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Antonio Villaraigosa's dapperness and his politics are in the news, as are Rocky Delgadillo's ambition, Michaela Pereira's sensitivity, Vanity Fair's accuracy and Fleishman-Hillard's billing practices. More when you turn the page...
♦ Muy bello: Antonio Villaraigosa is the only politician who placed on People en Espaņol's list of the world's most beautiful Latinos.
♦ Unintended consequences: Mayor Villaraigosa's expected endorsement of Cindy Montaņez over Alex Padilla for the state Senate complicates the vote-counting for the mayor's budget, the Times says. Today, by the way, Villaraigosa is at the National Conference of Black Mayors in Memphis.
♦ Rocky profile: The Times takes a look at City Attorney Rocky Delgadlillo's quest to become Attorney General: "Delgadillo's campaign is promoting his humble-beginnings-to-Harvard life story like an Oprah-ready memoir, even as critics say the tale is about all he has to offer, not counting a sometimes-bruising ambition."
♦ Under his skin: Scott Collins at the Times blog Channel Island is irked (to say the least) by Michaela Pereira, the KTLA anchor who posts at her blog that she won't see the film Flight 93 because of fear what she would take in. She writes, "Due to an overactive imagination, a very visual mind, and discerning spirit when it pertains to what I can handle, I have to careful monitor what I put in. (garbage in garbage out)." She then asks, "On a completely different note: why is nobody else upset that Mandissa was voted off American Idol?" Collins retorts:
Memo to KTLA news director Jeff Wald: Do not send Michaela out to cover the following: car crashes, war, murders, rapes, robberies, child abuse, bar fights or any story where a cuddly animal dies. She has to careful monitor what she put in and has discerning spirit (garbage in garbage out). However, she enjoys stories about picnics and ribbon-cuttings, as long as there aren't any seedy characters hanging around.
♦ Dowie-Stodder trial: It was Steve Sugerman's turn yesterday to testify that he submitted false billings to the DWP at the direction of his boss at Fleishman-Hillard, Doug Dowie. Sugerman, who now runs a Westwood PR agency representing Playa Vista and others, has pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in the case and testified under a deal with prosecutors.
♦ Bad for Universal: Trial must go ahead in a lawsuit by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging that a first assistant director on Universal's film 2 Fast 2 Furious was fired because he was African American.
♦ Checking VF: Variety's Gabriel Snyder pulls together the mounting Hollywood denials of facts claimed in the Vanity Fair piece on the Anthony Pellicano case. So far Brad Grey, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler and HBO have denied major assertions in the piece.
♦ Mayor dies: In March LAO noted the first Chinese-American mayor of San Gabriel. Chi Mui died of cancer Thursday at age 53. LAT, Tribune
♦ Playoff teams: Clippers lose, Ducks win.