Veteran Hollywood PR woman Ronni Chasen was shot five times while driving her Mercedes in Beverly Hills early yesterday morning. She crashed, and died. The circumstances are tragic, sensational, and bizarre. Here's what we know so far.

A tipster spotted actor Sean Penn boarding a flight from Miami to L.A. (For what it's worth, Sean, you'll always have Priority AAccess to our hearts.) Have you spotted someone noteworthy? Email us a photo or post it to #stalker.

"Hard core hip hop" band "Imperial Stars" today struck upon the best guerrilla promotion ever when they blocked the jam-packed 101 Freeway in Hollywood in order to perform their hit song Traffic Jam 101 atop their logo-emblazoned panel truck.

Has any legal drug mecca fallen out of favor as quickly as the city of Los Angeles? Just last year, it had 600 legal weed spots. A government crackdown cut that to less than 200. And now, it gets worse!

The LAPD has arrested a 57 year-old man in the case of "The Grim Sleeper" serial killer—suspected of killing and sexually assaulting eleven victims in the LA area from 1985 to 2007. The suspect's neighbors expressed shock. [LAT; Pic]

As the weeded citizenry hoped, the DC City Council yesterday legalized medical marijuana in the District. Let chiefas ring, from Hobart Street to Georgetown! Alas—across the country, the weedheads of Los Angeles were simultaneously receiving terrible news.

This morning in LA, actor Jason Alexander drove into a 14-year-old boy riding a bike on his way to school. Don't worry, everyone is fine. But, seriously, what did Jerry do to these people to mess them up so bad?

A court in LA has denied Polanski's latest attempt to stay in his Swiss chalet forever more and avoid all the nasty prosecutors waiting for him in California. The decision may, finally, mean his return to the US. [CNN]

Police have arrested a 63 year-old man in a string of at least seven sexual assaults near UCLA in the past month. This is the sketch that helped identify him. That is a drawing of a 63 year-old man. [LAT]

Remember when everyone thought Ke$ha wrote her name on the Hollywood sign? Well, she didn't but some people trying to call attention to proposed development around the sign have. What are they trying to make it say?

Last night Hollywood's disgraceful frat boy older brother Charlie Sheen called the cops to say his Mercedes was stolen. At the same time, it's On-Star device called the po-po to say the car was wrecked. Only we know what happened.

The Jersey Shore crew's in Hollywood this week. The nu-celebrity's true trial—what kind of paparazzi coverage is devoted to them, and how they react to it—is here. Behold, The Harvey Levin Litmus Test: passed with flying colors.

Last night was the premiere of This Is It, and there were galas in 16 cities around the world. Most of them were huge, ornate affairs. Except in New York, where barely anyone noticed.

The estate of Helmut Newton is enraged at an L.A. window display of a nude mannequin, complete with pubic hair, mocked up to look like the cover of the photographer's recently-rereleased book SUMO. Um, they didn't pick the cover.

Nice work, Joel Stein. You really threw the missus under the bus this time, as you explain the trend of new-age-y anti-vaccination parents hitting home.

Tinsley Mortimer may taste reality television stardom. Tennis star Melanie Oudin tastes the sour side of fame. Jessica Seinfeld's culinary tastes weren't stolen. And Tila Tequila has no taste for foursomes. Happy Friday! Here's your gossip roundup.

Facepalm-worthy: this ad for the L.A. County Fair, seen on the L.A. Times homepage.