Burbank Mayor Anja Reinke officially opened a haunted house

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank Mayor Anja Reinke does the honors at the opening ceremony for the "Nightmare at the Museum" haunt at 907 North California Street in Burbank, October 23, 2010

The “Nightmare at the Museum” haunt was a smashing success. Steve Ferguson, Chair of the Burbank Park, Recreation, and Community Services Board and one of the organizers, reports over 2,800 people visited this Halloween haunt on California Street in Burbank last month.

They raised more than $4,000 for the Family Service Agency of Burbank.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G --Creepy crawlers dangled from the ceiling of the "Nightmare at the Museum" haunt, October 23, 2010

 The team that created creatures like these is gearing up for their holiday haunt with a nightmare before Christmas theme. So the Halloween haunt will be going through a transformation over the next few weeks. We’ll let you know when it’s up and running. Also, Ferguson says the team in the process of  selecting a charity for the donations of cash, toys, and canned goods.

One of the best decked out Halloween homes

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Halloween creatures invaded the yard of a home near Sunset Canyon Drive and Alameda Avenue in the hillside area of Burbank, October 2010

 Many homeowners in the Burbank and Glendale area got into the spirit of Halloween with extensive decorations and blow-up creatures.  One of the best, this home near Sunset Canyon Drive and Alameda Avenue. The blow-up creatures came to life at dust. On Halloween night, an eerie fog and other special effects greeted trick or treaters at this home.

Halloween fun night at a fall festival

The fall festival in the parking lot of the Glendale Church of Christ, on Glenoaks Boulevard, has become a neighborhood tradition. The games, the trick-or-treating, the chilly cheese dogs, handmade spider balloons and more. I was doing duty at the lemonade and punch stand. Also, I could not help noticing the adults appeared to be enjoying the festival as much, if not more, than the kids.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Frank King and daughter, Anne Jackson, join in the fun at the Glendale Church of Christ fall festival October 31, 2010

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Wil Jackson and Cameron Williams get into the spirit of Halloween at the Glendale Church of Christ fall festival October 31, 2010

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Space travelers Brice and Diana Tidewell and their son, River, dropped in for a visit at the Glendale Church of Christ fall festival October 31, 2010

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Trick or treaters scooped up goodies at the Glendale Church of Christ fall festival October 31, 2010

Photo: FLLewis/Media city G -- Samara Strayer handed out trick or treater candy to a couple of costumed visitors at the Glendale Church of Christ fall festival October 31, 2010

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- A serene scene at Grand View Cemetery in Glendale shot through a locked gate on October 22, 2010

 The gates of Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale will be open this Sunday, a few weeks before the anticipated start of the restoration. By the order of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr, the struggling 120-plus-year-old cemetery will also be open for visitors on Sunday, November 21, as well as Sunday, December 5. 

In an e-mail update this week, Attorney Paul Ayers, who is heading up the $500,000 restoration project, announced a landscape architect ”… has completed construction plans for irrigation installation and landscape rehabilitation…” for the beleaguered cemetery. 

The hiring of a landscape contractor should be a done deal by next week, clearing away for the restoration to begin. “We anticipate breaking ground on or about December 15, 2010,” Ayers said. 

Grand View appears to be making progress on the long road to recovery. In January, a multi-million dollar settlement was finalized in a class-action lawsuit against the cemetery. More than a thousand plaintiffs were involved in that suit. It was one of seveal  lawsuits filed against the cemetery after a state investigator in 2005, discovered thousands of human remains at Grand View had been improperly handled. Also, there were allegations of illegal business practices such as the selling of non-existing grave plots.

 Management and financial problems forced the cemetery to close down  more than two years ago. Since then, Grand View has been open to the public only periodically by a judge’s order.

Grand View will be open Sunday, November 7, from noon to 4 p.m.

Photo: Pete Souza/White House -- President Obama chats with White House staffer Cecila Munoz and Southland Radio Host, Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo at Univision Radio building in Glendale, October 22, 2010

President Barack Obama breezed into Glendale last Friday for an interview with Radio Host, Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, at the Univision Radio building on North Central Avenue. In this photo,  President Obama introduced Cecila Munoz, Assistant to The President for Intergovernmental Affairs, to Piolin.

The Spanish-language “Piolin Show”  is one of the top rated radio programs in the country.  More on the president’s brief visit to Glendale here.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- A look at Grand View Cemetery in Glendale through a closed gate, Friday, October 22, 2010

When I dropped by the beleaguered Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery on Glenwood Road in Glendale last Friday, a bunch of fresh flowers were sticking in the closed gate. Today, visitors will be allowed inside Grand View and can bring flowers to place on the grave sites of friends, relatives, and loved ones.

Grand View will be open from noon and until 4 p.m. today. A sign posted in the front of Grand View stated the long awaited restoration is scheduled to begin next month. For more on the problems at Grand View go here.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- The entrance to the 134 freeway off Central Avenue in Glendale was blocked off for a period due to President Obama's visit, Friday, October, 22, 2010

More than 37, 000 gathered in a park at USC to see and hear President Barack Obama’s rousing get out the vote for the mid-term election speech yesterday. Later in the afternoon, much smaller crowds clustered in Glendale on street corners, in restaurant doorways, wherever they thought they might catch a glimpse of the presidential motorcade. Yet, from what I observed, the Glendale crowds were just as thrilled to see the president come to town as the throngs at USC.

In an attempt to avoid the traffic snarls and complaints of the past, President Obama helicoptered to Bob Hope Airport on  board Marine One. Then the president rode in a motorcade to Univision Radio in the 600 block of North Central Avenue, for an interview with Radio Host, Eddie Piolin. The Spanish-language “Piolin Show” is one of the top rated radio programs in the country.

I missed the president’s arrival, but thought I could get a departure shot. However, by the time I found a parking spot on a side street and walked over to the blocked off 134 entrance on North Central Avenue, the presidential limo had made a quick getaway.

When I asked a group, including a man carrying a small child, how was it – I got big smiles and exclamations like, “Great!”  That reaction was echoed by Legal Secretary, Maria Castillo, who told me the crowd went wild when the motorcade approached at 4:03 p.m. : “People immediately started screaming & clapping. Everyone was very excited.  Especially when he waved at the crowd.”

Castillo caught the action in two photos on her cell phone.

Photo: Maria Castillo/Cell Phone Camera -- President Obama's motorcade rolled down North Central Avenue in Glendale and then onto the 134 freeway ramp, Friday, October 22, 2010

Photo: Maria Castillo/ Cell Phone Camera -- President Obama's limo makes a left turn onto the 134 freeway ramp from North Central Avenue in Glendale, Friday, October 22, 2010

 ALERT: Get your photos published on Media City Groove. No money, but you get credit and plenty of exposure on this blog and shout outs on the Media City Groove Twitter and Facebook pages. So if you take a photo of breaking news, or an interesting event or scene send  it to Media City Groove. I will not be able to use every photo — but some definitely will get posted here.

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. 

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.

Sunflowers for the King of Pop  

Photo: Lisa Burks/Freelance photographer — A generous flower merchant donates hundreds of sunflowers to brighten the Glendale crypt of Michael Jackson

The late King of Pop’s tomb is now filled with a huge collection of sunflowers — thanks to Jason Levin who runs a San Diego company called Sunflowerguy.com. On Friday, May 14, Levin loaded up a truck with 15-hundred happy face sunflowers and drove to Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale to deliver the special gift. 

Levin’s company is known for donating bunches of what the website calls “the happiest flower on Earth” to good causes. So it’s no surprise, that Levin took action after hearing a report that Jackson’s ex-wife, Lisa Marie Presley, was asking fans to send sunflowers to brighten the resting place of the legendary entertainer.  Apparently, the sunflower was Jackson’s favorite flower.

Local writer/photog Lisa Burk was there when Levin unloaded 30 large containers of gorgeous flowers at the Great Mausoleum Holly Terrace. Later, Forest Lawn personnel carried the flowers inside to Jackson’s crypt.

Photos: Lisa Burks/Freelance Photographer — Dozens of containers filled with hundreds sunflowers  are shown outside the tomb of the late Superstar Michael Jackson 

Burks has more great flower photos here.  Also, you can check out Burks’ posts on Michael Jackson and his fans on her website.

A great line from Director/Actor/Producer Woody Allen

At 74, filmmaker Woody Allen has slowed a bit, but he’s still in the entertainment business. Allen and some of his cast from his latest movie, “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” are at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera, this weekend.  

Sharon Waxman of The Wrap is in Cannes and was there yesterday when Allen made this comment about the final curtain call: “My relationship with death is the same, “ he quipped at the news conference after the film’s first screening. “I’m strongly against it.”  

Waxman has more on Allen, his film, and the festival here.

The final launch of Atlantis

Photo courtesy NASA TV: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on its final mission from Kennedy Space Center on Florida last Friday, May 14

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is on its farewell mission. Atlantis blasted off from Kennedy Space Center on Friday, May 14, with a six member crew and supplies for the International Space Station. Atlantis is scheduled to come home on Wednesday, May 26.  

It will be end of the line for Atlantis, after 25 years and more than 115 million miles. Details and updates on the last space journey of Atlantis on the NASA website. 

Adventures in gardening and yard care

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Master Gardener Jessica Craven gives instructions on composting to a workshop at the Burbank Recycle Center on May 1, 2010

I’m in a compost groove: recycling garbage into a rich organic soil amendment in a compost bin. Actually, I’m just getting started with this whole composting thing. The Burbank Recycle Center dropped off my compost bin last Thursday. On May first, I attended a free one-hour composting workshop at the Burbank Recycle Center on South Flower Street with around 50 adults and 10-12 youngsters.

Compost Expert & Master Gardener, Jessica Craven, taught the fundamentalists. The basic elements for producing compost are nitrogen, air, and moisture. Also, you need brown stuff (such as dried leaves, twigs), green stuff (like grass clippings, green leaves), kitchen scraps (all sorts of fruits, veggies, breads, paper towels, paper napkins, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags … etc).  

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Two compost workshop participants check out a sample of the finished product

Burbank residents in the class received free compost bins to store their brown and green stuff where it can “cook,” and microorganisms can turn the garbage into a dark, nutritious matter –  an excellent food for your yard, garden, and plants.

There are a lot of websites with information on different methods of composting and the assorted goodies that can be dumped into your mixture. By the way, more composting workshops will be held at the Sheridan Gardens Nursery on North Hollywood Way in Burbank next month. Call the Burbank Recycle Center for details and to RSVP (818) 238-3900.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove —Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery  09/20/09

Finally some good news for the beleaguered landmark Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale. I’ve been covering the story on this blog for more than a year. I got an e-mail a short while ago from Attorney Paul Ayers declaring a major legal decision: “Class counsel is pleased to announce a settlement in the Grand View Memorial Park class action lawsuit… The settlement includes compensation to class members and a $500,000.00 fund to be used to help restore the cemetery.”

Also in the notice of class action settlement document from the Los Angeles Superior Court, which was attached to Ayers’ e-mail, the proposed settlement is valued at $3,875,500.00 minus the half million for the cemetery restoration fund.  The lawyers involved in the class action will get a cut for their fees and that is estimated to be around $1,161,750.00.   

All those folks involved in the class action who want a piece of the settlement must file a claim with the Grand View Claims Administrator by December 7, 2009.  A final approval hearing for the settlement has been set for January 14, 2010 in L.A. Superior Court.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

The 125-year-old cemetery was once a lush green place of rest, but not anymore. Grand View fell on hard times a few years ago and most recently, it has been opened only periodically by the order of a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. The most serious problems for the cemetery began in 2005 when a state investigator discovered thousands of human remains that hadn’t been properly handled.

The class action lawsuit alleged a number of charges dealing with grave sites and the mishandling of remains: among them converting single-use graves to multiple graves and selling cemetery plots that did not exit. The settlement is separate from these complaints, the merits of which have yet to be ruled on by the judge in the case, Anthony J. Mohr. 

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

Most visitors to cemeteries come bearing flowers and mementos not rakes, shovels, and cleaning supplies. At Grand View Memorial Park in Glendale, there is a hardy group of visitors who regularly arrive at the struggling cemetery ready to put in several hours of serious work; from clearing weeds and debris to cleaning tombstones and grave markers.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

Grand View will be open tomorrow, Sunday, September 6, from noon to 4 p.m., and if you drop by you’ll probably see some of these dedicated visitors hard at work, no matter how hot and dry the weather conditions. Grand View, a landmark in the local Burbank/Glendale community, has been in legal limbo for several years. Most of the problems for the 125-year-old cemetery began in 2005 when a state investigator discovered thousands of human remains that had been mishandled.

The cemetery is no longer a lush green resting place with rose gardens and an abundance of shady trees. It is in desperate need of care, therefore, a crew of visitors/volunteers pitch in when and where they can.

Grand View is open only on certain days by order of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr. Later this month, Grand View will be open on September 20, and next month, on October 4 and 18. Grand View is located at 1341 Glenwood Road in Glendale.

 Almost everyday we hear heartbreaking media reports about the desperate search for a missing person. I was surprised to learn from the National Vigil For Hope website that there are more than a million missing adults and children in America. To make us all aware of the situation, vigils will be held across the country this Sunday, May 17, National Vigil For Hope day.

Here locally, the American Business Women’s Association Verdugo Glen chapter is among the community organizations supporting the Glendale National Vigil For Hope event. ABWA Verdugo Glen chapter member Lynn White-Shelby sent me an e-mail describing the goal of the upcoming vigil as “… an hour of prayer, hope and awareness for the thousands of missing people who may be ‘gone…but are not forgotten.’”

The local vigil will be held at the Glendale Civic Center, Parcher Plaza, 613 E. Broadway, in Glendale from 4-5:30 p.m. The event will include entertainment, fingerprinting for children and an appearance by the parents of missing San Diego area teenager, Amber Dubois. 

Photo of Amber Dubois: http://www.bringamberhome.com/

The Escondido girl was on her way to school when she disappeared on February 13, 2009. There are well organized searches for the 14-year-old each weekend. Also, a total of $60,000 in reward money is being offered in this missing person case.

 Photos: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

Despite its problems, Grand View Memorial Park, will be open to the public today from noon until 4 p.m. Only a few hours for those who would like to share some time on this Mother’s Day with relatives and friends laid to rest at this 125-year-old cemetery in Glendale.

The cemetery’s legal and management problems date back to 2005, when a state investigator discovered thousands of mishandled human remains at Grand View. More than a year ago, the neighborhood landmark was shut down and is only open periodically now with the approval of a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge.

Grand View will be open on May 24, June 14, June 21 Father’s Day, and June 28 as well. Grand View Memorial Park is located at 1341 Glenwood Road in Glendale.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

More bad economic news. Today General Growth Properties, the second largest mall owner in the country, declared bankruptcy. It’s considered the largest real estate failure in U.S. history. General Growth Properties and 158 of its U.S. malls filed for protection under chapter 11.

The Burbank Town Center is listed on GGP’s website as one of the properties it manages, but it is not involved in the bankruptcy filings. However, the Burbank Town Center at East Magnolia Boulevard and North First Street is a mall that is struggling to survive. Last fall, one of its anchor stores, Mervyn’s, closed when the chain went out of business; followed a few months later by the Circuit City store. 

For years, the mall has had difficulty wooing the kind of retail shops and chain stores that attract local residents and the thousands of people who come into the city for work and entertainment. The Burbank Town Center has had other troubles as well. Last August, I posted a two-part story ( Security Problems at The Burbank Town Center Mall, Part Two: Is The Burbank Town Center Mall Safe? ) about charges of poor security, intimidation, and retaliation from some of the mall merchants.

Meanwhile, GGP is trying to put a positive spin on its bankruptcy. In a statement on the company website and on the Burbank Town Center site the real estate giant says: “GGP has sought bankruptcy court assistance to restructure our finances and de-leverage our balance sheet because the collapse of the credit markets has made it impossible for GGP to refinance our maturing debt outside of chapter 11. GGP’s retail centers, office properties and master planned communities will be open for business as usual as the company restructures our debt. Our properties will continue to operate, our employees will continue to come to work and get paid, and shoppers will continue to shop. ”

Also, on the GGP list of retail properties not involved in the bankruptcy, nearby Glendale Galleria.

FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

During this Christian Holy Week the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is remembered and honored. In a rare arrangement, Grand View Memorial Park will be open twice in the next few days: Good Friday and Easter Sunday, noon-to-4 p.m. Visitors are welcome to spend some of this special time with relatives and friends laid to rest at Grand View. As in the past, visitors will be allowed to leave flowers and mementos at the gravesites.

 Grand View, a local landmark in Glendale, is in limbo because of legal and management problems. Many of the difficulties began when a state investigator discovered thousands of mishandled human remains at the cemetery back in 2005. Then about a year and a half ago, the cemetery was shut down. It is open now, for a few hours, on specific days by order of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr. Not the best situation, but at least it provides some opportunities for the public to visit Grand View.

 Grand View Memorial Park is located at 1341 Glenwood Road in Glendale.

FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove  — Visitors at Grand View cemetery during a recent opening.

The gates of Grand View Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale will once again be open for a few hours tomorrow, Sunday, March 22. This is one of a series of openings ordered by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr. The 125-year-old cemetery is considered to be a landmark by many in the nearby community; both Burbank and Glendale residents.

Grand View has fallen on hard times and it has little to do with the economic meltdown. Most of the cemetery’s troubles began back in 2005, when a state investigator discovered thousands of human remains that had been stored improperly. Since then, Grand View has been bogged down with legal actions and management difficulties. A year and a half ago, Grand View was shut down, but it opens periodically for families and friends of those laid to rest at the cemetery.

The  future 2009 visitations will be as follows: April 10 Good Friday, April 12 Easter Sunday, April 24 Armenian Genocide remembered, April 26, May 10 Mother’s Day, May 24, June 14, June 21 Father’s Day, and June 28. The cemetery gates are open from 12:00 p.m. until 4 p.m. during visitations. 

FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

Historic Grand View Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale is still struggling under the weight of an uncertain future. The neighborhood cemetery is scheduled to be open today by court order from noon until 4 p.m. On December 8, 2008, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr approved a series of public openings at Grand View through June of this year.

You might remember, the 125-year-old Grand View has been caught up in legal wrangling and management problems since 2005, when a state investigator discovered thousands of human remains at that cemetery that had been mishandled. Caught in the middle are relatives and friends of those buried at Grand View who would like to visit the cemetery, which has been closed for more than a year and a half. The answer: a series of public visitations.

I dropped by Grand View several weeks ago during one of the openings. The grounds were greener; thanks to recent rains and from the use of the cemetery watering system. However, there was only a handful of volunteers trying to supervise the opening and assist visitors. What they need they say are more volunteers.

If you’re interested, talk to one of the volunteers at the Grand View opening today or contact the law office of David Baum (310) 312-9598. Grand View is located at 1341 Glenwood Road in Glendale.

President Barack Obama is not only making news on the economic front, but in the comic book world as well. Today Marvel Comics  released a fifth edition of its now famous Amazing Spider-Man # 583 featuring President Obama: “After numerous sold out printings, Marvel is going back to press with a record fifth printing arriving in stores February 18. Now’s your chance to experience the story uniting President Barack Obama with the character that, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he named his favorite super hero!”

 The first Spidey-Obama comic hit stores on January 14, 2009. Even when the original price of $3.99 jumped to $40 in some places, the issue sold out in a flash! Marvel quickly went back to press for a second, third, fourth, and now a fifth edition with the Lincoln Memorial on the cover.

 I dropped by the House of Secrets on Olive Avenue In Burbank around 11:30 this morning hoping to pick up a copy of the new Spidey-Obama comic. Well, I got disappointed like many others who called or came into this comic book shop today. New comics are released on Wednesdays, but House of Secrets Manager Erik Warfield says for some unknown reason their order of the new Spidey-Obama comic did not come in.

So I took a drive to Legacy Comics and Cards on Wilson Avenue in Glendale and got lucky. Legacy had the new fifth edition of the Spidey-Obama comic, along with copies of the second, third, and fourth editions. The price was $3.99 each, except for the second edition, which was $9.99.  Assistant Manager Aaron Eaton says the second edition cost more because its yellow background has attracted a lot of interest from collectors. 

The Spidey-Obama comics are on sale at speciality & novelty shops, as well as online at websites including  Amazon.

FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

Four copies of the first edition of that special Obama/Spidey comic went on sale for $40 at Legacy in Glendale 01/14/09.

Marvel Comics’ special inauguration issue of “Amazing Spider-man” dropped yesterday and the company is already planning a second edition. Some folks who were able to find and buy a copy were thrilled, while those who could not find the issue were understandably disappointed. Now, here’s some good news.  The word is there will be plenty more copies hitting comic book shops next month.

At the House of Secrets in Burbank, the doors opened at 11 a.m. yesterday and an hour and a half later all copies of the regular cover version of “Amazing Spider-Man” 583 were sold. I stopped by there in the afternoon. Manager Erik Warfield was still getting inquiries about the special Obama/Spidey issue, “every other phone call … since last Friday.” 

Warfield and owner Paul Grimshaw say they were as disappointed as frustrated would-be buyers that they did not get more copies of the special issue. They received only 70 regular issues and 45 of them were pre-paid orders. Apparently, retailers received an allotment of the the issues calculated on a complex formula based on certain previous orders.

Over in Glendale, Legacy Comics and Cards got only 30 of the regular Obama/Spidey issue and those were sold through pre-orders before the store opened its doors at 11:30 a.m. Legacy fared better than many retailers in that it got 47 copies of the limited special issue with the president-elect and Spidey on the cover. Twenty-three of those were pre-paid. When I picked up my copy of that issue at 3 p.m. they had only four copies left.

Aaron Eaton, who has worked at Legacy seven years, says some buyers were very determined to get that limited special issue. One woman, who happened to be in Las Vegas yesterday, had a co-worker pick up her copy. Another lives in Pennsylvania  and could not find it there — so she had her mother buy a copy at Legacy. Also, while I was at Legacy, local Telemundo anchor Jose Ronstadt came in and bought two copies of the limited special issue.

 Still for some the price tag of $40 for the limited special issue was too much. I saw a mother and a young boy leave empty handed for that reason. However, they’ll get another chance. The second edition of the special inauguration issue of  “Amazing Spider-Man” is due in stores on Wednesday, February 11, 2009. 

Barbara Davidson/Los Angeles Times

A firefighter cleans up debris on Christmas Day at the gutted Covina home where a gunman killed nine people before taking his own life.

Bruce Jeffrey Pardo apparently had a hit list when he stormed the Covina home of his ex-in-laws on Christmas Eve dressed in a Santa costume. Police are saying now that Pardo, who gunned down nine people at the holiday party and then torched the home, had planned to take out his 72-year-old mother and his ex-wife’s attorney as well.

Covina Police Lieutenant Pat Buchanan says Pardo was “… intent on killing his mother … on the date of December 24.”  Pardo’s mother, Nancy Windsor, was supposed to be at Alicia and Joseph Ortega’s annual Christmas Eve party, but she canceled at the last minute because of illness. Pardo reportedly fell out with his mother after she sided with his ex-wife Sylvia in a bitter divorce.

Pardo, a 45-year-old unemployed engineer, committed suicide at his brother’s home in Sylmar hours after the attack on the Ortega home. However, Pardo’s spree of violence and destruction was not over yet. He had set a booby-trap in his rental car. It exploded, but no one was hurt. Then last Saturday, authorities discovered a second vehicle rented by Pardo on Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale. Bomb experts from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department found a number of items in the 1999 Toyota Rav 4 including gasoline, but no trigger device.

The Toyota was parked near the home of Sylvia Pardo’s attorney, Scott Nord. Investigators believe that Pardo had planned to whack Nord. Pardo was forced to change his plans, which included an escape to Canada, after he was seriously burned in the Christmas Eve party rampage. Miraculously,16 people survived that attack. Still missing are Pardo’s ex-wife Sylvia, her parents, two of her brothers and their wives, a sister, and a nephew.

Last night, several hundred people gathered at a community meeting in Covina to try to come to grips with what happened on Knollcrest Drive Christmas Eve. Police provided an update on the investigation. Also, counseling information was handed out.

A fund has been set up for the victims that include around a dozen children who lost one or both parents. Donations can be sent to the Ortega Family Fund c/o Law Offices of Scott J. Nord, 500 North Brand Boulevard, Suite 550, Glendale, CA  91203.

FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove – Burbank

In and around Burbank, many residents have been gearing up for Halloween for weeks now. Some of the home decorations were up as early as mid-September. Some are pretty elaborate with colored lights, gravestones lining the walkways, huge blow-up pumpkins and creepy characters. My favorite Halloween duo; a couple of homespun scarecrows.

More and more adults are joining the kids in dressing up and getting their ghoul-on. This year there’s an extra treat for those living in the Burbank and Glendale area. The Church of Christ at 2021 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale is holding its annual Fall Family Festival on Halloween, Friday October 31. There will be food, fun, games, and a chance for the kids to trick or treat. For more information check the church’s website  www.glendalechurchofchrist.org