Film at 11

On Sunday 500,000 Angelenos took to the streets in one of the largest protests ever seen out west. Their ire was aimed at Congress and the 'illegal alien = felon' bill which they just passed.

On Monday, tens of thousands of LA students walked out of their classes and marched into the streets in a continuation of this movement. They even walked onto the major freeways and disrupted traffic in an effort to draw attention to their arguments.

And what piece ran first on last night's local evening news?

STORM WATCH! Rain expected in Southern California tomorrow....

Oy

My sister's Bat Mitzvah was this past weekend. She did fabulously - I think more people were eager to see her performance than watch the Turin Olympics on NBC. To her credit, she was very poised when addressing the crowd - gobs better than I must have looked when I was her age. (How come I was an awkward, acne prone, socially uncomfortable teenager and she looks like her teenage years are actually fun?)

I have no point other than that. Much love to the sister.

Infinite Justice

Flew back to LA early Monday morning via Jet Blue. Gotta love them - after 5 flights, I have already earned a free pair of tickets. Plus I got to watch 'Battlestar Galactica' on my way home Friday night. Fortunately we had to wait a bit for a gate, so I got to see how it ended.

I know how much it hurts to have the airlines lose your luggage when you're on the road. The fear of this happening leads people to try and bring everything with them onto the plane.

I see the logic of this thinking, but I think it is time we agree on some reasonable limits. A small roll-away suitcase overhead and a purse or knapsack beneath the seat? Go for it. A family of four, with a baby, each of them with 3 bags? Push them off the jetbridge.

Like Monday morning, getting thru security at JFK. Mother with 3 young kids, probably ages 8, 10, and 12. It wasn't enough for each kid to have a small bag with them, but for the mother to have what appeared to be all of her luggage? And a tennis racket? And a tennis racket for her daughter? And two lacrosse sticks for the boys? Come on, when my antecedents walked out of Egypt, after hundreds of years of bondage and headed for a new home, never looking back, they had less hand luggage.

Clearly the TSA folks at security heard my thoughts. (Echelon?) The woman put up a little fuss, holding up the line, before gathering her larvae and schlepping all the way back to the check-in counters.

Justice!

Oscarmania

This year's Oscar ratings are starting to come in and it's too soon to tell how last night fared vs years prior.

But I hear it did a 50 share (1 in 2 operating TV sets were tuned to ABC) in Los Angeles, which seems appropriate. As I walked around my neighborhood last night, nearly every building had one or more oscar-parties happening. Kind of reminds me of NYC when the Yankees are in the playoffs, but with better weather and less drunken revelry.

As for the 50% of you who weren't watching the Oscars, what were you watching? Please share...

M

I forgot my mantra 

Here's what the Soho House LA looks like

Here's a daytime photo from the living room of the Soho House. The view of LA from the hilltop was pretty amazing - can't really tell from this image.

In other news, today Linday Lohan rear-ended my car. OK, I made that up. But it HAS been that kind of week...

M

Photo Proof

That's my ear between the Hilton scions.

Boldface Names

Assimilation has begun in earnest. Last night I partied with Paris and Nicky Hilton.

Let me rephrase that.

Last night I was AT a party with Paris and Nicky Hilton. For the record, Paris was dressed completely in leopard print. (Attention PETA - I think it was still breathing)

Don't mind me if I end the Hilton sister references there, because my attention at the party was distracted by a gaggle of models having dinner behind me who kept making a racket. They were noisy, kept bumping into our chairs, and insisted on clapping when Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy walked by. I kid you not.

The view of Madonna kept getting obscured by Robbie Williams, dressed in a cravat, because he insisted on standing up in the middle of the dining room and talking in an extremely loud voice. I think that may have irritated Sienna Miller, but Kiera Knightly didn't seem to mind.

I got a better view of Madonna when Guy Ritchie was standing next to me at the bar. Boy, is she tiny. Definitely shorter than I am.

I made small talk later that night with some guy named Duncan, from a UK based boyband called 'Blu.' He was very polite, pretending not to be annoyed when my companions and I had no idea who he was.

All of this took place at the Soho House LA, which is a rented palace at the top of the Hollywood Hills. Quote a view, but some of the rooms hadn't been redecorated in a while. The screening room has red shag pile carpet everywhere. How 1981. While wandering around I interrupted some UK TV star who was putting the moves on some blonde I didn't recognize. Oh well.

The view from the house was amazing. I think Helena Christensen seemed to enjoy it, as I believe that's what she told Jamie Oliver ('the naked chef') and Eliza Dushku.

I left around 12.30am. The Hilton sisters fled before me, but I think the evening was just getting started. Too bad I had a 9am budget meeting....

All of this is 100% true.

Welcome to LA....

Efficiency is not the city's strong suit

I'm driving home from work last night, thru the Cahuenga pass into Holywood proper, and I see that Hollywood Blvd is completely closed to traffic as they have set up bleachers, tents, and other set ups for the Oscars, which are being held on that block.

This is Tuesday night we're talking about. The Oscars...are on...Sunday. Um, why do they need to close the street for 5 solid days in order to let Joan Rivers do her schtick for 90 minutes?

In NYC, over 1 Million people come to Times Square for New Year's Eve. The police and sanitation and traffic workers have that whole zone closed off no later than early that morning, and the place is back to regular traffic by the following evening.

C'mon Los Angeles...could you at least have waited until Friday? How many rush hours do you need to disrupt? It's not like the weather is a factor...unless it rains again like it did on Monday and a tsunami-like wall of water rushes down Hollywood Blvd, erasing all the hard work of unfolding chairs and vacuuming red carpet. I just hope the valet parking charge covers the cost of all this for the Academy...I hate to think my new taxes are paying for all this.

M

LA Confidential

Psst...there was a downpour Monday....no one here knows how to drive in the rain....pass it on...