Is Los Angeles the Best-Smelling City in America?

Is Los Angeles the best-smelling city in L.A.? Perhaps the folks surrounded by skunks in the hills would diagree, but GQ makes a strong argument:

The clear, alluring track of its scent is arresting. There's the ocean breeze from Santa Monica that can travel as far East as Silver Lake; a dry desert air that comes West over Downtown and South Central; the astringent balm of eucalyptus, pine, honeysuckle, and jasmine from the hills; and car exhaust from catalytic converters, which is, in its strange industrial way, beautiful. It's like the jolt of a drug: shifting, comforting, cool like a blanket. The lonely smell of the marine layer burns off and you get this flashy perfume of hot asphalt, engines, and sun block that you can find nowhere but in L.A.

Do you agree with GQ? Is L.A. sweeter than any other metropolis?

(Thanks to birthday boy Joe for the pointer.)

Wait, Is CBS Underwriting This "College"?

It probably goes without saying, but... perhaps there's something hinky about a "college" that advertises on the back of a bus and promotes careers that have been popularized by a long-running hit TV show.

It's kind of hard to read from this photo, but ICDC College is marketing a degree for "Crime Scene Investigator" with the marketing tagline "Expose Criminal Minds." You read that right -- ICDC is somehow using two different CBS crime procedural dramas ("CSI" and "Criminal Minds") to help promote its programs. I can't imagine CBS would be happy with this, but I suppose ICDC could argue that it's just referring to real-life people. Either way, are we really supposed to believe there's a sudden boom in criminal forensics jobs just because crime procedurals are popular on TV? You'd probably just be better off saving your money.

RIP, Don Cornelius: Video of the Host From 1970

If you watched weekend morning TV in the 1970s and 1980s, there's a good chance you caught plenty of Don Cornelius and "Soul Train" (above, watch Cornelius introducing the Soul Train dancers, getting down to "Jungle Boogie"). Sad news today: It appears Cornelius, who had been suffering from health issues, committed suicide this morning in Los Angeles.

Below, an excerpt of Don Cornelius in 1970 hosting "Black's View of the News" on WCIU Channel 26 in Chicago.

Unusual Public Art on Grand Ave.

Spotted on Grand Avenue: Some unusual public art. Above, "Bell Communications around the Globe,” located on the side of the AT&T building at 420 Grand Ave. Artist Anthony Heinsbergen, who created the piece in 1961, told the story of telecommunications of that era (using pieces from telephone components). Read here for more info.



"Uptown Rocker," by Lloyd Hamrol (1986). An ode to our car culture; found on Fourth Street between Hope and lower Grand.

Moving Day for Dodger Thoughts

Our pal Jon Weisman is moving his popular Dodger Thoughts blog off of ESPN LA's platform, where he's been based for the past 2 years, and back to indie status. Jon talks about the move in his first post at his reclaimed www.dodgerthoughts.com address (and how his move to the L.A. Times website cost him some commenters in 2009):

By the time I moved two years ago to ESPN Los Angeles, I was left to focus on doing the best work I could, hoping to at least retain readers if not commenters. As far as my professional life, I dreamed big again.

Well, now I’m back on my own. For now, anyway. The reasons, I think I can say without being indecorous, relate to shifting priorities over there in the big city. So what are you gonna do?

Start over. Reboot. So here we are. I could be here for 10 days or 10,000. Still figuring that out. Still figuring a lot of things out. There’s still so much I dream of accomplishing, but my path is still around a bend or two. I’m eager to see what happens.

So, if you’ve made it this far, here to home No. 6 (four more to catch Tommy Davis), thanks for stopping by. I’ll do my best to provide informative, meaningful and fun posts as much as or more than ever before. Hope you hang out a while.

Good luck, Jon! Having sat next to him at Variety for years, I know Jon is normally sporting his pre-opening day Dodgers Beard right about now.

On Pacific Standard Time: MOCA Gets "Naked" With Weegee

Weegee -- real name Arthur Fellig -- first made his name in the 1930s and 1940s as a New York photojournalist covering the city's seedy underbelly. His book of photos, "Naked City," was released in 1945 and later became the inspiration for the motion picture "The Naked City." In 1947, he moved to Los Angeles to try his hand at Hollywood.

Instead of crime, Weegee began poking holes into the Hollywood fairy tale -- juxtaposing the glitz and glamour of the movie biz with the harder realities of life among regular folks in L.A. He also chronicled the fans who worshipped celebrity and used a special distortion lens to play around with how Hollywood stars looked. His 1953 book "Naked Hollywood," a sequel of sorts to "Naked City," collected those photos. A minor celebrity thanks to his successful photography work, Weegee also made small appearances in several films and worked as a photographer for Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb."



As part of the Pacific Standard Time exposition, the Museum of Contemporary Art is showcasing what it says is the first exhibit dedicated to Weegee's Hollywood photos (including many never before seen). "Naked Hollywood: Weegee in Los Angeles" continues at MOCA through the end of February.

We visited MOCA this weekend (yes, we took advantage of the free admission, as part of this weekend's Museum Free-for-All) and I could have spent hours combing through all of the Weegee pics. For fans of old L.A. like myself, it's a must. (One quibble, of course: There's some irony that photography was forbidden in an exhibit about photography.)

More pics:


Shot of Weegee and collaborator Mel Harris combing through hundreds of photos for "Naked Hollywood."


Weegee's suitcase


Elsewhere inside MOCA: Strings overhead spell out "PICKLE."


Also on display: "Kenneth Anger ICONS," which explores the experimental filmmaker's work and collection.


From one of the walls devoted to "Kenneth Anger ICONS."

Free L.A.: Museums Free-For-All Returns This Weekend

Los Angeles' "Museums Free-For-All" promotion is back this weekend, Jan. 28 and 29 -- and although several major museums don't participate, this is your chance to stop by MOCA or the Autry for free. MuseumsLA.org has the roundup:

The Annenberg Space for Photography - Both Days
The Autry National Center - Both Days
California African American Museum - Both Days
California Science Center - Both Days
Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles - Both Days
Fowler Museum at UCLA - Both Days
The Hammer Museum - Both Days
The Getty Center - Both Days
The Getty Villa - Both Days
Laguna Art Museum- Both Days
Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial (Both Hollywood & San Pedro Locations)- Saturday, January 28th Only
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) - Saturday, January 28th Only
Museum of Tolerance - Sunday, January 29th Only
Museum of Latin American Art - Both Days
Pasadena Museum of California Art - Both Days
Santa Monica Museum of Art - Saturday, January 28th Only
Skirball Cultural Center - Saturday, January 28th Only
Zimmer Children's Museum - Sunday, January 29th Only

Of course, if you can't make it this weekend, there are plenty of L.A. museums that are always free -- check out lists here and here.

New Blog Talks to LA Mag Editor Mary Melton

New L.A. blog Frying Pan News, from advocacy group LAANE and editor Steven Mikulan (formerly of the L.A. Weekly), has launched with a full variety of features, including an interview with our pal Mary Melton, the editor of Los Angeles magazine.

Among the things Mary talks about: How she and her team moved L.A. magazine away from the stereotype of being Westside-centric:

Through engagement. I have a responsibility to educate readers and take them into pockets of the city they wouldn’t see otherwise. This magazine was heavily identified with the Westside, and our goal was to change that. Even if our readers haven’t been to Fillmore or can’t find Bell on a map, they can have an understanding of these places. We have a lot of affluent readers but also people who just moved here and are living in apartments for $1200 a month. Information is really important. You can’t force someone who is not sympathetic to care, but you can present information that can motivate them to care. It’s vitally important to the life of the city to engage. I’m not sure that people don’t want to be engaged, I don’t think they know how.

The February issue of Los Angeles magazine just came in the mail, and I can't wait to dive in -- it deals with one of my favorite topics, "Classic L.A."

As for Frying Pan News, contributors to the new website include local journalist Erin Aubry Kaplan and LAANE communications director Danny Feingold.

99 Cents Only Store Finds: Charlie Sheen, Larry the Cable Guy... and Bruce's Yams

The best part of visiting a 99 Cents Only store, of course, is checking out some of the bizarre or ridiculous merchandise. Above, for example, it's Charlie Sheen's 2012 calendar, at the 99 Cents Only store. Um, winning?

A few more items that caught my eye on a recent visit:


So that's what Bruce is calling them now.


Aha, this is what happened to Shasta soda.


Nothing like a timely book cracking wise at John McCain's age.


Wow. Just wow. I can't think of something I'd want to consume less than a "Larry the Cable Guy" branded food item.

On Pacific Standard Time: LACMA's California Design Exhibit

As part of the citywide Pacific Standard Time exposition of California mid-20th Century art and design, LACMA's Resnick Pavilion is currently showcasing "California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way," an interesting cross-section of the state's influential modern design from that era. Details:

This exhibition is the first major study of California midcentury modern design. With more than 300 objects—furniture, ceramics, metalwork, fashion and textiles, and industrial and graphic design—the exhibition examines the state’s role in shaping the material culture of the entire country. Organized into four thematic areas, the exhibition aims to elucidate the 1951 quote from émigré Greta Magnusson Grossman that is incorporated into the exhibition’s title: California design “is not a superimposed style, but an answer to present conditions…It has developed out of our own preferences for living in a modern way."

We visited the exhibit on the same day we checked out the Broad Contemporary Art Museum and the "Metropolis II" exhibit. Some pics from "California Design":


Vintage Airstream streamline trailer






Studebaker's 1962 sports car Avanti


Album covers


Ceiling light from Barton's Bonbonniere candy shop in San Francisco, circa 1952. (Victor Gruen, designer)


Modern furniture


Mattel and Barbie are a sponsor of the exhibit, hence the mid-century Barbie dolls on display


Barbie's mid-century dream house, circa 1962


Wartime poster


Table from the sportswear department at Bullock's Wilshire, designed by Jock D. Peters


Screen (with a cool atomic, space age feel), cira 1952, designed by Greta Magnusson Grossman.


"Rib chair," designed by Arthur Espenet Carpenter in 1968.

Former L.A. Times Editor Russ Stanton Joins KPCC

L.A. public radio leader KPCC has just made another big hire, tapping former Los Angeles Times editor Russ Stanton to serve as its vice president of content.

KPCC has been expanding its staff for sometime, something Stanton -- who had to oversee a drastic downsize at the L.A. Times -- couldn't help bit note. "I am very excited to be joining the staff of my favorite radio station and in particular a newsroom that's growing and an organization that's fairly down the path of developing a sustainable business model to produce high-quality" journalism, Stanton said in an interview posted on KPCC operator Southern California Public Radio's website.

More info:

In his new role, Stanton will work to ensure the KPCC newsroom works in synergy along broadcast, digital and live-event platforms, said SCPR president and CEO Bill Davis. One of Stanton’s first tasks will be to select an executive editor, who will supervise the day-to-day operations of the newsroom on both the broadcast and digital platform, Davis said.

Stanton, 53, stepped down as editor and executive vice president of Times on Dec. 23. The veteran newsman joined the paper in 1997 as an Orange County business reporter. Stanton was selected in a national search from more than 100 applicants; his first day at the station is Feb. 6.

In the just-released holiday 2011 Arbitron ratings, KPCC led all public radio stations in the Los Angeles market with a 2.0 share of the audience (and a weekly cume of 617,100 listeners).

Also: KPCC "Air Talk" host Larry Mantle says he predicted Stanton's hire.

Holiday 2011 Arbitron Ratings: Amp Pulls Upset Over KIIS

The Los Angeles area Arbitron ratings for the holiday 2011 period (December 8 - January 4) are out, and no surprise: KOST, which dominates the holidays with its all-Christmas format, is once again a strong #1 (with an 8.5 share of the listening audience and a cume of 4.3 million listeners).

But that's not the big news of the holiday 2011 book. For the first time since CBS Radio flipped its FM Talk 97.1 station in 2009 to top 40 KAMP-FM "Amp Radio," the station (with a 4.5 share) has beat Clear Channel's L.A. top 40 radio titan KIIS-FM (4.0 share).

Even urban KPWR-FM (Power 106) beat KIIS, tying KAMP and AM talker KFI with a 4.5 share as well.

Amp Radio had been creeping up on KIIS for some time. In November, KIIS beat KAMP with a 5.0 share vs. a 3.9 share. But in December, KIIS' lead (4.4) was razor thin over KAMP (4.3).

Meanwhile, with the first year of its own wall-to-wall Christmas music format, KTWV-FM "The Wave" averaged a decent 3.7 share, up from 2.6 in December. KRTH "K-Earth" took a hit, dropping to a 3.2 share as its rivals went all-Christmas.

Despite its leadership, KOST took a bit of a holiday haircut this year, now that it has a rival in The Wave. Its 8.5 share was dominant, but down from 9.3 in holiday 2010 (but still up from an 8.1 share in holiday 2009).

Check out the full Arbitron rankings over at Radio-Info, but keep in mind, as always, that these total listener numbers aren't used to sell the stations' ad time, but are pretty much just for bragging rights.

It Was Probably Inevitable: "Sh*t People Say in LA," The Video

Given the "$#*! People Say" video trend on YouTube right now, this was inevitable, right? Here's "Sh*t People Say in LA," written by Heidi Niedermeyer and Elena Crevello. (h/t Blogging.la)

Modern Times at LACMA

Yesterday, I wrote about our visit to the amazing "Metropolis II" exhibit at LACMA. But that wasn't the only thing that was a hit with the Blogger Toddler 2.0 and Blogger Kid. Also in the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA is a floor of works from Andy Warhol, John Baldessari and Jeff Koons. The exhibit employs "different formal and conceptual methods to engage issues of mass culture and comment on contemporary society." Koons is behind the Michael Jackson and Bubbles sculpture (made in 1988), above.

Coming to Atwater Village: Bon Vivant Market & Cafe

I drive through Atwater Village's Glendale Boulevard every day, and it's been fascinating to see the face of the neighborhood's storefronts change over the years. The addition of 55 Degrees wine, Hugo's Tacos, Alias East books, Viet restaurant, Canele, and most recently, Atwater Farm, has added a bit more upscale class to the strip of shops. Next up: The upcoming opening of Bon Vivant Market & Cafe, which promises "savory gourmet, sweet delights, charcuterie, fromage, fresh baked breads, luxury chocolates, gourmet coffees, wine" and more.

Anthony Bourdain's L.A. Picks: Atwater Village, Koreatown, In-N-Out

For his new Travel Channel show "The Layover," Anthony Bourdain is sharing his eating and lodging tips for short stays in major cities around the country and the world. Monday night's episode revolved around Los Angeles -- and although Bourdain didn't break any new ground, he still gave a pretty good snapshot of how to consume our city in 48 hours.



Among the highlights: A visit to Atwater Village's Tacos Villa Corona (although he makes it sound like Atwater Village is a world away from the rest of the city).

Bourdain also spends time with Ludo Bites; Hollywood's farmers market; Koreatown; In-N-Out, which he calls "the only American chain worth a damn"; and his favorite hotel, the Chateau Marmont. The Travel Channel website also offers up a list of Bourdain's favorite L.A. bars (including dive White Horse Inn) here.

LACMA's Coolest Exhibit Ever? 'Metropolis II' Wows

Sometimes having a kid pays off. Yeah, there's the unconditional love and affection from the little ones, and they can be cute to boot. But those tiny sponges don't come cheap -- except when it comes to a visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. As part of LACMA's "NextGen" program, kids (who are usually free) can bring one parent in for free two. For us, that means 2 kids, 2 parents... and a free afternoon at the museum.

On Sunday, we grabbed the kids and took them to LACMA in order to finally see the "Metropolis II" exhibit. I knew the Blogger Kid and the Blogger Toddler 2.0 would be fascinated by the sight of toy cars and trains speeding around a miniature city -- but I gotta admit, I couldn't wait to see it as well. The exhibit runs only certain times of the day, and we got there early enough to stake out a prime viewing spot in the viewing balcony above the exhibit. And I was right: It's pretty damn cool. Details:

Metropolis II is an intense and a complex kinetic sculpture, modeled after a fast paced, frenetic modern city. Steel beams form an eclectic grid interwoven with an elaborate system of 18 roadways, including one 6 lane freeway, and HO scale train tracks. Miniature cars speed through the city at 240 scale miles per hour; every hour, the equivalent of approximately 100,000 cars circulate through the dense network of buildings. According to Burden, "The noise, the continuous flow of the trains, and the speeding toy cars, produces in the viewer the stress of living in a dynamic, active and bustling 21st Century city."

See Metropolis II in action at these times:
Fridays: 12:30–1:30 pm; 2:30–3:30 pm; 4:30–5:30 pm; 6:30–7:30 pm
Weekends: 11:30 am–12:30 pm; 1:30–2:30 pm; 3:30–4:30 pm; 5:30–6:30 pm

Good news: Metropolis II is "ongoing," so it looks like you'll have plenty of chances to catch it. Bring the kids. More pics:



















Don't have a kid? LACMA still makes it amazingly easy to visit for free. Free admission is granted on the second Tuesday of each month, plus to all LA County residents after 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (the museum is closed Wednesdays).

More from our LACMA visit in another post!