Mike on Radio: Discussing the Year in TV With KCRW's "The Business"

It's become a fun annual tradition for me: The week before Christmas, I join KCRW's "The Business" host Kim Masters and the L.A. Times' John Horn, and we banter about the year in entertainment. The end-of-year episode of "The Business" airs today at 2:30 p.m. on KCRW. Here's the synopsis:

Kim Masters, John Horn and Michael Schneider review the top entertainment business stories of 2012 like Disney becoming the new home to Star Wars and The Walking Dead being the biggest hit on television. Other TV news from the year include the renaissance of NBC and the increased use of DVR's affecting what shows get made or renewed. On the film side, 2012 saw a few big bets fail, like Battleship and John Carter while "adult dramas" like Lincoln, Argo and Life of Pi succeeded. Looking ahead to 2013, we consider how Hollywood will respond to the Newtown shootings, going forward in terms of violence in TV and movies. We also look at the Netflix effect and its 2013 experiment into original programming with the revived Arrested Development and the series House of Cards. Plus, the chance that more consumers will consider "cord cutting" -- people cancelling their cable or satellite subscriptions. In film, one or two movie studios possibly up for sale in the coming year; a Chinese company could very well be a buyer.

Listen now! Click on the play button below, or go to the website here.

A Visit to Downtown's Old May Co. Building

(Flickr pic via army.arch)

Born as Hamburger's Department Store in 1903 (read more here, the May Co. bought Hamburger's and took over this building (at 8th and Broadway) as its flagship downtown Los Angeles location in 1923. Sadly, May Co. abandoned it in the mid-1980s. Now sadly crumbling as the Broadway Trade Center, there are still some hints of its glorious past, both inside and out. "The May Company" signs remain, as do little "H"s found all over the facade for "Hamburger's." We recently walked inside, and I took some pics of what we saw:


Elevator


A leftover directory of how the May Co. was organized before shutting down.


Disassembled escalator


Inside May Co. now


awning


"Erected 1903"

The May Co. and Robinson's merged in the early 1990s to form Robinsons-May -- but as you know, Macy's bought out Robinsons-May and eliminated the brand in 2008. Want more May Co. history? Check out the Department Store Museum here.

License Plate: Missing NY Edition

Hey, "I Miss NY," I give you permission to move back. Really. You're in LA now, get over it. Happy Holidays.

The Holiday Bookshelf: Four Books About the TV Biz You Should Read

Santa didn't get you what you wanted? Perhaps it's time to return that ugly scarf and instead invest in some good reading. For you folks out there interested in the biz, several friends have come out with interesting reads about TV. Jim McKairnes, whom I've known from his days at CBS, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the TV biz-- which comes in handy when he teaches students at DePaul. He recently self-published a book about how industry execs got into the TV biz-- the question he gets most from his students. You can buy the book here. I recently chatted over Facebook with Jim:

FRANKLIN AVENUE: Where did the idea come from to self-publish a book about breaking into the industry?
McKAIRNES: This book is spun off from the teaching I began to do in 2009-10. As a general intro to first class, I told students how I broke in, and saw them perk up. So after that i reached out to colleagues to ask how they broke in and then I read their emailed replies one at a time each week, calling them "Survival Guide" letters. It was no surprise to see that students crave advice and guidance based on real-world experience of those in field they want to enter. I have done this with each class since, and at the end of each term, I redact emails and print/distribute them to class. After three years and 102 stories, a friend suggested i publish them. Now it's actually selling.

FRANKLIN AVENUE: What's the Cliff Notes version of your story?
McKAIRNES: :East-coast j-school grad, East Coast entertainment journalism in my 20s, started over out here at 29 knowing no one and nothing. I met Norman Lear, who told me i should be working in TV, introduced me to then-CBS head Jeff Sagansky, and I was eventually hired at CBS. I stayed 13 years and left in 2006 as senior VP of scheduling and planning. I returned for a 2-year hitch from 2008 to 2010 in comedy development on studio side. I was asked to teach at DePaul in Chicago after an appearance there to talk. Now I'm writing and teaching but planning a 2013 return to the executive ranks if the right gig is out there and if love of TV is still anyone's aim.

FRANKLIN AVENUE: Is there a common thread on how folks "made it"?
McKAIRNES: Unquestionably an internship, paid or unpaid.

FRANKLIN AVENUE: I imagine this is question No. 1 from your students -- how to break into Hollywood. What's question No. 2?
McKAIRNES: "Is Hollywood cut-throat?"

FRANKLIN AVENUE: What's the thing you wished you knew when you were starting out that you know now?
McKAIRNES: What i wish i knew then: that presentation and ceremony -- working the system and selling yourself -- are as important to getting a job as ability and knowledge.

Here are a few more books anyone in Hollywood ought to add to their shelves:



Alan Sepinwall recently self-published the book The Revolution Was Televised, a look at some of the ground-breaking dramas of the past 15 years (think "The Sopranos," "The Wire," etc.) The book even earned a rave from the New York Times' Michiko Kakutani:

Mr. Sepinwall’s book, which was self-published, has all the immediacy and attention to detail that has won his blog so many followers (including this one). It also stands as a spirited and insightful cultural history. In these pages he examines how the artists behind 12 groundbreaking series used the time and space and intimacy afforded by the medium of TV to pioneer new means of storytelling, while at the same time explicating the philosophical visions behind their work.

From Syracuse University Press, my former Variety colleague Cynthia Littleton has written the definitive book on the WGA strike, TV on Strike: Why Hollywood Went to War over the Internet. Having covered the strike and its lasting impact, I know this will be an interesting read. Former NBC entertainment president Warren Littlefield blurbs:

Every day Cynthia shows us how smart and well informed she is with her reporting. What we didn’t know is just how compelling a storyteller she is! If you are in the entertainment industry or aspire to be this book is a MUST READ page turner. The players come to life and the events of the Writer’s strike provide the prism for Cynthia’s explanation of how the entire entertainment eco-system really works. In the lightning fast constantly changing entertainment universe this book helps us to understand ‘why’ and ‘how’ it is all happening. Bravo Cynthia!

Finally, my TV Guide Magazine colleague Steve Battaglio has been busy. Hot off his book about the history of the "Today" show, Steve also collaborated with NBC News on "Election Night: A Television History 1948-2012." Here's the blurb:

Election Night: A Television History by Stephen Battaglio is a fascinating and revealing look at the evolution of U.S. presidential election night broadcasts and how since 1948, this televised event galvanizes the nation.It explores the technical advancements in vote counting, live coverage from the field, how the networks get polling information and call a state for a candidate and how the drama unfolds in the control room. Through the lens of NBC News, Election Night highlights significant commentary by legendary news figures such as Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, John Chancellor, Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, and Brian Williams.

Drawing from extensive video archives, Battaglio goes through every presidential race beginning with Truman vs. Dewey and features all sixteen elections broadcasted since the dawn of television, including the 2012 re-election of President Barack Obama.

Filled with anecdotal stories about political campaigns and network coverage, Election Night provides a "behind-the-scenes" account by industry professionals and gives inside access to history in the making.

There you go. Escape the week between Christmas and New Years with a good book about TV!

Downtown's Giraffe Epidemic

Remember a few weeks ago when we saw a missile-enhanced militarized giraffe in downtown's arts district? Now two of the animals are squatting on an empty downtown lot. Above, as spotted this weekend on 5th, two giraffes peer out on to the sidewalk.

Save Henry's Tacos

Nearly 6,000 have already signed the petition, but another 2,000 signatures are needed, as enthusiasts of post-WWII design, San Fernando Valley historians and fans of gringo-style tacos band together in an attempt to keep Valley institution Henry's Tacos alive.

The L.A. Times has the details:

To its fans, there is something quintessentially L.A. about Henry's Tacos, which was opened in 1961 by a white guy from Nebraska, had bit parts in movies and TV shows like "Adam 12" and boasted loyal customers ranging from working Joes to Hollywood celebrities.

So when the owner announced earlier this month that Henry's Tacos would close at the end of year, fans rose up in protest.

Suddenly, long lines started forming around the modest midcentury stand at the corner of Moorpark Street and Tujunga Avenue. Celebrities such as Aaron Paul and Elijah Wood showed up to buy tacos and lend their support. And a Web campaign has taken off, including Facebook groups like "Occupy Tujunga" and hundreds of Twitter posts with the hashtag #SaveHenrysTacos.

The battle focuses in part on whether Henry's is more than a taco stand — whether it's actually a piece of history worthy of official preservation. In a city that boomed after World War II, L.A. has debated giving historic status to a car wash and space-age Googie buildings. But for devotees of Henry's, it's less about the architecture than the lifestyle it conjures.

According to the paper, the Henry's Tacos closyre came after owner Janis Hood applied for a historical monument designation for the stand last year. According to Hood, her landlord -- Beverly Hills businessman Mehran Ebrahimpour -- raised her rent 50% and refused to renew her lease after that. Ebrahimpour refused to comment to the newspaper.

Los Angeles Things That Were Never Built

There are things that are up my alley, and then things that are really up my alley. And this is one of them. LA Observed has the skinny on "Never Built: Los Angeles," a proposed 2013 event at the A+D Architecture and Design Museum on Wilshire. The exhibit combs through countless designs and announcements of grandiose projects that ultimately were never built in Los Angeles. Kevin at LA Observed has the details:

Sam Lubell, the West Coast Editor of the Architect’s Newspaper, and Greg Goldin, the architecture critic at Los Angeles Magazine, have mined the landscape and found some real gems. Lloyd Wright's incredibly grand 1925 Civic Center for downtown. Or the 1952 master plan for LAX by architects Pereira and Luckman. The plan is to use the research to mount an ambitious exhibition next spring at the A+D Architecture and Design Museum on Wilshire. They have launched a Kickstarter campaign to make it happen, and of course you can help.

Here's a link to the Kickstarter. You know I'm in!

Retro Friday: Christmas in Los Angeles

Hollywood Blvd. decked out for Christmas in the 1940s



Studio City Christmas Parade, circa 1965. Among the celebrities in this amateur film: Jayne Mansfield and children (including daughter Mariska Hargitay as a child).



From Los Angeles' KNXT-TV Channel 2 in 1957, it's "The Music of Christmas," featuring "Bill Hollingsworth and His Teen-Age Orchestra"

MIKE ON RADIO: Chatting Up The Year in TV on Kevin & Bean

Last week I finally got to see the KROQ and "Kevin & Bean" studios up close, as I joined the show for two segments to talk TV. You can listen to the podcast of the show by clicking the above player; jump the cursor to 1:03:00 to hear the interview. The interview is wide-ranging, from why the broadcast networks aren't doing cable-like shows to how "Girls" is an acquired taste.

In honor of "Kevin & Bean," I even showed up wearing an R. Kelly "Trapped in the Closet" t-shirt under my normal button-down shirt. It was a fun experience, and thanks to Bean, Dave "The King of Mexico," Lisa May and Ralph Garman for the hospitality.

Los Angeles' New Caviar (!) Vending Machines Pop Up at Local Malls

Tucked away next to the Bank of America ATM machine in a corner of the Century City mall's food court, a vending machine sits, offering $400 caviar to folks who are willing to spend $400 on vending machine food.

Seriously, I've never seen anyone actually use this machine. It's almost like it's a gag. But apparently it's not. According to ABC7, the vending machines are the brainchild of Beverly Hills Caviar's Kelly Stern.



The machines can also be found at Westfield Topanga and Burbank Town Center. Details:

The prices range from a mere $10 for two ounces of Wasabi Tobiko Caviar to $500 for one ounce of Imperial River Beluga Caviar. Stern said those are wholesale prices.

"We can sell it to restaurants at that price, and people can come here and get those prices," said Stern.

Stern admits not everyone will be interested in dropping hundreds of dollars into a vending machine, but then again, she's not targeting everyone.

"We're going after the people who have money but not time," said Stern.

A Night Out On the Cougar Town

Cougar Town continues to be the little show that could, snatching renewal from the jaws of cancellation year after year. The critically acclaimed comedy returns for a fourth season on Jan. 8 on a new home -- cable network TBS. The cast and crew of Cougar Town celebrated the show's upcoming return by inviting press to the set (at the Culver Studios) on a recent evening. And yes, much wine was poured.



This is a cast that seems to genuinely love their show and each other. Perhaps it's the underdog nature of Cougar Town, which was never a big hit on ABC but was nonetheless appreciated by critics and a small but vocal fanbase for basically being Boozy, Grown-Up "Friends." The cul-de-sac crew is a group that you'd truly like to spend time with, sipping a Pinot and playing a mindless game of Penny Can.



The show's cast and producers are also the show's biggest boosters, and have spent much time, money and effort fanning the flames to keep it alive. Executive producer Bill Lawrence famously shelled out a lot of his own cash to throw Cougar Town parties before the start of the show's third season. He's also a big Twitter user, taking advantage of the medium to speak directly with fans. At the recent event, Lawrence and the cast went out of their way to make sure they were interacting with press and talking up the show.



Lawrence is genuinely thrilled with the amount of promotion TBS is putting into this new season of Cougar Town. The show was even promoted in theaters across the country. It's great to see the gang back -- and we'll be watching on January 8.

Timelapse: Eight Hours of The Great Los Angeles Walk in 11 Minutes (VIDEO)

Will Campbell documented his day on the Great Los Angeles Walk 2012 via a timelapse camera -- and here it is, from Disney Hall in downtown to Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica (although Will notes that the camera did not record Melrose from La Brea to ink.sack, our lunchtime stop). It's a fun, fast-paced video set to a swingin' jazz track. Thanks Will!

The Century City Geyser

Big backup an hour ago on Olympic Blvd. in Century City, as a car plowed into a fire hydrant at the corner near Century Park East. The result: A 20-foot high geyser. Happy Monday morning commute!

The Griffith Observatory Plans to Prove The World Isn't Ending

Sorry, doomsday prophets: The Griffith Observatory will stay open late the night of Friday, Dec. 21 to dispel "any misguided concerns" that the end of the world is upon us. The attraction will stay open until 12:01 am:

The Observatory normally closes at 10:00 p.m. but will remain open an added 121 minutes to demonstrate that claims regarding the Maya calendar, planetary alignments, rogue planets, galactic beams, and other related phenomena have no basis in fact. The Observatory will be operating normally during the additional time, with extra shows in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium at 9:45 and 10:45 p.m.

For years, public anxiety regarding the “end of the world” on December 21, 2012, has been stoked by irresponsible reports online and in the media. While the “2012” scenario is based on a profound misinterpretation of the Maya calendar, other groundless claims have also been attached to December 21. The Observatory, NASA, and others receive daily inquiries from anxious people asking if the “predictions” of doom are correct. The Observatory’s newest planetarium show, Time’s Up, addresses these concerns as part of discussing the fundamental nature of time (Time’s Up will show all day December 21).

And hey, if we're all wrong and it really is the end of the world, the Observatory will probably be a pretty good place to witness it. So win-win all around!

L.A. Ad Town: Bullocks Wilshire Is Back! Well, Sorta

The legendary Bullocks Wilshire department store shut down in 1993, and has been the Southwestern Law School's library since the late 1990s. But in a new TJ Maxx ad currently on TV, the building is once again playing the role of department store.



Of course, with those yellow taxi cabs in front, it looks like it's playing the role of New York department store, but no matter. It's neat to see a modern depiction of the building as a bustling retailer.



The Blogger Kid, back when he was still just the Blogger Baby, and I got to explore inside the Bullocks Wilshire building as part of a 2005 L.A. Conservancy tour; check out a few pics here.

Introducing The Kids to "A Christmas Story"

Hope this is the start of a new tradition for the Franklin Avenue family. The L.A. Conservancy screened the now-classic perennial "A Christmas Story" at the Orpheum this month, and we brought along the Blogger Kid and Blogger Toddler to see the movie for the very first time.

After a quick bite at the Two Boots pizzeria next door, we got in line late -- and as the crowd snaked around the corner, off Broadway, I began to wonder whether we'd get a seat. No worries. The Orpheum, currently the most grand of Broadway's surviving movie palaces (until the Los Angeles Theatre, the most beautiful of them all, is finally rehabbed), seats more than 2,000 people -- so there was plenty of room once we made it inside.



I always love visiting the Orpheum, be it for a movie screening (usually via the LA Conservancy; we saw "Chinatown" there earlier this year) or a concert. The Orpheum is also home to the Mighty Wurlitzer, the last of the great theater organs remaining on Broadway; for this screening, Bob Salisbury got the festive mood going with a selection of Christmas tunes (some of which the crowd sang along to). That was followed by a Looney Tunes short, "Gift Wrapped" (Warner Bros. 1952, starring Tweety Bird and Sylvester) -- and it dawned on me that the Blogger kids have quite possibly never seen a Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies cartoon. They've seen the characters, but never the actual works that spawned them. We'll have to continue to rectify that.



As for "A Christmas Story," cable TV (notably, TBS, which airs it on a 24-hour loop for Christmas every year) helped turn it into a holiday staple. And for good reason. It remains a funny, heartwarming tale with just a touch of edge -- and its timeless stories hold up 30 years later (which makes the movie's 1940s setting nearly 70 years old!). Now that he's nearly 8, it seemed like a good time to introduce the Blogger Kid to the movie's joys. He's now old enough to get the humor and relate to the storyline. Granted, it's no "Ninjago" or "Jessie," but he could easily sympathize with Ralphie as the character pined for a certain Christmas present (although the BK couldn't understand the obsession with a BB gun; these days, kids pine away for XBox points); dealt with parents who weren't thrilled with that pick; struggled to stay on his teacher's good side; lived with a pesky younger brother; navigated the school's bullies; and so much more. The Blogger Toddler, on the other hand, eventually fell asleep in the dark theater.

After the movie, we stopped by downtown's The Last Bookstore and raided their upstairs $1 shelves for a bunch of new books. I don't think there's a better place than downtown to get into the holiday mood; next up, we'll be hitting the Pershing Square ice skating rink, another Franklin Avenue holiday tradition.

L.A.'s Fascinating New Top 40 Radio Station

One of the more interesting radio experiments in Los Angeles is currently taking place on KXOS-FM "Exitos 93.9." The station is Spanish-language, but the music is all English-language top 40 hits. It reminds me of traveling abroad and listening to the radio overseas (hey, I'm a geek) and hearing familiar U.S. top 40 songs coupled with announcers in other languages. If anything, the top 40 music mix on Exitos 93.9 appears to be a bit more adventurous than KIIS-FM of KAMP-FM (Amp Radio 97.1). Ross on Radio's Sean Ross writes about how unique this new station is:

Launched in 2009 as a broad-based Latin pop station, Exitos flipped last month to English-language hits with a Spanish-language presentation, the first major mainland U.S. attempt at the format for 25 years. For much of the day, it's mostly rhythmic-leaning pop that you'd hear on rivals KIIS (102.7) or KAMP (Amp 97.1), although the differences are telling. Once or twice per hour, there are international hits that most U.S. listeners don't know-"Saturday Night" by Whigfield or "New York City Boy" by the Pet Shop Boys.

And when Exitos carries Alfa morning man Tono Esquinca until 11 a.m, that same music is punctuated by stretches of alternative rock that never crossed over to top 40 in the United States. So P!nk, Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson are followed by Keane's "Is It Any Wonder?," U2's "Vertigo" and the Black Keys' "Gold on the Ceiling." At one point last Thursday morning (Nov. 22), "Love of the Common People" by Paul Young showed up.

The Mexican radio formula for English-language top 40 has always been more open than its U.S. counterpart to heritage artists, deeper library, more dance music (unaffected by its boom/bust cycles to the north) and more alternative crossover-even better if an artist combines dance and alternative.

Here's a sample playlist:



It's a novelty right now to hear English songs after a Spanish voice, but for the two Blogger Kids, both of whom are in Spanish immersion classrooms, it's a way to expose them to the language while listening to familiar music.

Rate-A-Restaurant #285: Recess

Restaurant: Recess Eatery

Location: 1102 N. Brand Blvd (Glendale)

Type of restaurant: American/Brunch

We stipulated: As Blogger Kid took Sunday school at Incarnation in Glendale, we decided to grab a quick breakfast across the street at Recess.

They stipulated: Chef Sevan Abdessian's mission statement: "The blacktop was the place to be and, honestly, my favorite subject at school. Now we’re all grown up but that sense of fun and anticipation doesn’t have to be a distant fond memory. That’s why I’ve created a place where you can still spend time with your pals, share a delicious meal, chat and get back the sparkle from those long ago days."



What we ordered: Baja burrito (scrambled egg, bacon, mozzarella, black beans, avocado, salsa) $14; buttermilk waffle (powdered sugar, maple syrup, whipped cream, fruit) $14

High point: The menu is a nice surprise -- some intriguing options. The breakfast burrito was one of the best I've had in a long time.

Low point: Those prices are a bit on the high side, especially $14 for the waffle. I'm not expecting to spend that much, even on a gourmet breakfast, in Glendale.



Overall impression: A nice surprise, an ambitious full-service restaurant in that part of Glendale. But the prices are lower at The Village in nearby Atwater Village (on Los Feliz), which is why perhaps The Village is always packed and Recess was pretty empty the morning we visited.

Chance we'll go back: I'd like to, perhaps on another Sunday morning with other people. But the prices keep us from visiting more often.

License Plate of the Day: Ninjago Edition

If you have an 8-year-old boy in your house, then you're incredibly familiar with "Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu." The show is like crack to little ones. They watch it over and over again. Dissect the plots with their friends (debating who the Green Ninja might be, etc.). And of course, beg and plead for the actual Lego Ninjago sets. Brilliant move, Lego.

I clearly have Ninjago on the brain. Which is why, when I saw this license plate -- which is not a vanity plate, mind you -- my brain immediately went to "Ninjago." In reality, that's a zero after "NJG." But you could have fooled me. Ninja, go!!

Trader Joe's Wants to Ruin Your Diet This Holiday, Part 2

Remember when I listed a roundup of Trader Joe's holiday treats? Turns out there were plenty that we missed. Here's a second round of TJ gifts that we found in a recent visit:

Cocoa Truffles $2.99
Sea Salt Butterscotch Caramels $3.49
Cranberry Caramel Delights $7.99
Fruit and Nut Log $3.99
Brandy Beans $2.99
Dark Chocolate Orange $2.99
Belgian Chocolate Shoppe $9.99
Dark Chocolate Triple Ginger Cookies $2.99
Chocolate Liqueur Cherries $5.99
Peppermint Sandwich Cookie Cake $6.99
Winter Wonderland Mini All-Butter Sugar Cookies $3.99
12 Peppermint Macarons $4.99
Peppermint Bark $9.99
Gingerbread House Kit $7.99
Chocolate Peppermint Brownies $3.99
Mini Gingerbread Cakes $3.99
Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes $3.99
Caught In A Blizzard Chocolate Cookies $3.99
Almond Snow Man Cookies $4.99
Caramel and Dark Chocolate Popcorn Crunch $3.99

Anything else we're missing? Drop us a line?

Get to Know KCRW's Kajon Cermak

Get to know Kajon Cermak, the KCRW traffic anchor whose empathy for those of us stuck on the road helps make those afternoon traffic jams a touch more bearable. In thisvideo from the I Am Los Angeles project, we get a little taste of what drives Cermak.