April 28 - May 4, 2013
Friday, May. 3
"Iron Man 3" is on track for a huge opening this weekend, but too many films are opening within just a few weeks of each other this summer.
This is a huge development in the effort by shareholder groups to empower investors. For years Irani had been a lightening rod for his exorbitant pay (over a 10-year period his pay package totaled $857 million),
The unmanned X-51A WaveRider, which is more of a missile than a plane, was launched off the coast near Port Magu and reached hypersonic speed (that's more than five times the speed of sound) before plunging into the ocean.
This is the same lukewarm recovery we've grown accustomed to: Closer to wonderful than horrible, but not nearly close enough to generate any momentum.
Thursday, May. 2
Businessman Bill Tilley purchased four acres in the Hollywood Hills for $1.2 million and went on to make many improvements. Tilley died earlier this year, and now the estate has been put on the market.
Anyone using the Netflix or Amazon streaming services knows that movies will come and go - it's largely a function of intricate licensing deals.
The struggling chain tries to put its best foot forward in a spot that acknowledges all the mistakes it made under CEO Ron Johnson, who stepped down last month.
C'mon, admit it: Before DreamWorks Animation snapped up the YouTube channel this week in a $33-million deal, most of you hadn't a clue. It's time to catch up.
Talk about weird: Rupert Murdoch has emerged as a white knight in possibly bidding for the Tribune Co. papers and avoiding a takeover by the libertarian boys.
Wednesday, May. 1
Well, that depends on your point of you, but Universal City's $1.6-billion makeover, which includes a Harry Potter attraction, will undoubtedly provide an economic boost for the eastern portion of the San Fernando Valley.
The numbers should be looked at with even greater suspicion than usual because several categories are lumped into a single count.
Boy, that was a disaster. The L.A.-based electric automaker, which sold just 100 vehicles, is getting out of the car business and focusing on energy storage for utilities and building operators.
Tuesday, Apr. 30
It handles a fraction of the passenger load as LAX - without nearly as many hassles. No wonder a new survey ranks it as the best in the U.S. Of course, it's easy to be small and empty.
The 10-3 vote, part of a proposed airport makeover, came after impassioned arguments on both sides about moving the northernmost runway 260 feet closer closer to residents and businesses in Westchester (but within LAX's existing property.)
Talk about misinformation: The guy accuses me of taking pot shots at him for his column on the Koch brothers possibly buying the LAT. But I never even mentioned Meyerson or his column.
The paper's Monday-Friday numbers are up 6 percent, to 653,868, for the October through March reporting period. But print fell 11.5 percent, to a stunningly low 432,873.
Monday, Apr. 29
Despite the FAA signing off on Boeing's battery fix to its 787 Dreamliner, the airlines face a PR puzzle in convincing passengers that the cutting-edge jet is safe to fly.
Personal spending is up a healthy 3.2 percent for the first three months of the year, and yet hiring, along with the overall economy, continues to lag. Makes no sense, right?
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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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