Video: The Great Los Angeles Walk on Channel 7

It's not much, but it's still TV coverage of the Great Los Angeles Walk! KABC/Channel 7 was there at the starting gate on Nov. 20, and aired this little clip during that evening's newscast.

I do take issue, however, with their opening line: "So it wasn't a great day to go for a walk unless you like walking in the rain." For the record, it was the perfect day for our urban hike. Despite predictions of a downpour, the rain held off throughout that day.

Epic Fail, Glendale Galleria

California-based Mervyn's shut its doors for good at the end of 2008. Two years later, the Glendale Galleria (and owner General Growth Properties) still hasn't found a new tenant to replace the hulking, empty former Mervyn's location at the corner of Brand and Broadway.

And what a shame. That entrance was a convenient way to get into the rest of the mall; now it sits idle. Back in 2008 I suggested that the Galleria would be smart to turn the empty Mervyn's space into a new mall opening; instead, it remains an imposing hulking ghost.

'Candyman': How One Angeleno Created -- And Then Lost -- The Jelly Belly Empire

Candyman: the David Klein Story (trailer) from Jennifer Klein on Vimeo.

There's something quite depressing about stories of genius inventors who wind up selling their creations too soon and for a paltry sum -- only to watch from the sidelines as it explodes in popularity.

The documentary "Candyman: The David Klein Story," currently running on the Documentary Channel, is one such tale.

In 1976, David Klein came up with the idea of a gourmet jelly bean -- an idea that came to him while watching "Happy Days."

Klein came up with an initial eight flavors and started selling Jelly Belly beans at Fosselman's in Alhambra.

Given the price and the novelty factor, it took a while for Jelly Belly -- which he named -- to take off. But after some crafty marketing stunts (including staging fake customers in front of a wire reporter), the idea caught on.

Soon David was appearing on chat shows like "Mike Douglas" as the "Candyman." People magazine wrote about him. He appeared destined for fame and fortune.

But as Jelly Belly hit it big, the vultures came out. First, Fosselman's itself tried to take away the Jelly Belly trademark -- but Klein was able to outsmart the ice cream shop.

Klein wasn't so lucky in 1980, when he was strong-armed by the manufacturer that produced Jelly Belly. Klein who wound up selling the company and accepting chump change (under $5 million, split with a partner).

Jelly Belly, of course, went on to become a mega success story. And Klein, who has had to fight regret and other demons these past 30 years, hasn't been able to come up with a new product that might rival the Jelly Belly phenom.

"Candyman" explores that sad footnote (Jelly Belly refuses to even mention Klein by name in its company history ). But it also serves as a tribute of sorts to the eccentric Klein, who has put people before business on many occasions, and who still puts on an upbeat, brave face despite what happened.

Glendale and Atwater Village are also prominently on display in the doc. And "Weird Al" Yankovic also makes an appearance.

Here's more info from the channel:

The idea for the "Candyman" documentary was hatched by David Klein's son, Bert, who enjoyed the fruits of his father's "Jelly Belly" creation in his early childhood, but soon struggled with his father's lost candy empire during his teen and early adulthood years.

Bert's long-suffering relationship with his father, combined with his 20-year career in the film business and the birth of his two children, gave him the incentive to create a film that could repair his father-son relationship and reunite the family.

"I wanted to make ‘Candyman' so my kids Emily and Aaron would know who their grandfather was and what he did for the world," explains Bert Klein. "Having lived through the adventure first hand, I knew it would be very entertaining and inspiring. This film is about far more than just ‘Jelly Bellies.' It is an amazing story about an extraordinary man living in extraordinary times. It is a Shakespearian tragedy through the eye of a jelly bean."

Local TV Ratings: Good News for KABC, KCBS, KCAL and KTLA in November

Recent anchor changes have apparently paid off for Los Angeles' KCAL, KCBS and KTLA.

KABC, of course, continued its overall dominance of the L.A. market, winning the month in virtually every measurement, with veteran anchors Michelle Tuzee and Marc Brown (above).

But other stations had reason to cheer as well -- particularly KCAL, KCBS and KTLA, all of which had shuffled their teams over the past year -- and all of which posted big, double-digit gains this November with their late newscasts.

From Monday through Friday, CBS-owned indie KCAL won the hour with 199,000 viewers -- up a strong 42% vs. November 2009. And Tribune's CW affil KTLA was in second, with 142,000 viewers -- up a whopping 45%.

This month's contentious political campaign helped goose some of those ratings, of course.

"The Cooley-Harris race just ended," said KCBS/KCAL topper Steve Mauldin, referring to the tight California attorney general race, which came down to just a few thousand ballots. "And that governor's race was a movie. We've had a very interesting run."

But that's only part of the story. Fox-owned KTTV didn't enjoy a similar boost, despite dominating among the three stations during the 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. primetime hours. KTTV was actually down 6%, to 109,000 viewers, during the month -- winding up in third place.

KTTV may have been impacted by a move to experiment with its newscast -- bringing in more interviews and using its anchor desk less, for example.

Those changes came in the wake of massive budget cuts and staff reductions at KTTV, which as a result turned to more in-studio fare. Viewers apparently aren't impressed, however -- and KCAL and KTLA have benefitted from KTTV's changes.

At KCAL, the numbers repped validation for its new 10 p.m. team: Anchors Rick Garcia and Sharon Tay, who were first paired in April, along with new meteorologist Evelyn Taft. And at KTLA, the ratings were a nice boost for anchor Micah Ohlman, who first joined the station a year ago and more recently went solo at 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, at 11 p.m. both KABC and KCBS are also celebrating strong November books -- thanks in part to their primetime performances.

Traditional market leader KABC extended its dominance, attracting 349,000 viewers at 11 p.m. in November -- up 16%. KCBS, meanwhile, was up 12% to 274,000 viewers, making it a solid second place.

At KCBS, station was happy with the results following the move of anchor Pat Harvey and weathercaster Jackie Johnson along side Paul Magers.

KNBC, hampered by its network's weak primetime, dropped 16% to 207,000 viewers.

Read more here.

A Thanksgiving Tradition: "Turkeys Away"

Best Thanksgiving episode ever? No doubt. An annual Thanksgiving tradition: The "Turkeys Away" episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati."

"As God Is My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly!"

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

L.A.'s Jesus is Everywhere

Remember our Jesus spotting on the Great Los Angeles Walk? Will Campbell, who took the pic above, wrote all about it over at Blogging.la.

Turns out we're far from the only Angelenos who have encountered L.A.'s self-proclaimed Messiah.

L.A. Jesus is actually a man named Kevin Lee Light, who regularly walks around our city dressed as, well, Jesus. A whole blog, I Saw Jesus in LA, is devoted to the Jesus/Kevin sightings.

Here's Jesus taking the bus, for example:



(Photo via I See Jesus in LA and Tiffany E.)

Here's how the blog sums it all up:

Some say Los Angeles is a moral cesspool. Land of the lost. And perhaps that's why Jesus roams the streets. Maybe he's hoping to save us all. Most people who live in LA have seen the Second Coming meandering around the City of Angels. This is the OFFICIAL blog dedicated to those encounters. Submit your Jesus pics to isawjesusinla@gmail.com.

L.A. Jesus, who apparently can regularly be found at hot indie rock shows around town, also has a Facebook Fan Page. Because honestly, in 2010, of COURSE Jesus would have a Facebook Fan Page.

Los Angeles Ad Town: L.A.'s Subway Plays D.C.'s Metro

For some reason, this commercial felt the need to turn a downtown Los Angeles Red Line subway stop into a Washington, D.C. Metro stop -- the Gallery Pl-Chinatown station in D.C.


Here's another shot, where you can definitely tell the fake "Gallery Pl-Chinatown-DC" lettering has been (poorly) superimposed on the L.A. sign.


(Here's the real Gallery Pl-Chinatown station in D.C.)


And here again is the Red Line subway station... not exactly a match.


On Wilshire in downtown, near the boulevard's start

Rally in Atwater Village? Nah, It's a "Law & Order: LA" Shoot

The scene Monday in Atwater Village, above. Wait, isn't the election over? And I don't remember a "Prop. 128" marriage equality debate. (And isn't Atwater Village more Ground Zero for the marijuana debate?)

"Law & Order: Los Angeles" took its ripped-from-the-headlines formula to Atwater Village on Monday, where a fake rally was staged in front of a very real store front. Even the fake local news and the fake LAPD were a part of the scene.




"Channel 7 KPPQ." Wonder why "Law & Order" doesn't up the realism by using a real truck from KNBC/Channel 4. (And why use "Channel 7" on the fake truck, when the real L.A. Channel 7 is a rival of NBC4?)


Now here's better attention to detail: The fake rally even gets a fake Spanish TV station to cover it: "KQQW 18." Shout-out to the "Law & Order: LA" designers for putting together a realistic TV station logo here.


The crowd wide shot was filmed via a camera in the center divider. Hey, perhaps my car got in a shot.

GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK 2010 RECAP: We Conquer All 15.8 Miles of Wilshire

It was going to take more than a little rain to keep a Great Walk down.

And turns out the rain was mostly an afterthought by the time we kicked off the fifth annual Great Los Angeles Walk on Saturday, Nov. 20 at Pershing Square. Besides a few sprinkles at the start of the walk, the weather cooperated just fine -- if anything, the mid-60s temps were perfect for a day-long urban hike.

At least 100 die-hard Angelenos decided to brave the weather (before the dire forecasts, we were expecting around 350) -- and were treated to some amazing sights on Wilshire Boulevard.

And after an all-day, 15.8-mile journey (with several stops along the way), we celebrated over margaritas at Border Grill Santa Monica.

The morning started with a surprise guest: Councilman Tom LaBonge, who stopped by Pershing Square to send us off and say a few words. "Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles" authors Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler then took to the megaphone and gave us a bit of history about the street we were about to walk.

A KABC/Channel 7 Eyewitness News cameraman was also there to record the start (it later appeared on the station's 4 p.m. newscast; KNBC/Channel 4 had a camera out there as well). And thanks to the Los Angeles Conservancy, everyone grabbed a copy of "Curating the City: Wilshire Boulevard," a thorough guide to the historic buildings and sites up and down the Wilshire.

At 10 a.m., we headed West.

From there, the sights were many. Bullock's Wilshire. The Park Plaza Hotel. MacArthur Park. The "Shambassador" high school.

Los Angeles Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala met us at the mid-60s St. Basil's Catholic Church to give us a history of the structure; he then took us over to the Ahmanson Center/Wilshire Colonnade to share the background of that early-70s complex.

Surprises continued: We walked by the historic Wiltern Theatre -- the first-ever L.A. Conservancy success story -- and saw that the theater had put a welcome message for the Great L.A. Walk on its marquee. At the Los Altos Apartments, we were welcomed in by management (they happened to be holding an open house). Some lucky walkers got a chance to tour the Julia Morgan-designed Hearst apartment inside (while sipping Mimosas).

Many Walkers breaked for lunch at Black Dog Coffee in the Miracle Mile, where owner Brad Gold was offering $1 his sandwiches and hot dogs. Down the street, LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan gave us a history of the museum.

Later, we passed by a wedding (a Great LA Walk tradition!) in Westwood, and even spotted another message for us -- stuck on a lamppost by a crew member on HBO's upcoming series "Luck."

Most of us made it to Santa Monica (and the Santa Monica statue at the very edge of Wilshire) around 5:30 p.m. A sliver of light remained in the distant horizon as we took photos, nursed blisters and then hobbled over to Border Grill.

It was a great day -- and my prediction that the rain wouldn't be a factor paid off.

The hot topic toward the end of The Great Los Angeles Walk: Where are we going next year? Stay tuned. And remember to keep the Saturday before Thanksgiving free. We'll see you in 2011!

And now, some pics:


I'm interviewed by KABC Channel 7. (Pic by Davey Gonzalez.)


With Councilman Tom LaBonge, who yes, called me a "great Angeleno." Don't know about that, but what the hell, I'm flattered!


Kevin Roderick speaks, as Eric Lynxwiler and Tom LaBonge look on. (Pic by Raul.)


And they're off!


Making our way up Wilshire.


The Wilshire Special.

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Below, it's a swap meet. Above, the Westlake Theatre balcony remains.


Harrison Grey Otis points us in the right direction (at MacArthur Park).


American Cement building.


Color.


Inside the Wilshire Galleria department store -- formerly I. Magnin.


LA Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala gives us some background on St. Basil's Catholic Church.


Marcello describes the Wilshire Colonnade.


A bunch of us gather under the Wiltern Theatre marquee. OK, so they didn't quite get the name of our Walk right. It's the gesture that counts. Thanks, Wiltern!


Get your MAN SUITS! MAN SUITS, everybody!


Los Altos apartments.


Inside the Hearst apartment at the Los Altos. (Pic by Will Campbell.)


Members of the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council sponsor a rest stop.


LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan gives a history of the museum.


View of the Variety Building from LACMA's Urban Lights installation.


Yes, we are in Beverly Hills.


Creepiest statue on Wilshire?


An HBO "Luck" crew member leaves a message on Wilshire for us Walkers.


Jesus drives by the walk, and flashes a peace sign to Will Campbell. (Pic by Will Campbell.)


A Great Los Angeles Walk tradition: Wedding (this time in Westwood)


Didn't quite work out for you, huh?


Truman Capote's grave, at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery (Pic by Atwater Village Newbie.)


This late in the walk, no one takes up this inflatable ref's hug offer.


"Walk On" -- we're trying our best!


Harsh!


We celebrate at the Santa Monica statue - at the very end of Wilshire.


Walkers on KABC Channel 7's Eyewitness News

Thanks again to Councilman Tom LaBonge; "Wilshire Boulevard" authors Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler; L.A. Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala; and LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan, all of whom gave great speeches and shared some history for us.

Mark your calendars: The sixth GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK takes place Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011!

Other GREAT LOS ANGELES WALK posts:

Great Los Angeles Walk photo group on Flickr

Talking the Walk: The Great LA Walk 2010 Does Wilshire Blvd. (LAist)

Wilshire walkers catch a weather break (LA Observed)

Great L.A. Walk 2010: Wilshire Blvd. (Raul is Running)

Great Los Angeles Walk: Car-free urban adventure (Siel Ju, via KPCC)

I Saw Jesus Christ on Yesterday's Great LA Walk (Will Campbell, via Blogging.la)

Send us more links!

The Great Los Angeles Walk 2010: Wilshire Was Walked.

A huge chunk of us at the finish line... the Santa Monica statue at the end of Wilshire.

About a hundred Angelenos joined in our 15.8-mile hike from Pershing Square to the ocean via Wilshire Boulevard. And the best part: Despite all the gloom and doom rain forecasts, the weather was perfect.

I'll have a full report tomorrow, but for now check out this report from L.A. Observed's Kevin Roderick.

Thanks to Councilman Tom LaBonge; "Wilshire Boulevard" authors Kevin Roderick and Eric Lynxwiler; L.A. Conservancy docent Marcello Vavala; and LACMA staffer Mary Lenihan, all of whom gave great speeches and shared some history for us.

Hey Walkers, post your pics here: www.flickr.com/groups/greatlawalk2010/.

UPDATE: Read our complete coverage of the walk here.