Retro Friday: Late Night Edition

As Jay Leno hosts his final "Tonight Show" tonight, and Conan O'Brien takes over on Monday... here's another blast from the past. From 1982, the first episode of "Late Night with David Letterman."

And here's a quick retrospective of Johnny Carson's 30 years as host of "Tonight," from his final show:

License Plate of the Day: Motherlover Edition

You may have seen the Saturday Night Live digital short "Motherlover" -- a sequel to the infamous "Dick in a Box" -- a few weeks ago. In the video, Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg (once again decked out as an early 1990s New Jack Swing duo) croon about knockin a few boots with each other's old ladies.

Perhaps the owner of this California license plate shares that sentiment.

(Thanks to reader Gary for sending this to us. If you spot a goofy vanity plate on the road, snap a pic and send it to us!)

Death By Hot Dog

The folks over at Metblogs L.A. are trying to kill you.

Clearly that's the goal behind the Hot Dog Deathmarch. The event, held June 13, will take you to three of L.A.'s gut-busting hot dog emporiums: Pink's, Oki-Dog and Skooby's.

Pink's, no problem. Pink's and Oki-Dog? Send in the Pepto. Pink's, Oki-Dog and Skooby's? Send in the medics.

They won't actually be marching from place to place -- although, I think that's not a bad idea. Perhaps we oughta merge this with the Great Los Angeles Walk.

Here are some details:

Who will win this weenie smackdown?! Certainly not YOU, after you’ve had three hot dogs in as many hours. But you’re all winners in our eyes, so it’s ok.

Our destinations are Pink’s, Oki-Dog, and Skooby’s. Yes, there are many other great wieners in Los Angeles (har har har). We think these three are enough for one afternoon.

No, we will not really be MARCHING. That’s crazy talk. We will all meet up at each successive location at a pre-determined time, flash-mob style.

Do you have the guts?! Do you want the glory?! Throw the Pepto in your holster, fling caution & your cholesterol to the wind, and join us! Once more into the bratwurst breach!

______________________________________________________
The date: Saturday June 13
The time: 3pm - time of death
The progression: Meet at Pink’s, then Oki-dog, Skooby’s, emergency room
The fun: contests, prizes, acid reflux
The why: WHY NOT? Don’t answer that.

You may recall, we visited Oki-Dog and lived to tell the tale of the infamous Pastrami Burrito during the 2007 Great Los Angeles Walk down Pico.

For those about to Hot Dog March, we salute you.

Program Advisory: SoCal Connected Looks at the Housing Market

Tonight's edition of KCET's "SoCal Connected" program looks at whether or not the Southern California housing market has turned a corner. The episode, "Time to Buy?," airs Thursday night at 8 p.m.

From the station's press release:

SoCal Connected discovers that one positive sign is real estate prices now seem to be more in line with income levels. Those who could not buy when prices skyrocketed are now in a better position. But have prices bottomed out, or will they fall still further? Another issue is securing a mortgage. Although at record lows, mortgages are not as easy to obtain as a couple of years ago.

The program also looks at the debate over what to do with people living in their cars on Venice streets. And Patt the Hatt asks whether we have ourselves to blame for the state's bankruptcy. (From the early results of our Wednesday poll, it looks like a lot of you say "yes.")

Rate-A-Restaurant #206: Bottega Louie

Restaurant: Bottega Louie



Location: 700 S. Grand (Downtown)

Type of restaurant: Italian/Market



We stipulated: It was monthly date night for Maria and I, so once again we wanted to try something new -- and when I put the word out on Facebook for suggestions, Bottega Louie was mentioned. Cool new restaurant downtown? Done.



They stipulated: Bottega Louie is already being called L.A.'s version of Dean & Deluca. Except that D&D doesn't have a bar. The huge Bottega Louie gives you several options: Sit down dinner. Fully stocked bar. Pre-packaged food items. Or a massive case of prepared foods and desserts.




What we ordered: Bianco pizza, $14 (ricotta, mozzarella, granna parmesan, garlic and rocket arugula); portobello fries, $8; caesar salad, $9 (romaine hearts, reggiano parmesan, garlic herbed croutons and caesar dressing); stuffed artichoke, $8.




High point: Those portobello fries are worth the trip right there.



Low point: Pizza was decent, but only so-so when you compare it to the explosion of strong pizzerias in L.A.




Overall impression: At a place like Bottega Louie, you can forgive the pizza for being only so-so. The environment itself is amazing -- high ceilings, stark white walls, a nice airy feel that makes you feel like you're in the middle of a lively, bustling urban center. This place definitely fits the downtown vibe. And the staff is uber-friendly -- almost too much so. The prices are decent too, and run the range. As you can see above, we decided to go economical; there are also pricier $23 fish dishes and $33 steaks... but this fed us just fine.





Chance we'll go back: Absolutely, it was a nice date night location, but looks to also be a great spot to meet up with friends. Plus, I read elsewhere that the breakfast is also worth another trip.



For a complete list of our more than 200 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant website.

The Wednesday Poll: Who Caused California's Economic Collapse?

Happy Memorial Day

Franklin Avenue is back on Wednesday.

Until then, Brand X gives us several ways to drink up this long weekend.

More Destruction Coming to Los Angeles on the Small Screen

Here's one of several trends on this fall's TV schedule: Los Angeles is destroyed. And then destroyed again.

We wrote about NBC's Day One a few weeks ago. The show revolves around some sort of alien force that destroys downtown -- and a group of resistance leaders in Van Nuys who attempt to save the world.

Now comes ABC's "Flash Forward," which you may have already seen promoted on air during the season finale of "Lost." The show centers on the idea that everyone in the world blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds -- and when they wake up, the world is burning. People soon realize that while passed out, they witnessed what they were doing eight months from now.

ABC screened the first act break for advertisers last week... and as you can see in the promo above, Los Angeles' downtown gets hit hard by the chaos.

Retro Friday: More Classic TV

Since I've got new TV schedules on the brain this week, how about a few more marketing campaigns from several decades ago. Above, here's the sales reel for CBS' "Hawaii 5-O" back in the late 1960s, when the show first launched.

Below, it's ABC's Friday night comedy lineup from 1970, including "The Brady Bunch" and "The Partridge Family":

New Yorkers in Training

You remember a few months ago, when Evan's preschool turned its play area into a mini-Trader Joe's?

They outdid themselves again, re-creating a small Times Square for the kids as they learn all about New York. The timing couldn't me more perfect -- as I'm here in the real Manhattan, busy covering the network TV upfronts (hence the lack of posts this week at Franklin Avenue), the Blogger Preschooler is getting to experience his own mini-New York. A few more shots:

Your Favorite Airport: Burbank's Bob Hope

And I was just there on Saturday, flying out here to New York. Indeed, the Airport Formerly Known As Burbank is by far the easiest for us -- drop me off, and I'm already at the gate moments later. Plus, those non-stop JetBlue flights to the East Coast are pretty economical.

The Burbank Airport lacks a lot of amenities -- the only coffee to be found is "Tully." But the convenience makes up for it. Plus, I kind of like its old-school charm. Walking up the steps to the plane, I always think of that famous shot of the Beatles climbing off their plane at JFK. And although it's kinda weird to have an outdoor baggage carousel, it's pretty close to the curb for easy pickup.

D'oh! Los Angeles Times Ruins the "American Idol" Results For Its West Coast Readers

Adam or Kris? The results are already in, and TV viewers on the East Coast already know which "American Idol" finalist won the big prize.

Unfortunately, so do countless West Coast "Idol" fans, thanks to a breaking news alert from the L.A. Times.

At 7:01 p.m. PT -- an hour before the "Idol" finale was set to air in Los Angeles, and two hours before the results would be seen by West Coasters -- the paper sent out this alert (spoiler removed, don't worry):

Los Angeles Times | May 20, 2009 | 7:01 p.m. PDT
---
'American Idol' winner revealed

XXX XXXXX was crowned the winner of "American Idol" season 8.

I know what you're thinking: Those young "Idol" fans probably don't read the paper anyway, or subscribe to its breaking news service, so no harm. But that's perhaps part of the problem.

License Plate of the Day: The Power of Ten

"Power 10"? As in, "to the tenth power"?

The Bob Hope Airport's Anti-Swine Flu Plan

Here's how the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is taking steps to combat the swine flu: Someone went out and bought a few wet naps, and then stuck them on a table. Happy traveling!

Southern California's First Twitter-Age Earthquake

It was the 4.7 earthquake heard 'round the Twitter.

I'm in New York for the broadcast networks' annual upfront presentations, and Sunday night was hanging out with several other Angelenos in town to take part in the announcements. (This is the week when network execs unveil their fall schedules to advertisers.)

Suddenly, one of them got a call from home: There'd been an earthquake. We all quickly grabbed our phones to check on loved ones; I dialed Franklin Avenue HQ, which was far enough away from the epicenter that they barely felt a thing.

I then clicked on Twitter via my Blackberry and combed through various 140-character accounts. There was already plenty of reactions from people close to the epicenter. And when the aftershocks hit, I read about it in real time. It was also interesting to watch as "earthquake" moved up the list of Twitter's trending topics.

It was like I was back in L.A., just a little less shaken.

Dwight Schrute Takes On KCRW

First there was Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN. Then Aziz Ansari took on the forces at IMAX. Now, "The Office's" Rainn Wilson has become the next celebrity vigilante on Twitter.

His target: KCRW.

Wilson addressed the public radio station's music selections on his Twitter site this Saturday:

Dear @kcrw, remember that olde fashioned musique called 'rock'? It doesn't involve electro Swedish techno loops but it's still pretty good.

A reader then replied to Wilson's comment, adding that "(Henry) Rollins' show is the only one I can stomach on kcrw anymore (Saturday 6 p.m.). The rest is Brazilian electro-lounge bullshit.

Wilson's response? "AMEN."

No response yet from KCRW.

Retro Friday: Upfront Edition

As the networks prepare to unveil their fall 2009 TV plans next week, let's flash back a few decades. For starters, while ABC is expected next week to pick up a new version of the classic miniseries "V"; here's the opening to the original (above).



From 1970: CBS introduces "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."



40 Years Ago: The "Bright New Season of ABC." Room 222; Love, American Style; The Johnny Cash Show and more.



Take a ride on CBS' 1961 new TV season fair, with your guide, Andy Griffith.



And finally, the ultimate in cheese: Nell Carter sings NBC's "Let's All Be There" slogan in 1984.

I Know, Right?

It's funny how phrases and expressions suddenly explode and become commonplace. "I know, right?" (or just "Riiight?!") is one of them. Here's one YouTube user's take on it.

"Lost" Finale: My Continuity Beefs, and Other Thoughts

Locke -- or is it?! -- kicks it with Ben.

OK. So it's the busiest time of year for me at work, and I haven't had a chance to join in on the "Lost" conversation. But better late than never.

Holy. Sh*t. Wow. The show known for blowing minds did a lot more than that on Wednesday night.

Well, for starters, it appears that they blew up the whole island. Or something. That fade to white at the end of the episode wasn't just painful for what it meant to Juliet, who had just said her tearful goodbye to Sawyer. Nah, it was also painful because that's it. Until January. We've now got eight long months to dissect what we saw in "The Incident," the final episode of "Lost's" season five.

So what did we learn? Well, that Rose and Bernard are amazing survivalists, and have been starring in their own TV show on the other part of the island. (Seriously, ABC, you should have planned ahead and been busy shooting the six-episode comedy "Stranded!" for fall. Rose and Bernard are stuck on a goofy island in the 1970s -- think about it: The Harlem Globetrotters could visit. Etc. But I digress.)

We learned that Locke is not really Locke. Which to me was the saddest part of the episode. Is the real Locke truly dead, and did he really die at the hands of Ben, and at a point when he was the most pathetic and miserable? Because that sure ruins any hope that "Lost" might end on an upbeat note.

We learned that Jacob may be hundreds of years old, but he talks and dresses like he's from 2009.

What? More on that in a second.

We learned how Marvin Candle/Pierre Chang loses his arm. We find out how the "Incident" took place. We learned why Richard doesn't age. And we learned that the producers had no idea what to do with Sun in the second half of the season.

And we also learned that there's apparently a nearly 15-year age gap between Sawyer and Kate. (We saw 10-year-old Sawyer in 1977, and 10-year-old Kate -- with her New Kids on the Block lunchbox -- in what must have been 1989 or 1990. Mistake, or is there really that big of an age difference?)

Listen, I love "Lost." LOOOVE "Lost." Even in season three, even the Nicki and Paolo episode. I seriously love "Lost."

And yet, the whole continuity thing drives me nuts. It goes back to when we saw modern appliances in the 1970s-era hatch. It continues to the amount of time it took Jack to snap in 2007, from the moment Locke visit to when he was screaming to Kate near LAX that they needed to go back. (Which should have been a several months-long decline, but according to the timeline was just a few days.)

And Wednesday night, it bothered me that they didn't seem to really try to capture the period in flashbacks. Juliet's flashback, for example, must have taken place in the late 70s or early 80s. Yet their house was decorated like 2009 -- and ditto how everyone was dressed.

The other flashbacks were the same thing. We see young Sawyer in 1977, mourning the death of his parents. Yet it didn't give any hint that it was 1977-- it could have been yesterday. Which it was.

And then there's Jacob.

In the opening scene to the finale, we catch Jacob and a mysterious nemesis on the beach. The first exchange they have is pleasant: "Mornin'!" "Mornin'."

Then we see the ship out in the distance. Which tells us the scene we're witnessing, according to "Lost" lore, is taking place in the 1800s. Whaaa?

Did anyone talk like that -- a folksy "Mornin'" -- in the 1800s? And more importantly, why were they wearing modern clothing? And why did Jacob sport a cool, 2000s style hair cut and stubble beard? I swear, Jacob might have just stumbled out of Rudy's Barber Shop in Silver Lake.

OK, rant closed. It was definitely nice to see Rose and Bernard one last time -- you know they're gonna perish in that bomb, even though the rest of our pals will be sent back to 2007 -- but I'm still wondering whatever happen to the Tailies (including the kids) who were kidnapped by the Others.

And finally, just when we thought we'd figured out the show. It's Ben vs. Widmore, right? Uh, not so much. Jacob vs. Fake Locke. So far, point for Fake Locke. But we've still got 17 episodes to go. Wow. This final season is gonna go by fast. If it ever gets here. C'mon, January!

Wednesday Poll: Sick of LAX? Vote for Your Favorite L.A.-Area Airport

KNBC Bids Farewell to Paul Moyer, Who Can't Be Bothered to Leave the Golf Course

It's been a rather awkward departure for Paul Moyer at KNBC. After anchoring at the station for the past 17 years, his exit went out with a bit of a whimper: Moyer was on vacation when word first leaked that he was leaving; as a result, he sent a statement to the Channel 4 newsroom but said he'd be back for a proper goodbye.

Instead, Moyer -- who was bought out of his contract by NBC, which was looking to cut his salary, rumored to be around $3 million year -- never returned to the desk. In another statement several weeks after his retirement announcement, Moyer said he'd decided to forgo the hoopla and just move on. Some wondered whether Moyer was angry at how his departure was handled, especially given his lengthy tenure at the station.

Moyer got caught up in the trend among cash-strapped local TV stations to get rid of big-bucks anchors who are local institutions, but nonetheless are no longer affordable.

It looks like Moyer must have agreed to some sort of tribute after all, as he finally returned to KNBC's airwaves on Tuesday afternoon's 5 p.m. newscast. But he still stayed far away from the station's Burbank newsroom, opting to appear via live remote from the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.

It looks like Moyer has been spending a lot of time at the Riviera golf course in recent weeks; via the remote, he said the "free time is great" but that he still misses the action.

One thing's for sure: He won't be back on Channel 4 anytime soon. He made that very clear, stressing that should he return to the airwaves one day, it would not be at KNBC. Read into that what you will.

"I gotta tell you something, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't want to get in the car and go back in time with you guys and do it all over again," Moyer told co-anchor Colleen Williams, as well as sports anchor Fred Roggin and weatherman Fritz Coleman. "But, of course, that's not going to happen, at least not at Channel 4."



Before getting back to golf, Moyer thanked a litany of staffers, including KNBC news director Bob Long (whom he thanked for "protecting the product") and Channel 7 (where he worked in the late 1980s, early 1990s).

"Am I done in Los Angeles? Yeah, I'm done at Channel 4," he said. "Beyond that I gotta tell you something, I don't know. I really haven't got a clue. But I can tell you this, for me right now it is family and it is making up for lost time with that schedule. This is difficult, but it is goodbye."



Coleman then joked that Moyer -- standing in front of Riviera's lush greens -- looked like he was straight out of an ad for Scott's Turf Builder. Williams, Coleman and Roggin also kept gushing about how great Moyer looked.

A few shots from the tribute:


Classic Paul Moyer moment: During the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing, Channel 4 rushes to the air -- and Paul doesn't have time to throw on a pair of pants.


Check out a very young Kelly Lange. Lange was KNBC's first female co-anchor; she worked alongside Moyer in the 1970s, and then again in the 1990s after Moyer returned to the station.


At one time, both Moyer and Tom Snyder worked at KNBC together (Moyer replaced Snyder on the weeknight newcast once Snyder went national). People at the time joked about how much they looked alike; there's a definite poofy hair-and-sideburns similarity.

Previously on Franklin Avenue:
Channel 4's Paul Moyer: Never Can Say Goodbye (April 24)

Retro Friday: Paul Moyer Edition (April 3)

BREAKING NEWS: Paul Moyer Out at KNBC (April 1)

Your Favorite Coffee Chain: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf squeaked by Starbucks to win our poll for best coffee chain found in Los Angeles. I'm a bit surprised by the results here. Not necessarily the Coffee Bean win -- it's a hometown chain, and it's generally well-liked (especially thanks to those signature Ice Blendeds).

But given how uncool it is these days to admit you patronize Big Brother Starbucks, I'm a tad surprised that Starbucks nearly took the competition. I figured Peet's would come in second; I was also glad to see Swork perform decently, especially since it's not truly a chain. Then there's McDonalds -- which inspired this poll, given its new push into the coffee space. Turns out not many folks are "lovin' it."

Advice on Where to Road Trip in Southern California

The California Travel and Tourism Commission has come out with its latest guide to road trips throughout the state -- check out the 2009 California Drive Guide. If you're hurting for places to check out nearby, you oughta take a look at this.



Meanwhile, the California Travel and Tourism group also boasts a new list of summer deals to be had throughout the state.

Roster includes a "Sun, Sea, Save Promotion" through Santa Monica, where local hotels are offering a ‘Book Two Nights, Get the Third Night Free’ promotion. Deal includes a Carousel ride, a Ferris Wheel ride, a bike rental and a fare card from Big Blue Bus.

Deals also include Universal Studios, Long Beach, Six Flags Magic Mountain and more.

License Plate of the Day: Bunni Town

"Bunni Rd"? Is that like the Bunny Ranch?

Los Angeles: Ad Town One in a series

Variety's new headquarters on the Miracle Mile is no stranger to TV, film and commercials (it even played a major role in the cult movie "Miracle Mile"). The 5900 Wilshire owners can't seem to say no to location shoots, which is why I constantly see our lobby and building while flipping the channels.

Most recently, the lobby of the Variety Tower showed up in a Travelocity ad that ran Sunday during the season finale of "The Amazing Race."



Here's a shot from the other direction. That's LACMA in the background:



Spot a familiar L.A. locale in a TV commercial? Email it here!

Donald T. Sterling's Floating Apartment Building -- And Other Photoshop Offenses

Those animals with rudimentary photoshop skills over at Donald T. Sterling headquarters are at it again. And I do mean "animals," as I'm convinced Sterling employs a group of chimps (who fetch small salaries and don't demand a comprehensive health care plan, after all) to design all of his print advertisements.

No self-respecting human being, after all, would cop to designing Sterling's newspaper ads, which murder my eyeballs every time I see them. (Read my myriad of posts on Sterling's horribly designed ads here.) I'm not the only one; the Donald T. Sterling Graphic Design Foundation was created in an effort to stop Sterling's offensive ads.

These days, however, I'm convinced that Sterling is well aware that his ads are horrible -- and has made it his goal to make the ads even more ridiculous. The end game, other than taking pleasure in pissing us all off? I dunno.

But this ad above? Let's count the ways this reaches out and waterboards your sight. The building floating on the ocean. The giant 50 ft. woman who clearly doesn't slum it in that building. The horribly cut and pasted building name. If there's one thing going for this ad, it's the simple fact that Sterling's signature blurry, blown out-of-proportion mug shot is nowhere to be seen here.

Rate-A-Restaurant #205: Sweets for the Soul

(Flickr pic by Atwater Village Newbie.)

Restaurant: Sweets for the Soul

Location: 3169 Glendale Blvd. (Atwater Village)

Type of restaurant: Dessert

We stipulated: Evan and I were shopping for a Mother's Day present in Atwater Village (support your local businesses, especially in this economy!) on Friday afternoon, when we walked by Sweets for the Soul. The shop, which specializes in brownies, seems to always be closed when we're in the neighborhood. Given that we finally happened to be passing by while the doors were open, we had no choice but to check it out. Evan didn't object.

They stipulated: Cupcakes be damned. Sweets for the Soul is all about the brownies. Sure, they also offer a lemon pudding cake and a flourless pecan cookie. But you came for the brownies.


"Brownie Bliss"

What we ordered: Hot Shot brownie ($3.50): Valrhona Venezuelan dark chocolate base layered with spices such as chili, cardamon, cinnamon, ginger and more. Brownie Bliss ($3): Creamy chocolate square with toasted pecans. Cocoa Bliss ($3.75): More of cake-like texture of cocoa and chocolate chips.


"Hot Shot"

High point: Seeing how I love spice -- and love the combo of dark chocolate and chili pepper -- this was made for me. Rich in every bite.

Low point: But there weren't too many of those bites. And here we get to the real problem of Sweets for the Soul: Their brownies are tiny. Particularly given what you pay for them, the portions are shockingly small.


"Cocoa Bliss"

Overall impression: Love the brownie, hate the price. At least at cupcake stores, for $3.50 you get a humungous treat that can't (or shouldn't, at least) be eaten in one sitting. Here, we plopped down more than $10... for three tiny brownies that fit neatly in a small, small bag.

Chance we'll go back: I gotta say, I loved that Hot Shot brownie -- named because of its small, cylinder appearance. But there's so little value in the brownies, I'm afraid I won't be rushing back. Which is too bad, because it's the kind of store that would make for a great Atwater VIllage stop. But it's just too specialized and pricy for it to be a regular stop.

For a complete list of our more than 200 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant website.

FRANKLIN AVENUE IN NEW YORK: Central Park

After a week racing around New York covering the TV network upfronts, I wound up staying through the Memorial Day weekend to unwind. Maria and Blogger Preschooler hopped on an inexpensive JetBlue flight and joined me; that meant hitting a lot of kid-friendly attractions throughout the weekend.

Of course, that meant the first stop had to be Central Park, where we watched the model speed boats (above) and rented a rowboat in the Central Park lake (below).


At just $12 an hour, the boats are a relative bargain. It was quite a treat for Evan, who wanted to help me paddle -- before realizing how tough it was.

The line for the boats was long, but went quickly. Once in, we rowed all around the lake -- and were occasionally hit by other boaters.

Alice in Wonderland, in Central Park.

Evan has been talking about the subway virtually nonstop since the trip. More to come...