Business is booming at one little shop in Burbank

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Customers waiting in line at Yogurtland in Downtown Burbank

While many local businesses are struggling in this tough economy, Yogurtland is packing in the customers and making serious money!  ”Business is very good.” Jamileth Mendoza, a shift leader, told me with a broad smile as she worked behind the counter last Saturday, June 26. I was out in Downtown Burbank when I noticed this crowded little pink shop near North San Fernando Boulevard and East Palm Avenue.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Yogurtland employee, Jamileth Mendoza, counts change for a customer

Mendoza, a mother of three and writer, has been employed at this Yogurtland since it opened 10 months ago. She says she really gets a kick out of watching the kids and the adults pump their own frozen yogurt into hefty cups and then load on toppings like fruit, nuts, cookies, cereal, candy, …etc  You pay according to the weight of your cup. Basic price: 30 cents per ounce.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Part of the Yogurtland experience is pumping your own frozen yogurt from a series of dispensers — offering an assortment of flavors including pistachio, Irish mint creme, Butterfinger, and pumpkin pie

I had to give Yogurtland my personal taste test. I grabbed a yogurt cup, pumped in Dutch chocolate, chocolate coconut truffle, and pecan praline, then topped it off with blueberries, nuts, cookies, candies, and, well, a lot of stuff. While the Pussycat Dolls played on the sound system, I sat down at a corner table and dug into my creation. After a while, Mendoza looked over at me, grinned, and said: “Delicious?” My mouth was so full, I could only nod. Mendoza laughed and went back to ringing up orders. Apparently my non-verbal response is quite common in this little yummy shop.

For more on Yogurtland, check out the company website.

Burbank City Council makes a controversial decision

A public hearing on a redevelopment project drew a crowd at last night’s Burbank City Council meeting. Actually, the public hearing began last April, but was postponed to allow more time for input from local businesses. The project centers on a proposal by Westwind Properties to create a “campus-like environment” in a Burbank industrial area by closing off parts of Spazier Avenue and Varney Street — between Flower Street and Elm Court. As part of the deal, Westwind gets to purchase the vacated city property for $67,000.

Many of Westwind’s neighbors, small business owners, fought the deal bitterly, but lost. Last night, the council voted 4-to-1 to approve the project with the dissenting vote coming from City Councilman Dave Golonski. This time around, the city council just didn’t rubber stamp the staff’s recommendation of approval.  For that, the council members should be applauded.

Mayor Anja Reinke insisted and got support from other council members to add a condition, which would require Westwind to open the proposed gate at Spazier Street should there be a need for large trucks to use that exit. It was a compromise. A way to move forward on the development of an area city officials consider “blighted” and to give some concession to nearby businesses. 

Burbank Leader reporter heading south

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Reporter Christopher Cadelago outside the Burbank City Council chambers where he covered many issues, debates, and controversies over the past 16 months

Reporter Christopher Cadelago has handed in his resignation at The Burbank Leader and is going to work for the San Diego Union-Tribune starting July 12. Cadelago began his newspaper career as an intern at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007. The U-C Berkeley graduate arrived at the Leader in March of 2009 and quickly made his mark as a talented hard working journalist.

Cadelago, 25, has covered all sorts of stories for the Leader as well as the nearby Glendale News-Press: from the Burbank Police scandal, to city hall politics, the crime beat, and an occasional feature like that cute story, back in May, about a family of ducks delighting visitors and staff at Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center. Oh, and I gotta mention that really good report a few weeks ago Cadelago did on the 500-plus Burbank city employees who are earning six-figure salaries. Folks are still talking about that article.

 ”I really enjoyed my time here. Burbank politics –public safety –never boring. I think we were able to get a lot of people, through both the Leader and your blog, talking about the issues.” Cadelago told me last week, when I congratulated him on his new gig as a beat reporter on the Union-Tribune’s metro desk. Definitely a plus for the Union-Tribune and, sadly, another minus for the Burbank Leader/News-Press. Happy Trails, Chris!

Kicking off the long July 4th holiday weekend with a warning

Go ahead, wave the flag, fire-up the BBQ grill, but don’t include fireworks in your personal celebration for the 4th of July holiday weekend. It’s illegal to manufacture, sell, possess, or shoot-off fireworks in B-Town and the cops will be out to enforce the law.

Here’s the word from a Burbank PD press release:

“Beginning Friday, July 2^nd, 2010, and through the weekend, the police department will have active patrols specifically assigned to the enforcement of firework violations.  The police department’s number one priority is to protect the safety of our citizens.  

NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) estimates that fireworks are responsible for 30,000 fires totaling over $34,000,000 damage.  At this time of year nationwide, fireworks are causing 7000 injuries and 7 deaths.  The injuries sustained are fairly evenly divided between “safe and sane” (legal in certain municipalities) and illegal fireworks (illegal statewide). 

The police department is asking the public to report any violations by calling the police desk at 818-238-3000.” 

Some good and not-so-good news for Oprah

The Forbes Magazine website calls Oprah Winfrey the queen of all media. Winfrey is number one on Forbes’ latest 100 richest and most powerful celebrities list. It’s not just the $315 million Winfrey earned last year that won her the top spot on this list.  You gotta have huge media exposure and online presence to make that ranking. Others who made the top 10, James Cameron, Tiger Woods, Sandra Bullock, and new pop music sensation/fashion daredevil, Lady Gaga!

Another reason Oprah is in the news –  a controversy swirling around a show on her yet-to-be-launched new network. The wrap is reporting that OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network due to debut next January, is accused of rigging the contestant selection for one of its upcoming reality programs. Details here.

“Toy Story 3″ leads the Box Office again

Two high-profile films didn’t quite have what it takes to unseat “Toy Story 3″ at the top of the domestic Box Office last weekend. The animated sequel continues to draw big crowds at movie theaters. Over the weekend, it racked up $59.3 million to bring its two-week total to $226.8 million.

Landing in second place, the new comedy, “Grown Ups,” which debuted with $40.5 million. It’s about a reunion of five friends and their families over the 4th of July holiday weekend. The stars include Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Scheider.

The new Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz action flick had to settle for third. The plot centers on a female traveler who’s life gets tangled up with that of a secret agent. “Knight and Day” pulled in $20 million at theaters.

The family comedy, “The Karate Kid” is still kicking – scoring $15.5 million for fourth, and rounding out the top five, “The A-Team” with $6.2 million.  

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Downtown Burbank Post Office at 135 East Olive Avenue

Businesses and city governments are finding all kinds of new ways to stick-up consumers with fees and extra charges these days. They blame it on the weak economy, but it just might be plan old greed. As of last Monday, June 21, the U.S. Post Office at 135 East Olive Avenue in Downtown Burbank is charging three bucks for after hours parking. That’s Monday-Friday after 6 p.m., Saturdays after 4 p.m., and all day on Sundays.

All the parking spaces, except the two for handicapped motorists, are now marked with bright yellow and white numbers. If you want to park and catch a flick or go to dinner it might be an okay deal. Still, I’m opposed, because I believe free public parking is one of the perks that draws visitors to Downtown Burbank.

Also, if you need to go inside this post office to send-off a letter, package, or pick up mail from a P.O. Box, or something like that after business hours, you’re getting screw-ah ripped off, cause it’s still three bucks to park. No grace period. No “in and out” — according to the posted signs.  Those that ignore the parking rules risk a $40 penalty or being towed.  

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — New paid parking signs are up at the Burbank post office on Olive Avenue

I posted a report in a City Buzz column back in March about the frequent parking violations in the eight spaces along the east side of this post office. Those spaces were clearly MARKED for postal customers. It used to be that during after hours, the large postal parking lot would be locked up tight. Many times, I’ve found all the east side building spaces occupied, only to go inside the post office and discover it empty. The reason: the parking spaces were being used by employees working nearby and folks watching a movie at the AMC or some other kind of activity in the area.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Three of the 8 parking spaces on the east side of the downtown post office in Burbank

 A crackdown on parking violators in those reserved spaces should have been part of a solution. Instead, all of the after hours parking at this post office is now paid. Go figure.

There is still time for postal officials to do right by their customers and help preserve the character of Downtown Burbank. First, the spaces on the east side of the building should be marked for a 15-to-20 minutes parking limit – and reserved for postal customers. And those restrictions have to be enforced!

Also, opening up the Olive Avenue postal parking lot is a good idea, but after hours public parking should be free to anyone who wants to spend money in the downtown area. Bottom line, postal officials need to withdraw this tacky paid parking decision and do it quickly.

I can just imagine what’s going to happen if something isn’t done about providing FREE after hours parking for postal customers at the downtown post office. Business will go down. In a few months, postal officials will be talking about closing this post office, just like they shut down the Burbank Magnolia Park post office back in May. Or they’ll go for their favorite solution, jacking up postal rates. The result, postal customers will be forced to pay the price for yet another poor management decisions by U.S. Postal Service officials.

Michael Jackson  (August 29, 1958 — June 25, 2009)

Kudos, flowers, tears, and memories are being shared around the world today for Legendary Entertainer, Michael Jackson, on this the first anniversary of his death.  Like millions of his fans, first I was shocked and then saddened, when reports of Jackson’s death were confirmed on June 25, 2009.

Later, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office would rule the singer’s death a homicide from a drug overdose. Jackson’s personal physician, Cardiologist Conrad Murray, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with his death. Today, the singer’s father, Joe Jackson, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Murray. Details in a CNN report here.

At the time of his death, the pop superstar was in the Southland rehearsing for a series of “This Is It” concerts. The poster for the first leg of that tour in the UK is shown above.

Photo: Raul Roa/ Glendale News-Press —  Fans gather in front of the Holly Terrace today, the mausoleum where Jackson was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale

 Locally, some fans came from as far away as England, Scotland, Japan, and Australia to either visit the entertainer’s star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood or his grave site at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.

Family members, including Janet Jackson, and brothers Jermaine and Tito, visited Jackson’s crypt at Forest Lawn Glendale this morning. Some photos of Jackson’s family and the fans are on The Burbank Leader and Glendale News-Press websites.

Also, the Stevie Wonder-owned Southland radio station, KJLH, is paying tribute to Jackson all weekend long by playing his music and remembering his life and legacy. I’ve been listening off and on throughout the day and evening — how cool– to groove to some of the old hits and album cuts I have never heard before. You can tune your radio to 102.3 FM or listen live on the KJLH website here. 

Burbank City Council approves new budget and utility fee hikes

Last night the Burbank City Council green-lighted a $785 million budget for fiscal year 2010-2011. The tally  4-to-1, with only Councilman David Gordon voting against the budget. As with past budget debates, Dr. Gordon was the lone member of the council fighting to try to “keep utility rates down.” 

I have watched this recent debate, week after week, and I do think the four other council members believe they are doing what is in the public interest. I disagree with them, and support Dr. Gordon’s position that with all the millions being spent in this new budget there should have been enough money to cap utility rates in these tough times.

Can you blame staff, many of whom live outside of Burbank, for pushing a budget with no layoffs and plenty of hidden merit raises for themselves, even in this recession battered economy? I guess not, but city council members should be able to see beyond the self-interest, but most do not.   It is up to the voters to send the council members a message they cannot refuse to hear — through the ballot box. Mayor Anja Reinke and Councilman Gary Bric are up for re-election next spring. Bottom line, if the makeup of the council remains the same, the votes on major issues like the budget will probably remain the same.

Under the new budget, water rates will be jacked-up 13.5% and electrical around 2.9%. And that’s not all. Trash and sewer rates will increase, too. By the way, one of the main architects of these fee hikes, Water & Power General Manager, Ron Davis, is up for a huge raise to his six-figure salary. Guess where that money is coming from? The city council is scheduled to formally discuss Davis’ pay hike at its July 6, 2010 meeting.

Burbank Police Commissioner resigns

 Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Police Commissioner Claudia Bonis listens to the discussion at a police commission meeting back in fall of 2009

A lot of chatter in Burbank about the unexpected resignation of long-time Burbank Police Commissioner, Claudia Bonis. The phones started ringing and e-mails flying about the surprise decision late Monday. Bonis’ resignation to Mayor Anja Reinke and the Burbank City Council, dated June 21, 2010, cites “personal and private reasons” for stepping down from the commission.

Bonis had been a member of the police commission for 9 years and was very reluctant, at first, to accept the new pro-active agenda pushed for by other members of the body. As one police commission watcher said, Bonis “has come around” in the past few months. She’s become a supporter of the upcoming town hall meeting and now sees there are real problems in the Burbank PD that need solving.

Recently I got a shock, when Bonis told me she reads and follows, “the blogs.”  Wow!  Bonis has been involved in community service for more than 30 years. Perhaps in the future, she might find a way to once again serve the citizens of Burbank.

Burbank residents complain about shoddy repair work

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove – A crew working on a sidewalk repair project in the Burbank hillside area in spring of 2010

Recently a homeowner over on East Angeleno Avenue near South Bel Aire Drive, gave me an earful about what she described as shoddy work and rude behavior by a sub-contractor doing ramp and sidewalk repair in the Burbank hillside area, late this past spring.  The homeowner complained and pointed out to me sub par work done on and near her property and spoke about similar problems over on Orange Grove Avenue. The homeowner wondered why Burbank city inspectors were not out keeping a closer eye on the quality of work. Oh, she railed about the unprofessional attitudes of some of the sub-contractor’s workers as well.

To get some answers, I shot off an e-mail to Burbank Public Works Director, Bonnie Teaford, on June 16, 2010 and got a quick informative response. Teaford identified the sub-contractor as Kalban, Inc. and said the company had completed several projects for the city of Burbank “over the years.”

I asked if Teaford had received any complaints about Kalban’s work from homeowners: “Yes. As with any sidewalk project when we are working directly in front of residents’ properties, issues arise and we do our best to resolve them.”

Clearly, there have been problems with Kalban — then, why keep giving this company city projects? Teaford’s answer: “They were the lowest responsible bidder.” This seems to be a citywide practice — low bidder, poor quality work, and later city pays a bunch of money for additional repairs. You’d think, city officials would have figured out, especially after the millions of dollars of repairs to the Police and Fire Headquarters, that paying a little more to get the job done RIGHT the first time is the prudent way to spend taxpayer dollars.

My adventures in composting

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — My free compost bin from the Burbank Recycle Center

Yesterday I fed my compost bin an assortment of goodies: wilted lettuce, tangerine peels, other fruit and veggie scraps along with pieces of paper, balls of lint from the clothes dryer, and hair clippings from my recent visit to the hair salon. Not my idea of a feast, but the little hungry recycling critters in the bin consider this gourmet faire. I’m pretty sure something is happening in the bin now that I’ve added some important premium players or eaters, red worms.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Master Gardener/Compost Expert,  Jessica Craven, gives instructions with wit and humor to attendees at the June 12, 2010, Burbank Sheridan Gardens Nursery workshop.

I dropped by the two compost workshops at the Sheridan Gardens Nursery on North Hollywood Way in Burbank a few days back. The Sheridan Gardens are lovely to stroll and browse or sit and learn.  Compost Diva, Jessica Craven, taught both workshops. Craven was the instructor for the workshop I took back in May, which got me into the compost groove.

Along with tips on how to build the compost pile and what to dump in it, we got some freebie including little baggies of organic potting soil. Also, I scored some red worms from Burbank Recycle Coordinator, Kreigh Hampel. The red wigglers are voracious processors of organic waste. The worms are supposed to be able to produce pounds of dark, nutrient-rich soil like material called compost in a matter of a few months. We’ll see. I’ll post future updates.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — participants at the June 9, 2010 Burbank Sheridan Gardens Nursery workshop give a plate of compost the sniff and touch test. This is the finished soil amendment waste recyclers hope to harvest from their compost bins.

Photo: FLLewis/ A Writer’s Groove — A man takes a late morning walk along Sunset Canyon Drive in Burbank

We’re easing into summer. No blistering 100 degree plus temperatures nor scorching sun beating down on us in Media City. Yesterday, summer officially arrived. On June 21, the summer solstice – considered the longest day of 2010 – we should have been drenched in sunshine. Here in Burbank, we got some low clouds and sun rays, with only a spring-like high of 73.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Roses in bloom in Burbank

This morning at 7 a.m., overcast skies and 61 degree.The forecast is for mid-80s temps today, which is the norm for this time of year.  A nice day to take a stroll and smell the roses.

Fans whoop it up for the World Champion Lakers

Photo: Don Barletti/Los Angeles Times — Thousands of jubliant fans cheer for Kobe and company as the Lakers joy bus rolls along Figueroa Street during the big parade in Los Angeles, June 21, 2010

A parade of purple and gold in Downtown Los Angeles today to celebrate the 2010 NBA World Champion Lakers. Thousands of cheering fans lined the route to give props to the players. Story and more photos on the Los Angeles Times website.

Also, a report on the Times site about the prosecution of some of those unruly folks arrested after the Lakers clenched the championship with a snail-bitting win in the finals game 7 at Staples Center.

Fans camp out for premiere of new “Twilight” movie

Hundreds of devoted fans of that the “Twilight” saga began camping out in L.A. Live Plaza near Staples Center in Downtown L.A. Today.  The fans are waiting for Thursday’s premiere of the third movie in the series, “Eclipse.” They’re not hoping for tickets — just a glimpse of the film’s stars. Nikki Finke’s Deadline.com/Hollywood has photos and more here.

“Toy Story 3″ a monster at the Box Office

As expected, “Toy Story 3″ dominated the Box Office over the weekend. The third installment of the animated film series debuted with a mighty $110 million to easily become the number one movie in the country. This family-friendly sequel gave the Box Office a huge boost — theater business was up 32 percent over the same weekend last year, according to Box Office Mojo.

In this third “Toy Story” movie Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toy-box gang end up in a day-care center  after their owner, Andy, heads off to college. Celebrity voices include Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen Buzz, Joan Cusack Jessie, and Don Rickles Mr. Potato Head.

The high-kicking money-making “Karate Kid” remake is still packing theaters as well. “The Karate Kid” dropped from the top spot to second place, earning $29.8  – bring its two week total to $107 million. “The A-team” battled its way to third with $14.4 million.

The comedy “Get Him to the Greek” landed in fourth with $6 million, and rounding out the top five, the 3D animation “Shrek Forever After” with $5.6 million.

The Burbank Leader goes after a blogger

UPDATE: June 20, 2010 — A new version of that controversial post is up on Semichorus blog and, you know, it’s more hard hitting than the first. Also, some pretty interesting comments on that post as well.  Check it out here.

Competition in the news biz is fierce, no doubt about it. Nevertheless, I was surprised to see the “Takedown Notice” posted over on the Semichorus blog last night. That notice is from The Burbank Leader and its parent company, The Los Angeles Times.

Be warned, if you click over to check out the notice, some of the language in that post is rather, ah, descriptive. Apparently, someone got upset about a post on that blog criticizing the Leader’s coverage of the Burbank cops recent arrest of a father whose 2-year-old daughter was found wandering around.  

This is worrisome for a couple reasons. First, Jim Carlile’s blog has scooped the Leader a number times in the coverage of the Burbank Police mess, city hall misdeeds, and so on. Also in the past, Carlile has used material from the Leader website to make a point about the newspaper’s coverage. So is this an effort to silence a competitor?

I read another blog called LA Observed. It’s a huge popular site. Kevin Roderick, the editor, has used material from the Los Angeles Times website to write some scathing critiques of the newspaper’s coverage, personnel changes/layoffs, and business operation. So why is it okay with The Los Angeles Times for LA Observed to do this and not okay for Semichorus to criticize a paper it owns, The Burbank Leader?

Lately, I got the impression the Leader has been attempting to improve its reputation and standing in the Burbank community with better reporting, a new look for its newspaper and website. In my opinion, this attack on a local blog/blogger is a serious setback for whatever progress the Leader was making.  

Update on political feud

I have more on those incidents involving local photojournalist Peter Musurlian, 43rd District Assemblyman Mike Gatto, and some of his supporters. Burbank Police Spokesman Sergeant Robert Quesada confirmed to me complaints have been filed as a result of two incidents.

The first complaint was filed against Musurlian on March 25, 2010.  Sgt. Quesada says:”It involved a confrontation between Mr. Musurlian and two other individuals that occurred March 24th in the area of the city council chamber.” From what I heard, Musurlian, who doesn’t mind being called a guerrilla journalist,  was chasing down then 43rd Assembly Candidate Mike Gatto and things got ugly.  Sgt. Quesada wouldn’t release anymore details because it’s “… an ongoing investigation.”

The second incident, reportedly happened at McCambridge Park on Saturday, May 22, 2010. Quesada says:”The information police received was that it was (a) disturbance between Mr. Musurlian and another individual. However, when police arrived, all involved were gone.”  But that was not the end of it. “Mr. Musurlian then came to the police station on June 2nd to file a battery report for what he said took place at the park.” No more details because this police investigation is also, “ongoing.” 

Burbank town hall meeting coming up in August

Photo: Buena Vista Burbank Library from the Burbank Library website  

The Burbank Police Commission is inching closer and closer to putting on that long-delayed town hall meeting.  From the discussion at last Wednesday’s June 16 police commission meeting, the only details that are solid are – the date, August 18, 2010 and the place, the Buena Vista Library. 

I won’t go into the convoluted town hall agenda plan proposed by two of the commissioners, Ray Adams and Elise Stearns-Niesen. To exhausting. This town hall meeting is supposed to be about HEARING FROM THE CITIZENS OF BURBANK. You don’t need folks to submit questions ahead of time for that.  Week after week, people speak at the Burbank City Council meetings by showing up and filling out a name card. It’s that simple.  Also, this is the way public comments are handled at the Burbank Police Commission meetings as well.

If the commissioners want time for city hall officials to promote themselves or city programs — let this occur BEFORE THE TOWN HALL MEETING.  That was the arrangement at the two city council-sponsored town hall meetings at the Buena Vista Library back in 2008. That worked. Why not just use the same format? That way the commissioners can put this town hall meeting on a fast track where it belongs.  It’s now about two months away — and the commissioners are still fumbling around over the format.

Dodgers’ Annual Father’s Day Catch event this Sunday

Photo: Courtesy L.A. Dodgers — The kicking Dodger Ticket truck will be on site at Dodger Stadium this Sunday, June 20, 2010, for the Father’s Day Catch event

The Los Angeles Dodgers organization is inviting families to come out and spend part of their Father’s Day at Dodger Stadium. The Seventh Annual Father’s Day Catch is a free event, which will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 20. The parking is free and fans can enter through the Sunset and center field gates. This is a rare chance for families to play catch right on Dodger field.

The first three thousand people get free Dodger dogs provided by Farmer John. Other freebies include Sparkletts water bottles and PowerAde supplied by Coca Cola.  Also, there will be music, Dodger fan clubs, the Dodger Ticket truck, and possibly some surprise guests to mingle with the crowds, too.

Lakers Victory Parade

There will be a celebration for the Los Angeles Lakers NBA 2010 Championship win on Monday, June 21 – however, it will not be the blow-out seen last year.  Even so, the price for the victory parade is expected to be around $2 million. The Lakers have volunteered to pick up the tab. Between 500,000 and two million fans are expected to line the two-mile parade route from Staples Center to the edge of the USC campus. Click over to the Lakers website for the details on the parade route and the celebration.

Photo: Wally Skalij/The Los Angeles Times — Lakers Superstar Kobe Bryant scores on Celtics Guard Ray Allen during the NBA Finals game 7 at Staples Center in Downtown L.A., June 17, 2010

It was not pretty, but a win is a win. The L.A. Lakers struggled by their rivals, the Boston Celtics, to win their second straight NBA Finals title at Staples Center tonight. The score was 83 to 79. Lakers, and especially Kobe, were shooting poorly, but they never gave up — despite being behind by several points most of the game.

Kobe was the game MVP with 23 points and 15 all important rebounds. After the game, Lakers Guard Sasha Vujacic, who made two critical free throws in the fourth quarter, explained his team’s winning record : “…when we play as a team no one can beat us.” This is the Lakers’ 16th NBA championship.

More on the Lakers, game 7, the fans, and the violence that erupted after the victory on the hardwood on The Los Angeles Times website.  

 A Southland lottery winner cashed in that missing $7 million SuperLotto Plus jackpot winning ticket last Monday, June 14. This is the unclaimed jackpot I posted about a few days ago. The ticket was bought in the 7-Eleven store at 3450 Overland Avenue in Los Angeles for the June 5 draw. Oh, the 7-Eleven gets a $35,000 bonus for selling that winning ticket.

 The owner of the lucky ticket wants to remain anonymous. According to lottery officials, the winner chose the annuity option and will receive increasing payments over 26 years, beginning with the first for $175,000. What are his plans?  The winner disclosed he intends to pay off some credit cards, some other bills, and take a long-awaited trip to Disney World!

Actress Demi Moore nails a $2 million book deal

Movie roles have been pretty slim for Actress, Demi Moore, lately, but she just scored a huge deal in the publishing biz. Over on Deadline.com, Mike Fleming reports Moore’s reps are working on the fine points of a book contract with HarperCollins. The word is this will not be a trip down memory lane. More here.

Screenwriting duo hook a deal to write “Monster High” musical

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are very busy screenwriters/producers these days. And they are making a lot of dough at it. Gough and Millar are the showrunners for the TV hit, “Smallville.” Also, they wrote such male-focused films as ”Lethal Weapon 4,” “Shanghai Noon,” and “Spider-Man 2.”  For a some variety, they produced last year’s “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” which rang up $80 million at the domestic Box Office.

Now Gough and Millar are working on a monster musical about the trials and tribulations of high school — as experienced by the off-spring of Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman. “Monster High” is based on a new entertainment/toy line from Mattel. The Hollywood Reporter has a nice write up on the project. 

Lakers blow out the Celtics in game 6 of NBA Finals

Photo: Robert Gauthier/The Los Angeles Times — Actor and Devoted Laker fan, Jack Nicholson points to the Celtics bench during game 6 of the NBA finals at Staples Center, Downtown Los Angeles 06/15/10

 The Los Angeles Lakers came out swinging and slamming in a must win game at Staples Center here in Los Angeles tonight. The Laker defense was awesome. Lakers trounced the Boston Celtics 89 to 67 in front of thousands cheering fans. But it ain’t over yet. The final “do or die” game 7 of this tough series between the two rivals is this Thursday at Staples.

Game notes and more photos on the Los Angeles Times website.  

White House party crasher lands TV series job

You might not remember her name, but I bet you remember the face in photos like the one above with Vice President Joe Biden and her husband, Tareq Salahi.  Michaele Salahi and her partner gained notoriety for crashing President Obama’s first State Dinner on November 24, 2009. A very bold duo. They took photos with the likes the veepee and White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, and then posted them on Facebook!

Yeah, the White House staff, Secret Service and other authorities got embarrassed and upset by the couple’s antics. But it paid off for them in tons of publicity and now a role on the new TV series “The Real Housewives of D.C” for Michaele Salahi.  Get more details on The Wrap.

Hollywood studios and agencies meet over Box Office gloom

The domestic Box Office was up this past weekend, but the bad vibes produced by the downturn of recent weeks still hangs heavy over Hollywood. So much so, that studio executives  are meeting with top Tinseltown agencies to try ti figure out what moviegoers want to see on the big screen, says Nikki Finke over at Deadline.com/Hollywood. And that may be a good thing for creators of original and fresh scripts. Let’s hope.

Hollywood shines at the Tony Awards

The telecast of the 64th Annual Tony Awards hit a soar note in the Nielsen ratings (down 6 percent from last year) with an average viewership of 7 million, according to TV by the Numbers .  Still, it was a super night at the Tony Awards for Hollywood stars with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Scarlett Johansson, and Denzel Washington winning trophies.

Also, Actor Sean Hayes is getting kudos for his hosting duties.  The Hollywood Reporter has a nice recap of Broadway’s big night, the best lines, the dramas, the musicals, and who won what.

Photo: Chuck Kennedy/White House  — Hundreds of chefs from around the country gathered on the south lawn of the White House for a “Let’s Move” event on June 4, 2010

 First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” program has expanded to include hundreds of chefs from communities all across the nation. Chefs from 37 states assembled at the White House on Friday, June 4, 2010 to support “Chefs Move to Schools” phase of the first lady’s program.

“Let’s Move” is aimed at fighting childhood obesity. The chefs will be paired with schools in their local communities to work with students, parents, school nutritionists and administrators. Mrs. Obama explained it this way: “And together, you’ll be helping students learn where food comes from, and develop healthy habits. You’ll be elevating the role of food in our schools, and working to create healthy meals on a budget…You can make a salad bar fun — now, that’s something — and delicious. You can teach kids to cook something that tastes good and is good for them; and share your passion for food in a way that’s truly contagious.”

Food Diva/Author/Cookware Designer/TV Chef, Rachael Ray, posted a story on the White House Blog today about the program and her own experience called “Cooking as a Way of Life.” Ray says: “Understanding what good nutrition means and the basics of cooking are some of the most important tools kids need for the rest of their lives. Knowing how to put together a good, nutritious meal really improves the quality of one’s life.” More of Ray’s post here, which includes a video clip, too.

The domestic Box Office is on fire again, thanks to the remake of “The Karate Kid.” Over the weekend the re-do of the 1984 hit, starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, demolished the competition with a debut of $55.7 million – to become the number one movie in the country.

The updated “Karate Kid” probably should have been called, “The Kung Fu Kid.” In the plot, a 12-year-old kid from Detroit and his single working mother move to China, where he’s bullied and eventually hooks up with a Kung Fu master who teaches him the art of self-defense. Oh, the producers of this new Box Office smash include the celebrity parents of Jaden Smith, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

The other big movie of the weekend, “The A-Team” got slammed by a kid not yet old enough to drive.  The film version of the old TV series of the same title, managed to ring-up only $25.7 million. The budget, according to Box Office Mojo, was somewhere around $110 million. This expensive action flick is about four US-Special-Forces-type soldiers who complete a mission in Iraq only to ended up framed for a crime and must then fight to clear their names. It was in development for more than 10 years. The cast includes Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Biel.

After three weeks at number one, the animated 3D movie, ”Shrek Forever After,” dropped to third place with $15.8 million. The comedy “Get Him to the Greek” earned $9.9 million, good enough for fourth. Rounding out the top five, the action/comedy/romance “Killers” with $8 million.

Fallout from the 43rd State Assembly Race

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — The Burbank Democratic Club hosted its 5th annual spring picnic on Saturday, May 22, 2010

It may seem like smooth sailing for Democrat Mike Gatto, now that he has been sworn-in as the new Assemblyman for the 43rd District, but some serious drama is still swirling around  him and that race. As of yesterday, for the special election to finish out the term of Ex-Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk website showed Gatto with 21,396 votes or 58.57% and Republican Sunder Ramani with 15,133 votes or 41.43%. Even though the counting of absentee and provisional ballots continues –Ramani has grudgingly conceded the race to Gatto.  

Gatto is now the favorite to win a full two-year-term in the November General Election. However, before Gatto gets too comfy in Sacramento he needs to deal with an ugly feud that may cost him some votes. Leading the attack on Gatto, local Guerrilla Journalist/Photog, Peter Musurlian.

I bumped into Musurlian ( I mean that figuratively) at the Burbank City Credit Union last Thursday. With no prompting from me, Musurlian went into a name-calling tirade about Gatto and some members of the Burbank Democratic Club. Musurlian announced he recently filed a police complaint as a result of a confrontation at the club’s May 22 picnic.

The reasons for the police complaint: Musurlian claims he was jostled, attempts were made to stop him from taping, and he was splashed with water.  He told me, the Burbank PD now has a copy of his videotape showing what happened.

I witnessed part of that heated debate. At the time, Musurlian was in full attack mode. I wrote about that  raucous exchange here. In a May 23 e-mail to me, Musurlian defended his conduct by saying “… if some of the Club members had not attacked me, I would not have reacted. I never throw the first punch. Asking questions is not starting a fight.”

Musurlian apparently has been hounding Gatto and peppering him with questions. From what I can gather, Musurlian adamantly believes Gatto has not been truthful with the voters — especially the local Armenian community. The Burbank Democratic Club strongly supports Gatto. Musurlian has some personal gripes against the club and some members as well. In Musurlian’s e-mail on May 23, he also called certain members of the club, “insecure bullies” and ”The protectors of Assembly Candidate Mike Gatto.”

Also, Musurlian disclosed to me on Thursday that a few weeks ago,  a member of Gatto’s campaign filed a police report against him. Yeah, maybe this is, tit for tat. Whatever it is, it’s ugly and from what I’ve seen, a re-match could escalate into something real nasty.

Steve Ferguson makes Burbank history

Photo: Courtesy Milton Alvarez-Ramos –Steve Ferguson, Newly Elected Chair of The Park, Recreation and Community Services Board in Burbank

Burbank resident/Community and Political Activist, Steve Ferguson, scored a double victory this past week. On Election Tuesday, Ferguson  was the second highest vote-getter in the race for a two-year-term on the Democratic Party Central Committee. Ferguson is one of 7 lucky candidates elected in the 43rd District. The committee works to get Democrats elected to various positions and offices.

Then last Thursday, Ferguson made Burbank history by becoming the youngest person ever to be elected chair of a city board or commission. Ferguson, 21, was elected Chairman of The Park, Recreation and Community Services Board. The Burbank High School graduate was appointed to that board when he was only 18. His involvement in community service began at 11-years-old!

Recently, Ferguson worked as the Volunteer Phone Bank Coordinator for Paul Krekorian’s bid for the Los Angeles City Council and as the Burbank Political Director for Nayiri Nahabedian’s campaign for the 43rd State Assembly.

During his one-year term as chair of The Park, Recreation and Community Services Board, Ferguson says he wants to raise “the profile of the board,” work with his “…colleagues and with the council to ban free-standing cell phone towers from our parks and city property surrounding our parks,” and “… ensure that the Park Patrol program has continued funding next budget year.” Ferguson admits he has “… a lot of plans, but limited time to accomplish them in so it is going to be a sprint!”

Pause for the Pledge of Allegiance

On Monday, June 14, National Flag Day and National Pause for the Pledge of Allegiance. The American Flag Foundation, which supports patriotic events focused on our flag, is encouraging all citizens and communities across the nation to take time out and join the “pause for the pledge” on Monday.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank City Council meeting, June 8, 2010

At last Tuesday’s city council meeting, Burbank Kiwanis Club member Sam Engel (in white shirt) led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Burbank Kiwanis Club has put out an open invitation for everyone to gather at the Burbank Tennis Center, McCambridge Park at 3 p.m. on Monday for a celebration.

It kicks off with a concert by the Burbank Community Band and then at 3:30 p.m., cash prizes will be awarded to the talented local school students who won top honors for their patriotic posters and photos. At 4 p.m. sharp, the Pledge of Allegiance — at the same time — all across the nation– people will be honoring our county by reciting that oath.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Burbank Mayor Anja Reinke helps Sam Engel show-off some of the winners in the Burbank Kiwanis Club’s poster and photo contest, at the June 8, 2010 Burbank City Council meeting.  Also, Engel is holding a proclamation from the city for Flag Day activities.

Jacaranda trees bloom in Burbank

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Jacaranda trees in bloom along Tujunga Avenue near Bel Aire Drive in Burbank

A sure sign of warm spring days — the blooming of the Jacaranda trees in Burbank. The purple blooms are stunning, but the flowers carpet the ground and leave behind a sticky residue.  Messy yes, oh well,  beauty has its price.

“The A-Team” movie and the dish on its development

“The A-Team” film re-do of the popular 1980s TV series reportedly has been in the works since the mid 1990s. No wonder there’s a long list of writers on the project. Nikki Finke over at Deadline.com/Hollywood has the dish on the behind the scenes dealings on the film and who got the best writer credit on it.

“The A-Team” and the remake of “The Karate Kid” are the two major movies opening in theaters tomorrow, Friday, June 11. Moviegoers have been cool to sequels and remakes lately –but you never know, these two flicks just might kick-start the Box Office into the hot zone. Then again, maybe not.

Ex-Disney employee remains free on bail after second court appearance

Bonnie Hoxie is no longer punching a clock at Disney, instead she’s in a heap of trouble with the Mouse and the law. The 33-year-old former assistant to a high-ranking Disney corporate executive appeared in a New York Federal Court yesterday.

Hoxie and her 29-year-old boyfriend, Yonni Sebbag, are facing insider trading charges.  They were arrested late last month in the Los Angeles area, allegedly for trying to sell inside information about Disney. The two are being prosecuted in New York–rather than L.A. — because they reportedly attempted to shop the stolen data to several investment firms in N.Y, according to Reuters.  

Yesterday, the judge allowed Hoxie to remain free on $50,000 bail. The boyfriend has been denied bail on the grounds he’s a flight risk. More here.

Wacky Emmy campaign for Conan O’Brien

Comedian Conan O’Brien’s new TV show doesn’t debut on TBS until the fall — but the network has still launched an Emmy campaign for the late night host. The campaign touts the NBC-O’Brien-hosted “Tonight Show.” 

Clearly, the campaign is geared toward stirring up buzz for O’Brien’s TBS late night talker, which debuts November 8 and it will be produced right here in Media City. More on The Wrap and Hollywood Insider.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Voters mark their ballots at a Glendale polling place, November 4, 2008

Go vote. The polls are open until 8 p.m. tonight.  Got questions or need to find your polling place, check the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk website, lavote.net.

More lottery winners in the Golden State. The winner of the $7 million SuperLotto Plus drawing from yesterday, bought that lucky ticket at the 7-Eleven located at 3450 Overland Avenue in Los Angeles. The winning numbers: 34, 4, 28, 11, 42 and the Mega number 26. Last Wednesday, another SuperLotto Plus ticket was purchased in the Northern California town of Santee and it’s worth $23 million.

And who can forget that KNBC news producer and her husband who hit it big and won the Mega Millions $266 million jackpot, last month.

Meanwhile, no one scored the jackpot in last Friday’s Mega Millions game, however, five players in California have tickets worth $168, 653 each. Those tickets have all but the Mega Ball. The numbers from that draw: 12, 13, 15, 17, 50, and the Mega Ball 23. These are just some of the California winners, in the past couple of months, who now have bank accounts in the serious black, thanks to the lottery.

The Mega Millions jackpot is stuffed with 26 million bucks. The next drawing is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 8, at 8 p.m.

“Shrek Forever After” number one again

For the third week in a row, “Shrek Forever After” is king of the domestic Box Office, but the achievement is overshadowed by the lackluster performance of a new crop of films. Audiences are not packing the theaters like they did last year at this time.

“Shrek Forever After” drew the biggest crowds making $25.4 million, bringing its three week domestic take to $183.2 million. In second place the new film, “Getting Him to the Greek,” which opened with $17.5 million. The comedy centers on a record company intern who takes the job of escorting an out-of-control British rock star to a concert in Los Angeles. Jonah Hill and Russell Brand star.

Another new movie,”Killers” landed in third with$15.8 million. The action comedy is about a woman who discovers, three years into her marriage, that she’s hooked up with a CIA hitman who has a contract on his head.  Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl star.

“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” earned $14 million for fourth place. Rounding out the top five, “Sex and the City 2″ with $12.3 million — bringing its two week domestic haul to $73 million. Box Office Mojo has more on the weekend movie derby.  

“Now You See Me” spec script sale

The cold spec script market warmed up somewhat with the sale of, “Now You See Me.” Screenwriters Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt sold their spec to Summit Entertainment. The script is a thriller with a hocus -pocus kind of twist. In the plot, a top FBI team takes on some of the greatest illusionists who create magic on stage while pulling-off a series of daring bank heists. The Hollywood Reporter has more on this deal and other projects involving these two hot screenwriters.  

Sandra Bullock re-teams with Ryan Reynolds for new flick

Oscar-winning actress, Sandra Bullock, is back in the mix. During the past few days, Bullock made her first official appearances since being hit with all that personal drama from her ex-husband’s infidelities. Before that, Bullock was on a high after winning the best actress Academy Award for, “The Blind Side.” Over the weekend, The actress dropped by “Spike TV Guy’s Choice Awards” and “The MTV Awards.”

Today, there’s buzz about Bullock and Ryan Reynolds co-starring in a new action comedy, “Most Wanted.” Bullock and Reynold clicked in the successful romantic comedy, “The Proposal.” That film debuted at number one its first weekend back in June of 2009, then went on to earn $162 million at the domestic Box Office and $317 million worldwide.  Details on the new teaming of Bullock and Reynolds here.

Voters head to the polls on Election Tuesday

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — A Burbank pollworker prepares to insert a voter’s ballot into the Inkavote machine to check for errors on Election Day,  November 4,  2008.

Jobs are hard to come by these days, but Los Angeles County officials are still finding it difficult to attract enough pollworkers for the Primary Election, this Tuesday, June 8.  As of last Tuesday, June first, The L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office was scrambling to fill about 200 pollworker positions at various locations.

Pollworkers get paid $80 a day, plus $25 for attending a two-hour training session. There still might be some openings at this late date — call the L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County  Clerk’s office at 1-800-815-2666 option 7 or visit their website  lavote.net.

Also, now is the time to pull out your sample ballot and begin to seriously consider the candidates and issues. Remember, there are two races in the 43rd State Assembly District. In the front of the ballot, the primary –candidates are vying for the chance to run in the November election for a full two-year term. At the back of the ballot, the special election in the 43rd State Assembly District to finish out the term of Paul Krekorian, who won a seat on the Los Angeles City Council last fall.  Krekorian’s term ends in November. Only two candidates are still in the running: Democrat Mike Gatto and Republican Sunder Ramani. I believe Gatto is the stronger candidate and he’ll get my vote.

There are a number of other races, along with several important ballot measures.  You’re snail mailbox probably has been stuffed with campaign literature recently. Oh, and those phone endorsements, my favorite (not); more than likely you’ve received a few of those as well. Still, have some questions and decisions to make?  Check out the local newspaper endorsements.

For the Los Angeles Times endorsements, check its website. The Los Angeles Daily news endorsements are here.  Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Election Tuesday.

Tension and tempers rise again in the Burbank PD

A stinging letter from the big honchos in the Burbank Police Officers Association, posted over on Jim Carlile’s Blog. You really have to wonder if those guys are part of the solution or the problems that are dragging down the Burbank PD. 

The Burbank Police Commissioners should take a gander at the letter and read the comments. Some commissioners seem to think the BPOA would be the first place officers take their complaints. Hmm, don’t think so. The commissioners should seek information from the officers themselves.

More celebrity farewells

 ”A Golden Girl” makes a sudden exit. Seventy-six-year-old Rue McClanahan had some health issues, but appeared to be on the mend. Then last week, she suffered a massive stroke and passed away on Thursday. More on People Magazine website.

A lot of tributes out there for legendary basketball coach, John Wooden, who died late Friday of natural causes at the age of 99. A good selection of stories, photos, memories, and reactions on the  L.A. Times site. 

Lakers and Celtics battle in game 2 of the NBA finals

Lakers go for a repeat at Staples Center this afternoon. Kobe and company beat the Boston Celtics in game one of the NBA finals on Thursday, 102-89. A lot of talk about a sweep. Kobe’s not dealing with that. The Laker star is quoted as saying: “We just want to win the series.”  More on the Lakers and the NBA finals here.

City Cruiser

 Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — A cyclist takes it slow and easy along West Verdugo Avenue in Burbank. Nice way to avoid the high gas prices and enjoy the city view.

Photo: Samantha Appleton/White House — Sir Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder performed their number one hit single from 1982, “Ebony and Ivory,” at a White House concert honoring the former-Beatle, last night.

President Barack Obama presented Entertainer, Paul McCartney, with the nation’s highest award for extraordinary contributions to American music and culture in the East Room of the White House, June 2, 2010.

In honoring McCartney , the president said: “And it’s fitting that the Library has chosen to present this year’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song to a man whose father played Gershwin compositions for him on the piano; a man who grew up to become the most successful songwriter in history — Sir Paul McCartney.”

Some of the other artists on hand to give props to McCartney at the White House bash Jerry Seinfeld, the Jonas Brothers, Faith Hill, Emmylou Harris, Herbie Hancock, Elvis Costello, Jack White, and Corinne Bailey Rae. More about the event on The White House blog.

Oh, the amazing concert from this celebration is scheduled to be broadcasted on PBS stations nationwide, July 28, 2010 at 8 p.m. EDT.