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August 31, 2006
Shareholders of Golden West Financial Corp. (parent of World Savings) made it official today - approving the company's $24 billion...
This wasn't a very good day for Northrop Grumman Corp. It lost out to arch-rival Lockheed Martin Corp. for that...
The state Senate passed a bill that limits the amount of electricity from coal-fired power plants that can be...
Some nifty sleight of hand by State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, has resulted in the Assembly passing legislation that...
NASA has awarded Lockheed Martin Cop. a multibillion-dollar contract to design, develop and test the Orion manned spaceship that will...
No deal could be reached between Palladium Investors Ltd. and Combined Properties Inc., which had planned to retain the 66-year-old...
Greenhouse deal: Lots of coverage on the agreement between Gov. Schwarzenegger and the Democrats in the statehouse to cut greenhouse...
August 30, 2006
Looks like California is about to pass the nation's toughest state initiative to control greenhouse emissions. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and...
From the Women's Wear Daily Web site: "The Effects of the Middle East War on Retail." No, they're not talking...
The guilty plea involves taking more than $100,000 in bribes from subcontractors in exchange for work on the company's projects....
If you're running out of people to call on your cell phone, well, there's always college football. ESPN will broadcast...
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey, sometimes called the "snapshot of America," has all kinds of facts and figures about...
Holiday crowds: LAX expects 810,000 travelers to depart and arrive on flights from Friday to Monday, an increase of 4...
August 29, 2006
When a radio station changes formats, it usually has to change staffs, too. In case you missed it, Emmis Communications'...
Downloading movies continues to be a most elusive business. For all the new services being introduced, there always seems to...
Defamer takes a shot at all those insiders taking a shot at Tom Cruise's weird development deal with executives from...
That's as in the Magic Marketplace trade show, where local retailers and apparel makers are peddling their latest wares and...
Who can afford a median priced home in Southern California these days? Well-off people, of course. In his OC Register...
This morning's roundup of local business stuff with Steve Julian (89.3 FM at 6:55 and 9:55) covered the decline in...
Apple competitor: Universal Music is backing a new service called SpiralFrog that allows consumers to download songs for free and...
August 28, 2006
Several news organizations are reporting tonight that Cruise/Wagner Productions has signed a deal with an investment group headed by Daniel...
Expect a 4.8 percent drop in Southern California car sales this year, according to a report by the Southland Motor...
We've been to this dance before, but it's still worth noting that shares of L.A.-based Maguire Properties Inc. are way...
Coming before Labor Day, the numbers were expected to be low, but the fourth-smallest audience ever? That's what the preliminary...
It's another small but telling example of old media trying to snap up an attractive new media company. Santa Monica-based...
Political commerce: L.A. remains by far the top market for political ads so far this year. Through Aug. 13, $76...
August 27, 2006
Stop the presses: The L.A. Times cites job growth on the Westside for the increasing traffic congestion that's being felt...
August 25, 2006
That's what happens when you sell your company - something MySpace founders Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe are discovering, now...
I really need to stop doing this, but today's Page 6 item in the NY Post is just too good....
You're out the door, onto the freeway and sipping you morning brew when all of a sudden you realize something...
The on-again, off-again buyout talk concerning the most popular video site (more than 16 million unique U.S. visitors in July)...
Everywhere, restaurant owners are singing the blues. High gas prices and a sour economy are keeping diners home, and business...
Gas under $3: Not everywhere, mind you, but the Auto Club's weekly survey found pump prices at below $3 a...
August 24, 2006
The L.A.-based homebuilder announced late this afternoon that the Securities and Exchange Commission will be conducting an informal inquiry into...
No more price controls for telecom providers like Verizon and AT&T. The California Public Utilities Commission voted 5-0 to deregulate...
What do you get the bad girl who has everything? Why her own fragrance, of course. Women's Wear Daily reports...
The My Space generation actually looking at ink-on-paper? Perhaps even reading ink-on-paper? Well, maybe. Advertising Age reports that the Santa...
The New York Times parachutes into Vernon, only to discover that outsiders aren't exactly welcome. The story focuses on the...
Scott Rosenfelt is an L.A.-based independent filmmaker who happens to looks a lot like Billy Joel - and that can...
Cruise fallout: Not that there's much competition out there in the third week of August, but the Tom Cruise saga...
August 23, 2006
Tom Cruise is no slouch when it comes to box office mojo, but he's quite a distance from the actor...
Let's see, what caused the most grief for KB Home shareholders today - the company reviewing questionable dates of stock...
Having a tough time finding affordable office space? Join the club. Orange County has a 7 percent vacancy rate, among...
The New York Times plays catch-up on the efforts of some shippers to find an alternative for the congested Ports...
Ancillary Care Management ranked ninth on Inc. magazine's new list of 500 festest-growing companies - and as with so many...
Cruise follos: Lots of coverage this morning, but it's the backstory that's especially intriguing. The Wall Street Journal's Merissa Marr,...
August 22, 2006
Paramount Pictures is ending its 14-year relationship with actor Tom Cruise, the Wall Street Journal is reporting tonight. Sumner Redstone,...
The suit, filed in L.A. Superior Court, seeks to force a unit of Tenet Healthcare Corp. to give up ownership...
That's according to a new Census Bureau survey - and raises a bunch of questions for U.S. marketers and media...
The earlier post about all that new housing in L.A. County raises some uncomfortable questions about overbuilding. Alex Barron, a...
Lots of buying and selling at Live Nation, the L.A.-based booking company that wants to focus on the music business....
Minimum wage agreement: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic lawmakers have cut a deal to give California the nation's highest minimum...
August 21, 2006
The Sacramento-based music chain, which has a big presence in L.A., has sought bankruptcy protection and wants to sell its...
Hooray for contrarians. Business Week's Mark Morrison says that the chances for $50-a-barrel oil are better than $100, pointing out...
There's definitely a bad case of indigestion over at Cheesecake Factory. The Calabasas Hills-based restaurant chain, one of Southern California's...
Most of the awards shows have been ratings disappointments this year, and the upcoming Emmy telecast on NBC could have...
Remember Sasson jeans? Remember the "Oo-la-la Sasson'' jingle? Paul Guez went through a kind of rags to riches story as...
What can you learn about a community by examining its 1912 city directory? Long Beach Press-Telegram columnist Tim Grobaty discovers...
Never mind Alaska: Pipeline corrosion is not just an issue in Prudhoe Bay. Turns out that California's maze of oil,...
August 20, 2006
Videogame Barbie?": Designers at El Segundo-based Mattel are focusing more of their attention on technology in response to growing demand...
August 18, 2006
With Federated Department Stores and its Macy's flagship ready to take over the retail world, it's worth remembering what department...
The pension fund disaster in the city of San Diego is bound to raise the question: What about L.A. and...
Tougher times might be around the corner, but you wouldn't know it based on the L.A. job numbers that were...
Boeing Co. didn't quite announce the end of the C-17 program in Long Beach, but it came pretty close. Directing...
Glazed no more: Krispy Kreme's La Habra store, which opened with so much fanfare that lines were snaking out the...
August 17, 2006
How bad is the housing market? John Karevoll of DataQuick and Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics (he was formerly with...
That's more or less how the Girls of 3iYing - a pen name for a group of five women who...
Is Hollywood big enough for two wax museums? The Los Angeles Business Journal is reporting that Madame Tussaud’s, the famed...
Not that I'm jumping the gun here, but should Boeing announce the shuttering of its C-17 program in Long Beach...
State Farms gives in: After a state appeals court turned down industry efforts to delay changes in how auto insurance...
August 16, 2006
A meeting of C-17 employees is scheduled for 8 a.m. Friday at Boeing's Long Beach facilities, union officials told the...
This may just be a passing thing, but long lines at airports and the inconvenience of checking in bags have...
There was a bit of buzz about what turned out to be a phony MySpace page for supermarket tabloid queen...
Still no peep from the record retailer on its financial woes, but say this - company officials are sounding upbeat...
Time Warner Cable's takeover of Adelphia Communications is getting lots of ink locally, but it's being dismissed by investors because,...
Maybe there will be justice at the Santa Barbara News-Press after all. An unfair labor practice charge has been filed...
End of the line?: BusinessWeek is reporting that Boeing Co. will send out notices to suppliers on Friday telling them...
August 15, 2006
Lots of speculation today about what shareholder activist Nelson Peltz might be up to with his purchase of 2.8 million...
Shares of Irvine-based PC maker Gateway were climbing today on word that the company had been selected by the Los...
L.A. is on its way to a very strong tourist summer, at least judging by the June report from PKF...
Ford scales back: There are 134 Ford dealers in Southern California, which is more than the automaker believes is financially...
August 14, 2006
The average gallon of self serve regular in the Los Angeles area was $3.248 for the period ended Aug. 14,...
Delta Air Lines, which has been rejiggering its flight schedules while still in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, will add nonstop flights...
Would a $30 container fee for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have much impact on shipping? A...
Kind of a juicy court case between Maxine Swim Group Inc., which makes branded and private-label swimsuits, and former CEO...
Arenas Entertainment in Beverly Hills will be marketing and promoting ABC shows to the U.S. Hispanic audience. of particular note...
"WTO" results: Lots of debate this morning about whether moviegoers were more or less inclined to see "World Trade Center"...
August 12, 2006
Life at Playa Vista: Despite its turbulent legal history, the planned community gets very positive reviews among residents interviewed by...
August 11, 2006
By now we all know about the cover treatment that Kate Moss is getting in the September issue of Vanity...
Todd Hausberger's chance encounter with Mel Gibson at Moonshadows in Malibu will result in a payday of anywhere from $80,000...
L.A. County home sales fell 25 percent in July, the eighth straight month of declines, according to a survey by...
As the big guns in Washington debate the nation's energy policy - and debate and debate and debate - it's...
Gas prices: This week's trouble with the BP oil field in Alaska hasn't had much impact at the local pumps....
August 10, 2006
The Hollywood Reporter's Chris Morris, citing a confidential source familiar with Tower Record's balance sheet, puts the company's debt to...
A big study by the Pew Hispanic Center finds no evidence that increases in immigration since 1990 led to higher...
State health officials are putting the boot on dirty footbaths that can harbor dangerous bacteria. It's no joke - a...
Funds associated with his private equity firm Yucaipa Cos. will to buy up to $680 million worth of stock in...
Now that the AFL-CIO has agreed to help out day labor organizers, it's worth taking another look at a groundbreaking...
This morning's terrorist scare hasn't had much impact on the financial markets. Stocks are inching up and oil prices have...
Brace yourself for non-stop coverage of the thwarted plot to blow up multiple airlines between Britain and the United States...
August 9, 2006
Remember when ABC could do no wrong? The network was cleaning up with "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" -...
L.A.'s most celebrated chef, Wolfgang Puck, gets some ink in the food sections of the L.A. Times and New York...
By my count, 11 companies in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties are among the 78 that have come under...
Disney earnings: Good-looking results reported this morning for the third quarter were helped by growth at the theme parks and...
August 8, 2006
Several reports that top executives at Pixar Animation Studios, the computer-animation company that was acquired by Walt Disney Co., received...
I'm not sure how they can measure this, but the placement of Wonder Bread in the Will Ferrell comedy "Talladega...
The number being thrown around nationwide is $425 million, the result of Federated Department Stores overhauling its ad budget now...
A survey of gas statons by the AAA found that prices remained steady, even on the West Coast. Meanwhile, the...
What about gas prices?: The L.A. Times' Elizabeth Douglass provides an excellent look at how the BP oil field shutdown...
August 7, 2006
Now that they're winning again, this could be fun: a free on-demand channel on Time Warner Cable (formerly Adelphia) that...
The Hollywood Stock Exchange is a kind of online game where "traders" use $2 million in play money to make...
The search company agrees to pay News Corp. at least $900 million to power the search functions on MySpace and...
The death of In-N-Out Burger co-founder Esther Snyder is bound to raise speculation about where the storied chain is headed,...
When you have an economy teetering on the edge, it doesn't take that much to cause real problems. The shutdown...
Pipeline problems: The shutdown of BP's Prudhoe Bay oil field because of pipeline corrosion could signal local gasoline price hikes....
August 5, 2006
Satellite slump: The two major providers, El Segundo-based DirecTV and Echo-Star, have seen a sharp delcine in the number of...
August 4, 2006
The July numbers show another plunge in home sales - down 15 percent from January, which is typically a slow...
It also may be cybercrook space. Sites like Santa Monica-based MySpace.com use the very popular Ajax coding to manipulate pages....
An oil company reporting a sharp drop in quarterly earnings? It happened to L.A.-based Occidental Petroleum, the result of oil...
That may be a drastic response to the Mel Gibson outrage - and it may be unrealistic considering that A-list...
One way of getting a good real estate deal is going after a property that's been tainted somehow by murder,...
August 3, 2006
Job numbers: July's U.S. unemployment report got the markets excited because the smaller-than-expected gain in payrolls suggests that the economy...
The numbers are still not huge, but they're growing - and fast. In her MSN Money column, Liz Pulliam Weston...
It's being called an "informal inquiry" into the company's past practices of granting stock options. The Calabasas Hills-based chain also...
Tribune Co. management and the Chandler family are trying to resolve their differences, the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) is...
You decide: July's retail sales numbers are out and the results, well, take your pick. From Reuters: "Retailers Sweat Through...
August 2, 2006
The big drug maker was cleared of responsibility for the heart attack of a 71-year-old retired construction manager who took...
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has announced plans to expand the city's trade office. Running the place will be Andre...
Today's Wall Street Journal has a sobering, but not surprising, front-page overview (subscription required) on California's failed efforts to veer...
Buried in Time Warner's announcement today about giving away AOL to broadband customers were second-quarter results showing that the company's...
Chris Thornberg, the economist at the UCLA Anderson Forecast who kept warning of a serious housing bubble, has left the...
Fortune finally gets around to profiling Lions Gate Entertainment, the last of the independents. Lions Gate is known for its...
Welcome to L.A.: Time Warner took over Adelphia operations just two days ago and already there are unhappy cable customers....
August 1, 2006
Local apparel companies were so freaked out last year about missing the quota cutoff for Chinese imports that they took...
L.A. billionaire Haim Saban told lawmakers in Washington today that his involvement in an offshore tax shelter was based on...
Is it just me or does the estimated flight delays due to the runway rehabbing at LAX - six minutes...
The electric car can't seem to get a break. This week, the city of Pasadena is expected to surrender most...
Crisis PR types live for the kinds of disasters that face Landis and Gibson. Busoness Week Online takes a look...
More Mel coverage: Most of the attention this morning is focused on ABC's decision to drop plans to make a...
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| While the 405 widening project slogs along late and over budget, one nugget of good news if you drive that stretch of freeway. As of Friday, a northbound lane will open for 1.7 miles between the 10 Freeway and Santa Monica Boulevard.
| Mind-boggling (and kind of sad) on several fronts, not the least of which is that according to the Weekly he did it publicly during an Oscar party. (Someone should tell him not to job hunt in a crowd.)