World Series Champion L.A. Dodgers’ Season Opener in Japan to Be Focus of Upcoming Doc ‘Homecoming: The Tokyo Series’

Banijay Americas’ BD4 documentary label has partnered with theatrical distributor Fathom Entertainment and Major League Baseball production shingle MLB Studios to produce the doc “Homecoming: The Tokyo Series,” which is set to premiere in movie theaters on February 23 and 24. 

The film, directed by Emmy winner Jason Sterman (“13th”) and also produced by Supper Club, looks back at the historic MLB 2025 World Tour — which opened this past baseball season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs facing off in Tokyo. The two-game event in March, which saw the Dodgers win both matchups (setting the stage for its back-to-back World Series win in November) was also personal for several MLB players who made the journey back home: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki of the Dodgers joined Seiya Suzuki and Shōta Imanaga of the Cubs.

Read more here.

 

Not an April Fool's Joke: The Dodgers Are Finally Coming to DirecTV Customers

Elaine Thompson/AP/Shutterstock

It's no April Fool's joke: DirecTV, U-verse and AT&T TV customers will finally get to watch Los Angeles Dodgers games again, after six years of blackout. AT&T and Spectrum Networks have announced a carriage deal that will bring the Dodgers’ regional sports network, Spectrum SportsNet LA, to those subscribers for the first time.

DirecTV/AT&T and Spectrum had failed to come to an agreement for six years, which left the Dodgers with only partial coverage in the Los Angeles market. Under the new deal, DirecTV customers will receive SportsNet LA starting today on channel 690, while AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now customers will start to see the channel on April 8.

The news comes, however, as the baseball season has been delayed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Read more here.

A Warm Spring Night at Dodger Stadium

What more could you ask for? A warm spring Los Angeles evening. A Grand Slam. Big Dodgers win. Plenty of Dodger Dogs. And Friday night fireworks. Some pics from our trip to the ballpark last weekend:

MIKE ON RADIO: Dodgers, Transformers and the Future of Film on KCRW's The Business

Back on this Monday's edition of KCRW's The Business, host Kim Masters and I banter about the latest hot entertainment business topics:

- With Time Warner Cable and other distributors locked in battle over SportsNet LA, there’s still no Dodgers on TV for most Angelenos

- The fourth ‘Transformers’ was a big win in for Paramount in China, but not without difficulties

- Directors band together to save movie film

Stay tuned after that for Kim's interesting interview with Greg Poehler -- Amy Poehler's brother and the writer/creator/star of NBC's summer sitcom "Welcome to Sweden."

Listen below:



Or here:

MIKE ON RADIO: Discussing the Time Warner Cable/Dodgers Mess On KCRW's "Hollywood Breakdown"

On this past Thursday's edition of KCRW's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I discuss the Time Warner Cable/Dodgers mess:

As baseball season marches on, big television distributors continue to battle, keeping the Dodgers off the television sets of about 70% of Angelenos. The dispute centers around the Dodgers-owned channel SportsNet LA. Time Warner Cable agreed to distribute the channel for the next 25 years, at the cost of $8.3 billion. But distributors like DirecTV and Dish Network don't want to pay to carry the channel, which would cost about $5 per subscriber. Now, Time Warner Cable is encouraging an arbitrator to step in and come to a solution, but those other distributors are not interested in dealing with a third party.

Listen below (click on the icon):

Here's Something You Don't See Every Day: Rain at Dodger Stadium

And yet there it was, a full downpour at Dodger Stadium on Friday night! Sadly, it was not nearly enough to help our current drought/water crisis. And we're sure going to wish for rain this week. Here's the forecast for the next few days:



Yeah. Yikes.

It's About Time: Dodgers Hire Jon Weisman

There are hires that make sense, and then hires that totally make sense. The Los Angeles Dodgers have finally hired Jon Weisman in a key role as director of digital and print content. The move means Jon is putting his long-running blog Dodger Thoughts back into hibernation, but as he shares on his site, it's for a pretty good reason:

I will be writing plenty over there, as part of an overall series of duties that involves managing and producing content for the Dodgers’ publications and website.

As you can imagine, it’s an opportunity that was too intriguing and exciting for me to pass up, which is why I’m willing to give up the longest job I’ve ever held, a position at Variety that has brought me more great memories than I can begin to mention and placed me among a group of colleagues that have been such a pleasure to be with.



It’s also why I’m willing to put Dodger Thoughts in storage – though again, this isn’t exactly as newsworthy as it might have been, before I essentially took a vacation during the 2012-13 offseason, to focus on an extremely busy awards season for Variety. I did find a rebirth on Dodger Thoughts during the 2013 baseball season, but it was always in competition with the other directions I’ve been pulled in.

So while it would be premature to get into specifics about my new duties with the Dodgers, I can say that one of the greatest appeals for me is that for the first time, writing about the Dodgers will move from avocation to vocation, from hobby to primary activity.

I’ll feel safe using Vin Scully (my new colleague!) as my role model. I’ll consider it my job, as an employee of the Dodgers, to inform and to entertain, in service of the organization. You can be sure I’ll be taking that responsibility very seriously. But don’t worry – we’ll have plenty of fun along the way. There’ll be no shortage of insights or stories, great and small.

Congrats to Jon! I know Variety's going to miss him and all the hard work he's done over there through the years. But I'm truly excited for him.

Los Angeles Local Emmys: Voters Spread the Love as KNBC, KABC Shine

Local Los Angeles Area TV Academy voters spread the Emmy love around this year. After two consecutive years of winning all three major newscast Emmy Awards, KNBC had to settle for just one this year. The station's "NBC4 at 6PM" won the Emmy for outstanding daytime newscast (11 am to 7 pm), while KTLA won for outstanding morning newscast (between the hours of 4 am and 11 am) and KMEX's 11 pm news won for outstanding evening newscast (between 7 pm and midnight).

At the 65th annual Los Angeles Area Emmys, held Saturday night at the TV Academy headquarters in North Hollywood, KNBC still led all outlets, winning eight local Emmys. KABC was second, with seven Emmys -- an impressive haul, given that the station doesn't enter the competition in any major categories. (KABC staff must enter themselves.) In its first year of eligibility, new regional sports channel Time Warner Cable Sportsnet landed five Emmys, tied with KTLA.

Time Warner Cable's new Spanish-language regional sports channel, Time Warner Cable Deportes, also picked up its first Emmy, as its launch show won for "outstanding live special events-programming."

KABC's David Ono continued his streak in the "outstanding hard news reporting" category, but this year there was a tie: He's sharing the award with KNBC's Ana Garcia and Robbi Peele.

KNBC's wins also included ones for news director (Gayle Galvez), news writer (Daisy Lin), investigative reporting ("Illegal Animal Traffickers") and serious news story/single report ("Frankie's Fight for Freedom").

Among other categories, the Clippers' winning season extended to the Emmys, where Prime Ticket won the live sports coverage award for its Clippers games.

Also, the 20th anniversary of the post-Rodney King verdict riots sparked several Emmy-winning programs: KNBC's "LA Riots: 20 Years Later" won for outstanding news special; KCBS/KCAL's "Eye on Our Community: The LA Riots -- 20 Years Later" won for outstanding arts and culture/history program; and KTLA's "The LA Riots: 20 Years Later" won for outstanding crime/social issues Emmy.

And although the fate of KCET's newsmagazine "SoCal Connected" is still up in the air, the program continues to be an Emmy winning machine. The show's awards this year included Emmys for outstanding information segment ("Your Money or Your Life"); outstanding feature segment ("The App Economy") and outstanding informational/public affairs series (more than 50% studio-based). "SoCal Connected" executive producer Bret Marcus, who was laid off in a brutal round of station cuts this past April, won Emmys for those wins, as well as one for "Your Turn to Care," hosted by Holly Robinson-Peete, which won for outstanding informational/public affairs series (more than 50% remote).

Remembering the Dodgers' Glory Years

Franklin Avenue reader Paul Haddad tips us off to a new book about the Dodgers that he has just written and released through Santa Monica Press. "High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania: A Fan's History of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Glory Years, 1977-1981" is a look back at the team's late 70s heyday.

"It's an ode to the Dodgers of our youth, and Vin Scully," Paul tells us in his note. "Much of my narrative includes transcripts from Vinny, taken from my childhood collection of recordings, that really take the reader back. You can hear a lot of these old radio calls on my website for the book: DodgerGlory.com.

Our pal Jon Weisman wrote the Foreword. Read more about it in a recent Los Feliz Ledger here. Haddad will be on Larry Mantle's Airtalk on KPCC 89.3 FM *today* from 11:40 am to noon.

Retro Friday: The Battle of Chavez Ravine

As the 50th anniversary of Dodger Stadium approaches, the L.A. Times re-visited the eviction of Chavez Ravine, widely seen as a black eye in the city's history (particularly in its treatment of Latino residents). The story interviews some of the surviving former residents of Chavez Ravine, and notes:

The Dodgers' move to Los Angeles in 1958 — playing their first several years at the Coliseum — was a seminal event, heralding what many saw as the city's arrival in the big leagues of world metropolises. But the removal of more than 1,000 mostly Mexican American families from Chavez Ravine to make way for the stadium is a dark note in L.A.'s history.

The last family was dragged away kicking and screaming and weeping, and the removals became a rallying symbol of Latino L.A. history and activism.

Many of the people evicted are long dead, but there are still more than a few aging witnesses to the episode.

An ill-fated attempt to build public housing on the land is what first led to Chavez Ravine's demise. But after those plans were scrapped, the decision was made not to allow residents to return. Above, a thorough history (with some great pics) of the story of Chavez Ravine.

Correction of the Day: Not Bill Walton Edition

In Sunday's L.A. Times, the paper offered up a correction on an earlier story about the sale of the Dodgers. The piece included a roundup of reactions around the Twitterverse, including this one:

Bill Walton, Hall of Famer, tweeted: "Magic Johnson won 5 titles, owns lucrative businesses in 'poor' areas, owns a MLB team, and beat HIV. ... After years of mismanagement, Magic Johnson looks to clean up the Dodgers."

That quote was taken from the Twitter account @NotBillWalton. It turns out -- wait for it -- that @NotBillWalton is not really Bill Walton's Twitter account. Go figure! (For some reason, it hasn't been corrected online. See the original story here).

UPDATE: After I inquired about it this morning, the correction finally appeared. Here it is:

FOR THE RECORD:

Dodgers sale reaction: In the March 29 Sports section, a list of comments by pro basketball figures on the sale of the Dodgers included a quote attributed to Bill Walton on Twitter: "Magic Johnson won 5 titles, owns lucrative businesses in 'poor' areas, owns a MLB team, and beat HIV.... After years of mismanagement, Magic Johnson looks to clean up the Dodgers." In fact, the comments were from two tweets by a Walton impersonator with the Twitter name @NotBillWalton. —

Love it.

Moving Day for Dodger Thoughts

Our pal Jon Weisman is moving his popular Dodger Thoughts blog off of ESPN LA's platform, where he's been based for the past 2 years, and back to indie status. Jon talks about the move in his first post at his reclaimed www.dodgerthoughts.com address (and how his move to the L.A. Times website cost him some commenters in 2009):

By the time I moved two years ago to ESPN Los Angeles, I was left to focus on doing the best work I could, hoping to at least retain readers if not commenters. As far as my professional life, I dreamed big again.

Well, now I’m back on my own. For now, anyway. The reasons, I think I can say without being indecorous, relate to shifting priorities over there in the big city. So what are you gonna do?

Start over. Reboot. So here we are. I could be here for 10 days or 10,000. Still figuring that out. Still figuring a lot of things out. There’s still so much I dream of accomplishing, but my path is still around a bend or two. I’m eager to see what happens.

So, if you’ve made it this far, here to home No. 6 (four more to catch Tommy Davis), thanks for stopping by. I’ll do my best to provide informative, meaningful and fun posts as much as or more than ever before. Hope you hang out a while.

Good luck, Jon! Having sat next to him at Variety for years, I know Jon is normally sporting his pre-opening day Dodgers Beard right about now.

Dodger Thoughts on the McCourt Sale: 'Deliverance'

Tuesday night's big Dodgers news -- that villain Frank McCourt has agreed to sell the team -- quickly set L.A. abuzz, and over at my pal Jon Weisman's Dodger Thoughts, he summed the news up quite nicely:

We have worried, we have raged, we have sulked, we have sworn, we have screamed, we have sighed, we have yearned, we have cried. Outside we have tried to fight, and inside, more than a little, we have died.

But now, deliverance. Deliverance to what, we don't know. But deliverance nonetheless.

[snip]

My friends, it's time to have some fun.

Jon notes that the folks behind Save the Dodgers will hold a celebratory rally tomorrow at 6 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

Saturday Night at Dodger Stadium

Sure, attendance is down, the Dodgers are having a terrible season and Frank McCourt is hated. But on a warm August night in Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium is still a pretty cool place to bring Blogger Kid and Blogger Toddler 2.0.

And as a bonus, the Dodgers were facing an even weaker opponent, the Houston Astros, giving the team a 6-1 win that night.

It's Time For the Voice of Summer: The Dodgers' Outstanding Billboard Campaign

This billboard almost makes you forget about all the drama surrounding the Dodgers. I see it every day on my drive home from work, and every day I admire the beauty and simplicity of it. The back of Vin Scully's head. (Plus, the fact that you don't see his face -- and you don't need to.) The use of that classic-seeming font. The smooth design.

It's part of this year's well-done Dodgers billboard campaign, as chronicled by the Vin Scully is My Homeboy blog, where we also found an excellent photo of the billboard (as seen on Beverly Blvd., near Virgil).

Dodger Thoughts On the 'McCourt Mall of Horrors'

Whenever there's big news on the Dodgers front, I immediately click over to Dodger Thoughts -- where I know Franklin Avenue pal Jon Weisman will have a thoughtful, eloquent take on whatever's going on. And in the case of Wednesday's bombshell announcement -- Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig's decision to take control of the Dodgers operation -- Jon indeed had a lot to say.

An excerpt:

As I walked through all the different stories about today's news, as if I were a shopper in a McCourt Mall of Horrors, I found myself thinking about the person whose name has been in the news, top of mind, every day this month until today: Bryan Stow.

The Giants fan whose horrifying beating in the gloaming of Opening Day in the Dodger Stadium parking lot March 31 will not be found on any McCourt spreadsheet. The severity of the event, sadly enough, wasn't even unprecedented in Dodger Stadium history.

But in the days after it occurred, as you felt the groundswell of horror and shame sweep through the world of the Dodgers - an emotional wave that only gained momentum with McCourt's initial public declaration that nothing could have been done to prevent it - I began to feel that Stow's beating, more than any rising parking fees, inconsistent spending on players or appalling revelations of greed in court documents related to McCourt's divorce from wife Jamie, was the baseball world's "Network" moment.

It was just too ugly, and people weren't going to take it anymore.

Read the whole thing here.

Target Adds Insult to Dodger Injury

A reminder of the Dodgers' disappointing turn of events, currently on display at Target: Manny Ramirez #99 Dodgers T-shirts, now 75% off. (From $14.99 to $3.74.) I'd say get these "collector's items" while you can ... but who are we kidding, I've seen these Manny tees collecting dust on the Target shelves for at least a week.

Dodgers Horse Around in New Promo Campaign

This is *not* a parody, believe it or not:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced that Zenyatta, the wildly popular undefeated thoroughbred horse who calls Los Angeles home, will be the newest high-profile Angeleno featured in the 2010 “This Is My Town,” Dodgers marketing campaign.

As a personality in her own right, Zenyatta has accomplished an incredible feat by winning every one of the 16 races she has ever run. In the process, she has captured the imagination of horse racing fans around the world. This graceful filly is featured in a newly unveiled “This Is My Town” billboard on Hawthorne and 106th Avenues near Hollywood Park.

Owned by Ann & Jerry Moss, A&M Records co-founder, Zenyatta was named after the album Zenyatta Mondatta from The Police, who were one of the top groups on the label.

Dodger Thoughts Slides Into ESPN/L.A.

Congrats to my Variety colleague Jon Weisman, whose popular Dodger Thoughts blog is once again on the move.

A year after his old host shut down and Jon moved Dodger Thoughts to the L.A. Times, Jon is now moving the site to ESPN's brand-new Los Angeles-centric sports site.

He joins several other L.A. Times alums there. Jon writes:

I do think that it will be a positive step for this site and for its readers. For those who come with me, I hope you enjoy the next step of the journey. And for those who don't, thanks for spending the past year with me, and enjoy my successor at The Times.

The people at The Times have been universally pleasant and kind to work with, and I'm very appreciative of that. I don't take that for granted. I want to thank them for their support.

Jon's ESPN/Los Angeles blog starts up on Monday.

Vin Scully Preps For His 61st Season With the Dodgers

Vin Scully has been calling Dodgers games since BEFORE MY MOM WAS BORN. How crazy and amazing is that? From the Dodgers P.R. team, it's official, Scully is on board for his 61st season:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced that Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully will return to the broadcast booth for an unprecedented 61st season in 2010.

"For six decades, Dodger fans have been truly blessed to have Vin Scully on the air and we are honored that he will be back in the booth again next season," said Dodger Owner Frank McCourt. "He has been the one constant over the years and I know that our fans will cherish every game he calls."

Scully, who recently completed his record-setting 60th campaign with the Dodgers, will be honored prior to a game next season at Dodger Stadium. His 60 years of service constitute the longest tenure of any broadcaster in sports history.

"We have had two exciting seasons consecutively -- getting into the second round of the playoffs -- and when you get that close, you look to the next year as perhaps the one that you go all the way," said Scully, who celebrated his 82nd birthday on Sunday. "I'm very excited and optimistic about 2010 and the direction we're heading and we'll take it year-to-year after that."

Earlier this year, Scully was named as the top sportscaster of all time by the American Sportscasters Association, an honor that has been bestowed upon him by several other associations and polls. With accolades far too numerous to detail, Scully's crowning achievement came nearly 30 years ago when he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Scully began his baseball broadcasting career in 1950, and since then has gone on to call three perfect games, 19 no-hitters, 25 World Series and 12 All-Star Games. He was also at the microphone for Kirk Gibson’s miraculous Game 1 homer in the 1988 World Series, Hank Aaron's record-setting 715th home run, Barry Bonds' record-breaking 71st, 72nd and 73rd home runs and the scoreless-inning streaks' of Dodger greats Don Drysdale and Orel Hershiser.

When Scully first began broadcasting, the Dodgers had yet to win a single World Series. Gasoline cost 27 cents a gallon, a postage stamp was just three cents and the minimum wage was only 75 cents per hour. Three years later, at the age of 25, he became the youngest person to ever broadcast a World Series game and in 1955, he had his most memorable moment behind the microphone, as he called the Dodgers' first and only championship in Brooklyn.

The following season, Scully once again found himself in the enviable position of calling what he would later say was the greatest individual performance he had seen -- Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series, a broadcast which made national news again earlier this year when the MLB Network launched on January 1 with the rare footage of that game.

In 2010, Scully will continue to call all Dodger home games and the club's road games against NL West and AL West opponents. While Scully handles all nine innings of the team's television broadcasts, the first three innings of each of his games is simulcast on radio.