Exhale. We Did It, Joe

This is the 46th President of the United States. A decent, moral man who also isn't in it all for himself, and doesn't actively court the support of white supremacists. Today is a celebration for democracy, for the United States of America, and for the promise of our nation. It's a day that we finally see a woman — and a woman of color — become Vice President for the first time. And for all of us, knowing that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are adults who do this for the greater good of the country, and not their own self interests, means that we can start breathing again.

Save Democracy and Vote for Biden to End This Four Year Disaster

Incase you have forgotten how horrific these last four years have been - we are here to remind you of it all pic.twitter.com/0yVkostHdv

— Ben Winston (@benwinston) November 3, 2020

James Corden sums it up pretty well above, and it even rhymes. This nation is worse than it ever has been in our lifetime, thanks to a Trump administration that championed white supremacy, hate, divisiveness, cruelty, selfishness and anger. Electing Biden won't heal the wound that this president inflicted on the nation, and that scar will never go away. But it's a start. A vote for Trump is a vote for all of those things I mentioned above. If you think it's OK to vote Trump after all you've seen him do and say, then I guess I'm just really saddened. Sad that perhaps you don't possess empathy, or care for your fellow human being. Because this president doesn't.

KCRW's The Spin Off: Post-Election, Post-Fall and Post-"Gilmore Girls"

On the latest edition of KCRW's The Spin-Off, Joe Adalian and I are joined by The Hollywood Reporter's Dan Fienberg to talk about the hot TV topics of the moment: Post-election coverage, fall TV winners and losers, and Netflix's "Gilmore Girls" revival:

Following the election, The Spin-off crew talks about the role television played in the run-up to the vote, from cable news to late night. In terms of ratings, Fox News is still doing very well post-election, but it's possible that MSNBC will get a boost when progressive viewers come out of hibernation and are ready to start watching the news again. We also contemplate what we could be seeing creatively on the TV development side under a Trump Presidency.

Also, NFL ratings have been down all year, but did return the week immediately following the election. We break down some of the various factors influencing the football ratings ups and downs.

Plus, Dan Fienberg tells us why, unlike many reboots and remakes, the Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life actually has a reason to exist. He says while it's not perfect, fans will be happy to be able to spend their Thanksgiving weekends back in Stars Hollow, via Netflix.

Listen below!

An Afternoon with Pharrell, Talking Entertainment, Inclusion and -- Of Course -- Trump

Variety's first-ever Inclusion Summit brought together some heavy industry hitters to talk diversity and more in entertainment. I moderated the final panel of the day, a chat with Pharrell Williams. And although Pharrell is fairly soft spoken, he's got a lot to say. Most of the chat was about "Hidden Figures," the movie he produced about three African-American women who were instrumental in working on the early U.S. space program. (Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae star).

Variety's Dan Holloway wrote up the highlights:

“If all the women in this nation decided to vote and support the first female candidate, there’d be nothing to worry about,” Williams said in a conversation with Indiewire executive editor and Variety editor-at-large Michael Schneider. “It’s that easy.”

Of Clinton, he added, “Has she been dishonest about things? Sure. Have you?” Accusing Clinton’s opponents and Trump of “gender bias,” he said, “She don’t lie no more than any other politician does.”

At the end of a conversation that focused on Williams’ wide-ranging career in film, television, and music — including as a producer of the upcoming feature “Hidden Figures,” Schneider asked Williams how the social and political polarization of the day has impacted him and his work. Williams responded with a long period of quiet.

“That silence in this room right now is often what I feel when you see some of the things that are being said, not just about my culture, but about women,” Williams said. He spoke of the need for women to wrest control of society from men. “I’m praying that women come together and save this nation,” he said. “You think about the destructive things that have come from mankind, it’s mostly men.”

Watch the video in this Variety tweet:

.@Pharrell Williams says he's praying for our nation #ElectionDay (Watch) pic.twitter.com/lswxZSKaIz

— Variety (@Variety) November 2, 2016

Meanwhile, Entertainment Tonight was also there, and filed this report:

When taking the stage with Variety's Editor-at-Large, Michael Schneider, Pharrell admitted he's "praying for the human condition." "I'm praying for women, I'm praying that we make better decisions," said the GRAMMY winner. "We're at a place and time where people say things -- and you'll see woman supporting that," adding "It ain't just men on that trail following that guy." Pharrell is of course referring to Trump and the leaked Access Hollywood video from 2005 where he can be heard making lewd comments about women, as well as the sexual assault allegations against the presidential candidate, which he has denied. "If all the woman in this nation decided to vote and support the first female candidate, there would be nothing to worry about," added the "Happy" singer. "It's that easy."

Retro Friday: Mayor Bradley Runs For Re-Election, 1985

As Los Angeles prepares to go to the polls next week to vote for a new mayor, here's a 1985 spot for Tom Bradley, touting the revival of L.A.'s downtown, LAX and city port. The kicker: The successful and extremely popular 1984 Olympics. BOOM. It's Bradley's drop-the-mic moment.

Election Day: Have Your Say The American Way

"Vote 88... and have your say the American way." I still remember this "Get Out the Vote" ad produced in Hawaii for the 1988 election. It still looks incredible, given that it's now nearly 25 years old.

Life with a Toddler: Primary Day Edition

(Flickr pic by programwitch.)

Me, to the 2-and-a-half-year-old: "Hey Nathan, we're going to go vote."

The 2-and-a-half-year-old: "WE'RE GOING ON A BOAT?"

Me: "No, we're going to go on a walk to vote."

The 2-and-a-half-year-old: "I WANNA GO ON A BOAT."

Me: "Sorry, Nathan, there's no boat, we're just walking up the street."

The 2-and-a-half-year-old: "BOAT."

Don't Vote for the Wrong Colbert on Tuesday

Perhaps inspired by Saturday's "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear," you might be inspired to Vote Colbert on Tuesday.

Don't. It's not Stephen Colbert.

It's this guy. I've seen the lawn signs for weeks, and have been tempted to fool myself into thinking "The Colbert Report" star has launched his candidacy for Congress.

He has not. This Colbert, a Republican by the name of John Colbert, is running against incumbent Adam Schiff.

So vote today. But not necessarily for "Colbert," no matter how funny you think you're being.

Attention Candidate: This Teachers Organization Endorsement Isn't Helping You

"GLENDALES' TEACHERS."

Seriously. "GLENDALES' TEACHERS."

What the hell are they teaching in Glendale? (The city's name is not "Glendales," despite this mailing's assertion.) Apparently not grammar.

This campaign flyer, for State Assembly District 43 candidate Nayiri Nahabedian, is now the most embarrassing thing I've seen in this embarrassing race.

Yes, it's more horrifying than that cheesy birth announcement that rival candidate Mike Gatto recently mailed to voters.

Pimping your newborn baby for votes? A bit annoying. Pimping the president of the Glendale Teachers Association, WHO DOESN'T HAVE A GRASP ON PROPER PUNCTUATION? That's just sad.

Nahabedian is selling herself as the education candidate, given her current role as a member of the Glendale school board.

But if you miss the most obvious, sloppy mistake on your mailing -- and its supposedly from two teachers... well, I don't know whether to weep for your candidacy or for Glendale schools.

Either way, these flurry of ridiculous mailings is a reminder that the best candidate isn't always the one who's actually running. Yay District 43!

The Brutal, Year-Long Campaign for the State Assembly District 43 Chair

"It's A Girl!" the birth announcement read.

"Hey, do we know anyone who just had a baby? I don't know who this is," I asked Maria.

I flipped the card over. Oh. Mike Gatto strikes again.

Mike Gatto is running for California State Assembly in the 43rd district (replacing Paul Krekorian, who was recently elected to Los Angeles City Council).

Since we reside in the district, we've been bombarded for days by Mike Gatto. At least two mailings a day. Phone calls from volunteers. Folks knocking on our door, asking for our vote. Gatto's got some money to spend, and quite a few people helping him as he spends it.

Gatto's from the area, and is now an attorney for Mayer Brown LLP. There's a good chance we'll vote for him on April 13, when the special election is held to fill out the rest of Krekorian's term -- which expires this fall. But we're not committed to anyone just yet.

Besides, this may not be the end of it. Even if he wins on April 13, Gatto will nonetheless have to once again campaign for the seat in mere months. That's a lotta Gatto.

As the Mad Professah notes, the campaign to take the AD-43 chair is brutal:

1) On April 13th, 2010 there will be a special election to fill the seat.
2) If no one gets more than 50% of the vote then there will be a run-off election on June 8, 2010 for the right to serve out the rest of Krekorian's term.
3) However, also on June 8, 2010 will be a primary election for the right to be on the ballot to represent the 43rd district for a full 2-year term.
4) November 2, 2010 will be the statewide general election for 43rd District

Our district leans heavily Democrat, so once Gatto wins that first election, he's a shoo-in to hold on to the seat in the fall. That's why we're now experiencing the brunt of the Gatto machine. (Gatto is facing off against Glendale school boardmember Nayiri Nahabedian and two other, lesser-known candidates.)



But back to that mailer. Let's face it, it was a little odd -- although, hey, kudos to him for finding a way to turn the expense of a typical newborn announcement into a campaign mailer. But it assumed a familiarity that I'm not quite comfortable with just yet. (I also wonder if it rubbed some voters the wrong way -- like, "Hey, you just had a baby -- perhaps you oughta be focusing on that instead of this race!") Mike Gatto, we're just getting to know you.

Gavin Newsom's Twitter Account Still Running For Governor

Looks like Gavin Newsom's Twitter feed is having a hard time saying goodbye to the gubernatorial race.

Glendale Votes: Newcomer Laura Friedman In Line to Join the City Council

As Evan said today, "Daddy, you just voted! For Barack Obama!" Indeed, the November election wasn't that long ago... followed by the Los Angeles city election last month. Now, it was Glendale's turn.

Glendale residents hit the polls today to elect three of the City Council's five chairs, as well as three seats on the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education and three seats on the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees.

Results are being continuously updated here.

The biggest news, with 100% of precincts reporting, is the election of newcomer Laura Friedman, who is polling the most votes in the citywide election, just ahead of incumbents Ara Najarian, Frank Quintero and Bob Yousefian. The top three vote-getters will earn seats, which means Yousefian will be departing the council.

Friedman promises to bring some fresh blood to the City Council, having championed issues such as arts in the city -- and has gotten a lot of attention for proposing an arts district in the San Fernando Road corridor.

Retro Friday: L.A. Mayor Edition

In honor of this week's L.A. election, a few clips. Above, Mayor Sam Yorty loses his seat.

Also, check out the collection of clips from the 1969 election, in which Tom Bradley won the primary -- but lost the election to Yorty. By 1973, however, Angelenos had tired of Yorty's racist campaigning -- and Bradley won.

15% Turnout

(Photo by Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

239,374 ballots were cast Tuesday (or via absentee ballot) out of 1,596,165 registered voters in Los Angeles. But I guess that's what happens when people don't really feel invested in any race. I'm sure there are some voters who expressed their dislike of Antonio Villaraigosa -- and their dislike of any of his challengers, none of which could really be taken seriously -- by not showing up to the polls.

There's also the possibility that a majority of Angelenos didn't even realize there was a city vote yesterday. As far as I can tell, the local newscasts opened their 11 p.m. shows with an update on the votes... but were already on to stories such as "The Botox Bandit" by 11:06.

Strangely enough, Villaraigosa took the stage at the Westin Bonaventure before 11 p.m. to give his acceptance speech. That means the 11 p.m. newscasts didn't have to go live, and just carried a clip or two of him. I wonder: Did channels 2, 4 and 7 alert Villaraigosa's team that they had no intention of carrying his speech live? Did his people decide it would be better to go during the 10 p.m. hour, when channels 5, 9 and 11 might go live (I have no idea if they did). Or did the TV coverage not factor into when he gave his speech?

Los Angeles Election Day: Have You Voted Yet?

(Photo by Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times.)

Methinks this will be the scene at polling places all over L.A.: No lines and plenty of room for the few, the proud, the voting public.

Not sure what's going on? LAist has a handy guide on today's vote.

Protesting Proposition 8

Following the mass rally downtown in front of City Hall, some Prop 8 protesters took to the streets, marching back west on Sunset Boulevard. We happened to be passing by at the same time and caught a few images:







Meanwhile, while watching an old episode of "The Amazing Race" (from the Sunday before Election Day) on TiVo tonight, we caught a No on 8 ad featuring Sen. Dianne Feinstein. It was much stronger than the ones that had previously been airing on TV, and finally included some heavy hitting comments from the likes of Feinstein and Obama. It's just really unfortunate the No on 8 campaign waited until just before the election to unveil a tougher ad like that.

But you can only blame the No on 8 campaign so much. The "Yes" side ran ads that were misleading and stoked fear... and if history is any indication (hello, Willie Horton and the Swift Boaters), that's what all too frequently works in elections.

Retro Friday: Camelot, Part I

A vintage newsreel from 1960, when another young president-elect captured the excitement of the American people.

How Obama's Alma Maters are Playing Up (or Down) His Big News

This cracked me up: I went to the Punahou School website to see if the school's most famous -- and now most powerful -- alum was mentioned. I love the nonchalant nature of the news brief... like it's just another mundane piece of news, along side "Guest Clinician Hits Right Note" and "November Service Opportunities."




In comparison, here's how Eagle Rock's own Occidental, where Obama spent the first two years of college, is playing him up:



Hold on there, Oxy -- Columbia (where the prexy-elect spent the second half of his undergrad days) is also claiming Obama as its 1983 alum:



Then there's the Harvard Law School, which puts the Obama news under its normal "Spotlight on Alumni Pursuits" column. Love it -- "Hey, guess what Barack Obama '91 is up to these days -- he's just hanging out, you know, as the PRESIDENT-ELECT!"

First Draft of History: How Southern California's Papers Covered Last Night

Still stunned over the passing of Prop 8 -- a reminder that California is not a completely Blue state -- but it was hard not to get caught up in the historic moment last night when every news outlet, pretty much simultaneously, declared Barack Obama the president-elect at 8 p.m. PT. After two elections that weren't determined until after election day, it was nice to once again go to bed knowing the hard-fought contest's results.

It also gave newspapers across the country ample time to plan out their splashy front pages for Wednesday. Here's how our regional papers looked this morning:


The Los Angeles Times and the Daily News. The Times plays up the Prop. 8 angle right below the head "It's Obama." (Really? I dunno about that hed. It feels kinda cheesy, and can be read several ways. Nonchalantly -- "Oh, hey, Obama won." Negatively -- "F*@k, it's Obama!" Game showy -- "Herrrrrre's Obama!") The Daily News (I'm sorry, I hate what they've done with the paper's nameplate, in that big, red box), meanwhile, goes more traditional.


La Opinion and The Bakersfield Californian. I continue to like what the Californian does with big news stories, blowing up photos and using minimal text.


The San Bernardino Sun and The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario), which combined operations a while back.


The Press-Enterprise (Riverside) and the San Diego Union-Tribune. Press-Enterprise getting quite wordy with that headline.


The San Francisco Chronicle. It's not SoCal, but I was struck by this front page. I'm thinking the designer was inspired by those Shepard Fairey posters.

Have You Voted Yet?

Our polling station had a line, but it was moving pretty fast. The volunteer at the entrance told us we'd come at a good time (around 8 a.m.), as the initial rush had started to die down. Cool side note: A neighbor recognized us from the blog -- the second time that's happened this week! (We also ran into another Franklin Avenue reader at Trader Joe's.)



I've never seen so many volunteers at our polling station -- which is found inside someone's garage. It all went smoothly. And most importantly, we FINALLY got to vote in this election!



And thanks to the fine folks at ACORN, Evan got to vote in his first-ever election!

That's a joke, folks.



Meanwhile, over in Silver Lake, the lines were much longer at this polling station.



Pretty self-explanatory. Hope you're not swayed by those misleading, shameful pro-Prop 8 ads.

Other notes on election day:

My colleague on the TV reporting beat, the Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva, writes about voting in her first-ever U.S. presidential election. Nellie, who became an American citizen two years ago, recounts her first election, in her native Bulgaria -- back when it was still under Communist rule.

Another colleague, the St. Petersburg Times' Eric Deggans, writes about getting his first racist, anti-Obama letter this election season. The letter is scary -- but Eric takes some heart that it took this long to actually receive a note like this.

Also: The Atwater Village Newbie reports that anti-gay vandals have tagged cars in Atwater Village and Los Feliz that were sporting No on 8 signs.

Anyway, what have all of you encountered so far at the voting booth? Smooth sailing? Long lines? Confused voters? Equally confused volunteers?

Also, have you picked up any freebies yet? I'm sipping my free Starbucks at this moment. And preparing for a nervous day as we all wait for the results.