teri Hatcher, Brittany Murphy, Golden Brooks, Eihi Shiina, Lisa Bonet, Ivonne Montero, Persia White, PJ Harvey & Cristina Ricci are all my neighbors. (winks)

TACO: Heh. And what do you remember about growing up in our city? What was the L.A. of your childhood like?

MAKE: Mannnn…it was different. From what I remember things were chill. Or at least it seemed they were. Perhaps cause I was younger, I was a bit naïve and oblivious to a lot of my surroundings. But as I grew older, I slowly began noticing things, you know? The drugs, the gangs, the crime, how skin color was an issue and lame stuff like that.

TACO: How’d you spend your days as a kid? And how have you seen L.A. change through the years, and your experience here change from a kid to today?

MAKE: I spent my days mainly having fun. Being a kid was or is fun. I am still a kid! (laughs) I took my childhood years for granted. It’s the best time, at least for me, to be exposed to different and new things, to be free, to be innocent, to be unaccountable, to experiment, to absorb, etc.

As a kid I was only into two things, art and girls. If it wasn’t girls, it was art. If it wasn’t art, it was girls.

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Saul Bass moved to Los Angeles in 1948 and never looked back. Check out this gallery of more Saul Bass posters. And here’s a film poster gallery.