Approximately 200 moviegoers are trapped inside the Rave movie theater at the Howard Hughes Center mall in Westchester due to a hostage situation at the Nordstrom Rack next door. The SWAT team is keeping patrons from leaving the theater for their own protection.

BuzzFeed‘s new Los Angeles bureau has been communicating via Twitter with some of the anxious moviegoers:

An excellent (and nerve-wracking) example of what a strong news-gathering tool social media is for reporters. We’re holding our breath for the safe release of the hostages.

What you’re looking at is part of a chart of the media websites with the most shared and liked content on Facebook (click for full version.) While Huffington Post leads the pack, it’s worth noting that most of the sites in the top 40 are old media properties like the New York Times, the BBC, and the Washington Post. Our Los Angeles Times is number 18 on the list. New media giant Buzzfeed, who created the chart, is at number 8.

As Buzzfeed explains, the chart shows “the publishers with the greatest number of stories that have over 100 Facebook interactions in the month of September. A “Facebook interaction” is defined as basically any kind of thing you can do with a link on Facebook — a like, a comment, or a share. The data was collected by Newswhip, which tracks over 5,000 English language newspapers and pulls the likes, shares and comments for their stories from Facebook’s open API.”

BuzzFeed is expanding its reach to Hollywood with a well-stocked Los Angeles bureau. Richard Rushfield, former entertainment editor for LATimes.com and west coast editor of Gawker, will sit at the helm. Kate Aurthur, former LA Times TV editor and west coast editor of Newsweek/The Daily Beast, will serve as chief L.A. correspondent. Buzzfeed reporter Michael Hastings will serve as a correspondent-at-large.

More from The Hollywood Reporter:

Rushfield says the plan is to combine viral-ready takes on big entertainment moments with serious reporting that will rival traditional outlets. The L.A. bureau will have about 12 editorial employees and be home to BuzzFeed Video, the site’s video team focused on viral content and led by Ze Frank.

Rushfield will begin at Buzzfeed on October 29. Aurthur will join him November 5, and Hastings will begin contributing stories in early 2013.

In the final part of our three-part “Media Beat” interview with Jonah Peretti, the internet entrepreneur talks about launching The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed.

“I wasn’t sure if it would be a big success,” Peretti admits, remembering the days leading up to the launch of The Huffington Post. “A friend of mine asked me if he should invest, and I was like ‘I’m not sure’… I didn’t really want to risk my friend’s money.”

He also offers advice for those wanting to launch their own startup, explaining that entrepreneurs shouldn’t worry about what tech blogs are covering.

Part 1: BuzzFeed’s Jonah Peretti: ‘Our Reporters Are Doing the Kind of Work Reporters Love to Do’

Part 2: Jonah Peretti On What It Means To Go Viral

For more videos, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter: @mediabistroTV

In the first part of our three-part Media Beat interview with Jonah Peretti, the BuzzFeed founder discusses how his company is becoming a full-scale news organization following a flurry of recent hires and breaks down how social media drives news online.

“We have reporters who have beats and sources, and can do original work,” Peretti says, “the kind of work that reporters love to do, where they dig in on a story. They’re not just aggregating, they’re not summarizing what’s happening elsewhere, they’re creating something new and original.”

For more videos, check out our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter: @mediabistroTV