August 2 - August 8, 2009
Friday, Aug. 7
The "Friends of Angelo" VIP program was a pretty sexy story at first but none of it ever seemed terribly serious, certainly not illegal.
The billionaire's proposed Bev Hills museum on the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica is all but dead and Eli is now looking elsewhere.
Don't get too worked up over a slight dip in the jobless rate, to 9.4 percent. All it shows is that fewer people are still looking for work.
AIG turns a profit (really), Platinum Equity bids for Boston Globe, L.A. gas prices shooting up, and NYT fires Ben Stein.
U.S. payrolls fell by 247,000 in July, which is considerably better than what many economists had been expecting.
Thursday, Aug. 6
Another $2 billion goes into the popular federal program that may or may not be helping the economy, depending on who you ask.
The U.S. government affirms what many of us have long known: women spend a bunch more time doing unpaid household work than men.
Stefan Richter, that overly confident contestant from last season's "Top Chef" brigade, now has his own restaurant in Santa Monica.
Deutsche Bank economist expects July job loss to total 150,000, down from his earlier 325,000 estimate - and way below recent months.
Early word is that Twitter was the victim of a denial of service attack, or DoS, which is when a Web site gets deliberately overloaded.
Sluggish July retail sales, post-Jackson businesses outlined, decline in online ads, and computer woes slow clunker program.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
News Corp. lost $203 million in its fourth quarter, largely the result of impairment and operating charges involving the Bev Hills-based social networking site.
Almost one out of every two mortgage holders is likely to be underwater before the housing recession ends.
The chief has accepted a job at Altegrity Inc., which has a subsidiary focusing on law enforcement and criminal justice issues.
The unmarked, all-white Boeing 737 that Bill Clinton took to North Korea is owned by real estate heir and Hollywood producer Stephen Bing.
LAT gives Puck's latest restaurant a hefty two stars, though S. Irene Virbila says the dishes "can sometimes taste more corporate than passionate."
LAT reports that William Bratton is resigning as chief of the LAPD today to take over as head of a private security firm.
I realize that the information age can be a free-for-all, but some items just stick out.
More job losses, some dealers running out of cars, Arena Football is on its last legs, and Clifton's building is up for sale.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
City Council approves $30-million loan to help finance upgrades for the Kodak Theatre, which will host the acrobatic troupe.
Bad news is a 1 percent decline for the year in communication spending. Good news is advertising will start growing again in 2011.
Big jump in L.A. gas prices, modification program not working well, lowest airfares are in Long Beach, and fighting for Century Plaza.
Monday, Aug. 3
Looks like the Senate will go along with providing another $2 billion for the trade-in program. But can improving auto sales be sustained?
The S&P 500-stock index crosses 1000 for the first time since early November. Of course, it's still off more than a third from its all-time highs.
Those of us dutifully waiting to see who would become "The Next Food Network Star" received a much-unwanted clue over the weekend.
Who says there aren't any jobs out there? For $8 an hour, you can sell pricey shoes in OC or make lattes in Torrance (if you agree to work in a bikini).
Clunkers program up in the air, sluggish summer box office, governor considers rolling back pensions, and Nissan's new electric car.
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The funeral for Mark Lacter will be held Sunday, Nov. 24 at 12 noon at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinela Avenue, Los Angeles 90045. Reception to follow.
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