Dees Sleaze

Two years after he disappeared from local radio airwaves, it looks like Rick Dees is plotting his return -- at a place you'd never guess.

Radio & Records is reporting that Dees may host a countdown show for KXOL-FM, the reggaeton-flavored station known as "Latino 96.3":

After successfully airing a pilot show Sunday morning, SBS's Latin Urban KXOL/Los Angeles on March 5 will officially launch a new countdown show hosted by legendary air personality Rick Dees. No further information on the program was known at press time.

Dees used to jokingly refer to himself sometimes on the air as "Ricardo Diaz"... maybe he's convinced himself he's really Latino!

Mini-Spider-Man

5th and Spring's Celia, who practically lives on a soundstage (given the amount of film shoots in her neighborhood -- and even in her apartment), has made a new friend: Midget Spider-Man, stationed outside the actual film shoot for "Spider-Man 3."

World's Most Elaborate Coin Changer

Tip of the day, from Blogdowntown:

Just in case you ever need to know, the new Metro ticket machines now in place on pretty much every Metro rail line except the Red Line will take a maximum of thirty coins.

When you do, however, put your thirty nickels in only to find out it won't take any more you can simply push the cancel button to be given a shiny dollar coin and two quarters.

Need quarters for laundry day? Just spent a little time with the ticket machine (preferably at an uncrowded station). Put in fifteen nickels, hit cancel, and get three quarters for your troubles. Perhaps there are better ways to get quarters, but you never know when this might come in handy.

Finally, some good news about the MTA!

Not Tickled Pink

Going through an old purse this weekend, Maria found a fully punched Coffee Bean pink card. Once upon a time, that would have meant a free latte or Ice Blended.

But now that the Coffee Bean has dropped its long-running reward punchcard, it's simply a pink piece of paper, with a bunch of holes in it. Maybe we'll eBay it -- and perhaps make enough to hit the 'Bean for an ice blended.

L.A. Geography Lesson

Speaking of this week's L.A. Times real estate section (see below), this week's "Apartment Life" Q&A column contains a question from someone who doesn't quite grasp that they live in Los Angeles:

Question: Is Sherman Oaks under the L.A. rent control law?

Answer: Yes. Sherman Oaks is part of Los Angeles. There are many other sections of L.A., such as Venice, San Pedro and Woodland Hills, that have their own identities, yet are parts of the city and subject to its laws.

Regular readers know that I've been fascinated by this Los Angeles phenomenon: That there's a huge chunk of Angelenos who don't realize that they're Angelenos. (Of course, here at the Glendale offices of Franklin Avenue, we're actually not Angelenos. But we still feel like we are.)

(As an aside, it was tough finding a Los Angeles map online that actually included the San Fernando Valley. Most just show L.A. below the Santa Monica Mountains -- yet include plenty of non-L.A. cities, like Inglewood, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica (of course) and even Torrance and Long Beach. )

Lukewarm Properties

They're clearly hurting for material these days when it comes to the L.A. Times' much-discussed (or, in the case of Harry Shearer and others, mocked) "Hot Properties" column. We've seen several rather dinky homes included in the roundup as of late, alongside less than A-list names.

The latest:

Trading L.A. for L.R. (Little Rock)

Now that they've sold their Hollywood Heights cottage for slightly more than its asking price of $690,000, Lisa Blount and Ray McKinnon plan to buy a house in her hometown of Little Rock, Ark., and rent at the beach when visiting L.A.

The house they sold has one bedroom in 990 square feet. The cottage, built in 1935, has a wood-burning fireplace, vaulted ceilings and a patio. There is a guest quarters with a small kitchen and a separate entrance.

McKinnon, who has a recurring role as a preacher in the HBO series "Deadwood," wrote, directed and starred in the Oscar-winning best short film "The Accountant" (2001), which Blount produced.

McKinnon also wrote and directed the movie "Chrystal" (2004), in which Blount costarred with Billy Bob Thornton. Blount played Lynette Pomeroy, the husband hunter whose feigned pregnancy leads to a suicide, in the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982).

Joseph Reichling of Sotheby's International Realty, Sunset, had the listing, and Mark Odell of Geary Family Real Estate represented the buyer.

Of course, for $690,000 they'd score a 10,000 square foot estate in Little Rock.

Layoff Static

They're calling it "Black Friday" at Clear Channel's Los Angeles offices. Reports coming out say at least 40 people were axed at the radio behemoth's local operations. A poster at Radio-Info has the details:

I guess word hasn't gotten out yet, but there was a MAJOR bloodbath at Clear Channel Burbank today (Fri-2/24)

Total body count is supposed to come to 40. A production guy at KIIS, office positions in HR, IT, Continuity, Accounting, and promotions from KOST, KBIG, Star, KLAC. Every station was touched from what I've heard. KBIG's marketing Director went too. Don't know about engineering and some of the other departments. Unpleasant. Heard it was supposed to happen when the stations were all consolidated when they all moved to the new building and it took till now to make it all happen.

But you can all rest easy: Ryan Seacrest still has a job there.

Flashback L.A.: Radio Surveys

Decades before the Internet, radio stations reached out to listeners via weekly playlist surveys. The sheets were usually handed out in record stores and contained the week's top hits -- and usually pics of the station's top DJs.

I'm old enough even to remember radio station surveys, as they were still passing them out as late as the 1980s. But obviously the web made it easy not only to publish playlists, but let you interact with your favorite radio station in ways unimaginable back then.

Here in Los Angeles, top 40 once ruled on 93/KHJ ("Boss Radio"), KFWB/98 and KRLA. Some surveys from the 60s:

One Last RFK Tribute at the Ambassador

One of the cool things about launching The Ambassador's Last Stand has been hearing from people across the country who have fond or personal memories of the hotel -- even, for some, after it had already been shut down.

I recently received a letter and some pictures from Brent Lyons of Illinois, who visited L.A. in June 1998 upon the 30th anniversary of Bobby Kennedy's assassination.

He writes:

On the morning of June 5, 1998, I purchased two sets of white flowers. I decided to try to put the flowers on the property of the Ambassador Hotel. So from Wilshire Boulevard, I walked up the drive to the parking lot and asked the parking lot attendant, who was at his booth, if I could go on the Ambassador grounds and put my flowers down. To my amazement, the parking lot attendant said to me nicely, "Go ahead."

I walked from the parking lot area to the front of the Cocoanut Grove entrance. I then put one set of white flowers on the lawn and took pictures... I noticed that the front doors of the Cocoanut Grove were open, and I decided to go inside. (You will notice, in my pictures, that there were vans and people were unloading them for making films at the Ambassador. I laid down the second set of white flowers on the floor in the Cocoanut Grove.

I felt lucky enough for this experience, and left the Ambassador grounds without a hassle.

Thanks Brent -- and for everyone else, please keep sending in your memories. Check out The Ambassador's Last Stand for more.

Saving Their Balls

Kim and Nathan's petition drive to convince ConocoPhillips to save the disappearing "76" gas station meatballs, summarized at SaveThe76Ball.com, has been getting quite a bit of notice in recent days, particularly from the British press.
(Some of whom I think simply can't resist the "balls" pun -- those cheeky Brits!)

The BBC even asked us here at Franklin Avenue to use the above pic for their story here on the petition drive. (You may remember we shot the pic last October as they took down the old "76" ball at the corner of Hyperion and Griffith Park.)

The drive has also landed ink in the U.K.'s Telegraph newspaper, and the trade mag Convenience Store/Petroleum News.



Also, Kim and Nathan note that at least one former "76" sign is currently up for bid on eBay. The ball is currently only up to $100, which hasn't met the reserve price. From the description:

The item you are bidding on was removed from a race track in Bakersfield, Ca. two years ago. This Union 76 ball lights up and spins when powered by 110. The ball itself has minor scratches and I have tried to show those spots. This item is sold as is. The working status of the light and rotation device is unknown. Both features worked when it was taken down from the race track.

Press Release of the Day: Sorry State of Journalism Edition

As my colleage Brian Lowry noted: "Iraq is going to hell. We're selling the ports to UAE. Dick Cheney shot a guy." And yet, 20/20's lead story this week?

THE TRUTH ABOUT WHOLE GRAINS, ON ABC NEWS’ “20/20,” FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24

Plus: A Barbara Walters Exclusive: Sarah Jessica Parker;
Deborah Roberts Goes Behind the scenes of “Dancing with the Stars”;
Food for Thought – Get Ready to Rethink Your Grocery List

The anti-carb craze that swept the nation might be ending thanks to new research that shows whole grains can lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers. Bottom line: “good carbs” or “whole grains” are back in style. Literally hundreds of products – everything from cookies to crackers to bread – touting whole grain goodness are popping up on supermarket shelves. Just last week the Food and Drug Administration issued preliminary guidelines on “whole grain” food labels but, as ABC News correspondent JuJu Chang reports, things are just as confusing as ever. “20/20” puts whole grain labels to the test, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Also: Actress Sarah Jessica Parker speaks candidly to Barbara Walters about her personal and professional life.

And: Over the past weeks, millions of viewers have tuned in to the hit television competition show, “Dancing with the Stars,” to see celebrities dance the tango, jive and cha cha, leading up to this Sunday, when one will be crowned champion. From the fierce competition to the intense rehearsals, what really happens behind the scenes of this show packed with motion and emotion? ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts gives viewers all-access to the action, and talks to the celebrity dancers, including the three finalists, former 98 Degrees popstar Drew Lachey, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) wrestler Stacy Keibler and Super Bowl legend Jerry Rice, as well as competitors Lisa Rinna and George Hamilton. Roberts also takes a spin across the dance floor with her very own ballroom dance lesson.

Of course, that's all the stuff of Murrow and Cronkite (well, except for the "Dancing with the Stars" segment) compared to this "Special Report" issued by New York's Fox station, WNYW/Channel 5:

FOX5 NEWS PRESENTS A SPECIAL REPORT: “INSIDE AMERICAN IDOL 2006”

February 23, 2006, New York, N.Y. – FOX5 NEWS presents a special report “Inside American Idol 2006,” a half-hour program on the fifth season of FOX’s successful primetime show, American Idol. FOX5 NEWS brings viewers a current season update, a look at momentous auditions and highlights of three local area finalists on Friday, Feb. 24 at 10:30 p.m., following “FOX5’s News At 10 p.m.” Hosted by entertainment reporter Toni Senecal, viewers will not want to miss this FOX5 NEWS special, “Inside American Idol 2006.”

The FOX5 NEWS special “Inside American Idol 2006” features one-on-one interviews with the tri-state area’s three local finalists: Kevin Covias, Brenna Gethers, and Becky O’Donohue. In a recent trip to Hollywood, Senecal sat down with each one to discuss his/her experience so far and what it’s like to be a member of the “Top 24.”

For instance, 16-year-old Covias of Levittown, Long Island, tells FOX5 NEWS about the recent attention he’s been getting since making it on Idol, “I've gotten some interest from the girls, it's a nice feeling... it's pretty cool.”

FOX5 NEWS also has the inside scoop on the judges. Simon Cowell dishes to Senecal his opinion about Randy Jackson’s decisions, “He just generally gets it wrong, but because he's a record producer, he's sort of an elitist.”

O’Donohue divulges to FOX5 NEWS what she thinks about the judges. “I listen to what they said and I try to use it to my advantage for my next performance.” The 25-year-old from Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., also says, “Here I am – fulfilling my dream and it's amazing.”

Senecal even speaks with Gethers’ grandmother Dorothy Tilgman at The White Rick Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon where the 25-year-old started singing to the public.

And of course, the FOX5 NEWS special “Inside American Idol 2006” recaps this season’s momentous auditions, including footage of favorite Idol rejects Rhonetta Johnson, Nick “Flawless” McCord and Blake “Mr. Lady Liberty” Boshnack. Tune-in to WNYW-FOX5 on Friday, Feb. 24 at 10:30 p.m. for all this and more!

Whoa, how in the world did the folks at Fox 5 get such exclusive access?

Glendale's Penthouse Suite

I'm at a loss as to how this might impact our Glendale property values. Suck it, Chatsworth -- there's a new porn capital in SoCal!

LA Observed has the details:

Xbiz reports that Penthouse is building a 50,000-square-foot production studio in Glendale to help launch its new cable channel. CEO Marc Bell "wouldn’t elaborate on why Penthouse chose Glendale; however, the city has had Hollywood ties since the early part of the 20th Century and is home to ABC and one of the largest Los Angeles-area production facilities, Glendale Studios."

Xbiz says that Penthouse plans on producing eight feature-length films a month in Glendale plus "talk shows, celebrity sex reports and specials including 'Penthouse Goes to Spring Break.'"

TV Log Jam

Olympic Figure Skating vs. "Dancing with the Stars" Semi-Finale vs. "American Idol" vs. "Survivor": It's gonna be a big night of TV. Diane Gordon, who always sums up things nicely on her "The Surf Report" e-mail, weighs in:

Here's tonight's lineup - what do you think? What will you watch?

ABC: Dancing with the Stars 2 (2-hour), Primetime Live
The big DANCING finale is Sunday night and the top 3 pairs dance til the death tonight. It's down to Stacy "Longlegs" Keibler, Jerry "Shouldn't a man so smooth on a football field dance better?" Rice and Drew "Wish I Was As Hot As My Brother Nick" Lachey.

CBS: Survivor: Panama, CSI (R), Without A Trace (R)
I haven't been watching SURVIVOR this season. And I don't miss it. However, I'm psyched for AMAZING RACE this coming Tuesday 2/28 night!

NBC: Winter Olympics: Day 14 (Special)
The Winter Olympics main event, women's figure skating is tonight.

FOX: American Idol 5 (Results show), Skating with Celebrities (Special Repeat)
I finally watched IDOL this week so I could see the finalists. 17 year old Paris Bennett knocked me out; the girl has that magical quality known as IT! Ace Young is this year's Constantine but even more sellable and appealing after someone gives him a decent haircut. Bless Bucky Convington for keeping the south alive in the contest but he sounds like Boomhauer from KING OF THE HILL -- I can't understand a word the guy says. And whatever makeover they give him - he ain't gonna look like an American Idol. If you handed him to Clive Davis to produce, Clive would just laugh. I like Elliott's voice but the jarhead look is off-putting - but then that's something a makeover can take care of. The other guys did not impress; there are a lot of bad lounge singers in that group.

WB: Movie: Just Married

UPN: Everybody Hates Chris (R), Love Inc. (R), Eve (R), Cuts (R)

Blogs Dig Blob

The local blogosphere loved Tuesday's Daily News headline, "Mystery blob eating downtown." Some reax:

Blogging.la (where we grabbed the above image): Best Headline Ever. This was Tuesday's Daily News headline. I wonder if paper sales spiked because of it. Probably not. Probably only weirdo, easily amused, former X-Files fans found themselves shelling out .54 cents for this one. People like me.

Anyone ever find out what the mystery blob was? Please tell me the blob is sentient, please tell me the blob is sentient, please...

Defamer: Extra! Surprise Blob Attacks Downtown. We’d like to welcome all visitors to the fine city of Los Angeles, a town so consumed by its history as the entertainment capital of the world that it recreates a classic B-movie disaster scenario each day of the week for the benefit of our tourists.

If you enjoyed yesterday’s dramatic blob attack downtown, make sure you spend tomorrow on the Walk of Fame, where you’ll have a stunning view as a number of Hollywood’s landmarks are vaporized by Martian spaceships that curiously resemble huge, spinning paper plates.

KROQ's Bean: Best headline of the day yesterday was from L.A.'s "Daily News": "Mystery Blob Eating Downtown"! Okay, the exclamation point is mine but how awesome is that? A "tar-like goo" is oozing from manholes downtown and heating the sidewalks to 100 degrees. Some streets have buckled. Building foundations have shifted. No one knows what it is....or what it's come to Earth to do!!!!!!!

The WOW Report: Ooze to Blame Los Angeles does in fact have a daily newspaper other than the LA Times. It's the Daily News and its alarming front page today reports that the city was about to be eaten by a mysterious blob. That was a fate first foretold in a 1958 movie, but assumed to be a fantastical, mostly implausible scenario.

We live downtown and you'd think we'd have been aware that yesterday "a mysterious black blob" was on the attack "with a tar-like goo that oozed from manholes, buckled a street and unmoored a Raymond Chandler-era brick building." LAFD Captain Al Gonzales said, "The street looked like it was about to pop. Everybody sort of stepped back and said, Whoa." Turns out, though, it was simply the St. James Oil Company on a nearby petroleum drilling job that got out of control.

Boi from Troy: Mystery Blob to Take Over LAUSD Looking at the Los Angeles Daily News front page, above the fold, this morning, you see two headlines:

Mystery blob eating downtown
and…
Goldberg to head LAUSD?

For a second there, I thought they were talking about the same story.
There’s good reason, after all, that some folks call the Assemblywoman from Hollywood, “Jackie the Hutt”.
(Martini Republic also found the juxstaposition amusing.)

Lucky Adrastus: I stopped for lunch at American Burger in Hollywood and went to buy a newspaper. The headline for the Los Angeles Daily News? "Mystery Blob Eating Downtown"

It seems that a massive black ooze is coming out of the ground downtown at Olive and 12th. It's a mix of mud, oil, and boiling water -- pretty much wrecking the place. I heard on NPR that it might be caused by an oil company that flushed boiling water into oil pipes to loosen accumulated gunk. Apparently despite the cold snap (low 60s, brrr...) the sidewalk is hot enough to burn your feet.

And, man, what a great headline!

Adventures In Orange County

Not in the mood to fly all the way to D.C.? As you can see above, you can visit the White House right here... in The O.C.

We discovered Southern California's own mini-White House this weekend, while taking Evan to Adventure City in Anaheim. Located on Beach Blvd., down the street from Knotts Berry Farm, Adventure City is a mini-amusement park geared toward kids under the age of 8.

We were there for a birthday party, and at first Evan was a bit leery of the rides. (At 13 months, he's on the cusp of getting it.) After a few rides, he started to really have some fun and even demanded to ride a mini ferris wheel twice. The park includes a mini train (a la Travel Town), a petting zoo, puppet and magic shows, a carousel and ten other rides. Most of the rides are designed so you can hop aboard with your toddler.



As for the Faux White House, the building holds a doll museum. Uh-huh. It's part of the "Hobby City" complex, which includes several unusual hobby-themed stores and attractions, and sits right next to Adventure City. Nah, we passed on actually going inside.

Live Like Martha

Finally, the solution to Southern California's housing crunch. Newsweek reports -- no lie -- that replicas of Martha Stewart's mansion, built by KB Homes, are coming to Los Angeles:

When Martha Stewart's people first approached KB Home CEO Bruce Karatz last May about building mini-versions of Martha's mansions, he was skeptical. After all, Stewart was still under house arrest for her conviction in the ImClone stock scandal.
"There was a little risk that the public might not forgive her," says Karatz. But Stewart laid out an enticing deal to design Martha manses for the masses, priced between $200,000 and $450,000, that can be tastefully decorated by you-know-who. So Karatz agreed to an experiment: he'd build 650 Martha homes in Cary, N.C., and see how it went. The reaction: 3,800 home buyers wanted in. And Martha sent each of them a hand-signed thank-you note.
If she's going to keep that up, she'd better be ready for writer's cramp. This week, KB will announce plans to build "Marthavilles'' in seven more cities, from Orlando to L.A.

The Ambassador Hotel, 1936

Spotted on eBay, this cool ad promoting the late hotel. The text reads:

Unsolicited Tribute from a Great American Author
"The Ambassador, with its own gay streets of shops, a theatre and restaurants and the world-famous 'Cocoanut Grove" is believed by some to be only another magnificant hotel, but it's much more... it is a three-ring circus of indoor and outdoor amusements in a layout filled with happy conceptions."
-- Gouverneur Morris

Rate-A-Restaurant, #90 in a series

Restaurant: Yuca's

Location: 2056 Hillhurst Blvd. (Los Feliz)

Type of restaurant: Mexican taco stand

We stipulated: We were super hungry, and wanted to grab something quick. Two places stuck in our head: Senor Fish and Yuca's. We hadn't hit the Yuca hut in a while, so we quickly sped over to Hillhurst.

They stipulated: You know the drill: Wait in line, tell your order to Dora and mama Socorro, who will write down your order on a paper plate. Race next door to Hillhurst Liquors to grab a soda (Yuca's doesn't sell beverages, beyond juices). Wait for a rare table and grab it the second someone else leaves.



What we ordered: Our favorite: two carnitas tacos. Also, we split Yuca's steak sandwich.

High point: The carnitas tacors are what bring us back. But we tried the steak sandwich for the first time. It came highly recommended -- and lived up to the promise.

Low point: Waiting in line can sometimes take a while... and if you're not lucky, you'll never score a table. Fortunately, we were lucky this time out.

Overall impression: Yuca's won the James Beard Award in the "America's Classics" category last year. A very deserved honor. Yuca's is Los Angeles.

Chance we will go back: Again and again.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #89 in a series

Restaurant: Coffee Table Bistro

Location: 1958 Colorado Blvd. (Eagle Rock)

Type of restaurant: Breakfast/brunch

We stipulated: It was a drizzly Saturday morning, and we wanted to get out of the house to sip some coffee and nibble on breakfast. We hadn't yet hit the Coffee Table's Eagle Rock location, so we immediately headed up to Colorado Blvd.

They stipulated: Order at the front -- which means you better study the menu quickly. Take your number to your table, and they'll bring it back to you.


French toast croissant

What we ordered: Maria: French Toast Croissant (fresh croissant dipped in vanilla/cinnamon egg batter, served with fresh fruit garnish and real maple syrup; $6.95). Mike: Silver Lake omelet (Italian turkey sausage, fresh roma tomato, avocado and shredded jack cheese, topped with fresh avocado, $8.25).


Silver Lake omelet

High point: An excellent neighborhood morning spot, the Coffee Table is great for people watching and was extremely baby friendly. The Silver Lake omelet was strong as well.

Low point: You're on your own when it comes to coffee refills, etc. And while the french toast croissant was OK, it was blown away a day later by the french toast at Fatty's.

Overall impression: The food didn't blow us away, but we were pleasantly surprised by the overall experience. The Coffee Table has a nice vibe to it, and it's a place where you feel the urge to linger.

Chance we will go back: Yes -- Its menu is more accessible than Fatty's, and more adventurous than many. If we're not going to Alcove, we'll head here again.

Crouching Dallas, Hidden Raines

Thanks to LAist for turning me on to CrouchingDallas.com.

That's right -- a site devoted to pictures of KABC-TV weatherman Dallas Raines making his signature crouching motion as he describes an incoming high pressure system or glides along to a satellite image of storm clouds heading our way.

The anonymous creator of the site describes its mission statement:

I started this site because there's something about the way Dallas crouches that absolutely entertains and amuses me.

I'm considering my own site: "Smirking Moyer."

Trader D'ohs

Spotted at the Trader Joe’s: A note to workers warning them of potential LAPD stings around town.

Seems a 17-year-old girl walked into the Chatsworth Trader Joe’s, managed to buy a bottle of wine without getting carded, and walked out.

Turns out it was part of an LAPD sting operation. As soon as the teen walked out the door, LAPD walked in. They fined the Chatsworth store $1,500, and also slapped the clerk who rang up the girl with a separate $1,500 fine.

$1,500? That’s 753 bottles of Two-Buck Chuck. Yikes. No wonder why I've been carded lately, even with the growing number of greys in my goatee, and the 13-month-old in my arms.

That Stinks

My deodorant, in its pre-female days

I’ve been using Degree antiperspirant for years. Like how it works, how it smells – the “Shower Clean” scent in particular. (C’mon, who doesn’t want to smell “shower clean”?)

So imagine my shock a few weeks ago in Target: Degree has rejiggered its product line, and now “Shower Clean” is one of Degree’s “Degree for Women” line.

That’s right. My previously gender-neutral deodorant has now chosen a side -- and is, going forward, for women only.

I couldn’t bring myself to buy it. Isn’t Secret always saying its PH balanced for a woman, or something like that? Won’t my underarms explode or fall off if I used a deodorant targeted at women?

I settled for the men’s line, but not too happily. Degree’s entire list of scents for men sound like Doritos flavors. “Extreme Blast”? “Cool Rush”? They sound delicious -- but not for my underarms.

Ambassador Cam #32

Turns out the original Ambassador Hotel sign, which graced the hotel's automobile entrance upon its 1921 opening, has been trapped inside the hotel's own hideous, 1970s-era concrete silo. Chipping away at that old exterior, workers found the long-buried original sign inside;

You can easily make out the letters that spell "Ambassador Hotel."

How the entrance sign looked in the Ambassador's early days. 
(Thanks to reader Kathy for the shots -- by the time I got to the Ambassador on Friday, it was too dark to get decent pics.)

Another Tear Down: The Old Spaghetti Factory

Hollywood Thoughts reports that the Old Spaghetti Factory in Hollywood will soon be torn down:

The Old Spaghetti Factory on Sunset Boulevard is about to be pulled-down by a wreckers ball. The old Studebaker showroom (and garage) is scheduled for demolition sometime after the summer of '06. Condos are to replace the restaurant.

What's more, the building was also home for several years to KMPC 710 AM, the legendary radio station that disappeared in the mid-1990s when Disney/ABC first turned it into all-female talk, then Radio Disney, and now KSPN "ESPN Radio."

An Inside Look at the KCBS Assignment Desk

The latest blog at the KCBS/KCAL website comes from assignment editor Mark Liu (above), who has started sharing a pretty interesting take on his job -- one where he serves as a kind of newsroom air traffic controller.

Here's how Liu introduces himself:

Assignment Editors are the folks in the newsroom that hunt for breaking news and dispatch our reporters and photographers to stories as they happen. We also surf the internet and drink a LOT of coffee. This blog should (hopefully) provide a little insight into the inner workings of a major metropolitan TV news assignment desk, and maybe give everyone out there a better idea of *how* and *why* we do the stories that we do.

Liu has been pretty candid so far, even excerpting odd exchanges with his exec producer Jeff:

Jeff walks up to the assignment desk)
Jeff: "Liu! What have you got for me? I want breaking news."
Me: "Stolen jeans."
Jeff: "I know about stolen jeans already. I'm bored with stolen jeans. Stolen jeans is old. What else do we have?"
Me: "You're bored of stolen........Jeff, we JUST ASSIGNED a reporter to the stolen jeans story 10 minutes ago and you're already bored with the story?"
Jeff: "I've moved on. We need something else. Is anything on fire?"
Me: "I saw someone running around here with their hair on fire earlier."
Jeff: "Oh, that was just someone on deadline."
Me: "Ah. Right."

"Don't Let This Happen to Your Historic Building"

Photographer Robert Peate, who submitted several shots to The Ambassador's Last Stand, has complied 17 of his favorite images (out of over 800) he took of the grand hotel's final days.

Check it out at nlphotos.com. Robert explains his mission:

For the past four years I have worked near the site of the famous Ambassador Hotel, beloved Los Angeles landmark. In 2001 the Los Angeles Unified School District bought the site to build a new school, with the plan to demolish the entire historic structure. This prompted a lawsuit by the Los Angeles Conservancy, which was settled in 2005, clearing the way for the demolition of most, but not all, of the structure.

When I learned of the settlement, I began photographing the demolition for posterity. These images will be donated to the Conservancy for use in future preservation efforts. “Don’t let this happen to your historic building,” will be the message. What follow are my favorite of hundreds of images I took for this project, The Death of the Ambassador.

I met Robert and his wife Robin at the Ambassador Wake earlier this month -- both really good people.

Playlist Flashback: Winter 1996

In a fit of nostalgia, I've been listening to a few of my old mixtapes. Some tracks I'm thrilled to hear again... and others I'm embarrassed now to admit I once dug.

Here's one from exactly ten years ago, created in the production studio at WNUR just days before I moved out of Chicago. Yeah, I'm not sure why Shaggy is there, and yes, several tracks on side one are from the "Clueless" soundtrack.

Side One
GROOVY IS MY NAME -- Pizzicato Five
SUPERMODEL -- Jill Sobule
IN THE SUMMERTIME -- Shaggy
KIM THE WAITRESS (acoustic) -- Material Issue
HERE -- Luscious Jackson
SUMMERBLINK -- Cocteau Twins
LOVE WILL TEAR US APART -- Stanton Miranda
KIDS IN AMERICA -- The Muffs
GOOD ENOUGH (acoustic) -- Sarah McLachlan
MY FORGOTTEN FAVORITE -- Velocity Girl
I WANT YOU -- Juliet Roberts

Side Two
RED HOT LOVIN' -- King Kong
NOWHERE TOWN -- Chris Mills
ISOBELLE -- Cub
HAOLE REDUX -- Seam
SILENT MORNING -- Noel
STONE WALLS, STEEL BARS -- Chris Mills
JACKING THE BALL -- The Sea and Cake
TASTELESS -- Vandermark Quartet
EASE MY MIND -- Arrested Development
BET SHE'S NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND -- Pet Shop Boys
WHOLE WORLD LOST ITS HEAD -- The Go Gos
WEAR YOUR LOVE LIKE HEAVEN -- Definition of Sound

Guess It's Not Rodney King Redux

Lalo Alcaraz's La Cucaracha comic strip was eerily timely Thursday -- made coincidental by the long lead time necessary to get the funnies to newspapers.

Obviously, the L.A. County prison riots have brought to surface the larger issue of tension between African-Americans and Latinos.

Coincidentally, Alcaraz addresses the issue in bringing up the recent beating, caught on tape of a Latino airman by an African-American sheriff in Chino.



Despite the sense at the time (just two weeks ago) that this story had legs (with at least one TV news director even comparing it to Rodney King), it appears the beating has already been forgotten. Was the video simply too blurry? The facts less clear? Or do these kind of videos no longer make the same kind of impact they once did?

Press Release of the Day: The "W" Word Edition

Thanks to Joe for pointing me to this one: Whoopi entertains the ladies. He also raises the obvious question: Wait, there's more than one lesbian cruise line?

WHOOPI GOLDBERG SETS SAIL WITH OLIVIA CRUISE LINE

Goldberg To Perform On World’s Largest Lesbian Cruise Line

San Francisco, CA (February 16, 2006) —Olivia, the world’s largest and best-known provider of travel services for lesbians, their families and friends, has signed Whoopi Goldberg to perform on an upcoming cruise this April.

“We’re thrilled to have Whoopi on board to entertain our guests,” said Judy Dlugacz, President and Founder of Olivia. “Whoopi is not only an amazing performer, but she also represents the type of empowered woman we cater to. Her comedic sensibility, ideology and activism within our community make her a perfect fit for Olivia. She is a beloved performer in our community.”

The Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Grammy and Golden Globe winner will perform her brilliantly funny one-woman-show on a week-long cruise aboard the Holland America’s “Ms. Zuiderdam” embarking in April 15-22, 2006 from Ft. Lauderdale and traveling to such beautiful destinations as San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tortola and St. Maarten. More than 1,800 passengers will travel in luxury and style aboard the refurbished vista-class “Ms. Zuiderdam.” Special guest, tennis great Martina Navratilova will also join Whoopi on this cruise, providing a tennis clinic and lecture.

Entertainment on previous Olivia Cruises Line has included top entertainers such as Lily Tomlin, Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang, Wynonna Judd, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Kathleen Madigan, Kate Clinton, Suzanne Westenhoefer and the cast of Showtime’s “The L Word”.

Name This Spot: Old Billboard Edition

Last time we went with an obscure statue in a Cerritos park. This one's much easier. Where can you find this old, fading (but still very much visible) billboard for "KRHM 94.7 FM"?



What's amazing: This fading sign has been up there since at least 1967. That's the last year KRHM broadcasted on the 94.7 frequency; after that, infamous freeform KMET "The Mighty Met" debuted. (Of course, smooth jazz KTWV "The Wave" has been there since 1987.)

The Franklin Avenue Kitchen: Ahi Tuna Burgers with Tapenade

The challenge: Valentine's Day 2006. For the second year in a row, I turned to Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis for some recipe mojo. And for the second year in a row, I wasn't disappointed. Giada, I hope I did you proud.

Tuna Burgers with Tapenade



Laying out the ingredients: Baguette bread, green olives, kalamata olives, capers, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Italian parsley leaves, lemon zest, tuna steak, mayo, dijon mustard, red bell peppers, red onion, romaine lettuce leaves.



Getting into it: Making the tapenade, the dijon-mayonnaise, prepping the tuna.



As the tuna is seared, I make Trader Joe's prik king green beans (excellent, by the way).



There you have it: Ahi Tuna Burger with Tapenade. Pretty easy (although I cheated and seared, rather than grilled, the tuna, since I honestly didn't want to have to clean our grill.)

The Valley vs. Los Angeles

Are the Valley and Los Angeles one and the same? The technical answer is, yes, most of the San Fernando Valley is a part of Los Angeles. But the debate is raging over at LAist on just how different the two sides of "the hill" really are.

Spurring the debate: Kevin Roderick's re-launch of his Valley-centric site, now retitled The Valley Observed. LAist's Carolyn Kellogg wonders if it's redundant to have both sites -- there's no VALLEYist or blogging.valley.la, after all. But Roderick, who literally wrote the book on the subject, responds here that indeed there is quite a difference, and goes into the Valley's "kissing cousin" relationship (I'd say it's more of a "kissing sister" relationship, since they both have the same parents) in this essay on the Valley's image.



Sitting here in Glendale, where our recently adopted town is about to celebrate its centennial (this weekend), I know we're technically part of the San Fernando Valley. But because the city is situated in a break in the mountains -- and our home is closer to Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Los Feliz and Glassell Park (not to mention Eagle Rock) than any other spot in "The Valley" -- it doesn't feel like it.

In a way, I sort of like it that way. We're not quite in the Valley, but we're not in Los Angeles either. We straddle both. There you go, Glendale -- I've given you your Centennial slogan, free of charge.

Glendale: We're the Tasty Meat in the Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley Sandwich.

Scenes from a Valentine's Day

Nothing more crazy than a flower shop at 7 p.m. on Valentine's Day. I headed to My Secret Garden (at Franklin and Western), where the line was filled with guys picking up some last minute flowers.

To be fair, they didn't let me pre-order, since I was picking up. (Luckily, Maria's not into the whole cliche red rose thang -- no offense to you who like the red roses, they're beautiful.)

I knew exactly what I wanted -- orange French tulips. Maria loves orange flowers, and the tulips looked perfect. Meanwhile, in the frenzy guys were picking up and matching just about any flower they could get their hands on.





My Secret Garden is on the pricey side, but they do a great job in arranging the flowers into a great looking bouquet. Next up: Mike cooks dinner, Food Network style.

UPN in Tha Hood

Has a wild gang of former UPN executives started terrorizing Hollywood? That's the only way I can explain this tagging, which I've found around Sunset and Western.

The graffiti boasts the old skool UPN logo, the circle/triangle/square version not used by the network (which itself will go away at the end of August) since 2001. Clearly this tagging crew is attempting to bring back the UPN of long ago -- the halcyon era of "Homeboys in Outer Space," "The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer" and, yes, "Shasta McNasty."

Old Skool UPN, repraZENT!

Timely Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day! Thought we'd share the love with a few candy hearts:

Even if your Valentine's Day blows, at least you haven't been shot by the Vice President. (Well, except for you, Harry Whittington.)

L.A. county prisons need a little more love, and a little less racially-based gang violence.

Yes, I'd like my In-N-Out burger power struggle done "animal style," please.

FEMA to hurricane victims: After all we've done for you, tossing you out of your hotel digs in the middle of winter is the least we could do.

Down with groin injuries.

Mr. T, you'll always be somebody... and not somebody's fool.