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The Phil Spector Show moves into its third act, in and out at City Hall, TMZ-TV goes live and the latest on paralyzed LAPD officer Kristina Ripatti — and much more on return day. I'm sticking for now with Veronique's less formatty Morning Buzz format, since it's quicker to do. Speak up if you have thoughts about it.
Spector deliberations begin
Jury gets the case today. Will NBC get an exclusive? LAT
City goes after housing authority investigator
Abel Ruiz says his former employer (he was fired last month) has sued him in retaliation for investigating the agency too well. The city says he did the job poorly. LAT
Orlov column
Councilman Zine loses chief deputy Sharon Sandow to the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and hires retired LAPD veteran Cliff Ruff; possible sale of naming rights to the Coliseum; the Police Protective League's radio spots about pensions; Sheriff Baca and his deputies. DN
Madness of a USC professor
Law prof Elyn Saks goes public with the details of her 30-year battle with schizophrenia. LAT
TMZ Television debuts today
Brace yourself — or just ignore it like most people. Channel 11 at 6:30 and 11:30 pm, with Teresa Strasser as one of the hosts. LAT, Brian Lowry. Meanwhile, TMZ the website leads this morning with an obituary headline for the career of Britney Spears after her humiliation at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Running with Kristina Ripatti
The LAPD officer paralyzed last year by a street thug completes a 5K race — and leaves the force — in the fourth installment of the Daily News series by Brent Hopkins and Hans Gutknecht.
Warner dives into video
Warner Bros. will introduce two dozen new Web productions today, from minimovies to episodic television-like series, and plans to put up the production costs itself. NYT
Supersonic wind tunnel goes silent
After 50 years it's the end of the line for the North American Trisonic Wind Tunnel in El Segundo. Breeze
Weekly on Janet Clayton
Daniel Hernandez takes a stab at explaining the departure of the LAT veteran, most recently the assistant managing editor for local news.
New Sandy Banks column in LAT
A lot like the old Sandy Banks column, but in the California section (on Tuesdays and Saturdays) instead of Southern California Living or whatever they called the Times feature section in those days. Interesting that one of the few remaining African American staff writers gets a column the same week the paper's last black senior editor announces plans to leave.
Giuliani profiled in NYT Magazine
Matt Bai gets the assignment to figure out why the former pro-choice, pro-gun control and pro-gay mayor of New York leads the Republican polls.
Chick for Obama
City Controller Laura Chick was named a co-chairwoman of California Women for Obama.
Downtown's sad Wikipedia entry
Factual errors and a lot of other stuff wring, like a lot of Wikipedia. Downtown News
Moving in Long Beach
Former Press-Telegram publisher Mark Stevens is leaving as VP for strategic planning and development with the Los Angeles Newspaper Group to run Long Beach Magazine. P-T In other LANG news: former president and CEO John McKeon is taking roughly the same title with the Dallas Morning News. Romenesko
Fugging NYC
Go Fug Yourself is once again staffing the New York fashion shows.
Santeria ritual in the L.A. river channel?
Jay Babcock comes across a slaughtered goat near Atwater Village.
New Variety TV blog
Nine Variety editors rate the new shows at Season Pass.
Opening on Clippers beat
With Jason Reid departing for the Washington Post and the NFL, the L.A. Times is looking for "an experienced basketball writer for the Los Angeles Clippers beat. The job has nothing but upsides--covering a team in an area of the country that craves news about the NBA, writing daily about a franchise that is never dull and traveling throughout the league. This is one of the sports department's major beats, providing an excellent opportunity for writing and reporting." Feels like over-selling to me.
Today on The Business
Claude Brodesser-Akner interviews writer/director Richard Shepard, whose new film is The Hunting Party. KCRW, 2:30 pm.