Valley shooter identified

It appears that Edwin Rivera, 20, killed his Salvadoran father and his own two brothers before shooting two LAPD officers. LAT, DN

Where the writer's strike settlement stands

Laeta Kalogridis became an unlikely peacemaker in getting the writers and the media companies together. Who? Kalogridis is a movie and TV writer who is best known these days for starting up United Hollywood, the pro-union Web site. The writers gather Saturday at the Shrine to hear the details of a deal. LA Biz Observed

45-story condo tower proposed in Century City

The glass tower on Santa Monica Boulevard at the east end of Century City would be filled with ultra-luxury units and be the first California work of French architect Jean Nouvel. LAT

The Valley keeps its census status

The Census Bureau will continue to recognize the San Fernando Valley as a distinct place. Nice of the Daily News to pick up the moniker America's Suburb. DN

A newspaper that's actually expanding

The Beverly Hills Courier comes out Fridays and is adding a Wednesday edition. BH Courier

Parsing the Vanity Fair party cancellation

William Booth and Hank Stuever of the Washington Post talked to Graydon Carter but sound skeptical.

People, we have party interruptus. The annual post-Oscars Vanity Fair celebration has been canceled because of . . . the climate?

"I know. I know. We'll miss it too. Because this year they really look like a group of heavy drinkers, which we like," says Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair magazine and the usually jolly Santa-esque host now being fitted for his Grinch costume. "But it didn't seem the right time to be in a celebratory mood in L.A. Because of the climate."

Wait. Carter is speaking by telephone from New York, so maybe we're not getting this right. The climate? What does Al Gore have to do with this? He won his Oscar. He had his Vanity Fair party. Anyway, what climate?

"I surveyed a lot of friends in the film industry," Carter continues. "I came away with the feeling that this is not the time. There is lingering animosity out there."

It seems the lingering animosity of the writers strike has created this feeling that gathering together several hundred of the most talented, most famous, most beautiful people in the world would be bad.

Rob Long won't miss Tower Records

The commentator writes, "When they came for the Pioneer Chicken on Barrington, I said nothing, for I preferred Koo Koo Roo. When they came for Chasen's, I said nothing, for I thought, 'Bristol Farms? I'll give it a try.' And now they're coming for the Tower Records on Sunset. And there's nothing we can do about it." LAT Op-Ed

Hillary Swank will portray Amelia Earhart

The Valley's most famous missing aviator will be the subject of a biopic directed by Mira Nair. Variety

LeDuff takes job in Detroit

Former New York Times writer here Charlie LeDuff will be a Metro projects reporter for the Detroit News. He left the NYT last February and In November had a piece in Men's Vogue explaining his life as a stay-at-home dad. Romenesko Memos