Enter The 'Race'

Our Patron Reality Show here at Franklin Avenue, The Amazing Race, is back next week.

We got a sneak copy of the premiere episode and screened it last night... and the verdict is good. After a disappointing cast in season 4, the teams are pretty strong this year. You'll be surprised by who does well and who stumbles on the first leg of the race.

This time out, there is no team consisting of two young, athletic men -- who have won more often than not -- opening the competish for some more surprises. The first episode is 90 minutes long, and you'll be exhausted by the end. The drama is there: Teams fight for plane seats, only to realize they're fighting for the wrong flight; one team gets off to a bad start when a member scrapes his knee on the Santa Monica Pier; and a couple of boneheaded mistakes may very well force one team to be eliminated.

Meanwhile, we're just two months away from version two of Mike's Birthday Race. More details to come!

Single in the City

Forbes (by way of jozjozjoz) declares Los Angeles the nation's sixth-best city for singles. Just Denver/Boulder, Washington/Baltimore, Austin, Atlanta and Boston fare better.

I'd have to agree that L.A.'s nightlife has dramatically improved in recent years. But let's face it, it's still tough to meet people in a town where chance encounters are tough to come by. (Of course, that didn't stop Maria and me... as you may or may not know, we met completely by chance at the Good Luck Bar in Los Feliz.)

Here's a sampling of Forbes' write-up on L.A.:

Credit a slightly more reasonable cost of living and a slightly juicier job market. Yes, buying a house is more outrageously expensive than ever, but renting is relatively cheap: a bungalow in, say, Venice that would sell for $700,000 to own can be rented instead for just $1,400 a month. That should leave you with enough dough to lose yourself in the Sunset Strip's welcoming (and smoke-free) bar scene. (Ugh -- "Sunset Strip's welcoming bar scene?" Maybe in 1995. Move east, Forbes, east!) "Aspiring actor" may be code language for "waiter" but it also frequently translates as "young, beautiful Angelino who goes out a lot." And there's a massive infrastructure to support them: Only New York has more bars, nightclubs and restaurants. If you want to escape the overly hip and huddled masses, the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, home to the L.A. Philharmonic Association, opened its doors last year. Tickets are hard to get, but fortunately, the Hollywood Bowl is still doing its classical and jazz concert series each summer. Gas here is expensive and traffic delays plentiful, but you needn't be a slave to your car if you're jockeying a desk downtown. Find an apartment in gentrifying neighborhoods near downtown, like Silver Lake and Koreatown. Or discover the city's light rail service to Manhattan Beach.

Ice, Ice Baby

The L.A. Times food section discovers icy desserts from tropical climes, including Singapore's ice kacang (a bowl of syrup-drenched ice piled over sweetened beans), the Korean bingsu (made with fruit and sweet red beans) and the Mexican raspado.

Then, of course, straight from the Philippines, there's halo-halo -- a mix of shaved ice, fruits, beans, coconut, leche flan (custard) and ube ice cream. Mmm. Maria and I had quite a bit while in the P.I. earlier this year, and particularly loved the version at Razon's, a small mom-and-pop place in San Fernando, in the province of Pampanga.

But for sheer size, the halo-halo at Chow King, a nationwide Chinese fast-food joint, couldn't be beat -- huge and piled high with ube ice cream. Yum. Lucky for us, there's a Chow King location right here in the Valley -- Panorama City, to be exact. The L.A. Times, meanwhile, votes for the halo-halo at Barrio Fiesta (another Philippines chain with stores here in L.A., including in Glendale).

Cuchi Mama

Like I've mentioned before, working across the street from E! Entertainment Television gives me prime real estate for spotting D-list talent.

Today, for example, as I heading back to the office from my credit union (located inside the E! building), I bumped into the one and only Charo.

That's right. Charo. Dressed in pink from head to toe, including hat and feather-filled collar. With a twentysomething Latino stallion on her arm, making sure the single-monikered "Love Boat" staple and "cuchi cuchi" linguist didn't trip.

I'm assuming Charo was visiting to promote her stay inside "The Surreal Life" house. The third season of the "celeb" fest premieres Sept. 5 on VH1. Charo's housemates include Dave Coulier ("Full House" and ex-Alanis squeeze), Flava Flav (Public Enemy and big clock enthusiast), Jordan Knight (New Kids On The Block to washed-up to solo career to washed-up again), Brigitte Nielsen ("Red Sonja") and Ryan Starr (American Idol).

UPDATE: I mentioned my Charo Encounter (trademark pending) to a co-worker, who was standing next to one of the office interns. Says intern, in all seriousness: "Who's Charo?"

When did I get to be so old?

God Bless the Defamer

Item: Anorexia is the least of Mary-Kate Olsen's problems. Apparently, according to the Star mag, she's sniffin' the coke! (Psst, Mary-Kate, that's so 80s. Like "Full House" repeats.)

Here's this week's Star cover:

And Defamer's choice for what Star's cover should look like:

If At First You Don't Succeed... Change The Name

Driving back to Glendale after attending the shortest wedding in history (we were at downtown's New Otani Hotel by 11, and out by 1:15), we sped past the unfinished mess that is the Belmont Learning Center.

Frozen in time, the construction halted on the Belmont in 1999 after hydrogen sulfide and methane were found leaking to the surface. Experts figured out how to solve the problem and work was scheduled to begin again when... it was discovered that the school was built on an active fault.

Whoops again. But according to the L.A. Downtown News, construction is set to begin once again, with a completion date of 2007.

One big change: Now that "Belmont" brings up pretty negative connotations for the Los Angeles school board, the learning facility has been renamed. Kids, get ready to attend "Vista Hermosa."

The Gothamists Are Coming! The Gothamists Are Coming!

Hot NY group blog Gothamist, which recently launched the spinoff blog Chicagoist, is now heading out west.

LAist is currently in beta mode, but unofficially launches next week. (I would have gone with "Los Angelist," but according to Network Solutions it was already registered by a company called Tucows Inc. in January -- perhaps anticipating Gothamist's move out West.)

Writes publisher Jake Dobkin:

Chicagoist has been a great success and a lot of fun for us, so we've decided to take our freakshow to a new city: Los Angeles. We decided to name the site LAist, which we find is short, to the point (pronounced "el-lay-ist"), and available, domain-wise. The new site will be written by our friend Tom Berman, an expert on the city and a great writer, and by a number of great contributors.

First Gawker spinoff Defamer and now LAist... suddenly we're getting a lot of NYC bloglove out here in SoCal. I'm a Gothamist fan, so I'll be keeping an eye on whether LAist is able to translate it for our 'hood. Although, one has to ask, where are all the homegrown L.A. group bloggers, besides blogging.la and LABlogs.com?

Just Another Day

Odds -n- ends:

:: Conducted a phone interview with someone on Friday... but as he started answering my fourth question, the unmistakable sound of a toilet flushing drowned out his words. That's right. My interview subject had been answering my questions on the crapper. It's a dirty job.

:: The money pit continues to suck our wallets dry. The latest? Our $3,000 foundation bolting/repair has now turned into a $4,500 foundation bolting/repair. Meanwhile, we may have to take down a tree and redo our plumbing. And I forgot to mention the other day how we need to purchase and install some kitchen cabinets. And build a fence.

Donations can be sent to mikemaria@sbcglobal.net.

:: Guest priest at St. Casimir's on Saturday evening. Clearly didn't know the drill: Mass in 30 minutes or less. New priest kept things going until 6:45. Could the secret of our McMass be out? We'll keep you posted.

:: Mid-Wilshire folks, take note: The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is finally inching closer toward the 'hood. A location is about to open in the strip mall at the corner of Wilshire and San Vicente (across the street from 6500 Wilshire, the home to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Television Week). Still a little bit of a hike for us folks on the other side of Fairfax... but a quick drive for a White Chocolate Dream latte.

:: Also, good BBQ news: Zeke's Smokehouse has officially opened a location in town, at the West Hollywood Gateway monstrosity. (The complex may be ugly, but at least it offers up Target, Best Buy and Ben & Jerry's). Now you don't have to trek all the way up to Montrose for some Zeke's. And if you're a BBQ fan, you'll recognize one of the managers. The guy with the purple Fu Manchu beard used to work over at The Pig on La Brea. Apparently Zeke's stole him away. Who knew there was such a demand for BBQ experts?

Deja Vu

If Bill Bratton didn't realize it before, he sure knows it now: Running the NYPD was like heading up a country club compared to trying to keep the LAPD under control.

As this week's incident indicates, the LAPD is just waiting to explode. The department is still too small to handle a city the size of Los Angeles. It's still reeling from a scandal-plagued decade. It has to contend with a public that has pretty much turned a blind eye to the city's gang crisis. And it still hasn't found a way to rehabilitate its sorry image.

If I were KABC general manager Arnie Kleiner, I'd seriously consider asking ABC News if the station could re-air Peter Jenning's recent hour-long report on the LAPD (which I wrote about here).

***
Meanwhile, you gotta admit you've been feeling a sense of deja vu this week. Bill Clinton's in the headlines, the media's about to feed on a juicy celebrity trial, we're coming off a war in Iraq and Los Angeles is reeling from a video of LAPD officers beating an unarmed black man. I half expect to turn on the radio and hear some grunge: It's the early 1990s all over again!

All Things Brit

Go ahead, get a little jealous: I have, in my possession, the first two episodes from the new season of HBO's Da Ali G Show.

"Ali G" stars British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen in three different disguises: "Wanksta journalist" Ali G; Borat, the clueless reporter from "Kazahkhstan" traveling across America; and Austrian fashionista Bruno.

The joy of the show -- and sometimes its most painful moments -- come from seeing politicians and other figureheads trying to conduct an interview with Ali G, not knowing for sure whether he's actually for real.

"Ali G" returns July 18 with the episode "Respek." Ali interviews Sam Donaldson about Nixon's "Waterworld" crisis, and talks about "The Simpsons'" legal woes with former LAPD chief Daryl Gates. The following week, July 25, Ali talks with Pat Buchanan, and ponders the existence of "BLTs" in Iraq.

Speaking of all things Brit, I was happy to see that BBC America will finally air the sitcom "The Kumars at No. 42" here in the States. "Kumars" revolves around an Indian family who build a talk show set in the backyard for their son, an aspiring host. The show is half scripted, half reality, as the fictional family welcome real guests.

Maria and I caught an episode on our Cathay Pacific flight to Manila last February. The show, featuring guest Donny Osmond, started out slow but quickly grew on us.

If you remember, Fox was all set to air a U.S. version of "The Kumars" this past year. Cheech Marin starred as the father in "The Ortegas," which boasted the same concept (eccentric family, talk show set in their back yard) -- but with a Latino clan, and set in Van Nuys. But "The Ortegas" never made it to air.

Like BBC America's "Coupling," stick to the original. "The Kumars at No. 42" premieres on the cable channel this August.

The Pay TV Graveyard

Can't wait to see the new Xan Cassavetes documentary "Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession," currently featured at the L.A. film festival and eventually making its way to the Independent Film Channel.

Z Channel is remembered fondly in the L.A. area as an early cable pioneer; before many had HBO or Showtime, they had Z. The cable outlet was programmed like a film festival for much of its run. The channel was sold in 1988 -- and in the meantime, eccentric programmer Jerry Harvey, credited with creating most of Z's appeal, wound up killing his wife and then himself. (At that point, the channel had added sports and become "Z plus sports," before completely evolving in 1989 into SportsChannel LA -- which itself was shut down by 1994.)

But less is remembered about Los Angeles' two "subscription TV" channels, SelecTV and ON TV. Unlike cable, these were actually scrambled over-the-air signals, which required a monthly fee and descrambler to watch.

SelecTV sent its signal over L.A.'s channel 22, after the station (then a business channel, now all-Spanish KWHY) went off the air for the evening, while ON TV broadcast its programming on indie channel 52 -- known for running old episodes of "Speed Racer" and "Little Rascals" during the daytime -- after it also signed off in the evening. (Ch. 52 is now Telemundo-owned Spanish outlet KVEA) Both rival services aired recent, first-run movies.

But their biggest selling point? These movies were "uninterrupted" and "uncut." In our age of 500 channels, it's easy to forget what a novel concept this was in the late 70s. With cable still fledgling -- and VCRs a luxury most couldn't afford (if they'd ever even heard of the new contraptions)-- people still settled for the sliced-down, commercial-heavy afternoon or late-late movie. For homes not yet wired to cable, SelecTV and ON TV was a fresh alternative.

Early in his career, former 20th Century Fox exec Bill Mechanic was a programmer at SelecTV. He described the job to Film Journal magazine in 1998: "I was able to put on movies that I liked... I put on the first classic movies ever on pay TV-Preston Sturges films. I put on David Lynch's films, which were certainly not going on television at that time. I filtered those in along with whatever the new movies were."

Unlike Z, SelecTV and ON TV were not exclusively movie channels. From what I've read, SelecTV aired Lakers games, for example, while On TV carried some Dodger games. SelecTV and ON TV were also tested in other markets, but lasted the longest in Los Angeles.

But alas, cable -- including the HBO explosion -- soon made subscription services like SelecTV and On TV obsolete. Blame the technology as well -- the over-the-air scrambled signal was ripe for the picking, and was commonly pirated.

Ultimately, SelecTV and On TV merged, before disappearing entirely in 1989. Los Angeles entered the 1990s with no trace of its three original movie channels, Z, SelecTV and ON TV.

Song Lyric of the Week

Sorry if I'm late to the bandwagon, but I just heard Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" track on Power 106. You gotta love this lyric:

The way Kathie Lee needed Regis, That's the way y’all need Jesus

Any hip hop track that rhymes "Regis" with "Jesus" has my utmost respect. Holla!

Lollapa-No-za

Apparently a festival lineup featuring the Pixies, Morrissey, Sonic Youth, the Flaming Lips, P.J. Harvey, Basement Jaxx, Michael Franti and Wilco was too good to be true.

Lollapalooza pulled the plug today, due to low ticket sales. Here in Southern California, the tour was set for Thursday, July 22, and Friday, July 23 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

And therein lay the problem, at least here: I would have loved to go... but not sure I could take those days off from work. So I didn't buy tickets. Let's hope the Pixies still wind up playing a show here in L.A.

Not Such A Gas

A few months ago LA Observed briefly talked about the wonders of the La Brea Tar Pits and the methane gas located underground in the Fairfax district... at the time, I mentioned how tar continually oozes through the walls in the underground parking garage here at the Variety/E!/Spelling office complex. There's also a permanent methane-fueled rotten eggs smell at the corner of 6th and Fairfax, where one day I fear the 99 Cents Only store will explode.

Couldn't happen? It did in 1985, when a methane leak caused an explosion at the Ross Dress for Less store on 3rd. Several people were injured, a fire caused extensive damage, but luckily, no one was killed. The explosion's greatest impact was on L.A.'s fledgling transit plan. Originally slated to travel down Wilshire and up Fairfax, the Red Line subway instead stops at Western and travels up through Hollywood.

I thought about all of this today as a foul odor spread throughout the offices this morning. Was it a dangerous gas? Or did someone leave their lunch festering on their desk over the weekend?

Two Degrees From Fabio

Maria and I checked out Hollywood's Forbidden City the other night, where FX was throwing a season two premiere party for "Nip/Tuck."

Sadly, botox injections and quickie boob jobs weren't on the menu. But sushi was, and I consumed more than my fair share. Maria was intrigued by the new line of Virgin Cola about to hit the shores (but being passed out at the party), including "Virgin Blonde" (a vanilla cola).

Heading over to the bar -- as I'm known to do -- I ran into a couple of Fox execs, and the conversation turned to "North Shore." I kidded them about the show, including how it doesn't look like the Hawaii I know and love (for starters, too many white faces. And I told them my mom's critique -- too many suits, not enough Aloha shirts).

The woman standing next to one of the execs mentioned that she'd been to Hawaii recently.

"What island?" I asked.

"Oh, the Big Island," she replied. "But it was for work. I haven't really been to any of the other islands."

"You should, especially Kauai. It's beautiful," I told her.

It wasn't until after I got back to Maria that I realized that I had just spoken to "Average Joe 2: Hawaii" star Larissa Meek.

Yup, the former Miss USA contestant who admitted in the final episode of "AJ2:H" that she had once... gasp, dated Fabio! Oh, the questions I could have asked her. What a missed opportunity.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #43 in a series

Restaurant: Scarantino's Italian Inn

Location: 1524 E. Colorado Blvd.

Type of restaurant: Italian

They stipulated: No reservations necessary.

What we ordered: Baked Stuffed Lasagna; Fresh Tomato & Basil Pizza

High point: Just about every neighborhood has one: An inexpensive, Old World-themed Italian restaurant. It's comfort food, Americanized Italian-style. The portions are big, the sauce meaty, the pizza cheesy. And the food keeps coming: the lasagna order included minestrone soup, salad, and bread.

Low point: Because it's old school, you're not going there for gourmet tastes. And don't expect much of a wine list -- pick the house wine.

Overall impression: But you're not going there for gourmet tastes. For what it's meant to be, Scarantino's fits the bill nicely. Craving some pasta? You could do much worse. Alas, we would still place Palermo's -- the Old World entry in our Old Neighborhood -- up higher. (Particularly because of Palermo's 25 cent wine-as-you-wait -- or did they raise it to $1?) But Scarantino's has some serious charm of its own. And you won't leave hungry.

Chance we will go back: Hungry for pasta? Not in the mood to cook? Don't want to drive all over town? I'm sure we'll be making another visit.

For a complete archive of our Rate-A-Restaurant reviews, check out our companion ratearestaurant.blogspot.com website.

Sweet on India

A huge Indian grocery store, India Sweets & Spices, just opened last month in Atwater Village (down the street from the Bigfoot Lodge). Curious, I decided to check it out after work.

Entering the shop, I was quickly transported to another land. (When traveling, we always have to visit the local grocery stores and take home some goodies not usually found in the States.) The store is full of all kinds of good stuff: Indian spices, microwaveable ready-in-minutes meals, mango and lychee drinks, fresh fruits and veggies, and even English candy like Maltesers, Flake and Crunchie Bars.

Attached to the store is a cafeteria-style restaurant offering vegetarian food you can eat there or take to go. I brought home some Gobhi and Samosas -- and they were delicious, with the right amount of spice and not too greasy. You can get the lunch or dinner special for as little as $3.99 to $5.99. India Sweets & Spices also offer an assortment of milk-based desserts (great with the masala tea). The guy behind the counter was nice and funny and gave me a piece of pista burfi and tea to try out.

Worth a visit if you're looking for some good old fashioned authentic Indian food specialties.
India Sweets & Spices
3126 Los Feliz Blvd.
(between Glen Feliz and Edenhurst)

Can They Still Be Called "The Funnies"?

Here's a brand of affirmative action I'm sure some on the right may enjoy: The L.A. Times comics page is going conservative.

The paper plans to add the painfully unfunny strip Mallard Fillmore -- already seen in the Daily News -- to its lineup next week. Also on tap: another conservative entry, "Prickly City."

Listen, I can get over the addition of a conservative strip. But there's gotta be something better than Mallard Fillmore, which not only doesn't pull off many laughs, but also just looks bad.

Most strips are just a shot of the main character, a Donald Duck-ish bird who works as a TV reporter, reading some rant off of a script. The strip has very little narrative, very few storylines and no real character development. (Say what you want about "Boondocks" and its anti-Bush spin, but that strip also has an ongoing narrative revolving around two young kids and their out-of-touch grandfather. And Doonesbury has populated itself with a huge cast of characters through the years, and doesn't always depend on politics for its storylines.)

UPDATE: We got the scoop, baby! Two of the Times' newer comic strips are being pulled in favor of "Mallard Fillmore" and "Prickly City."

Gone as of Monday is "Zack Hill," a pleasant strip by John Deering about a young boy (Zack) and his single mom, who opens her home to boarders (one, a Rush-loving rightie and the other, a left-leaning aging hippie) to pay the rent.

Then, on July 12, as the Times introduces "Prickly City," say farewell to "Grand Avenue," another decent entry, this one by San Diego Union-Tribune political cartoonist Steve Breen. "Grand Avenue" revolves around a sports-loving granny and her two young grandchildren.

Sorry, "Rex Morgan, M.D." stays.

Break Out The MasterCard

Earthquake bolting and foundation repair: $3,000

Initial yardwork, to clear out the weeds that consumed our house: $250

Electrical work, to install an outlet for our dryer; also, to fix our phone lines and correct a non-functioning wall outlet: $667

Plumbers, to hook the vent on our water heater, snake out the pipes* and other misc.: Waiting for the invoice. But it ain't gonna be cheap.

Fence, to be installed around house: Probably in the $2,000 range

Kitchen cabinets: A little over $1,000

Odds and ends: More than $1,000

Owning a new home: No. I'm not gonna say "priceless." Oh, there's a price tag all right. And it keeps growing. Welcome to the craziness of a seller's market, where you buy a house knowing full well it needs repairs -- because the seller knows full well that he has all the leverage. I've heard from quite a few repairmen: "Didn't you have an inspection done?" Why, yes I did. "And they didn't catch this problem?" Well, they did... but the owner couldn't have cared less. You want the house? Dance, monkey, dance!

I know, this is what they mean by "house poor." But it doesn't help when I think about how the 2004 price tag for our house would have scored us a home two or three times its size in 2000. (And so concludes Mike's venting of the day!)

Named Jessica or Jennifer? No?... WB or "OC" Star? You're In!

Some people anxiously wait for the Oscar noms... others harbor a passing interest in who lands an Emmy nod.

That's all nice. But the Teen Choice Awards nominations are out!

Yup, you've been waiting, and now here they are. The nominations for "Female Hottie" and "Male Hottie" of the year.

Female Hottie:
Eva Mendes
Beyonce Knowles
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Garner
Jessica Alba
Jessica Simpson
Britney Spears
Paris Hilton

Male Hottie:
Adam Brody
Ashton Kutcher
Benjamin McKenzie
Chad Michael Murray
Justin Timberlake
Orlando Bloom
Tom Welling
Usher

Alas, "According to Jim" star Jim Belushi somehow missed the cut this year. But congrats to all the nominees. Who I'm sure all consider it an honor just to be nominated. As a "Hottie."

For The Love Of God, Somebody Stop Him!

Seacrest world domination continues. Press release from Fox:

RYAN SEACREST TO EXECUTIVE-PRODUCE AND HOST "AMERICAN TOP 40 AWARDS" (TENTATIVE TITLE) ON FOX

Awards Show Will Honor Pop Music's Biggest and Brightest, Featuring Performances by America's Hottest Stars

In his latest broadcasting venture, Ryan Seacrest has signed on to host and executive-produce the new AMERICAN TOP 40 AWARDS (tentative title), which is expected to air in 2005 on FOX. AMERICAN TOP 40 AWARDS will expand on Premiere Radio Networks' nationally syndicated "American Top 40" countdown show, hosted by Seacrest, which showcases the biggest songs of the pop music genre in the U.S. Since Seacrest took the reins, his "American Top 40" audience continues to grow.

AMERICAN TOP 40 AWARDS will recognize the hottest solo artists, groups and songs in pop music, based on the year's leading performers on "American Top 40," and will incorporate performances by the hottest musical acts. By focusing on pop, this awards show will break new ground to salute the music industry's most recognizable and encompassing genre of music. Seacrest assumed the coveted role of host of the "American Top 40" countdown in January 2004.

Seacrest, out. No literally. Please leave. (Ooh, jealousy ain't pretty!)

Fest-O-Rama

Number of street fairs and festivals this weekend, you might think you're in New York... nah, but there are still several reasons to get out of the house and drive/walk down the street:

First up, the L.A. Times previews this weekend's Chinatown Food Festival. Organizers promise more authentic fare than the Americanized versions you typical expect downtown:

A taste of that rich culture will be on display this weekend, when dozens of restaurants from the historic community — whose inception 66 years ago was partly inspired by the demand for Chinese food — will showcase their gastronomic delights in an outdoor lot next to the Chinatown Gold Line station. Restaurateur Tommy Tang and other accomplished chefs will give cooking demonstrations.

Aside from attracting tourists, organizers are hoping that Chinese residents from the San Gabriel Valley, including Monterey Park and Walnut, will rediscover the neighborhood.

To do so, they have to show that non-Chinese visitors are willing to be adventurous and try more exotic dishes. Chinese traditionally hold an aversion to the Americanized cousin of their cuisine, organizers say.

Meanwhile, in our new 'hood, we'll probably step outdoors and meet the neighbors at this Sunday's "Summer A'Faire" in Glendale's Adams Hill area. Not sure what to expect, but we'll report back.

And more immediately, LACMA will throw what seems to now be an annual free overnight "Tiki 'till Dawn" art party tomorrow night.

LACMA's "Beyond Geometry: Experiments in Form, 1940s-1970s" and "Inventing Race: Casta Paintings and 18th Century Mexico," and all of its exhibits, are free after 5 p.m.... but expect long lines. And by long lines, I mean looooong lines. We attended LACMA's last all-night soiree last September (and wrote about it here). Once you got in, it was great. But the hard part? Getting in. (Of course, last time out, there was heavy demand to see the "Modigliani & the Artists of the Montparnasse" exhibit for free.)

This time out, LACMA suggests you RSVP via its web site beforehand, and avoid the lines. "Tiki Till Dawn" goes till 7 a.m.

Comfort Food

When we're not fixing up the new house and unpacking boxes... (Who am I kidding? When are we not fixing up the new house and unpacking boxes?)... here are some of our current faves and diversions:

:: The fourth season of BBC America's Coupling. If you haven't given the import a try yet, don't let the disasterous NBC version sour you on it. "Coupling" takes traditional narrative and adds a twist, and also long ago graduated from simple sexcom to a much more complex series. (Thursday nights on BBC America)

:: Fosselman's lychee ice cream. You can't go wrong with just about any Fosselman's flavor. But the lychee is absolutely amazing. Visit the scoop shop, buy a cone... and take home a $5.99 quart. (1824 W. Main, Alhambra)

:: Home Depot. Yeah, yeah, I know, join the club, Mike, you're a home owner now. But yup, we've turned into those people. Home Depot whores. I never thought I'd succumb to the lure of the Depot. But there we are -- sometimes two, three times in a day. Several times over the weekend. Looking for wood. Shelving materials. Phone jacks. Wall fixtures. Closet rods. Blinds. Yup, throwing out hundreds of dollars a visit. Forget the home mortgage -- it's the Home Depot that's going to make us broke.

:: "White Chicks." (not really.)

:: Harrassing Fox execs about new drama "North Shore," which bears absolutely no resemblance to the Hawaii where I grew up. (As my mom told me, "They wear suits, Mike! And Brooke Burns wears long sleeves! That's not right!")

OD'd on iPod

Those ubiquitous iPod billboards and paste-up ads continue to be ripe for parody and/or grafitti. The blog Phototopia found this in Hollywood: iPod users made over as overdose (just drop the "iP" out of "iPod") victims.

Cute. But not quite as amibtious as the "iRaq" posters we saw all around New York last month, usually posted right next to the real iPod ads:

Clang, Clang, Clang Goes The...

The people of Angelino Heights hope to resurrect a little piece of L.A. transportation history. According to today's L.A. Times, residents of the neighborhood -- considered Los Angeles' first suburb -- have acquired one of the old Yellow Car tolleys that once traveled through town.

Angelino Heights remains one of L.A.'s real hidden gems. The neighborhood, just west of downtown, still boasts some of the most amazing Victorian homes you'll ever see -- most of which have been pain-stakingly restored.

If their plan goes through, Angelino Heights hopes to get a few Yellow Cars running between the neighborhood and downtown.

Writes the paper: Service on the Angelino-Crown Hill Line lurched to a halt in 1946 after Los Angeles Railway Corp. was sold to a consortium of automobile, truck and tire companies and oil firms that replaced its trademark Yellow Car electric-powered trolleys with buses.
The goal of nonprofit Angeleno Heights Trolley Line Inc., is to construct a 5 1/2-mile rail loop that will once again provide passenger service between Angelino Heights, Echo Park and downtown.

In Angelino Heights itself, restarting the trolley could be as easy as scraping the asphalt off the old narrow-gauge tracks hidden beneath hilly neighborhood streets and stringing a 600-volt electric line overhead, advocates say.

New tracks would be required along busier streets that have been repeatedly dug up and repaved since the original trolley service was discontinued.

The trolley would connect their historic neighborhood with such tourist sites as Olvera Street, light-rail and subway commuter service at Union Station, the Civic Center and Chinatown.

Zucker Flambe

NBC Universal TV Group president Jeff Zucker was in the hot seat Wednesday night, as the Hollywood Radio and Television Society (or NAMBLA)* held its first-ever exec roast.

In a town where you usually spit at an exec behind their back, throwing a roast -- and getting a high-profile muckety-muck to actually agree to the process -- is nothing short of a miracle, so my tip o' the hat to HRTS for pulling it off.

Some of the flames were hit and miss, as few of the roasters really went for the jugular. (If anything, Zucker -- who spewed a few choice zingers of his own at the end of the night -- gave better than he got.) We get it. He's short. He's bald. And yes, he's short and bald. Oh hey, did you hear? Jeff Zucker's short and bald! Bald and short! (Crickets chirp.)

But there were still quite a few slam dunks. HRTS president/WB CEO Jordan Levin got a load of laughs early in the evening, when he explained who hadn't been invited: "E!'s Mindy Herman was too likely to beat us up in a strip club parking lot... plus, she would have stolen all of the gift bags."

"Will & Grace" star Sean Hayes explained why Zucker was moving back to NBC headquarters in New York: "You can only get so far up (Bob Wright's) ass on conference calls."

Former ABC and NBC exec Ted Harbert stole the show, starting with his take on Zucker's decision to fire Harbert as head of NBC Studios and hire Kevin Reilly to take over as head of NBC Entertainment: "I'd like to be the first publicly to refer to Kevin Reilly as a 'job-stealing motherfucker.'" Harbert also said Zucker deserves at least 5%-7% of the credit for NBC's success, and that he has earned the 'Joyce DeWitt Award' for luckiest sumbitch in the biz. Particularly because it hasn't been easy running the entertainment division in L.A. "when you're in New York on corporate autosuck."

Other highlights included strong videos by Al Gore, George Bush I and Bob Costas, who earned host Darrell Hammond's respect by referring to Zucker as a "douchebag." ("I have lived my whole life to hear Bob Costas say 'douchebag,'" the "Saturday Night Live" star mused.)

Former ABC exec and now between-jobs Lloyd Braun also submitted a video, sharing his new life post-network presidency: Lying around the house in shorts and a robe, waiting in vain for the phone to ring and helping the maid scrub some dishes.

Jay Leno, meanwhile, died on the vine with a laugh-free video -- and then surprised the crowd by showing up on stage, where he died on the vine all over again.

"I never thought I'd see a day where Al Gore was more funny than Jay Leno," quipped roastmaster extraordinaire Jeff Ross. (Ross also noted that "Donald Trump wanted to be here, but he broke his back carrying the network.")

Also taking turns were Kathy Griffin, "American Dreams" exec producer Jonathan Prince, "Scrubs" star Donald Faison, UTA's Jay Sures, CAA's Alan Berger, EMI's Phil Quartararo and "Come to Papa" star Tom Papa.

Zucker round out the night, telling Griffin he appreciated her appearance ("I know how hard it is to get a shift covered at Starbucks") and telling Prince, "You're luck people can't yawn and boo at the same time." To Harbert, he admitted the exec was "actually funny" and had a "real talent for picking winners" -- and then asked "How did that Gephardt fundraiser go?"

Zucker's final word of advice: "Never say no to a man named Burnett or Wolf... unless they're coming on to you at a Christmas party."

*(apologies to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart)

Singing the Terra Cotta Blues No More

As reported earlier in the Downtown News, and today via the L.A. Times, downtown's Art Deco classic the Eastern Columbia Building is about to make a comeback.

Currently more or less empty-- save a handful of tenants -- the 1930 structure will be remade into 150 condos. Located at Broadway and 9th, the building was originally the headquarters for the Eastern Outfitting Co. It's seen a variety of uses since Eastern shut down in 1957.

Writes the Times: In September 1930, the Eastern Columbia opened and was hailed as one of the most distinctive examples of Art Deco style — a style that flourished through the 1920s and '30s. Its facade was trimmed in gleaming gold and dark blue terra cotta and adorned with sunburst patterns, zigzags and chevrons. Even the sidewalks surrounding the building sported red, black and gold terrazzo zigzags and chevrons.

"If you were to name two buildings that are the great Art Deco towers of Los Angeles, it would be the Pellissier Building, which rises above the Wiltern Theatre, and the Eastern Columbia Building," said Ken Bernstein, director of preservation issues for the Los Angeles Conservancy.

The vertical lines of the Art Deco style make the Eastern Columbia Building appear larger than it actually is, Bernstein said. Adding to the structure's height is its four-sided clock tower, which flaunts large neon clocks and the word "Eastern" in neon lights. For years, the tower displayed the time and chimed a song every 15 minutes.

The clocks are now silent, frozen in time, and the neon lights are dark.

Trash Can Woes

Today is trash day in our new neighborhood -- and for now, we're having to sneak our garbage into our neighbors' waste container.

The reason? We don't have one, and the city of Glendale raised a big stink when we asked for a replacement.

When we moved in, we found the yard and recycle containers, but nothing for waste. I called the city and they quickly informed me that two containers had been issued at our residence. I told them that we had just moved in and there were no such containers in our property.

She countered by giving me two ID numbers that had been stamped on the containers and advised us to look around our neighborhood on trash day to take back said containers.

"You want me to steal?" I stammered.

"Well, they stole first!" she replied.

What a way to move into a new neighborhood: Starting a pissing match.

"Well what happens if we couldn't find the right ones?"

"Then we'll have to go through the next phase and get the Glendale PD involved."

Geez!

Carb Crazy... and a French Dip Smackdown

Oh, when will the insanity end? Even greasy spoon diner Norms is introducing a low-carb menu, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Not exactly sure why you'd be heading to Norms if you wanted to lose some weight... but in case logic misses you, the SoCal chain is adding eight low-carb items to its menu, including a veggie omelet, bunless hamburger and chicken breast.

Also this week, the LABJ chronicles the debate between downtown's Philippe's The Original and Cole's P.E. Buffet over which legendary establishment actually created the French Dip sandwich.

Cole's claims it came up with the sandwich when it opened in 1908, while Phillipe's says the French Dip began there in 1918.

Bill Murray? Did You Really Need The Money?

Defamer has made it his mission this week to stop this Friday's premiere of Garfield: The Movie out of respect for the dead (Reagan, and now, Ray Charles).

Of course, I'd argue that "Garfield" needs to be stopped out of respect for the living. You have our support, Defamer!

TV Imitates Real Life Imitates TV

I can see the tagline now: "Fly the O.C., Bitch!"

According to the L.A. Times (by way of L.A. Observed), an Orange County supervisor -- in all seriousness -- suggested Tuesday that the John Wayne Airport be renamed after hit Fox TV drama "The O.C."

Writes the paper: With a straight face Tuesday, Supervisor Chris Norby suggested that government get in on the act. How about, he wondered, renaming the airport "The O.C. Airport —John Wayne Field" and installing freeway signs at county lines proclaiming "Welcome to the O.C."?

"It's got cachet," Norby said. "It's concise."

And The O.C. supervisors didn't flinch.

Jim Silva expressed skepticism but said he would approve a study to see if county residents support the idea. Board member Tom Wilson said there was merit in trying to piggyback on the show's popularity, noting that organizers of the O.C. Marathon have been hoping for a plug on the show.

Meanwhile, as L.A. Observed also notes, today's L.A. Times makes the case that Los Angeles actually could lay claim to the title Burgertown, U.S.A. After all, this is the birthplace of McDonald's, In-N-Out, Fatburger, etc.

The paper also compiles a quick list of the best local burger joints, and I'm happy to say we live close to several of 'em, including The Habit and Hamburger Central in Glendale, as well as Yuca's, downtown's Original Texas BBQ King, Eagle Rock's The Bucket and, of course, the ubiquitous In-N-Out (which recently opened a new, large location on Brand in G-town. Yes, I just referred to Glendale as G-town. No, I'm not ashamed).

Crike--E!

Working across the street from E! gives you a chance to occasionally sight a cheesy celeb heading in to do an interview with the cable network. Such was the case today, when I walked right past famed child endangerer and 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin.

Irwin was dressed in his trademark khaki shorts and chesthair-bearing shirt. But wearing sunglasses, stepping out of a limo and surrounded by Four Seasons bag-holding publicists, it just didn't feel right. I was hoping he'd wrestle one of his handlers to the ground, grabbing their jaw and twisting their legs, but alas, a spectacle was not to be had.

Indie Goes Rolling With Rollins

Nice write-up about Indie 103.1 in this week's Rolling Stone, which calls it "America's coolest commercial radio station."

It had somehow escaped my attention that Indie 103.1 music director Mark Sovel is actually an alum of one-time pirate station KBLT. And how cool is it that Henry Rollins now has a show on the station (every Monday night, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.)?!

Caught a bit of Rollins' show last night, and he indeed plays a distinct mix of songs, much of it rare, some of it old, and all of it from his own private collection. He describes the show here:

If I am not dropped and allowed to be a weekly occurrence, I will be doing the following: I will be talking about current events, recounting stories, as I am wont to do, and playing some really great music from all genres. If you find yourself so inclined, you might want to tape some of this as I will be playing rare and alternative tracks, a lot of which have never been put onto CD until I transferred them myself. I will also be bringing in some interesting people to guest along with me from time to time. I am hoping to make the show ultimate and totally cool. I am already making playlists in my head. I can’t wait.

Ugliest Building in Los Angeles

New blogger Richard Rushfield is conducting a contest for his L.A. Innuendo magazine: The Ugliest Building in LA Awards.

Writes Rushfield: Nominees will be reviewed by a panel of certified experts in the fields of architecture and ugliness. They will be judged on faithfulness to the broad spectrum of ugliness. Winners will be announced in Issue 4, due out in July.

If you would like to nominate your favorite ugly building in LA, please send us its street address and a brief description of the building, describing the various aspects of its special ugliness.

I wouldn't even know where to begin. L.A. obviously has no shortage of ugly buildings, especially as you travel west. Of course, my vote for oddest building would have to go to the postmodern Kentucky Fried Chicken (er, "KFC") at 340 N. Western (1991, Grinstein, J. Daniels):

I dig this building; not sure why, but it's such a spectacle, I sometimes drive down Western on the way to work just to pass by it.

As for your ugly picks, send your nominees to: editor@lainnuendo.com.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #42 in a series

Restaurant: Bouley

Location: 120 West Broadway, New York

Type of restaurant: French

They stipulated: Reservations recommended. Our reservation was at 2 pm and the place was still very busy.

What we ordered: We ordered from the lunch tasting menu ($35): The appetizers were Nantucket Skate with Baby Greens and Pineapple Caper Dressing (Mike) and Soft Shell Crabs with Cape Cod Gooseberries and Organic Pink Grapefruit and Wild Ramps (Maria); for the main course, the Chicken baked in Buttermilk and Herbs Sugar Snap Peas with Mushrooms and Risotto (Mike) and the Cod with Organic Sweet Garden Peas with Roasted Wild Oysters and Sauce Basquaise (Maria); and for dessert, we both had the Strawberry Cloud with Yogurt Caramel Crisp, Rose Petal Ice Cream and Amaretto Toffee Sauce and Apricot Anglaise.

High point: All the extras we got with our meal. They served different varieties of sorbets between each course to cleanse our palate; the melt-in-your-mouth potato puree that I had to fight Mike for every bite served with our main dishes; the chocolate and nut plate that came with the desserts (other, bigger parties recieved an extra plate of dessert, I noticed) and the bag of lemon pound cake that they hand out to the ladies (I shared mine with Mike) as you leave the restaurant. They know how to treat their guests and one just feels extra special when receiving lots of freebies.

The food was delicious, the contrasting flavors and texture evident in every bite. The tasting menu is such the bargain for a sampling of good food from a fine restaurant.

Low point: The overly fussy waiters. Don't get me wrong, I love an attentive wait staff but I was still savoring the last bite of my Cod while their eager hands were itching to take my plate away.

Overall impression: A classy restaurant and one of the most pleasant meals we've had in New York.

Chance we will go back: Yes, the next time we're back in NYC.

For a complete archive of our Rate-A-Restaurant reviews, check out our companion ratearestaurant.blogspot.com website.

Last Remaining Seats No Longer Remaining

Maria and I have been so busy moving we forgot to purchase tickets for one of our favorite annual events, the Los Angeles Conservancy's Last Remaining Seats.

We've been attending the annual tour (and classic movie screening)at L.A.'s long-neglected classic movie palaces for years. And this year, to tell you the truth, we were disappointed by the selection of theatres. This year's event is being held in just three palaces, with two -- Alex and the Orpheum -- actually still in use. Among the three, only the Los Angeles is usually impossible to see -- and it's worth it, if you haven't checked it out yet. Of all the classic movie theatres on Broadway, the Los Angeles -- built in 1935 -- is the grandest.

Unfortunately, most of the Last Remaining Seats events are already sold out. They include "Sunrise" at the Orpheum (June 9); "Gold Diggers of 1935" at Glendale's Alex Theatre (June 16); "La Otra" at the Orpheum (June 23); "It Happened One Night" at the Los Angeles Threatre (June 30) and "Shanghai Express" at the Alex (July 7).

The Brodesser Biz

Program note: The man, the myth, the legend, Variety's own Claude Brodesser, kicks off his new bi-weekly KCRW show, The Business, this Monday at 2:30.

Claude will dissect the world of Disney this week. From the KCRW web site: The program promises a look deep inside the business of entertainment. A live half-hour of thoughtful and irreverent dialogue with Hollywood's top deal-makers, filmmakers, moguls, artists and agents, "The Business" will clue you in on who's making pop culture pop and what's keeping Hollywood's Blackberries juicy.

A Fly in Tom's Ointment

Anonyblog A Fly on the Wall -- which broke the Julia-Roberts-is-preggers story this weekend -- has been doing some damn good stuff lately, scoring some juicy inside info.

Perhaps a little too inside for Tom Cruise's lawyers, who sent the blogger a cease-and-desist order yesterday. The Fly had posted what appeared to be Cruise's list of pretty off-the-wall demands (but totally believable, if you know anything about star demands) on the set of "Mission Impossible 3."

The item mysteriously disappeared by last night -- now we know why. As the Fly told MSNBC.com's Jeanette Walls, “My blog is just for fun, and I’m not going to get into hissy fits with people over this stuff.”

MacArthur Park to Los Angeles: Come Back! We're Safe Now!

After an intense effort to clean up MacArthur Park (above, in more peaceful times)-- long the home to gang warfare, street drug sales, plenny o' prostitution and, of course, the place to get your fake I.D.s -- city and community leaders say it's now safe to hit the park.

According to the L.A. Times, a new program will be launched this weekend to lure people back to the park (which was always beautiful at face value, as long as you didn't look close and see the bad stuff going on) through a walkathon, free paddleboat rides and walking tours.

Crime is down in the park, the LAPD's Rampart Division (hmm, we trust these guys now?) reports -- thanks in part to regular officer patrols, surveillance cameras and other changes.

That's quite a change from before, the paper notes: For years, one gang had held the northwest corner, another the southwest. The northeast corner was dedicated to the sale of false immigration papers and other documents, while the southeast served as an open-air drug bazaar. The restrooms and a tunnel were the realm of prostitutes, johns and addicts. Bloated bodies have for years been fished out of the park's lake.

Built in the late 19th century and first named Westlake Park, the open space used to be in one of the city's most fashionable districts. The area remained home to mostly middle- and upper-class families through World War II. By the late 1940s, however, the park had become the domain of street alcoholics — the first in a line of troublesome rulers. They were followed by heroin addicts, organized-crime figures from Cuba and street gangs, which fought over the turf for decades, the most vicious battles being those of the crack cocaine wars of the 1980s.

After several years of stop-and-start cleanup efforts, and now six effective months, the park is safe...but "a little bit empty."

NY vs. LA: Juror Edition

Mediachannel.org's Danny Schechter recently served on a New York jury, and recounts his experience here.

Upon arriving at NY's Criminal Court building, Schechter and his fellow jurors watched "a well-made video starring Sam Waterston and Ed Bradley tell us how important grand juries are to the administration of justice and as a brake on abuses of those charged with crimes."

Here in L.A., where I've now served three times, jurors are treated to a video starring... former KNBC anchor Kelly Lange, who now writes cheesy mystery novels.

Not exactly a fair trade off. Hey NBC and Dick Wolf, here's an idea. Talk about a nice promotion for your new "Law & Order: Trial by Jury": How about grabbing the new show's cast, which includes Jerry Orbach, and get them to film a new "Gee, ain't serving on a jury cool" video for Los Angeles?

The Man Behind The SigAlert

Don Barrett reports at LARadio.com that Loyd C. Sigmon (above right, with Gene Autry), the one-time KMPC-AM engineer who came up with the famed "SigAlert," has died. He was 95.

Traffic-obsessed Angelenos have learned to curse the ubiquitous SigAlert, which the CHP describes as "any unplanned event that causes the closing of one lane of traffic for 30 minutes or more, as opposed to a planned event like road construction, which is planned separately."

Sigmon first came up with the idea in 1955, building a contraption that would allow the LAPD to use a special frequency to alert radio stations of a traffic emergency. (The CHP took over in 1969).

Recalls this site, a pretty thorough history of the SigAlert: The first "Sigmon traffic alert" was broadcast on September 5, 1955. It had the unintended effect of CAUSING a traffic jam, as the message was sent out requesting any available doctors and nurses to respond to a train derailment outside L.A.'s Union Station. Nobody realized how many doctors and nurses would rush to the scene and tie things up even worse.

Initially, about one alert a day was issued by LAPD, but soon other nearby agencies were calling in messages they wanted broadcast. Not just traffic-related either. There were rabid dog reports, at least one message from a druggist who had made a potentially fatal error in filling a customer's prescription, gas leaks, and the impending Baldwin Hills Dam collapse in 1963.

The system had caught on quickly, and the positive publicity was not lost on Bill Parker. According to which version you want to believe, it may have been the Chief himself who gave it its name, when he mentioned to an aide, "We'll probably call the damn thing 'SigAlert.'"

LAPD Blues

In the Tuesday night time slot normally reserved for "NYPD Blue," ABC last night eshewed scripted police drama for the real thing, airing "Peter Jennings Reporting: LAPD," an intense look at the seemingly hopeless war in South Los Angeles.

Jennings spent much of his time with LAPD Police Chief William Bratton (above, with Jennings), who lamented the thin resources he's been given to stop the intense bloodshed caused by nonstop gang warfare. (ABC sums up the special here.) Bratton's issues are two-fold: Not only is the LAPD short-staffed ("Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the country, is spread over 450 square miles, and has only 9,200 cops," ABC notes. "By comparison, New York City covers an area of 300 square miles, and has 37,000 cops."), but LA's indifference to the violence is more than disheartening.

And this is most telling: Even Bratton more or less admits that the small size of the force eventually turns cops more or less corrupt: "It's all been about command and control," he said. Understaffed police departments "adopt tactics that eventually alienate them from the communities they're trying to police."

Ultimately, the best the cops can do is keep the violence in check. Said one cop to Jennings: "We're here to maintain control between civilization and utter chaos."

Los Angelenos prefer not to think about these things, and indeed it's easy to avoid traveling south of the 10 -- out of sight, out of mind. So it was heartening to see that, at the very least, the Jennings special won its time period here in L.A., on KABC (7.7 rating, 12 share). The program was up against the Miss Universe Pageant on KNBC (5.8/9) and a "Judging Amy" repeat on KCBS (4.7/7).

Go 'Nuts

It's free donut day at Krispy Kreme.

Of course, people in the Krispy Kreme Know realize that technically, every day is Free Donut Day. (Workers will generally hand you a free donut -- the "Krispy Kreme Gateway Drug," as I call it -- as you're ordering your two dozen piping hot glazed gems.)

But today, at the very least, tha K-to-tha-K is making a donation to the Salvation Army for every free donut it passes out. Do your part, dammit. And eat a free donut. Just make sure you head there after 5 p.m., when the "Hot Donuts Now" sign is flashing.

Letter from Home

Just a reminder... Father's Day is just around the corner. My dad e-mails: If you're looking for that Father's Day gift... here's here's a thought:

You think Jay Leno would take pity on me if I gave him the story
of how I had one just like this in 1966 and it was my first car, blah, blah, blah...???

Hmm, considering Leno probably owns seven of 'em, maybe he'll loan out one! Or maybe not.

Larry David, Champion of Justice?

Remember the recent "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode where Larry winds up having to take a prostitute to a Dodgers game?

According to the New Yorker, that episode has now saved a wrongfully accused man, Juan Catalan, from going to jail -- and perhaps even getting the death penalty.

Catalan was accused last May of murdering a 16-year-old girl named Martha Puebla. Catalan, however, believed he had a strong alibi: He was at a Dodgers game the night of the crime. That's when lawyer Jack Melnik went to work, negotiating with the team to view Dodger Vision footage and trying to find any proof that his client was indeed there.

Somewhere along the way, Melnik was told that Larry David and company happened to be shooting scenes for that "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode during the game. Melnik contacted David, who was at first skeptical, but later popped his head in and watched as the lawyer combed through the footage. And then he found the money shot: Catalan sitting there, watching the game.

Writes Jeffrey Toobin:

The HBO footage also included time codes, so Melnik was able to pinpoint precisely when his client was at the ballpark. He also located records from a cellular-phone tower which proved that Catalan had received calls in the vicinity of Dodger Stadium at the time of the murder.

Melnik presented the HBO footage and other documentation in a preliminary hearing earlier this year, and the judge dismissed the case against his client. Juan Catalan was released from jail, where he’d been for five and a half months, and he has returned to work at his father’s machine-tool shop. (Ledesma and Mario Catalan are still awaiting trial.)

As for David, he said, “I tell people that I’ve now done one decent thing in my life, albeit inadvertently.”

Bad Prediction

Mike to Maria, Monday: "Hmm, with the upfronts over and the long weekend just behind us, I'm thinking it's going to be a slow week at work."

Cut to Tuesday, headline: Mel Karmazin exits Viacom. (Variety story here.)

Oops. Nevermind. Unpacking the boxes will have to wait. (By the way, thanks to everyone who has answered our plea for advice below!)