Archive by Month
May 31, 2008
The economy is an obvious culprit - as is the L.A. location (numbers were higher last year in NY).
May 30, 2008
Author of the best-selling "Bright Shiny Morning" helped shape his publishing resurrection.
No relief on gas prices, controller clears LAX head, Kerkorian proceeds with tender offer, and so-so year for books.
May 29, 2008
Sallie Hofmeister, deputy biz editor since 2006, has been promoted to the top spot.
Warning: The following post is not advisable for journalists with weak stomachs.
Even the online world will be taking it on the chin in the April-June quarter. Automotive is a sore spot.
GDP revised upward, SAG still has issues, Murdoch leaning Obama's way, and Dior drops Sharon Stone.
May 28, 2008
B of A is still buying the mortgage lender, but they won't be including the executive they paid $28 million to be in charge.
He said the networks were nuts to allow a writers strike at a time when their audiences were already slipping.
East Coast burger aficionados have been raving about Five Guys Burgers and Fries - and now it's here.
Provisions appear similar to the contract worked out between the writers and media companies earlier this year.
The good news is that oil prices have been falling and some analysts believe we've seen the worst of the run-ups.
The high-stakes custody battle over who owns rights to the Bratz doll features two of the nation's most prominent litigators.
May 27, 2008
Home prices still dropping, actors could be nearing a deal, oil takes a dip, and another bad month for newspapers.
May 25, 2008
It's more challenging than you think. Toilets and sinks can only cost so much, no matter how extravagant they may be.
It's a very strong, but not record-breaking performance for the latest Indiana Jones sequel.
May 24, 2008
After layoffs and cutbacks, three more executives leave the struggling newspaper company.
In general, the numbers were modest - at least relative to the craziness of the previous few years.
May 23, 2008
United led the new round of increases, boosting roundtrip ticket prices $10 to $60, depending on distance and competition.
With $4-a-gallon gasoline, consumers are being careful about discretionary spending - as in eating out.
The long-struggling online tech magazine has been displaying error messages all day, which is not a great sign.
The impact of $7 gas, negotiators upbeat about port pact, Stringer urges folks to get mad, and preying on foreclosure.
May 22, 2008
The unusual weather pattern will continue for the next day or two, with showers popping up in the afternoon hours.
The projections range from $142 million to $175 million over the long weekend. I'm guessing more.
Much of the county is already built out and not subject to subprime calamities further inland.
A merger of the nation's two top bookstore chains is a possibility - antitrust concerns and all.
Oil prices finally slow, new concerns about crude shortages, and L.A. not ready for a big earthquake.
May 21, 2008
The online music company reported another loss, which means more shareholders putting in their two cents.
Government delays in the awarding of several large contracts are behind the pink slips.
Charging $15 to check in a piece of luggage may seem outrageous, but higher fuel costs leave American little choice.
Oil still going up, first class travel is down, airport traffic is flat, and Mozilo presses the wrong button.
May 20, 2008
Are the guild leaders just talking a good game or do they have the backing of the rank and file?
He's Robert Thomson, who has served as the Journal's publisher since Rupert Murdoch took over.
The latest Carl's Jr. ad ditches the usual bumping and grinding for another kind of faux reality.
The legendary Washington Post reporter took a huge pay cut two years ago and now may be paying the price.
Oil crosses $129, Maguire speaks out, two views on home prices, and Disney Web users in a lather.
May 19, 2008
The stumbling block centers on clips of actors' work appearing online, the same issue gumming up talks with SAG.
Shares of the Pasadena bank jumped almost 4 percent on a favorable story in Barron's. But the stock has a long way to go.
Thin refinery margins are the only thing between us and even higher prices - and that could change this summer.
The place is a minefield that's riven with factions, something the new executive director is learning the hard way.
April Socal sales were up sharply from a month earlier, although L.A. home prices continue to drop.
Maguire is ousted, states can still offer tax-exempt munis, and Microsoft is once again eyeing Yahoo.
May 18, 2008
Dealmaker Kirk Kerkorian is on top for the fourth year in a row. He's followed by Sumner Redstone and Eli Broad.
May 17, 2008
Redstone managed to take a shot at CBS' Les Moonves and heap praise on him - all in the same day.
May 16, 2008
This is almost certain not to happen. Check that, it simply can't happen. Or can it?
The real estate company's board is under pressure from shareholders to name a new CEO and chairman.
Had a poor quarter? Just blame it on the writers walkout. Lots of companies are doing it.
L.A. unemployment last month was 5.9 percent, which isn't great but not a disaster either.
New forecast has oil reaching $148, more finger-pointing on Pellicano case, and health care coverage restored.
May 15, 2008
More folks were taking the bus and subway last month than a year earlier. We'll see how long it lasts.
The Hollywood gumshoe was found guilty on 76 of the 77 charges he faced. Those charges included racketeering, racketeering conspiracy,...
One transaction is the largest non-options-related sale by a Disney insider in the last five years.
Unlike many of today's publicists, he never made it seem as if he were doing you a favor by just doing his job.
Icahn goes after Yahoo board, CBS to buy CNET, Countrywide suit goes to trial, and Samueli steps down.
May 14, 2008
He's battling the IRS over whether his family can claim $290 million in tax losses from a $6 million investment.
The SEC accuses Henry T. Nicholas III and Henry Samueli of a scheme to backdate stock options. As a result...
Remember when LAT columnist Steve Lopez knocked on the gate leading to Sam Zell's Malibu estate, and Zell got all...
If you're still a little confused about the particulars behind the housing collapse, check out last week's edition of "This...
Wolfgang Zwiener was asking for trouble by opening his Wolfgang's Steakhouse just down the street from Spago, which happens to...
Sidestepping recession? That's the view of a growing number of economists, many of whom all but declared an economic downturn...
May 13, 2008
Only 7 percent of Angelenos fall into that category, far fewer than the 12 percent in Austin, Texas, according to...
At least that’s according to the latest numbers from Pubmatic, an Internet consulting firm. On average, according to the April...
Losses on home-equity loans will be even worse than predicted three weeks earlier, according to Liam McGee, president of the...
This is one of those devil-in-the-details cases. The City Council is considering a proposal that would impose $25,000 fines on...
Signs of spending?: Retail sales fell last month, as expected, but much of the drop came from a plunge in...
May 12, 2008
Weekend talks between the Service Employees International Union Local 1877 and the Building Owners and Managers Association appear to have...
Some of you might find it perverse to consider the economic fallout from today's disaster in China's Sichuan province, but...
All of a sudden companies - or their bankers - are willing to take out their checkbooks, which is another...
Downtown project stalled: This was to be a $125 million mixed-use development near the Historic Core, the Toy District and...
May 10, 2008
More deli and meat selections, better signage and additional "international" products are in the works, according to the OC Register's...
Out of the blue (at least to us outsiders), News Corp. has pulled its $580 million bid for the Tribune-owned...
May 09, 2008
These are cellphone companies that package all kinds of features and re-sell the phone service part through Sprint Nextel. L.A.-based...
Boy, talk about your sign of the times. The Bloomingdale's by-mail catalog is being discontinued next year in favor of...
The Bev Hills billionaire wants to boost his stake in the car company from 4.7 percent to 5.5 percent. That...
This time, two Romanians have dismissed their discrimination and fraud case against the film's producers. Nicolae Todorache and Spiridom Ciorebea,...
Gas prices ease: Not that you'll notice. The Auto Club survey shows that the average price of self-serve regular gasoline...
May 08, 2008
This may come as bad news in some parts of Hollywood, but Disney has re-signed Stephen McPherson as president of...
It's a partnership of Phil Anschutz's sports and entertainment company and the boxer's Golden Boy Promotions. The idea is to...
Deputy Editor Glenn Hall will be leaving the paper to become editor of TheStreet.com in NY. Register Editor Ken Brusic...
Tejon deal reached: The developer of the massive residential project agrees to set aside 178,000 acres and offer up an...
May 07, 2008
Councilwoman Janice Hahn seemed to give the all-clear today by praising Gina Marie Lindsey, the city's airport director, after two...
Among the well-to-do out there - we're talking about folks with an average discretionary income of $342,000 - optimism about...
At least that's according to research company TNS, which is out with its annual survey of millionaire households. L.A. County...
Morale at the Los Angeles office of Sidley Austin is "perilously low," according to Above the Law - so much...
$150 oil?: It might happen as early as this fall, according to some prominent energy analysts. That, of course, raises...
May 04, 2008
I'll be away for a couple of days. Be back Wednesday....
May 02, 2008
Superstar economist Robert Shiller (aka Dr. Doom) took a crack at that one during a lengthy interview with Portfolio's Lloyd...
And I really mean betting. All week long we've been hearing predictions of how many jobs would be gained or...
Here's another case of why it's hazardous to predict the course of labor negotiations. Just when it appeared - at...
The blogosphere strikes again. There is indeed a Malibu estate up for sale, but it's not Renaissance Malibu, the posh...
That's not an editorial comment - just the latest credit rating from Standard & Poor's. The agency slashed the Calabasas-based...
Bottoming out?: The economy lost 20,000 jobs in April, which doesn't sound very good until you realize that analysts had...
May 01, 2008
Why does today's firing of Gregory Probert as president of Herbalife not smell right? All right, the guy admitted to...
The Pellicano case is now in the hands of the jury - and Allison Hope Weiner, who has been covering...
I suspect you're getting tired of this topic, but there's an intriguing business story behind the semi-naughty pics in the...
It's one of those depends-on-who-you-ask situations. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union claims that its membership has taken the day...
Business protests raids on workers: The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce comes out today against the federal government's crackdown...
© 2003-2008 • About LA Observed • Contact the editor
Gas prices are way down, DVD sales are sliding, Kaiser gets four-star rating, and no progress in SAG talks.
More From Mark Lacter:
Without referencing its recent layoff, the Ventura County Star's editor says the suburban LA paper is now "more streamlined and, in many ways, much more efficient."
We stripped the Indians of their ponies, and now we're doing it to ourselves.
When the sun looks like that, there's a big fire somewhere regardless of whether we see or smell smoke.
After 22 years of loyalty, Baylor is unceremoniously shown the door.
Lee Abrams, Tribune Company's chief innovation officer, doesn’t seem too impressed with the Los Angeles Times. That’s the feeling I got when he appeared at the Los Angeles Press Club.
Sponsors
Premium Blogads
Books, Blogs & Events