Last Remaining Seats Returns to the Los Angeles, Orpheum and Million Dollar Theatres

The Los Angeles Theatre lobby.



It's time again for one of our favorite downtown events, the Los Angeles Conservancy's Last Remaining Seats festival. The organization has just announced the schedule for the 23rd annual event; if you haven't been inside these gorgeous old Broadway movie palaces, you really owe it to yourself to check it out:

May 27: "The Sting," Orpheum Theatre

June 3: "Buck Privates," Million Dollar Theatre

June 10: "Cabaret," Los Angeles Theatre

June 17, "Macunaima" (Brazilian film, co-presented with the Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles- LACLA), Million Dollar Theatre

June 24: "A Streetcar Named Desire," Los Angeles Theatre

July 1: "Pandora's Box," Orpheum Theatre

More details here.

Retro Friday: Classic Rapid Transit

More great stuff from the Metro archives. Above, Shirley Temple helps Mayor Frank Shaw launch a new streetcar. Below, two 1950s ads for Metropolitan Bus Lines -- the successor to Pacific Electric, later purchased by the MTA in 1958.

RATE-A-RESTAURANT 200: Join Us March 7 at Pacific Dining Car!

(Flickr photo by willonawoods.)

As we come upon Franklin Avenue's sixth anniversary next week, we're also hitting our big 200th restaurant review. (And by the way, there have probably been another 30 to 40 restaurants we never got a chance to review through the years... so yes, we enjoy going out to eat.)

That means we've got two reasons to celebrate... and we'd like you to come along with us. For our 100th Rate-A-Restaurant, we hit downtown's classic P.E. Cole's (a few years before its revamp). Now, for our 200th, we'd like to hit another classic Los Angeles eatery.

JOIN US AT THE PACIFIC DINING CAR ON SATURDAY, MARCH 7 at 1 PM!!

Now, as you know, the PDC is not cheap. But this is your opportunity to sample a range of PDC entrees... and a wine pairing to boot. Chef Michel Cornu has prepared a prix fixe menu for us for $40 each.

Please RSVP at franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com by Wednesday so we can get an accurate count! We hope to see you there!

1310 West 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 483-6000

Some background on the PDC, via the L.A. Times:

The restaurant is a replica of a railroad dining car that Fred and Lovey Cook had built in 1921 and installed at 7th Street and Westlake Avenue. Two years later it was moved to 6th and Witmer streets, its present location. Today, two robust faux-bronze steers draped with a banner boasting "80 years" are suspended above the 6th Street side of the white picket fence that surrounds the property. The restaurant has spread out with the years, adding a couple of dining rooms, a generously sized bar and, as wine became an essential part of fine dining, a wine room. But the ownership hasn't changed, it's just moved on to the third generation.

Pacific Dining Car downtown is an old-fashioned place. The decor plays up every possible reference to the past. Old suitcases that look as if they have traveled back and forth across the country sit on brass luggage racks. The original dining car is lined with narrow hardwood boards and fitted with high-backed booths for two. The place smells of wood smoke and coffee and the decades. You fully expect Georgian-era gentlemen to be sitting in the wingback armchairs in their slippers. (The Santa Monica branch is a mere 11 years old and doesn't have the same evocative atmosphere.)

The beef is all from the East and dry-aged on the premises, and the grill men here seem to never make a mistake, even though they're working over live mesquite rather than a broiler set to a precise heat. Order the richly marbled rib-eye medium rare with a char and that's exactly what you'll get. Even the baseball steak, which is top sirloin cut in the shape of a baseball three to four fingers thick, is perfectly rosy at the center. That and the massive cowboy steak, a rib-eye on the bone, are my picks for best flavor and texture. The pepper steak is one of the best around, especially if you order the Delmonico prepared that way. Basically a bone-in New York strip, it comes studded with cracked black peppercorns that pack a fierce heat.

Curbside Extortion, Part 2

Yesterday, I told you about the budding extortionist/entrepreneurs who left a note on our mailbox, informing us that our curbside address would be painted unless WE left a note on the curb telling them not to. Oh, and they'd come by demanding $15 afterward.

Here's yet another sneaky wrinkle: They left the note on Tuesday night, but we only discovered the note yesterday afternoon. Turns out the guys had already painted the address at that point.

So sure enough, a guy with a clipboard came by the house on Wednesday night, asking for his $15. I came outside and told him I wasn't interested, and that I had not asked for the address to be painted. He told me I should have left the note on the curb; I told him I wasn't given time to do so. He pointed out that the note said the curb would be painted within "1 to 5 days," and it just so happens that, in this case, it was in "1 day."

I told him I wasn't gonna pay him. He moved on. Now, of course, I'm wondering if these curb painter guys have retaliation in mind... or if they get a lot of irate homeowners refusing to pay. (I'm also waiting to see if, in a few days, someone comes along and paints over the curbside address.) What would you do?

Indie 103.1's Former Program Director Gives a Post-Mortem

Max Tolkoff joined Indie 103.1 in April 2007 as program director, brought on board to help drive up listenership for the underdog alternative station. The Huffington Post recently asked him to write up his take on the critical success and commercial failure of Indie 103.1, and what eventually led to the station's demise. Some excerpts:

It's entirely possible we will never experience this type of radio again in our lifetime.

Trust me, there are no lessons here. No moral to a sad story. It's pretty much business as usual for radio as practiced in the United States of America today. It boils down to: formats that make money stay; formats that lose money go away...

By [the time Clear Channel, which originally launched the station as a joint sales agreement with Entravision, dropped out of the deal in 2005] there were now 18, yes, eighteen specialty shows on the station. The music was, to say the least, eclectic. It was hard to believe this was an actual commercial station and not NPR, or college radio. Perhaps you're beginning to guess where this story is headed. It was just too much for the average listener. A plethora of riches that appealed to the very few, and the very hip. After the initial check-out people went away and did not come back. The station was too difficult to listen to for long periods of time. Too unfamiliar. At times even difficult to pin down what the station actually was due to too many specialty shows clogging up the format...

it's all a question of balance, right? And INDIE was seriously out of balance. Koyaanisqatsi baby. No doubt about it. And I could see the clock on the wall. I entered into this arrangement with my eyes wide open. That clock was ticking loudly, and we all knew it. But [station manager Dawn Girocco] was still making money and Entravision left us alone.

And then...the first sign of the apocalypse. July 2008. Arbitron schedules a meeting at Entravision to present to the company the first "pre-currency" PPM numbers for Los Angeles. They came with a Power Point slide show breaking down the numbers for all the Spanish stations, and INDIE. And what did we see when we looked at the whole market? Essentially payday for KROQ and STAR 98.7 (which by this time had shifted to a format I can only roughly describe as "Let's-Play-All-The-Best-Testing-Songs-From-KROQ's-Library-With-A-Few-Random-Currents-Thrown-In-Just-For-Grins". Pre-PPM Star was tracking at about a 1.6 12+. PPM? 3.2. KROQ was similarly elevated back to through-the-roof status.

INDIE? Suck it ass-wipes. Yer in the friggin basement. 12+ we were at a 0.3 in PPM world. We used to be 0.5 in the old Arbitron paper diary world. As far as rating point, which is all sales cares about anyway, we were at a nose-bleed inducing 0.0. Yes, you read correctly.

The writing was on the wall the moment station manager Girocco -- who, Tolkoff notes, was able to make it "rain money" -- departed for a job at the Los Angeles Times. There was a period of time where Girocco was bringing in so much cash that Entravision left its weird little English-language alternative station alone. But PPMs made it tougher for Girocco to find that money -- and once Girocco was gone, the station became a drain for its owner.

Nonetheless, Tolkoff held out hope that the station could be saved: "We had been cleaning up our act. We moved specialty shows either out or someplace harmless. The music was more familiar and balanced with the right currents. The PPM numbers since July had been creeping back up. Autumn seemed full of promise."

Then the economy collapsed. The rest is history: Entravision flipped Indie to the Spanish-language "El Gato" on Jan. 15. And so far, the ratings are up.

Curbside Extortion

Every once in a while some budding entrepreneur attempts to make some cash in our neighborhood by painting curb address numbers. Sometimes they're sneaky and make it sound like they're part of a city team doing it... but usually they get permission before painting the numbers. (And usually, by the way, the workmanship is shoddy at best.)

Today, we got a notice from someone who's putting the onus on US, the homeowner, to stop them from painting. Check out this note, found taped on our door:

We ask only that you consider a $15 contribution, or what is most comfortable for your budget. After work is completed, we will stop by to pick up your contribution, should you be kind enough. If you do not wish to have your curb painted, please tape this notice to your curb and it will not be painted. (Tape on flyer might not be enough, duct tape is best) We paint 4 inch numbers and work will begin in 1 to 5 days.

Lemme get this straight: If I don't want my number painted, and don't wanna cough up $15 for your work, it's up to me to make sure this flyer is taped on my curb, with the hope that it doesn't float away? And if it does, I'm gonna have to pay you scam artists? That's not right.

Meanwhile, the Atwater Village Newbie notes that the L.A. Bureau of Street Services is trying to catch some of these guys in the act:

According to Senior Inspector Rodney Lucas, the only organization allowed to paint the curbs in LA is Care for the Children ...

If you received one of these notices and you see these individuals painting in your neighborhood, please call Sr. Inspector Lucas at 213-847-6000.

If your curbs were already painted and these individuals knock on your door requesting their 'donation,' you can refuse to pay them and call the police. It's highly unlikely that this organization is a non profit and your 'donation' will actually be payment for services and not tax deductible.

Of course, just like refusing candy to teenage trick-or-treaters on Halloween, I'm guessing that you may run into trouble if you refuse to pay these guys. That's where the extortion comes in.

UPDATE: Check out Curbside Extortion, Part 2 for the second half of this saga.

Comet Lulin Looky-Loo

The Griffith Observatory this week has its telescopes trained on Comet Lulin, which its the closest it will get toward Earth -- at least, until 15 million years from now. The Observatory writes:

This week, Comet Lulin (c/2007 N3) reaches maximum brightness and should be visible with a telescope or binoculars. The comet made its closest approach to Earth on February 23, when it was a little over 38 million miles away, slightly farther away than Mars gets when it approaches closest to Earth. Comet Lulin takes perhaps 15 million years to complete a single orbit. We shall never again have the opportunity to see this cosmic interloper.

Griffith Observatory's telescopes will be targeted on Comet Lulin every clear evening throughout the last week of February. Telescope viewing begins at 7:00 p.m. In addition, Griffith Observatory's new planetarium program, First Light: The Telescope Changed Everything, shows Comet Lulin in the night sky in evening performances at 7:45 p.m. in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. Tickets go on sale at 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and at 6:00 p.m. on weekends.

Through binoculars, Comet Lulin looks like a small, fuzzy star with a faint green tint. In wilderness areas free of city light, the comet can be seen with the unaided eye as a small cloud (half the diameter of the moon). In binoculars, an "anti-tail" of dust can be seen to the comet’s left. Photographs also show an ion tail made of glowing plasma to the comet’s right.

License Plate of the Day: Pet Rodent Edition

"Gerbil 6"? Really? Ew.

The Los Angeles Times' "Sally Forth" Problem

The L.A. Times discovers once again: Don't mess with the comics section. And, more importantly, don't blindside your readers.

The paper had been testing out comic strips for months in an attempt to replace "For Better or For Worse," the strip that Lynn Johnston is now re-writing from the beginning. The choices -- "Home and Away," "Luann," "Between Friends" and "Stone Soup" -- were uninspired, and not all that much better than "For Better or For Worse."

Today, the paper revealed that it had decided to replace "For Better or For Worse" with "Stone Soup." Fine, I suppose; "Stone Soup," as I wrote last year, is harmless, but nothing special.

But fine -- "For Better or For Worse" has been absent for months, and readers haven't made much of a stink. The decision to replace it with "Stone Soup" won't make much noise.

Here's where the L.A. Times overstepped, however: It also decided, without warning, to replace reader fave "Sally Forth" with "Home and Away."

The reaction has been fast -- and brutal. The L.A. Times' Readers' Representative blog has received 80 comments and counting (in comparison, there are ZERO comments on the post about the paper's most recent layoffs), all blasting the move. Readers felt especially hosed because there was no warning -- and because the paper's excuse rings hollow:

The decision to replace "Sally Forth" with "Home and Away" wasn't planned as part of the testing, but was a result to the positive response to "Home and Away" and to keep our comics pages fresh. "Home and Away" is a new comic that has the promise to be a clever and relevant take on working families and should speak to the "Sally Forth" crowd. "Stone Soup" is aimed at those who liked "For Better or for Worse."

That's the note from Features deputy editor Sherry Stern. Here's why no one's buying it: The paper continues to run aging heritage strips like "Blondie," "Family Circus" and "Marmaduke," several of which aren't even written by their original creators and all of which haven't been "fresh" or "relevant" in years.

"Sally Forth," on the other hand, is written by a hip young comedian, Francesco Marciuliano, who has made it timely and relevant (the strip these days deals with the strained relationship between its primary couple, as well as office politics in these tough economic times), as well as given it a slightly edgy, slightly subversive tone. (His other strip, "Medium Large," is even more off-the-wall.)

"Home and Away" is not nearly as clever or relevant as "Sally Forth." That's why I started to suspect that more is at play. The L.A. Times had previously tried to cancel "Sally Forth" a year or two ago, but brought it back due to reader reaction. So the paper knows that there's a big fanbase for the strip, but decided to drop it, unannounced, anyway. Who on the L.A. Times staff has it in for "Sally Forth"? I can guarantee that the reaction wouldn't be as harsh if they canceled "Blondie."

Hmm, could this all be a publicity ploy? Stir up some passion among readers, then bring it back -- and in the process, hopefully remind L.A. Times subscribers how important the paper is to their lives?

There's a danger of it back firing, however. I've been advocating sticking with the paper, even as it sheds sections (including, coming soon, the demise of the California section). But this P.R. bungle is really trying my patience. To yank this strip, unannounced, shows disdain for the comics section's loyal readers.

It's a dangerous precedent. As a commenter on Francesco's website writes:

While it definitely sucks that the LA Times has dropped the strip, it is worth noting that Los Angeles has more or less dropped the LA Times.

The Snow, 30 Minutes From Glendale

Snowman by Blogger Preschooler, with help from Dad

Like last year, we've been promising Evan a snow day for weeks -- but the rain has so far kept us from making the trek up the Angeles Crest Highway (also known as Highway 2).


Blogger Preschooler and his gal pal -- love in the snow.

The conditions were perfect on Saturday afternoon, however: Warm outside, yet plenty of white stuff on the ground. It didn't take long to get to the snow -- only about 30 minutes from Franklin Avenue H.Q. in Glendale. (And that even accounts for a brief traffic delay, as we waited for the Tour of California bicyclists to head down the mountains in the opposite direction.) We didn't venture as high up as we have in the past -- in other words, we didn't quite get to the Mt. Waterman ski resort or Newcomb's Ranch -- but we didn't need to, as we found a perfect patch of snow and a nice incline for the sled.


Our other, more stern-looking snowman

The National Park Service charges $5 for an all-day parking pass; it's well worth it. Bring your sled... and believe it or not, it's not that crowded up there. It's still one of L.A.'s best-kept secrets -- snow, 30 minutes away, virtually all winter! Not even a lot of cities up north can say that.


Spilling on the sled


The snowy scene from where we stopped. Had we driven about 20 minutes more, the snow would have been a few inches deeper. But this was fine for us.

First Review: 97.1 "Amp Radio"

And so it begins: CBS Radio officially flipped 97.1 KLSX-FM from talk to top 40 at 5 p.m., after "FM Talk " host Tom Leykis signed off with Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man" (followed by an explosion). Right at 5, a pre-produced piece announcing the new "Amp Radio" format kicked things off, followed by Kanye West's "Paranoid."

The first hour of music included "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga; "California Love," by 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre; "Shut Up," by Pink; "Dead and Gone," by T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake; "Single Ladies," by Beyonce; "Whut's Luv?" by Fat Joe feat. Ashanti; "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolph feat. Lil Wayne; "Right Now," by Akon; "Hot N Cold," by Katy Perry; "Disturbia," by Rihanna; "Gold Digger," by Kanye West; "Love Sex Magic," by Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake; "Whatever You Like" by T.I.; and "I Hate This Part," by Pussycat Dolls.

Some immediate thoughts: Perhaps they're just trying to get some sampling right now, but the playlist for "Amp Radio" is very narrow. It's only been on a few hours, but certain songs, like "Shut Up" and "Just Dance," have already played several times. There's also very little variation in its rhythmic lean -- it honestly makes KIIS-FM sound diverse.

But again, it's early, and they may be focusing on just getting people to stumble across the station in the coming days by sticking to a pretty small, hyper-CHR playlist. The production values seem strong -- unlike other station flips in recent years (I'm looking at you, Movin' 93.9 and the Sound 100.3), this seems to have been pretty well planned out. The web site already has content, and the station's audio has been fine-tuned to sound pretty good coming out of the speakers.

For fans of radio, this was a well-engineered flip. The station sounds tight and bright. I'm really curious to see what direction they go with on-air talent -- will it be young, street-sounding jocks? Or will it sound more like a straight-ahead top 40?

My biggest question is, will Amp Radio 97.1 (I'm still not sure I like that name -- I keep thinking of an energy drink; maybe that's the point) offer enough of a different and/or compelling sound to steal away listeners of KIIS, Power 106 or even KBIG "My 104"? I'm not hearing anything yet that would make someone flip (well, other than the current commercial-free broadcast). Will KIIS be impacted? We'll find out soon.

UPDATE: Wanna know how the transition from 97.1 FM Talk to 97.1 Amp Radio sounded? Via An(j)eleno.com, here's the last half hour of FM Talk (including Tom Leykis' farewell) into the first two hours of Amp Radio. (Click on the first stream; the flip happens 30 minutes in.)

MIKE ON TV: 97.1 FM Talk's Last Day

KNBC/4's Gordon Tokamatsu reports on the demise of KLSX/97.1's FM Talk format... and there I am, spittin' some radio knowledge at you. Yes, I'm unshaven. Yes, I gotta start watching what I eat, thank you. (Just pre-empting your comments. Now, bring it on!)

Retro Friday: "This Is A Shopping Mall"

A 1960s tutorial on shopping malls -- including a visit to a Bullock's location. According to the comments, it's likely the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square. Any guesses?

L.A. Times Unveils Its Los Angeles Map, Braces for Deluge of Response

There are few subjects more controversial to Angelenos than how they describe their neighborhoods. The debate over where the "Westside" and "Eastside" are has been waged for years. And neighborhood boundaries are hotly contested, particularly when it comes time to sell your house or compute property values.

After years of getting grief over using conflicting neighborhood names, the Los Angeles Times is trying harder to get it right. The paper just unveiled its Mapping L.A. initiative, an evolving map of Los Angeles neighborhoods.

Bob Pool writes about the map:

Years in the making, it is designed to be a tool that will allow reporters and editors to be consistent when describing neighborhoods in news stories in a city that sometimes seems to change the names like most people change socks.

Dorothy Parker famously said Los Angeles was "72 suburbs in search of a city," so it's not surprising that residents take their neighborhood names so seriously. Those designations are part tradition and history -- but also part economic and political. Many residents see big differences in property value if you live in tony Hancock Park as opposed to more working-class Mid-City.

In the Valley, there's a grand tradition of seceding from traditional neighborhoods. Parts of gritty Van Nuys have become Valley Glen and Lake Balboa, while a portion of Canoga Park re-christened itself West Hills...

Fortunately, those who disagree with the map have a chance to persuade the newspaper's mapmakers to reconsider. Readers can use the interactive website to redraw any section of the map they feel is incorrect and submit the alteration for editors' consideration. And editors may be busy.

The L.A. Times map doesn't get into hyper-specific neighborhoods -- although you could argue that it needs to include more, such as Little Tokyo.

The city of Los Angeles currently recognizes 172 communities, at least according to the late, lamented L.A. City Nerd. (The Nerd's campaign to photograph every L.A. neighborhood sign lives on, via Flickr.)

LAist also recently embarked on a project to designate L.A. neighborhoods.

Henry Rollins Joins KCRW's Weekend Lineup

Recently left without a radio station home thanks to the demise of Indie 103.1, rocker Henry Rollins is taking his music show to KCRW.

Rollins' show will sound quite different than the other KCRW shows; the music aficionado's Indie show boasted a wide range of sounds, mostly culled from his extensive personal collection of rare and unique albums.

From the KCRW release:

Starting March 7, KCRW DJ Liza Richardson will host Saturday night music from 8 to 10pm, followed by Jason Eldredge from 10pm to midnight.

Henry Rollins returns to the station where he got his start in radio, hosting a KCRW music show that will feature “a great mix of all kinds from all over from all time.” It will air live — on air at 89.9 FM and online at KCRW.com — Saturday nights from 6 to 8pm starting March 7. Each show will also be available on demand until the next show airs.

“I am very happy to be a new member of the KCRW family,” says Rollins. “Some of the first radio work I ever did was many years ago at KCRW under the guidance of Deirdre O’Donoghue, so it’s a great turn of events to be back over 20 years later with a show of my own. To say that I am excited is an understatement.”

“Henry is an intensely passionate and outspoken personality with exceptional taste in music. He lives and breathes the stuff, and I’m thrilled to welcome him to our Saturday night line-up,” said Bentley.

Rollins had moved his show to the Indie web stream, but the KCRW arrangement allows him to get back on the airwaves,

UPDATED: It's Official, FM Talk Dies This Friday, To Be Replaced By Amp Radio

Here's the press release from CBS Radio:

"97.1 AMP RADIO," A COMPLETELY INTEGRATED ON-AIR, ONLINE, ON-SITE AND MOBILE AUDIO DESTINATION, LAUNCHES ON FRIDAY, FEB. 20

CBS RADIO Diversifies Programming Offerings In Los Angeles With Debut Of Top 40 Radio Station Targeting Young Adults

Amp Radio Experience To Feature Most Popular Current Artists, Interactive Website, Ability to Create Artist Specific Online Radio Stations, Mobile Applications And More

On Friday, Feb. 20 at 5:00PM, PT, Los Angeles listeners, and hundreds of thousands more across the country, will be introduced to CBS RADIO's newest radio station, 97.1 AMP RADIO. Playing "All the Hits," AMP RADIO will combine the power of its on-air position with myriad online and digital applications creating a full 360 degree audio and visual experience for young adults.

Available on-air at 97.1 FM in Los Angeles and online at www.ampradio.com, AMP RADIO will debut with the broadcast of 10,000 songs in a row with limited commercial interruption from artists such as Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Rihanna, T.I., Kanye West, Usher, Britney, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, and Katy Perry, among others.

Complementing the station will be an array of events and concerts, an extensive online destination with blogs, music videos, widgets, photo galleries, celebrity gossip reports, in-depth artist pages, an embeddable and multi-functional streaming player, and a platform to create artist centric radio stations. Fans of the station can also stay connected through instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites, as well as wirelessly via texting, and applications for the iPhone, and select Blackberry devices.

AMP RADIO originally debuted in February 2008 as an online entity and HD 2 station on CBS RADIO’s KCBS-FM in Los Angeles.

"Creating a successful radio station not only means focusing on what you hear over the air – it's that, yet it's so much more and as evidenced by what we're announcing today the possibilities are endless," said Kevin Weatherly, Senior Vice President, Programming, CBS RADIO and architect of the AMP RADIO format. The award-winning program director of KROQ-FM and KCBS-FM (Jack FM) will handle all on-air and creative aspects of the station.

"Incubating AMP RADIO online and on HD 2 allowed us to experiment with different ideas, build brand loyalty, and analyze listener feedback. We saw immediately the impact of the evolution of the station and watched the online audience steadily increase each month. In addition to that, PPM has shown us there are a significant number of younger listeners who are seeking out this type of programming and incorporating radio into their daily lives more than we ever thought."

Added Dan Weiner, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, CBS RADIO Los Angeles, "Launching this format, and the way in which we execute it across several different platforms, expands dramatically what we can offer advertisers. And just as important, we're providing an alternative listening option for a dynamic sector of the Los Angeles population. Collectively, our portfolio of stations will now boast a significant share of the male and female audience of listeners ranging in age from 12+."

No word yet on the fate of KLSX hosts such as Adam Carolla or Tom Leykis. Could Carolla end up as the first live DJ on Jack FM? Would Leykis make the move to KFWB, should CBS Radio fully dump that station's news format (it's already moving to a more entertainment-centric news format)? Or will they wind up on non-CBS stations? A lot more to come...

Adam Carolla to Depart; KLSX 97.1 to Flip to Top 40?

More big changes coming to the L.A. radio landscape: The industry is buzzing with rumors that CBS Radio is itching to go after KIIS-FM, the Clear Channel top 40 station that has dominated L.A. radio waves for years. KIIS has gone unchallenged in the Contemporary Hit Radio format for decades.

But now, CBS -- which last attempted top 40 in L.A. with KKHR 93.1 -- is poised to flip its long-running FM Talk station, 97.1 KLSX, to go after KIIS. Speculation is centering on the youth-oriented AMP Radio format, which already runs on the HD-2 signal for KCBS/93.1 "Jack FM."



According to Radio Insight, someone recently, quietly registered the web domains AmpRadioLA.com, Amp971.com, and Amp971fm.com on February 9.

"AMP Radio" artists include Lady Gaga, T.I., Rihanna, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Beyonce.



Meanwhile, All Access is reporting that radio affiliates for the Adam Carolla Show have been told that the show's final day is Friday. Rumors are afloat that Friday is also the last day for fellow 97.1 hosts Tom Leykis and Frosty, Heidi and Frank. Where all of these hosts might end up is uncertain.

Carolla took over the 97.1 morning shift in January 2006, after Howard Stern migrated to satellite radio. His numbers have continued to improve, but the station has never quite recovered from Stern's decision to leave terrestrial radio. Meanwhile, 97.1 has been all-talk since 1995; before that, it aired a classic rock format (along with Stern in the morning).

UPDATE: It's official. Read the CBS Radio press release here. There you go, L.A. -- just what you wanted, more Beyonce and Justin Timberlake.

Rate-A-Restaurant #199: Palate

Restaurant: Palate Food + Wine

Location: 933 S. Brand (Glendale)

Type of restaurant: New American/Wine Bar



We stipulated: For a rare night on the town -- Evan's preschool had a "parents night out" event, allowing us to have a date night -- we decided to nonetheless keep things local.


Pork Belly

They stipulated: Sample from the multi-course menu, especially first-time patrons. That includes a mason jar; something pickled; and a few regular-sized plates. Also, in a nod to budget-minded diners, no entree is over $20.



What we ordered: Fall caponata ($5). Potted poulet rillette (mason jar; $5). Pickled root vegetables ($3). Winter lettuce ($10), Gnocchi ($10); Scallops ($13); Pork Belly ($17).



High point: The gnocchi was incredible, while the richness of the potted poulet was nice. We also liked the under-$20 ethos, and enjoyed quite friendly service. Also, the caponata had a nice flavor.

Low point: A lot has been said about the pork belly at Palate... but, at least the night we were there, it was just OK. Also, the pickled veggies selection was tiny... and it felt a bit like they were rushing us.



Overall impression: When we moved to Glendale five (!) years ago, I was struck by the lack of any decent choices. The whole dining revolution appeared to have passed over Glendale -- but lately, the tide is turning, thanks to spots like Palate and Bashan. Palate is a nice addition to the Glendale scene -- and the wine shop/wine bar in the back is an excellent use of space. (The Palate building, once upon a time a storage building, is now a massive wine vault.)


Scallops

Chance we'll go back: That under $20 rule still adds up over time, making it quite a pricy endeavor. But for special occasions, or even just to check out the wine bar, we will return.

For a complete list of our nearly 200 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

FRANKLIN AVENUE CONTEST: The Vienna Philharmonic at the Disney

Zubin Mehta will lead the Vienna Philharmonic -- long considered one of the world's best orchestras -- on March 3 and 4, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Here's your chance to see the show -- for free. Thanks to Allied Live, we have a pair of tix for someone who wants to go -- simply email us at our Franklin Avenue address -- franklin_avenue(at)yahoo(dot)com -- and Blogger Preschooler will select the winner.

Check out more details about the concerts here. Featured artists also include Lang Lang (piano) and Angela Maria Blasi (soprano).



Visit LAPhil.com for tickets and more info.

License Plate of the Day: "This License Plate Is Teh Secks" Edition

Either they really don't care at the California DMV, or they're having a hard time keeping up with ever-changing slang. That's the only way to explain how "SECKS" made the cut.

Confused? Say "SECKS" out loud. Or Google it -- the first entry, via the Urban Dictionary, is this:



(Thanks to Scott for the pic! Your vanity plate submissions are always welcome!)

The State's Big Two-Thirds Problem

You sure wouldn't confuse the majority of California's elected GOP lawmakers with "Profiles in Courage." Rather than admit that desperate times call for desperate measures -- and these, indeed, are desperate times -- most of those state Legislature members would rather see California collapse and go insolvent, too afraid that they might be attacked by radio talk show hosts or by opponents in the next election.

Now, with the state Senate one vote shy of passing its compromise budget, things are about to get ugly. Gov. Schwarzenegger -- remember him? He's that actor guy who promised to save California, remember? -- is now set to lay off 10,000 state workers. He'll also now be forced to 275 more public works projects.

From the L.A. Times:

The projects, which include upgrades to 18 bridges and roads in Los Angeles to protect them from collapsing in earthquakes and cost $3.8 billion, had been allowed to continue operating as others were suspended because the state was running out of cash.

The projects to be suspended today had been exempted from a November order to stop public works because of the significant financial cost of canceling contracts, the expense of resuming them or the public-health or public-safety ramifications. The list also includes work to eliminate arsenic in the City of Live Oak and half-built highway construction projects.

Schwarzenegger had delayed sending out pink slips since Friday, hoping that lawmakers would soon approve a budget. But they failed Monday to find a third GOP vote in the state Senate to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to pass a budget -- a requirement that essentially gives the minority Republicans veto power. A spokesman for Schwarzenegger said the layoff notices would go out today.

There's the real culprit -- That insane two-thirds majority rule. It's why we have budget stalemates every year. And why, ultimately, we wind up with a budget that no one's happy with. Indeed, we're one of just three states (Arkansas and Rhode Island are the other two) that require such a high bar to pass a budget.

Meanwhile, George Skelton notes that the Legislature members need to do the math: Unless the state cuts virtually everything to zero, a tax increase has to be part of the solution. And by the way, the pain is passed around enough that no one indeed will, or is supposed to be happy: $15.1 billion in spending reductions, $14.4 billion in tax increases and $11.4 billion in borrowing. Everyone's holding their nose -- but the alternative is even more foul.

An Ode to Trader Joe's

That love we all have for Trader Joe's? Nobody's put it better than this. Produced by Carl's Fine Films, here's one man's little tribute in song to the little store we all love to love, TJs.
(Thanks to Joe for the head's up on this one.)

Retro Friday: Remembering the Red Cars

The Metro Librarian continues to dust off some interesting old videos for its YouTube channel. Check out this early 1980s clip from "Two on the Town," fetauring a brief history of the region's old Red Cars -- as well as a visit to the Orange Empire Railway museum.

Also, below, check out this Pacific Electric training film for motormen, circa 1914:

The Northbound 110 to 5 Freeway Transition: Soon To Get a Bit Less Hairy

(Flickr pic by Atwater Village Newbie.)

Driving north on the 110 past downtown, you may have noticed the new signage over the Figueroa tunnels. A new electronic sign has been added over the No. 2 lane, and will be used to signal when that additional lane can be used for drivers looking to transition to the north 5.

That means, as seen above, soon both of those two lanes on the left will be occasionally be used for motorists hopping on the 5. Will that cause more confusion? I dunno.

But I still think it's about time. As we wrote last year, "There aren't many freeway interchanges that are more nervewracking then the northbound 110 switchover to the northbound 5. It's usually touch and go up the 110, and it's always a gamble to decide when to merge into the far left lane. Too soon, and you're stuck in the slow line to the 5. Wait too long, and you might miss the turn."

Check out a brief history of the 110 -- once known as the Arroyo Seco Parkway -- here.

Getting A Close-Up View of the American West

It turned into quite the Gene Autry weekend for us: On Sunday night, Maria and I got a sitter for the Blogger Preschooler and headed to the Staples Center, where we attended the Grammys. Among the Lifetime Achievement Award winners: The late Autry, "America's greatest singing cowboy."

The day before, the three of us checked out the Autry National Center of the American West in Griffith Park. (You may recall that admission was free this weekend for anyone with a Bank of America card.)

The museum was brimming with activity, as an auction of western-themed art was going on at its entrance. But inside, the museum wasn't too packed as we checked out the various exhibits.



Upstairs, one exhibit re-created a western movie set -- and in one corner, children could climb on a saddle in front of a blue screen and see themselves transposed onto old movie footage.



The section devoted to early-20th century western stage shows included memorabilia from the likes of Buffalo Bill.



And, of course, some Gene Autry memorabilia.



Downstairs, exhibits centered on the late 19th century rise of the west, including a restored stagecoach... and this life-size staged buffalo.



Other sites included a group of mannequins re-enacting the shootout at the OK Corral.



The real treat for Evan, however, was the Family Discovery Gallery, a hands-on display of what life was like for a Chinese American family in the 1930s. Evan was specifically interested in the re-creation of the family's restaurant (above), and spent about 45 minutes pretending to run the operation.



The current rotating exhibit, "BOLD CABALLEROS Y NOBLE BANDIDAS," looks at the world of stories, folktales and art related to bandits "who stand for social justice."

Are L.A.'s Local TV Stations Back to Their Old Car Chase Habit?

Over at Variety.com, I go into more depth on Monday's strange Bentley car chase.

At least one local news director, KNBC's Bob Long, admits now that covering the chase was a colossal waste of time. But given the rumors that a person of note (a.k.a., Chris Brown) may be behind the wheel, they made the call to dump the 11 p.m. newscast in favor of telecasting the pursuit:

"On rare occasions we'll make them a part of regular newscasts if it seems to rise to the level of legitimate news," said KNBC news director Bob Long, who's been vocal in the past on his dislike of televised chases. "This one smelled like it might. We got some information that turned out to be incorrect, that a person of some prominence was involved."

But it wasn't Brown - and Long admitted that covering the chase wound up being a mistake.

"It was a wasted newscast, and I feel terrible about that," he said. "It irritates my serious news watchers. I got a lot of unpleasant mail today, and I answered everybody to explain my thinking."

While Long was wringing his hands, others may also be wondering whether blowing out their newscasts - and giving up that ad revenue (some of which will likely be recouped via makegoods) - was the right call.

But there's also likely some unrepentant news directors out there who feel that police chases - and the increased ratings that usually pop during the broadcast - are good for business.

"There are some people in our business who get a huge kick out of moving that needle," Long said. "But that's a meaningless number. It represents people who are in constant motion through the dial, who don't actually watch anything."

More here.

Somewhere Over the Park La Brea Rainbow

The view from Variety's 30th floor window: Quite a spectacular rainbow this afternoon right over Mid-City. As a matter of fact, some lucky Park La Brea resident may have stumbled across a pot of gold.



Meanwhile, the other end of the rainbow rested over the Grove. Yes, the Grove. Dammit, Rick Caruso, must you manufacture everything?

License Plate of the Day: "Growing Pains" Fan?

I'm again surprised at what the state will approve with its vanity license plates. Really, "Boner 79"?!

Thanks to Franklin Avenue reader Heidi, who sent the photo and wrote:

I was finally able to take a license plate pic for you! This car was parked outside my apartment last week. My first thought (embarrassingly enough) was, "I wonder if it's the guy from Growing Pains!" Sorry it's from far away, but I just thought it was an odd choice for a plate... for a grown-up.

Thanks, Heidi! For the rest of you, please feel free to send shots of vanity plates to our Franklin Avenue email.

Chris Brown Denies Local TV Stations of A New O.J. Moment

You can hear the disappointment in the voices of our local newspeople, as they slowly begin to realize that, nah, that's not Chris Brown in a Bentley on Lankershim Blvd., locked in a standoff with police.

Damn, you can hear them think. They've invested hours in what might have -- strike that, should have -- been this decade's O.J. Simpson moment.

Instead, hours of news time were wasted on what was absolutely a non-event. Commercial time was yanked -- not an easy decision for these stations, which are already hurting for revenue -- and pricey helicopter time was wasted on, well, what?

Good thing there's not any real news to cover.

KCAL stayed with the coverage the longest, finally signing off at 12:08 a.m. when it became pretty apparent that it was DJ Khaled, and not Brown, behind the wheel. (At least, KCBS/KCAL anchor Laura Diaz kept repeating phone callers who were claiming it was Khaled -- but that's now pretty uncertain as well. The L.A. Times just says it was a "businessman of Pakistani origin," who later killed himself.)