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⇒ KNX 1070 reporter Michael Linder's website details his background as a KTLA reporter, creator of "America's Most Wanted" and "The Jesse Jackson Show" and early roles at "Entertainment Tonight" and "Eye on L.A." He also links to audio of several KNX stories, including his special on the history of Columbia Square, the historic Sunset Boulevard studio the radio station recently left. Newest up is a piece on Nathan Marsak and Kim Cooper of the 1947 Project crime-noir blog, first mentioned here last March.
⇒ Retiring Times film reviewer Kevin Thomas (feeling better, thank you) finally got his send-off gathering yesterday. Someone dug out the Nov. 19, 1965 LAT story about Thomas, then 29, being slugged several times by actor Tommy Sands in the Times building—nine months after a panning review. Alas, I'm told the cake inscription that was supposed to read "Tour de Force" came out "Tour de France." * Conspicuously absent: John Montorio and Lennie Laguire, the senior features bosses who invited Thomas to retire. Former movie editor Richard Nordwind and Sherry Stern hosted the event. (2 pm)
⇒ Spotted this week on a Los Angeles freeway: A car with a vanity plate reading CONDI 08 and a Rice for President bumper sticker. My usually reliable observer did not note the make and can't remember which freeway.
⇒ Subscribers to RonFineman.com voted the Carolyn Hughes-Derek Lowe affair and fallout at Fox Sports West (which Fineman broke, with photos) as the biggest local inside TV story of 2005, ahead of the Kyung Lah affair and firing at KNBC. Neither got a majority so he's holding a runoff. In third place was Fineman's disclosure that Lauren Sanchez doesn't have the USC degree she has claimed.
⇒ Todd Cunningham is the new deputy ME at the Los Angeles Business Journal. Here's the email to the staff from new editor Charles Crumpley, whose memo style makes its inaugural LA Observed appearance: "Dear all, Todd Cunningham joins us on Tuesday, Dec. 27, as deputy managing editor. If Todd’s face seems familiar, it may be because he worked in our building; he was a longtime managing editor of Variety until a couple years ago. Since then, he’s done stints with Hispanic Business and TV Week. Todd is an LA native who attended San Jose State. He’s interested in Central America and once covered the war in El Salvador for the Christian Science Monitor. He lives a more peaceful life now in Long Beach. Regards, Charlie."
⇒ Zoe Crosher has been taking photos of airplanes landing from all thirty-one of the hotels and motels around LAX. That's a lot of pictures.
⇒ The Dodgers now claim that the documents about secret NFL talks that turned up in the Boston Herald were stolen—more than three weeks ago—and they plan to file a police report about it...next Tuesday. Today's LAT story also details plans for a huge shopping complex up by the stadium.
⇒ Mark Orchard, the Los Angeles bureau chief for the BBC, and Court TV reporter Savannah Guthrie have married. They met covering the Michael Jackson trial in Santa Maria, Page Six says.