Friday morning headlines

Rents keep climbing: It's not that big a mystery - when folks don't buy homes they rent apartments. And when there's not that much affordable supply coming on line, the price stays high. In the last three months of 2007, L.A. County rents averaged $1,695, up 5.1 percent from a year earlier. The occupancy rate is 94.3 percent, which is tight. (LAT)

How the other half lives: Dan Aykroyd has put his colonial-style Hollywood Hills house on the market for $2.6 million (he and his brother bought it in 1987 for $732,500). Last month, he sold an L.A. home near Laurel Canyon for $3.8 million (five bedrooms, six fireplaces and a pool). Buyer is actress Beverly D'Angelo, Chevy Chase's co-star in the "National Lampoon's Vacation" series. (WSJ)

Who might buy Variety?: The more basic question is whether media giant Reed Elsevier wants to sell its trade magazine division, which includes Variety, Broadcasting & Cable and Publishers Weekly, in one piece or piecemeal. If it were any other time, private equity would be riding to the rescue, but tight credit is making every deal a challenge. So don’t hold your breath on a deal anytime soon. From the WSJ:

One potential buyer for Publishers Weekly, he noted, could be the Nielsen Co., whose Nielsen Business Media unit owns The Hollywood Reporter and Kirkus Reviews, a bi-weekly publication that reviews books. In addition, Nielsen owns BookScan, which tracks approximately 70% of U.S. book sales. Gary Holmes, a spokesman for the Nielsen Co., declined comment. A spokesman for Publishers Weekly also declined to comment.

Pressure from beef lobbyists: They're "suggesting" that the largest-ever recall exclude Hallmark/Westland beef that was mixed with other suppliers' meat and sent to retail and wholesale customers. The USDA appears to have decided against narrowing the scope, according to the WSJ, which got wind of the lobbying effort.

Rob McLaughlin, vice president at Advance Food Co., a food-service company in Enid, Okla., that supplies school systems, said it was unfortunate the USDA appears to have been uncertain how to handle the issue of commingled meat. Advance received beef from Hallmark/Westland through the national school-lunch program. Mr. McLaughlin said his company feels "sick" that millions of pounds of food will be wasted when "no one is sick" and the food is covered by a Class II recall, meaning the USDA thinks there is little health risk involved.

Hollywood needs Wellbutrin: Let's get this straight: they're rich, beautiful, adored - and now, on Oscar weekend, they're also depressed. One of the silliest storylines to this year's Academy Awards is everyone's downbeat mood – apparently it’s so severe that Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter killed the magazine's Oscar party, saying that even a resolution to the writers strike wouldn't sufficiently lift Hollywood's spirits. (Yeah, I suppose that job cleaning bed pans is a real laugh riot.) From the WSJ:

Now, the day-before-the-ceremony barbecue at the home of Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg has been canceled. Patrick Whitesell, a partner at the Endeavor talent agency, decided not to hold his exclusive bash, according to an agency spokesman; the same goes for longtime agent Ed Limato, now at the William Morris Agency. Miramax has scaled back, recognizing that some people who have been out of work for months aren't feeling celebratory. The studio feted its Oscar nominations with a cocktail party for 200 last year. This year it's hosting a dinner for 120 guests, including nominees and studio executives. "We're trying to be sensitive," says Meryl Katz, a studio spokeswoman.

Melt your Oscar for cash?: With gold at an all-time high, the price of each statuette has jumped $100, to $500. The 8 1/2-pound Oscar is made from pewter that is plated in successive layers of copper, nickel, silver and gold, and then lacquered and buffed. (Bloomberg)

Pellicano trial delayed: Now the federal wiretapping case is scheduled to start March 5. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Fischer agreed to another postponement at the request of defense lawyers. (Variety)

William Morris to sell HQs: Cushman & Wakefield and Grubb & Ellis will handle the sale of the two sites, at 150 S. Rodeo Drive and 150-151 S. El Camino Drive. The potential sale is part of WMA's plan to move its more than 500 employees into a new Beverly Hills site within the next few years. (THR)

Alitalia returns to LAX: The Italian carrier will launch nonstop, round-trip flights to Rome, beginning June 1. Alitalia offered direct flights from LAX to Italy from 1985 to 2002, but the service stopped after 9/11. Next month, Air France will offer seven round-trip flights a week to London, and British Airways will offer seven additional round-trip flights a week to London beginning in April. (Daily Breeze)

Magic Mountain expansion plans: There's a new kiddie area and a face-lift for the thriller coaster X. The CEO of Six Flags was in town to offer assurances that the park won't be torn down and replaced with more housing tracts (certainly not in this market). Attendance was flat last year and down the year before. (Daily News)