Morning Buzz: Tuesday 3.24.09

• Nikki Finke reveals, in a post that discusses her relationships with other bloggers, that the owner of Variety has talked about buying her website and alleges that Peter Bart ordered a hit piece on her. Meanwhile, Kim Masters casts a view on the Hollywood blogger situation and writes that "Variety and the Los Angeles Times have so much to lose in their battle to bring down" Finke. Deadline Hollywood Daily, Daily Beast
• Here's why candidate for governor Gavin Newsom is introducing himself around Southern California. WSJ
• Scientists are watching small faults under the Salton Sea after a weekend earthquake swarm raised fears of a larger San Andreas Fault quake. LAT
• The fullest coverage of today's special election in the 26th state senate district is by students at USC. Neon Tommy
• NPR's daily news programs are enjoying record ratings. Wash Post
• President Obama plans to meet soon with liberal bloggers and already sat for interviews with Black Enterprise magazine, Telemundo and Los Angeles-based Hispanic radio host Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo. Politico
• Obama's cut-and-run on Thomas Saenz suggests he's not that into immigration reform, argues Gregory Rodriguez. LAT Op-Ed
• The state Assembly voted to extend unemployment benefits by 20 weeks; the measure goes to the Senate. Sacto Bee, LAT
• KCET's Saul Gonzalez has produced a story on the graffiti scene in Los Angeles that begins airing today on HDNet World Report.
• After setting aside time to read the Sunday L.A. Times, Marc Cooper says he is "bored with, done with, totally finished with any more grieving about the fate of the Times -- or any other newspaper for that matter." Blog
• The Little Tokyo Service Center and the Pilipino Workers Center will work together on an affordable housing project. LA Beez
• Stacy Keach was released from the hospital after six days of treatment for a stroke. "Frost/Nixon" ends here Sunday then goes on the road. Culture Monster
• A website takes a guess that it costs the NYT more to print and deliver each newspaper for a year than to send each subscriber a Kindle. Silicon Alley Insider
• The Southwest Oral History Association is coming to town for the New Destinations in Oral History conference in USC’s Doheny Memorial Library March 26-29. Details

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