Yikes

Dow Jones, down 777 points. What happens next? LAist has a roundup of which local House members voted yes, and which ones voted no, Monday on the bailout bill. You might wanna ask them...

Ye Expanded Rustic Inn

(Flickr pic by Uh...Bob.)

Fans of Sunday morning Bloody Marys in Los Feliz, good news: Reader Craig reports that Ye Rustic Inn is looking to expand.

He writes:

The notice says the bar wants to add 500 square feet to its patio, and 1,180 square feet to its interior. The patio hours would be 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thur., 6 a.m.-midnight Fri.-Sat.

The zoning board hearing will be Oct. 2 at 10:30 a.m., if yer interested.

BTW, if you're hanging out at Ye Rustic Inn's patio at 6 a.m., you may need some help. Just sayin.

Don't Let the Pigeon Go To LACMA

If you have kids in the 3- to 6-year-old range, surely you're familiar with the works of Mo Willems.

If not, get thee to a library or book store quickly. Willems' different book series have become a favorite of the Blogger Preschooler. Evan has delighted to best pals Elephant & Piggie, the mischievous Pigeon, and the relatable Knuffle Bunny (and Knuffle Bunny Too).

Now, bring your tykes to LACMA on Sunday, Oct. 12. Yet another Willems creation, "Leonardo the Terrible Monster," will be re-created by actors, reciting the parts.

In case you're not familiar with the book:

Leonardo is truly a terrible monster—terrible at being a monster, that is. Despite his best efforts, he can't seem to frighten anyone. But when he discovers the perfect nervous little boy, will Leonardo finally scare the tuna salad out of him? Or will he think of something even better?

Event takes place at 3 p.m. on Oct. 12 at LACMA's North Piazza. Best part: It's free. So even if it's not as cool as it sounds, no matter: You took your kid to the museum. Bonus parenting points for you.

Mel's Diner Reopens for Business

Now that my friend and one-time co-worker Melissa Grego has moved over to Broadcasting & Cable, she's resurrecting her old Mel's Diner blog.

Like she did back at TV Week, Melissa will take bigtime TV execs out to lunch and mi industry dish with restaurant info.

First up, Melissa takes Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly out to Blue on Blue at the Avalon Hotel. Discussion focuses on Fox's fall, but the topic eventually turns to how unhealthy those top-level jobs can be:

Kevin also does his best to eat healthy. “You can shove a lot of stuff in your face out of the stress,” he says.

And booze?

“No, I drink as much as possible,” he says, laughing. “I try not to have hard alcohol before lunch. But I really do wonder about the old-school way of drinking. I don’t know how they ever did it—though I’m tempted some days. It’s fun till about 3:30 when you crash.”

With all this talk about not indulging, I was surprised that Kevin knew all about the desserts at this place. He orders chocolate chip cookies and a fruit plate with honey for us to share.

He has started coming here pretty often, though he didn’t know about it until he joined Fox last summer. The Avalon Hotel, at the corner of Olympic and Cañon in Beverly Hills, is a quick ride over from Fox in Century City.

“If you want some semblance of creative thinking, sometimes it’s just a matter of sitting by the pool for a couple of hours,” he says.

Next up, Melissa will be dining with "The Girls Next Door" exec producer Kevin Burns.

Fox Reality Channel Awards Not Quite a Kato-strophy

I've been a bad blogger recently. There I was last week at the Fox Reality Channel awards show -- known as the "Reallys" -- and I didn't blog about it.

Well, I suppose I partly avoided it because a producer hopped on stage to warn everyone in the house not to blog about it. But he meant the actual awards, and what transpired on stage. But beyond that, I can tell you that it was quite the surreal scene.

I showed up solo at the event, held last Wednesday at the Avalon in Hollywood, but quickly ran into some familiar faces from both the channel and "Gimme My Reality Show" (premieres Oct. 11, FYI). As a matter of fact, the production company behind "Gimme," Natural 9, were also producing the Reallys.


(Pic by Ben Mandelker.)

You couldn't shake a stick without hitting some D-list reality royalty at the Avalon's Spider Club pre-show. Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth the Bounty Hunter Wife were there. Our faves, "Flipping Out's" Jeff Lewis, Jenni and Ryan. "Celebrity Rehab" trainwreck Jeff Conaway (with cane), Hugh Hefner and his Girls Next Door, and of course, my new pal Kato Kaelin. And hundreds more.


(Pic by Ben Mandelker.)

Inside, I sat next to some of the "Gimme" stars -- Kato, Susan Olsen, Traci Bingham. And Susan sat next to the one and only Greg Brady, Barry Williams. Yes, Brady royalty up in the house.

I also ran into the B-Side Blog's Ben Mandelker. I haven't done justice to the event -- but Ben does in his recap:

I felt like I were in my own unique version of Survivor, except instead of being stranded on an island, I was adrift in a sea of reality stars. Yes, there were oodles of reality stars lined up for the red carpet. I have to admit I didn't recognize a good chunk of them because they mostly seemed to hail from those VH1 Flavor of Love spin-offs and whatnot. Basically, everyone looked like a porn star. And yes, there were actual porn stars present too.

Check out more of his post here. The Fox Reality Channel "Really Awards" air Saturday, Oct. 11 at 10 p.m.

100 Years of Philippe's The Original

(Flickr pic by mseratt99.)

Mark Oct. 6 in your calendar -- it's time to celebrate the centennial of one of L.A.'s oldest restaurants, Philippe the Original.

For the day, prices will be rolled back to TEN CENTS for a sandwich.

It's gonna be a madhouse. But hey, you'll be able to say you were there. Here are the details:

The historic Los Angeles restaurant will celebrate their 100th anniversary and for one day only, on Monday, October 6th, 2008 from 4-8pm, Philippe’s will offer its renowned French Dip sandwiches, available in delicious roast beef, lean ham, tasty turkey, succulent leg of lamb and juicy roast pork at the original price of 10-cents. A cup of their famous 10-cent coffee will sell for five cents.

Three generations of family members who own Philippe’s, famed Los Angeles Dodger peanut vendor Roger Owens, the USC Marching Band, Harpo the Clown, comedian Howard Dover, and the Perfect Gentlemen Accapella Group will all be in attendance to entertain and celebrate.

They are located at 1001 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Check out all of our posts on Philippe's -- including the debate over who invented the French Dip, Philippe's or P.E. Cole's -- here.

L.A. Observed Meets and Greets the L.A. Journo Crowd

LA Observed's Kevin Roderick gathered a mix of local journalists, media types and bloggers Thursday night to celebrate the conclusion of the site's script project.

The event, held on the roof balcony of West Hollywood's famed Formosa Cafe, also marked L.A. Observed's fifth anniversary.

I was only able to stay about an hour -- wanted to get home in time to tuck in Blogger Preschooler -- but still had a chance to make some rounds and catch up with several local bloggers and others.



Among those I had a chance to chat with: Carolyn Kellogg, who moved back to L.A. this summer and has been blogging at the L.A. Times' "Jacket Copy" site; Darleene Powells; Eric Lynxwiler; Bob Timmermann; my former Variety colleague (now at W) Gabriel Snyder; Pat Saperstein; David Markland; and many others.

Were you there? Wish I could have met more folks -- but Roderick is hinting at more events like this in the future, so perhaps I'll see you there!

Two of My Favorite Things: In-N-Out Burger and Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert name checks In-N-Out this week on the Sept. 19 edition of "The Colbert Report."

FRANKLIN AVENUE CONTEST: Last Chance for Free County Fair/Filter Concert/FMX Championships

Blogger Preschooler didn't get a chance to pick a winner this morning, so you have a little more time to enter our latest contest: Free tix to the closing weekend of the LA County Fair -- including additional tix to the FMX Championships and Filter Concert. Prize pack also includes Maxell DHP-II Full Size Headphones.

Not bad -- but you gotta email now -- franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Event takes place Saturday, Sept. 27 -- Filter performs at 7:30, and the LG World Championships of FMX starts at 8.

Conflicting Messages for Motorists out of Sacramento

Let's get this straight:

The Governatorhas signed a bill outlawing texting or reading your wireless device while driving:

He signed legislation banning drivers from sending, writing or reading messages on electronic devices starting in January.

Two months ago, drivers were barred from talking on cell phones except with hands-free devices.

“Building on legislation already helping save lives in California,” said Schwarzenegger in a press release, “I am happy to sign this bill because it further encourages safe and responsible driving.”

The bill, SB 28 by Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), imposes a $20 fine for a first offense and $50 fine for each subsequent violation.

We're all guilty of doing this -- well, I, ahem, have been known to check my email on the road. BUT, always at a red light. Does this outlaw that too? I guess it's hard to make a distinction between driving while texting and idling while texting. And I reluctantly agree, this is a good idea, and will prevent many a fender bender.

So....

It's mighty confusing to read that state legislators are mulling a plan that would cause bigtime freeway distractions, cause traffic jams and perhaps even accidents.

The difference: The Driving-While-Texting industry doesn't have much sway in Sacramento. The outdoor advertising industry, on the other hand, has become BFFs with lawmakers in recent years.



In this case, outdoor advertisers have proposed new, colorful LED freeway signs. The catch? They want to use the billboards for advertising in between Amber Alerts and Caltrans messages. The skinny:

The money-making scheme, already broached to federal officials who allocate highway funds, would allow businesses to post ads on California's 674 electronic roadside message boards.

State officials figure the cash-strapped highway fund could make millions by allowing ads when the signs are not in use for emergencies.

But some traffic safety advocates say the potential revenue is not worth the costs of tempting drivers to take their eyes off the road.

"The biggest issue with digital billboards is they are enormously distracting to motorists," said Kevin E. Fry, a traffic safety advocate and longtime billboard opponent.

Others express concern that ads would add visual blight and change the purpose of a system meant to save children and help drivers.

The idea for the signs came from Clear Channel Outdoor, a billboard company that potentially stands to gain from the proposal.

Aha, Clear Channel. Why am I not surprised?

Tonight's Letterman Attack on McCain

Wow -- David Letterman at his finest. Watch it now, before someone yanks it off YouTube.

FRANKLIN AVENUE CONTEST: FMX Party Pack

Freestyle Motorcross World Championships, a Filter concert and admission to the LA County Fair. Sounds like a cool way to spend Saturday, Sept. 27.

And how about doing it all for free? We're giving out a prize pack, courtesy the fine folks at Fanscape, that includes:

A pair of tickets to FMX (Filter concert) and complimentary admission to the LA County Fair on September 27th, Two Action Sports Tour t-shirts, Two program guides and Two Maxell DHP-II Full Size Headphones.

Email us RIGHT NOW at the franklin_avenue at yahoo address, and tell us your favorite fall time activity to do in L.A. (besides the Fair, since obviously you're game if you're emailing us). You have until midnight... and then the Blogger Preschooler will choose a winner Thursday morning.

Details about this Saturday's event:

The LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross features the world's top pro-riders battling it out in head-to-head competition for the 2008 World Championship title. With more than $100,000 in prize money at stake, all eyes will be on Nate Adams who will try to recapture the title that was taken from him last year by Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg. Athletes include X Games gold medal winners Mike Mason, Jeremy Lusk, and Mat Rebeaud.

Don’t miss your chance to see these amazing world-class athletes compete along with a musical performance from Filter.

Los Angeles County Fair, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, CA 91768

Tickets for the LG World Championships of Freestyle Motocross and the Filter concert are on sale right now at the Pomona Fairplex Box Office, via all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 213-480-3232 to charge by phone.

Everyone Gangs Up on Los Angeles

Our constantly misunderstood and stereotyped city has been suffering even more knocks -- mostly unfair -- as of late.

A few recent slights:

-- According to the L.A. Times blog L.A. Land, Los Angeles is ranked far behind other major cities in terms of sustainability -- even behind Cleveland, Omaha and Dallas:

According to the 2008 SustainLane U.S. City Rankings, which rate the nation’s 50 largest cities in terms of urban sustainability, Los Angeles is behind those cities … and 21 others as well.

The city fell three spots from last year. Why? Well, one clue come from the fact that rankings are based on factors including air quality, roadway congestion, sprawl and housing affordability.

The study blames L.A. suburbia for auto-dependence, heavy freeway congestion, and the second-worst worst air quality (behind Fresno) in the nation.

-- Over at the L.A. Times blog L.A. Now, reporter Patrick McGreevy notes that the Northern California state congressional race pitting Thousand Oaks' Tom McClintock against Charlie Brown (good grief!) is getting nasty -- and L.A. is being used as a slur:

Democratic candidate Charlie Brown is running radio ads in the 4th District near Sacramento, attacking Republican contender Tom McClintock as "this guy from L.A."

Though part of Brown’s point is that McClintock, who represents a district in SoCal, is carpetbagging, there's a definite anti-L.A. tone in the commercials.

Chides the ad: "L.A. Tom could vote for himself if he would just move here."

Just one problem -- McClintock's from Thousand Oaks, a quiet little city far from the mean streets of Los Angeles.

-- Then there's Forbes' list of the nation's most stressful metro areas. L.A. placed fourth, behind Chicago, New York and Detroit.

I suppose we're in good company -- but as L.A. Land notes, Forbes' reasoning is a tad suspect:

Unemployment, home prices and gas prices were among the reasons given for L.A.'s placement, as well as having what Forbes called "the worst air quality in the country." In fact, they went on to explain, "Angelenos often need to stay indoors when the smog gets really bad." Say what? A show of hands please.

Apparently the Forbes reporter climbed through a time warp to 1965 to deliver that report.

MIKE ON TV: One Last Emmy Mention

This CNN interview was actually done a few days before the Emmys, so no mention here of how badly the reality TV hosts flopped while emceeing this year's ceremony. But a number of you have mentioned that you caught me on CNN the other day... so here it is. Marvel as I sprint past the big Variety sign!

Worst Emmys Ever

That seems to be the collective reaction to last night's Primetime Emmy Awards -- yikes was it bad. As usual, I was backstage in the deadline press room, writing up an analysis piece as it happened.

Check out Variety's full Emmy coverage here.

My thoughts: No more lip service, the TV academy needs to overhaul this thing. Create a new longform Emmys ceremony, for starters -- and perhaps televise it on HBO. That will free up some time for the awards show to add more entertaining elements and not just go from category to category.

Another thing: Comedians should always host. The end. Reality hosts' strong suits -- keeping a show moving and blending into the scenery -- doesn't work for an awards show, where spontaneous, improved humor is a must.

And please, no more half-assed looking back at the past. Either make it a truly big, memorable moment, or stick with honoring what's great about TV now. (That "Laugh-In" bit probably looked great on paper, but was such a disaster that it's probably ruined people's fond memories of that groundbreaking show.)

My pal Tim Goodman has even more ideas in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Now that you've given director Louis J. Horvitz (yet another) Emmy, it's time to fire him. He certainly bears a great deal of the blame here.

It's also time to fire pretty much everybody with their name in the credits last night. Listen, when the people you're honoring are making fun of how god-awful the event is, you are past due on change.

You should view last night's effort as a cry for help from the people inside the industry. They knew it was bad almost immediately. They talked about how inept the writing was and how the pacing rushed off the actors and writers normal folks actually tune in to see and hear. Your inability to fix the Emmys when year after year critics tell you how broke the thing is can no longer be tolerated.

For the love of God and all things entertaining, flush out the old guard and bring in some new blood. Last night was the nadir. Last night your cluelessness was mocked by the people you were trying to celebrate. Open your eyes - they were directing those jabs at you. Maybe they thought that by admitting - live on television - how bad the show was that maybe you'd fix it. Whatever cache the Emmys had evaporated last night.

If you value these awards, come out of the bunker and blow the thing to pieces and restart. Otherwise you might as well just put on the People's Choice Awards or the Billboard Awards or something equally pathetic.

Embrace change. And start now. No, really, right now.

But first, take out full page ads in Daily Variety, the Hollywood Reporter and Television Week - and apologize. To the industry. And to viewers.

Retro Friday: Pirate Edition

In honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, I bring you the trailer to... "The Pirate Movie"! Anyone who watched HBO in the early 1980s remembers this 1982 (alleged) comedy/musical, starring... Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol!

"Pirate Movie" was part of that late 1970s/early 1980s attempt to revive the movie musical in the wake of "Grease's" mega success. Mostly though, the studios came up with this and "Xanadu."

Last Chance for Half-Off Groceries

Today's the last day to raid the West Hollywood Pavilion's supermarket for half-off groceries, KTLA reports.

I gotta imagine most of the good stuff is already gone. But hey, you might wanna check. Pavilions is building a new store on the property, which wont open until next year.

Park(ing) Day LA Returns Today

Hundreds of parking spots will morph into impromptu micro-parks today, as the second Park(ing) Day LA gets underway.

Parking spots -- with meters constantly fed -- will be filled with plants and other items up and down Wilshire, among other spots.

The goal? To remind the city that Los Angeles "significantly lacks adequate & accessible open space, urban parks, plazas and civic centers":

While the recent development of such parks as the LA Historic State Park, Rio de Los Angeles State Park, Baldwin Hills Conservancy & Audubon Center at Debs Park are enthusiastically applauded, Park[ing] Day LA hopes to further celebrate the momentum of providing additional parks & open space throughout Los Angeles – especially as it relates to smaller, more infill opportunities to enhance the public realm with the benefit of recreation, landscape, habitat and opportunities to cool the City with increased canopy coverage.

Check out the event's blog here.

Name The Mystery Band at Wilshire and Fairfax

Reader Joanna needs our help. Who was that mystery band performing near LACMA? She writes:

I thought you might be able to help me figure out what I was hearing from the open windows of my apartment tonight. I live right at Wilshire and Fairfax, and between 9 and 10 tonight there was some sort of (very loud) live concert going on...but where? And who? I recognized one of the songs from Indie and KROQ, but unfortunately don't know who sings it (nor can I figure out any of the lyrics to Google it). Thirty minutes of internet searches haven't helped. Do you have any clue what was going on here tonight?

Afraid I don't. Anyone?

License Plate of the Day: Zombie Edition

Thanks to Chris Nichols for this one: Just in time for Halloween, it's braains!

(Chris was also behind our last License Plate of the Day, "I (heart) TV.")

Finding the Best Pizza in Los Angeles

(Photo by Julie Wolfson/LAist)

LAist has just proclaimed the best pizza slice in Los Angeles: Vito's Pizza on La Cienega.

Definitely a good choice -- check out our Rate-A-Restaurant review here.

For best overall pizza, we still have to go with Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock. For best slice in our area, we might gravitate toward Brownstone Pizzeria, also in Eagle Rock.

Where do you guys go to find the best slice in L.A.?

Stephanie Edwards Accepts KTLA's Rose

Good news for Stephanie Edwards fans: According to the L.A. Times, the host will be back alongside Bob Eubanks on next year's coverage of the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Edwards, of course, was demoted in 2006 and replaced by "KTLA Morning News" anchor Michaela Pereira. The paper writes:

“The people at the station thought it was a great idea, and Stephanie thought it was a great idea,” said station spokesman Paul Nichols.

She will be reunited with co-host Bob Eubanks for the parade.

KTLA was heavily criticized in 2006 when the then-63-year-old Edwards was replaced in the broadcast booth by KTLA Morning News co-anchor Michaela Pereira, who was much younger. Edwards was confined to a sideline role interviewing crowd members.

The controversy increased when she was soaked by rain during the parade. Edwards has not appeared on the broadcast since 2006.

Check out past Stephanie Edwards posts here.

Rate-A-Restaurant #183: Viet Noodle Bar

Restaurant: Viet Noodle Bar

Location: 3133 Glendale Blvd. (Atwater Village)

Type of restaurant: Vietnamese



We stipulated: It was a Saturday night, and neither of us felt like cooking. Neither of us also felt like spending a ton of money for dinner. Oh, and we couldn't just abandon our Blogger Preschooler. We could go to one of our staples, Indochine Vien in Atwater Village... or we could try something new. It was time to finally check out the rival Vietnamese joint across from Indochine, Viet Noodle Bar.


Springrolls

What we ordered: Appetizer: Bo Bia Chay (Fresh Springrolls: jicama, carrot, tofu, basil, shallots: $5). Fresh rice noodles: Bun Ca Thi La (White Fish Noodle: with dill, turmeric, white fish: $8) and Bun Chay (Vegetarian Soyskin noodle: Soyskin, shiitake: $8).


White Fish Noodle

High point: The White Fish Noodle was a nice surprise -- guess you can't go wrong with dill and curry. Delicious. I would have eaten it all myself, but we were sharing both dishes.

Low point: I'm sad to report that Viet Noodle Bar is cash only. I rarely carry much cash on me -- but thankfully our bill was small enough that I could cover it. Just remember to plan accordingly -- or you'll be facing ATM charges somewhere.


Vegetarian Soyskin Noodle

Overall impression: The Blogger Preschooler enjoys the noodles at Indochine Vien, but I gotta say, we're kind of leaning toward Viet now. The food's good, reasonably priced, and the restaurant has a cool, stark, minimalist/urban vibe. And my main issues with Viet -- small menu and the communal dining table -- have also been addressed now that the restaurant has expanded. According to Eating LA and the Daily Dish, the new menu includes banh mi -- hurray!

Chance we'll go back: We definitely have to check out the expanded space... and try a banh mi.

For a complete list of our nearly 185 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

Auctioning Off A Final Look at the Ambassador

(Photo by Nancy Duron.)

The Los Angeles Conservancy tipped us off to a silent auction for photos that were taken a few years ago by high school photography students as part of an effort to document the Ambassador Hotel pre-demolition.

The Location Managers Guild, which sponsored the project, is now auctioning off the images from the exhibition. Half of the proceeds will go to Animo Film and Theater Arts High School, a new Green Dot charter school.

The auction takes place at downtown's Wilshire Grand Hotel. Check out the evite here and the gallery of photos here.

SAVE THE DATE: The Great Los Angeles Walk 2008 Is Saturday, November 22

(Pic from the 2007 walk by Will Campbell.)

I'm starting to hear from a lot of you, wondering if the Great Los Angeles Walk will return for a third year. The answer, of course, is YES.

As usual, we're throwing it the Saturday before Thanksgiving -- it's a great way to get some exercise in before gorging on turkey or other fixings the next week -- so clear the day now. It's Saturday, November 22, 2008.

We're still hammering out which street to hike this year, following up on Wilshire (year one) and Pico (year two). But like past years, it will be an all-day event, leading to an afterparty at (or near) the beach.

Stay tuned for details!

Blogger Preschooler Says The Darndest Things One in a series

(Photo by LA Times.)

Apparently all of our fun, weekend trips on the Metro Gold Line are making an impression on the Blogger Preschooler (or, the Kid Formerly Known as the Blogger Toddler, who was Formerly Known as Blogger Baby -- take your pick).

Today, while Evan was playing with the toy trains at Swork, I got a kick out of hearing his narration.

"The next stop is HIGHLAND PARK STATION."

And, my favorite:

"The next stop is ARROYO STATION. Stand clear, the doors are closing."

I went ahead and asked him what his favorite train destination was.

"Chinatown... no, no, Pasadena!"

The MTA oughta put this kid on the payroll.

MIKE ON TV: Schooling G4 on the New Fall TV Season

"The new fall TV season? Bah."

Press Release of the Day: Maury Wants a Piece of the Hot Teen Pregnancy Action

Jamie-Lyn Spears, Sarah Palin's daughter, "Juno," "Secret Life of the American Teenager" -- oh yeah, now everyone's hip to teen pregnancy. But Maury Povich is here to remind you that he cornered the teen pregnancy marketplace years ago.

The release:

IT’S MADE HEADLINES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ‘MAURY’ IS TACKLING IT HEAD ON

“Teens Who Want To Have A Baby”

MAURY’s 11th Season Premiere: Monday, September 15

NEW YORK NY, -September 11-NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution's hit syndicated talk show, MAURY, returns for its 11th season on Monday, September 15. (see local listings.)

From Sarah Palin's daughter to Jamie Lyn Spears, MAURY explores the issue that everyone has been talking about - "Teens Who Want to Have a Baby." The show features women, as young as 13, who say they will do absolutely anything to have babies. Their parents admit that they can't control them and have turned to MAURY for help.

Host Maury Povich says, "For a long time I have been saying that paternity stories, and specifically, teens who want to have babies, are major social issues in this country that have been swept under the rug. Now, that the topic has made headlines, with family members of politicians and celebrities, people seem to be taking notice."

He continues, "One of the goals of our show has always been to get this topic out in the forefront and try to educate these young girls, as well as young people watching at home. Hopefully, it will have an impact on their decision making. Additionally, we help arrange counseling for many of our guests after they leave the show so they can continue to get sound advice from an expert that can get them on the right path."

We should have seen this coming. Maury, we'll never doubt you again.

Although 25 Now Confirmed Dead, Metrolink Disaster Remains a Local Story

Time to once again rate the front pages. Two days after the Friday evening Metrolink disaster, 25 people are now confirmed dead -- and the story rightfully still dominates the headlines in the region's newspapers. But if you pull back and look at the rest of the country, it's Hurricane Ike that's dominating coverage. Actually, that's even true in the rest of California. The Metrolink tragedy doesn't even warrant a front page mention in the San Francisco Chronicle, strangely enough. (Perhaps because it's day two... but with so much news coming out on Saturday about what might have happened, you'd think SF readers would be interested enough for it to warrant a tiny mention on P1).

Above, for a second day, the LA Times goes with a powerful image of the destruction of the Metrolink train. The Daily News, however, opts to go with a dull shot of... the train tracks. This picture doesn't convey any of the tragedy or even make you pay attention. Quite a dull choice. And that headline? "Point of No Return" -- really, we gotta go with a cheesy cliche this soon?



The Bakersfield Californian asks the question on everyone's mind: Why didn't the engineer stop? It's quite a busy front page -- kudos for managing to get a regional, national and local story all out there, but with so many refers it's impossible to count, and even an ad, it's a mess. Meanwhile, I'm surprised that La Opinion -- with its snappy headline -- put the actual story inside.

The Santa Barbara News-Press may be a mess behind the scenes, but they at least can put together a smart-looking front page. The Ventura County Star goes the most emotional of the bunch -- a shot of LAPD officers saluting their fallen comrade, combined with a list of the 25 who died. (I would have expected the Daily News to go this route.)

The Daily Breeze, interestingly, plays up the USC game bigger than any other local paper -- and in a way, provides a nice, upbeat contrast to the pics of destruction also on the page. I approve -- good way to provide some relief. And then there's the Orange County Register... which I guess figured the San Fernando Valley isn't local enough for them. 

Metrolink Crash in Chatsworth; LA Times Says 15 Dead

(Photo by Hector Mata/AP)

Our thoughts go out to the families of those Metrolink riders impacted by tonight's crash in Chatsworth. KABC/7 is reporting that 10 people are confirmed dead, while the L.A. Times says the death toll is closer to 15, and could still rise.

LAObserved has a possible explanation on what might have happened:

A source with good connections in the transit agencies emails that Ventura-bound Metrolink train #111 typically waits at the Chatsworth station until the southbound Union Pacific freight train from up the coast passes by about 4:15. For some reason, today the passenger train proceeded up the tracks from Chatsworth and smacked head-on into the freight train. "There is no question" the freight train would have the right of way on that stretch of track, he says.

LAist has been posting excellent coverage and photos by editor Zach Behrens, who was on the scene, and Lindsay William-Ross.

And a Wikipedia page has already been started.

This brings us back to January 2005, when a Metrolink train crashed into a truck parked on the tracks at the border between Atwater Village and Glendale. That crash, which killed 11 people, was the deadliest in Metrolink history -- although that may be surpassed once the final death toll from today's accident is determined. Juan Manuel Alvarez, who parked his truck on the tracks and caused the accident, was sentenced just last month to eleven consecutive life sentences in prison with no possibility of parole.

Maria and I remember it well... Evan was still a newborn, and we were sleeping in his room when we heard siren after siren racing to the scene. Later, when I tried to get to an early morning meeting on time, the streets out of Glendale were impossibly clogged. It was chaos.

In that crash, the train was pushed (with the engine in the back) -- and the people hurt the most were in the front. In today's crash, the people who were able to walk away with minimal injuries were mostly in the back train, while the people most injured were in the front (even though the train's engine was in the front). Yet another reminder that if you're going to take a train, make sure you're in one of the last cars -- and facing backward.

Retro Friday: George Putnam's "Perversion for Profit"

Longtime L.A. news anchor George Putnam passed away early this morning at the age of 94. Known for his stints reading the news at KTTV/11, KTLA/5, KCOP/13 and KHJ (now KCAL)/9, Putnam was also well known for his conservative views. Above, he warns of the dangers of modern, perverse society.

Berd's High-Wire Act Returns

Remember Berd (also known as Browne, also known as 4eightyone), the artist who was somehow hanging birds on wires all over town?

Looks like he's back with a new design. Check out the variation of the hanging bird above -- this time, it's actually a capital "B" hanging from a wire near the Beverly Center.

Berd's hanging birds have intrigued Angelenos all over the city. The LA Weekly caught up with Browne/Berd in 2007:

Browne hand cuts the Berds out of wood — nice wood, new wood, big sheets of Home Depot plywood, lest his Berds be sullied by the errant spots or slivers found in skanky scrap. He primes 'em, stencils 'em and ties 'em with a thick twine to a combination padlock. All told, he's shelling out two dollars a Berd, not including labor and love. He launches them over power lines at various intersections — big intersections, important intersections, populated, well-traversed intersections, where they dangle and spin above our congested city, beckoning us to look upward. The kinetic component is but an accident that continues to grate on the young artist's fragile nerves.

And here's a shot of one from 2006:

Los Angeles Ad Town: Figaro Bistrot

Los Feliz's own Figaro Bistrot -- also known as Figaro Cafe, also known as Figaro Brasserie -- makes a guest appearance in a new commercial for sloppy burger chain Carl's Jr. View the ad here. (It's for their artery cloggin "Monster Breakfast Sandwich." Holy moly, that thing must be 10,000 calories!)

In comparison, here's how the Figaro normally looks, via its website:

Ambassador Cam, #40: Construction Pace Quickens

After months of waiting, the skeleton of the new school complex is really rising fast at the Ambassador site. Curbed LA has more on the new Robert F. Kennedy pocket park (which will take up just 1/3 acre off Wilshire) here.

License Plate of the Day: TV is Good

Damn, someone already took my license plate idea. Thanks to a reader for sending this in. (And double damn, I forgot to note who sent this to me. Thanks, whoever you are! Make yourself known in the comments below so I can give you proper props.)

MTV Video Music Awards: "Dude, They're Not Letting In The Princes of Malibu!"

We're notoriously late for events -- parents, you know how tough it is to get ready, wait for the baby sitter and prep the kid for the fact that mommy and daddy are going out -- without him.

That's why we got to the Paramount lot at 5:30 on Sunday, right when doors closed to the sound stage where the MTV Video Music Awards were being held. We found some amazing street parking on Melrose and Bronson too -- well, amazing until we realized the entrance was on Gower, and we'd have to hike a few blocks over.

That brought us to 6 p.m., right when the show was starting. No way they were going to let us in at that point -- and that's how we ended up in a cramped, makeshift alley way with other latecomers. As we shuttled back and forth between doors, we stumbled across virtually everyone: John Legend. Lil Wayne. And yes, the Jonas Brothers. Really.



Waiting along side us to get in: "The Hills" stars Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag (above, with our oh-so-high-res camera phone). Yep, Speidi had about as much luck as we did in getting inside, at least early on: None. Ditto Pratt's pal Brody Jenner (hence the "Princes of Malibu" cracks we kept hearing).



And ditto Seth Green.

We were promised an entrance after the first commercial break -- but that came and went. In the meantime, the LAPD fire marshal started acting tough -- demanding that the alley way next to the studio door be emptied, or else the entire production would be shut down. Whoa.

Guess all of us crowding by the door was freaking him out. Half an hour, then an hour passed, as we stood by the door, waiting for entrance. In the meantime, Lindsay Lohan and gal pal Samantha Ronson came up -- and the security guards began screaming for four people to exit the sound stage. (See, to allow Linds and Sam in, they'd have to even out the number inside the studio by yanking people out.) Sure enough, four people lost their inside privileges so that L&S could get inside. Also making their way in: Paramore. ("MAKE WAY FOR PARAMORE!" -- one of the night's rallying cries.)



Meanwhile, we finally decided to give up on the inside and head to the after party, where hundreds of people were aleady gathered. Best decision of the night. Drinks were flowing, food was being served, and people we knew were already there. The show was playing on monitors, but we mostly waited to see Kanye West perform the closing number outside next to the party. He did... and then... well, what was that? Anticlimactic, no?

Afterward, we headed to In Touch Weekly's post-VMA party at the Bar Marmont. As the Veronicas performed upstairs, we found a small, non-roped off booth next to the bar. Sipping our ginger-flavored cocktail, in walked -- once again! -- Samantha and Lindsay, in a VIP area next to the DJ. Later, Pauly Shore climbed into the booth next to us. It was a made-for-TMZ kinda night.