Nikki Finke is "miscast as the victim in this drama," Deadline's senior actual adult, Hollywood trades veteran Michael Fleming, writes in a post on what used to be her site. He refutes several of her core claims and says "Nikki" has turned a personal feud with buyer Jay Penske into "a public spectacle."

Lakers and USC legend Bill Sharman died today at age 87. Plus mentions of Hal Needham, Supt. John Deasy, John Emerson, Wallis Annenberg, the Koch brothers, A.J. Ellis, the county's first flu death and more.

This just in: Villaraigosa has been hired to replace Dodger manager Don Mattingly and will also take over as West Coast adviser for Cheetos.

I guess this is what happens when you sell your website to a guy with money, then challenge him openly.

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 (since lowered to 7.1) struck about two hours ago off the east coast of Honshu. There is no Pacific-wide tsunami activity expected.

One of Villaraigosa’s first projects will be to lead the newly-formed USC Villaraigosa Initiative for Restoring the California Dream.

Obama coming back to LA. Deasy may or may not resign at LAUSD. City Hall asks Berkeley for concrete building data it should already have. Nikki Finke rags on Jay Penske some more. Lucy Noland reportedly out at NBC4. Moves at the LAT, Politico, ImpreMedia and Twitter. Plus a new president at CalTech. And more.

On her Twitter feed, Nikki Finke has been posting in the past hour on what sounds like the beginning of a final break from Jay Penske, the investor who bought her Deadline.com some years back.

I am otherwise engaged this morning. No posting by me until later today.

The City Council president quietly formed a panel several months ago to look into allegations against an unnamed council member, probably Jose Huizar. Now Wesson makes nice — very nice — in front of a political insiders crowd.

The Times updates its style guide to the use of tech terms and more. The stylebook itself may become public.

Filmed at Venice High School in the summer of 1998, the music video that added sex to the image of 16-year-old teeny bopper Britney Spears changed everything forever. Kinda.

The VP and deputy general counsel has been so tied to the newsroom and sensitive news projects for two decades that she was given one of the paper's editorial recognition awards.

Jeffrey Fleishman is coming home to a new beat in Calendar as a senior reporter covering film, TV and the arts.

Brian Sumers, who covers Los Angeles International Airport for the Daily Breeze, continues to cover the heck out of LAX both in the paper and on his blog, LA Airspace. Today: shipping a Corvette to Europe.

Staking out the Huizar fundraiser. Garcetti gets private tour of Turrell exhibit. Galperin to launch "transparency portal." Video from inside the morgue. Judge charged with battery. Remaking the Valley in a more pedestrian-friendly way. Leonard Maltin comes to YouTube. New bestsellers, some media moves and more.

Conditions out in the Pacific add up to a third straight off year for rainfall. But you never know — normal is such a squishy concept here.

The first webcam to stream live video of wild California condors — the largest land birds in North America — warns that the feeding scenes from the Big Sur wilderness can be graphic.

Vanity Fair works some fun biographical facts into its November issue. Included are details on how he maintains his haircut, his Navy aviator roots and what he drives — and what time he gets to work.

Huizar spoke to Times reporter David Zahniser — in a stairwell — before today's City Council meeting.

LA's former mayor joins public relations firm Edelman as a senior advisor with no specific role disclosed. That's at least four gigs that we know about.

Vilma Martinez, until recently President Obama's ambassador to Argentina, is among the five appointees of varying political background who will guide things for the mayor at the Port of Los Angeles.

Studio heads pay up for Jerry Brown. Keeping quiet about cost of downtown streetcar. Garcetti speaks at KPCC forum. Homeland writers owe le Carre. KCSN pops a Latin alternative channel. Buzzfeed hires again. Stephen Glass still trying to become a lawyer. Warner Bros sues Harry Potter themed store. And two tweets of the day. Plus more.

A tentative deal between the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency and its two largest unions will end the latest transit strike there after four days.

It will cost you $279 per seat to sit on the loge level at Dodger Stadium for the Kings-Ducks game in January. The cheapest seat: $89. I'll wager there won't even be any snow.

The Dodgers manager contradicts his boss and says this morning he might not return without a multi-year deal and assurances they want him. At the end of the day, Sue Falsone announces "with a heavy heart" she is stepping down as the first and only female head trainer in the big leagues.

Yellow fever mosquito near Fresno could change life in California. Garcetti is no Antonio Villaraigosa. California's mapping of quake faults slow. New ethics commissioner. Another NYT name leaves. The Wrap denies a backer is selling. What's wrong at First AME. Another oarfish washes up. And the Dodgers have a media op this morning with Colletti and Mattingly.

"I just couldn't resist," Garcetti posts on Facebook. Check it out.

City Council President Herb Wesson is billed as the "special guest" at a fundraiser on Tuesday to launch Councilman Jose Huizar's reelection campaign. Awkward timing, eh?

The editors of Boom: A Journal of California asked writer Bob Sipchen and his son Rob to defend LA’s right to exist. Which they did.

The suit says that Englander himself made offensive sexual comments and allowed the culture to permeate his office. Englander said he was "surprised" by her allegations.