Maria and I kept it mellow for this year's Oscar viewing, watching it via the comfort of TiVo and our home couch. Alas, no Janet Jackson moment to keep our TiVo busy. And I know, America loves its Billy Crystal. But I find him to be the Jay Leno of Oscar hosts. Bring back Steve Martin, I say.
We had drained our energy on Saturday, when we headed down to Santa Monica and Shutters On The Beach for the Independent Spirit Awards afterparty. (After fighting traffic on the 10 and Pico, that is.)
Place was a madhouse. But drinks flowed, as did chocolate fountains throughout the joint (much to Maria's delight). Packed to the rim were people like Maggie Gyllenhaal and brother Jake; Michael McKean ("A Mighty Wind"); Jennifer Tilly; Patricia Clarkson; "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" Carson Kressley; and John Landis.
After grabbing a "Targetini" (yes, Target, in is quest to exude hipness, co-sponsored the party with the Independent Film Channel), we watched the DJ comb through her CD collection.
The DJ? Believe it or not, Rosanna Arquette. But the real thrill of the evening was seeing legendary "Mayor of the Sunset Strip" and KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer standing there behind the DJ table, helping guide Rosanna in her music choices. (By the way, as an aside, I gotta say that IMDB is great. Just discovered, for example, that Rodney appreared in the Cheech and Chong classic "Up In Smoke." Who knew?!) Music was fine; but after dipping several marshmallows and banana chunks under the chocolate fountain, the cramped quarters got to us and we headed back to Los Feliz.
Sunday, February 29, 2004
Mike & Maria & The Movies
It's Maria v. Mike as we attempt to pick this year's Oscar winners. Let the smackdown begin! (Full list of nominees can be found here.)
MIKE
Film: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Director: Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings")
Lead Actor: Bill Murray ("Lost in Translation")
Lead Actress: Charlize Theron ("Monster")
Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins ("Mystic River")
Supporting Actress: Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog")
Screenplay (Original): "Lost in Translation"
Screenplay (Adapted): "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
MARIA
Film: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Director: Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King")
Lead Actor: Sean Penn ("Mystic River")
Lead Actress: Charlize Theron ("Monster")
Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro ("21 Grams")
Supporting Actress: Holly Hunter ("Thirteen")
Screenplay (Original): "In America"
Screenplay (Adapted): "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Update: Mike wins! But by a hair. Mike got best film, director, actress, supporting actor, screenplay (original) and screenplay (adapted) right. Maria got best film, director, actor, actress and screenplay (adapted) correct. 6 vs. 5. But as everyone predicted, it was indeed a "Lord of the Rings" sweep. Snooze.
MIKE
Film: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Director: Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings")
Lead Actor: Bill Murray ("Lost in Translation")
Lead Actress: Charlize Theron ("Monster")
Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins ("Mystic River")
Supporting Actress: Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog")
Screenplay (Original): "Lost in Translation"
Screenplay (Adapted): "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
MARIA
Film: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Director: Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King")
Lead Actor: Sean Penn ("Mystic River")
Lead Actress: Charlize Theron ("Monster")
Supporting Actor: Benicio Del Toro ("21 Grams")
Supporting Actress: Holly Hunter ("Thirteen")
Screenplay (Original): "In America"
Screenplay (Adapted): "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Update: Mike wins! But by a hair. Mike got best film, director, actress, supporting actor, screenplay (original) and screenplay (adapted) right. Maria got best film, director, actor, actress and screenplay (adapted) correct. 6 vs. 5. But as everyone predicted, it was indeed a "Lord of the Rings" sweep. Snooze.
The Passion of the DVD Bootleggers
As the film industry geared up to celebrate the 76th Annual Academy Awards, I coincidentally found myself in the Fashion District/Santee Alley area Sunday afternoon... where the place was crawling with more bootleg DVD sellers than I'd ever seen.
As Maria bought some fabric, I walked up and down the streets -- and this time, unlike my last experience downtown (in which vendors quickly covered their wares when I approached), I had no problem getting a close up view of the DVDs.
Perhaps bootleg DVD vendors figured the MPAA goons were too busy worrying about what was going down at Hollywood and Highland, because they showed no fear today. Standing in the middle of the sidewalk and attracting large crowds, the bootleggers opened up their boxes and showcased stacks of copies of "The Passion of the Christ," "Starsky and Hutch," "50 First Dates," "Eurotrip," and several others.
"Passion of the Christ," as you might imagine, appeared to be the hot seller on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles. (Don't worry, Franklin Avenue kept it clean. I'm just not sure I wanna plunk down $5 without inspecting the quality of the DVDs.)
Meanwhile, fake DVDs and mixed reviews aside, the public satisfied its curiosity about Mel Gibson's passion project by lining in droves to see "Passion of the Christ." According to Variety, the pic pulled an extraordinary $76.3 million at the box office this weekend.
As Maria bought some fabric, I walked up and down the streets -- and this time, unlike my last experience downtown (in which vendors quickly covered their wares when I approached), I had no problem getting a close up view of the DVDs.
Perhaps bootleg DVD vendors figured the MPAA goons were too busy worrying about what was going down at Hollywood and Highland, because they showed no fear today. Standing in the middle of the sidewalk and attracting large crowds, the bootleggers opened up their boxes and showcased stacks of copies of "The Passion of the Christ," "Starsky and Hutch," "50 First Dates," "Eurotrip," and several others.
"Passion of the Christ," as you might imagine, appeared to be the hot seller on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles. (Don't worry, Franklin Avenue kept it clean. I'm just not sure I wanna plunk down $5 without inspecting the quality of the DVDs.)
Meanwhile, fake DVDs and mixed reviews aside, the public satisfied its curiosity about Mel Gibson's passion project by lining in droves to see "Passion of the Christ." According to Variety, the pic pulled an extraordinary $76.3 million at the box office this weekend.
Saturday, February 28, 2004
Vermin Infestation and No Potable Water, Oh My!
The list of January restaurant closures is out... and some of the names may surprise you.
For starters, Marty and Elayne aren't just attracting irony-minded slackers at Los Feliz's Dresden Room. The lounge, made famous by the film "Swingers," was shut down briefly in January for vermin infestation. Good thing no one actually goes there for the food. (Last time Maria and I went, by the way, I shared eye contact with Gwen Stefani.)
Also cited and shut down briefly in January was Mr. Cecil's California Ribs, one of the best BBQ joints in town. The Sherman Oaks location was closed for not having potable water or hot water.
Same thing goes for Rock Island Wraps in Pasadena.
And finally, one place you probably oughta definitely avoid: The Tiny Island coffee shop in the Mid-Wilshire area.
Apparently it's not just the spoons that are greasy at this dive, which actually looks like a fun, kitschy retro diner from the outside. Tiny Island was shut down in January for a litany of problems: Vermin infestation. Contaminated food. Contaminated silverware.
Yum!
For starters, Marty and Elayne aren't just attracting irony-minded slackers at Los Feliz's Dresden Room. The lounge, made famous by the film "Swingers," was shut down briefly in January for vermin infestation. Good thing no one actually goes there for the food. (Last time Maria and I went, by the way, I shared eye contact with Gwen Stefani.)
Also cited and shut down briefly in January was Mr. Cecil's California Ribs, one of the best BBQ joints in town. The Sherman Oaks location was closed for not having potable water or hot water.
Same thing goes for Rock Island Wraps in Pasadena.
And finally, one place you probably oughta definitely avoid: The Tiny Island coffee shop in the Mid-Wilshire area.
Apparently it's not just the spoons that are greasy at this dive, which actually looks like a fun, kitschy retro diner from the outside. Tiny Island was shut down in January for a litany of problems: Vermin infestation. Contaminated food. Contaminated silverware.
Yum!
Skyline Graffiti
From our Los Feliz apartment this morning, we could see helicopters hovering over the Library Tow-- um, I mean the U.S. Bank Tower, adding the U.S. Bank logo to the building's crown.
According to the L.A. Times,the helicopters began installing the monstrous signs at 8 a.m this morning:
Bank and building representatives said they took care to make the signs visually pleasing to a postmodern structure "well-regarded for its architectural significance," according to Seibly.
The signs' design consists of the company's name in white and blue lettering, illuminated with energy-efficient lights. Designers in San Diego worked on the project for two months.
In fact, representatives said they want the signs to look so good that they have yet to decide on the permanent background color. For a month, red will adorn one sign, and gold the other. Then a decision will be made.
"It's like choosing a paint color for the house," said Steve Dale, a US Bank spokesman. "You have to put it up for a while to see if it looks good."
U.S. Bank paid building owners Maguire Properties $53 million over 15 years to become the tower's chief tenant — and to put up the signs.
Read my rant here about how, despite the tower dominating and defining the L.A. skyline -- and despite the fact that it's the tallest building west of the Mississippi -- no one knows what the hell the building is named.
Of course, until recently it was known as the Library Tower. But that's simply its default-no-corporate-sponsorship name. For much of the 1990s, it was known as the First Interstate World Center -- until that bank disappeared in a fit of corporate consolidation.
According to the L.A. Times,the helicopters began installing the monstrous signs at 8 a.m this morning:
Bank and building representatives said they took care to make the signs visually pleasing to a postmodern structure "well-regarded for its architectural significance," according to Seibly.
The signs' design consists of the company's name in white and blue lettering, illuminated with energy-efficient lights. Designers in San Diego worked on the project for two months.
In fact, representatives said they want the signs to look so good that they have yet to decide on the permanent background color. For a month, red will adorn one sign, and gold the other. Then a decision will be made.
"It's like choosing a paint color for the house," said Steve Dale, a US Bank spokesman. "You have to put it up for a while to see if it looks good."
U.S. Bank paid building owners Maguire Properties $53 million over 15 years to become the tower's chief tenant — and to put up the signs.
Read my rant here about how, despite the tower dominating and defining the L.A. skyline -- and despite the fact that it's the tallest building west of the Mississippi -- no one knows what the hell the building is named.
Of course, until recently it was known as the Library Tower. But that's simply its default-no-corporate-sponsorship name. For much of the 1990s, it was known as the First Interstate World Center -- until that bank disappeared in a fit of corporate consolidation.
Friday, February 27, 2004
Market Search
Driving west on Wilshire this morning, I discovered a small farmers' market in full swing on Mariposa (north of Wilshire). Going to markets like these are great for buying fresh produce and avoiding the waxy kinds you usually find at the grocery store.
When I used to work on the West side, I'd often stop by at the farmers' market on Plummer Park for some fresh veggies or herbs (which are always overpriced at the supermarket).
Here's a list of the farmer's markets in California.
My favorite market? Hollywood, where on Sunday mornings I never fail to get a bag of Kettle Korn.
When I used to work on the West side, I'd often stop by at the farmers' market on Plummer Park for some fresh veggies or herbs (which are always overpriced at the supermarket).
Here's a list of the farmer's markets in California.
My favorite market? Hollywood, where on Sunday mornings I never fail to get a bag of Kettle Korn.
Ambassador Update
According to the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Los Angeles Unified School District's Board of Education may determine the fate of Wilshire Blvd.'s historic Ambassador Hotel by April.
The board was originally supposed to make its decision last fall on whether to raze the site and build a completely new high school, or convert the structure into a school. The Conservancy still has several suggested alternatives to demolishing the Ambassador -- once Los Angeles' most luxurious hotel, and the historical site of Robert Kennedy's assassination.
A handful of special interest groups -- including the Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF), the Cesar Chavez Foundation, and the Central American Resource Network (CARECEN) -- have come out in support of demolition, complicating the matter. But the Conservancy believes a compromise can still be struck with the LAUSD to keep the basic shell of the Ambassador.
(Shut down in the mid-1980s, it's virtually impossible to see the Ambassador upclose unless you happen to be on a movie or TV shoot there. But Maria and I got to sneak around and take these pics last year.)
Meanwhile, the Conservancy also alerts the public to a new Mexican-American cultural heritage area the County of Los Angeles plans to build near Olvera Street, within the El Pueblo de Los Angeles National Historic District. (Close to where Maria and I got married.)
The cultural area sounds like a good idea, except for one problem: According to the Conservancy, "The proposed project would involve the demolition of two of the 27 contributing structures to the El Pueblo district: the Vickrey-Brunswig Building, built in 1888, and the Brunswig Annex, built in 1897. The project would retain a third historic structure: the 1883 Plaza House. These structures are located on the west side of the 500 block of North Main Street, across from the El Pueblo structures that the City of Los Angeles has recently restored."
Los Angeles has few structures left that pre-date 1900. It would be a shame to lose two of them.
The board was originally supposed to make its decision last fall on whether to raze the site and build a completely new high school, or convert the structure into a school. The Conservancy still has several suggested alternatives to demolishing the Ambassador -- once Los Angeles' most luxurious hotel, and the historical site of Robert Kennedy's assassination.
A handful of special interest groups -- including the Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF), the Cesar Chavez Foundation, and the Central American Resource Network (CARECEN) -- have come out in support of demolition, complicating the matter. But the Conservancy believes a compromise can still be struck with the LAUSD to keep the basic shell of the Ambassador.
(Shut down in the mid-1980s, it's virtually impossible to see the Ambassador upclose unless you happen to be on a movie or TV shoot there. But Maria and I got to sneak around and take these pics last year.)
Meanwhile, the Conservancy also alerts the public to a new Mexican-American cultural heritage area the County of Los Angeles plans to build near Olvera Street, within the El Pueblo de Los Angeles National Historic District. (Close to where Maria and I got married.)
The cultural area sounds like a good idea, except for one problem: According to the Conservancy, "The proposed project would involve the demolition of two of the 27 contributing structures to the El Pueblo district: the Vickrey-Brunswig Building, built in 1888, and the Brunswig Annex, built in 1897. The project would retain a third historic structure: the 1883 Plaza House. These structures are located on the west side of the 500 block of North Main Street, across from the El Pueblo structures that the City of Los Angeles has recently restored."
Los Angeles has few structures left that pre-date 1900. It would be a shame to lose two of them.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Honestly, I Just Wanted a Latte! No Groceries Here!
L.A.'s supermarket strike lasted longer than most Hollywood marriages... but a settlement may finally be near, the L.A. Times reports.
On an entirely superficial level, that means Maria and I will soon be able to visit the Los Feliz location of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf guilt-free.
That Coffee Bean location shares a parking lot with an Albertson's -- so every time we drive away, I feel the need to hold my coffee cup high, lest the picketers get the impression I actually shopped at the grocery store.
It's a very Larry David/"Curb Your Enthusiasm" moment.
Friday Update: Tentative agreement between stores and the grocery employees union has been reached; workers vote to approve new deal this weekend.
On an entirely superficial level, that means Maria and I will soon be able to visit the Los Feliz location of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf guilt-free.
That Coffee Bean location shares a parking lot with an Albertson's -- so every time we drive away, I feel the need to hold my coffee cup high, lest the picketers get the impression I actually shopped at the grocery store.
It's a very Larry David/"Curb Your Enthusiasm" moment.
Friday Update: Tentative agreement between stores and the grocery employees union has been reached; workers vote to approve new deal this weekend.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
LevitrA: The Official Erectile Dysfunction Drug of Los Angeles
Corporate sponsorship in the news again... this time, Los Angeles' city council is considering selling off naming rights for the city.
According to the L.A. Times, corporate tie-ins have become popular in several cash-strapped cities as a new revenue source.
Writes the paper:
San Diego has made millions by giving Pepsi the exclusive right to put its vending machines on city property, some council members said, so why not L.A. — the capital of self-promotion?
New York made headlines in September when it auctioned off the exclusive right to sell beverages on city property. The winner was Snapple, for $166 million over five years. Other cities have made similar if smaller deals, all of which has prompted Ralph Nader and other critics to bemoan what they see as the selling of public property.
Marketing experts said there probably are many companies that would like see their products tied to the city's sunny, beach-going, fun-loving image.
All right, I'm claiming it right now, before anyone else does: How does Franklin Avenue: The Official Blog of Los Angeles sound?
According to the L.A. Times, corporate tie-ins have become popular in several cash-strapped cities as a new revenue source.
Writes the paper:
San Diego has made millions by giving Pepsi the exclusive right to put its vending machines on city property, some council members said, so why not L.A. — the capital of self-promotion?
New York made headlines in September when it auctioned off the exclusive right to sell beverages on city property. The winner was Snapple, for $166 million over five years. Other cities have made similar if smaller deals, all of which has prompted Ralph Nader and other critics to bemoan what they see as the selling of public property.
Marketing experts said there probably are many companies that would like see their products tied to the city's sunny, beach-going, fun-loving image.
All right, I'm claiming it right now, before anyone else does: How does Franklin Avenue: The Official Blog of Los Angeles sound?
Trip Bits
Some final thoughts on our trip to the Philippines:
:: I mentioned one of our favorite meriendas below: Halo-halo (crushed ice mixed with sweet bean, fruit pieces, ice cream and sometimes -- if you're lucky -- a piece of leche flan); Maria and I have every intention of hitting the Chowking (a Filipino/Chinese fast food joint found everywhere in the Philippines; locations here can be found in the San Fernando Valley (Panorama City), as well as Carson and West Covina) soon to get their version, which is tasty and cheap!
But I also really got into taho, a warm and creamy tofu custard served with a sweet syrup and tapioca balls (sago). The best can be found via traveling street vendors, who carry around buckets -- one for the tofu custard, the other side with the sweet syrup. Maria says you can go up to the vendors with your own mug -- but if you don't have a drinking vessel, the vendors will supply you with a cup. (By the way, Chowking sells taho as well.)
:: I love my Silver Honda CRV. But here in L.A., not a day goes by where I don't spot at least three or four other Silver Honda CRVs on the road. Maybe I should have gotten a blue one.
So I go to the Philippines, and what's by far the most common car on the road? That's right. Silver Honda CRVs. Everywhere. As a matter of fact, Maria's friend Rosanna has one -- so I actually spent a good part of the time traveling around Manila in a Silver Honda CRV. Felt right at home.
:: You think Valentine's Day is a big, Hallmark-fueled holiday here? In the Philippines, Valentine's Day is practically a national holiday. People on the street and security guards wished us a happy Valentine's Day all weekend long. This year, Manila even threw a huge party near Manila Bay, where over 5,000 married couples gathered at midnight and kissed for ten seconds. The Closeup toothpaste-sponsored event, "Luvapalooza," was thrown to break the Guinness record (just set in Chile a month before) of most couples kissing in one place at once. Manila won the record. I tried to convince Maria to go down and take a part in the festivities, but the traffic would have been impossible to bear.
U.S. musical acts have picked up on the fact that Valentine's Day is huge -- and nothing is bigger in the Philippines than the Valentine's Day concert. We passed on them all in order to celebrate with friends at the aforementioned Rosanna's family's beautiful home. But performing in Manila that weekend were Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight; James Ingram and Patti Austin; the revived Abba (featuring two original members) and Toto.
Toto?! You know. "Africa." "Rosanna." Toto was appearing all over the Philippines while we were there; they also had a show lined up at Clark.
Which brings me to my other point: There's also the phenomenon of American acts, completely unknown in the U.S., hitting it big in the Philippines.
:: Manila, especially Makati, boasts some tremendous shopping malls and shopping centers. Huge. But just as huge is the security. Department stores will frequently have men and women pass through different doors, in order for security guards to use their x-ray wand or pat down certain people. Unlike in the U.S., security guards carry guns in the Philippines (even at the Starbucks!). You don't wanna mess with them.
:: Unfortunately, we weren't able to talk our way into the housing division in Greenhills where Maria once lived. Apparently action movie hero and now presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. lives in the neighborhood, so security may be taking extra precaution.
:: Talk about a vibrant press. Manila has at least seven English-language daily newspapers, with a few more in Tagalog. The big three are the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Philippine Star, the Manila Bulletin; after that, there's the Manila Times, Today, the Manila Standard... and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few.
:: Maria wrote below about how quickly we adjusted to the near-universal addiction to text messaging via cell phone. (A trend that has hit virtually everywhere but the U.S.) Other trends include the popularity of acoustic music, and acoustic versions of hit songs. Huge right now in the Philippines.
:: People ask me what my favorite moment was, and I've gotta say, as you've read in my lengthy dispatches below, getting to see what was once Clark Air Base -- where I lived during my elementary school years -- for the first time in 20 years. It was amazing and amazingly surreal at the same time. Beyond that, seeing my high school pal Anthony get married to a cool girl -- and to be able to witness it so far away from home -- was pretty cool.
But what really made the trip great was getting to know and being surrounded by Maria's friends from her schooldays. They made me feel right at home.
:: I mentioned one of our favorite meriendas below: Halo-halo (crushed ice mixed with sweet bean, fruit pieces, ice cream and sometimes -- if you're lucky -- a piece of leche flan); Maria and I have every intention of hitting the Chowking (a Filipino/Chinese fast food joint found everywhere in the Philippines; locations here can be found in the San Fernando Valley (Panorama City), as well as Carson and West Covina) soon to get their version, which is tasty and cheap!
But I also really got into taho, a warm and creamy tofu custard served with a sweet syrup and tapioca balls (sago). The best can be found via traveling street vendors, who carry around buckets -- one for the tofu custard, the other side with the sweet syrup. Maria says you can go up to the vendors with your own mug -- but if you don't have a drinking vessel, the vendors will supply you with a cup. (By the way, Chowking sells taho as well.)
:: I love my Silver Honda CRV. But here in L.A., not a day goes by where I don't spot at least three or four other Silver Honda CRVs on the road. Maybe I should have gotten a blue one.
So I go to the Philippines, and what's by far the most common car on the road? That's right. Silver Honda CRVs. Everywhere. As a matter of fact, Maria's friend Rosanna has one -- so I actually spent a good part of the time traveling around Manila in a Silver Honda CRV. Felt right at home.
:: You think Valentine's Day is a big, Hallmark-fueled holiday here? In the Philippines, Valentine's Day is practically a national holiday. People on the street and security guards wished us a happy Valentine's Day all weekend long. This year, Manila even threw a huge party near Manila Bay, where over 5,000 married couples gathered at midnight and kissed for ten seconds. The Closeup toothpaste-sponsored event, "Luvapalooza," was thrown to break the Guinness record (just set in Chile a month before) of most couples kissing in one place at once. Manila won the record. I tried to convince Maria to go down and take a part in the festivities, but the traffic would have been impossible to bear.
U.S. musical acts have picked up on the fact that Valentine's Day is huge -- and nothing is bigger in the Philippines than the Valentine's Day concert. We passed on them all in order to celebrate with friends at the aforementioned Rosanna's family's beautiful home. But performing in Manila that weekend were Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight; James Ingram and Patti Austin; the revived Abba (featuring two original members) and Toto.
Toto?! You know. "Africa." "Rosanna." Toto was appearing all over the Philippines while we were there; they also had a show lined up at Clark.
Which brings me to my other point: There's also the phenomenon of American acts, completely unknown in the U.S., hitting it big in the Philippines.
:: Manila, especially Makati, boasts some tremendous shopping malls and shopping centers. Huge. But just as huge is the security. Department stores will frequently have men and women pass through different doors, in order for security guards to use their x-ray wand or pat down certain people. Unlike in the U.S., security guards carry guns in the Philippines (even at the Starbucks!). You don't wanna mess with them.
:: Unfortunately, we weren't able to talk our way into the housing division in Greenhills where Maria once lived. Apparently action movie hero and now presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. lives in the neighborhood, so security may be taking extra precaution.
:: Talk about a vibrant press. Manila has at least seven English-language daily newspapers, with a few more in Tagalog. The big three are the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Philippine Star, the Manila Bulletin; after that, there's the Manila Times, Today, the Manila Standard... and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few.
:: Maria wrote below about how quickly we adjusted to the near-universal addiction to text messaging via cell phone. (A trend that has hit virtually everywhere but the U.S.) Other trends include the popularity of acoustic music, and acoustic versions of hit songs. Huge right now in the Philippines.
:: People ask me what my favorite moment was, and I've gotta say, as you've read in my lengthy dispatches below, getting to see what was once Clark Air Base -- where I lived during my elementary school years -- for the first time in 20 years. It was amazing and amazingly surreal at the same time. Beyond that, seeing my high school pal Anthony get married to a cool girl -- and to be able to witness it so far away from home -- was pretty cool.
But what really made the trip great was getting to know and being surrounded by Maria's friends from her schooldays. They made me feel right at home.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Bush: "We Have No Choice But To Launch a Culture War"
Finally, something W and Al Qaida can agree on!
As has been the case over and over again over the past year, "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart had the best take on the gay marriage issue Monday night (and will probably have an even better response tonight). To anyone looking for a constitutional amendment on the "sanctity of marriage," then we should assume you're also for an amendment banning adultery, yes? Against Britney Spears-style quickie marriages?
Hmm?
(Thump, thump) This thing on? You got awfully quiet.
Listen, I can see how you might argue that the nation's not quite ready for gay marriage just yet. But a constitutional amendment? From the folks who supposedly preach less government intrusion in our lives? Nice.
Sometimes the most eloquent outrage can come from the offender's own allies. And so, following Brian Flemming's lead, we link to Bush supporter (and openly gay pundit) Andrew Sullivan:
The president launched a war today against the civil rights of gay citizens and their families. And just as importantly, he launched a war to defile the most sacred document in the land. Rather than allow the contentious and difficult issue of equal marriage rights to be fought over in the states, rather than let politics and the law take their course, rather than keep the Constitution out of the culture wars, this president wants to drag the very founding document into his re-election campaign. He is proposing to remove civil rights from one group of American citizens - and do so in the Constitution itself. The message could not be plainer: these citizens do not fully belong in America. Their relationships must be stigmatized in the very Constitution itself.
The document that should be uniting the country will now be used to divide it, to single out a group of people for discrimination itself, and to do so for narrow electoral purposes. Not since the horrifying legacy of Constitutional racial discrimination in this country has such a goal been even thought of, let alone pursued. Those of us who supported this president in 2000, who have backed him whole-heartedly during the war, who have endured scorn from our peers as a result, who trusted that this president was indeed a uniter rather than a divider, now know the truth.
As has been the case over and over again over the past year, "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart had the best take on the gay marriage issue Monday night (and will probably have an even better response tonight). To anyone looking for a constitutional amendment on the "sanctity of marriage," then we should assume you're also for an amendment banning adultery, yes? Against Britney Spears-style quickie marriages?
Hmm?
(Thump, thump) This thing on? You got awfully quiet.
Listen, I can see how you might argue that the nation's not quite ready for gay marriage just yet. But a constitutional amendment? From the folks who supposedly preach less government intrusion in our lives? Nice.
Sometimes the most eloquent outrage can come from the offender's own allies. And so, following Brian Flemming's lead, we link to Bush supporter (and openly gay pundit) Andrew Sullivan:
The president launched a war today against the civil rights of gay citizens and their families. And just as importantly, he launched a war to defile the most sacred document in the land. Rather than allow the contentious and difficult issue of equal marriage rights to be fought over in the states, rather than let politics and the law take their course, rather than keep the Constitution out of the culture wars, this president wants to drag the very founding document into his re-election campaign. He is proposing to remove civil rights from one group of American citizens - and do so in the Constitution itself. The message could not be plainer: these citizens do not fully belong in America. Their relationships must be stigmatized in the very Constitution itself.
The document that should be uniting the country will now be used to divide it, to single out a group of people for discrimination itself, and to do so for narrow electoral purposes. Not since the horrifying legacy of Constitutional racial discrimination in this country has such a goal been even thought of, let alone pursued. Those of us who supported this president in 2000, who have backed him whole-heartedly during the war, who have endured scorn from our peers as a result, who trusted that this president was indeed a uniter rather than a divider, now know the truth.
Traffic at the Orange Crush... Brought to You By Orange Crush Soda!
Product placement in traffic reports? I suppose traffic reports are already sponsored (the most obvious, Commander Chuck Street's "Mountain Dew helicopter" on KIIS-FM).
But Clear Channel is taking things a bit further in Chicago, where Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder reports that the radio group is altering its traffic reports after striking a deal with local concert/sporting venue the Allstate Arena.
Unlike here, where traffic reports pretty much stick to where the accidents are, and whether or not the 405 is moving, in Chicago the reports estimate how long it takes to get from the suburbs to downtown, and vice versa. While covering travel times on the Kennedy Expressway, for example, traffic reporters will tell you how long it will take to get to and from O'Hare Airport.
But not anymore, at least on Clear Channel stations, according to Feder: "Thanks to a yearlong marketing agreement with Allstate Arena -- the first under Clear Channel's "traffic destination rights program" -- travel times are to be reported "from Downtown to the Allstate Arena" rather than to O'Hare, starting next week. The concert venue and sports facility, formerly known as the Rosemont Horizon, is located near O'Hare in northwest suburban Rosemont.
"The edict came in a memo this week from Barry Butler, general sales manager for Clear Channel Traffic Chicago. Butler declined to say how much Allstate Arena was paying for the product placement plugs in traffic reports."
The Allstate Arena, by the way, is booked mostly with Clear Channel Entertainment-sponsored events.
Could it happen here? I can see it now: Attention all L.A. traffic reporters: For now on, all "SigAlerts" will be referred to as either "Sit-n-Sleep Alerts" or "Robbins Bros. Alerts."
But Clear Channel is taking things a bit further in Chicago, where Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder reports that the radio group is altering its traffic reports after striking a deal with local concert/sporting venue the Allstate Arena.
Unlike here, where traffic reports pretty much stick to where the accidents are, and whether or not the 405 is moving, in Chicago the reports estimate how long it takes to get from the suburbs to downtown, and vice versa. While covering travel times on the Kennedy Expressway, for example, traffic reporters will tell you how long it will take to get to and from O'Hare Airport.
But not anymore, at least on Clear Channel stations, according to Feder: "Thanks to a yearlong marketing agreement with Allstate Arena -- the first under Clear Channel's "traffic destination rights program" -- travel times are to be reported "from Downtown to the Allstate Arena" rather than to O'Hare, starting next week. The concert venue and sports facility, formerly known as the Rosemont Horizon, is located near O'Hare in northwest suburban Rosemont.
"The edict came in a memo this week from Barry Butler, general sales manager for Clear Channel Traffic Chicago. Butler declined to say how much Allstate Arena was paying for the product placement plugs in traffic reports."
The Allstate Arena, by the way, is booked mostly with Clear Channel Entertainment-sponsored events.
Could it happen here? I can see it now: Attention all L.A. traffic reporters: For now on, all "SigAlerts" will be referred to as either "Sit-n-Sleep Alerts" or "Robbins Bros. Alerts."
Monday, February 23, 2004
Tunneled In
We wrote a few months ago about how the opening to the old Pacific Electric Red Car tunnel near downtown had been filled in. The city's old subway once ran under downtown through the tunnel; the tunnel opening more recently appeared in countless productions, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge" video.
Now comes word, from the LA Downtown News, of a new $55 million housing project set to be built on the site (just west of the Harbor Freeway). The apartments are expected to offer 260 affordable housing units by 2005.
Writes the paper:
The project is at the foot of Crown Hill, a dense community that houses faded historic homes crowded by sagging apartment buildings, vacant lots and pockets of homeless encampments. At Second and Lucas Avenue, where the Northwest Gateway will be built, is the famed Red Car tunnel - known both as the Hollywood Subway and the Belmont Tunnel - which was the city's first underground subway tunnel.
Opened in 1925, it cut 15 minutes off the travel time from Downtown to Hollywood. The line began under the Subway Terminal Building at Olive and Fifth streets, and continued beneath Bunker and Crown hills for one mile to the northern end. The tunnel was abandoned by the Pacific Electric Railway in the late 1940s. The graffiti covered landmark is currently used for filming and impromptu soccer games.
I'm assuming the filming has pretty much ended now that the tunnel opening (a dramatic reminder of L.A.'s once thriving Red Car transit system) has been filled. Here's a great website -- including some amazing photos from deep inside -- by a group of urban explorers who toured the tunnel a few years ago.
For you L.A. history buffs, some trivia: The other side of the Hollywood Subway/Belmont Tunnel was filled in when what downtown hotel was built?
Now comes word, from the LA Downtown News, of a new $55 million housing project set to be built on the site (just west of the Harbor Freeway). The apartments are expected to offer 260 affordable housing units by 2005.
Writes the paper:
The project is at the foot of Crown Hill, a dense community that houses faded historic homes crowded by sagging apartment buildings, vacant lots and pockets of homeless encampments. At Second and Lucas Avenue, where the Northwest Gateway will be built, is the famed Red Car tunnel - known both as the Hollywood Subway and the Belmont Tunnel - which was the city's first underground subway tunnel.
Opened in 1925, it cut 15 minutes off the travel time from Downtown to Hollywood. The line began under the Subway Terminal Building at Olive and Fifth streets, and continued beneath Bunker and Crown hills for one mile to the northern end. The tunnel was abandoned by the Pacific Electric Railway in the late 1940s. The graffiti covered landmark is currently used for filming and impromptu soccer games.
I'm assuming the filming has pretty much ended now that the tunnel opening (a dramatic reminder of L.A.'s once thriving Red Car transit system) has been filled. Here's a great website -- including some amazing photos from deep inside -- by a group of urban explorers who toured the tunnel a few years ago.
For you L.A. history buffs, some trivia: The other side of the Hollywood Subway/Belmont Tunnel was filled in when what downtown hotel was built?
Lunch at the Morgue
More from the Philippines:
Driving around the old Clark Air Base (see below), we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called the Four Seasons.
Now, back before Mt. Pinatubo erupted and Clark Air Base shut down for good in 1991, the base's home and garden store was called the "Four Seasons."
So I, of course, assumed that the restaurant was on the site of the old home and garden store. "How cool they kept the name," I told everyone.
Later, recounting the trip to Clark over the phone with my dad, I told him about the Four Seasons restaurant -- and how it was on the site of the old Four Seasons store.
He went online and found a map of the Clark Special Economic Zone -- as the old Air Force Base is known and operated today -- and compared it to a map of Clark back when it was still a U.S. base.
"Uh, Mike," he told me (as he mentions below in a comment to one of our recent posts), "That wasn't the old Four Seasons store.
"It was the morgue. You ate at the old Clark Air Base morgue."
Yum. I guess they put the morgue's old freezers to good use.
Driving around the old Clark Air Base (see below), we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called the Four Seasons.
Now, back before Mt. Pinatubo erupted and Clark Air Base shut down for good in 1991, the base's home and garden store was called the "Four Seasons."
So I, of course, assumed that the restaurant was on the site of the old home and garden store. "How cool they kept the name," I told everyone.
Later, recounting the trip to Clark over the phone with my dad, I told him about the Four Seasons restaurant -- and how it was on the site of the old Four Seasons store.
He went online and found a map of the Clark Special Economic Zone -- as the old Air Force Base is known and operated today -- and compared it to a map of Clark back when it was still a U.S. base.
"Uh, Mike," he told me (as he mentions below in a comment to one of our recent posts), "That wasn't the old Four Seasons store.
"It was the morgue. You ate at the old Clark Air Base morgue."
Yum. I guess they put the morgue's old freezers to good use.
Sunday, February 22, 2004
His Name is John
After all these years, Mr. Big's name was finally revealed in the last seconds of Sex And The City. Although Mike would rather change the program's title to "Sad In The City" (given the finale's very melodramatic tone).
The final two episodes brought tears to my eyes as the "girls" faced new challenges. But, I'm glad it ended the way it did. They shot three different endings but I'm happy with the one they chose.
Most people would probably prefer a more ambiguous end between Carrie and Big but not me. I'm glad they ended up together.
Either that or I'd prefer Big to die. That was a theory my friends and I speculated on when a funeral was rumored to be in the final episodes.
Instead, as the show wrapped up, Big and Carrie resumed their relationship, Charlotte and Harry are adopting a little girl, and Miranda finally proved she had a heart. And of course, what is an episode of "Sex" without a topless shot of Samantha having mind-blowing sex with Smith?
The final two episodes brought tears to my eyes as the "girls" faced new challenges. But, I'm glad it ended the way it did. They shot three different endings but I'm happy with the one they chose.
Most people would probably prefer a more ambiguous end between Carrie and Big but not me. I'm glad they ended up together.
Either that or I'd prefer Big to die. That was a theory my friends and I speculated on when a funeral was rumored to be in the final episodes.
Instead, as the show wrapped up, Big and Carrie resumed their relationship, Charlotte and Harry are adopting a little girl, and Miranda finally proved she had a heart. And of course, what is an episode of "Sex" without a topless shot of Samantha having mind-blowing sex with Smith?
Saturday, February 21, 2004
Franklin Avenue Endorsements
With the California Primary just a week away, Franklin Avenue is proud to announce its endorsement for the Democratic presidential ticket:
John Edward!
Because how effing cool would it be to have a president who can talk to the dead? To include leaders such as Churchill and Roosevelt as advisors? Fantastic.
And who knew that, when he wasn't taping episodes of his recently canceled talk show, "Crossing Over with John Edward," he was also serving as a young senator from North Carolina?!
Franklin Avenue also urges you to vote yes on Prop 61, which bans Ryan Seacrest from accepting any more jobs in the media.
See you at the polls March 2!
Stern Response
I'm usually a Kevin & Bean/KROQ listener, but I'm tempted to tune into Howard Stern's morning show on Monday (heard locally on 97.1/KLSX-FM) to see how he reacts to two big pieces of news in his world.
First off, he can't be too happy that longtime sidekick "Stuttering John" Melendez has jumped ship to join NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" as its new announcer.
And even more interestingly, how will Stern ever tailor his show to fit Mel Karmazin's new "zero-tolerance policy" regarding sexual content over the airwaves?
The New York Post earlier this week quoted Karmazin, who conducted a company-wide conference call with Viacom's Infinity radio division: "Don't screw up... If you don't comply, you'll be fired for cause. This company won't be a poster child for indecency."
I'm still surprised Karmazin went as far as to call this a "zero-tolerance" edict. First rule of thumb in the entertainment industry, and something many execs have learned the hard way: There are no absolutes. Blanket edicts will just get you in trouble later.
The latest fall-out from Janet Jackson Nipplegate, the effects have already been felt locally. Infinity's all-news KNX and KFWB have banned all live interviews and phone calls for now.
And the aforementioned Kevin & Bean last week discussed the new edict on-air -- jokingly playing a buzzer sound effect whenever they were about to discuss a topic that might be "questionable in nature." Sidekick Ralph Garman has already had to shelf his weekly "Sex U." feature, in which he discussed sex issues -- at times, explicitly.
First off, he can't be too happy that longtime sidekick "Stuttering John" Melendez has jumped ship to join NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" as its new announcer.
And even more interestingly, how will Stern ever tailor his show to fit Mel Karmazin's new "zero-tolerance policy" regarding sexual content over the airwaves?
The New York Post earlier this week quoted Karmazin, who conducted a company-wide conference call with Viacom's Infinity radio division: "Don't screw up... If you don't comply, you'll be fired for cause. This company won't be a poster child for indecency."
I'm still surprised Karmazin went as far as to call this a "zero-tolerance" edict. First rule of thumb in the entertainment industry, and something many execs have learned the hard way: There are no absolutes. Blanket edicts will just get you in trouble later.
The latest fall-out from Janet Jackson Nipplegate, the effects have already been felt locally. Infinity's all-news KNX and KFWB have banned all live interviews and phone calls for now.
And the aforementioned Kevin & Bean last week discussed the new edict on-air -- jokingly playing a buzzer sound effect whenever they were about to discuss a topic that might be "questionable in nature." Sidekick Ralph Garman has already had to shelf his weekly "Sex U." feature, in which he discussed sex issues -- at times, explicitly.
Friday, February 20, 2004
Ch-ch-changes
Maria's turn to reminisce:
On our recent trip to the Philippines, old friends asked how long it had been since my last visit and I told them six years. Just now, I realized that my last visit was close to nine years ago. A lot has changed since then and a lot has changed since my family moved to the U.S. twenty years ago.
First and foremost: There are many more cars on the road, and the Manila traffic is now unbearable. Even from the 26th floor of our hotel, we could hear the faint noise of traffic and car horns invading our room. But as we were stuck in a traffic jam, it was still amusing to watch the colorful jeepneys and tricycles weave their way on the road against all the cars and buses.
The smog in L.A. is nothing compared to the pollution in Manila. My old school -- which stands next to a major highway -- is now air-conditioned because of the air. The all-girls Catholic school's yellow-and-white checkered uniforms remained the same, except now the girls are sporting longer skirts. In my day, the length hit mid-knee; but in the Seventies, mini-skirts were key.
American food franchises have full-fledged invaded my old country. When Gege drove us to the hotel, Mike and I were surprised by the amount of U.S. franchises around us. Starbucks, McDonald's and other fast-food joints are a given in almost any country; but in Manila you can find multiple locations of Chili's, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Sbarro's, Outback Steakhouse, Bubba Gump and California Pizza Kitchen, to name a few.
Even our beloved Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf found its way there, even though we can't find one in the States outside of California; we were thrilled and the taste for our favorite lattes was fulfilled on our last day there.
On day one, we quickly got hooked into mobile phone texting. Gege (aka The Best Tour Guide EVER) loaned us her extra phone and suddenly, friends were texting us. Our rusty fingers hit the buttons like it was our first piano lesson -- but we replied back and never stopped. We started using the word "text" as a verb, i.e. "I texted Anthony about meeting up at 9 for drinks." Totally addicted, I felt a rush everytime there was a new message on our phone's inbox.
The text craze has hit every place else but the U.S. My friend Rachel, who moved to London a couple of years ago, is hooked on it too. When she tried explaining how convenient it was, I didn't get it. Now, I do. One afternoon, as we made our way inside a restaurant for some merienda I noticed a table with four people -- all of them with cell phones in hand texting. I guess it was convenient for them to avoid talking to each other. "I'll text you when we get back to L.A.," Mike promised me later that evening.
What hasn't changed is the hospitality of the Filipinos. My friends, some of whom I haven't seen in twenty years, welcomed Mike and I with open arms. We shared stories and jokes, never missing a beat despite those twenty years. They took time off from their busy lives to drive us around and spend time with us. We only had to take a taxi once in the eight days we were in the Philippines thanks to the kindness of friends.
On our recent trip to the Philippines, old friends asked how long it had been since my last visit and I told them six years. Just now, I realized that my last visit was close to nine years ago. A lot has changed since then and a lot has changed since my family moved to the U.S. twenty years ago.
First and foremost: There are many more cars on the road, and the Manila traffic is now unbearable. Even from the 26th floor of our hotel, we could hear the faint noise of traffic and car horns invading our room. But as we were stuck in a traffic jam, it was still amusing to watch the colorful jeepneys and tricycles weave their way on the road against all the cars and buses.
The smog in L.A. is nothing compared to the pollution in Manila. My old school -- which stands next to a major highway -- is now air-conditioned because of the air. The all-girls Catholic school's yellow-and-white checkered uniforms remained the same, except now the girls are sporting longer skirts. In my day, the length hit mid-knee; but in the Seventies, mini-skirts were key.
American food franchises have full-fledged invaded my old country. When Gege drove us to the hotel, Mike and I were surprised by the amount of U.S. franchises around us. Starbucks, McDonald's and other fast-food joints are a given in almost any country; but in Manila you can find multiple locations of Chili's, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Sbarro's, Outback Steakhouse, Bubba Gump and California Pizza Kitchen, to name a few.
Even our beloved Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf found its way there, even though we can't find one in the States outside of California; we were thrilled and the taste for our favorite lattes was fulfilled on our last day there.
On day one, we quickly got hooked into mobile phone texting. Gege (aka The Best Tour Guide EVER) loaned us her extra phone and suddenly, friends were texting us. Our rusty fingers hit the buttons like it was our first piano lesson -- but we replied back and never stopped. We started using the word "text" as a verb, i.e. "I texted Anthony about meeting up at 9 for drinks." Totally addicted, I felt a rush everytime there was a new message on our phone's inbox.
The text craze has hit every place else but the U.S. My friend Rachel, who moved to London a couple of years ago, is hooked on it too. When she tried explaining how convenient it was, I didn't get it. Now, I do. One afternoon, as we made our way inside a restaurant for some merienda I noticed a table with four people -- all of them with cell phones in hand texting. I guess it was convenient for them to avoid talking to each other. "I'll text you when we get back to L.A.," Mike promised me later that evening.
What hasn't changed is the hospitality of the Filipinos. My friends, some of whom I haven't seen in twenty years, welcomed Mike and I with open arms. We shared stories and jokes, never missing a beat despite those twenty years. They took time off from their busy lives to drive us around and spend time with us. We only had to take a taxi once in the eight days we were in the Philippines thanks to the kindness of friends.
Bloggin' 'Round L.A.
L.A. Observed gets a makeover, as guru Kevin Roderick continues to expand his readership (10,000 hits a day!). Next up: Advertising, as he looks to subsidize the popular site.
Meanwhile, Matt Welch reports that his wife recently wrote about the Pixies reunion for French mag Liberation -- but, to her horror, an editor back in Paris made some harsh tweaks. Pixies frontman Frank Black read the piece, and tracked down Emmanuelle to this Buzznet post, where he criticizes the article.
Rather than getting freaked out about a snippy Frank Black, in her response Emmanuelle takes the high road and remains impressed that the singer found her on the 'Net and even left a comment.
Meanwhile, Matt Welch reports that his wife recently wrote about the Pixies reunion for French mag Liberation -- but, to her horror, an editor back in Paris made some harsh tweaks. Pixies frontman Frank Black read the piece, and tracked down Emmanuelle to this Buzznet post, where he criticizes the article.
Rather than getting freaked out about a snippy Frank Black, in her response Emmanuelle takes the high road and remains impressed that the singer found her on the 'Net and even left a comment.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Joan of Santa Monica
"Law & Order" isn't the only show coming up with storylines "ripped from today's headlines," as they say. The Feb. 27 episode of CBS' "Joan of Arcadia" loosely takes on last year's Santa Monica tragedy, in which 86-year-old George Russell Weller plowed his vehicle through the city's Farmers' Market and killed 10.
In the episode, which takes place in the fictional city of Arcadia (not the one next to Pasadena), Joan's father, chief of police Will Girardi (Joe Mantegna) "finds it difficult not to judge an elderly driver who accidentally hit and killed several people at an outdoor market."
That's the episode's secondary storyline, according to the show's press release. "Joan of Arcadia" airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on CBS.
Then... and Now
As I mentioned below, I finally got to see my family's old Clark Air Base military housing last week after 21 years.
Of course, a lot has changed since the Schneiders left Clark and the Philippines in 1983. For starters, Clark doesn't exist anymore. My elementary school is now a casino. And a simultaneous volcano (Mt. Pinatubo) eruption and typhoon in 1991 destroyed or severely damaged what was once a beautiful base.
But while most former Clark homes sit vacant and empty-- with the jungle slowly reclaiming the land -- our old housing area has been turned into a resort. My family's old house -- actually, part of a 4-plex; military housing, like townhomes, are frequently connected -- has been majorly renovated (a necessity, I'm sure, after the volcano/typhoon wollup) and is now a rental home. And the address sure isn't 930A Masbate anymore.
To try to show some contrast, I took out an old home video from 1982 and snapped some shots of what my house once looked like. (Granted, the images are terribly grainy, but you'll be able to make it out). And I've posted them next to similar shots I took last week when we were there.
So here are some shots...
Front of the house, left side: 1982 and Today
Front of the house and carport: 1982 and Today (We got the left carport, 930B Masbate got the right one.)
Back of the house: 1982 and Today
Masbate Street, looking left: 1982 and Today
Thanks again to Gege, Tuks and Raymund for driving us up there and letting me indulge in a little nostalgia trip. If you want to learn more about the old Clark Air Base, there's a great website set up at Clarkab.org.
Of course, a lot has changed since the Schneiders left Clark and the Philippines in 1983. For starters, Clark doesn't exist anymore. My elementary school is now a casino. And a simultaneous volcano (Mt. Pinatubo) eruption and typhoon in 1991 destroyed or severely damaged what was once a beautiful base.
But while most former Clark homes sit vacant and empty-- with the jungle slowly reclaiming the land -- our old housing area has been turned into a resort. My family's old house -- actually, part of a 4-plex; military housing, like townhomes, are frequently connected -- has been majorly renovated (a necessity, I'm sure, after the volcano/typhoon wollup) and is now a rental home. And the address sure isn't 930A Masbate anymore.
To try to show some contrast, I took out an old home video from 1982 and snapped some shots of what my house once looked like. (Granted, the images are terribly grainy, but you'll be able to make it out). And I've posted them next to similar shots I took last week when we were there.
So here are some shots...
Front of the house, left side: 1982 and Today
Front of the house and carport: 1982 and Today (We got the left carport, 930B Masbate got the right one.)
Back of the house: 1982 and Today
Masbate Street, looking left: 1982 and Today
Thanks again to Gege, Tuks and Raymund for driving us up there and letting me indulge in a little nostalgia trip. If you want to learn more about the old Clark Air Base, there's a great website set up at Clarkab.org.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
More Dangerous: The Philippines, or Variety's Miracle Mile Offices?
Turns out, Variety's offices!
Before we left from the Philippines, more than a few friends and family questioned how safe it might be. After all, the U.S. State Department had issued this warning on January 16:
The terrorist threat to Americans in the Philippines remains high, and the Embassy continues to receive reports of ongoing activities by known terrorist groups. In view of a number of security-related incidents and the possibility of future terrorism, and other violence or criminal activity, Americans traveling to or residing in the Philippines are urged to exercise great caution and maintain heightened security awareness.
However, most of that activity goes on in Mindanao -- the island far, far to the south. We were staying mostly in Manila, with day trips not too far away. So I wasn't concerned, nor was Maria.
And of course, when we got there, we felt completely safe. Security is a part of every day life there -- Guards, all packing guns, inspect you and your packages before entering any building, including shopping centers. Several stores have "male" and "female" entrances -- females' purses are checked, while x-ray wands scope the guys.
I've been more nervous in portions of L.A., such as when we hit pockets of downtown Los Angeles at night. In the end, our Philippines trip went off without a hitch.
Then we got back... and today, while working at Variety's offices, I got caught up in a bomb scare. Authorities evacuated our building after a suspicious package was found in our underground parking lot.
The building was sealed off for two hours, and theories ran wild: Perhaps it was a disgruntled "Blind Date" contestant. Or a hungry actor who didn't get cast in a Spelling TV pilot. (Both production companies are upstairs.)
Nothing came of the threat, and we returned to our desks. Variety lives!
Before we left from the Philippines, more than a few friends and family questioned how safe it might be. After all, the U.S. State Department had issued this warning on January 16:
The terrorist threat to Americans in the Philippines remains high, and the Embassy continues to receive reports of ongoing activities by known terrorist groups. In view of a number of security-related incidents and the possibility of future terrorism, and other violence or criminal activity, Americans traveling to or residing in the Philippines are urged to exercise great caution and maintain heightened security awareness.
However, most of that activity goes on in Mindanao -- the island far, far to the south. We were staying mostly in Manila, with day trips not too far away. So I wasn't concerned, nor was Maria.
And of course, when we got there, we felt completely safe. Security is a part of every day life there -- Guards, all packing guns, inspect you and your packages before entering any building, including shopping centers. Several stores have "male" and "female" entrances -- females' purses are checked, while x-ray wands scope the guys.
I've been more nervous in portions of L.A., such as when we hit pockets of downtown Los Angeles at night. In the end, our Philippines trip went off without a hitch.
Then we got back... and today, while working at Variety's offices, I got caught up in a bomb scare. Authorities evacuated our building after a suspicious package was found in our underground parking lot.
The building was sealed off for two hours, and theories ran wild: Perhaps it was a disgruntled "Blind Date" contestant. Or a hungry actor who didn't get cast in a Spelling TV pilot. (Both production companies are upstairs.)
Nothing came of the threat, and we returned to our desks. Variety lives!
Merienda Time!
(The latest in our series of posts about our trip last week to Manila and the Philippines.)
Of all the traditions in the Philippines, it's probably no surprise -- given our love of food -- that merienda is the one we like best.
Merienda means "snacks," and in the Philippines you'll find yourself having a merienda sometime in the afternoon. And we're not talking chips.
Meriendas might include breads like ensaymada, chicken buns like siopao (very similar to the bao you find at dumsum restaurants), desserts like halo halo (a mix of ice, ice cream, sweet beans and fruit), or a dish like pancit palabok (a variation on the noodle dish pancit). For drink? Calamansi juice, of course. (Calamansi is a small, citrusy lemon/lime fruit found in the islands.)
In our case, it sometimes meant a trip to Jollibee -- the nation's top fast-food joint-- for their spaghetti. (Spaghetti in the Philippines comes with a sweeter sauce, and usually with hot dogs chopped in it. Yum!)
Maria and I both agree our best merienda came the afternoon of our trip up to Clark and Pampanga. On the way back, Gege, Tuks and Raymund took us into the town of San Fernando, where we visited Razon's. The small eatery's specialties are palabok and halo halo. Both are just around P35 (about 70 cents in U.S. currency) but were gooood. (I also kept asking for more and more calamansi to squeeze on top of the palabok. I love calamansi. I'm sure the folks at Razon's are still talking about the day this strange white guy showed up and took all their calamansi.)
Close runner up was our last day of the trip, when Maria and I finally tried the halo-halo from Chowking (a Chinese-Filipino fast food joint, with locations everywhere, and even some in the L.A. area -- which you know we're gonna have to find this weekend!). It's inexpensive, large and filled to the brim.
Merienda -- see, now you have an excuse to snack at work around 3 p.m.!
Of all the traditions in the Philippines, it's probably no surprise -- given our love of food -- that merienda is the one we like best.
Merienda means "snacks," and in the Philippines you'll find yourself having a merienda sometime in the afternoon. And we're not talking chips.
Meriendas might include breads like ensaymada, chicken buns like siopao (very similar to the bao you find at dumsum restaurants), desserts like halo halo (a mix of ice, ice cream, sweet beans and fruit), or a dish like pancit palabok (a variation on the noodle dish pancit). For drink? Calamansi juice, of course. (Calamansi is a small, citrusy lemon/lime fruit found in the islands.)
In our case, it sometimes meant a trip to Jollibee -- the nation's top fast-food joint-- for their spaghetti. (Spaghetti in the Philippines comes with a sweeter sauce, and usually with hot dogs chopped in it. Yum!)
Maria and I both agree our best merienda came the afternoon of our trip up to Clark and Pampanga. On the way back, Gege, Tuks and Raymund took us into the town of San Fernando, where we visited Razon's. The small eatery's specialties are palabok and halo halo. Both are just around P35 (about 70 cents in U.S. currency) but were gooood. (I also kept asking for more and more calamansi to squeeze on top of the palabok. I love calamansi. I'm sure the folks at Razon's are still talking about the day this strange white guy showed up and took all their calamansi.)
Close runner up was our last day of the trip, when Maria and I finally tried the halo-halo from Chowking (a Chinese-Filipino fast food joint, with locations everywhere, and even some in the L.A. area -- which you know we're gonna have to find this weekend!). It's inexpensive, large and filled to the brim.
Merienda -- see, now you have an excuse to snack at work around 3 p.m.!
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Stupid Office Tricks
Irene offers up one:
This is so silly but true... and it's going to drive you crazy!
While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction, and there's nothing you can do about it.
Ugh. It's been driving me nuts all day. Enjoy.
This is so silly but true... and it's going to drive you crazy!
While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction, and there's nothing you can do about it.
Ugh. It's been driving me nuts all day. Enjoy.
Monday, February 16, 2004
A Trip to Memory Lane, a.k.a., Masbate Street
A casino sits where my elementary school once stood.
The theater where I used to catch Saturday afternoon matinees is now a dingy nightclub.
The house I lived in has been turned into a rental unit inside a gated resort community.
Bowling alley where I attended other kids' birthday parties? Torn down.
The jungle -- and various squatters -- has reclaimed the hospital where I was treated for pneumonia.
****
Last Saturday I set foot on Clark Air Base, in the Phillipines province of Pampanga, for the first time in over 20 years.
Of course, it's not Clark Air Base anymore. The American military installation -- where I lived from 1980 to 1983 -- was evacuated on June 10, 1991, when nearby volcano Mt. Pinatubo began to erupt. The U.S. relinquished control of the base soon after.
I wasn't sure I'd ever get a chance to visit again. But then my friend Anthony -- whom I've known since our days at Radford High School in Hawaii -- and his fiancee Candice decided to get married in the Philippines. Both of them now live here, in L.A. But most of her family is still in Manila, while Anthony's parents also hail from there.
It sounded crazy -- we could just celebrate their marriage when they returned here to L.A. And Maria and I had flown to Italy just a few months ago -- were we up for another trip? But the call of nostalgia was just too strong. When else would we have such a good excuse to brave the 17-hour trip?
And it would be a walk down childhood lane for both of us. Maria had last visited the Philippines in 1995, but had not seen several childhood friends in over 20 years. This was a chance for her to reconnect with several old pals.
We found a reasonably priced fare via Cathay Pacific, and headed out the night of Feb. 5. Which means we touched down in Manila the morning of Feb. 7 (gotta love the International Date Line -- for us, Feb. 6 did not exist!) after a brief layover in Hong Kong.
(An aside: While the rest of the world is on to the Bird Flu frenzy, airports in Asia haven't forgotten about last year's SARS mania. Immediately off the planes in both Hong Kong and Manila, workers shot a thermometer towards our foreheads, just to make sure we weren't harboring some illness.)
Maria's childhood friend Gege picked us up at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and kindly ferried us to our hotel in Makati -- the business hub of the Philippines, and one of the cities that make up Metro Manila. We checked in and scored a room on the 26th floor of the Shangri-La hotel, affording us amazing views of the city skyline.
After a quick shower, we hopped down the street to the ultramodern Greenbelt shopping complex. Lots of upscale shopping -- Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, etc. But that wasn't what caught our eye. We stepped off an escalator, and there it was.
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
Now, given the world dominance of Starbucks, we weren't surprised to see one on virtually every corner in Manila. But finding a Coffee Bean, which are hard to locate outside Los Angeles in the U.S., let alone the Philippines, surprised both of us. (And made us feel right at home. We're major proponents of the Bean's White Chocolate Dream and Vanilla Lattes, after all.)
Conveniently, the Greenbelt shopping center also boasts an outdoor church in a grassy courtyard, overlooking Starbucks and several stores. It was Saturday night, so we made like good Catholics and attended Mass.
Later, after dinner (Yellow Cab Pizza -- yum!) and drinks (Oakwood Premier-- where controversial TV host Kris Aquino lives, and near where a non-violent attempted coup took place last year), I headed off to Anthony's bachelor party.
The next day (what? You wanted details? Sorry. On we go.) Gege, her husband Tuks and their pal Raymund went beyond the call of friendship and drove us on the four-lane freeway up to Pampanga, so that I could indulge in some reminiscing.
Clutching a 1986 map of Clark Air Base, and a recent, 2001 color map of the region -- now known as the Clark Special Economic Zone -- I sat in the passenger seat and tried to pinpoint where things once existed.
Today Clark is a surreal place to visit. The Clark Development Corp. has been charged with revitalizing the area, but its use post-U.S. base has been met with mixed results.
Parts of what was once the Air Force's largest base have been converted into resorts; the runways, into an international air field; other buildings, into duty free shopping. But most of Clark is now a ghost town -- one that, in the 12 years since it was abandoned, has slowly been reclaimed by the wilderness.
Blame it partly on Mother Nature. "The Perfect Storm" was child's play compared to what happened in the region that spring of 1991. Long considered harmless, Mt. Pinatubo stunned everyone -- even the most knowledgable of geologists -- when it began to emit puffs of smoke. For weeks, everyone in the region -- including the commanders at Clark Air Base -- sat on edge, not sure what to do. Evacuate? Hope that the danger will pass?
Finally, Pinatubo belched enough ash on June 9, 1991, that the entire Clark Air Base (minus a few "essential personnel" and police needed to secure the base) was dramatically evacuated and sent west to another U.S. installation, Subic Naval Base. (Not an easy feat, considering Clark housed almost 20,000 military people and dependents). Turns out they'd never return. Pinatubo erupted in a firey cloud of ash and rock on June 15 -- and in a horrible bout of coincidence, a major typhoon was approaching the area at the same time. The mix of volcanic ash, torrential downpour and intermittent earthquakes made the place hell on earth. And pretty much hit most of Clark and the surrounding region (Angeles, Macabalat, Dau) hard.
Fast forward 13 years. Countless homes and barracks are hollow shells, windows and fixtures long gone and weeds growing over them. Streets now lead to nowhere. It's stunning to think this was once a bustling American installation.
We entered the front gate, and almost immediately encountered the military cemetery. As a Cub Scout, I'd plant flags there on Veteran's Day. Thousands of U.S. and Filipino vets, mostly from WWII, are buried there. Philippine and American flags fly there side-by-side, the only place in the Philippines other than the U.S. Embassy where an American flag is positioned 365 days a year.
Driving closer to the heart of the base, it all came flooding back to me. There's the Bobbitt Theater -- now a nightclub called "The Forbidden City." The Base Exchange -- which now appears to be a warehouse. And even the walls have disappeared from the large base hospital, now an eerie shell of a building.
We drove closer to my old housing area. Unlike several housing areas, which have been stripped clean and left to rot in the growing jungle, where I used to live is now part of something known as Fontana Leisure Park.
We drove in through the Fontana gate and up to my old street.
An aside: Most of the American-named streets on Clark ("Anderson," "Dyess Highway," etc.) have been renamed after Filipino figures ("Roxas," "Quezon," etc.) But the street I used to live on, Masbate St. -- named after an island in the Philippine Visayan islands -- has now been given a Western name. That's because the streets inside the Fontana Resort are named after European resort towns. Go figure!
First thing I noticed: The houses have been changed. The outside facades have been spruced up. And the houses now serving as rental units inside the Fontana Resort, not all of them were occupied. Actually, it appeared that very few were in use. (But perhaps a random weekend in February isn't a heavy time for the area.)
We stopped on the Street Formerly Known as Masbate. There I saw it. My old house. Although, it was kind of hard to tell. See, houses in military neighborhoods, by design, all look exactly the same. So it's not easy to figure out which one's yours after 20 years.
But this one was it. And people were walking in and out, loading up their truck after a weekend at the resort. They noticed me taking a huge amount of photos. Maria and Gege walked up to the man loading his vehicle and asked if we could peer inside. We did. The layout of the homes had changed, but this was it. I took more photos, and we hopped back in the car.
But as we edged to the other side of the Street Formerly Known as Masbate, I realized I'd made a mistake. There was my old house! Not the one with the people we just met. I'd had my bearings off. This was it. I retraced my steps. Yup, here was the route I'd walk to school. This was the backyard where my friends and I had attempted to build a fort one summer. There was the house next door, where I got stung by a bee for the first and last time in my life. This was the portion of the street where I'd ride my bike. And where I learned to roller skate.
20 years later, the streets seem smaller. Hell, the streets have completely different names. The community where I lived doesn't exist anymore -- it ceased to exist on June 15, 1991. But there it was -- the home where I lived. Still standing.
Links are from other sources -- I haven't had the chance to post many of our photos yet. But start checking out our Franklin Avenue Buzznet site and to the "recent photos" column at right. I'll be posting new trip shots on a daily basis.
And keep reading -- more posts from our Philippines visit to come!
The theater where I used to catch Saturday afternoon matinees is now a dingy nightclub.
The house I lived in has been turned into a rental unit inside a gated resort community.
Bowling alley where I attended other kids' birthday parties? Torn down.
The jungle -- and various squatters -- has reclaimed the hospital where I was treated for pneumonia.
****
Last Saturday I set foot on Clark Air Base, in the Phillipines province of Pampanga, for the first time in over 20 years.
Of course, it's not Clark Air Base anymore. The American military installation -- where I lived from 1980 to 1983 -- was evacuated on June 10, 1991, when nearby volcano Mt. Pinatubo began to erupt. The U.S. relinquished control of the base soon after.
I wasn't sure I'd ever get a chance to visit again. But then my friend Anthony -- whom I've known since our days at Radford High School in Hawaii -- and his fiancee Candice decided to get married in the Philippines. Both of them now live here, in L.A. But most of her family is still in Manila, while Anthony's parents also hail from there.
It sounded crazy -- we could just celebrate their marriage when they returned here to L.A. And Maria and I had flown to Italy just a few months ago -- were we up for another trip? But the call of nostalgia was just too strong. When else would we have such a good excuse to brave the 17-hour trip?
And it would be a walk down childhood lane for both of us. Maria had last visited the Philippines in 1995, but had not seen several childhood friends in over 20 years. This was a chance for her to reconnect with several old pals.
We found a reasonably priced fare via Cathay Pacific, and headed out the night of Feb. 5. Which means we touched down in Manila the morning of Feb. 7 (gotta love the International Date Line -- for us, Feb. 6 did not exist!) after a brief layover in Hong Kong.
(An aside: While the rest of the world is on to the Bird Flu frenzy, airports in Asia haven't forgotten about last year's SARS mania. Immediately off the planes in both Hong Kong and Manila, workers shot a thermometer towards our foreheads, just to make sure we weren't harboring some illness.)
Maria's childhood friend Gege picked us up at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and kindly ferried us to our hotel in Makati -- the business hub of the Philippines, and one of the cities that make up Metro Manila. We checked in and scored a room on the 26th floor of the Shangri-La hotel, affording us amazing views of the city skyline.
After a quick shower, we hopped down the street to the ultramodern Greenbelt shopping complex. Lots of upscale shopping -- Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, etc. But that wasn't what caught our eye. We stepped off an escalator, and there it was.
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
Now, given the world dominance of Starbucks, we weren't surprised to see one on virtually every corner in Manila. But finding a Coffee Bean, which are hard to locate outside Los Angeles in the U.S., let alone the Philippines, surprised both of us. (And made us feel right at home. We're major proponents of the Bean's White Chocolate Dream and Vanilla Lattes, after all.)
Conveniently, the Greenbelt shopping center also boasts an outdoor church in a grassy courtyard, overlooking Starbucks and several stores. It was Saturday night, so we made like good Catholics and attended Mass.
Later, after dinner (Yellow Cab Pizza -- yum!) and drinks (Oakwood Premier-- where controversial TV host Kris Aquino lives, and near where a non-violent attempted coup took place last year), I headed off to Anthony's bachelor party.
The next day (what? You wanted details? Sorry. On we go.) Gege, her husband Tuks and their pal Raymund went beyond the call of friendship and drove us on the four-lane freeway up to Pampanga, so that I could indulge in some reminiscing.
Clutching a 1986 map of Clark Air Base, and a recent, 2001 color map of the region -- now known as the Clark Special Economic Zone -- I sat in the passenger seat and tried to pinpoint where things once existed.
Today Clark is a surreal place to visit. The Clark Development Corp. has been charged with revitalizing the area, but its use post-U.S. base has been met with mixed results.
Parts of what was once the Air Force's largest base have been converted into resorts; the runways, into an international air field; other buildings, into duty free shopping. But most of Clark is now a ghost town -- one that, in the 12 years since it was abandoned, has slowly been reclaimed by the wilderness.
Blame it partly on Mother Nature. "The Perfect Storm" was child's play compared to what happened in the region that spring of 1991. Long considered harmless, Mt. Pinatubo stunned everyone -- even the most knowledgable of geologists -- when it began to emit puffs of smoke. For weeks, everyone in the region -- including the commanders at Clark Air Base -- sat on edge, not sure what to do. Evacuate? Hope that the danger will pass?
Finally, Pinatubo belched enough ash on June 9, 1991, that the entire Clark Air Base (minus a few "essential personnel" and police needed to secure the base) was dramatically evacuated and sent west to another U.S. installation, Subic Naval Base. (Not an easy feat, considering Clark housed almost 20,000 military people and dependents). Turns out they'd never return. Pinatubo erupted in a firey cloud of ash and rock on June 15 -- and in a horrible bout of coincidence, a major typhoon was approaching the area at the same time. The mix of volcanic ash, torrential downpour and intermittent earthquakes made the place hell on earth. And pretty much hit most of Clark and the surrounding region (Angeles, Macabalat, Dau) hard.
Fast forward 13 years. Countless homes and barracks are hollow shells, windows and fixtures long gone and weeds growing over them. Streets now lead to nowhere. It's stunning to think this was once a bustling American installation.
We entered the front gate, and almost immediately encountered the military cemetery. As a Cub Scout, I'd plant flags there on Veteran's Day. Thousands of U.S. and Filipino vets, mostly from WWII, are buried there. Philippine and American flags fly there side-by-side, the only place in the Philippines other than the U.S. Embassy where an American flag is positioned 365 days a year.
Driving closer to the heart of the base, it all came flooding back to me. There's the Bobbitt Theater -- now a nightclub called "The Forbidden City." The Base Exchange -- which now appears to be a warehouse. And even the walls have disappeared from the large base hospital, now an eerie shell of a building.
We drove closer to my old housing area. Unlike several housing areas, which have been stripped clean and left to rot in the growing jungle, where I used to live is now part of something known as Fontana Leisure Park.
We drove in through the Fontana gate and up to my old street.
An aside: Most of the American-named streets on Clark ("Anderson," "Dyess Highway," etc.) have been renamed after Filipino figures ("Roxas," "Quezon," etc.) But the street I used to live on, Masbate St. -- named after an island in the Philippine Visayan islands -- has now been given a Western name. That's because the streets inside the Fontana Resort are named after European resort towns. Go figure!
First thing I noticed: The houses have been changed. The outside facades have been spruced up. And the houses now serving as rental units inside the Fontana Resort, not all of them were occupied. Actually, it appeared that very few were in use. (But perhaps a random weekend in February isn't a heavy time for the area.)
We stopped on the Street Formerly Known as Masbate. There I saw it. My old house. Although, it was kind of hard to tell. See, houses in military neighborhoods, by design, all look exactly the same. So it's not easy to figure out which one's yours after 20 years.
But this one was it. And people were walking in and out, loading up their truck after a weekend at the resort. They noticed me taking a huge amount of photos. Maria and Gege walked up to the man loading his vehicle and asked if we could peer inside. We did. The layout of the homes had changed, but this was it. I took more photos, and we hopped back in the car.
But as we edged to the other side of the Street Formerly Known as Masbate, I realized I'd made a mistake. There was my old house! Not the one with the people we just met. I'd had my bearings off. This was it. I retraced my steps. Yup, here was the route I'd walk to school. This was the backyard where my friends and I had attempted to build a fort one summer. There was the house next door, where I got stung by a bee for the first and last time in my life. This was the portion of the street where I'd ride my bike. And where I learned to roller skate.
20 years later, the streets seem smaller. Hell, the streets have completely different names. The community where I lived doesn't exist anymore -- it ceased to exist on June 15, 1991. But there it was -- the home where I lived. Still standing.
Links are from other sources -- I haven't had the chance to post many of our photos yet. But start checking out our Franklin Avenue Buzznet site and to the "recent photos" column at right. I'll be posting new trip shots on a daily basis.
And keep reading -- more posts from our Philippines visit to come!
Connecting with Lisa McRee
So whatever happened to Lisa McRee, the onetime KABC Eyewitness News anchor who left for the bigger gig as "Good Morning America" co-anchor, only to be canned soon after?
Looks like she's joined the PBS series "California Connected" as the show's new host.
"California Connected" opens its third season this Thursday featuring a roundtable discussion with four former state governors -- Jerry Brown, George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis.
The season premiere, which asks the question "Can California Be Governed?", also includes a McRee interview with Governor Ahnuld.
KCET will air "California Connected" this Thursday, Feb. 19, at 10 p.m. Show is co-produced by KCET, KPBS-San Diego, KQED-San Francisco and KVIE-Sacramento. Pasadena's KPPC-FM will also simulcast the series.
Looks like she's joined the PBS series "California Connected" as the show's new host.
"California Connected" opens its third season this Thursday featuring a roundtable discussion with four former state governors -- Jerry Brown, George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis.
The season premiere, which asks the question "Can California Be Governed?", also includes a McRee interview with Governor Ahnuld.
KCET will air "California Connected" this Thursday, Feb. 19, at 10 p.m. Show is co-produced by KCET, KPBS-San Diego, KQED-San Francisco and KVIE-Sacramento. Pasadena's KPPC-FM will also simulcast the series.
Justice for the Hall of Justice?
Another update on L.A.'s fabled Ghost Towers: The Downtown News checks in on the fate of downtown's Hall of Justice.
The Hall of Justice, of course, has been vacant since the 1994 Northridge earthquake. But until recently, it seemed like all systems were go for a long-overdue rehab of the 14-story Italianate-Beaux Art building, located at Broadway, Temple and Spring Streets.
Writes the paper: "In 2001, a pre-development deal was struck with Urban Partners to form the Hall of Justice Associates. County officials hoped the shuttered landmark would re-open by 2005, but disputes led to the contract's termination last July... The current plan calls for a $127 million renovation, to be funded by a mix of county capital, bonds and FEMA grants."
Originally slated to reopen in 2005, county officials hope to have the building back in operation by 2007 (but that's probably an overly optimistic date).
The Hall of Justice, of course, has been vacant since the 1994 Northridge earthquake. But until recently, it seemed like all systems were go for a long-overdue rehab of the 14-story Italianate-Beaux Art building, located at Broadway, Temple and Spring Streets.
Writes the paper: "In 2001, a pre-development deal was struck with Urban Partners to form the Hall of Justice Associates. County officials hoped the shuttered landmark would re-open by 2005, but disputes led to the contract's termination last July... The current plan calls for a $127 million renovation, to be funded by a mix of county capital, bonds and FEMA grants."
Originally slated to reopen in 2005, county officials hope to have the building back in operation by 2007 (but that's probably an overly optimistic date).
Thursday, February 12, 2004
But is it Good for Burbank?
You gotta love localism. While the world media pondered a potential Comcast/Disney behemoth, the Daily News got to the real question on everyone's mind: How will it affect Burbank?
The answer? "A Comcast takeover of The Walt Disney Co. would strip the Los Angeles region of local control of another corporate giant, but might not have a direct economic impact on the area, analysts said Wednesday."
Whew.
The Daily News ought to rethink which analysts it quotes, however. I don't think I've ever seen a more cheesy or kiss-ass quote in a mainstream newspaper:
"Disneyland and Southern California are synonymouse," said David Sheatsley, vice president of research for LA Inc., the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The italics are the Daily News'. You read that right. Some analyst used the cheesiest Disney pun in the book -- and the Daily News quoted him! I'm surprised the paper didn't go ahead and adopt other Disney terminology, like asking how a merger might affect cast members.
The answer? "A Comcast takeover of The Walt Disney Co. would strip the Los Angeles region of local control of another corporate giant, but might not have a direct economic impact on the area, analysts said Wednesday."
Whew.
The Daily News ought to rethink which analysts it quotes, however. I don't think I've ever seen a more cheesy or kiss-ass quote in a mainstream newspaper:
"Disneyland and Southern California are synonymouse," said David Sheatsley, vice president of research for LA Inc., the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The italics are the Daily News'. You read that right. Some analyst used the cheesiest Disney pun in the book -- and the Daily News quoted him! I'm surprised the paper didn't go ahead and adopt other Disney terminology, like asking how a merger might affect cast members.
Revisiting L.A.'s Ghost Towers
Add this empty Panorama City building to our tally of L.A.'s Ghost Towers.
The 13-story Panorama Towers, at Van Nuys Boulevard and Titus Street, has been empty since the 1994 Northridge quake. The empty shell of a building has become a blight in the neighborhood, leading the city of Los Angeles to fire suit against its owner, the L.A. Times reports:
The lawsuit contends that owner Taghi Shoraka, 60, has failed to maintain a property that is plagued by graffiti, broken windows and barricades that fail to keep out criminals, gang members and vagrants. City officials noted that Shoraka has earned income from the property through the years by renting space on the building's roof to cable companies for satellite equipment.
(Here's our original June post profiling some of L.A.'s Ghost Towers.)
The 13-story Panorama Towers, at Van Nuys Boulevard and Titus Street, has been empty since the 1994 Northridge quake. The empty shell of a building has become a blight in the neighborhood, leading the city of Los Angeles to fire suit against its owner, the L.A. Times reports:
The lawsuit contends that owner Taghi Shoraka, 60, has failed to maintain a property that is plagued by graffiti, broken windows and barricades that fail to keep out criminals, gang members and vagrants. City officials noted that Shoraka has earned income from the property through the years by renting space on the building's roof to cable companies for satellite equipment.
(Here's our original June post profiling some of L.A.'s Ghost Towers.)
An Action Star With No Political Experience? Elected to Public Office? Naaaah!
Presidential campaign season kicked off Tuesday in the Philippines, where movie star Fernando Poe Jr. leads polls at the moment.
Poe, or "FPJ" -- as he's commonly known -- is capitalizing on overall disgruntlement over the administration of current president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Poe has never held public office, but his popularity as a film action hero appears to make him the shoo-in.
An semi-unpopular incumbent? An action star with no political experience in the running? Welcome to California!
Philippine elections take place on May 10.
Poe, or "FPJ" -- as he's commonly known -- is capitalizing on overall disgruntlement over the administration of current president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Poe has never held public office, but his popularity as a film action hero appears to make him the shoo-in.
An semi-unpopular incumbent? An action star with no political experience in the running? Welcome to California!
Philippine elections take place on May 10.
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Dees Sleaze
Bravo to Clear Channel for doing something I hadn't done in years: Want to root for Rick Dees.
As a radio-obsessed kid, I was infatuated with two DJs: My idol, Mr. Casey Kasem, and this L.A. morning DJ I read all about named Rick Dees. I didn't live in LA, but eventually heard him through occassional visits to Los Angeles (when I'd anxiously tune to KIIS-FM to hear first hand what this radio station was all about) and his syndicated countdown show "Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40."
I wanted to be a DJ, and here was the guy with the ultimate gig: Morning jock at the nation's preeminent top 40 radio station.
Eventually, of course, I got older, and my music tastes strayed from top 40 to more adventurous sounds. And my sense of humor matured as well, as I embraced irony.
Radio changed as well. Top 40 stations became harder to program, as music tastes splitered. Clear Channel took over the world, including KIIS.
By the time I arrived in LA, in 1996, I had long moved past my interest in Rick Dees. I just couldn't listen to him. And his popularity had sagged from its height in the 1980s, as newer entries such as Howard Stern, Mark & Brian, the Baka Boyz and Kevin & Bean siphoned the English-speaking LA radio listeners. (The Boyz, of course, are long gone, while Mark & Brian sure aren't the big success they were in the early 90s either.)
But I still respected the guy. Radio is a business that doesn't believe in longevity. Few stay at one station for too long; Dees was at KIIS for 22 years.
Don Barrett, the man behind LARadio.com, which covered the Dees story more extensively than anyone else, quotes Daily Breeze writer Richard Wagoner: "Dees was not the problem with KIIS. You can't get high ratings without having good programming. And you can't have a good morning show and absolutely nothing else as KIIS does right now. What is CCU planning?"
Listen here (at Dees' official website) to hear audio of Dees' final moment on the air this Tuesday.
One final thought: Clear Channel is investing a lot of its future in Ryan Seacrest, who just took over Casey Kasem's slot on "American Top 40" and will now fill Rick Dees' shoes. Stay tuned.
As a radio-obsessed kid, I was infatuated with two DJs: My idol, Mr. Casey Kasem, and this L.A. morning DJ I read all about named Rick Dees. I didn't live in LA, but eventually heard him through occassional visits to Los Angeles (when I'd anxiously tune to KIIS-FM to hear first hand what this radio station was all about) and his syndicated countdown show "Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40."
I wanted to be a DJ, and here was the guy with the ultimate gig: Morning jock at the nation's preeminent top 40 radio station.
Eventually, of course, I got older, and my music tastes strayed from top 40 to more adventurous sounds. And my sense of humor matured as well, as I embraced irony.
Radio changed as well. Top 40 stations became harder to program, as music tastes splitered. Clear Channel took over the world, including KIIS.
By the time I arrived in LA, in 1996, I had long moved past my interest in Rick Dees. I just couldn't listen to him. And his popularity had sagged from its height in the 1980s, as newer entries such as Howard Stern, Mark & Brian, the Baka Boyz and Kevin & Bean siphoned the English-speaking LA radio listeners. (The Boyz, of course, are long gone, while Mark & Brian sure aren't the big success they were in the early 90s either.)
But I still respected the guy. Radio is a business that doesn't believe in longevity. Few stay at one station for too long; Dees was at KIIS for 22 years.
Don Barrett, the man behind LARadio.com, which covered the Dees story more extensively than anyone else, quotes Daily Breeze writer Richard Wagoner: "Dees was not the problem with KIIS. You can't get high ratings without having good programming. And you can't have a good morning show and absolutely nothing else as KIIS does right now. What is CCU planning?"
Listen here (at Dees' official website) to hear audio of Dees' final moment on the air this Tuesday.
One final thought: Clear Channel is investing a lot of its future in Ryan Seacrest, who just took over Casey Kasem's slot on "American Top 40" and will now fill Rick Dees' shoes. Stay tuned.
Monday, February 9, 2004
Tips 4 Tunes
Our pal Shawn Amos, a supremely cool guy and talented singer/songwriter, has a pretty strong website set up; one of the main features is a new song download each month.
Shawn puts the song out there and simply asks that you pay what you'd like. This month's selection is the acoustic demo "Sugarsweet," which the website notes, was "recorded in Shawn's bedroom one angry afternoon in 2001."
We've caught Shawn and his band, Uncle Tom, several times; it's the kind of show where sitting down and drinking a beer is mandatory. Unfortunately, his only February show is in Memphis, at Rhodes College, on the 27th.
Shawn puts the song out there and simply asks that you pay what you'd like. This month's selection is the acoustic demo "Sugarsweet," which the website notes, was "recorded in Shawn's bedroom one angry afternoon in 2001."
We've caught Shawn and his band, Uncle Tom, several times; it's the kind of show where sitting down and drinking a beer is mandatory. Unfortunately, his only February show is in Memphis, at Rhodes College, on the 27th.
Sunday, February 8, 2004
Rate-A-Restaurant, #33 in a series
Restaurant: Blair's
Location: 2903 Rowena Ave.
Type of restaurant: American
They stipulated: Make a reservation.
What we ordered: We shared the macaroni and cheese with black truffles for appetizers; spanish big eye tuna with hominy ragout for Mike and the sea bass with I-forgot for Maria.
High point: We didn't have to wait too long because of our reservation (I hate when they make you wait for a half hour even if you've already made reservations). The wine list is not extensive but it's put together very well and the tables in the dining area are spaced out comfortably.
Low point: Waiting in the small bar area (it was raining outside) and feeling like you are an unwelcomed third wheel to a table for two. Also, didn't have a chance to try out any of the delicious desserts listed.
Overall impression: Seems like there was a lot of thought put into this restaurant and good, high-quality food is their mission. Their wine selections seem to have been made with the menu in mind. The tuna with hominy ragout had a nice blend of flavors for the palate while the sea bass may be a little too buttery for me -- maybe it was because the richness of the mac and cheese with black truffles was enough decadence for one night.
Chance we will go back: It's in the neighborhood and I'd like to try something else plus dessert.
Location: 2903 Rowena Ave.
Type of restaurant: American
They stipulated: Make a reservation.
What we ordered: We shared the macaroni and cheese with black truffles for appetizers; spanish big eye tuna with hominy ragout for Mike and the sea bass with I-forgot for Maria.
High point: We didn't have to wait too long because of our reservation (I hate when they make you wait for a half hour even if you've already made reservations). The wine list is not extensive but it's put together very well and the tables in the dining area are spaced out comfortably.
Low point: Waiting in the small bar area (it was raining outside) and feeling like you are an unwelcomed third wheel to a table for two. Also, didn't have a chance to try out any of the delicious desserts listed.
Overall impression: Seems like there was a lot of thought put into this restaurant and good, high-quality food is their mission. Their wine selections seem to have been made with the menu in mind. The tuna with hominy ragout had a nice blend of flavors for the palate while the sea bass may be a little too buttery for me -- maybe it was because the richness of the mac and cheese with black truffles was enough decadence for one night.
Chance we will go back: It's in the neighborhood and I'd like to try something else plus dessert.
Thursday, February 5, 2004
Thank You, Janet
The broadcast media just won't let Nipplegate, Boobgate or whatever you wanna call it ("Strange-Solar-Like-Medallion-Pierced-Through-Janet-Jackson's-Nipple-Exposed-By-A-Scruffy-Justin-Timberlake-Gate") die... as witnessed by the sudden flurry of interview requests showing up on my desk.
As you regular readers know by now, I'm kind of a TV appearance whore. It's fun. My mom, dad and sisters get to see me on TV. I get to toy with my dream of one day being a TV host. (I know, dare to dream.)
So thanks to Ms. Jackson (whose chief crime that day, I believe, was dusting off the 15-year-old song "Rhythm Nation." I didn't care much for that song in 1989, and it still grates now), I've appeared twice on KABC in the past week (as Joe notes, I oughta ask for one of those "7" pins) and was interviewed this morning by...
OK, officially call me a sell-out. Maria did last night. Go ahead, say it. "Mike is a sellout."
... "On-Air With Ryan Seacrest."
What??!!?? Mike's unofficial nemesis? Hey, gimmie a break. They actually do more extensive entertainment pieces then some (ahem) real news organizations I know out there.
Anyway, my brush with Ryan (who I still haven't met; someone else did the interviewing) is moot anyway. The piece featuring me was bumped in today's show to make room for an on-air phone call from *Nsync crooner J.C. Chasez.
Chasez was dumped from the Pro Bowl halftime after the NFL apparently instituted a no-solo-singers-from-boy-bands rule post-Timberlake.
Meanwhile, the Nipplegate insanity doesn't stop: Laguna Beach High School officials canceled plans to allow MTV to film a reality show on campus. Parents were fine with it before Sunday -- but are now angry, Angry! at MTV.
UPDATE: Believe it or not, I'll be on KABC-ABC7 again this evening, on the 5:30 p.m. Eyewitness News telecast, chatting with Miriam Hernandez about the chilling effect of Nipplegate. Three appearances in a week -- two more, and I believe I get a free Doppler 7000.
As you regular readers know by now, I'm kind of a TV appearance whore. It's fun. My mom, dad and sisters get to see me on TV. I get to toy with my dream of one day being a TV host. (I know, dare to dream.)
So thanks to Ms. Jackson (whose chief crime that day, I believe, was dusting off the 15-year-old song "Rhythm Nation." I didn't care much for that song in 1989, and it still grates now), I've appeared twice on KABC in the past week (as Joe notes, I oughta ask for one of those "7" pins) and was interviewed this morning by...
OK, officially call me a sell-out. Maria did last night. Go ahead, say it. "Mike is a sellout."
... "On-Air With Ryan Seacrest."
What??!!?? Mike's unofficial nemesis? Hey, gimmie a break. They actually do more extensive entertainment pieces then some (ahem) real news organizations I know out there.
Anyway, my brush with Ryan (who I still haven't met; someone else did the interviewing) is moot anyway. The piece featuring me was bumped in today's show to make room for an on-air phone call from *Nsync crooner J.C. Chasez.
Chasez was dumped from the Pro Bowl halftime after the NFL apparently instituted a no-solo-singers-from-boy-bands rule post-Timberlake.
Meanwhile, the Nipplegate insanity doesn't stop: Laguna Beach High School officials canceled plans to allow MTV to film a reality show on campus. Parents were fine with it before Sunday -- but are now angry, Angry! at MTV.
UPDATE: Believe it or not, I'll be on KABC-ABC7 again this evening, on the 5:30 p.m. Eyewitness News telecast, chatting with Miriam Hernandez about the chilling effect of Nipplegate. Three appearances in a week -- two more, and I believe I get a free Doppler 7000.
40 Mile Drive
L.A. Times reporter Bob Pool writes about his recent drive down all 40 miles of Sepulveda Blvd. -- a complete drive, he notes, that few actually ever take.
Notes Pool: Stretching 40 miles between Long Beach and the San Fernando Valley's Mission Hills, Sepulveda Boulevard also is considered the longest street in the county.
As it meanders from the mountains toward the sea and from leafy suburbs through the region's most robust industrial area, it also passes through some of the most diverse sections of the county.
Notes Pool: Stretching 40 miles between Long Beach and the San Fernando Valley's Mission Hills, Sepulveda Boulevard also is considered the longest street in the county.
As it meanders from the mountains toward the sea and from leafy suburbs through the region's most robust industrial area, it also passes through some of the most diverse sections of the county.
Wednesday, February 4, 2004
Dees-Nied
It may have been part of a larger contractural power play with Clear Channel. Or just a plain, cheesy radio stunt.
In the end, it was probably a mix of the two. Either way, KIIS-FM morning man Rick Dees had hyped for days a big, "life-changing" announcement that he'd reveal this morning.
His reveal? KIIS-FM would move, along with Clear Channel's other L.A. radio properties, into new studios.
Everybody together: "Whaaaaa?"
That's the "life-changing" announcement? Something those of us who pay attention to radio have already known for months?
My sense is Dees has been playing with Clear Channel all along in promoting this "life-changing" stunt. Nothing's changed: His contract is still up later this year. He's still involved in some pretty hairy negotiations with the company. Clear Channel still wants to slash his salary (a pretty hefty salary, I might add).
But Dees managed to send a message to the company: Look at all the press I got after hinting I might quit. So don't be so hasty in grooming Ryan Seacrest for the gig.
Of course, this Dees stunt doesn't exactly endear him to some people who might care about his retirement. Like the boy who cried wolf, will we summon up more energy when he really does leave? (And by the way, where there's smoke, there's fire -- something's going on here. We just don't know what it is yet.)
Or. as Dees' morning rivals Kevin & Bean said this morning, is he simply all hype and no substance?
In the end, it was probably a mix of the two. Either way, KIIS-FM morning man Rick Dees had hyped for days a big, "life-changing" announcement that he'd reveal this morning.
His reveal? KIIS-FM would move, along with Clear Channel's other L.A. radio properties, into new studios.
Everybody together: "Whaaaaa?"
That's the "life-changing" announcement? Something those of us who pay attention to radio have already known for months?
My sense is Dees has been playing with Clear Channel all along in promoting this "life-changing" stunt. Nothing's changed: His contract is still up later this year. He's still involved in some pretty hairy negotiations with the company. Clear Channel still wants to slash his salary (a pretty hefty salary, I might add).
But Dees managed to send a message to the company: Look at all the press I got after hinting I might quit. So don't be so hasty in grooming Ryan Seacrest for the gig.
Of course, this Dees stunt doesn't exactly endear him to some people who might care about his retirement. Like the boy who cried wolf, will we summon up more energy when he really does leave? (And by the way, where there's smoke, there's fire -- something's going on here. We just don't know what it is yet.)
Or. as Dees' morning rivals Kevin & Bean said this morning, is he simply all hype and no substance?
Tuesday, February 3, 2004
Downtown in Lights
Neon has returned to Downtown's Broadway, the L.A. Downtown news illuminates.
Home to one of the nation's largest concentrations of classic movie palaces, Broadway is slowly regaining some of its luster, staring with the restoration of the Los Angeles and Palace theater neon signs.
Says the paper: The relighting is the latest turn in an ongoing effort to revive Broadway, whose collection of historic theaters once served as the epicenter of nighttime entertainment in Los Angeles. The neon was installed under the auspices of the LUMENS (Living Urban Museum of Electric and Neon Signs) project, a city-funded drive to relight local historic signage.
"We'd like this to be the beginning of a relighting of all of the Historic Core," said Kim Koga, who manages LUMENS and is also the director of the Downtown-based Museum of Neon Art.
Home to one of the nation's largest concentrations of classic movie palaces, Broadway is slowly regaining some of its luster, staring with the restoration of the Los Angeles and Palace theater neon signs.
Says the paper: The relighting is the latest turn in an ongoing effort to revive Broadway, whose collection of historic theaters once served as the epicenter of nighttime entertainment in Los Angeles. The neon was installed under the auspices of the LUMENS (Living Urban Museum of Electric and Neon Signs) project, a city-funded drive to relight local historic signage.
"We'd like this to be the beginning of a relighting of all of the Historic Core," said Kim Koga, who manages LUMENS and is also the director of the Downtown-based Museum of Neon Art.
Monday, February 2, 2004
Mike the Media Pundit Whore
Yup, I'm back on KABC - ABC7 tonight, as "Eyewitness News" asks for my take on the Janet Jackson Super Bowl Breast-Bearing Halftime Extravaganza.
Didn't get an airtime, but I'm assuming it will be on the 4, 5 and/or 6 p.m. telecasts. America breathlessly awaits my take on such a dire matter.
For the record, regardless of whether the boob flash was planned or not, it's bad timing for the industry. Already on Indecency Watch -- thank you, election year! -- this now gives the FCC and politicians ammunition to do a little good ol' fashioned, risk-free media bashing.
Gray Davis' Next Move
Hell, if Arnold Schwarzenegger can become governor, then Gray Davis had no choice but to take up acting.
As part of his Image Rejuvenation Campaign, Davis has filmed a guest role for an upcoming episode of CBS' "Yes, Dear."
The episode takes place in downtown L.A. at the Staples Center, where lead characters Greg (Anthony Clark) and Jimmy (Mike O'Malley) wind up in the Lakers' owners box with their fathers (Jerry Van Dyke, Tim Conway).
Conway's character strikes up a conversation with Davis, which turns ugly after Davis refuses to drink from the same soda can as Conway. Conway then makes a crack about how Davis managed California -- and the two end up brawling.
"Part of the comedy is, here is the moment Gray Davis finally snaps," executive producer Alan Kirschenbaum said.
There's a lesson in here for all of you out-of-work actors and actresses: Get recalled by popular vote from state office.
As part of his Image Rejuvenation Campaign, Davis has filmed a guest role for an upcoming episode of CBS' "Yes, Dear."
The episode takes place in downtown L.A. at the Staples Center, where lead characters Greg (Anthony Clark) and Jimmy (Mike O'Malley) wind up in the Lakers' owners box with their fathers (Jerry Van Dyke, Tim Conway).
Conway's character strikes up a conversation with Davis, which turns ugly after Davis refuses to drink from the same soda can as Conway. Conway then makes a crack about how Davis managed California -- and the two end up brawling.
"Part of the comedy is, here is the moment Gray Davis finally snaps," executive producer Alan Kirschenbaum said.
There's a lesson in here for all of you out-of-work actors and actresses: Get recalled by popular vote from state office.
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