Lawrence K.Ho/Los Angeles Times
President Barack Obama arrived on board Air Force One at Long Beach Airport right on schedule, at around 3 p.m. today.
Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times
The president stepped off the aircraft and into the Southern California sunshine and waved at the waiting crowd. The first stop on his busy two day visit: the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa for a town hall meeting.
Folks in the ticket line pass the time by doing the “wave” yesterday. Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times
Despite spending hours in line just for a chance at a ticket for President Barack Obama’s town hall meeting at the Orange County Fairground and Event Center in Costa Mesa, many folks were in the mood to have a bit of fun by performing the “wave” yesterday.
Those fortunate enough to get tickets returned to the fairgrounds this morning to wait again. Hundreds of people have to go through some very tight security checks before the town hall meeting gets underway around 4 p.m.
President Obama is due to arrive on Air Force One at Long Beach Airport around 3 p.m. and will then go by motorcade or helicopter to the fairgrounds.
According to the Orange County Fairgrounds and Event Center website, the town hall meeting will be carried live by local TV station ABC-7. On the web, the meeting will be live at KCAL/CBS cbs.com and ABC-TV abc7.com
Also, KNX 1070 newsradio will be broadcasting the town hall live on its station as well as on its website.
Allen J. Schaben/ Los Angeles Times
At the Orange County Fairgrounds today, a long line of hopefuls waited for hours to get tickets to President Barack Obama’s town hall meeting tomorrow. Some media reports say as many as a thousand people were in line. KNX 1070 newsradio reported that some arrived as early as 3 p.m. Monday afternoon, even though the distribution of the first-come first-serve tickets did not begin until today at 10 a.m.
The tickets went fast, but some got lucky like Ralph Hardy, who says he tried to make it to the presidential inauguration of Obama, but his car broke down. Hardy wept when he scored one of the free tickets and was consoled by Adam Ripps. More photos on the Los Angeles Times website.
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times
The town hall meeting with President Obama is set to begin around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.
AIG build in Los Angeles. Photo by Fred Prouser/Reuters
President Barack Obama reacted with “outrage” today to news of the insurance giant, AIG, handing out $165 million in bonuses after receiving $173 billion in government bailout funds. At the White House, the president lashed out at AIG: “This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed.”
The president pointed out that regular folks across the nation are struggling to stay afloat in this weak economy without the benefits of government bailout money or multi-million dollar bonuses. President Obama says his administration will “… pursue every single legal avenue to block these bonuses.”
Right on. If American International Group insists on giving bonuses to the executives that helped wreck the corporation, then it should pay back every dollar, nickle, and dime of bailout money to the government immediately. The fact that AIG officials have the nerve to pay out these bonuses and then justify them, shows the need for more federal regulation of large financial institutions. Also, I continue to believe that AIG is too big to function as a viable corporation and should be broken up into several smaller companies.
Beverly Hills Courthouse
A Beverly Hills Superior Court Judge today cleared actress Lindsay Lohan of any probation violation. Lohan did not attend this morning’s court hearing, but her attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, did. The hearing lasted around an hour and Holley came out and told reporters it was just a misunderstanding, “… this was really much ado about nothing.”
There was some sort of mix-up involving documentation dealing with Lohan’s treatment program. Holley says the problem developed when the 22-year-old actress switched programs. The mix-up led to an arrest warrant being issued for Lohan, last Friday.
As part of a plea agreement for two 2007 DUI incidents, Lohan was sentenced to 18 months in an alcohol treatment program and three years probation.
FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove
About a month to go before the 2009 General Municipal Election in Burbank. The voters are being asked to consider six contenders running for three seats on the powerful city council. Major issues affecting businesses and residents frequently come before the city council, so voters need to seriously evaluate the slate of candidates. The six are the top vote-getters from a field of 13 in the city primary, last month.
Over on the Burbank City Clerk’s general election page some new information has been added. First, the ballot order for the General Election, which will be as follows.
1. Elise Stearns-Niesen
2. Garen Yegparian
3. David Gordon
4. Kimberly Jo
5. Jess Talamantes
6. Dave Golonski
The City Clerk’s Office conducted a random drawing to determine the ballot order. Also, on this website page are contact phone numbers for all the candidates, except Kimberly Jo. Interesting. The space for contact information is blank next to Jo’s name. I have heard grumbling from at least one Burbank resident about Jo’s apparent reluctance to provide a phone number where voters can contact her. If a candidate is hard to reach or unavailable during the campaign, it makes you wonder how connected to the community will this candidate be if elected.
The term for the three city council seats runs from May 1, 2009 to May 1, 2013. The general election will be on April 14, 2009.
Disney’s “Race to Witch Mountain” smoked the competition to win the Box Office this weekend with an estimated haul of $25 million. The science-fiction family adventure is a re-imagining of the 1975 film, ”Escape to Witch Mountain.” The story centers on a UFO expert who must protect a couple of kids with paranormal powers from an evil organization.
The real shocker this weekend is the elevator drop by last weekend’s top movie, “Watchmen.” The superhero thriller plunged to second with around $18 million, bringing its two week total to $86 million. In third place, “The Last House on the Left,” debuted with an estimated $14.7 million. It’s a remake of a 1972 horror movie.
The thriller, “Taken” came in fourth with $ 6.7 million and rounding out the top five, “Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail” with $5 million.
FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove
The calendar says winter, but the weather feels like spring already. A jogger and her canine companion enjoy a run along Kenneth Road in a Burbank hillside neighborhood recently.
Actress Lindsay Lohan is in trouble with the law again. Today the People website and other media are reporting that the Beverly Hills police have an arrest warrant out for 22-year-old Lohan. The Beverly Hills Superior Court issued the $50,000 warrant yesterday. It apparently relates to some kind of probation violation in connection with Lohan’s DUI cases nearly two years ago.
In May of 2007, Lohan was arrested after crashing her Mercedes. The actress suffered minor injuries in that accident. Two months later in July, she was arrested again following a dispute and a high speed vehicle chase. Lohan ended up pleading guilty to being under the influence of cocaine and alcohol. In a plea deal, the actress was sentenced to one day in jail, ordered to complete an 18 month alcohol education program, and put on three years probation.
Photo from starstories.astrology.com
A surprise development in the investigation surrounding the accidental drug overdose death of model/television reality star, Anna Nicole Smith, two years ago. Smith’s long time lawyer and boyfriend Howard K. Stern, and two doctors have been charged with providing thousands of prescription pills to the troubled celebrity.
Stern and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor were booked and released on $20,000 bond each late yesterday. A third person, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, is expected to turn herself into authorities sometime in the next few days. All three are facing several felony counts.
State Attorney General Jerry Brown says the investigation was launched in March of 2007. At a news conference in Downtown Los Angeles today, Brown had some harsh words for the accused: “What we have in this case is a conspiracy among three individuals and Howard K. Stern is the principal enabler and Dr. Eroshevich and Dr. Kapoor are prescribing drugs excessively to a known addict and using false and fictitious names all in violation of the law and all in furtherance of a conspiracy.”
On February 8, 2007, Smith died after being discovered unconscious in a Hollywood, Florida hotel room. A few months before, Smith had given birth to a daughter, Dannielynn. Initially, Stern claimed to be the father of Smith’s daughter, However, DNA tests determined Smith’s ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead had fathered her child. Birkhead has custody of Dannielynn.
On March 2, 2007, Smith was buried in the Bahamas in a grave next to her son Danny, who had died of an accidentil drug overdose in September of 2006.
Court sketch of Bernard Madoff (middle/gray tie) by Shirley Shepard/Reuters photo by Carolyn Cole/ Los Angeles Times
Some justice today for victims of that reported $65 billion Ponzi scheme ran by disgraced financier, Bernard Madoff. In a New York federal court this morning, the 70-year-old Madoff pleaded guilty to all 11 counts against him while many of the investors he cheated looked on.
Madoff, reading from a prepared statement, apologized for what he admitted was a worldwide scheme, which started during the 1990s: “When I began the Ponzi scheme I believed it would end shortly and I would be able to extricate myself and my clients from the scheme. However, this proved difficult, and ultimately impossible, and as the years went by I realized that my arrest and this day would inevitably come. I am painfully aware that I have deeply hurt many, many people, including the members of my family, my closest friends, business associates and the thousands of clients who gave me their money. I cannot adequately express how sorry I am for what I have done.”
Prosecutors say there could be close to five thousand Madoff victims, from middle class working folks to wealthy Hollywood celebrities. Officials say the investigation is not over. The search continues for co-conspirators and yes, the billions of dollars that Madoff bamboozled out of investors.
U. S. District Judge Denny Chin determined Madoff was a flight risk and therefore, revoked his $10 million bail. The judge ordered Madoff to jail. He was taken away in handcuffs as many of his victims cheered.
The Judge set sentencing for June 16, 2009. Madoff is facing penalties of more than 100 years behind bars.
More legal drama in singer Chris Brown’s domestic violence case involving his model/pop star girlfriend, Rihanna. Today the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Brown’s attorneys have requested a closed-door hearing. Hmm, this means no media or the public allowed.
The L.A. Times story suggests the focus of the hearing will be the testimony of some witnesses. The hearing has been set for Monday, March 23, 2009 before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg.
This may be another attempt at damage control by the Brown camp. Yesterday, the singer withdrew his name from the Kids’ Choice Awards ballot. That was a good idea. Also, there are reports out that Brown and Rihanna have reconciled and recorded a duet. If they think they can now go back to being just a regular celebrity couple, they need to get real.
It appears both careers and reputations have been tainted by this domestic violence incident/investigation: Brown more than Rihanna. Still at this point, I think very few people are interested in listening to a new duet on the radio by an alleged batterer and his suspected victim.
White House photo/Chuck Kennedy
This is Women’s History month. While some look back at the progress made by women, others look ahead at what still needs to be done. Yesterday, President Obama did both at a ceremony for the signing of an executive order creating a White House Council on Women and Girls.
President Obama said the purpose of the council “… is to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy,” Before the president signed the executive order, he paid tribute to the achievements and struggles of women in his family, his wife, his mother, grandmother and their counterparts across the nation.
The president said it is time for a coordinated federal response to the challenges facing females of all ages: ” So now it’s up to us … to ensure that our daughters and granddaughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements — and that they have opportunities their mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers never dreamed of. ”
Obama signed the executive order surrounded by some of the high ranking women in his administration and the government, among them House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Prominent women like California Senator Barbara Boxer and WNBA superstar Lisa Leslie were in the audience as well.
More negative fallout for singer Chris Brown because of that domestic violence investigation involving his pop star girlfriend, Rihanna. Today Brown withdrew his name from consideration for two Kids’ Choice Awards. In a statement a spokesman said: “Chris very much appreciates the support of his fans and the honor they have paid him in the way of nominations for Favorite Male Singer and Favorite Song,” according to the People website.
Media reports say Nickelodeon, the sponsor of the awards, has been bombarded by complaints wanting both Brown and Rihanna’s names removed from nominations. Yesterday, the entertainment company refused to do that. Today, Brown did the smart thing and bowed out.
The 2009 Kids’ Choice Awards winners will be announced Saturday, March 28, during a live telecast from UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.
Meanwhile, Brown is facing two felony charges from the alleged assault on February 8 and is free on $50,000 bond. Recently, Brown made a brief appearance in a Los Angeles Superior court where his arraignment was delayed until April 6, 2009. Brown faces a maximum of four years and eight months in state prison.
“Watchmen” the movie stormed the Box Office over the weekend, grabbing the number one ranking and making around $55 million. Even though fans have not gushed and cheered the way they did for “The Dark Knight,” the “Watchmen” flick is still making barrels of money.
DC Comics quickly moved to capitalize on the “Watchmen” movie success with a campaign called “After Watchmen … What’s Next? ” according to Publishers Weekly. As part of that campaign, DC Comics launched a new After Watchmen website today. This is a very slick and glossy site, which showcases a number of superhero, science fiction, and adventure graphic novels like “Batman: Broken City,” ” Wild Worlds,” and “Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm.”
In the Publishers Weekly article, DC senior v-p, sales and marketing Steve Rotterdam said, “We recognize that the success of Watchmen opens doors to new readers, and we’re more than happy to use this opportunity to bring new readers into our world.”
Also, the new After Watchmen website will probably be getting a lot of visits from Hollywood producers looking to create another superhero movie hit.
Los Angeles writer/producer Jessica Brody is celebrating one of those milestones that makes one do the happy dance. Last week, Brody got the word her novel, ” The Fidelity Files,” had been optioned for development as a television series by Marina Grasic, the executive producer of the Oscar-winning film, “Crash.”
St. Martin’s Press released “The Fidelity Files,” Brody’s debut novel, last summer. The novel is about a young woman who goes undercover as a “fidelity inspector” for suspicious wives and girlfriends who want their men put to the test. The novel focuses on the question women have been asking for eons: Is he cheating or not? Brody says the story came easily to her: “The concept of cheating has always intrigued me. And the idea that you can never really know what someone does behind your back. So I came up with a character who will tell you exactly what happens when you’re not around.”
”The Fidelity Files” is 432 pages, but Brody says she still has tons of material that did not make it into the novel. More than likely, she will get a chance to pitch some of those unpublished ideas for the small screen version of ”The Fidelity Files.” Brody is attached as a consulting producer on the show.
A follow-up to “The Fidelity Files” called “Love Under Cover” is due out in November. The 29-year-old writer also has a young adult novel, “The Karma Club” coming out next spring. And she’s still writing and working on a number of other projects as well.
At the top of Brody’s to-do list is a final polish on the first book in a new YA series, which she hopes to get a publishing deal for very soon. In a few weeks, she plans to get cracking on another adult fiction novel, too.
Brody was once an executive at MGM Studios, but she quit that full time job in May of 2005 to follow her dream: “I’ve always loved the mantra, ‘Do what you love and the money comes later.’ That was certainly true for me. I sold my first novel a year and a half after leaving the corporate world and struggling to pay the bills and I’ve never looked back or regretted my decision. Sometimes you have to just leap and trust that the net will appear.”
Photo courtesy: Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
Even a power hitter like Dodger Manny Ramirez needs to practice the bunt as he did yesterday at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.
