Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
Selective news judgment on Derek Lowe...mysterious illness of a local congresswoman...the mayor and the Chinese vice premier...plus yet another Hollywood media blog, an L.A. blog award, a bloggy romance and much more.
Don't miss some late posts from yesterday:
Zines petition Amoeba Music
Transcript of that reported missile incident at LAX
Snooty job ad o' the day
KNBC plans to show warts and all
Now click to turn the page for today's buzz...
♦ Derek Lowe follows: The Boston Globe, San Jose Mercury and Deadspin picked up on the drinking problem angle of Ron Fineman's report on the Dodgers pitcher, the Boston Herald pretty much grabbed everything, while the L.A. Times and ESPN mentioned only the part about Lowe's ADD and use of the stimulant Adderall. No print media that I saw picked up on Lowe's comments about the "American...white people" clique on the Dodgers; I don't know what the sports talk shows have been saying.
♦ Meanwhile: Channel 2's Bryan Frank photographs the station's party celebrating the Dodgers' TV deal. Via Darleeneisms.
♦ Is she or isn't she? The Times sheds a little light on the mystery illness of Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, whose son is trying to avoid prison on a corruption conviction by claiming he must care for her. The Wave first raised questions about the alleged illness. Today's Times says:
Her chief of staff in Washington, Shirley Cooks, denied that the congresswoman's health was impaired and said she had no idea why her son had made such a request. "The congresswoman is doing fine. She's conducting the nation's business on the floor of the House as we speak. She's actually managing a bill right now as the ranking member on the Committee on House Administration," Cooks said Wednesday. Millender-McDonald did have surgery last year, but has since recovered, Cooks said, adding, "I see her here every day, working hard."
♦ Pellicano du jour: Nikki Finke says that Viacom is pushing hard for a correction from the New York Times on the story tying Paramount chief Brad Grey to Anthony Pellicano through Linda Doucett.
♦ Ask her about Google: Chinese vice premier Wu Yi is in town to sign some business deals this morning at the Universal Hilton. Mayor Villaraigosa shows at 9:45 am. Advance media credentials through the Chinese consulate are needed. Backstory.
♦ Bidding high: Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. plan to offer $2.2 billion for the dozen McClatchy newspapers that are for sale, the Times says. Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group has apparently not offered enough to head off a bidding war.
♦ Boks-ed in: CityBeat's Annette Stark writes that "new L.A. Animal Services head Ed Boks left plenty of questions behind after being fired from his last job."
♦ New Hollywod blog: Ray Richmond, back in house at The Hollywood Reporter as you know, on Tuesday launched Past Deadline: "It will be taking a decidedly skewed and somewhat snarky look at showbiz: the good, the bad, the innocent, the guilty, the sad, the uproarious and -- during those times when there's no actual news to comment upon -- Paris Hilton."
♦ MWW adds a VP: John Musella, formerly director of public relations at KB Home, is moving to MWW Group as vice president in the Los Angeles office. He used to be communications director for Supervisor Don Knabe.
♦ Career interrupted: Mark Ebner's blog Hollywood, Interrupted is carrying dispatches from Iraq by former agent Patrick Dollard, who insists that he alone sees the war's truth and that hundreds of mainstream media reporters from many nations are lazy and wrong.
♦ On the left: L.A.'s Crooks and Liars won best blog of 2005 in the Koufax Awards.
♦ Benefit: Friends of 20-year-old comedienne Erica Doering are holding a benefit tonight at the Steve Allen Theater to raise money for eye surgery she needs to prevent blindness.
♦ Bloggers in love: Celia Esguerra of 5th and Spring and Jim Winstead of Trained Monkey met last year and now have a blog to announce their engagement.
♦ L.A. obituary: Frank Cullen Sr., 79, former political consultant and adviser to Gov. Pat Brown. He co-founded the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs, now at Cal State L.A.