Looking Ahead: 2006 (Updated!)

On a national/global scale, can't say any of us were sad to see 2005 go. With natural disasters virtually every week; the war in Iraq; the death of a Pope; and of course, the breakup of Brad and Jen, it was a rough year.

Locally, we elected a new mayor; endured torrential rains; opened a new transit line; and finally started paying more attention to Skid Row, among other things. So what to keep an eye on in 2006? (Several new items have been added.)

:: We failed to save the Ambassador Hotel in 2005-- what's the next big preservation issue? The LA Conservancy website lists several; I'd put Columbia Square at the top of the list. KCBS and KCAL will likely move out toward the end of this year or the beginning of next; at that point, the fate of the building rests in its new owners. It'd be a shame to see a building with such Hollywood history disappear.

:: Speaking of the Ambassador, this is the year it disappears forever. We'll keep taking pictures until it is no more.

:: 2006 is also the year that we'll bid farewell to Robinsons-May, and the end of the line for L.A.-based department store nameplates. J.W. Robinsons and the May Co., which merged in the early 90s, represented the last of a breed (as the other major L.A. department stores -- Bullocks, The Broadway, etc. -- have already disappeared). Macy's will take over some stores, with a handful turning into Bloomingdales -- and others closing all together.

:: This is the year morning drive radio gets shook up, as Howard Stern -- still a top ratings grabber among adults 25-54 -- migrates to satellite radio. How will local replacement Adam Carolla do? And does this mean good things for other English radio leaders, such as KROQ?

:: Time Warner Cable will take over much of Los Angeles sometime later this year, in a swap with Comcast as both giants pick over the remains of Adelphia Cable. Once Time Warner controls much of the L.A. metro area, much like New York, we might finally see a long-rumored local cable news channel.

:: It's an election year! Will Schwarzenegger rebound from his big proposition defeat in 2005 and low poll numbers to return for a sequel? Or will the Governator be terminated? And worse yet, if he's thrown out of office, will newspapers and TV anchors show some restraint and avoid using the obvious "Terminator" pun? My guess: No.

:: Ground will finally be broken on Rick Caruso's The Grove East -- formally known as Glendale's Americana on Brand. With the legal challenges finally thrown out, construction will now begin -- with a 2008 target open.

:: The Griffith Observatory will finally reopen this fall, after several years of renovation work.

That's just a sampling. Your turn now. What should we be keeping an eye out for in 2006?