More from the Wilshire Media Pumpkin Contest

"Gangsta P. Umpkin," E! Networks


"Rockstar V," by E! Networks


"If Mel's Diner's Flo Were A Pumpkin," by Comcast Entertainment Group


"The Ultimate Fate," by Comcast Entertainment Human Resources


"Robo-Pumpkin," by E! Entertainment Audience Research


"Mac," by ASG Media


"Hell Pumpkin," by CEG Facilities


"Gene Simmons," by CEG Mailroom


"Hollyweird Diva," by building security

It's Britney, B!+¢h! And Other Winning Pumpkin Designs

The annual pumpkin carving contest is underway at the Wilshire Courtyard center in the Miracle Mile. Home to media companies such as Variety. E!, the Weinstein Co. and the production offices of "Family Guy," the creative types get a little creative with their pumpkins. Some work, while some don't. Here's most of the competitors from the 5700 Wilshire side:


The best, in my opinion: "It's Britney, B!+¢h," by the L.A. Business Journal.


"Kid Eater," by Entravision (the company that owns Indie 103.1 and several Spanish language stations).


"Slice," by the Weinstein Company.


"Rib-O-Tony," by ad agency McCann-Erickson.


Surprisingly mellow entry from the "Family Guy" guys: "Death Becomes Me."


"Scary Larry," by Variety.


"Poker Face," by the World Poker Tour (no, that's not real money, although it sure looks like it!).

UPDATE: More contenders from E! and others here.

UPDATE 2: Congrats Variety's Betsy Holmes, whose "Scary Larry" carving won "Best in Show"!

Yo Gabba Gabba! Halloween Treat

Yo Gabba Gabba! has just launched its more elaborate website, which currently sports a Halloween theme. Games, pictures and video -- including an exclusive online clip of Biz's Halloween Beat of the Day (above) are all there. If you haven't seen the episode yet, it's being replayed tomorrow on Nick Jr. -- just get a load of Plex's beard and Muno's cowboy moustache.

Retro: Everyday is Halloween

Hmm, if you've got little ones standing close to you, shoo them away before checking out this video. Ministry never made a video for their classic 1980s track "Everyday is Halloween," but this homemade version -- uploaded (and created?) by YouTube user deeky666 -- will more than do. It's a nicely cut montage of some creepy and gorey horror scenes, as set to the synth track (from back before Ministry went full-on industrial).

Now Under Construction: The Atwater Village Wine Shop

(Pic by LA Taco.)

That long-rumored Atwater Village wine bar is one step closer to opening.

As expected, the store will take over the last vacant spot in the renovated building that also includes a Starbucks, Crispy Crust and H&R Block. A wine bar been frequently discussed ever since word leaked out a few years ago, but so far, nothing. Pat first mentioned the possibility in June 2006; but as Starbucks, Crispy Crust and H&R Block all moved in, I had my doubts. And other bloggers had also started to wonder whether one was truly opening.

But now, construction has begun.

We were in Atwater Village (close to Franklin Avenue HQ) last Friday, as Blogger Toddler (in costume) trick-or-treated at participating businesses up and down Glendale Blvd. Standing at the Crispy Crust (free samples!), we wound up talking to the man standing in front of the future wine store.

The man -- I believe it was owner Andy Hasroun -- basically confirmed everything that Atwater Village Newbie mentioned last December. The wine shop will include regular wine tastings (functioning much like Colorado Wine Co. and its small wine bar) in addition to sales; a large wine cellar will be located in the basement.

Hasroun told us he's still trying to come up with a name -- "The Cellar" or "L.A. Cellar" are two possibilities.

I'd suggest going the pun route: Atwater Into Wine. ("Water into wine" -- get it? OK, I didn't say it was great.)



Above, Atwater Village's fourth-annual "Trick or Treat on Glendale Boo-levard" was a huge hit -- the street was even more packed than last year with tykes in costume. I'm proud to say the BT turned quite a few heads in his cowboy-on-a-pony outfit (yay, Target!)

Below, someone passes out candy at Atwater Village's Woof dog boutique.

Helios House of Music

It's still one of the most surreal gas station sights you'll see: Coffeehouse-style performances at BP's Helios House.



Helios House, the semi-eco-friendly gas station at the corner of Olympic and Robertson, is not without controversy -- after all, it's more than a little odd to see an oil company start spouting green-friendly jargon.

But given the choice between a regular gas station or one that at least s acknowledging eco issues, I try to fill up there when I'm on the west side (which is rare). Above, a guitarist performs at one of the regular Helios House nighttime gatherings.

And below, a drive-by look at the station.

Farewell, La Fonda

(Flickr pic by Fire Monkey Fish.)

Wilshire loses yet another institution: The mariachi band-themed La Fonda restaurant, which recently lost its ongoing battle against the building's landlord, officially shut its doors on Sunday.

The L.A. Times was there:

The closing of La Fonda marks the end of a cultural landmark in Los Angeles. It was home to Los Camperos, a nationally known group that toured and recorded with singer Linda Ronstadt. In the audience, mariachi musicians from around the state gathered to pay their respects to a place that is considered a mecca for Mexico's foremost style of folk, or country, music, which uses trumpets, violins and guitars to create background music for powerful vocalists.

"This is history for us," said Samuel Yanez, a 24-year-old violinist and third-generation mariachi musician from Sacramento. "La Fonda is to mariachi music what the early clubs in New Orleans or the Cotton Club [in New York] was to jazz."

Cano and his group Los Camperos lost the restaurant after a four-year legal battle to block the building's new owners from evicting the tenants.

Owner Natividad Cano hopes to open in another location.

Los Angeles: Ad Town, one in a series

Downtown's old Farmers and Merchants bank, at 4th and Main. The site for countless film shoots, including this ad for Chevy Malibu.

The Great Los Angeles Walk Website Is Live

... and, we have a logo! Designed by the one and only Maria.

Check out the brand new Great Los Angeles Walk website here: GreatLAWalk.com.

We've already heard from nearly 50 of you... but let's start spreading the word. Recruit your friends to join in, write about it on your blog... the more the merrier. Let's get as many people as possible to march down Pico on November 17!

And don't forget, if you're interested in hiking Pico from downtown to Santa Monica with us, clear your schedule that day (it's the Saturday before Thanksgiving -- think of it as the perfect exercise before gorging on your holiday feast) and email us at franklin_avenue@yahoo.com.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #151 in a series

(IGoUGo photo by trixie000.)

Restaurant: Quality Food and Beverage

Location: 8030 W 3rd St. (3rd/Fairfax/Beverly)

Type of restaurant: American

We stipulated: For a recent business lunch. the original plan was lunch at Doughboy's on 3rd... but it's temporarily closed. Looking for a casual lunch place, we then passed by Quality -- and there was no wait. What's better, there was already an hour and a half on the parking meter. Sold.

They stipulated: Parking is always difficult on 3rd, unless the Parking Gods smile on you (as they did here).

What I ordered: Quality chicken sandwich: Chicken breast with eggplant, roasted peppers, aioli sauce on ciabatta bread ($9.95)

High point: The prices are decent, the sandwiches creative (once they gave me extra aioli sauce) and Quality isn't packed, unlike the wait down the street for Toast.

Low point: Nonetheless, there wasn't much in the way of eggplant or peppers on the sandwich, which sort of underwhelmed until I added more of the sauce.

Overall impression: Not a bad place... but somehow, underwhelming. The menu needs some jazzing up... and here needs to be more of a reason to visit -- you can't just put "Quality" in your name. The lack of a crowd at Quality, when people are waiting for a table down the street at spots like Toast and Joan's on Third, should tell you something.

Chance we will go back: It's a spot to keep in mind if we need to grab a table fast. But otherwise, not likely.

(For a complete list of our over 150 restaurant reviews, visit our companion site Rate-A-Restaurant.)

Batty for Gingerbread

When the mailman delivers a surprise package from JustJenn, it is indeed a happy day. Even if he also dropped off the water and power bill. Above, JustJenn's gingerbread bats. Check out the process here.

Break Me Off a Piece of That "Office" Gag

Last week's episode of "The Office" (awesome, as always) featured a running gag in which office dolt Andy (Ed Helms, above) couldn't remember how the old commercial jingle "Gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off a piece of that..." went.

Apple Sauce? Grey Poupon? Driven mad, Andy finally settles on "Fancy Feast."

Of course, the joke's funny, because everyone knows it's "Kit-Kat Bar," right?

Apparently not. I've noticed quite a few people hitting Franklin Avenue this weekend, Googling the words "Break me off a piece of that."

So I checked it out on Google myself, and discovered why: Strangely enough, Franklin Avenue is fourth on the list, and the first to actually mention Kit-Kats (this post, about our love for obscure Kit-Kat flavors).

Farewell to KP's

We made it over to KP's in Silver Lake on Saturday for one last banh mi; as we wrote earlier, the Vietnamese American deli was calling it quits. Today was eatery's last day -- its lease wasn't renewed -- and I'm excited we had a chance to visit one last time.

Sadly, the woman at the counter said there are no plans as of yet to open in another location. But owner K.P. will decide for sure whether to resurrect the shop after he returns from a worldwide trip.

Retro Friday: Five Years of "For Better"

Well, we already outlasted Nick and Jessica, who got married the same day we did, so everything after that is just icing on the wedding cake.

Five years later, I'm still proud to say I've got a pretty awesome wife.

Above, video from our engagement on Nov. 22, 2001. (But Carlos gets it wrong, we didn't meet at the rink.)

FRANKLIN AVENUE CONTEST: Mariza at the Walt Disney Concert Hall

Fans of Portuguese fado singer Mariza? Of Walt Disney Concert Hall? Of Frank Gehry, who designed the set especially for this event? All of the above?

Thanks to Fanscape, we've got a pair of tix to see Mariza at the Walt Disney Concert Hall this Sunday, Oct. 28.

Because of the short notice, we'll choose the winner by Friday afternoon -- so get your entries in quick! Email franklin_avenue@yahoo.com. More details about the show here.

The 76-O-Lantern Lives! It Lives!

Earlier this month, we asked if any of you had spotted a Jack-O-Lantern face on one of the remaining 76 balls around the city. Sadly, none have been spotted here.

But 76 ball savior Kim Cooper just emailed me this link, which featured the pic (seen above) of a Berkeley 76 station that still carries on the tradition! The 76-O-Lantern lives!

Maria's Thursday Three

(Brobee and Foofa t-shirts, as made and photographed by Flickr user coronita.)

1. Brobee Love: Demands have been made around here over when someone was going to get his "Yo Gabba Gabba" shirt. I finally found time to go on the show's site, downloaded Brobee's image and ironed-it on a shirt. As easy as that, no more whining. Now I have to make one for Evan.

2. Trick-or-Treat: Tomorrow (the 26th), Atwater Village is hosting its fourth annual Halloween festival between 4 and 5:30 p.m. Kids can dress up in their costumes and visit the local businesses on the 3100 block of Glendale Blvd. The AV library also has a Halloween party that starts earlier and includes storytelling and snacks. It's a nice little "small-town" style gathering, and will give us a chance to check out all the new stores on the block -- including Amelia Fitzwater, The Little Knittery, and Under The Table (the Black Maria Gallery store).

3. What To See: Say it's your wedding anniversary and part of the plan is to catch a movie. Which would you choose:
a. Lars And The Real Girl
b. The Darjeeling Limited
c. Other: name your suggestion
d. Don't bother, you'll fall asleep anyway

Good Griefing It At The "Peanuts" Museum

Charlie Brown welcomes you.

Growing up, I went through my obsessive "Peanuts" phase, collecting the comic strips, stuffed animals, TV specials, etc. Charles Schulz even inspired me to dream of a comic strip career -- too bad I couldn't draw. And let's face it, as a 10 year old, I just wasn't very funny. (Some would argue that hasn't changed. Bastards.)

That's why last month, as we spent a few days up in Santa Rosa, I made sure we stopped by the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center.

You've probably read in recent reviews for the new biography Schulz and Peanuts, which depicts Schulz as a rather bitter figure. I've always figured that Schulz had a glass-half-empty view toward life -- just read the strip! -- so that doesn't really bother me. And indeed, a visit to the museum (built next to the studio where he worked, and the ice rink he erected in the 1970s) shows that Schulz was mostly set in his ways: He ate lunch at the rink snack bar every day, and watched the ice skaters in the afternoon in between drawing that day's strip.

The museum itself is well-done, offering a history of "Peanuts" (a name Schulz always hated -- but his syndicate forced on him) as well as a rotating gallery of strips themed to different topics and events. There are exhibits for kids (including an art room, where young ones can design their own comics), a screening room where "Peanuts" specials are shown, a garden shaped like Snoopy's head, and more.

The visit was well worth the trip. I was amazed at Blogger Toddler, who somehow had figured out already who Charlie Brown and Snoopy were, and who was excited to go see "Snoopy's house." If a 2 1/2-year-old pretty much discovers Charlie Brown and Snoopy just by being alive, then "Peanuts" is truly universal.


Charlie Brown and Snoopy at the entrance


Museum exhibit


Comic strips, even at the bathroom urinal!


Comic strips, turned into a larger Charlie Brown and Lucy mural


Parade of 95 Snoopy "Joe Cools" -- which will be auctioned for charity after being displayed at the museum. (These initially sat in front of businesses this summer around Santa Rosa.)

Tonight on "Hawaiian Eye": It's Pledge Drive Time!

Twice a year, public radio station KCSN holds its on-air fundraiser; tonight, it's my turn to conjure up some cash.

Luckily, since Hawaiian Eye is on late, I'm not expected to bring in much. And I can stick to playing mostly music. But if you're interested in helping a Bruddah out, tune in tonight... or listen to the stream or podcast tomorrow (access it here). All pledges enter you in a sweepstakes to win a 7-day Mexican Riveria cruise on Princess Cruises. Mahalo plennys!

Unfortunate Timing for "Things We Lost in the Fire"

Yeah, I know, it's a metaphor, there's no actual fire in "Things We Lost in the Fire" (right?) Nonetheless, I can't imagine this will be a popular film to see in the San Diego area anytime soon...

Cough, Cough: Ashy Air, and Other Fire Notes

We live at least 50 30 miles, probably more, from the nearest fire. Yet we found a layer small ash particles on our cars this morning, as you probably did too. I also swear I can feel the effects on the back of my throat.

Meanwhile, driving to work this morning I was listening to San Diego AM radio station KOGO/AM 600. It's coming in pretty clear up here, so if you're interested in hearing the latest on how they're coping down there, it's another option.

On the TV front, as expected (see below), KABC indeed returned to semi-regular programming this morning, flipping to "Good Morning America" at 7 a.m. KNBC was airing "Today," but at least at one point when I checked this morning, KCBS was still local.

Covering the Fire Coverage: A Return to Normalcy?

Above, coverage of the San Diego fires from that market's CBS affiliate, KFMB Channel 8.

As San Diego becomes the focal point to the fire disaster, Los Angeles' TV stations are finally pondering a return to normal programming.

KABC, for example, is expected to return to "Good Morning America" this morning for the first time this week. But every station is still likely to go back on the air this morning at 4 a.m. with the latest local coverage.

Stations again spent much of Tuesday commercial-free, broadcasting non-stop news as the Southern California inferno got more out of hand. With nearly 1 million people evacuated from their homes, the story continued to grow in scope.

One local TV general manager I spoke to said he knew exactly how much money he had lost so far -- "down to the penny" -- by dumping commercials. But in cases like this, it's important to take a leadership role -- partly because community service is still a factor in TV licenses, and partly because it brands you as the go-to TV station in times of crisis.

Meanwhile, over at KNBC, the station once again bucked the trend and kept much of the "Today" show on the air -- while KABC jettisoned "Good Morning America" (actually, it ran "GMA" on its digital sub-channel) and KCBS pre-empted "Early Show." Why? According to KNBC news director Bob Long, he's trying to send a message to the East Coast "Today" show folk, who were already producing a special live west coast edition. By airing "Today," which was pretty much wall-to-wall fire coverage anyway, Long is still trying to get the New York news operations to pay more attention to the world out west.

In radio, L.A.'s all-news KNX and KFWB stuck to the story, but for the most part kept their ads (after all, this is more their usual duty). In evening, however, the fire coverage waged enough out of the control.

In San Diego, radio stations banded together to share resources and simulcast feeds, much like the New Orleans radio stations did in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. All of the Clear Channel stations, for example, went with one feed, from news/talk KOGO. Also, in the spirit of cooperation, alternative rocker FM 94.9 turned its signal over to public broadcaster KPBS, after the station's transmitter was shut down by the fires.

"Male Bods Rule, Bud!"

I don't know why this cracked me up.. maybe because it was on the L.A. Times website, next to all the wildfire coverage.

Poynter Pointer

Woo-hoo! I made Romenesko on Tuesday. (For those of you who don't know, Jim Romenesko runs the site -- considered the journalism biz's home page -- for the Poynter Institute.) As you can see, Romenesko linked to my Variety piece on how the local stations are coping with covering the wildfire story.

Covering the Fire Coverage: Battle of the Screaming Headlines

Sing it with me: "One of these things is not like the other..." Indeed, the Los Angeles Times was alone among the major papers in the region this morning, sticking with the wordy (and kinda clunky -- try reading it out loud) headline, Massive evacuations ordered as onslaught of fires spreads.

Accurate, yes. But where's the sizzle? Where's the screaming smack to the face?

What's that? Daily News, you got something?

Oh yeah. HELL ON EARTH. Capital letters, large font... and the use of a word that once upon a time would have gotten a 6-year-old's mouth washed out with soap.

Advantage Daily News on the headline. But the LA Times at least delivers with that mondo, fire-drenched photo on the cover. The Daily News offered up... a map. Daily News, you promised HELL ON EARTH. So why aren't you showing me HELL ON EARTH?!

Turning to the other papers: The San Diego Union-Tribune probably boasts the most effective headine: 300,000 FLEE FIRES. It's simple, yet dramatic, and coupled with that huge photo, probably the most effective of the bunch.

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin goes with EMPIRE ON FIRE. It rhymes.

Over in Riverside, the Press-Enterprise goes with one word: FIRESTORM. I kinda like it, although with one word headlines like that, in a font similar to the paper's nameplate, it suddenly looks like you're reading some publication called FIRESTORM.

The Orange County Register's page one editor has apparently been listening to their old Soul Asylum CD. RUNAWAY FLAMES, never going back/Wrong way on a one-way track.

Then there's the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Things got pretty hairy out there. Yet the paper's headline, Wildfires Rage On, says... what? I'm not even sure. It sounds like the headlines we wrote in our high school newspaper ("Tennis team takes to the net," or "Basketball team shoots and scores"). Rage on, wildfires!

The Torrance Daily Breeze has another decent headline: The classic quote pull. Somebody, somewhere, described the fires as "like armageddon." Good enough for me. 'LIKE ARMAGEDDON' expresses what a lot of people were thinking.

The Ventura County Star does the same thing, but I'm not sure I like the quote as much. 'The sky was just red' is kinda interesting... but it doesn't really say how nasty things have been. I think of a red sunset when I hear that quote. When I hear the Daily Press' "armageddon" headline, I think of fire and brimstone.

Finally, the Bakersfield Californian goes all ultra-design on your ass, turning much of the page into a photo, with the headline, story and paper nameplate on top. Not bad.