Preserving Hollywood Sign is a Peak Concern

Transcription

INSIDE
• Beat cop saves
pedestrianʼs life.
pg. 3
Partly cloudy,
with temps
around 64º
• FDA addresses
overdoses. pg. 4
Volume 20 No. 6
Serving the West Hollywood, Hancock Park and Wilshire Communities
Neighborhood
Councils Unite
Around
Budget Cuts
Preserving Hollywood
Sign is a Peak Concern
n Trust for Public Land Hopes to Purchase
Parcel and Donate it to the City
BY IAN LOVETT
J
ust a week after local pop
music star, Ke$ha, released a
viral YouTube video, which
portrayed the singer and her friends
remodeling the Hollywood sign at
night with flashlights, gigantic
white sheets, and spray paint,
Southern California’s most recognizable landmark will get a
makeover today, when the
Hollywood Sign is covered over
with a fabric sign reading, “Save
the Peak.”
The sign’s new look was orchestrated by the Trust for Public Land
(TPL), a national land conservation
organization, in an effort to raise
money to buy a nearby plot of land
called Cahuenga Peak, which sits
just west of the sign. A year ago,
TPL negotiated an exclusive option
to buy the plot for $12.5 million,
and has already raised about $7.5
million, but will need to come up
with the additional money by April
BY AMY LYONS
W
Records building on Vine Street,
next to the stars of former bandmates, John Lennon and George
Harrison.
Starr was joined by his wife,
Barbara Bach; Joe Walsh, of the
“Eagles”; musician Ben Harper;
and hundreds of fans as he
hen City Administrative
Officer (CAO) Miguel
Santana released Los
Angeles’ mid-year financial status
report and plan on January 29,
neighborhood councils began to
mobilize. The councils had already
banded together in early January to
create Budget LA, a grassroots
group of neighborhood council
leaders determined to make the
city’s neighborhood councils have
more of a voice in the budget
process. But on January 29, when
the CAO’s plan showed recommended cuts to city council budgets, Budget LA began focusing on
a fight to save the neighborhood
council system from potential collapse.
Hollywood resident, Stephen
Box, who works with the East
Hollywood Neighborhood Council
and is one of the founders of Budget
LA, said the aim right now is to
save neighborhood councils so they
can work for other causes.
“It’s like when you are on an airplane and they say ‘put your mask
on before you help others get their
masks on’, that is what we are
doing. We have to protect ourselves
in order to do the work,” Box said.
Currently on the chopping block
for neighborhood councils are,
among other things, a 50 percent
cut to the $45,000 annual budget
See Ringo page 20
See Budget page 21
See Hollywood Sign page 22
photo by Edwin Folven
‘Starr’ Ceremony Celebrates
Walk of Fame Anniversary
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
photo by Ian Lovett
T
o launch the 50th anniversary celebration of the
Hollywood Walk of Fame,
Ringo Starr of “The Beatles”
received the 2,401st star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Monday in front of the Capitol
The Hollywood sign will be covered today to illustrate how Cahuenga
Peak would look if the city were to lose the landmark.
Senior Programs Could Lose
Millions in State Funding
n Loss Would Impact
JFS Agencies
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
J
ewish Family Services (JFS)
provides quality-of-life care
nearly 700 seniors in the
local area everyday, including
adult day healthcare, transportation, meal delivery and other services. But proposals to cut the
state’s $24 million budget deficit
may jeopardize the funding JFS
receives and the services seniors
rely on.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
released a budget proposal in
January that outlined a $4 billion
reduction to the state’s general
funding for in-home senior services and the Adult Day
Healthcare (ADHC) program.
Nancy Volpert, director of public policy for JFS, said the organization has already lost $11
million in funding during the
last two years, and could stand
to lose millions more if the cuts
are enacted. Volpert said that
would translate into less services being provided though the
JFS’ Multi-Purpose Senior
Service (MSSP) program,
which enables seniors to stay in
their homes and receive general
healthcare as opposed to being
forced to move into assisted living facilities. During the last
two years, JFS has already
dropped from serving 798 local
seniors to 667. While it is not
known exactly how many more
seniors would be affected until
the budget is adopted later this
See JFS page 22
Rose ‘Petaler’ Spreads the Love in WeHo
BY IAN LOVETT
A
s she entered the restaurant,
a young man on the patio at
Fiesta Cantina leaned over
the railing and yelled, “Rosas.”
Heads turned to watch the 63-yearold woman, carrying two-dozen
roses, smile at the bouncer and walk
slowly through the door. When she
reached the young man’s table, he
hugged her, and kissed her on the
cheek, as did another woman at the
table, and four or five others as she
made her way around the bar.
She left the bar without making a
sale several minutes later, again
smiling at the bouncer as she
walked by. “I don’t know any of
photo by Ian Lovett
their names,” she said of the people
who had just hugged her so affec- Maria La Rosa, affectionately known as “Rosas,” is well known among
"&*%".
February 11, 2010
!
$),'-$#" ' "'(,+
! ! " See ʻRosasʼ page 21
restaurant and bar patrons in West Hollywood.
Valentine’s Day Sale!
Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
2 February 11, 2010
Calendar
12 Digging Up Dad
A
solo show about a man coming
to grips with his past, “Digging
Up Dad”, will open at the Ruskin
Group Theatre on Friday, February 12
at 8:00pm. Cris D’Annunzio investigates his past with comedy and reverence as he explores the mysterious
circumstances surrounding his
father’s death. Tickets are $20.
Ruskin Group Theatre, 3000 Airport
Ave., Santa Monica. Call (310)3973244.
Winged Tiger in China” at the 34th
annual Home Remodeling &
Decorating Show at the Los Angeles
Convention Center on February 13
and 14, as the world celebrates the
lunar new Year of the Tiger. Yeh has
been invited to paint an original work
of art live on Saturday, February 13,
at the Los Angeles Convention
Center, which will be auctioned off at
6:00pm that evening to benefit the
L.A. County Charter Schools.
13 Dual Citizens at
Odyssey Theatre
The Story of Easter
in Stained Glass
A
hit of the 2009 Polish
International Theatre Festival, a
production of “Dual Citizens” will
open at the Odyssey Theatre on
Saturday, February 13 at 8:00pm.
Polish actress/puppeteer Anna Skubik
takes on a life-sized Marlene Dietrich
puppet, as both are caught in a codependent relationship during the star’s
dying days. Meanwhile, her partner
confronts his family’s escape from
Communist Bulgaria. Odyssey
Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Tickets are $25-$30. Call (310)4772055.
A
n exhibit of stained glass windows depicting the story of
Easter, “Light & Passion”, will be on
display at Forest Lawn Museum in
Glendale from Saturday, February 13
through June. The exhibit features six
large stained glass windows that
recount events during the passion
while capturing the nature of Christ’s
relationships with his mother and disciples. It is available for viewing from
10:00am - 5:00pm Tuesdays through
Sundays. Forest Lawn Museum, 1712
S. Glendale Ave., Glendale.
Admission is free. Call (800)2043131.
Psycho Turns 50
T
he Alex Film Society (AFS) will
present two screenings of Alfred
Hitchcock’s classic thriller, “Psycho”,
on Saturday, February 13, at 2:00pm
and 8:00pm at Glendale’s historic
Alex Theatre. The film stars Anthony
Perkins as Norman Bates, a creepy
motel owner with some serious
mommy issues. Prior to the screening,
three audience members will be
selected to recreate the film’s famous
“shower scene” by giving their best
blood-curdling scream. The winner
will receive a romantic Valentine
Day’s dinner for two. Tickets are
$13.50 with discounts for students,
seniors and members. 216 North
Brand Blvd. Call (818)754-8250.
14 Romance on
The Big Screen
Photo by Michael Lamont
Clockwise from left, Ivonne Coll, Barbara Niles, June Gable and Leslie
Easterbrook star in “Broads”, a musical comedy opening at the El Portal
Theatre on Saturday, February 13 at 8:00pm. Elaine and Myra are sisters residing at Millennium Manor Retirement Village in South Florida,
where they team up with fellow seniors, Louise and Nilda, to put on an
annual variety show in the clubhouse. El Portal Forum Theatre, 5269
Lankershim Blvd. Call (818)508-4200. Tickets are $35.
Travel and
Adventure with Los
Angeles Times
T
!" %
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he Los Angeles Times Travel &
Adventure Show returns to the
Los Angeles Convention Center on
Saturday and Sunday, February 13
and 14. With more than 550
exhibitors and a show floor spanning
five acres, the expo is the largest of its
kind in the U.S., offering access to
expert advice, domestic and international tour operators, value-priced
vacation packages and show-only dis-
counts. The show is an adventure in
itself where attendees can meet their
favorite travel personalities, and
experience cultures from around the
world. Los Angeles Convention
Center, 1201 South Figueroa St. For
more information or tickets, which
are $10, visit www.latimes.com/travelshow.
Year of the Tiger
A
uthor Phil Yeh, often called the
Godfather of the modern
American Graphic Novel, will introduce his new graphic novel, “The
The boutique gym for Hollywood’s
most beautiful people...
without the boutique price tag.
O
n Valentine’s Day, Sunday,
February 14, the American
Cinematheque at the Egyptian
Theatre will host a double feature
that’s all about love. First up, at
7:30pm is “Casablanca”, the classic
Humphrey Bogart vehicle that sets the
scene for sultry love at a nightclub in
Morocco. Ingrid Bergman plays
Bogie’s beloved, who disappeared
from his side in Paris during the Nazi
occupation. She reappears with bittersweet consequences. Next, “Double
Indemnity” stars Fred MacMurray as
a sardonic insurance salesman
seduced by a slinky character played
by Barbara Stanwyck into murdering
her newly insured husband. Passion
was never so fiery. The Egyptian,
6712 Hollywood Blvd. Call
(323)466-FILM. Tickets are $11.
16 Friendly
Pharmacists
O
n Tuesday, February 16, from
10:30am – noon, individual con-
sultations with Walgreen’s pharmacists will take place at the Park La
Brea Activity Center. The LIFE
Program of Jewish Family Service of
LA is teaming up with Walgreen’s to
provide the one-on-one meetings with
pharmacists to review over-thecounter medications, prescriptions,
vitamins and other supplements.
Guests will have a chance to ask questions of the pharmacy team. Park La
Brea Activity Center, 475 S. Curson
Ave. To schedule an appointment, call
(323)936-7194.
17 Exploring
The Essay
A
uthor John D’Agata will read
from his latest anthology “The
Lost Origins of the Essay” on
Wednesday, February 17 at 7:00pm at
the Hammer Museum. In the anthology D’Agata takes the reader from
ancient Mesopotamia to classical
Greece and Rome and beyond. With
brief and brilliant introductions to
seminal works, D’Agata reexamines
the international forebears of today’s
American nonfiction. The Hammer is
located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd. Call
(310)443-7000. The event is free.
Club Hopping
Meets Cardio
L
evel 3 Nightclub at Hollywood &
Highland Center gives the dance
beat
a
whole
new
meaning with “Nightclub Cardio”
classes, which are held every
Wednesday, including February 17,
from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. The class
aims to get students in shape via a fun,
hip dance regimen. Laser lights and a
live DJ are part of the fun. $12 per
class with online registration, $15 per
class at the door, $40 for a block of
four classes. Level 3, Hollywood &
Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Call
(323)461-2017.
California Suite
F
our couples descending on
Beverly Hills from various parts
of the world are the subject of
“California Suite”, a production of
which will be recorded live at the
Skirball for L.A. Theatre Works on
Wednesday, February 17. Each couple
occupies the same Beverly Hills hotel
suite at various times, bringing their
problems, anxieties and comic marital
dilemmas. The show starts at 8:00pm.
at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701
N. Sepulveda Blvd. Tickets are $20 $48. Call (310)827-0889.
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3 February 11, 2010
Foot Beat Cop Credited for Saving Crash Victim
n Pedestrian is Critically
Injured in Hollywood
Intersection
BY AMY LYONS
A
28-year-old woman from
Vancouver, Canada was critically injured on February 5 when
she was struck by a vehicle that
went out of control in the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and
Highland Avenue.
The incident occurred around
8:45pm when two vehicles were
traveling northbound on Highland
Avenue, approaching Hollywood
Boulevard. Investigators believe
the driver of a 2006 Honda Accord,
who was traveling in the center
lane, attempted to make a right turn
on to Hollywood Boulevard, but
struck a 2010 Lexus sedan that was
heading north in the curbside lane.
The collision caused the Lexus to
veer out of control, drive up on the
sidewalk and strike the victim, who
was standing near the northeast
corner of the intersection. The
Lexus pinned her against a wall,
according to Det. Alasea Jackson,
“That is an area
that we
definitely want
people to slow
down and be
extra cautious.”
Lt. Bob Binder,
LAPDʼs Hollywood Division
with the Los Angeles Police
Department’s
West
Traffic
Division.
“It was a very tragic accident.
LADOT Hosts Local Meeting on
DASH Route Cancellations
T
he City of Los Angeles
Department of Transportation
(LADOT) is seeking input on the
reduction in DASH lines, including
the Fairfax Avenue line, and will hold
six public hearings beginning in
February to allow riders and the public to provide comment on the proposed changes.
The changes are being recommended as the result of a “Line by
Line Analysis” that was conducted to
address a budget shortfall of $350
million projected over the next
decade for the city’s transit programs.
The analysis focused on Commuter
Express and DASH routes with low
ridership, and bus lines that may be
duplications of other services provided by Metro and other carriers. The
analysis also reviewed the operations
of the Cityride and the Charter Bus
Programs operated by the city, as
well as the amount the city is paying
for each transit program.
“LADOT encourages everyone
to contribute their inputs by participating in this process. Please visit us
on the web, call or attend one of the
public hearings” LADOT general
manager Rita L. Robinson said.
The meeting for the Westside
areas will be held on Tuesday,
February 16 from 5:00 to 7:00pm in
the Henry Medina West L.A.
Parking Enforcement Facility,
11214 W. Exposition Blvd.
Additional meetings will be held in
other parts of the city between
February 17 and March 3. In the
meantime, residents and bus riders
are encouraged to submit comments
and suggestions through March 3
by calling (213)455-0880; emailing
to [email protected]; or writing to Philip Aker,
Hearing Officer, LADOT, 201
North Los Angeles St., #18B, Los
Angeles, CA 90012; or visit
[email protected].
Letters to the Editor
Council Should Look at
Partnerships to Balance
the Cityʼs Budget
R
egarding the article titled
“Council Looks for Ways to
Bridge Budget Gap” in the
February
4
issue,
City
Councilman Bernard Parks, who
chairs the council’s Budget &
Finance Committee, is categorically wrong when he states that
layoffs are “the only solution,”
and that “it’s the only option” to
solve the budget crisis. I don’t
disagree that layoffs may be necessary, but reducing waste and
duplications are always more
desirable. Cutting services is only OK as
a last measure. It suggests negligence on the part of our city leaders. It was three years ago when I
spoke before Parks’ committee
and suggested the city find other
sources for revenue besides taxes
and fees. Based on my personal
experience, when my engineering society was headed for bankruptcy, we solved the problem by
finding new sources of revenue
so we could continue to serve our
members without raising dues. I
suggested that every city agency
or department identify new services or products that the city
could offer to individuals, as well
as small and large businesses, that
would benefit them and the city at
the same time. There was no
action by the city council!
Certainly there would have to
be guidelines on new services and
products, so they do not compete
with private industry, and it’s very
likely the city charter might have
to be amended. But it can be done
if we remove the blinders and
become determined to move
ahead in a different, more effective mode. It is time for a paradigm shift, and it’s long overdue.
George Epstein
Detroit Street
Have an Opinion?
Sound Off!
The Park Labrea News and
Beverly Press encourages our
readers to submit Letters to
the Editor. Letters must be
signed by the author, and a
contact phone number must
be included.
Please e-mail us at :
[email protected].
Her leg was severed,” Jackson said.
“She was transported to CedarsSinai Medical Center and is expected to survive.”
Four foot beat officers from the
LAPD’s Hollywood Division were
nearby when the crash occurred,
and quickly responded to help the
victim. Lt Bob Binder, of the
Hollywood Division, said one officer in particular, Mario Tovar, was
instrumental in saving her life.
Tovar, who has been with the
LAPD for three years, is an Iraq
War veteran and former Navy
corpsman who served as a combat
medic. Tovar worked to lessen the
victim’s bleeding until paramedics
arrived, according to Binder.
“A lot of our newer hires are veterans of Iraq War or Afghanistan,
and they bring a lot of real world
experience and capabilities to the
streets,” Binder said. “Both the
paramedics and E.R. doctors said
that his quick actions probably
saved this lady’s life.”
Jackson said both drivers
remained at the scene, and neither
are suspected of driving under the
See Collision page 22
The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, where
the collision occurred, is often congested with pedestrians and vehicles.
4 February 11, 2010
Mayor Urges Students FDA Makes Proposals on CT Scan Machines
n Lawsuit Stemming
to End Teen Violence From Raditaion
Overdoses
Moves Forward
BY EDWIN FOLVEN
F
photo by Ian Lovett
L
os Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and an array of other
public figures joined Break the Cycle for a special assembly at
Fairfax High School to address violence in teen relationships.
“When I was a boy, my dad used to beat my mother,” Villaraigosa
said. “The images of seeing your mom beaten, the screaming, it’s a
very painful experience to go through as a young person and you
never forget it. What happens oftentimes in those homes is the boys
repeat the offense that they saw. What we have to make sure people
understand is that that kind of violence is not acceptable. If somebody loves you, if somebody cares about you, they won’t hurt you.”
West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsay Horvath also
spoke at the event about violence in teen LGBT relationships.
“When young adults are in new lesbian and gay relationships,
sometimes there is a potential for someone to leverage outing someone against their partner,” Horvath said. “Coming out is something
people have to do on their own terms, at their own speed, so we’re
glad that Break the Cycle is using resources to focus specifically on
this community. Dating violence can happen in any relationship in
any number of ways, not just men physically abusing women.”
WeHo Host Intergenerational
Forum on LGBT Issues
T
he City of West Hollywood’s
Lesbian and Gay Advisory
Board is holding an intergenerational meeting and panel discussion
titled
“Where
Generations
Meet: Collision or Coalition?” on
Saturday, February 13 from 1:00 to
4:00pm at West Hollywood Park
Auditorium, 647 N. San Vicente
Blvd.
The discussion will explore several issues facing the LGBT community, and panelists will include
moderator Dan Berkowitz and Ivy
Bottini, co-chairs of the Lesbian
and Gay Advisory Board; author
Malcolm Boyd; historian Jeanne
Cordova; Tom De Simone, of the
ONE Archives; and Madison Di
Napoli, of California State
University of Northridge’s Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Association. The meeting will also
be televised on CityChannel 10 and
streamed live at www.weho.org/tv.
For information, call Jeff Book at
(323)
848-6471,
or
visit
www.weho.org.
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ollowing the radiation overdoses that 260 patients received at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center last
October, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) released a
series of proposals designed to
address problems with CT scan
machines.
The proposals stem from an FDA
investigation into the CT scan
machines used at Cedars-Sinai and
other hospitals throughout the
United States, and seek to clarify
the procedures used for administering radiation during different types
of CT scans. The patients at
Cedars-Sinai received eight times
the regular dosage of radiation during a procedure known as a brain
perfusion scan. The overdoses
occurred between February 2008
and last August, when a patient
complained about patchy hair loss
and redness of the skin that is not
usually associated with CT scans.
The FDA is considering requiring manufacturers of CT scan
machines to feature a display that
would record and report radiation
dosage settings, and alert technicians when a dosage exceeds the
accepted dosage level for most
patients. The FDA also recommended more training for technicians, and that the machines electronically submit radiation dosage
levels to each individual’s medical
record to keep track of the dosages.
In addition, the FDA is recommending that Medicare and
Medicade adopt new requirements
for hospital accreditation that
would mandate that hospitals participate in regular surveys of their
dosage protocols.
“The goal of the FDA’s initiative
is to support the benefits associated
with medical imaging while minimizing the risks,” said Dr. Jeffrey
Shuren, director of the FDA’s
Center for Devices and Radiologic
Health. “Working together, the
FDA and other organizations hope
to help patients get the right imaging exam, at the right time, with the
More than 260 patients who received CT scans at Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center received an overdose of radiation. Several have now joined a
class action lawsuit against the hospital and General Electric, which
manufactured the CT scan machines.
right radiation dosage.”
Simi Singer, a spokesperson for
Cedars-Sinai, said the hospital is
not releasing any new statements
based on the FDA proposals, and
referred to previous statements
made by hospital administrators
that outlined changes to the procedures for administering CT scans.
According to a statement by
Thomas M. Priselac, president and
CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center, the hospital instituted
changes in four areas regarding CT
scans.
“Protocol changes can only be
initiated by Department of Imaging
Section chiefs, and must be clearly
documented. All changes will be
reviewed by the radiation physicist
to confirm they will not result in
higher than appropriate doses. After
review and approval by the radiation physicist, authority to change
standard protocol settings can only
See FDA page 22
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5 February 11, 2010
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6 February 11, 2010
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Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!
Mardi Gras Party Starts Friday
T
he Original Farmers Market
will host its annual Mardi
Gras celebration from Friday,
February 12 through 14, and on
Fat Tuesday, February 16. The
celebration will include Cajun
music and food, the “Mutti
Gras Pet Parade”, activities for
children, bead tossing and
more. DJ Todd B will kick off the
party on February 12 at 6:00pm
with New Orleans music played
on the West Patio. Cajun and
New Orleans-influenced bands
will be performing over the 4
day event, including “Shake
Down Mambo”, “T-Lou & His
Super Hot Zydeco Band”,
“Floyd & The Fly Boys”, “The
Gator Gumbo Band”, “Lisa
Haley & The Zydekats” and “
Eddie Baytos & The Nervis
Bros.”.
A “Mutti Gras Pet Parade”
will feature costumed dogs, and
pet adoptions from the Bark
Avenue Foundation.
Children can enjoy face
painting, a shaker making
workshop, a jester hat-making workshop, and they can
join impromptu parades
through the Market led by
“2nd Line Saviour’s Parade
Band” and “The Lula Afro
Brazil Batucada Parade
Band”.
EB’s Beer & Wine will
also feature Dixie Beer,
and the Gumbo Pot
will offer po’boys,
gumbo and yummy
heart-shaped beignets
for Valentine’s Day.
The Market’s staff will
also toss free beads
from the Farmers
Market Office balcony
above the East Patio.
6333 W. 3rd St. Call
(323)933-9211, or visit
www.farmersmarketla.com.
We’re a one-of-a-kind shop selling thousands of
stickers for crafters, parents, teachers and kids.
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10% Off All Sticker Valentine Cards
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with any purchase!
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Visit us at
Farmers Market
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323 939-6933
www.stickerplanetLA.com
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8 February 11, 2010
ʻPreciousʼ Proves its Place with Oscar
O
scar season is here and there’s
plenty to see before the party
throws down in March. On the top
of your to-see list should be
“Precious: Based on the Novel
Push by Sapphire”, and now’s the
time because more theatres are running it in preparation for awards
season. This searing film focuses
on an overweight black teenager
searching for her place in the
world, a journey that alternates
between disturbing and uplifting.
It’s 1987 in this adaptation of the
1997 novel by poet/author
Sapphire,
and
16-year-old
Claireece
Precious
Jones
(Gabourey Sidibe) is slogging her
way through adolescence, pregnant
for the second time by her drugaddicted father. Pop is out of the
picture now, but mom, Mary
Johnston (Mo’Nique), piles daily
abuse upon Precious, blaming her
daughter for the family’s disintegration. A held-back, junior high
student, Precious is transferred to
an alternative education program
when her principal learns of the
second pregnancy. At the new
school, Precious meets Ms. Blu
Rain (Paula Patton) and soon finds
photo courtesy of Lionsgate
MoʼNique stars as ʻMaryʼ in “Precious”.
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hands-down
best female
performance
of the year.
herself at a turning point. As new
people enter her life, from Ms. Rain
and classmates to nurse John
(Lenny Kravitz) and social worker
Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey), the
imperiled teen begins to find her
voice and come to terms with her
surroundings through the power of
writing.
While it received a modest
release, this year’s indie gem has
garnered six Oscar nominations:
best picture, director, editing,
adapted screenplay and leading and
supporting actress. The competition may outshine “Precious” in
technical and writing categories,
but this film leads with stellar acting. Newcomer Sidibe gives the
photo courtesy of Lionsgate
Gabourey Sidibe stars as ʻClaireece “Precious” Jonesʼ in “Precious”.
hands-down best female performance of the year. Mo’Nique earns
her nomination with her most
engaging performance to date, tearing up the screen as a negligent
mother who can’t understand why
she hates her daughter and spends
her days on welfare trying to cheat
the system. At times, the role seems
overdone, but a richly-layered
character is revealed as the story
unfolds. Along for the ride are several well-done supporting performances by Patton and two popular
singers hitting the big screen.
Kravitz impresses with some acting
chops, but it’s Carey who shows up
with the true acting surprises. Her
most memorable acting role before
this was a turn in the atrocious
“Glitter”, but she loses the sparkles
here as a social worker overwhelmed by the case of the badly
bruised Precious.
Lee Daniels, known for producing such successful films as
“Monster’s Ball” and “The
Woodsman”, creates a socially driven film with the artistic flair of the
arthouse world, and first-time
writer Geoffrey Fletcher has crafted a screenplay that requires you to
think. When Precious finds the real
world to be too much, she copes by
going into her head, imagining a
world where she’s a celebrity—and
in one disturbing scene, she looks
into a mirror to see a thin white
woman looking back.
“Precious” raises vital questions
about the nature of socially driven
films. Should they be all-inclusive,
providing every possible angle on a
specific issue? Will they be viewed
as the sole point of view on its subject matter? Perhaps the concept of
marginalized voices can allow us to
better approach such a film, knowing this is not the only way to
understand those in low-income
areas with similar stories to that of
Claireece. “Precious” runs the risk
of becoming a scapegoat that
allows people to believe that this is
what “always” happens in “these”
situations, but it doesn’t ultimately
do that. Though the demonization
of black men is reinforced in many
films, and all those on welfare are
simply viewed as taking the easy
way out, here, the story is so personal and poignant that stereotypes
go out the window. In short, the
film requires a certain level of
responsibility on the part of the
audience, an understanding that the
story is personal not collective.
This isn’t an easy film to watch
and it’s even harder to unpack, but
“Precious” demands attention—not
escapism but real engagement. And
for those who would avoid this one
because of its content, don’t. Watch
it and bask in the internal dilemma
it creates through a complicated
web of hope and despair that for
some just might ring too real.
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9 February 11, 2010
LACMA Exhibits Late Works by French Master
n Museum Showcases
Collection of Paintings
by Renoir
BY AMY LYONS
O
il paintings depicting curvaceous nude women and daintily dressed young girls reading,
playing piano and carrying baskets
of fish dot the walls of the second
floor galleries of the Broad
Contemporary Art
Museum
(BCAM) building at Los Angeles
County Museum of Art (LACMA).
It’s 20th Century modern art from
an artist known mainly as a 19th
Century impressionist: PierreAuguste Renoir.
“Renoir in the 20th Century”
focuses on the last three decades of
the artist’s career, up until his death
in 1919. Approximately 80 paintings, sculptures, and drawings by
Renoir are interspersed throughout
the exhibit with select works by
Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse,
Aristide Maillol, and Pierre
Bonnard, to illustrate Renoir’s
influence on the younger artists.
Curated by LACMA curator
See LACMA page 21
photo by Amy Lyons
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck offered a preview of the meal that will
be served at the Governorʼs Ball.
Table is Set for Oscar Night
Feast From the 1930s
BY AMY LYONS
T
he grand ballroom at
Hollywood and Highland
shimmered with Oscar gold on
February 9, when doors opened
for a preview of the Governor’s
Ball, the biggest Oscar after-party
in town. Following the 82nd
Academy Awards on Sunday,
March 7 at the Kodak Theatre, an
estimated 1,500 award winners,
Mayor Appoints
Three New
Commissioners
G
ail Kennard has been appointed
to the Cultural Heritage
Commission by Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa. Kennard is a Los
Angeles native who currently serves
as president of Kennard Design
Group (KDG), which is based on
Wilshire Boulevard. Prior to joining
KDG, Kennard worked as a journalist for Time Magazine and United
Press International.
Annie Chu was appointed to the
Cultural Affairs Commission. Chu
currently owns her own architecture
firm, Chu and Gooding Architects,
and has more than 20 years of experience in building and design. She
has received more than 20 honors
and awards, including the AIA
National Honors Award and Time
Magazine’s “10 Best of The Year”
in 1989.
Villaraigosa appointed Wayne
Moore to the Board of Fire and
Police Pension Commissioners.
Moore serves as chief financial officer for the Southern California
Association of Governments
(SCAG), where he oversees
accounting, treasury and budgeting.
Moore was previouslty assistant
general manager of the LADOT.
nominees and guests will take a
short walk to the Grand
Ballroom to be whisked away to
the late 1930s.
The theme of this year’s gala is
Streamline Moderne, a late incarnation of Art Deco design that
favors curves and long lines. It’s
a simpler take on Art Deco, a
pared down version that uses
earth tones and clean lines. The
See Oscars page 22
photo by Amy Lyons
Renoirʼs “The Clown” is one of the paintings displayed in the exhibit.
Resource Centers Open in Wilshire, Hollywood
T
he City of Los Angeles opened
its 21 FamilySource Centers on
Monday as part of the revamped
program addressing poverty in Los
Angeles connecting people in need
with existing anti-poverty, government-sponsored programs. Local
area centers are the Youth Policy
Institute in Hollywood at 815 N. El
Centro Ave.; and the Oakwood
Family Resource Center of the
Children’s Bureau, 3910 Oakwood
Ave., in the Wilshire area.
The two main goals of the program are increasing family income
and increasing academic success.
In addition, the program seeks to
identify young people ages 16-24
who are out-of-school and out-ofwork, and re-connect them with
high school, community college or
job training programs.
At the core of the FamilySource
Center’s strategy is the One-e-App
system, which allows families to
fill out one application to apply for
multiple anti-poverty programs
provided by federal, state, county
and city governments. By using the
One-e-App system, individuals can
learn if they qualify for programs
such as Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF); the Kaiser
Permanente Child Health Plan; the
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC);
Supplemental
Nutrition
for
Women, Infants and Children
(WIC); the Medicare Cost Sharing
Program;
CaliforniaKids
(CalKids); the Low Cost Auto
Insurance Program; and California
Alternate Rates for Energy
(CARE).
“We are going to better connect
services to the people who need it
the most with our 21 Family Source
Centers located in our hardest-hit
neighborhoods,” Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa said. “At these centers,
people will be able to seek assistance for themselves and their families and benefit from programs at
every level of government, and all
on a single form.”
For information, call the Youth
Policy Institute in Hollywood at
(213)688-2802; or the Oakwood
Family Resource Center of the
Children’s Bureau at (323) 9537356.
10 February 11, 2010
Antaeus Company Spins
Skillful Yarn in ʻCousin Betteʼ
P
Mad About Theater
laywright Jeffrey Hatcher has
a close relationship with ‘the
historical big picture’, as evidenced by his early successful
works for the theatre, which
include “Compleat Female Stage
Beauty”,
a
riotous
faux
Shakespearian cavalcade that was
adapted for the screen as “Stage
Beauty”. Henry James’ “The Turn
of the Screw”; Wilkie Collins’
“Armadale”; and Nikolai Gogol’s
“The Government Inspector”. The
big picture is also always on the
mind of The Antaeus Company, a
hugely talented company of terrific players who produce some of
L.A.’s most important classical
theatre offerings, always done to a
fine turn. They certainly do a fine
job with the current production of
“Cousin Bette”.
by Madeleine Shaner
In “Cousin Bette”, Honore de
Balzac’s 19th Century novel, the
author took the accepted, bigliving style of the French nobility to task for its preoccupation
with wealth and corruption. The
provincial family in “Cousin
Bette” is modeled on the highflying Parisiennes who led the
tastes and tempers of a worldly
society straight to ruin.
Jeanie Hackett, Antaeus Artistic
Director & Director of Antaeus
Academy
Actor
Training
Program, directs this flying
farce/comedy with flair and sure
comprehension.
The title role is masterfully (or
should one say ‘mistressfully’)
played by a superb Nike Doukas
(Alicia Wollerton plays Bette in
alternate performances). Bette,
who is also the narrator, introduces herself as the ‘poor relation’
in this overwhelmingly large and
boisterous family. As servant, fallgirl and general bottle washer,
who gets nothing that resembles
respect in the pretentious nouveau-riche household, her place is
in a garret under the eaves. But
she’s crafty, smart, and eternally
The title role is
masterfully
played by a
superb
Nike Doukas.
Michele K. Short
Nike Doukas gives a powerful performance in “Cousin Bette”.
Michele K. Short
Rebecca Mozo and Nike Doukas star in "Cousin Bette" in the world premiere adaptation of that novel by Jeffrey Hatcher
resourceful, with a lot more power
than she’s given credit for. And
since she is beneath the faux radar
in this household, she has climbed
her way to manipulating it to her
own advantage, holding the reins
and driving its members to their
own destruction, or maybe to her
own.
The ‘carrying on’ between the
Hulots – père et fils (John
Prosky/Barry Creyton, (Robert
Pine/Joseph
Ruskin,
Bill
Brochtrup/Jeremy
Shouldis),
mère et filles (Emily Chase/Laura
Wernette,
Kelly
Matteson/Rebecca
Mozo,
Alexandra Goodman/Katherine
Leigh) – is quintessentially
French, as we know them from
French light comedy and farce.
The players are all outstanding –
not to forget the very fine
‘straight’ man, starving artist
Count
Steinbock
(Daniel
Bess/Henry Lubatti), who’s let
loose in a society that’s aching for
culture, and willing to pay for it.
That includes poor Bette, who
saves Steinbock’s life in the belief
that she may buy him for her own.
It’s all very complicated, and with
so many characters and so much
overt and secret interplay between
them, not easy to sort out, which
is possibly why the playwright
chose to interpret it all for us via
Bette’s narration. This latter, however superbly it’s played, as we
see Bette’s naiveté turn to raw
evil, becomes a bit tedious as the
play drifts into the third hour
(with two intermissions), and
we’re (too knowingly) kept
informed of what’s going on,
what’s already gone on, and what
we can expect before the final curtain. The play’s title explains it all,
of course, but it really does
amount to a long sit before everyone gets their come-uppance.
A. Jeffrey Schoenberg’s marvelous costumes, Leigh Allen’s
lighting, Cricket S. Myers’ sound
design, all backed by the superb
enlistment of M.Chopin’s perfectly matched music as background,
make for memorable entertainment, albeit a tad lengthy.
The Antaeus Company, Deaf
West Theatre, 5112 Lankershim
Blvd., North Hollywood. Through
March 21, Thursday-Saturday
7:30pm, Sunday 4:00pm. Call
(818)506-1983
or
visit
www.antaeus.org.
Painting The Pantages Purple
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a community of hospitality offering a continuum of care
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Oprah Winfrey presents “The Color Purple” running through
February 28 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The classic
musical is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice
Walker, and the film by Steven Spielberg. It includes the inspiring
story of a woman named Celie, played by American Idol winner
Fantasia, who struggles to find her unique voice. Nominated for
eleven Tony Awards, “The Color Purple” also features a Grammynominated score. Tickets are $25-$85, and are available at the
Pantages Theatre box office, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., or
www.broadwayla.org.
Please contact us at 323.731.0641
2468 S. St. Andrews Place,
Los Angeles, CA 90018 (near USC)
RCFE Lic #191800633, #197603725
Skilled nursing Lic#970008022
Valentineʼs Day,
Ritz-Carlton Style
Local Resident Tackles Big
Challenge in The Big Apple
T
Sensual Sipping at
Sweet Love
Hangover
S
weet Love Hangover, the latenight, Hollywood diner specializing in cocktails and comfort food,
will celebrate Valentine’s Day with
drink specials and a special threecourse menu. The prix fixe menu
will be available for lunch,
11:00am - 2:00 pm ($16) and dinner, 5:00pm – 8:00pm ($26) on
Sunday, February 14. Sweet Love
Hangover, 6506 Hollywood Blvd.
Call (323)465-2200.
Fall in Love at
Embassy Suites
F
photo courtesy of Paul Bubrick
Paul Bubrick climbed 55 floors at the Empire State Building as a fitness challenge.
L
ocal resident Paul Bubrick,
of Mansfield Avenue, participated in the annual “Empire
State Building Run Up” on
February 2 in New York City.
The event involves running up
all 86-levels of the Empire State
Building, one of the tallest
buildings in the world. Bubrick,
58, said he had lost 68 pounds
through diet and a vigorous
walking program, and decided
to participate in the event for
personal satisfaction and in tribute to his wife’s late uncle, Alan
Brodsky, who encouraged him
to compete.
“Most of my family and
friends thought I was completely off my rocker, but I was
determined to do it if given the
opportunity,” Bubrick added.
The entire climb consists of
1,576 steps, and even with his
prior preparation, Bubrick was
unable to reach the top.
“I reached the seventeenth
floor, and my quads were literally on fire, but I made it to the
twenty-first floor for the first
water stop,” Bubrick added.
“After resting for a minute or
two, I pushed on. At the thirtysixth floor, I rested again for
another minute or two and finally stopped at the fifty-fifth floor.
I wanted to go further, but I felt
there was no need to possibly
injure
myself.”
Bubrick said he was encouraged
by reaching the 55th floor, and
plans to continue training with
the goal of reaching the top of
the Empire State Building at the
event next year. He also plans to
compete in a similar stair climb
on April 24 at the AON building
in downtown Los Angeles,
which has 63 levels.
or a romantic getaway that
includes top-notch fine dining,
visit The Embassy Suites
Mandalay Beach Hotel & Resort in
Oxnard. The resort invites guests to
enjoy the romantic holiday with a
Valentine’s package that includes
accommodations in a deluxe suite;
a chilled bottle of champagne or
wine with signature glasses and
chocolates; dinner for two at
Capistrano’s Restaurant; turndown
service topped with a fresh rose
and scattered rose petals; choice of
beverages at an evening reception;
and cooked-to-order breakfast each
morning. One-night accommodations are from $349 per night and
two-night accommodations are
from $538. For more information,
call Embassy Suites Mandalay
Beach Hotel & Resort at (805)9842500. Located at 2101 Mandalay
Beach Rd., Oxnard.
Wine for Your
Valentine
F
ebruary is the month of love, so
why not head to Monsieur
Marcel’s on a Tuesday night for
wine tasting? Happening every
Tuesday night, the classes cost $20
and
feature
a
different
country/region every time. On
February 16, try wines from
California, and on February 23, get
whisked away to Italy. Guest
TÇwÜxã YÜ|xwÅtÇ
Attorney at Law
Pizza
Restaurant
EAT HERE OR TO GO
Dinners • Sandwiches
Salads • Beer • Wine
$ 00
2 Off
any large pizza
with this coupon
1 Off
$ 00
any medium pizza
with this coupon
716 N. Highland Ave.
WE DELIVER!
323-462-1344
Business Law • Personal Injury
Wills • Probate
124 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 931-2476
(323) 656-5847
(Fax (323) 931-7514
speakers help you understand what
you’re sipping, and you’ll get a $15
coupon to the gourmet market.
Monsieur Marcel, The Original
Farmers Market, corner of Third
and Fairfax. Call (323)939-7792.
A Four Seasons
Valentine
E
scape to the Four Seasons in
Los Angeles to fall in love with
exquisite spa treatments and relaxing pampering. A special lovers’
duet couples’ massage will help
you make the most of Valentine’s
Day. Book either a 60- or 90minute aromatherapy massage for
two in a private suite, complete
with romantic music and rose
petals. Couples will be given champagne elixirs, dark chocolates
infused with passion fruit and special keepsakes of custom-blended
massage oil and bath salts. The cost
is $380 - $490 per couple. To learn
how to give a great massage, book
a 30-minute private instructional
massage session for you and your
significant other with one of the
spa’s leading massage therapists at
a cost of $105. 300 S. Doheny Dr.
Call (310)273-2222.
Sweet Treats
at Panera
W
ant to tell a certain someone
that you find them especially
sweet this Valentine’s Day? Say it
with shortbread and pink icing.
Panera is offering heart-shaped
shortbread cookies, complete with
icing and a sprinkling of sugar, in
honor of Valentine’s Day. Buy
them individually or in packages of
six to share. Cookies are packaged
with red-hot heart candies and tied
with a bright red bow. Cookies are
$1.99 and petite fours are $4.99. To
find a Panera near you, visit
www.panera.com.
he Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon
Bay will offer a sweet array of
Valentine’s dining activities to take
place throughout Valentine’s Day
weekend. On Saturday, February
13, an evening “Romance Dinner”
will turn the on-site restaurant,
Navio, into a romantic haven for
lovers. Beginning at 6:00pm, the
price of this four-course dinner is
$85 per person. If you simply want
to satisfy a sweet tooth, head to the
Conservatory Lounge, where
Valentine’s dessert will be offered
from 11:00am – 11:00pm at a price
of $24 per couple. Long-stemmed
strawberries with Valhrona chocolate fondue will be presented, along
with libations, including a special
“Valentini” Cocktail. Live jazz performers will entertain from 7:00pm
– 11:00pm. For an even simpler
choice, visit the hot chocolate bar at
the gazebo on Saturday, February
13 from 5:00pm – 8:00pm. On
Sunday, Navio will serve a sweetsee page 12
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heart brunch with 11:00am and
1:30pm seatings, at a cost of $110
per person, and a five-course dinner at $115 per person. For reservations, which are required, call
(650)712-7040.
Valentine’s Day Dining
Parents Get
Romantic
from page 11
T
ing a special package for mom and
dad, which includes professional
babysitting for four hours for two
children, breakfast in bed, one
his Valentine’s Day, take a
break from the children at the
Sunset Marquis. The hotel is offer-
I knew it was love when
I wiped the mustard off
your mouth that night we met.
Let’s go back on Valentine’s Day.
Velvet Kisses at Montage
night in a deluxe one bedroom
villa, a dozen roses, two welcome
drinks, and VIP access to Bar
1200. This offer is available
Valentine’s Day weekend, Feb. 1214 nights starting at $585. Add a
couple’s massage at SPA for an
additional $200. For more information, visit www.sunsetmarquishotel.com. 1200 Alta Loma
Rd., West Hollywood. Call
(310)657-1333.
Lingering Love at
Le Parc Suites
R
ekindle your romance with an
uninterrupted night of privacy,
luxury, and gourmet delights at Le
Parc Suite Hotel. Retreat to this
quiet West Hollywood hideaway
for the new “Romance Package”
and fall head over heels in love
with the studio king suite. The
package comes with decadent
chocolate strawberries, a sweet and
crisp bottle of champagne, two
plush bathrobes to keep and breakfast in bed. From $299 per night.
www.leparcsuites.com.
Since 1931
Open
24 Hours
World Famous, Award Winning Restaurant • Deli • Bakery • Bar
Entertainment Nightly in the Kibitz Room
Hearts Aflutter at
BLT Steak
B
LT Steak will feature a special
multi-course menu Valentine’s
Day weekend, from Friday,
February 12 to Sunday, February
14, for $70 per person. The special
see page 13
photo courtesy of Montage Beverly Hills
M
ontage Beverly Hills will knock your socks off on Valentine’s
Day. John Cuevas, Executive Chef at the hotel’s restaurants,
is pulling out all the stops to create romantic dining options for the
special day. At the elegant Parq restaurant, Cuevas will offer a special tasting menu that showcases his signature flair. The six-course
menu will include a Carlsbad oyster shooter enhanced with heirloom tomatoes and horseradish-cured lemon, and a pan-seared day
boat scallop flavored with sweet carrots, coriander and black truffle. Main dishes include roasted local halibut, braised fennel and
lobster; and blackened short ribs. Of course, you must wash it all
down with a “Velvet Kiss”, a champagne cocktail made for lovers.
Dinner available Friday, February 12, Saturday, February 13, and
Sunday, February 14. Cost is $110 per person. “Velvet Kiss” sold
separately. For reservations, call Montage Beverly Hills at
(310)860-7800. 225 North Canon Dr., Beverly Hills.
419 N. Fairfax Ave. (323) 651-2030
Monday-Saturday 3pm-7pm & 9pm-Close
Featuring
• Live Piano &
Vocals
Wed-Sun
6:30-9:30pm
• Live Jazz Band
Fri. Nights
$2 Off
Wines by the Glass
Draft Beers
Specialty Cocktails
• Mojitos
• Hand-Shaken Margaritas
• Sunday Brunch
• Martinis
$5 Pizzas & Appetizers • $6 Sliders
in the Museum Square • www.mariecallenders.com
menu includes complimentary
sparkling wine and a special petit
four. Call (310)360-1950 or visit
www.bltsteak.com. Located at
8720 Sunset Blvd.
Red Rock Romance
Share The Love in
Solvang
T
Denmark.” For more information
and a full list of participating
hotels, visit the web site at
www.SolvangUSA.com.
S
he quaint Danish village of
Solvang is bustling with
romance throughout February.
Solvang Conference & Visitors
Bureau executive director, Tracy
Farhad, has announced the firstever “More 2 Love in Solvang”
hotel offer to make the season even
more loveable. Reserve one hotel
room and get the second one free
throughout the month at participating hotels, including Hadsten
House Inn & Spa, Hotel Corque,
Petersen Village, Solvang Inn &
Cottages Inn and many more.
Upon check-in with the “More 2
Love in Solvang” offer, guests will
receive a “Solvang Sweet Treats
Trail Map” to discover locations
for homemade chocolates, ice
cream, candies and famous Danish
pastries in California’s “Little
urround yourself with the color
red on Valentine’s Day.
Enchantment Resort in Sedona is
offering a Valentine’s Weekend
package amidst the red rocks that
includes a chocolate cooking
demonstration, an aura soma color
reading, sweetheart yoga and a sensual dinner at the award-winning
Yavapai Restaurant. Get two or
three nights in a suite, romance
gifts and couples treatments at Mii
amo. For reservations and pricing,
call (800)826-4180. 525 Boynton
Canyon Rd., Sedona, Arizona.
Celebrate
Valentineʼs Day on
Third Street
V
alentine’s Day shopping deals
will be in full swing on West
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999'%;)11)'%*)1)6
Sol de Espana Flamenco Shows @ 7 & 9 pm
• Chicken Tamales, Spare Ribs in Green Sauce,
Chicken Chipotle & our Regular Menu
• Cards, Candies and Valentine Goodies!
• $10 Cover Charge for the Show make your reservations early!
Toast to Romance with a Special Tequila! “Y Que Vive el Amor!”
7470 Melrose Ave. • Los Angeles
323-658-9060
3rd Street on Saturday, February
13, from noon – 6:00pm. The West
Third Street Business Association
is partnering with Citysearch to feature special Valentine’s treats, sales
and discounts, in-store events and
raffles and refreshments at select
establishments.
Those who want to heat up the
oven on Valentine’s Day should
stop by Kiss My Bundt, where
aphrodisiac baking and chocolate
classes for couples will be offered.
If you’re in need of some good
energy, head over to Healing Hands
and get a great two-for-one massage deal, at just $99 for 60 minutes
or $145 for 90 minutes. Not sure
what to get that special lady on the
big day? How about a bottle of
hand-made perfume at Le Labo,
including a personalized label?
Foodies can enter a raffle at Trina
Turk for a chance to win a $150 gift
certificate to A.O.C. If you want to
look your beautiful best on
Valentine’s Day, take advantage of
the joint package at EM & Co and
the Paint Shop, including nails and
hair. If the love of your life happens
to be a puppy, hop on over to
Chateau Marmutt for free doggie
treats. Karma Rescue will be at
Chateau Marmutt with dogs up for
adoption. Complimentary valet service is available from 10:00am –
6:00pm.
For more information, visit
www.WestThirdStreet.com. Share
the love on West 3rd Street this
Valentine’s Day Dining
Wow Her at Checkers Downtown
photo courtesy of Checkers Downtown
C
heckers Downtown at the Hilton is offering a decadent four
course menu in the fine dining restaurant on February 14. The
meal comes with the option to take a pre- or post-dinner cocktail to
the rooftop pool area where the city views are stunning. Executive
Chef Todd Allison’s Valentine’s Day menu includes grilled Alaskan
salmon or Myers Ranch beef tenderloin as the main dishes. It’s
$75 per person, including a specialty cocktail of your choice. For
reservations, call (213)624-0000. Checkers Downtown is located at
535 South Grand Ave. Guests may also opt for the “Don't Go
Home Package”, which includes an overnight stay, breakfast in bed,
and champagne in room.
POLICE BLOTTER
The following information was reported to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s
Station between January 28 and February 2, 2010. If you are a victim of a
crime, here are the telephone numbers of local law enforcement agencies;
Los Angeles Police Department, Wilshire Division (323)485-4022 and West
Hollywood Sheriff’s Station (310)855-8850.
WEST HOLLYWOOD
PROPERTY CRIMES
January 28
At 9:00am, a victim reported that
an unknown burglar entered a residence in the 400 block of
Westmount and stole about $1,000
from a desk drawer and also stole
documents.
A guest at a hotel in the 8500 block
of Santa Monica reported at
11:30pm that an unknown burglar
entered his room during the day
and stole a suitcase and leather
jacket. The loss was estimated at
about $1,900.
January 29
During the night, an unknown burglar entered a business office in
the 1200 block of Laurel and stole
a desktop computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse and cables, all valued at about $2,000.
At 6:00pm, an unknown thief stole
a wallet from a purse in a business
conference room in the 500 block
of Norwich. The wallet, valued at
$300, contained about $50 cash,
identification and credit cards.
January 30
During the night, an unknown thief
stole a tire and rim from a vehicle
parked on the street in the 9000
block of Dorrington. The loss was
estimated at $1,200.
January 31
At 3:30am, an unknown thief stole
a laptop computer, valued at
$1,500, and a long leather jacket,
valued at $3,100, from a waiting
room of a nightclub in the 9000
block of Sunset.
An unknown thief stole a backpack
containing clothing and equipment
from the front porch of a residence
in the 900 block of Stanley at
5:00am. The loss was estimated
at about $210 and damage to a
gate and door was estimated at
about $400.
February 1
At 2:00am, in the 8700 block of
Beverly. a victim reported that an
unknown thief had stolen about
$300 from a wallet, which had
been left in a valet parked vehicle
in a nightclub parking lot in the
8700 block of Beverly.
An unknown thief stole a delivered
package from the doorstep of a
residence in the 900 block of Palm
at 6:00pm. The stolen package
contained five cellular phones valued at about $2,395.
At 11:44pm, two unknown AfricanAmerican male suspects attempted
to rob a man walking home on the
sidewalk in the 900 block of Palm.
After the unsuccessful attempt, the
suspects fled in a vehicle driven by
a third unknown suspect.
February 2
An unknown burglar entered a
business office in the 600 block of
Robertson at 8:30pm and stole a
laptop computer, valued at $1,400,
from atop a desk.
At 11:15pm, at a club in the 600
block of Robertson, four Hispanic
suspects were arrested for
defrauding an innkeeper after leaving without paying their $390 food
and beverage bill.
During the week, six suspects were
arrested for theft or burglary after
being observed shoplifting at local
businesses and a market.
During the week, following two traffic collisions, two male Caucasian
drivers were arrested for driving
under the influence of alcohol.
Woman Fights off Abduction Attempt
T
he Los Angeles Police
Department released the composite sketch of a man suspected of
trying to abduct a young woman as
she walked to her car near a downtown Los Angeles nightclub.
“The woman had just left the
Vertigos nightclub,” said Lt. Paul
Vernon, who is the commanding
officer of the Central Detective
Division. “As she walked with her
girlfriend to their car, the man
jumped out of a parked car holding
a hammer in a threatening manner.”
The incident occurred on January
29, around 11:30pm near Temple
Street and Fremont Street. The two
women fought off the kidnapper, in
spite of the hammer, and he
returned to the parked car where
several other Hispanic men were
waiting. The men, including the
suspect, then drove away from the
nightclub parking lot.
The women described the car as
a 1985 to 1990s model, 4-door,
gray-primer Toyota with a partial
license plate that began with 2C...
The man appeared Hispanic, 35 to
40 years old, with medium height
and weight. He had a moustache
and wore a black, knit watch cap.
“These types of stranger abduc-
The suspect is wanted in connection with an attempted abduction.
tions are very rare,” Lt. Vernon
added. “But they are quite serious
and scary for the victim and the
public. What worked her for the
victim was she had a friend with
her, and they were both alert.”
Detectives do not believe the suspect followed the women from the
club.
Anyone who recognizes this man
is urged to Detective John
Arredondo, Central Robbery Unit,
at (213)972-1248. Serial Pedophile Locked Up
F
or almost two years the Los
Angeles Police Department
(LAPD) has been attempting to
capture a serial kidnap/sexual
assault suspect who was dubbed
the “Spikey Hair Suspect.” The
Special
Assault
Section,
Robbery-Homicide Division, has
been investigating four sexual
assaults involving a suspect who
preyed on young schoolgirls
walking alone to local elementary schools.
After reviewing countless
hours of surveillance videotapes,
detectives were able to glean
some insight into how the suspect was operating, as well as
getting a glimpse of the suspect.
Additionally, detectives sifted
through over 1,700 vehicle
license plates that matched the
suspect’s vehicle. Detectives got
a break when they made a hit on
a vehicle that possibly belonged
to the suspect, parked in the 600
block of North Kingsley Drive.
On January 29, at 7:45am,
detectives saw a Hispanic male
matching the suspect’s description get into a 1995 blue Mazda
Millenia and drive it into the subterranean parking structure of a
nearby apartment complex.
Undercover detectives from
Gang and Narcotic Division continued surveillance for almost
eight hours until the vehicle
drove from the location, being
driven by the same Hispanic
male.
Daniel Merino, a 41-year-old
resident of Hollywood, was subsequently detained and arrested
for kidnapping for sexual assault.
In addition to the suspect’s vehicle, detectives located other evidence that connected Merino to
the crimes. The Los Angeles
County District Attorney’s
Office filed multiple felony
charges against Merino, ranging
from kidnap to lewd acts on a
child.
Merino is being held at LAPD
Jail Division on $4 million dollars bail. If convicted he faces
25 years to life in prison.
Detectives believe that Merino
could be responsible for other
similar incidents that may have
not been reported, because sexual assault victims are often reluctant to come forward. Anyone
with information about the suspect, additional victims, or witnesses are asked to contact the
Robbery Homicide Division,
Special Assault Section at (213)
486-6910.
Auto Burglar Caught on Camera
T
Department released photographs of a man and a truck,
which detectives believe are connected to a downtown Los Angeles
car burglary on January 25.
“The man in the picture used a
woman’s credit card to fill up his
truck at this gas station, one hour
before the card’s owner reported
her purse taken,” said Lt. Paul
Vernon, who is the commanding
officer of the Central Detective
Division.
Detectives hope tipsters will call
police with the man’s name. The
truck is a distinctly raised, white,
early ‘90s model Suburban or
Yukon SUV. The driver used the
stolen credit card to purchase $70
in gasoline at a Shell gas station in
Highland Park. The card owner’s
bank alerted her to the purchase
after the purse was reported stolen.
The credit card’s owner parked
her car on the street in the 400
block of North Figueroa Street,
downtown, around 7:00am. She
discovered her window smashed
and the purse gone from the trunk
about five hours later. “This
woman put her purse in the trunk,
but more often drivers tend to leave
things exposed in the passenger
compartment,”
Lt.
Vernon
explained. “For crooks, that’s an
invitation to steal.”
The man appears to be Hispanic,
medium height and weight, and 18
to 25 years old. He wears his baseball cap reversed. He had another
Hispanic man as a passenger in the
SUV.
Anyone who recognizes this man
is urged to contact Detective Maria
Ceja at (213) 972-1240.
Police Arrest Minor
for Murder of Gang
Interventionist
T
Department Wilshire Divison
have arrested a suspect believed to
be responsible for the shooting
death of gang intervention worker
Ronald Lamonte Barron.
On Sunday, February 7, at around
9:00pm, Barron was on the 5000
Block of West Pico Boulevard
when investigators believe he confronted a suspect whom he thought
was a “tagger,” spray painting walls
and property in the area of Pico
Boulevard and Sycamore Street.
During a brief discussion in the
middle of Pico Boulevard, the suspect became angry and took out a
gun and shot Barron multiple times.
Barron was transported to a local
hospital and pronounced dead from
his injuries.
Wilshire Area homicide and gang
detectives arrested a suspect in connection with the murder on
Tuesday. The suspect is under 18
years olds, so his name will not be
released. He is not a gang member,
but is known as a tagger and acted
alone. Detectives do not believe
that race was a motivating factor.
The confrontation and shooting
occurred in front of numerous witnesses, in the middle of a busy
street. Witnesses described the suspect as calmly walking away after
shooting Barron point blank, and
then disappearing into a nearby residential area.
The case will be presented to the
Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office, and Wilshire
Homicide detectives would like to
acknowledge and thank Wilshire
Gang Impact Team detectives and
the Los Angeles School Police
Department their help in securing
the identification and arrest in this
case.
Barron was a well-known gang
intervention and youth development worker for the Amer-I-Can
program headed by former National
Football League great Jim Brown.
His funeral services are pending.
Anyone with information about
this shooting is asked to call
Wilshire Homicide Detectives
Mark Holguin or Javier Hernandez
at (213) 473-0446.
Mad
Musings
by Madeleine Shaner
Everything I know I Learned During
Commercial Breaks
W
hen I first arrived in
America, lo those
many years ago, I was
overwhelmed by the extent of
media available to just about
everyone - plays, movies, concerts, radios in every room of
the house, without even having
to hand over money to the BBC
for a license to listen, and
everybody had at least one television set in their house or
apartment, also free! Coming
directly from Merrie Olde (yes,
it was that long ago), I had only
seen Television once - I think it
was Elizabeth the Second’s
coronation, which took place
during Spring Break during my
first or second year at college,
three of us, myself and two
other North Country ‘gels’ as
we were generally referred to,
lived too far away to travel
home for the long weekend, and
were invited to the Principal’s
sitting room to watch the event
on her personal, very small television set. It seemed like magic,
being able to watch the whole
ceremony, in black and white,
of course, cramped in between
the feet of people who normally
walked all over us during regular term time - some of them
actually smoking! And handing
around boxes of Black Magic
and Milk Tray chocolates as if
there were no sweets rationing!
It was possibly the most exciting day of my life until then,
well, besides the walk along the
Boardwalk on a moony midnight with a dreamy guy from
Exeter University. But real
chocolates and the new young
Queen, and the usually starchy
professors actually sitting on
the floor with us, in sandals and
no stockings? The next time I saw TV I was
nestled in a big old armchair
with my boyfriend, in his mother’s house while she was at her
Saturday card game, or at a
Mother’s Union meeting or
something and, truth to tell, I
didn’t see much television then
either.
So you can imagine my
excitement on finding that not
only did my parents live in
Hollywood, yes, that
Hollywood, but they had their
own television set on a corner
table in their living room, with
a lace tablecloth beneath it, and
a little vase of flowers tastefully
arranged off to the side. People
back in my little mill town in
Merrie Olde had told me the
streets of Hollywood were
paved in gold, but I hadn’t
believed it. Sometime around then I got
married and started saving for
my own TV…well, truth to tell,
I started campaigning Other
Half to start saving, but he
always said he hated TV and I
should just read a good book.
But I’d been there, done that.
We got lucky when we found
a little portable TV abandoned
on the sidewalk outside a house
people were on the verge of
leaving. We went back after
dark because we didn’t want to
be seen stealing someone’s
trash and raced away with it. It
wasn’t very good – someone
had to sit with it on their lap
and hold the antenna in place
while the other person watched.
The person holding the set
would keep bending over the
tiny screen trying to get a
glimpse of the wavy picture.
We’d take turns, until a distant
cousin passed away and her
daughter offered us her old set.
Things only went up from
there. We graduated from
OPDTVs (Other People’s
Discarded TVs) to a full range
of newer, bigger sets and way
more channels, and as the sets
got bigger and became grand-
We got lucky
when we found a
little portable TV
abandoned on the
sidewalk outside
a house people
were on the
verge of leaving.
parents to a whole raft of handhelds, wristwatch size tellies,
tweeters and wall size plasma
TV in every sunken den, people
stopped going to the movies,
stopped eating at the dining
table, stopped talking to each
other or reading the paper. Mum
stopped making those wonderful family dinners on Thursday
nights; she was too busy with
her ‘programs’. She watched
the daytime soaps, the afternoon
talk shows, the six o’clock
news, the evening’s block of
comedies and crime dramas.
She even considered becoming
an extra, until she found out she
was out of the age bracket. Dad
stopped going to Temple
because it would mean he’d
miss Red Buttons or Jackie
Gleason. Both Mom and Dad
lost weight, they had too many
programs to watch. “It’s better
than pogroms in the old country,” Dad was heard to say.
But then Dad got chronic dry
eyes and Mom developed
Osteoporosis. Two of my sisters
developed COPD; one was running short of calcium. Some of
us developed side effects from
too much Vitamin D, and came
down with sleep and breathing
problems. Our hearts, our lungs,
our livers, our joints, our tissues, became stiff and malfunctioning, We had to stock up
with Restasis, Reclast, Depends
for Men and Women, Ester C,
Centrum Cardio and Pristiq.
We can’t remember what all
the medications are for, but we
take them willingly, because all
those beautiful people on TV
are obviously taking them.
“To be or not to be...” short of
breath, “..that is the question”...”whether ‘tis nobler in
the mind to suffer...” than to
pick up some Depends for Men
and Women. “To sleep, perchance to dream....” Ambien
CR is the answer, to make your
slumber sweeter. And hand me
the TV Guide. It’s just behind
the Nyquil.
***Random quotes are from
“Hamlet” by William
Shakespeare, in the medicine
cabinet.
The news from around the world – and
around the corner – right to your door
Los Angeles Times and
Beverly Press together –
only $1.99 a week
Get home delivery of the Los Angeles Times every Thursday-Sunday
and now you’ll also get the Beverly Press every Thursday with your
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Enjoy The Times’ in-depth news and entertainment coverage plus your
Beverly Press every Thursday. Subscribe now for just $1.99 a week.
Call 1-800-474-5085 today.
Or go to myaccount.latimes.com
and enter offer code BPLAT
to start your new subscription.
Aid for AIDS
Offers Funds for
HIV-positive
Students
Hollywood American Legion
Celebrates Black History Month
Park La Brea Ladies Announce A
Valentine’s Day Engagements
Two of Park La Breaʼs “sweethearts” were pictured on the cover of
the February 4, 1954 issue of the Park La Brea News in observance
of Valentineʼs Day. Miss Joann Burkett (left) and Miss Norma Meyer
had attended a pre-Valentineʼs Day birthday party for Burkettʼs
brother, Brice, and had made surprise announcements that they
would both be getting married soon. Burkett, a 10-year resident of
Hauser Boulevard, had agreed to marry her fiancée, William Kalm,
of Westchester. Meyer then surprised the guests at the party by
announcing that she would marry her fiancée, Brice Burkett.
Valentineʼs Day is often a time of surprise announcements and
engagements, and many local couples will be celebrating this
Sunday. For ideas on where to celebrate, check out the Valentineʼs
Day Dining tips on pages 11 to 13 in todayʼs issue.
id For AIDS has established
the Patrick R. Service Award,
an annual, merit-based scholarship
of up to $5,000 for an HIV-positive
student in Los Angeles County. The
award will be specifically designated for a student who is pursuing
studies in a vocational school, and
who is also at least one year into
recovery from an addiction.
The goal is to remove financial
barriers for students who demonstrate the drive and determination to
finish their education, despite the
challenges presented by HIV status
and addiction recovery. The award
is named after Patrick J. Rush, who
is best known for his work with
“Best In Drag Show” and “Battle
for the Tiara”, which are both
fundraisers for Aid For AIDS. He
was one of the founders of the original event, has been integral to the
shows’ ongoing production, and
served as master of ceremonies
for more than 15 years. The productions have raised more than $1.8
million for AIDS programs. Aid For AIDS was founded in
1983 to provide the basic necessities of life to individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS.
Services range from group homes
providing 24-hour care for individuals and mothers with children, to
independent apartments, rental and
utility bill assistance, pharmacy and
wellness assistance, food assistance, and housing case management.
The application period for the
Patrick R. Service Award closes on
March 10. For application forms
and
information
visit
w w w. A i d F o r A I D S . n e t .
Applications must be mailed to Aid
For AIDS, 8235 Santa Monica
Blvd., Suite 200, West Hollywood,
CA 90046. Teens Shout
Out in WeHo
T
he City of West Hollywood
recently hosted its “Teen ShoutOut” in Fiesta Hall at Plummer
Park. The event was a free forum for
children and teens ages 9-19 who
live or spend most of their time in
“The West
Hollywood Teen
Shout-Out is
designed as an
opportunity for
our community’s
young people.”
- West Hollywood Mayor
Abbe Land
Answers on page 22
West Hollywood. The youths participated in leadership building exercises with Mayor Abbe Land.
“The West Hollywood Teen
Shout-Out is designed as an opportunity for our community’s young
people to make themselves heard on
the issues they care about, to build
leadership skills and also to empower them to be more involved with
their city and their local government,” Land added. For information, call (323)848-6532.
photo courtesy of Don Schilling
The Hollywood American Legion Post 43 held a Black History Month
program on February 1 featuring a video about the creation of the
Mother of Humanity sculpture, a discussion by Bob Miller, and a tribute to the Postʼs second vice commander, Hiawatha Mitchell, who
passed away the previous week. Members of the Post who participated included adjutant Terry Duddy (left), auxiliary member Terry E.
Scott-Mitchell, Bob Miller, auxiliary member Deloris Artis, trustee
Tim Shaner, auxiliary president Brook Dammkoehler, auxiliary member Rebecca Stewart-Wilson, and Post commander Bill Taggart.
Health & Fitness
Your Guide to Health and Well-Being
Look and Feel Your Best for
Your Valentine
BY BETTY GUY-WILLS
W
ith Valentine’s Day just
around the corner, people can
make a conscious choice to eat
right and live healthy to enhance
their relationship.
Endocrine glands control sexual
function by secreting hormones,
and for people to feel their most
attractive, they need to find a diet
that will maintain peak glandular
output.
The pituitary, thyroid and adrenal
glands need strong supplies of
blood to keep hormone secretion at
top speed, and the best way to get
hormones flowing is exercise.
Another important factor is getting
some sunlight. When the sunlight
enters the eye, the nervous system
sends impulses to the pineal gland,
which stimulates hormone production.
Vitamin E is also of particular
benefit to women, from their early
20s through menopause. Women
can take a capsule or tablet, or
should eat plenty of vitamin Eladen foods such as nuts, seeds,
soybeans and wheat germ products.
Selenium, which increases the
effectiveness of vitamin E, is also
vital.
People can get their daily dose of
selenium by eating grains, nuts,
seeds and vegetables, or by taking a
capsule as a supplement.
Zinc is also important for potency and is naturally plentiful in oysters, as well as being available in
chewable supplemental tablets.
Iron carries oxygen to the body’s
cells, making it a must for increased
energy and vitality.
Women need iron to restore equi-
librium in their bodies and to keep
the libido at an adequate level.
Almonds and beets are a great
source of iron.
Vitamin E is also
of particular
benefit to
women, from
their early 20s
through
menopause.
Women can take
a capsule or
tablet.
Calcium, in addition to iron, is
one of the major dietary deficiencies found in women. Calcium
lessens menstrual cramps and irritability, and keeps estrogen at a
proper level.
Calcium is not only found in
dairy products, but also in nuts,
seeds, whole grains and fish. Both
calcium and iron can also be taken
as supplements, as can magnesium,
a vital mineral for the glands that
release sexual hormones in both
men and women.
Eating right, engaging in outdoor
activities and exercising regularly
will keep everyone feeling their
best on Valentine’s Day.
Betty
Guy-Wills
is
an
author/columnist,
motivational
speaker and beauty consultant specializing in anti-aging and age subtracting. Contact her at [email protected].
Cities ʻGo Redʼ in February for Womenʼs Heart Health
T
he
Variety
Building, which is
also know as 5900
Wilshire, lit up its north
façade with a 13-story
illuminated heart on
February 4 to support
the American Heart
Association’s annual
Cities Go Red event.
The building’s owner,
the Ratkovic Company,
participated in Cities
Go Red as part of
National Heart Month
in February, when the
American
Heart
Association strives to
educate women about
heart disease and to
take action to reduce
their risk of cardiovasphoto courtesy of Christie Jackson
cular problems.
The Variety Building, lit up for womenʼs health awareness.
West Hollywood Paints Town Red for AMA
T
he color of the day at
West Hollywood City
Hall on February 5 was
red.
West Hollywood city
officials, employees and
members of the community
gathered on February 5 at
West Hollywood City Hall
to observe “National Wear
Red Day” and show support
for women’s heart disease
awareness.
Members of the West
Hollywood City Council
and Tracye Isaac, spokeswoman for the American
Heart Association, Los
Angeles County Division,
discussed the impact heart
disease has on residents.
A recent study published
in the World Health
Organization’s weekly journal outlines that heart disease may kill nearly
MOT Exhibit Details History of
Civil Rights Struggles
photo courtesy of teh Museum of Tolerance
A new Museum of Tolerance Exhibit will focus on a lawsuit brought
against racial segregation in schools.
The Museum of Tolerance presents two new exhibits running
through August 23 that focus on
the civil rights struggles of
African Americans and Latinos.
Titled “Courage” and “Para
Todos Los Ninos: Fighting
Segregation in California”, the
exhibit will be featured in separate , but related, installations.
The interactive,
multimedia
exhibit depicts
what life was
like for African
Americans living in the South.
photo by Brett White
400,000 Americans this year. The
façade of West Hollywood City
Hall was illuminated in red, and a
“Free Heart Dance” was held at
Rage Nightclub, where attendees
danced to promote cardiovascular health, and free health
screenings were held. For more
information,
visit
www.weho.org.
The exhibit “Courage” focuses
on the story of Rev. Joseph
Delaine and the citizens of
Clarendon
County,
South
Carolina, who in 1955 brought a
lawsuit to challenge racial segregation in schools that led to the
landmark Supreme Court deci-
sion Brown v. Board of
Education. The interactive, multimedia exhibit depicts what life
was like for African Americans
living in the South during the
period. “Courage” was created
by the Levine Museum of the
New South, and the Museum of
Tolerance will be the exclusive
West Coast venue for the exhibition.
“Para Todos Los Ninos:
Fighting
Segregation
in
California” centers on the 1945
case of Mendez vs. Westminster,
a class action lawsuit filed on
behalf of 5,000 Latino families
living Orange County that eventually led to desegregation in
California schools. The landmark
case took place almost 10 years
before Brown v. Board of
Education, and the new bi-lingual
exhibition shows the history of
segregation in California through
the personal story of the Mendez
family. The Museum of Tolerance is
located at 9786 West Pico Blvd.
For
information,
visit
www.museumoftolerance.com.
Sports
Broadcasters
Honored at
Awards
Ceremony
T
he Southern California Sports
Broadcasters (SCSB) presented
its annual awards on February 1 at
the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca
Lake. SCBS president Bob Miller, a
member of the National Hockey
League Hall of Fame and the longtime broadcaster for the Los
Angeles Kings, presented honors to
former Olympian Rafer Johnson,
who received the Gil Stratton
award; KCBS/KCAL sports anchor
Jim Hill, who was elected to the
SCBS Hall of Fame; and Hall of
Fame Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, who received the
SCSB Presidents Award.
The
Southern
California
Broadcasters Association provides
market research and information,
sales training, educational programs, community outreach, and
EEO employment assistance. They
strive to make radio an important
part of any communications strategy
that
targets
Southern
Californians.
&' &*' #%)!%
*)!*# %')
*()&$ ,#'-
#(& * !%"( . '!)!% %()'*$%)(
%) &%! #+
() &##-,&& Park Labrea News/Beverly Press
Emmy Winner
2010 Census Goes on Road Tour
Earns PAFF
Lifetime Award
L.A. and Korean Rivers Connect
T
photo courtesy of teh U.S. Census Bureau
The 2010 Census “Portrait of America Road Tour” will stop at the
University of Southern California on February 12 to encourage participation in the 2010 Census. The stop is part of a 100 day crosscountry “Portrait of America Road Tour” in which participants will
learn about the 2010 Census and the impact their participation will
have on their own local community. Census data is used to apportion
seats in Congress, and directly affects how more than $400 billion in
federal funding will be distributed to state and local governments
each year over the next decade. Attendees can stop by the “Portrait
of America Road Tour” to record their own video podcasts, receive
free promotional items, and learn more about Census confidentiality
and how Census data helps improve peopleʼs lives. The event will be held on Friday, February 12 from 9:00am to 1:00pm
at USCʼs University Park Campus Trousdale Parkway. For information, visit 2010census.gov.
NCJW Offers New Support for Women
T
he Nation Council of Jewish
Women,
Los
Angeles
(NCJW/LA) is offering three new
support groups for women in the
local area that begin this week. The
groups are being hosted by
NCJW/LA’s Women Helping
Women Community Counseling &
Support Services, and include “WE
Heal”, an eating issues support
group; “WE Girls”, a support
groups for teen girls; and “WE
Heal”, a support group for parents
of children who have been affected
by sexual abuse.
“We Heal” is a 12-week group
that meets Wednesdays from
10:00am to noon. The group provides a safe environment for adults
with eating issues to share experiences and provide strength for one
another. For information, call
Cynthia Dyk at (323)852-8526.
“WE Girls” is an 11-week group
that meets every Monday evening,
and helps teens increase their selfawareness, self-esteem and self
empowerment, while developing
healthy relationships. To enroll,
contact Leah Ziskin at (323)8528519.
“We Heal” is an 11-week group
that meets on Wednesday evenings.
Participants will explore the impact
of traumatic experiences with the
goal of beginning the healing
process.
For information, contact Sandra
Gonzalez at (323)852-8531, or
Abha Verma at (323)556-3581.
All groups meet at the NCJW/LA
headquarters at 543 N. Fairfax Ave.
For
information,
visit
www.ncjwla.org.
Peaceful, Private, with Music Studio on one of the best blocks in BeverlyGrove. A
very special 3Br/2Ba comfortable traditional home secluded behind a wooden
fence that creates a serene front courtyard. Newer open light and bright
kitchen/dining room ads sparkle to this home…as does the access to the backyard from the master suite…In the delightful backyard is a music studio for those
who love to jam…
he Pan African Film and Arts
Festival (PAFF) is recognizing
Emmy award-winning actor Glynn
Turman as the 2010 PAFF Lifetime
Achievement Award honoree. The award will be bestowed at
the PAFF “Night of Tribute” on
Friday, February 12 at 7:00pm at
the Nate Holden Performing Arts
Center, 4718 Washington Blvd. The
star-studded event will be televised
nationally and internationally
throughout Africa, the Caribbean
and Europe on the Africa
Channel. Other honorees include
film director F. Gary Gray (“The
Italian Job”, “A Man Apart”), recipient of the Pioneer Award, who wil
photo courtesy of the Fourth Council District Office
Los Angeles City Councilmen Tom LaBonge (right) and Ed Reyes
(left) hope to inspire water revitalization at the L.A. River.
W
Glynn Turman
receive the Canada Lee Award; and
Nigerian filmmaker AnyiamFiberesima, founder of the African
Academy of Motion Pictures Peace,
who will receive the PAFF/African
Channel Visionary Award. In addition, Los Angeles County
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas,
2nd District, will be the evening’s
Community Service Award recipient.
For
information,
visit
www.paff.org.
ater from the revitalized
Cheonggyecheon Stream
in Seoul, Korea was mingled with
the Los Angeles River to inspire
the revitalization of our local
river. Los Angeles City
Councilmembers Ed Reyes, 1st
District, and Tom LaBonge , 4th
District, were joined by Lewis
MacAdams, founder and president of the Friends of the Los
Angeles River; Korean Cultural
Center director Jaewon Kim, and
Korean delegation members JaeYong Chung, Yoon-Jae Yang,
Seon Keun Park and Jeung-Youn
Nam, on February 4 for the symbolic gesture and to honor the
Korean delegation.
The stream had been encased
in concrete until a two-year, $384
million dollar restoration project
transformed it into a park and
recreation area. The ceremony
was held at Taylor Yard near
downtown Los Angeles, a site
identified in the city’s Los
Angeles River Revitalization
Master Plan for large-scale
ecosystem restoration and concrete removal.
“Co-mingling the waters of
these two great rivers is a sym-
“Co-mingling the
waters of these
two great rivers
is a symbolic
gesture of
hope.”
--Tom LaBonge
Los Angeles City Council
bolic gesture of hope,” LaBonge
said. “By admiring and celebrating the success of our Korean
neighbors, we can see with our
own eyes how restoring a river to
its natural habitat can bring beauty, grace and economic vitality to
a great city.”
“A timeless collection of romantic
ballads.” - Overture Magazine
“Hale complements her nicely
rendered lead vocal tracks with
stunningly beautiful guest spots by
a unique array of emotionally
equipped females.”
- Music Connection Magazine
“Six thoughtful female vocalists
sounding in love with the classic
songs they are singing.
Accompanying them on harp or
piano, masterful Corky Hale sings
three tracks herself, radiating the
delight of discovered feelings,
bursting with bliss. Hail to Hale!”
- Cabaret Scenes Magazine
Available Exclusively At
www.cdbaby.com
www.amazon.com
www.corkyhale.com
Dodgers Prepare for TV Primetime
History of African Americans Featured at Autry
T
A
he Los Angeles Dodgers
have announced the 2010
Spring Training broadcast schedule. Fourteen of the Dodgers’ 32
spring games will be televised,
more than has ever been available to fans.
Prime Ticket will carry 11
games live, KCAL 9 will broadcast three games, and the remainder will air on radio at KABC
790, KHJ La Ranchera 930 and
the Dodger Radio Network.
The first telecast of 2010 will
air on Prime Ticket on March 6
when the Dodgers play the White
Sox at Camelback RanchGlendale during the first Spring
Training home game. The St.
Patrick’s Day game on March 17,
and the March 20 game against
San Diego, will also air on Prime
Ticket. Game announcers for the
11 games on Prime Ticket will be
shared by multiple Dodger
broadcast teams, including playby-play announcer Eric Collins
and analyst Steve Lyons, and
play-by-play announcer Charley
Steiner with analyst Rick
Monday.
KCAL 9 will televise the
Dodgers’ March 21 contest
against the Cleveland Indians,
and the March 27 game against
Seattle. The network will also
broadcast the final game of
Spring Training when the
Dodgers host the Angels at
Dodger Stadium on April 3. Hall
of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully
will be the announcer for all three
games.
For tickets to games at
Camelback Ranch-Glendale and
information,
visit
www.dodgers.com/spring, or call
call (800)745-3000.
MOCA Adds 50 Works to Collection
T
he Museum of Contemporary
Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) has
bolstered its collection with more
than 50 significant artworks,
including paintings, sculptures,
video, multimedia installations,
drawings, and photographs. The
works were added recently through
gifts and purchases.
With the
acquisitions,
MOCA now has
approximately
6,000 works in
its collection of
art created since
1940.
The museum added works by
several important new artists,
including David Altmejd, Mark
Dion, Máximo González, Mary
Kelly, Karen Kilimnik, Lara
Schnitger, and Andreas Siekmann.
The museum also increased its collection of works by Los Angelesbased artists, including Lisa
Lapinksi, Paul McCarthy, Jennifer
Pastor and Jason Rhoades.
Major highlights of the acquisitions include “Setting a Good
Corner (Allegory & Metaphor)”
(1999), a video work by Bruce
Nauman from Alan S. Hergott and
Curt Shephard; and “Christmas
Flood” (1994), a sculpture by
Eileen Cohen, Michael Cohen and
Jennifer Pastor. Three works came
as gifts from Kourosh Larizadeh
and Luis Pardo, including “Untitled
(From a Little Girl’s Room)”
(1980), a drawing by Mike Kelley;
“Untitled” (2004), a wallpaper
drawing by MOCA Focus artist
Lisa Lapinski; and “Untitled (…On
Love)” (2007), a large painted
loveseat sculpture by Rodney
McMillian.
With the acquisitions, MOCA
now has approximately 6,000
works in its collection of art created
since 1940. More than 500 of the
works, by over 200 artists, are currently featured in the exhibition,
“Collection: MOCA’s First Thirty
Years”, currently on display at
MOCA Grand Avenue, 250 S.
Grand Ave., and The Geffen
Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N.
Central Ave. For information, visit
www.moca.org.
Ninth Cavalry parade flag,
with 39 stars will be one of the
many objects featured the Autry
National Center’s exhibit celebrating Black History Month.
Featured in the Center’s AfricanAmerican section, visitors will
learn about the struggle to overcome slavery, formation of rural
communities, and the railroad’s
influence on employment and
urban neighborhoods. Other objects
being exhibited include a stereograph image of Troop A of the
Ninth Calvary, a commemorative
print of the Proclamation of
Emancipation published in Iowa,
an 1872 Barber’s chair, and silver
tableware used by African
American waiters at the Pico Hotel
in Los Angeles.
In addition, the Autry’s
Imagination Gallery will focus on
the depiction of the west in film,
television and radio, and includes
movie posters by the Norman Film
Manufacturing Company, which
released several silent westerns
intended for segregated African
American audiences.
Film posters from “The Crimson
photo courtesy of teh Autry National Center
This Ninth Cavalry parade flag will be on show at the Autry Center.
Skull”
(1921)
and
“The
Bulldogger” (1922) will be included. Produced by the company’s
founder, entrepreneur Richard E.
Norman, the movies employed
black crewmembers and featured
all black casts. They are significant
in being the first features to recognize the contributions made by
African Americans to the settle-
ment of the American West. Pieces
relating to the first AfricanAmerican singing-cowboy, Herb
Jeffries, a jazz musician with a deep
baritone voice who was popular in
films of the 1930s will also be on
display.
For information, call (323)6672000, or visit www.autrynationalcenter.org.
Ringo Gets Star on Walk of Fame
From page 1
received the honor, and thanked
everyone for supporting his music
over the years.
“I am really thrilled to be getting this star, and it’s great that this
is the start of the next fifty years of
stars,” Starr said. “It’s a great
honor, and it’s great to get one at
night, because where I come from,
the stars come out at night.”
Starr said he has enjoyed working with many musicians over the
years, and specifically spoke
about his tenure as drummer for
“The Beatles”. Lennon’s star was
recently moved in front of the
Capitol Records building next to
Harrison’s star. Fellow “Beatle”
Paul McCartney does not currently have a star on the Walk of
Fame.
“I had three brothers. They
looked out for me and we all
looked out for each other,” Starr
said. “It was really great to be part
of that, and we made some great
music.”
Approximately 500 members of
the crowd burst into cheers and
applause in response to Starr’s
comments on “The Beatles”.
Leron Gubler, president and CEO
of the Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce, which oversees the
Walk of Fame, said it was one of
the largest star ceremonies ever
held. Vine Street was closed
between Hollywood Boulevard
and Yucca Avenue to accommodate the crowd.
Gubler said the chamber had
wanted to do something big to
launch the 50th Anniversary of the
Walk of Fame, and chose Starr as
a recipient because of his worldwide contributions to music.
Gubler added that Walk of Fame is
an attraction that has become synonymous with Hollywood and its
history.
“The Walk of Fame has kept
Hollywood going for fifty years,
FDA Issues Recomendations
From page 1
be updated in the scanners by the
supervisor, and their ability to
make setting changes is password
protected. In-service training for
technologists on any changes to
standard protocols and dose alerts
will be expanded, and will be
clearly documented,” Priselac
said.
The California Department of
Pubic Health (CDPH) issued a
“deficiency” notice to CedarsSinai in November after its investigation determined there were
errors in the protocol of administering CT scans at the hospital.
The CDPH required the hospital to
submit a plan of action to correct
the problems, which was completed,
according
to
CDPH
spokesman Ralph Montano. A
subsequent unscheduled inspection found that the hospital had
taken steps to correct the action,
Montano added. Any administrative fines or sanctions against the
hospital will be determined later.
The investigation did not specifically determine who was at fault
for the overdoses, and Montano
declined to comment on whether
they were caused by human error.
It also came to light in November
that patients at two other hospitals
in Los Angeles — Providence
Saint Joseph Medical Center in
Burbank and Glendale Adventist
Medical Center — had received
radiation overdoses of approximately four times the normal
doses during a 20-month period
ending last October. The investigation and potential sanctions are
still pending in those cases,
according to Montano.
Forty-two patients who received
radiation overdoses at CedarsSinai Medical Center have entered
into a class action lawsuit filed
against the hospital and General
Electric, the manufacturer of the
CT scan machines at Cedars-Sinai.
The lawsuit alleges negligence on
behalf of the staff at Cedars-Sinai
and with General Electric.
Attorney William Newkirk, who is
representing the patients, said the
FDA proposals verify his position
that CT scan radiation overdoses
are not just a local problem.
“It is really remarkable that the
FDA has not adopted even more
stringent standards,” Newkirk said.
“Obviously, Cedars has made a lot
of efforts to minimize the problems
right now because a federal agency
is looking into it. But the FDA isn’t
doing this simply because 260
patients had this problem, it is
because this problem is nationwide, and it could be a problem
worldwide. It verifies that there
could be a problem, and we need to
address the risks.”
Newkirk said the risks to the
patients who received the overdoses is significant, with a one in 600
and it’s become an international
icon,” Gubler said. “A lot of people come and enjoy it. It’s a public
resource in Southern California. A
lot of people just think of it as a
tourist attraction, but it actually
epitomizes creative activity in
Southern California.”
Gubler said the Chamber is currently in the process of raising
money for restorations to the Walk
of Fame, which in some areas has
become damaged and cracked. He
added that the 50th anniversary
will feature two special events,
including a Walk of Fame community street festival that is tentatively scheduled for July 25. The
event would include musical performances and family activities
centering around the Walk of
Fame. In November, the Chamber
plans to hold a gala where all past
recipients of Walk of Fame stars
will be invited.
“It’s going to be a great year
chance of developing a tumor.
Other patients may have a higher
risk of developing cataracts.
Newkirk said so far, the patients
involved in the lawsuit have not
experienced any serious medical
problems, but the potential has
caused them much anxiety. He
added that lawsuit is progressing,
and a hearing will be held on
February 26 in Central Civil West
Court to determine how the case
will proceed. Newkirk said there is
a possibility that a judge may
accept the class action lawsuit on
behalf of all of the patients, or may
require that they be handled as
individual cases in what is known
as mass tort litigation. Either way,
Newkirk said he plans to continue
vigorously pursuing the civil
action.
Mayor Appoints Justice Candace
Cooper to Measure R Panel
M
ayor Antonio Villaraigosa
has appointed Justice
Candace Cooper to the Measure
R Independent Taxpayers
Oversight Committee.
Measure R is a half-cent sales
tax initiative that was passed in
2008 and will fund public transportation projects throughout
Los Angeles County, including
the Subway to the Sea. As
required by the initiative, a panel
of three retired judges will
ensure the funds are spent in a
consistent manner with the law.
“Justice Cooper is an ideal
choice to ensure that the promise
of Measure R is realized, building transit and transportation
projects throughout Los Angeles
County and securing the jobs
and investment they will bring
to
our
communities,”
Villaraigosa said.
Ringo Starr (center) was joined by his wife, Barbara Bach, and Leron
Gubler, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce,
during a ceremony on Monday where the former member of “The
Beatles” was honored on the Walk of Fame.
with a lot of fun things,’” Gubler
added. “I hope everyone will visit
the Walk of Fame this year,
because it really is very special.”
For information, visit www.hollywoodchamber.net.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has been scrutinized for radiation overdoses.
‘Rosas’ Spreads the Love in WeHo
From page 1
tionately. “But I recognize them,
and they know me.”
At five-feet-two-inches tall, with
close-cropped hair and two bouquets of flowers in her hands, Maria
La Rosa, affectionately known as
“Rosas,” cuts something of a
famous figure in West Hollywood.
For the last 14 years, since she emigrated from Peru, Maria has sold
roses in the bars along Santa
Monica and Robertson Boulevards.
By now, she is so ubiquitous that a
rose-selling avatar has become a
recurring character on the Logo TV
show “Rick and Steve, the Happiest
Couple in the World.”
At 8:00pm every night, Maria
begins her day’s work at Fiesta
Cantina, where, one-by-one, she
walks over to each table and offers a
bouquet of flowers, along with her
trademark line: “Rosas?” The line
has become her trademark in large
part because she knows only a few
words of English—“four dollars”
(the price of a rose), or “eighty dollars” (the price for all two-dozen).
When she finishes at Fiesta, she
makes her way west down Santa
Monica Boulevard, and then south
down Robertson Boulevard to the
corner of Melrose Avenue, stopping
to offer flowers to bar patrons.
When she reaches Melrose, she
turns around and walks the same
route back the opposite direction.
She retraces this route as many as
three or four times a night, until as
late as 2:30am on Friday and
Saturday nights. As with many famous figures
around Los Angeles, myths swirl
around Maria. The most popular of
these myths is that she drives a
Mercedes, which she parks a mile
Budget
From page 1
allotted to each council, cuts to
rollover funds, and cuts to the
Department of Neighborhood
Empowerment (DONE), which
oversees the councils. The CAO’s
report includes laying off 19
DONE employees, which would
leave 17 staff members to service
the 90 neighborhood councils.
Jeff Jacobberger, chair of the
Mid City West Community
Council (MCWCC), said his council will have about $10,000 in its
rollover account at the end of the
fiscal year, on June 30. If the
CAO’s recommendations pass, that
money will be gone.
“Historically we have been able
for the most part to help fund things
like the Miracle Mile Art Walk,
Tarfest, National Night Out, beautification projects at Fairfax High
School…we wouldn’t have the
money for those kinds of things
without
rollover
money,”
Jacobberger said.
The bigger issue, said
Jacobberger, is the 50 percent cuts
to the annual budget for councils.
“Those annual fund cuts will
impact us greatly,” Jacobberger
said. “We have an administrative
assistant, we pay rent for our office,
and then there are things like the
website and phones…we’re talking
about bare bones expenses. We
would not have money to support
the community in any way if the
annual cuts pass.”
Several Budget LA members
met on February 6 with the Los
Angeles Neighborhood Council
Coalition (LANCC) to discuss the
impact of the recommendations
away so no one will see how lavishly she lives, while another related
myth contends that she can afford a
Mercedes because she sells drugs.
“Sometimes someone will ask me
for a white rose, and wipe his nose,”
Maria explained in Spanish. “And
I’ll tell him, ‘No, I do not do that!’”
Once, picking up on the drugdealer rumor, the police followed
Maria around for the evening, scaring off any potential customers.
“Some of my friends at the
Abbey asked me why the police
were following me,” she said. “And
I told them it’s because they all said
that I sold drugs. They promised to
tell people that I didn’t, but still people ask me for white roses.” She
smiled again, amused by the idea of
the police following around a 63year-old woman on foot. The reality of Maria’s life, not
surprisingly, is not as glamorous or
dangerous as the myths would suggest. Far from owning a Mercedes,
Maria doesn’t drive at all, and in fact
begins each night at Fiesta Cantina
because it’s closest to where the 10
Metro bus drops her off. In Peru, she
had a restaurant across the river
from Ecuador, where Ecuadorians
would come for Peruvian food. But
when the restaurant folded in the
mid-1990s, she and her sister made
their way to Mexico, and eventually
from there to Los Angeles.
Now, Maria shares a house near
Melrose Avenue and Western
Avenues with her brother, who
works at a restaurant, and two of her
daughters, who clean houses. A
third daughter is back in Peru,
where she is studying to work in the
tourism industry.
As with so many other people,
the recession has hit Maria’s family
hard. Before the recession, she said,
she would make $300 to $350 selling roses each week. Now she
makes $150, and her other family
members have gone from working
seven days a week at several jobs,
to working just three or four days a
week. She used to work seven days
a week as well, until knee pain
forced her to cut back. Now, she
takes Monday nights off, and when
she does go out, she wears a pair of
orthotic shoes with gigantic black
soles.
On Tuesday night, she sat at a
table at the Abbey, giving her knee
a rest.
“When business is bad for me,
it’s bad for everyone,” she said. She
gestured towards a waiter. “The
bartenders, the waiters, the bussers,
the owners. We’re all part of the
same system, and when it’s slow
like this, no one is making money.”
Still, the recession has done
nothing to dampen her inextinguishable smile — every bit as
much a personal trademark as her
“rosas” line. In lieu of English conversation, her smile is her sales
pitch, disarming, inviting, and
placative for anyone annoyed at
being bothered.
Later, at Mickey’s, an older man
calls out, “Maria!” She reaches
from over the railing from the sidewalk, kissing him on the cheek.
“I introduced myself when I first
met her, about fifteen years ago,”
said Clinton Bounds, who has lived
in West Hollywood for 34 years. “I
see her all the time, always out here
with her roses, and she is just so
sweet to everyone, she doesn’t
judge anyone. I bought roses from
and come up with a plan of their
own. Shawn Simons, president of
Empowerment Congress North,
came up with a plan that includes
outsourcing the financial oversight of
city councils to non-profits, a job that
is currently being conducted by
DONE, and augmenting staff with
neighborhood council members.
Simons’ also requested the proposed
cuts to neighborhood councils be
sent to the Education and
Neighborhoods Committee so
neighborhood councils can be part of
the discussion. At Tuesday’s city
council meeting, that request was
granted.
“We are having all of these town
halls and when the city council
pulled the neighborhood council
items back to committee, it felt like
we were seeing some results,” Box
said.
Simons said the council’s move
was good for neighborhoods, but she
worries that there won’t be enough
time to re-work the CAO’s proposals
in a sound way.
“If they rush to make something
happen in seven days, I’m not sure
the plan will work,” Simons said.
Her biggest priority is a focus on
restructuring DONE.
“We can save the most money
with the least impact to neighborhoods by restructuring DONE,”
Simons said. “When you cut into
direct neighborhood council funding,
you cut into gang reduction programs, arts outreach, community
building programs.”
Budget LA will meet again on
Saturday, February 13 at First
Presbysterian Church of Hollywood,
1760 N. Gower St. The meeting will
convene at 10:00am with speakers
Julie Butcher of the SEIU, Jon Kirk
Mukri of the Department of
Recreation and Parks, and Bill
Robertson of the Bureau of Street
Services.
City Budget Update
A
s of Wednesday, the city
council was still in ongoing discussions about the privatization of ten city-owned parking garages, the Los Angeles
Zoo and the Los Angeles
Convention Center. A plan to
enter into an agreement
between the city and a private
entity to run programs at
Barnsdall Art Park is also still
on the table. Also on
Wednesday, City Controller
Wendy Greuel asked city council members to give up their
discretionary funds from the
sale of city properties. There is
currently $10.7 million in the
city’s real property trusts. Those
funds have been used in the past
for community projects, and,
according to a report from the
City Administrative Analyst,
have also been used to augment
salaries in some council offices.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
made a rare appearance before
the city council on Tuesday to
urge them to take action on
1,000 job cuts, which will have
the biggest positive fiscal
impact on this year’s budget.
“Every budget is a balancing
act,” Villaraigosa said. “We
have been living beyond our
means and now we have difficult choices to make. Each day
we fail to act we lose an estimated $300,000. We must protect our fiscal health and economic future.”
photo by Ian Lovett
Maria La Rosa and West Hollywood resident Clinton Bounds have been
friends for approximately 15 years.
her several times for my husband,
but I always love seeing her out
here. She’s a staple of West
Hollywood.”
At the next bar, Rage, Maria sold
her first rose to a young woman on
the patio. As she kept moving down
the street, crossed herself, holding
the four dollars she’d just earned in
her hand — a personal ritual after
the first sale of each night, for good
luck.
“My favorite is when someone
buys a rose, and then he gives it to
the person he is with, and they hug
and kiss each other,” she said. “It
makes me emotional, because I
used to have a husband in Peru, and
he was never that way with me.”
Still, Maria understands that people buy roses from her for a variety
of reasons. Some buy roses to give
to significant others, or for themselves, but others buy from her
because they want to help her.
People sometimes offer her rides
home in fancy cars, instead of let-
ting her take the bus, which she
thinks might be the origin of the
myth about her Mercedes.
“I love gay people,” she said. “I
think when God makes life difficult
for someone, he makes them very
humanitarian. They are also very
true to themselves, which I love.
Sometimes people ask me if I am a
lesbian, and when I say no they ask
me why I am here. But I think
everyone should be able to live
however makes them happy.”
What Maria would like to do is
open a restaurant here, like the one
she had in Peru. She doesn’t have
the capital to open a restaurant, but
she hasn’t given up hope.
“I believe in miracles,” she said.
“And I play the lottery every day. I
buy two Megabucks tickets, and
two SuperLotto. If I have a little
extra money, sometimes I buy four
of each.”
Valentine’s Day is usually one of
her biggest nights of the years. If
you see Maria, why not buy a rose?
LACMA Exhibits Renoir
From page 9
Claudia Einecke and Chief
Curator of European Art J.Patrice
Marandel, the show is special
because of its modernist angle.
“Renoir in the 20th Century is
unlike any other Renoir exhibition,” Einecke said. “By focusing
solely on his later works, it
reveals a Renoir who is largely
unknown, in a completely new
and unexpected context. The juxtapositions with Picasso and his
modernist peers are astonishing.”
Renoir was the biggest name in
impressionism in the 1870s, but
he embarked on new paths of
experimentation and innovation
in the latter years of his life.
Challenging the basic principles
of impressionism he turned to traditional drawing and studio work.
This modern approach is clear
in his figures, but impressionism
seeps into much of the work. In
“Bather on a Rock” the nude figure looks lifelike, but the background scene is an impressionistic mix of land and seascape. This
blend was defined by the artist as
“decorative”.
As one moves through the
exhibit, the paintings and sculptures remain increasingly simple
and subtle – “The Clown” features a young boy in a red, billowing jumpsuit, while “Self
Portrait with White Hat” is a quiet
painting of the white-bearded
artist in profile.
At the heart of the exhibit is a
feeling of peace and tranquility.
The scores of figures often strike
languid poses and the faces portray a sense of utter calm. Perhaps
this sense of ease is due to
Renoir’s love of the south of
France, where he stayed often
from the 1890s until his death.
Co-organized by the Réunion
des Musées Nationaux, the Musée
d’Orsay, and LACMA, in collaboration with the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, “Renoir in the
20th Century” will be on view
from February 14 to May 9.
LACMA is located at 5905
Wilshire Blvd. Tickets can be purchased by calling (877)522-6225.
photo by Amy Lyons
Renoirʼs “Woman Playing Guitar”
is also featured in the exhibit at
LACMA.
Hollywood Sign Will be Covered
From page 1
14, when the deal expires, and the
property will return to the market.
The TPL planned to unveil the
reason for the sign’s new look at a
press conference today, but the Los
Angeles Police Department blew
their cover on Monday, sending out
an announcement about the plan to
local residents so no one would be
alarmed.
City Councilmember Tom
LaBonge, 4th District, spoke about
the importance of acquiring the
property, which falls within his
council district.
“More than one hundred acres of
open land and the view of the one
of the world’s most famous landmarks, the Hollywood Sign, are
threatened with development,”
LaBonge said. “It is absolutely
critical that we preserve the view of
the famous landmark and open the
land to hiking and other recreational uses for future generations of
Angelenos.”
If TPL purchases the land, the
trust plans to turn it over to the City
of Los Angeles, where it would be
integrated with Griffith Park.
In addition to its proximity to the
famous sign, the plot at Cahuenga
Peak has its own Hollywood history. In the 1930’s, Howard Hughes
bought the plot, where he planned
to build a hideaway for girlfriend
Ginger Rogers. But the couple
broke up and the land remained
undeveloped. After Hughes’ death,
the land remained in his trust, until
the plot was sold to a group of
Chicago investors, known as Fox
River Financial Resources Inc., for
less than $2 million.
Then, in 2008, the investors put
the land on the market with an asking price of $22 million, which
TPL was able to bargain down to
$12.5 million in 2009.
Joe Edminston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains
Conservancy, which offered
$850,000 in funding for the purchase of Cahuenga Peak, said the
urgency to make the purchase is
palpable.
“We have the opportunity to buy
the land, and we have to buy it now
because it’s going to be developed
openly,” Edminston said. “We’re
getting a reasonable price. It’s not
cheap, but the last thing we want is
an iconic mountain that you can see
from all over L.A. to have a bunch
of huge ugly mansions on top.”
However, Earnie Carswell, a real
estate agent with Teles Properties
who has been handling the
Cahuenga Peak plot for Fox River,
said the land will not be developed,
even if TPL fails to purchase it.
“No one is looking to put condos
on the ridge,” Carswell said. “With
one exception, everyone we’ve
talked to about buying the land has
wanted to conserve it. There’s no
road, no plumbing. Donalds
Trump’s partner came to look at it
and only made it 20 steps up the
ridge. Someone is going to buy it
and make it like the Will Rogers
reserve and get a big tax break, and
eventually give it to the city anyway.”
Still, on the Teles Properties
website, the property is being marketed as, “Truly one of the most
unique residential locations anywhere.”
The Hollywood Chamber of
Commerce, which oversees the
Hollywood Sign Trust does not
often give clearance for anyone to
modify the sign. The remodeling in
Ke$sha’s video was produced with
video editing, not tampering with
the real sign. In decades past, vandals and activists used to change
the letters of the sign illegally, until
a security system was installed in
1999.
“How are you going to guarantee
it won’t be for residential use?”
said Leron Gubler, president of the
Hollywood Chamber. “The TPL
JFS Faces Cut to Funding for Services
From page 1
year, Volpert said she expects the
number will be dramatic.
“The proposed cuts would have a
direct and negative effect on older
adults in the community,” Volpert
said. “What happens to these people? They either get institutionalized,
they stay home without care, or they
end up in emergency rooms, where it
is even more expensive to care for
them.”
Volpert said the cuts could also
translate into reductions in services
at many of the agencies JFS operates
in the area, including the senior center at Plummer Park in West
Hollywood, the Hirsh Kosher
Kitchen on Fairfax Avenue, the
Freda Mohr Senior Center, and the
SOVA Food Pantry. JFS collectively
serves approximately 100,000 people citywide. The cuts also have
many people who advocate for local
seniors very concerned, including
Rick Rickles, chair of the West
Hollywood Senior Advisory Board.
“To me, JFS is one of the biggest
assets West Hollywood has, and we
are so fortunate to have this agency
in our community. We fully support
agencies such as SOVA that feed the
needy, and support JFS programs
that offer creative and recreational
opportunities for seniors, and physical programs for seniors” Rickles
said. “The assembly authored legislation last year to preserve funding
for programs, but I don’t know what
is going to happen this year. It would
be very bad if these programs were
cut.”
The State Assembly will be meeting in the coming weeks to determine whether some of the cuts can
be avoided, but the situation is looking dire, according to Assemblyman
Mike Feuer, 42nd District.
“It’s much more challenging than
last year. We are now having to make
twenty to twenty-five percent further
cuts to a budget that had previously
decimated these programs,” Feuer
said. “These programs are essential
because they enable people to live
independently and prevent them
from having to go to nursing homes.
I have worked closely with Jewish
Family Services to continue these
vital services, such as Adult Day
Healthcare. The human cost of these
cuts is astronomical.”
While Feuer said he would continue to push for funding for senior
services to be kept in place at the
state level, others are working locally to ensure they continue. The West
Hollywood City Council voted on
February 1 to allocate another
$15,000 to JFS. The city currently
provides approximately $1.1 million annually to the organization.
“They are probably our largest
grant recipient. We help fund a
nutrition program, the Adult Day
Healthcare program, the food pantry
and all the social work that occurs at
Plummer Park,” said Daphne
Dennis, social services manager for
the City of West Hollywood. “We
consider these services essential.
The council is being as responsive
as possible given the fact that everyone is in a very bad position.”
Volpert said JFS’ current budget
is approximately $25.7 million,
which was down approximately
$1.2 million from the previous fiscal
year. Volpert added that although
some seniors who receive services
pass away, they are replaced by new
people in need.
“It’s not a finite group,” Volpert
added. “When you have an aging
population like we do, you have
other people who become eligible
for services all the time.”
photo courtesy of Meody Vargas/JFS
Transportation programs offered by JFS are one of the services that
could be affected by budget cuts.
photo by Ian Lovett
Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, 4th District, said it is vital
to preserve Cahuenga Peak and the Hollywood Sign from development.
campaign is designed to draw
attention to the very short window
to raise the money that they need.
We allowed them to cover the sign
because it’s in the public interest to
Oscars
From page 9
style was most evident in the lighting fixtures on display at the preview, chandeliers with dangling
beads that formed snaking “s”
shapes above the ballroom.
Event
producer
Cheryl
Cecchetto said everything from
the lighting design to the waitstaff’s attire was carefully chosen
to create a period feel.
“The Governor’s Ball will fuse
eclectic and innovative design elements reminiscent of the era and
the style,” Cecchetto said. “The
overall look will marry artistic
originality with the Academy’s
own tradition of class and elegance.”
Nowhere was that elegance
more apparent than in the table
dressings, shimmering charcoal
grey tableclothes topped with perfectly crafted arrangements of
deep purple Calla lilies designed
by Mark Held of Mark’s Garden.
Other flowers incorporated into
the décor include hydrangeas from
New Zealand, Rothchild Vanda
orchids from Thailand and organically grown roses from Ecuador.
“The old Earl Carrol theatre in
Hollywood and the historic interior designs of Dorothy Draper in
the 1930s and 1940s were our
inspiration, but the overall effect is
definitely contemporary,” Held
said.
Though the décor provided
plenty of eye candy, the real candy
was at master chef Wolfgang
Puck’s table, which was dotted
with mini-chocolate Oscars covered with edible gold dust. For the
16th consecutive year, Puck is
crafting and executing the menu
for the Governor’s Ball with the
help of 250 culinary staff members, who will work with 1,000
pounds of wild salmon, 190
Collision Severly Injures Pedestrian in Hollywood
From page 3
influence. No additional injuries
were reported. Jackson said investigators are still trying to determine
the speeds involved, and added that
neither driver was cited or arrested.
“It was a straight traffic accident,” Jackson said. “We are still
investigating who was at fault, but
at this point we believe the driver
of the Honda tried to make an illegal right on Hollywood from the
number two lane.”
Binder said the incident illustrates the need for people to drive
cautiously in the area because of a
large number of pedestrians and
tourists. He said officers would
continue to monitor the intersec-
tion on a regular basis
“It’s one of the target areas that
the West Traffic Division works on
to prevent accidents because it is
heavily congested there twentyfour hours a day,” Binder said.
“That is an area that we definitely
want people to slow down and be
extra cautious.”
preserve the viewshed, the beautiful space, and the beautiful views. I
think everyone would want it to be
public land. Most people probably
thought it was already.”
pounds of Taylor Bay scallops
and countless additional ingredients. The menu includes tray
passed hors d’oeuvres such as
black truffle and ricotta cheese
pizza, mini Kobe burgers,
smoked salmon pizza with
caviar and dill cream, and chicken pot stickers. Salmon and
chicken pot pie are the main
dishes, and dessert consists of
Puck’s own “L’Etoile de Oscar”,
baked Alaska with espresso
glace, chocolate sorbet and
toasted meringue. And don’t forget about those chocolate
Oscars, 4,000 total.
“The Governor’s Ball is a celebration of artistry and achieving your dreams,” Puck said.
“Our art is on the plate for everyone to enjoy.”
If the Governor’s Ball seems
like an excessive event in light
of the budget crisis in Los
Angeles, Jack Kyser of the Los
Angeles
Economic
Development Corporation said
such parties are a huge boon for
local business.
“Remember when the Golden
Globes were canceled in 2008?
Do you know who the most
unhappy people were? The service staff at the Beverly Hilton,
because they lost so much
money in tips,” Kyser said.
This year’s Academy Awards,
according to Kyser, will pump
an estimated $135 million into
the regional economy, up from
last year’s figure of $130 million. Why the change?
“Because there are ten Best
Picture nominations this year,
which hasn’t happened for a
very long time,” Kyser said.
“That means more people coming to the awards, more ‘For
Your Consideration’ ads in local
newspapers, more use of limousines, more gift buying… people
don’t understand what an economic engine these awards are.”
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Preserving Hollywood Sign is a Peak Concern

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