In the magazines: Kobe as we haven't seen him

My Westside neighborhood is no longer in one of the LAT's desirable zip codes for the Sunday magazine, so I haven't seen this in print. But the magazine does have an online array from yesterday's fashion spread that accompanies a Q&A with Kobe Bryant by Tom Murray. They call it White Hot. For the photo shoot at the Hollywood Roosevelt, attended by "a stylist and a seamstress, a groomer and a manicurist, assistants and publicists galore," Kobe came in from OC by helicopter. The thumbnail image here is cropped from a photograph by Ruven Afanador.

Also in the magazines: Connie Bruck's Haim Saban profile isn't the only Los Angeles story in this week's New Yorker. Dana Goodyear visits with Hugh Hefner at the Playboy Mansion to talk about his save of the undeveloped land near the Hollywood sign. The sign, he says, has been an important icon in his life since the early days of Playboy. He helped fund the restoration campaign back in 1978. Plus: Los Angeles magazine has an online look back at twelve years of Lakers stories.

From the LA Observed vault:
10236 Charing Cross Road
Swim anyone?