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How low can gas go?: The federal government's weekly survey found that the price of a gallon of self-serve regular in the L.A. area was $2.77, down from $2.86 just last week. Not sure how much lower pump prices will go, since oil seems to be stabilizing at around $60.
LAX confusion: Pretty amazing report on KNX this morning about how TSA personnel were not aware of the new rules that allow small containers of toiletries and other liquids in carry-on luggage. One passenger had duitfully placed the small items in a clear plastic bag - per instructions from a government Web site - and was told that he had to place it in his checked baggage.
Ticket battle: Beverly Hills-based Live Nation wants to reduce the price of concert tickets, which are running more than $50 a pop for the most popular shows. But West Hollywood-based Ticketmaster, which last year generated $1 billion in fees and surcharges, will have to go along. If not, Live Nation might rely on its own ticketing system.
LA Live hire: Lisa Herzlich becomes managing director of the sports/entertainment colossus being built across the street from Staples Center. She had been marketing director for a Denver shopping center. LA Live will be opening in phases, beginning in about a year.
Oscars already? LAT reports that several contenders are opening well before Halloween in order to generate positive buzz for the upcoming award season. The risk, of course, is that they will drop out of sight by the time Academy members start casting ballots. Bad buzz: The NYT examines how the much-panned remake "All the King's Men" probably never had a chance because it was badmouthed before the opening. From the story:
Studios wield their marketing campaigns as they always have, priming audiences to expect the best. But with the media following every twist of a movie’s progress, viewers head to theaters loaded with behind-the-scenes information. A current television spot for the Ashton Kutcher-Kevin Costner action film, “The Guardian” (opening Friday), actually flaunts its preview audience test scores, calling it “one of the best-playing and highest-scoring movies in the history of Touchstone Pictures.” Even insidery advertising campaigns, though, can’t change the fact that blogs, television infotainment and mainstream entertainment reporting can amount to an antimarketing campaign, priming audiences for the worst.
Sluggishness on Web: Advertising is slowing down, with 2006 sales now expected to reach $15.9 billion, down from an earlier forecast of $16.7 billion. A weaker economy is being cited by eMarketer, which made the projections.
Ports "shortchanged": That's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's view of the $12 million in federal grants to the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles for beefed-up security. He might have a point, considering that the Port of L.A. got $4.3 million and the much smaller Port of Seattle got $7.4 million. The money was part of about $400 million doled out by the Department of Homeland Security.
Another mall expansion: This time it's The Oaks in Thousand Oaks, which will be getting four new restaurants, a theater with stadium seating and a multilevel parking structure. Construction could begin in January. Santa Monica-based Macerich bought The Oaks in 2002. It's only had minimal renovation.
Hotels family unfriendly: Well, less friendly, according to the NYT. Soon after 9/11, when business travel screeched to a halt, hotels were only too happy to provide extra touches for the kiddies. Now that the bizfolks are back, those touches are disappearing.
Radio talk: This morning's bizchat with KPCC's Steve Julian covers L.A.'s disappearing middle class, Rupert Murdoch wanting to ditch DirecTV and the trials and tribulations of being a cab driver. Airs 6:55 and 9:55.
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted
until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.