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Los Angeles magazine gathered quite a crowd Wednesday night in the lobby of 5900 Wilshire, the tall office tower across from LACMA that the magazine shares with Variety, the New York Times and other media outlets. I spotted for-sure mayoral hopefuls Wendy Greuel (with communications deputy Shannon Murphy) and Jan Perry, and potential candidate Zev Yaroslavsky, gently working the room. The magazine's recent profile subject, Austin Beutner, wasn't there, nor was the current mayor — though the famed Villaraigosa-is-a-failure cover was hanging prominently as part of the magazine's 50th birthday celebration. It was an eclectic crowd, among them designer Trina Turk, long-ago city councilwoman Roz Wyman, media figures like New York Times bureau chief Adam Nagourney, Jewish Journal editor Rob Eshman, KCRW general manager Jennifer Ferro, L.A. Times media critic James Rainey, KPCC anchor Shirley Jahad and Channel 2 anchor Laura Diaz, writers Amy Wallace, Cari Beauchamp, Ann Louise Bardach, A. Scott Berg and Anthea Raymond, chamber of commerce chief Gary Toebben, architect Brenda Levin, preservation planner Ken Bernstein, restaurateur Evan Kleiman, Zocalo founder Gregory Rodriguez, historian Bill Deverell, bloggers Mickey Kaus, Michael Schneider and Jon Weisman, and assorted men about town such as Chris Nichols, Gary Leonard, Charles Phoenix, Rodney Bingenheimer and Larry Underhill. Jeff Smulyan, the head of Emmis Communications — i.e., the magazine's owner — came to town for the occasion.
Other takes: Franklin Avenue, Dodger Thoughts, Los Angeles
Photos: Chris Schmitt