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Because the desk is flowing over, and I have a few minutes...
- Film critic John Anderson repeatedly punched veteran publicist Jeff Dowd over a disagreement at Sundance about "Dirt! The Movie!" Waxword
- Former L.A. Times food editor and magazine editor Leslie Brenner lands as restaurant editor and food critic at the Dallas Morning News. Eatsblog
- Long Beach philanthropist Robert Gumbiner, whose foundation opened the Museum of Latin American Art in 1996, died of prostate cancer at age 85. Grunion Gazette, LBReport.com, Press-Telegram
- Jeffrey Anderson, who began investigating Bell Gardens corruption while at the LA Weekly, and ex-Weekly colleague Matthew Fleischer have an update on councilman Mario Beltran and police chief Keith Kilmer in CityBeat.
- The Obama inauguration proves once again that people will buy newspapers when there is news. LAT
- Tom Hoffarth looks at some of the fallout in L.A. radio from Clear Channel's big layoffs yesterday, perhaps timed to be lost in the inauguration news avalanche. Farther Off the Wall
- LA Animal Services says that its shelters placed 26,000 cats and dogs by adoption last year, an increase of 21% over 2007.
- Blogger Caleb Bacon goes in search of the most expensive t-shirt in Los Angeles and finds a Giorgio Armani Plain Black Cashmere for the bargain price of $1,850. LAist
- City Controller Laura Chick will release an audit on Thursday covering take-home cars for elected officials, staff, general managers, LAFD and LAPD.
- Gustavo Arellano schools an Orange County restaurant owner who rebelled at a so-so review by claiming the OC Weekly takes payola. OCW
- The Monster Truck known as Natural High is on the bill for Saturday night at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, despite being involved in the death of a 6-year-old boy at the Tacoma Dome last weekend. Monster Jam
- The California Chicano News Media Association meets at 7 p.m. at Taix on Sunset Boulevard to choose a new chapter president. Rachel Uranga had to resign after leaving the Daily News for the ACLU. CCNMA
- Quote o' the day: The Sparks' Lisa Leslie, on riding her first subway ever at the inauguration in D.C.: "I don't do the underground stuff in L.A. because of earthquakes, so I was out of my element." LAT