Weekly archive
January 27 - February 2, 2008
Saturday, Feb. 2
As Mark Lacter posted this afternoon, several media sources are reporting progress in the Hollywood writers strike. "Informal talks between representatives of Hollywood’s striking writers and production companies have eliminated...
It's a big get out the vote day all over town. Former president Bill Clinton will hit four churches in the morning: City of Refuge in Gardena at 8 am,...
Joe Mathews, who's covering the presidential campaign, will leave the Los Angeles Times sometime after Super Tuesday to join the New America Foundation as a California Fellow. Other ex-Timesmen already...
Soulvine columnist Betty Pleasant says that Councilman Bernard Parks and former mayor Richard Riordan are trying to stave off the closing of Daniel Murphy High School, Parks' alma mater. The...
The bad run continues for founders of Southern California's fast-food icons. Yancey, who died Jan. 26 at age 96, and a partner reportedly used scrap materials to build a three-stool...
This whole battle for the Latino vote between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama keeps getting more intriguing. Today, the state's biggest Spanish-language newspaper endorsed Obama, saying the historic moment he...
Friday, Feb. 1
Television reporter James Hibberd is leaving TV Week to take a newly created slot on the broadcasting beat at The Hollywood Reporter, I'm told. The path is getting familiar. Melissa...
La Opinión confirmed the paper will endorse a Democratic and Republican candidate in tomorrow's edition, CandidatoUSA reports. The endorsement, first in the paper's history for a primary, will be posted...
First presidential endorsements by the LAT since Richard Nixon in 1972. On Barack Obama: "Either of the Democratic candidates would make a strong nominee. But just because the ballot features...
Phil Wallace calls it a "huge trade," the Lakers getting Pau Gasol from Memphis for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, and two draft picks. Gasol immediately takes the Lakers to another...
Prompted by the $25,000 spent by the LAPD to escort Britney Spears to the hospital, Councilman Dennis Zine said today he'll push for an ordinance that would create a "personal...
Recalled ex-Gov. Gray Davis, whose fumbling created Arnold Schwarzenegger as a (sort-of) Republican leader, received a standing ovation from the Democrats when he was introduced before last night's debate. We...
Torie Osborn, Mayor Villaraigosa's senior advisor on the homeless and poverty, left the City Hall staff at the end of January. Her departing email to colleagues says it's been nice...
The most popular radio host in Los Angeles — and probably the nation — gave Sen. Edward Kennedy the royal treatment this yesterday morning, before Kennedy's pro-Obama appearance in East...
Robert Downey Jr. and Catherine Keener (said to be looking somewhat Maureen Dowd-ish) are in the Times newsroom today filming the Nathaniel story. Along with a bunch of extras portraying...
Regional airport panel disbands — again The Southern California Regional Airport Authority, revived in name by Mayor Villaraigosa in 2006, voted to put itself out of business. Lack of interest...
Thursday, Jan. 31
Sometime LA Observed contributor Jacob Soboroff got Mayor Villaraigosa, Stevie Wonder and Diane Keaton on video talking to him about the media's role in increasing or decreasing voter participation. Soboroff...
Wolf Blitzer just took the stage and did the obvious sound check for the Kodak: "And the Oscar goes to...." Big laugh. 4:51 Blitzer tells the audience there are...
One of the benefits of scoring an assigned seat next to IN Los Angeles magazine's Karen Ocamb: free photos....
Invited debate attendees (and those who bought tickets on the free market) are filing in to the Kodak Theatre through boisterous crowds of supporters with Obama and Clinton signs...
Schwed spent 11 years as a writer and columnist at TV Guide, based in Hollywood, as well as working on-air on E! and the TV Guide Channel. Before that he...
From the roof of Hollywood and Highland a few minutes ago, compliments of Karen Ocamb at IN Los Angeles....
The Daily News' Beth Barrett has posted a story saying that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has taken $10,500 in campaign funds from indicted Chicago entrepreneur Antoin Rezko and his relatives or...
The last surviving Republicans battered each other and invoked Reagan — without evoking him — last night in Simi Valley. Now it's Clinton and Obama's turn to whack away at...
"Rewriting someone else's stories is one thing. Simply stealing them word for word is another," writes Lawrence Wilson, public editor of the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group. His point is...
Answer: 12 Question: How many LAPD motorcycle officers does it take to escort an ambulance carrying Britney Spears to UCLA Medical Center? She was collected at home in Studio City...
Wednesday, Jan. 30
Two weeks after making a pledge of neutrality in the Republican race, Gov. Schwarzenegger is expected to endorse John McCain tomorrow. LAT, William Bradley...
Who knew? I'm told, by Los Angeles poet Richard Beban, that this morning's verse about opossums was no lone wolf. He says there is something of a cult of local...
Former L.A. Times movie critic Jack Mathews says he'll retire from the New York Daily News at the end of February. He and his wife are moving to the Oregon...
Channel 5 will remain at the Sunset Boulevard location indefinitely. The sale to Hudson Capital has been pending since last year and went through at $125 million. The familiar landmark...
In the midst of a spree of retaliatory shootings that has left two three dead and two other victims injured, the gang situation in the San Gabriel Valley community of...
Irene Hirano will step down next year as president of the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. But that's not her big news. She also become engaged to Sen....
Janet Clayton stepped down last year as the L.A. Times editor in charge of Metro and California coverage, which followed a long stint as editor of the editorial pages. Today...
In The Oldest Living Thing in L.A., Larry Levis observes an opossum trying to cross Wilshire and Santa Monica. Sample: A few steps forward, then back away from the breath...
Rash of street warfare in South L.A. kills three, wounds 13 Shooting of a Grape Street Crips leader at a party leads to retaliatory acts involving that gang, the East...
Tuesday, Jan. 29
Several dozen of the 500 news media and bloggers credentialed for Thursday night's CNN-Politico-L.A. Times Democratic debate did a walk-through this afternoon at the Kodak Theatre. David Bohrman, CNN's Washington...
You might remember last summer when Times editors spiked a Patrick Goldstein column that recommended the LAT give away music to boost interest in the paper. (The Calendar section ran...
Russell “Rusty” Hammer, the former president of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, died Monday evening after a long battle with a rare form of leukemia. Hammer came south...
Celeste Fremon asks if the LAPD went too far in breaking up a USC block party over the weekend. There were thrown bottles, a tactical alert and Tasering: Did the...
McCain and Clinton enjoy big California leads The Times Poll finds 39% of likely Republican voters favor John McCain in next week's primary compared to 26% for Mitt Romney, while...
Former Daily News publisher Tracy Rafter is chief executive of the new Los Angeles County Business Federation scheduled to be formally announced today with 44 member organizations representing more than...
I'll be freshening up the site's look all week, eventually rolling out new logos and content. The ShareThis widget, new on some pages, is a one-click place to email posts...
Monday, Jan. 28
U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer denied today's latest moves to delay the trial for celebrity private investigator Anthony Pellicano and his co-defendants. It looks more than ever like the trial...
Striking writers turn to book projects Literary departments at major talent agencies are being inundated with proposals and story ideas for novels from out-of-work screenwriters. LAT Culture clash on Broadway...
The candidates will all be here this week, at least for Wednesday's Republican debate at the Reagan library in Simi Valley and the Democrats' face-off on Thursday evening at the...
Alumni of the old Herald-Examiner received word this weekend that photographer Steve Grayson passed away. I have no details, but someone who knew him circled Grayson in the front of...
