Morning Buzz: Friday 12.5.08

Tying Barack Obama's appointment of Xavier Becerra and Eric Holder to the Carlos Vignali commutation controversy from the Clinton years. LAT
Times editorial calls Becerra a bad choice, describing him as "protectionist." LAT
Obama named former L.A. area Assemblyman Louis Caldera as his director of the White House Military Office. Capitol Alert
Times reporter Hector Tobar on his return to L.A. after several years in Latin America: "The United States I returned to is a more colorful place than the one I left. And we Americans seem mellowed and slightly more humble." Column One
The Metrolink 111 conductor says the warning light at the Chatsworth station was green, backing up the statements of observers. LAT
Fox 11 reportedly will launch on Monday a noon news show anchored by Jean Martirez and Tony McEwing. SoCal Media Scoop
City Controller Laura Chick's latest audit dinged city's engineers for underestimating the cost and improperly designing eight new animal shelters. DN
"Jamiel's Law" author Walter Moore told City News Service the proposed law would likely fall short of the signatures needed to put it on the ballot. DN wires
Who's the funniest man in Hollywood? Patrick Goldstein
"Rock star" architects like Thom Mayne are emulating, through architecture, the real rock stars of their youth. Frances Anderton
Rembrandt in Southern California is a multiple-museum virtual exhibition of the artist's works that reside here. Site
LAX has opened a public pre-flight lounge in the Bradley International Terminal where coach passengers can get pampered for $25. LAT
Rumored "Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory is an L.A. native. Joe Scott
Eli Broad's worst fear, partially: a New York Times story on the problems at MOCA. NYT
Second, perhaps: MOCA closed the wrong location, says Jack Shakely, former president of the California Community Foundation. LAT Blowback
MOCA Mobilization has launched its own website.
While blogs go gaga over L.A. Live's grand opening and Christmas tree lighting with Britney Spears, KPCC's Patricia Nazario does the story on how many Angelenos couldn't care less. LAT critic Christopher Hawthorne is on Larry Mantle at 10:40 a.m. to discuss the project.
Cynthia Littleton's Variety blog takes December off while she works hard on a book about the TV industry. On the Air
Temp X denies Nikki Finke's complaint that she is exploiting the Hollywood layoffs. Hollywood Temp Diaries
Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen guest on �The Tonight Show with Jay Leno� tonight to talk about their book, �Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White,� written with former L.A. Times and Daily News sportswriter Ron Rapoport.