Monday morning headlines

Will UC Irvine recant?: No followup so far to the weekend LAT about the school possibly brokering a deal to again hire Erwin Chemerinsky as dean of its law school. There's no telling whether Chemerinsky would be interested at this point. "I have nothing to say about it. I haven't thought about it," he told the Times. The problem is that Chemerinsky would still be asked to tone down his left-leaning advocacy positions, which he might not be willing to do.

New deal for Albrecht: Ah, another of Hollywood's second chances. Chris Albrecht, the former HBO CEO who was arrested and charged with assaulting a girlfriend in a Vegas parking lot (and who paid at least $400,000 to a woman who accused him of choking her during a confrontation in her office) plans to join IMG, the big talent agency. Albrecht also plans to start an investment fund with IMG’s owner, Theodore J. Forstmann. From the NYT:

Despite the scandals, Mr. Albrecht was sought after by Hollywood studios and financiers. In recent months it had become a bit of a parlor game in the television industry about where (and perhaps whether) he would land. “It’s a town of second, third and fourth chances,” said Sarah Jessica Parker, who starred in “Sex in the City” and now has a production deal with HBO. “I would never be reluctant to work with him again. Maybe I’m being Pollyanna-ish, but people want to work with people who have been successful.” Mr. Albrecht, who has been champing at the bit to get back into the media business, said that he had dealt with his problems and wanted to put the past behind him. “I made a mistake, and I paid a big price for it,” he said.

New immigration efforts: After the Senate failed in June to pass a comprehensive immigration bill, the issue was supposedly off the table through at least the 2008 election. But immigration is too hot - and lucrative - a political issue, so there are several efforts in Congress at scattershot reform. Democratic senators plan to introduce an amendment that would give conditional legal status to young illegal immigrants. Sen. Dianne Feinstein wants to bring up a visa program that eventually would allow farmhands to gain citizenship, and Republican senators are discussing a short-term guest worker program for low-skilled laborers. From the LAT:

Since the comprehensive bill's failure, some of the focus on immigration has served political goals. Republican senators quickly brought up an enforcement bill, a hit with their conservative base. The Democratic-sponsored measures generally appeal to Latino voters. Staff members from both parties say immigration-related amendments could turn up on any major piece of legislation expected to pass. Some of the measures now in the works don't have much bipartisan support, limiting their chances of success. And some lawmakers express doubts that it is possible to restructure the immigration system through separate bills rather than sweeping legislation. "I'm personally very skeptical of a piecemeal approach," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.).

Dutton's landmark status?: That would seem to be stretching things for the popular Brentwood bookstore, but a three-member City Council committee will consider special status for the Barry Building on San Vicente Blvd. Making the property a "monument designation" would force building owner Charles Munger to engage in an environmental review to win approval for a planned development at the site. That might make it more trouble than it's worth. (LAT)

Golden Boy buys Ring: As part of the deal, Oscar De La Hoya, through his Golden Boy Enterprises, is also picking up KO, World Boxing and Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Purchase price not disclosed. The nation's oldest sports magazine, Ring was founded by a New York Telegraph sports editor named Nat Fleischer. It compiled the first monthly ratings in boxing and started awarding championship boxing belts in 1922. De La Hoya said Golden Boy Enterprises would not meddle. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Antipiracy leak: Hackers have gone after Santa Monica-based MediaDefender, which is hired by movie studios and record labels to help thwart file-sharing piracy. Among the stuff the hackers have come up with: development of a Web site that would allow people to upload and download copyright movies, TV shows and music - and then secretly track their activity. MediaDefender said the company had been testing such a site, but denied that it aimed to entrap users. From the WSJ:

Included in the emails were some personal data including employee home phone numbers and social security numbers, along with private emails with clients. In one case, a Universal Music executive asked if there was any data showing the music industry's lawsuits were reducing file-sharing activity from addresses ending in .edu -- namely, colleges and universities. An email showed that Mr. Saaf forwarded the message to five employees with the note: "Take a moment to laugh to yourselves." A spokesman for Universal had no comment. Some clients expressed frustration in emails that despite hiring MediaDefender, their property was widely available on the Web.

Dating wars: Chemistry.com has claimed that it knows all about who is likely to match up well, but an industry group ruled that the online dating service failed to support its claims. So the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has told Chemistry to knock it off. Rival service eHarmony.com, based in Pasadena, brought the charge (last spring Chemistry launched a multimillion-dollar print and TV ad campaign tweaking its rival, dubbed "Rejected by eHarmony"). (WSJ)

Downtown Ralphs a hit: A press release masquerading as a legitimate news story in this week's Business Journal gushes about the supermarket chain’s new South Park location. Weekly sales are believed to be in the $1 million range (though the Ralphs folks won’t confirm). And did you hear about the $100,000-a-week prepared food section (at least according to “a source close to the store”) Take a gander at this hard hitting passage.

Danielle Bower, a project manager for CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. who lives downtown, said she goes to the Ralphs weekly and though it’s crowded, it’s not unpleasant. “I absolutely love it. It is much more upscale than any other supermarket in the area. There is a Ralphs by USC and it is nowhere near the caliber of the Ralphs downtown,” she said.

Next week begins a 2-part investigation into the produce section at Vons.