On Monday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury ruled in favor of the city of Burbank in the discrimination/retaliation lawsuit trial of Burbank Police Officer Cindy Guillen-Gomez. In an article up on the Burbank Leader website, City Attorney Amy Albano is quoted as saying: “We believed that Ms. Guillen had not been discriminated against or retaliated against . We are pleased that the jury system worked for us in this case.” Wait, wait! It may be a little early for city officials to be high-fiving each other. I’m hearing an appeal is being seriously considered.

A well-connected source tells me the jurors were leaning toward ruling in Guillen-Gomez’s favor and giving her a six-figure award, however, the judge’s late decision to toss out most of the officer’s complaints tied their hands. Judges have been wrong, trial verdicts overturned — so this case may not be a closed book just yet.

In the past few months, the city has lost two of these BPD lawsuit cases and won one. Not a great score. The city has spent millions fighting these cases — reportedly as much as $3.4 million on Guillen-Gomez’s case alone. Also, the city has handed over millions for new programs, consultants, and changes in the BPD since a slew of  lawsuits were filed against the department beginning in 2009.  In the Leader article City Attorney Albano addresses this: ”It’s my understanding that the complaints happened before the changes with the current command staff.” You gotta wonder, if Guillen-Gomez’s case and the others were without merit, then why was it necessary to bring in Interim Police Chief Scott LaChasse and his team to make some sweeping and very expensive changes?

Walt Disney Studio wasted no time in greenlighting a sequel to its mega-hit, “Marvel’s The Avengers.” Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed today what most suspected, that there will be a second teaming of “The Avengers” for the big screen. The superhero flick had a super opening weekend and has performed extremely well in foreign markets.  Deadline.com has more on “The Avengers 2,” plus some interesting comments about the blockbuster film and its sequel.

A website set up by Harley-Davidson is breaking down that stereotype about motorcycle riders. Not all are men. Some are hard riding, fun loving women. There are inspirational stories by women about why they ride on the site. Photos as well.

“Women who ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles – and those who are passionate about learning – have amazing stories of empowerment to share,” said Amanda Lee, Manager of Public Relations Outreach for Harley-Davidson, in a PRnewswire release.

They’re also looking for more stories from females who love to ride and those looking to learn. For more check out the Buzz Wall at Harley-davidson.com/voices .

Some of those hard working employees at the Internet giant Yahoo are getting shown the door today. Two thousand employees are being sacrificed”…as part of an overall plan to reshape the Company for the future,” Yahoo says in an SEC filing, according to deadline.com. No word yet on how many of the Yahoo employees working in Burbank will get the axe. Yahoo reportedly has around 14,000 employees.

While these workers are kicked to the curb, behind the scenes, there’s drama going on over the direction and control of the company. Details here.

The Burbank Coordinating Council has a new connection on the Internet — a new website!  There’s info on sending needy kids to camp, sharing with our community through the Holiday Baskets program, photos, and an easy donate page. Check it out at  Burbankcoordinatingcouncil.org

New feature on Deadline.com showcases jobs in the entertainment industry, among the listing an opening for a senior product management assistant over at the Disney Studios here in Burbank. On the list, jobs at Paramount, Sony, Showtime, Fox, and the BBC at locations in Burbank and elsewhere. Also, a number of search and resume tools to help in that hunt for a new gig. Well worth checking out.

Clear Channel Radio looking for promotion assistants to represent the station at events throughout the Southland. Details over on the Verdugo Jobs Center website.

Several new job openings with the Dodgers, including part time community affairs summer associate, assistant security manager, and fan services representative. The deadline to apply for these positions is March 16, 2012. Details and requirements over on the team website www.dodgers.com .

I got a busy to do list, which seems to be getting longer and not shorter! Working on changes, upgrades, and new features  for Media City Groove among other things. New postings soon.

“Jadoo”  by writer/director, Amit Gupta, has a deal and is now on the really fast track.  That’s a great start to the new year for one filmmaker.  Done Deal Pro reports Gupta is repped by Abram Nalibotsky over at Gersh.

Based on Gupta’s family experience, the story revolves around  two feuding twin brother chefs who set up rival restaurants across from each other, leaving it up to a daughter, 20 years later, to try to bring them back together to cook her wedding feast.

AIR productions greenlighted the comedy feature and Nikki Parrot of Tigerlily Films is co-producing. The cameras are set to roll on “Jadoo” in March, according to Variety.

The Hollywood award season is in full swing.  Today the Hollywood Foreign Press Association released its list of nominees for the 69th annual Golden Globes. “The Artist,” “The Descendants”,  and “The Help” got the most film nominations. All three films have Oscar buzz.

Check out the Golden Globes website for a complete list of the nominations. The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony is next month, January 15,  5 p.m. on NBC.

The reboot of local news, video, and features website, Burbanknbeyond.com is  out to shake up the Media City and grab a bigger chunk of the online audience. There is probably more Burbank news, sports, and events on BurbanknBeyond than any other website. Now B-and-B is even better.

The new look of Burbanknbeyond debuted a few weeks ago with numerous upgrades, better organization of stories, and a much more readable front page. Executive Editor and driving force behind the site, Craig Sherwood, says more tweaks and improvements are on the way.

Here’s a Q&A with Sherwood about the site, where it started and where he wants to take it.

1. BurbanknBeyond has a dramatic new look, what are some of the major changes and why did you feel they were necessary?

When I started BurbankNBeyond back in April of 2010, I had a limited amount of experience as a website designer.  My goal at that time was to try and provide Burbank with a daily news source since all there existed was a twice weekly newspaper with a limited website and a bi-weekly paper with no web presence.  I found after about a year that the idea was working, but the website I had created was not able to keep up with or reflect the constant changes and updates.  I looked around at different media outlets and found most used a WordPress template, so I decided to go in that direction.  I taught the media department at Crespi High School for nine years and had some extremely talented students who went on to college and studied web design, so I turned to Matthew Majcher and started working out the new design.  What I was looking for was a fast paced layout, but something that would also archive past stories so that they were easy to find.  I thought it was very important to incorporate social media so people could interact as well as having areas where people could leave comments.  I had to also incorporate our videos since we are the only full content Burbank media outlet that offers video which hopefully makes us unique.  Bottom line was we had to redesign if we wanted to be a player.

2. In terms of readership, BurbanknBeyond has seen considerable growth, right?

Our growth has been amazing once the word started spreading.  I have the site hosted with Go Daddy and they send out a daily report of hits and locations.  In July of 2010 we were at about 5,000 hits a day and by July, 2011 we were averaging about 20,000 a day.  Once we launched the new design, we are now averaging about 35,000 a day with 3 different days we have exceeded 50,000.  What is interesting is that about 60% are from Burbank, 20% from Glendale and North Hollywood/Toluca Lake, and the rest all over the United States.

3. Is it part of your plan to actively challenge The Burbank Leader for the position as the main local news source in Burbank?

I would love to challenge the Burbank Leader as the main news source for Burbank but it is just not possible, yet.  Let’s face it, the Leader is part of the L.A. Times, and as much as Leader people will deny it, they do have resources from the Times that go into their local coverage.

 At what we do, I think my staff does beat the Leader for daily news, since we are all located and live in Burbank.  We know the City and the people.

I am also currently working to find some more people who can write a City Hall beat, school beat, and a couple of other areas that I have ideas about but can’t discuss because if I do it will give someone else that idea.  Right now I know most people come to us first when there is a big accident or fire or big event in the City, once I can get the editorial content daily I know that we will be a player.  I know the issues and the stories that people in Burbank want to know about, I just don’t have the resources to get the information out yet.  There are 100′s of untold stories in this city.  Hopefully things will start changing with this new design.

4. If there is something else you would like to add, go ahead.

I think the news business has no idea what the future holds.  Everyone is convinced that on-line is the future yet trying to find the revenue that will support it is tricky.  With that said, I think local news will always be the key and people will always seek out what is going on in their neighborhood that affect their daily lives.

Hopefully this new design will attract advertisers and once that happens I have no doubt that BurbankNBeyond will become the first choice for people in Burbank.

###

Craig Sherwood writes a column for BurbanknBeyond, “Thoughts From The Bullpen.” You can check it out here.

Now that we’ve stuffed ourselves with the Thanksgiving fixings, it’s off to the stores and malls to stuff shopping bags with deals and bargains. Wait, not so fast. Black Friday may not really be the day to get the best prices for your holiday items and gifts.

A study conducted from mid-November to mid-December 2010 by Consumer Reports and Decide.com discovered “… the lowest prices of the season on the included items were not on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, the day following the Thanksgiving weekend. For example, more than a quarter of the recommended TVs and cameras were at least 5 per cent cheaper between Cyber Monday and December 13 than they were earlier, including during the Black Friday weekend.”

“There’s no doubt you can score some incredible bargains by getting up extra early or staying up past your bedtime to take in the midnight madness sales,” says Consumer Reports’ senior editor and shopping expert Tod Marks in a PR Newswire release. “But retailing trends suggest that the opportunity to score a great deal won’t end this weekend. So there’s no need to panic.”

So shop if you must today — but buy only if you think it’s truly a great deal.

Spike TV is extending a helping hand to veterans searching for work and the companies that offer them jobs.  Last Friday, on Veterans Day, Spike TV launched  its new “Hire A Vet” campaign.

The campaign will be spotlighted on the cable channel’s new “Hire A Vet” website. The site is a resource for job hunting veterans and it will salute the companies that hire them.

“Spike TV is honored to assist this country’s veterans– real-life heroes who represent the best of what our country is about,” said Kevin Kay, Spike TV president, in an announcement on the new website’s blog. “These young men and women who have bravely served their country are now making the often difficult transition from military service to the general workforce. Hire-A-Veteran is designed to help in that process.” More details here.

President Barack Obama placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery today in honor of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. In his remarks after the ceremony, President Obama expressed thanks to all veterans  — on this Veterans Day — for their service, sacrifice, and accomplishments.

President Barack Obama:

Here, where our heroes come to rest, we come to show our gratitude.  A few moments ago, I laid a wreath to pay tribute to all who have given their lives to our country.  For even though this is a day we rightly honor America’s veterans, we gather today in solemn respect -– mindful that we are guests here; mindful that we share this hallowed space with a family’s moment of quiet grief; mindful that many veterans not far from here are tracing their fingers over black granite for friends who never came home –- and expect us to do all we can to bring every missing American service member home to their families.

To all our nation’s veterans:  Whether you fought in Salerno or Samarra, Khe Sanh or the Korengal, you are part of an unbroken chain of men and women who have served this country with honor and distinction.  On behalf of a proud and grateful nation, we thank you.

Full text of the president’s remarks here on the whitehouse.gov website.

Evan Spiliotopoulos to rewrite “Asteroids” for Universal Pictures— This busy screenwriter picks up another big assignment. Universal has hired Spiliotopoulos to rework “Asteroids” based on the 1970′s Atari video game. Original script by Matt Lopez.

Spiliotopoulos is repped by UTA. More here on Variety.

Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair’ hired to write “The Girl Who Conned the Ivy League” — Shafer and Vicknair are two hot screenwriters on the fast track. This project is based on a Rolling Stone magazine article about the true story of a woman who conned her way into Columbia University using a fake identity. Amanda Seyfried may star.

Shafer and Vicknair are repped by UTA.  More on deadline.com

“Dreamt” by Andrew Alexander— Safady Entertainment announced the purchase of this spec script on Monday, November 8. In a PR Newswire release company co-founder/producer, Gary Safady, talked about the acquisition: “We’re excited to tell a thrilling, exciting story with an amazing twist to it,” said Safady, adding: “The script has all the elements for intrigue and fascination to capture the audience from the opening frame of the film. Andrew has crafted an amazing story in the vain of Memento and Fight Club.”

“Dreamt” is about two men who have a supernatural connection through their dreams, but when they discover each others existence, one will stop at nothing to take over the life of the other. “The Hills Have Eyes II ” director, Martin Weisz, is attached to the project. Principal shooting  on this psychological thriller is set to get underway next April.

Weisz is represented by Anonymous Content. Screenwriter Andrew Alexander’s rep is Original Artists.

A huge sigh of relief in the Southland today. Frank McCourt, the embattled owner of the Dodgers, has agreed to sell the team. Bill Shaikin over at the Los Angeles Times broke the story on Monday evening that a plan was in the works between McCourt and Major League Baseball.

An agreement was reached late yesterday. The team will be auctioned off  with the approval of  U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The sell-off will include Dodger Stadium and the surrounding parking lots. McCourt reportedly bought this package deal for $421 million in 2004. It’s expected to sell this time for “… two to three times as much.”  More on the deal and possible bidders for the team on the L.A. Times website here.

Another major movie production is saying ”adios” to Southern California. Marvel Studios reportedly has agreed to shoot “Iron Man 3″ in North Carolina due,mainly to the state’s 25 percent  production tax credit, according to Deadline.com

The first two installments of the Iron Man franchise made over a billion dollars worldwide. Both were shot in Los Angeles. The “Iron Man 3″  production will be heading to Wilmington after the first of the year — taking with it hundreds of valuable  jobs.  A serious bummer for tons of  job hungry  movie production workers here in the Southland.  Details here.

Around this time of the year, a lot of us are thinking about the creepy-crawlers. It’s all part of the fun of  Halloween. On the serious side, there are careers where creepy creatures are part of daily operations.

Recently, CareerCast.com, a job search and career website, identified the nation’s creepiest careers.  ”Forensic Entomologist, who studies insects that invade a person’s dead body and decipher insect life cycles to determine the time and manner of death, is the creepiest career on our list,” according to Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com. “These little bugs can even offer clues as to when and if a body part was moved after death and the types of injuries that may have occurred.” Lee is quoted in a PR Newswire release.

Other creepy jobs that made the list: Pest control specialist who must eliminate insects and rodents, reptologist who studies creatures with green scaly skin, and an arachnologist involved in the study of all sorts of spiders, ticks, and mites.

Photo: Robert Stolarik/The New York Times -- Workers scrambled to evacuate the elderly from a health care center in Queens, New York on Saturday night August 27, 2011

In an unprecedented move, New York City has nearly shut down in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Irene today. Despite the dire warnings and evidence of what Irene has done to other parts of the East Coast this weekend, some New Yorkers in places like Coney Island are refusing to leave their homes.

At least nine deaths on the East Coast are being blamed on the wrath of Irene, according to the New York Times.

As this huge hurricane approaches the Big Apple, the New York Times has dropped its paywall and is allowing free access to its website, which is tracking the hurricane and providing extensive coverage of this major news event.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Burbank Police unit

 Burbank Police announced the arrest of a suspected child predator late today. Burbank PD was alerted to the suspicious activities of the alleged predator by the Lake Havasu Police Department, according to a press release.

An investigation by the Burbank PD resulted in search warrants being served at the home and place of employment of 48-year-old Stephen Fowlow. Investigators reportedly found evidence that Fowlow had been “sexting” over the Internet with “..a 15-year-old female.” Also, they discovered Fowlow had allegedly been involved with “sexting” with other minors and that he was in possession of child pornography as well.

Fowlow was arrested at his home in the 21-hundred block of North Lincoln in Burbank today, according to Burbank Police Sergeant Darrin Ryburn.  Fowlow is now being held at the Los Angeles County jail on $160,000 bail.