Category Archives: 2014

L.A. Murders 1991 – 2014

Here is a useful infographic from the spring issue of Blueprint, published by UCLA. Jim Newton has the cover story on Jerry Brown and an interview with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

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Fire Up the Lindbergh Beacon!

It’s December, which means it is time to fire up the Lindbergh beacon atop City Hall. Here it is, illuminating the skies over Los Angeles in 2014. Update: I wrote this post a week ago and put it on the … Continue reading

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Hector Tobar: ‘Deep Down Dark’

Hector Tobar, with Carolina Miranda of The Times, discusses “Deep Down Dark” at the Last Bookstore, photo courtesy of the Last Bookstore. We stopped by  the Last Bookstore last night to hear our old friend and former colleague Hector Tobar … Continue reading

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Mayor Garcetti Fires Up the Lindbergh Beacon

And yes, here is the Lindberg beacon atop City Hall, illuminating the skies over Los Angeles for Christmas Eve 2014.

Posted in 2014, City Hall, Downtown | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Shrinking U.S. Newspaper, 1896 – 2014

  Here’s an issue of the San Francisco Call from 1896 compared to a recent page from the 2014 Los Angeles Times.

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Septerhed on Display at Starbucks

Nov. 25, 2014. Septerhed’s latest drawing at Starbucks. Since I encountered them more than a year ago, I have been a fan of Septerhed’s drawings, a recurring feature at the Starbucks at Spring and 6th streets in downtown Los Angeles.  … Continue reading

Posted in 2014, Art & Artists, Downtown | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

James Ellroy: ‘Perfidia’ Update

We’re waiting to buy a used copy for the Daily Mirror library, so I haven’t read James Ellroy’s “Perfidia,” but I thought it would be interesting to see how it’s doing. “Perfidia” has yet to penetrate the New York Times … Continue reading

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RIP Chuck Bowden

Sad to read that Chuck Bowden died Saturday in Las Cruces, N.M. We overlapped at the local newspapers in Tucson in the early 1980s and for a few years he lived around the corner from me, between Broadway and Sixth … Continue reading

Posted in 2014, Books and Authors, Obituaries | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

James Ellroy and ‘Perfidia’: A First Look

  Following on its exclusive that James Ellroy was scripting a remake of “Laura,” The Hollywood Reporter posted an excerpt of Chapter 2 from Ellroy’s upcoming novel “Perfidia.” It’s a brief selection, and it may not reflect the entire book, … Continue reading

Posted in 2014, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Movieland Mystery Photo ( Updated + + + +)

This is the 1957 Warner Bros. film, directed by Howard W. Koch and starring Mamie Van Doren. It’s a rare exception to imdb’s practice of giving six or seven stars to every movie ever made.

Posted in 2014, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , | 55 Comments

Downtown Los Angeles Invaded by Hipsters With Dogs

The renaissance of downtown Los Angeles has brought us fancy bars, expensive lofts, pricey restaurants and sidewalks full of hipsters with dogs. Don’t get me wrong, I like dogs, I have owned dogs. But they don’t belong in eating establishments. … Continue reading

Posted in 2014, Animals, Downtown, Food and Drink | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments