How Diane Keaton Tirelessly Campaigned to Preserve Los Angeles’ Architectural History

On a brisk February evening in 2006, around a hundred people gathered in the venerable Koreatown watering hole HMS Bounty to pay their last respects to Los Angeles’ historic Ambassador Hotel. Despite the best efforts of the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Ambassador had been torn down — and among the speakers decrying the fate of the legendary institution that evening was Diane Keaton.

Keaton, who died Saturday at 79, is of course known the world over for her on-screen credits, from “Annie Hall” to “The Godfather,” “Father of the Bride” and so much more. But in Los Angeles, she was also known for her passionate work in trying to preserve the city’s history. Keaton spent nearly two decades on the board of the L.A. Conservancy, and lent her voice to the org in countless campaigns to save some of the city’s historic and culturally significant homes and buildings.

“The more I got to know her, the more I understood where that passion came from,” said former L.A. Conservancy president Linda Dishman, who retired after 31 years with the org in 2023. “A lot of that came from her family and growing up in Los Angeles. Really having a connection to the stories and places that make L.A. the city that it is. She had a very genuine passion for historic preservation, not only for the buildings or the cultural landscapes, but for what they mean to people and what they would mean in the future. She definitely got the relationship with how we’re doing this for future generations.”

Keaton first became involved through her interest in historic homes — one of which, built by famed architect Lloyd Wright, she called her own. Her association with the group started when she was curious about the Spanish house owned by one of the Conservancy board members — but soon she got deeply involved with the org, speaking at one of its benefits and then joining its board.

“She was just charming, and it was great being with her, because we shared a passion for historic places,” Dishman said. “Houses were her first interest, and she bought historic houses and restored them, like the Lloyd Wright. But she very much cared about the whole architectural landscaoem and so the fight that she probably was most engaged with, because it took so long, was the Ambassador Hotel.”

Read more here.

Former KROQ DJ Jed the Fish, Who Spent Nearly 35 Years at the Iconic Radio Station, Dies at 69

Jed “The Fish” Gould, the pioneering Los Angeles DJ who spent 34 years on influential Los Angeles alternative radio station KROQ-FM as “Jed the Fish,” died early Monday morning. He was 69; the cause was lung cancer, of which he had only recently been diagnosed.

Gould first joined KROQ in 1978, when it was still a tiny, struggling FM station in Pasadena, breaking punk rock, alternative and new wave bands before anyone else — and continued there for decades, departing in 2012 after years as its afternoon jock.

“He is one of the kindest, funniest and the most unique people that I’ve ever met,” said good friend and current KROQ DJ Megan Holiday. “He was so inspiring and endlessly creative, and he had an infectious energy. He could light up an arena. I just loved him very much and was grateful for the time we got to spend together.”

After his time at KROQ, Gould spent time at noncommercial California State Northridge AAA station KCSN, where he did shifts until last fall. After a short stint at KLOS, he also then briefly returned to KROQ, as a host on the station’s HD-2 “Roq of the ’80s” feed.

“My decades at KROQ are the core of my radio experience,” he wrote on his LinkedIn page. “Right place at the right time. We were leading the way but had no idea. Looking back, it’s plain the influence of this powerhouse reached beyond radio. TV, movies and now the sorts of attitudes and intensities displayed online owe much of their processes to KROQ… Any music lover who grew up in SoCal will tell you KROQ was their buddy for much or most of their lives. You can tell I now take pride in what I did. But I really tried not to while I was doing it… I did have some terse and morally contradictory episodes at KROQ, but I was treated well by executives and colleagues alike. I found very little feedback would stick in my head better than the other way. [Program director] Kevin Weatherly helped me be a better me. This vast experience raced by like all good things. Driving to work, at least 10 times a month, I would remember how lucky I was; that this could all be over any minute. Like the end of the Sopranos.”

Born Edwin Jed Fish Gould III in 1955, in more recent years Jed the Fish spent his time as a visual artist, working in mixed media, sculpture and other forms. Before KROQ, he worked at stations including KIQQ, KEZY and KORG. During his KROQ run, he briefly left for modern rock KQAK and AOR KRQR San Francisco before returning.

But he’ll forever be best known for his legacy at KROQ, where he won multiple honors, including the Billboard Modern Rock Personality of the Year award twice, as well as the Radio & Records Local Modern Rock Personality of the Year. He also appeared as himself in films including “Surf II” and “Night Angel,” as well as the doc “Mayor of Sunset Strip.”

As Jed the Fish, Gould’s on-air personality was known for a wicked, off-beat sense of humor and a variety of loud, cackling laughs.

“It took me years of imitation before I learned the simplicity of being myself on the air,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “Turns out this was a wacky position to take, but people seem to like the honesty behind it. The laugh? People would often say, ‘Jed, do your laugh!’ I would glibly reply, ‘Say something funny.’ They often would, and even now, if they do, they get what they want. But what goes unrealized is the laugh is actually over a dozen laughs I subconsciously culled from family members in early childhood. The lingering devil laugh was Uncle John. The low chuckle was my mom’s dad. The wheezy one, my own dad. The giddy ‘hee hee’ from my first stepfather. I have a gentle, stuttering laugh which came from Eileen S. Hall, mom’s mom and a tremendous influence on me. The extended, energetic, open-throated ‘ha-haa’ that scares people seems to be my own, or perhaps a hybrid of the above. I highly recommend laughing whenever possible.”

On Monday afternoon’s Kevin Ryder show, icons from KROQ past and present gathered to remember Jed the Fish, including Richard Blade, Freddy Snakeskin, Doug “Sluggo” Roberts, Jay “Lightning” Tilles, Tami Heide, Kat Corbett, Andy Schuon and many others:




Read more here.

Remembering Michael K. Williams’ Comedic Turns, From ‘Community’ to ‘F Is For Family’

Quite a terrible loss. Michael K. Williams is best known for his intense turns on shows like "The Wire" and "Boardwalk Empire," but I decided to look at how he also brought that same depth and nuance to comedy:

In Season 3 of “Community,” the study group takes a class from biology professor Dr. Marshall Kane, played by Michael K. Williams. Prof. Kane is an ex-con who earned his degree while in prison.

In other words, Kane has seen some things. But nothing prepared him for the baffling changes in the world when he got out. Specifically, “as someone who just spent the majority of his life in prison, what happened with Legos? They used to be simple. Something happened out here while I was inside. Harry Potter Legos, Star Wars Legos. Complicated kits, tiny little blocks. I’m not saying it’s bad, I just wanted to know what happened.”

Prof. Kane is honestly baffled and looking for an answer. And Williams plays this scene with complete sincerity — which is where the hilarity lies. Because the idea is absurd, but he’s absolutely right. Legos have changed.

Williams will always be known first and foremost for his scene-stealing turns as some of the most gripping characters in TV history, including Omar in “The Wire” and Chalky White in “Boardwalk Empire.” But even in his more lighthearted roles, Williams brought a sly intensity that instantly stood out — even in a sea of comedic actors.

“I don’t know what to say, sympathies to his loved ones and everyone that got to work with him,” “Community” creator Dan Harmon wrote on social media, while sharing another iconic moment featuring Williams on the show: When he defends the value of the pinky swear: “Man’s gotta have a code!” Added Harmon: “Wherever he is, I hope Legos are simple again. I hope to join him there and write more silly things for him to say.”

Harmon was a fan of Williams on “The Wire,” and jumped at a chance to bring the star to “Community.” The casting of Williams came first, and then a character was created to find a way to bring “Omar” to Greendale Community College. Williams was only available for three episodes, due to his commitments on “Boardwalk Empire,” but it was a memorable, if all too brief, run.

“I want to add a layer of intensity to ‘Community,'” Harmon told me on stage at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2011, as he announced the guest casting. “If we’re too cartoonish sometimes, then let’s add the opposite of cartoonish. Let’s add a little element of ‘The Wire’ to ‘Community.'”

Read more here.

R.I.P., LA Icons Tom LaBonge and Tommy Lasorda

Sad to hear about the passing of former councilman Tom LaBonge. He showed up to the Great Los Angeles Walk 2010 unannounced, excited to see what we were doing. And I'll never forget seeing him, alone on a rainy Easter morning, clearing out a clogged street drain across from St. Casimir Church. I wrote about it for the blog, also in 2010:

Los Angeles City Council member Tom LaBonge is known for taking his love of L.A. to extreme measures. And we saw first hand on Easter Sunday how far he'll go.

As we were walking up the steps to Los Feliz's St. Casimir Catholic Church, one of the church's top volunteers yelled, "Hey! It's Tom LaBonge."

We turned and saw a man with a large trash bag, picking up garbage from the gutter in front of the church. He looked up and seemed genuinely embarrassed at being caught.

Yep, there was Councilman LaBonge, in sweats, randomly picking up trash in the neighborhood.

"I'm doing this for the church!" he told the St. Casimir volunteer before loading the trash bag in his trunk.

I asked LaBonge if he had any pumpkin bread in his trunk -- as he's well-know for passing out the treat, as baked and sold by the nuns inside Hollywood's Monastery of the Angeles.

He smiled, said yes, pointed to his car, and then drove off. Wait, where's my bread?

No one loved Los Angeles like Tom LaBonge.

Quite the sad coincidence that another iconic Los Angeles Tom — Dodgers icon Tommy Lasorda — also passed away today. Jon Weisman has a great tribute here.

Remembering Our Friend and Variety Colleague Dave McNary

My heart breaks for the passing of our beloved Variety colleague and friend Dave McNary. No one was nicer, or as hard working. (Including his side gig organizing comedy shows at Pasadena's Ice House.) Sending my warm thoughts to his wife, KPCC's Sharon McNary, and their beloved dog Winnie during this truly sad time.

Dave and I joined Variety around the same time in late 1999, and he had to put up sitting next to Joe Adalian and I, these two young TV nerds. But I think we amused him greatly, LOL, and he was such a wonderful cubicle mate to have.

Dave owned the Hollywood labor beat. OWNED it. I remember my awe at seeing him back in the office, hard at work, after having camped all night at SAG or another HQ, waiting for vote results. He covered the WGA strike better than anyone. And no one wrote more stories for Variety.

The outpouring of love and tributes over the past few days has been astounding, and a tribute to how Dave's kindness touched so many people. Pat Saperstein and Cynthia Littleton wrote Variety's tribute:

In style and substance, McNary was every inch a reporter, right down to the fedora hats that he favored and the reporters notebook that was ever-present in his pocket. He doggedly covered the action in the corridors of the American Film Market in Santa Monica for many years. He was thrilled to be sent to France to cover the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. In late 2007 and early 2008, he was Variety‘s lead reporter on the 100-day Writers Guild of America strike that up-ended the industry.

McNary had a busy second career in comedy. For three decades, he hosted a Sunday standup comedy showcase at the famed Ice House venue in Pasadena, where he auditioned and booked numerous comics who have gone on to careers in the industry. In the 1970s, he did some work with the Groundlings and with acting coach Gary Austin. He was part of a comedy troupe dubbed the Procrastinators, who made appearances on “The Gong Show” doing out-there acts such as the surf tune “Wipeout” on belly bongos or “Rawhide” on stick horses.

I'd love to see those clips. The Los Angeles Times also noted how Dave even changed the way box office was reported:

At UPI in the late ’80s and early ’90s, McNary saw an opportunity to scoop his competitors at the Associated Press by covering weekend box office more aggressively, Sharon McNary said. (The couple met at UPI.) Instead of waiting until Monday for the results, he’d call on Sunday. “He really made it his thing,” Sharon McNary said. “He realized if he just started calling people on Sunday, he could beat the AP and get his copy picked up in papers nationwide. Now it’s become a standard part of entertainment reporting: ‘Who won the box office that weekend?’ I think Dave’s work really elevated that to where it became something people just talk about.”

It's hard to believe we won't see Dave's smiling face in the office anymore, or get to experience his sharp take on the world. But he leaves a great legacy, and the thanks he's received from so many people who received a kind word of encouragement from him over the years inspires me to do more of that. Dave McNary was 69.

In Memory of Jonathan Gold, King of Los Angeles

It was a coincidence that just two days after the death of Jonathan Gold, the New York Times published the latest in its ongoing series of Stories That Get Los Angeles So, So Wrong. For such an important metropolis, LA is constantly misunderstood — sometimes by its own residents. But Jonathan Gold was the antidote to that — the ambassador, or as Roy Choi called him, the "King of LA" — someone who not only understood our city, but helped thousands of others understand it too.

I've enjoyed reading so many tributes in the last few days that all credited J. Gold for opening their eyes to the neighborhoods, the people, the culture, and of course, the food of Los Angeles. The rest of the world still sees L.A. as mostly Hollywood and the Westside. But in J. Gold's LA, that is just a fraction of it. Boyle Heights, Koreatown, South LA, the San Gabriel Valley, and on and on. These are the people of Los Angeles, and we are damn lucky to live in the most diverse and vibrant metropolis in the world.

J. Gold inspired us to get out of the house and explore that world. His annual list of the 101 best restaurants was a cultural check list, a chance to travel around the world within the L.A. county limits. And he used his power wisely, helping support small businesses by highlighting the best.

Of course, like many, I was inspired by J. Gold's famous Pico Boulevard Project, in which he ate his way down the street — from downtown to the ocean — chronicling every birria taco and every gastrobomb along the way. For our second Great Los Angeles Walk in 2007, I reached out to Gold and asked him to give us a roster of places to eat as we made our way down Pico. (I dusted off the list when we did the Pico walk again in 2016.) So, of course, back then I had to contact the Pulitzer Prize-winning scrbe. To my pleasant surprise, he emailed back quickly, and even said he read Franklin Avenue! I managed to pick his brain on a few spots and he gave a selection. From 2007:

El Salvador Cafe. 575 E. Pico

El Parian. 1528 W. Pico ("I went on record in 1990 claiming that El Parian’s birria was the single best Mexican dish in Los Angeles, and nothing in the thousand L.A. Mexican meals I have eaten since then has done anything to sway me from that belief," Gold wrote in 2006)

La 27th Restaurante Familar. 1830 W. Pico (Nicaraguan food -- Gold suggests "nacatamals and fritanga").

El Colmao. 2328 W. Pico (Cuban food -- Gold suggests "fried pork leg with onions).

Las 7 Regiones de Oaxaca. 2648 W. Pico. ("It is Las 7 Regiones’ coloradito, its version of one of the famous seven moles of Oaxaca, that is a really remarkable concoction — thick and dense and sweet-hot and unctuous, the product of hours of labor and probably 20-odd toasted seeds and chiles and spices," Gold writes.)

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. 5006 W. Pico. ("Roscoe’s is the Carnegie Deli of L.A.’s R&B scene," Gold wrote in an old review.)

Oki-Dog. 5056 W. Pico. (Go for the pastrami burritos, Gold says.)

Magic Carpet. 8566 W. Pico. (Gold once wrote that he used to live close by: " if I had tasted Magic Carpet's melawach back then, I might never have moved - a bronzed, pizza-size fried Yemenite pancake that seems to have a hundred levels of wheatiness, a thousand layers of crunch and the taste of clean oil, melawach is one of the greatest dishes in Los Angeles.")

Twin Dragon. 8597 W. Pico. (Gold admits that he likes some of the Shanghaiese dishes here, writing a few years back: "Although the kitchen is perfectly capable of turning out dishes stunning only in their mediocrity, some of the truly Shanghainese dishes -- smoked fish, round steamed dumplings, shredded pork sautéed with salted vegetables -- are fine.")

Pico Kosher Deli. 8826 W. Pico. (Gold recommends the pastrami sandwiches, and wrote in 2004 about its "PLT" -- like a BLT, but with pastrami.)

John O'Groats. 10516 W. Pico. ("Smoked pork chops," Gold recommends.)

Pico Teriyaki House. 10610 W. Pico. (Gold notes it's nearly impossible to get in, so it's not a spot to visit during our hike. But for future reference, he says try the robatayaki.)

Torafuku. 10914 W. Pico. (Their izakaya dishes are a little too pricy for he hike, but Gold named it one of L.A.'s 99 essential restaurants in 2005.)

"Man, it's a long street. I'll try and think of some others," he wrote.

Last night I watched "City of Gold," the documentary about J. Gold — now streaming on Hulu. It will make you hungry, which is the point — in honor of the legend, take a moment this week and explore a neighborhood you've never visited, and eat at a restaurant you've never tried. Now, more than ever, J. Gold's message of community is so important to combat those who'd like to tear us apart.

R.I.P., Sport Chalet

Another one bites the dust. This one is extra sad for Southern California, as Sport Chalet is (was) a local success story, born in 1959 in La Canada Flintridge. The chain, which was sold in 2014 to Vestis Retail Group, announced today that it is shutting down:

Today Sport Chalet will begin the process of closing all of our stores and will stop selling merchandise online. Store closing sales will begin at the open of business today and continue over the next several weeks, offering customers the opportunity to take advantage of great sales. Our online store will stop selling merchandise on April 16th, but you may visit our website, www.SportChalet.com to find the location closest to you.

Sport Chalet gift cards, rewards certificates and store credits will be honored in Sport Chalet stores through April 29th, 2016. Customers who are unable to visit us before this date are invited to transfer gift card balances to a gift card from one of our sister stores, Eastern Mountain Sports or Bob's Stores through July 29th, 2016. To transfer your balance, please contact customer service at (888) 801-9162 and an agent will assist you.

We also ask that you pick up any equipment that had been left in one of our stores for repair no later than April 29th, 2016 and ask you to return Sport Chalet rental equipment before this date.

Thank you for your loyalty over the years. We hope to see you at our store closing sales.

Norbert Olberz, who founded Sport Chalet with his wife Irene, died in 2011. The shut down is a huge blow to the La Canada Flintridge business community. Sport Chalet had also just opened a major flagship story in downtown Los Angeles three years ago. Sport Chalet was 57.

Remembering "It's Garry Shandling's Show"

R.I.P. Garry Shandling. Back in 1997 I wrote a tribute to his great 1980s series "It's Garry Shandling's Show" for my job at the time, the weekly TV trade Electronic Media. We named the series one of the "10 Shows That Made Cable," and it's easy to forget now how landmark it was.

From Electronic Media, July 21, 1997, here's my story, written in the style of the show's self-referential theme song:

This is the story about "It's Garry Shandling's Show."

This is the article that mentions how "Garry Shandling" became one of the first network-quality sitcoms on cable, helping establish a new outlet for creative talent and spur original series development for cable outlets.

This piece also notes that "Garry Shandling" became the first cable show to make the transition to network television, when Fox picked up reruns of the Showtime series in 1988.

This paragraph describes how "Garry Shandling" originally landed at Showtime. The show had originally been developed for primetime, but was rejected by all three (at the time) broadcast networks.

"They thought it was too unusual for primetime TV," said Brad Grey, who executive produced the show, in the fifth paragraph of this story. "[Showtime] was a very comfortable environment, we had total creative freedom. We got to do something rather bold compared to what was on the networks."

Here's the obligatory show description: "It's Garry Shandling's Show," which debuted in the fall of 1986 on Showtime, starred Mr. Shandling as a fictional version of himself--a successful comic with several neuroses.

The show parodied the sitcom format, with Mr. Shandling opening each show by speaking to the camera and regularly pausing from the action to make an observation or interact with the studio audience.

This article will now surmise that cross-pollination has become common between cable and broadcast TV, such as "Politically Incorrect's" move to ABC, in part because "Garry Shandling" forced executives to notice what was being done on cable.

"Cable has flourished since then, it's another venue to distribute half-hour TV," Mr. Grey said.

This article's almost done, but to wrap things up: These days, Mr. Shandling stars in the critical hit "Larry Sanders" on HBO, while other cable networks such as USA Network and Turner Network Television, and even niche channels like MTV and Nickelodeon, produce much original programming.

Still, "There hasn't been a cable or pay-TV series that's had the same level of success financially in the back-end as primetime," Mr. Grey said. "For that reason, some of the major studios shy away from it because the money hasn't proven to be there yet."

--Michael Schneider

R.I.P., Trader Joe's Reduced Guilt Tortilla Chips (UPDATED)

Trader Joe's, you just broke my heart.

The grocer has discontinued plenty of great products in the past. I still really miss the chicken polenta lasagna. It was amazing.

But I forgave Trader Joe's for getting rid of items--there are always other, new favorites to be introduced. But the decision to discontinue the Reduced Guilt White Corn Tortilla Chips is a step too far.

The chips were my go-to snack. Almost every day: Reduced Guilt tortilla chips and hummus. Yeah, I know, I was probably foolish to believe that I was snacking well by eating "reduced guilt" chips -- they're still chips, after all. But nonetheless, they were my snacking everything.

What stings is Trader Joe's refusal to engage the public, by avoiding social media. What caused the chain to drop the product? We may never know.

What to do now? Is there even anything comparable on the market?

UPDATE: A response from Trader Joe's!:

"Dear Michael,

Thanks for contacting us. We have discontinued the Reduced Guilt White Corn Tortilla Chips in our stores due to slow sales. Because our stores have such limited space, if an item does not meet a minimum sales volume, we will discontinue it in order to bring in something we think will sell better. I will pass your comments on to our buyers for consideration. From time to time, if there is enough outcry to bring back a discontinued item and we are able to do so, we will give it another run.

Regards,
Nikki
Customer Relations
Trader Joe's

In Memory of David Bowie: A Handful of Personal Tributes to a Legend

Like most of you, I was truly sad to learn that David Bowie had died. (I learned it right after the Golden Globes on Sunday night, at HBO's afterparty, where the DJ eventually started playing Bowie hits back-to-back). My Twitter and Facebook feeds have been flooded with personal memories from people of what Bowie and his genius meant to them. Here are a bunch:

Phil Gallo:

My Bowie fandom started with Ziggy Stardust and I stuck with him as he changed from one persona to another, his Berlin period being my favorite phase. Through it all though, I always thought he was most unapproachable, a perfect example of don't meet your heroes. That changed in March 1998. Betsy and I were in London at a Maggie Smith play, sitting the front of the mezzanine. At intermission, I got up to get some water, but the aisles and concession stand were so jammed I went downstairs and got a bottle of water.

As I stopped to open it, standing 12 feet from me lighting up a cigarette was David Bowie. I thought, if nobody else is going to bother him, I will. Fortunately I had an in – within the last month of so I had seen him perform at the Hollywood Athletic Club and could talk about the gig. Bowie could not have been more receptive. We talked about theater, music, art, London and Paris – he gave me recommendations for plays, bands, galleries and restaurants – and we didn’t stop chatting until they started ushering everyone back to their seats. He could not have been nicer or more gracious and as I have told this story over the years, everyone who has ever met him had similar impressions.

When I back to our seats, Betsy greeted me with “you're not going to believe what happened while you were gone.” I laughed and said the same thing to her.

RIP David Bowie. You made a huge difference.

Doug Herzog:

Young Americans. "Ain't there one damn song that can make me break down and cry?" One of my all time favorite songs. I'm not sure there's any one track more representative of the 70's than this. From the David Sanborn sax, to Luther Vandross's soulful back up. Effortlessly funky, not exactly rock, not exactly RnB, and hints at Disco. It references Nixon, Soul Train, Barbi, Afro-Sheen, Pimps, Hustler's and Caddies. And as any 70's radio DJ will tell you, features possibly one of the greatest intros ever.

Alex Romanelli:

David Bowie's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today became the impromptu place for LA fans to pay public tribute. My favorite was the milk and peppers. The fly in the milk is sorely missed. Mood was somber, I'd have preferred the joyful celebration in Brixton but it was good to go somewhere and do something to pay one's respects. After I went to Amoeba and was surprised to learn "Blackstar" had sold out - on Saturday.

Joe Flint:

My David Bowie-inspired memory. I'm nine or ten and I ask my brother what does "wham bam thank you ma'am" mean. He does not tell but does tell me, don't ask mom that.

Melanie McFarland:

David Bowie was, in a real sense, my first true love. "Let's Dance" was my first record when I was a kid, and that introduction to Bowie inspired me to go back and listen to his older classics. He had a singular sound that was ever-evolving, and a clear, unshakable love of art, creativity and beauty that could not be denied. (I also had pictures of him and Iman, one of my favorite models, on my bedroom wall before they got together and married!)

Hearing about his death has left me numb. I always said that when he left us I would take a day to grieve; alas, being on the road for work, I cannot. But I am consoled and inspired by knowing that he left behind an incredible body of work that we can always turn to in good times and bad.

Rest in peace and thanks for reminding little girls and boys everywhere that we can all be Heroes.

Kim Cooper:

Bored in junior high and having just seen David Bowie in "The Man Who Fell To Earth," I told a few kids that I'd come to their planet to find water because mine was dying. Somehow, over a few days gossip, this was interpreted as planet Earth was on the verge of destruction, and it was my fault. Mass terror swept the campus, and next thing I knew I was hiding with a classmate in a freestanding bathroom in the middle of the school playing fields as a riot swirled, comprised of kids who apparently wanted to kill me to save the world.

Rescued by teachers, crowd dispersed, I was marched to the principal's office and suspended for several days. I didn't really understand why--because I said I was from another planet?--but a few days out of school was a treat, not a punishment.

This happened in Hollywood, California, which is a hick town, whatever you may have heard. But I love it, and David Bowie, too. Thanks for showing me the power of storytelling, Starman. It's no game.

Jessica Ritz:

As a 14 year-old, I thankfully thought camping out overnight at the Roxy to see David Bowie with his new Tin Machine outfit was the COMPLETELY reasonable, obvious thing to do. (41 year-old me thinks it sounds insane.) Bowie in his double-breasted suit had the crowd in the palm of his hand, the Sales brothers rocked the rhythm section, and even if this wasn't among the more heralded chapters in his career, it's the rare few who create so darn many stellar ones.

Lynda Dorf:

I am so sad to hear of David Bowie's passing. Hours of listening to Ziggy Stardust with the Norris Brothers and Mark Messore in the late 70's and Andie Bodie too!

My Grandfather managed David Bowie's fan club and when he died at 69, he sent our Grandmother Julie one of the most beautiful notes of condolence. He was a master, a true artist in so many ways outside of music. Influenced the art I love, some crazy fashion moments in late high school and the poetry I read and loved as well.

His rendition of Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby will forever, like Michele Husak, be my all time favorite Christmas song.

Our son Max Dorf got to learn his music intimately through ‪#‎schoolofrock‬ playing Space Oddity, Changes, John I am Only Dancing, Heroes, Let's Dance, Rebel Rebel and I'm Afraid of Americans.

RIP. You were a true star and I wish, as he did for our family, that my family, especially my Aunt could return the kindness of the words he shared with ours. A seminal artist gone way too soon. Have not felt this sense of cultural or musical loss since Jerry Garcia's passing in 1995.

RIP, "Dr. George" Fischbeck, L.A.'s Colorful Weatherman

Rough year for local L.A. TV legends. First KTLA's Stan Chambers passed away, and now famed weatherman "Dr. George" Fischbeck, seen on KABC-Channel 7 for years, has died at 92.
Dr. George was such a household name in Southern California that, as you see above, by 1987 KABC wasn't even including his last name in his identification. In 2008, the L.A. Times caught up with Fischbeck, and he was still going strong as a docent at the L.A. Zoo and in other volunteer work. (Read it here.)

More from the L.A. Times:

George Fischbeck, a science teacher turned weatherman who joined KABC-TV in 1972 and spent nearly two decades exuberantly delivering the local forecast, has died. He was 92.

Fischbeck, who was known as "Dr. George," died of natural causes early Wednesday morning at the Motion Picture & Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, his daughter, Nancy Fischbeck, said.

A trained meteorologist, George Fischbeck was so enthusiastic about his subject that he sometimes forgot to talk about the next day's weather.

"I must begin with an apology," Fischbeck said on a 1978 broadcast. "Last Friday we got carried away again and we got everything in but the forecast."

When the rare inclement weather threatened Los Angeles, his newscast's ratings went up as viewers tuned in to see a seemingly real-life Mr. Wizard — complete with thick black-rimmed glasses, animated mustache and signature bow tie — race around the set.

Some people considered Fischbeck's weathercasts "madcap performances," according to a 1978 Times profile with the headline "Blue Skies for Dr. George." The "doctor" referred to an honorary degree from the University of Albuquerque.

"I'm Channel 7's father image," Fischbeck said in 1978 while insisting that he was not its comedian because he refused to do jokes. "I am not a phony. I am not manufactured or contrived."

He did, however, once call attention to the beginning of March by hauling a lion and a lamb into the TV studio.

The cult of personality that prevailed on local television in the 1970s "seemed to have reached a zenith" at KABC by 1979 when Fischbeck began receiving even wider play on the local news to exploit his huge following, former TV columnist Howard Rosenberg wrote in The Times.

In a 1981 report, People magazine compared Fischbeck to "a caged lion" who "stalks the weather map, prowls the sound stage ... and explodes into a frenzy of animation while delivering his forecasts. He candidly admits that cameramen should get hazard pay for trying to keep up with him."

Watch a Fischbeck weathercast here:



And check out this five-part feature from Dr. George and KABC on how the TV news is made:

RIP Stan Chambers, Los Angeles Broadcast Legend

This has been a rough week for journalism. The Brian Williams scandal; Jon Stewart's Daily Show retirement; the death of foreign correspondent Bob Simon; and yesterday, the sad death of the New York Times' David Carr.

Now comes the sad news that local TV legend Stan Chambers has died, at 91. Chambers retired in 2010 after 63 years at KTLA -- hold up, lemme repeat that: 63 YEARS AT KTLA!

Chambers wasn't just a local TV legend -- he was a Los Angeles legend. If you're not up on your Los Angeles history, just Google "Kathy Fiscus." Here's what I wrote about Stan in 2010:

Writes KTLA colleague Eric Spillman: "Stan still comes in just about every day, putting together feature stories on topics that interest him... Don't worry, though, Stan promises you'll still see him on the air from time to time."

My colleague Cynthia Littleton has the details over at Variety:

Chambers said that he felt his birthday marked a "good time" to sign off. He's looking forward to having plenty of freedom to travel, play golf and spend time with his large family -- which includes 11 kids and a large brood of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Grandson Jaime Chambers, a KTLA correspondent, is so far the only one to follow him into the media biz.

KTLA is planning a series of sendoffs for Chambers. A billboard across the street from the station today will salute Chambers on the occasion of his retirement. An hourlong special featuring highlights of Chambers' career will air Aug. 23, and a tribute event at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills is in the works.

As Spillman notes, it's extremely doubtful that anyone else in local TV anywhere has had the run that Stan has. Chambers, of course, is remembered for having put live, on-the-spot TV news coverage on the map thanks to his pioneering marathon coverage in 1949, when 3-year-old Kathy Fiscus fell into an abandoned water well in San Marino.

My Variety colleague Jon Weisman talked to Stan and the late Hal Fishman in 2007, on KTLA's 60th anniversary, about their career highlights. Here's what Stan had to say about the Fiscus story:

I was giving a speech down at the Biltmore Hotel, and while we were there we got a call from my mother saying, "They're trying to get ahold of you," and to go out to San Marino. So it was one of those things where luckily I was near a telephone, because of course we didn't have beepers or cell phones or things like that, and also I didn't drive -- I didn't have a car. So, the lady at the luncheon (asked) her husband, who agreed to take me out to San Marino.

There was this huge rescue operation going, with dozens of people, cameras were getting ready to go, and from the time we started until the time we finished, it was 27½ hours (though the rescuers) had been there like a day before. But the key was Klaus Landsberg, who was our station manager. He was a great engineer -- very creative. ... He had success (once before) taking all these big huge cameras and the big trucks and going out there and finding power and getting 'em all working.

But of course, no one had a television set -- there were just a few hundred.

I have a very vivid memory of maybe 2 o'clock in the morning, sitting in one of the trucks out there, just with (the) question: "Who in the world would be watching this?" ...

We thought there was no one listening, but in reality, the whole city was listening. Everybody knew somebody who had a television set. They were over there. They were sleeping on the floor.

More: Cynthia Littleton talks about her own personal memories of meeting Stan as a young, aspiring journo here.

R.I.P. Bob Baker, Los Angeles' Master of Puppets

(Pic by Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)

R.I.P. Bob Baker, a true Los Angeles treasure. Baker died Friday at the age of 90, according to Variety. His Bob Baker's Marionette Theatre entertained generations of Angeleno kids, having first opened in 1963.

Here's what I wrote on the blog in 2006:

I've always been slightly creeped out by marionettes, yet I've always been fascinated by the art as well. Bob Baker (who won an Academy Award for his puppet work on "Close Encounters of the Third Kind") not only made it his life's work behind the camera, but he also has run the kid-friendly Bob Baker Marionettes theater in downtown Los Angeles for nearly 50 years.

The Bob Baker Marionettes came to Pasadena's Levitt Pavilion (in Memorial Park) for a free show last Wednesday night -- so I grabbed Blogger Baby Evan, packed up some snacks and camped out on the lawn. The hour-long show had a Mexican theme, with mostly young people (taught by Baker, I assume) handling the strings. Afterward, we hopped on stage to see some of the puppets up close -- which scared Evan at first.

Some pics:


A gaggle of puppets


Evan is intrigued, yet spooked, by the marionettes


Cat and mouse

A little history on Baker, from his website:

While attending Hollywood High School, Bob began manufacturing toy marionettes that sold both in Europe and the United States. After graduation at the age of eighteen, he began his extensive career in animation at the George Pal Studios. He began as an apprentice and soon became a head animator of "Puppetoons" a year later.

After WWII, Bob served as an animation advisor at many film studios including Walt Disney.

With his partner, Alton Wood, Bob turned a run-down scenic shop near downtown Los Angeles into a family entertainment institution. An innovative artist and puppet master, Bob and his company have performed puppets around the globe, even on Navy ships and submarines. Mr. Baker currently has an inventory of over three thousand puppets as he creates more.

The Bob Baker Marionettes theater is located at 1345 W. First Street in Los Angeles; call 213-250-9995 for reservations (which are required).

Shows are held Tuesday - Friday at 10:30 a.m., and on Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. General admission for the show is $12 each for adults and children. Children under 2 are free (which means perhaps we should take Blogger Baby again before December!)

The future of the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre is now in doubt; go here to find out how you can help keep it alive.

RIP: From 1958, Mike Nichols Tells TV Guide His Early Career Horror Stories

In 1958, TV Guide Magazine asked a group of young stars to share their early career horror stories. Mike Nichols told the magazine how he and Elaine May struggled before a career-changing appearance on "Omnibus." Read on:

South Glendale Loses Its Trader Joe's

Monday is the last day for the tiny, cramped Glendale Trader Joe's located near the intersection of Broadway and Glendale. With a new location opening up north of the 134 at Brand and Glenoaks on Tuesday, it's time for the old store to close for good.

Of course, that means there will no longer be a Trader Joe's in South Glendale (which will have to rely on the Eagle Rock and Silver Lake locations). The old store, located across from Glendale's Civic Center, was too cramped (a throwback from the days when Trader Joe's was a smaller retailer with fewer choices). Most old locations have managed to expand, including the Eagle Rock and Silver Lake stores. But with no signs of the next door Men's Warehouse shutting down, there was no room for the Glendale store to grow.

And now... a farewell to the store:

MIKE ON KCRW: Talking DreamWorks on "The Business" and Tribute to Joan Rivers on "Hollywood Breakdown"

On Monday's edition of KCRW's The Business, Kim Masters and I discussed Turner Entertainment programming president Michael Wright's move to DreamWorks -- and what's next. Here's the rundown:

- A surprising pick to run DreamWorks. Michael Wright will be leaving the TV world--he was Turner’s president of programming-- to become the CEO of the production company.
- Netflix is paying big bucks for the streaming rights to a show that hasn’t even aired on television yet.

Listen below, including Kim's interview with "Star Trek's" George Takei:





Meanwhile, on "Hollywood Breakdown," Kim and I paid tribute to the late Joan Rivers:

Kim Masters and Michael Schneider remember Joan Rivers and listen to a clip of her interview on KCRW's The Business from 2010. At that time, Rivers was promoting the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, which showed a tireless, irreverent performer, still working as a stand-up as well as writing books and hosting TV shows including E!'s Fashion Police. She died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Listen by clicking the box below:

From 1966 and 1968: TV Guide Chronicles Joan Rivers' Early Career

"The Only Problem With Joan is to Quiet Her Down": Check out this picture feature from the March 5, 1966 issue of TV Guide magazine, as cameras followed a nervous Rivers on an early visit to "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." Rivers, of course, would eventually become Carson's permanent guest host -- until she launched "The Late Show" on Fox in 1986.

Meanwhile, below, in the August 10, 1968 profile "The Last Girl in Larchmont to Get Married" -- featuring a photo of Rivers with her then 7-month-old daughter Melissa -- takes a deeper look at the comedienne, including Carson's prediction after her first "Tonight Show" visit in 1965 that "You're going to be a big star."

Throwback Thursday: RIP Joan Rivers Edition

As a kid, Joan Rivers first came to my attention as Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" fill-in -- and then, of course, as the woman who left to launch her own competing show on this upstart new TV network called "FBC." Joan Rivers was the first star on Fox, launching the network on October 9, 1986. "The Late Show with Joan Rivers" didn't last long (after she was fired, Arsenio Hall stepped in for 13 weeks). But her place in TV history is secure. Here's that first episode.

RIP Robin Williams: Read TV Guide Magazine's October 1978 Profile Introducing America to His Genius

I think we're all stunned and a bit devastated to hear the news about Robin Williams' death, particularly the sad circumstance behind his battle with depression. I dug through the TV Guide Magazine archives to find the first-ever profile we did on Williams -- a cover story from Oct. 28, 1978, following the premiere of "Mork & Mindy." It's an interesting early look at the man who would go on to entertain millions.







Also, here's the 1978 Fall Preview story on the premiere of "Mork & Mindy":



And here's the ABC advertisement promoting the premiere:

Memories of Casey Kasem: A Tribute to My Childhood Idol

Me with Casey Kasem at the Radio Hall of Fame awards in Chicago, fall 1995

One of the greatest perks of my job? Meeting my idol, Casey Kasem.

I got to meet Casey twice: Once, as you see above, was when I was straight out of college and working as an editorial assistant at Electronic Media. I got to attend the Radio Hall of Fame awards -- and smartly brought along my camera to grab a pic.

The other time: Midway through my lengthy stint at Variety (I believe around 2003), I sought out a lunch with Casey. He was still doing cartoon voices at the time (specifically, Shaggy, for "What's New Scooby Doo"), so it was easy to set up under those circumstances. But I really just wanted to break bread with the man and hear all about his amazing career. I brought along my colleague, Joe Adalian, but for some reason neither of us can remember the specifics of what we talked about. Yet I still remember vividly the table we sat at (at the Beverly Wilshire hotel). And at the end, Casey gave me his phone number, just in case I ever needed to call him. I still have it. Trust me, I considered dialing it during the recent unfortunate turn of events with his family.



But I'm getting ahead of myself. The story of my fascination with Casey Kasem goes back as far as I can remember. As an Air Force brat, I moved around a handful of times growing up. The places were all different, but Casey Kasem was a constant. I still remember hearing Casey on the radio in the late 1970s as a 5-year-old in Wichita, Kansas, as my dad taped songs off the radio (including "American Top 40") to listen on 8-track tapes in the car. I also have a vivid memory of lying on my bed and listening to Casey count down the top 100 songs of 1979 -- Donna Summer, I recall, was quite big that year.

Then, moving to Clark Air Base, Philippines, in 1980, "American Top 40" taught me the joys of "countin' em down" via Armed Forces Radio (FEN -- the Far East Network, Philippines -- would air it weekly both on AM and FM) and also on one of the radio stations I could tune in from Manila. American Top 40, Casey used to say, could be heard on radio stations across the nation and around the world. Casey not only played "the hits from coast to coast" but helped bring American pop music to the entire planet.



I also fondly remember coming home on Saturday evenings and flipping on FEN/Channel 17 to catch Casey on "America's Top 10" (above). FEN would air it Saturday nights at 6:30 -- and it was a weekly insight into what was happening musically back in the States. (Watch a clip below.)



I was 8 years old, and I got my first tape recorder, a tiny machine with a built-in microphone. It was then that I started trying to impersonate Casey on this rudimentary device. In my head, I could hear Casey's voice -- even though what came out of my mouth was still the high-pitched sounds of a young boy.



When I moved from the Philippines to Oklahoma at the age of 10, it was 1983 -- and the 1980s music scene was starting to take off. Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen -- I became OBSESSED with the Billboard charts. And Casey's AT40 was the home of the official Billboard countdown. (AT40 is where I first learned of Madonna, when the then-unknown singer's first hit "Holiday" first entered the chart.) I'd listen to all four hours, jotting down every song, every artist, and every chart position. I'd sneak a transistor radio with me as my family went to Sunday lunch, so that I wouldn't miss a song. And when the local radio station started giving away their weekly 4-album copy of AT40 once they were done with it, I frequently would win -- since I was the only one at home jotting down every position! I still have several copies of AT40 on vinyl from 1984 and 1985.



During that 2003 lunch, I had Casey sign one of the albums. I'm still amused that he put my name in quote marks.

In the mid-1980s I even created my own music chart, a Top 30 countdown to go alongside the official Billboard Top 40 from AT40. I'd type both up each week on my little typewriter, noting the position changes (moving up or down "notches," in Casey-speak).



Casey's delivery was so smooth, so authoritative and so what I wanted to do when I grew up. With a much better stereo system/tape deck, my early (and even later) teenage years were spent taping my own radio shows and countdowns.

As I headed into high school, we moved to Hawaii -- where Casey's AT40 aired on Saturday mornings (on KIKI "Hot I-94"). I'd wake up at 6 am every Saturday morning and, half-asleep in bed, would start jotting down the chart. I'd usually miss No. 38 or 36 as I dozed off. But Casey was there, yet again as I moved to a new city.



Until... that moment in August 1988 when, due to a dispute with the-AT40 owner ABC Watermark, he left the show. Casey launched a new countdown, "Casey's Top 40," the following year with Westwood One.



Without Casey, AT40 with Shadoe Stevens faltered -- and was canceled in 1995. After ABC Watermark failed to keep the AT40 trademark active, the rights reverted to Casey -- and he launched a new AT40 in 1998. Casey (sigh) handed the show to Ryan Seacrest in 2004, but kept hosting the adult contemporary version ("American Top 20"). He signed off for good in 2009.

Reruns of Casey's 1970s and 1980s countdowns continue to air on SiriusXM radio and on some radio stations across the country. He's also immortalized in movies such as "Ghostbusters," and of course, Shaggy will live on forever.



I'm going to have to dust off one of those old AT40 album sets in my collection and listen in tribute. Forget about all the tragic drama that marked the end of his life: Casey led a good one. I promise to always keep my feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.