First thing Friday, 2.10.06

credit An exclusive on the new boss at "California Connected," a $15 million payday for three LAPD cops, Rocky's legal memo to the police commission and more Barry Munitz farewells—plus the death of a character actor whose first TV credit was on "Naked City" in 1962, a new judge for the 9th Circuit with O'Melveny & Myers breeding, podcasting at the Breeze and a Coro fellow who blogs (about me.) Turn the page...

Today's front pages

New York Times See/Read
Washington Post See/Read
LA Times See/Read
Daily News See/Read
Daily Breeze See/Read
Press-Telegram See/Read
Register See/Read
Star-News Read
Variety Read
Hwd Reporter Read
La Opini�n Read

Slate: Today's Papers

♦ Bret Marcus, a longtime NBC and ABC news producer, is taking over as executive producer of California Connected, I'm told. Creator Marley Klaus is stepping aside to work on a documentary. I also hear the decision to go outside and to bring on someone with little California experience isn't setting well with everyone at KCET.

♦ Three LAPD officers who say they were falsely maligned in the Rampart scandal get to share $15 million in damages.

♦ The Times' Patrick McGreevy got hold of City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's confidential legal opinion to the police commission about naming LAPD officers and finds it inconclusive. I believe the headline used the word vacillated.

♦ Munitz-Getty stories: LAT (where it leads the front page), NYT.

♦ LAT's print version of the U.S. Bank story from yesterday.

♦ Busy time for publicist Dale Olson. Since Jan. 16 he has announced Shelley Winters's death, Robert Blake's bankruptcy filing, and last night the passing of television actor Franklin Cover. He also took time to commiserate about the state of movie stardom for Mary McNamara in the LAT.

♦ Today's Daily Journal profiles Sandra Segal Ikuta, the former O'Melveny & Myers partner who was nominated by President Bush for a seat on the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. She is a moderate Republican who clerked for the court's Judge Alex Kozinski and is currently general counsel at the California Resources Agency.

♦ Valentine's Day is tough on cheating spouses, the WSJ figured out.

♦ Starting today, a podcast is available of Daily Breeze columnist John Bogert reading his columns. He writes: be very afraid.

♦ Coro fellow Dan Nieman has a blog and gives me a shout out and a recommended theme song: The Observer by the Flaming Lips.

♦ LARadio.com confirmed my report from last week that KPCC's Mark Austin Thomas is the new co-host for "Marketplace Morning Report." He starts March 6.