City Dump? Let Those Eastsiders Have It

THERE WAS this bit of awkward ad-libbing this morning on ABC7's Eyewitness News, the 2 Los Angeles anchors commenting on a cheeky piece about a themed restaurant called The City Dump in Scranton, PA.

Subha Ravindhran: "I don't think that restaurant would do so well in Los Angeles."

John Gregory: "Not on the west side, anyway."

Club Tee Gee: As Seen on Tee Vee

RFSL & friends @ club tee gee - 3.15.09, originally uploaded by Radio Free Silver Lake.

ABOVE: The neon sign for Atwater Village's Club Tee Gee, 3210 Glendale Blvd.

BELOW: Club Tee Gee's facade with a new name, Latham's, for its appearance as a location on this week's episode of ABC TV's FlashForward. See it at the 2:20 mark on the "Blowback" episode.

(Pretty sure the interior is a different bar, though.)

Sorry, ABC7, That Ain't Los Feliz

ON LAST NIGHT's evening news, Los Angeles TV station ABC7 broadcast live from the Tam O'Shanter Inn, 2980 Los Feliz Blvd. While it's easy to forgive hosting one of the city's biggest Irish parties at a Scottish restaurant, it's harder to overlook ABC7's geographical misplacement. The Tam is not in the neighborhood of Los Feliz, as indicated. It's in Atwater Village. Otherwise, revelers, party on!

NBC's 'Southland' Comes to Atwater Village Sept. 11

ALTHOUGH IT sometimes feels like we're already living inside a police drama, this marks the first time NBC's "Southland" will shoot scenes in Atwater Village. This Friday, Sept. 11, keep eyes peeled for hunky cops, moody perps and parking restrictions on the south side of Fletcher Drive, the east side of Casitas Avenue, both sides of Kerr Street, and the south side of Carillon Street. Highway 2 and the Los Angeles River will also have their fair share of:

• atmospheric smoke effects
• "weapons" brandished
• emergency vehicles with flashing lights
• actors with exterior dialogue

The second season of "Southland" debuts Oct. 23 on NBC, but the Atwater Village scenes are likely part of a later episode. Stay tuned for airdates. In the meantime, see a map of other "Southland" crime scenes.

Set Your TiVo: Woof Dog Boutique on Style Network

ATWATER VILLAGE'S own Woof Dog Boutique (3172 Glendale Blvd.) is set to appear on the Peter Perfect reality show, sort of an extreme makeover for mom-and-pop businesses, Jan. 10, 2009, on the Style Network. That's channel 130 on Time Warner cable in the 90039. More on the AV forum about how Woof plans a community mixer as warmup to the show that night.

Going 'Green' at Atwater Village's Farmers Market

IT TURNS OUT shopping at the Sunday neighborhood farmers market might do something to prevent the destruction of glaciers. Or something. At least that's the impression I get from watching this "going green" report by ABC7 TV: "It's the price of gas I think that has made people think a little bit more about improving their lifestyle and giving back to the earth," said Joyce Chan a shopper at the farmer's market in Atwater Village, [edit: actually, she's the market organizer] where shoppers can buy locally grown produce. The Los Angeles news channel has not, to my knowledge, aired any follow-up report on what secret ingredients might be in the No-Name Hummus we bought at yesterday's farmers market. My report: Tasty!

San Fernando Road: As Seen on TV

LAST SEPTEMBER, EAGLE-EYED blog Citizenrobot noted a new billboard along San Fernando Road in northeast Los Angeles.

The billboard: real. Home Plus family superstore: HBO. This is the Utah mega-mart run by Bill Paxton's character on Big Love. But this scene, supposedly taking place in Utah, was shot here in Glassell Park. (Try finding Patra's Burgers in Utah. Google can't.)

The scenes shot last fall appeared in previews for next week's episode of Big Love: "Home Plus billboards have been defaced, leading Bill and Don to scramble for repairs and a rethinking of Bill's public face on Home Plus." That's right. It's not TV. It's LA.

How to Play the 'Planet Earth' Drinking Game

RESPECT MOTHER NATURE and get a good buzz at the same time. Watch episodes of the Discovery Channel's miniseries Planet Earth with your favorite libation. Here's how Mrs. Newbie and I play the drinking game:

• Sex! Any time narrator Sigourney Weaver coyly describes an animalistic mating ritual, take a drink.
• Death! A fox scoops up a hatchling for breakfast? A polar bear flops over from starvation? Take a drink.
• History! Every time the show purports to show anything "for the very first time" - baby pandas in the wild, snow leopards on the hunt - take a drink.
• Technology! When Weaver boasts that only a recent innovation could provide the awesome pictures and sounds on your TV, take a drink.
• Time Lapse! Anything sped up to Koyaanisqatsi-like exposures - flower fields suddenly blooming, buffalo herds racing across the plains - enjoy a quick shot.

This game not recommended for Discovery Channel's three-hour marathon viewings. Please watch responsibly.

From the Research Department: Freebies for Peter Bart

SOMEONE PLEASE SHOW THE EDITOR of Variety how to use Google. I like watching Peter Bart on his TV show. And I appreciate curmudgeonly exaggeration in the interest of making a point. But seriously, who fact-checks Bart's columns? From April 13: "Why did absolutely no filmgoer in the U.S. pay to see 'Perfume'? Here was a non-odoriferous movie that grossed $130 million overseas but couldn't get arrested here." Absolutely no filmgoer? I wouldn't say $2,223,293 equals no one. Given average ticket prices, that's about 340,000 filmgoers in the US. Not huge, but more than the number who saw the Mutant Ninja Turtles movie this weekend. "Since festival directors supposedly get to see every good (and bad) movie made anywhere in the world, how come every festival last year turned thumbs down on 'The Lives of Others'?" Every festival turned it down? Including one (AFI FEST) that screened it four miles from Variety headquarters? And another (Toronto) that gave it a standing ovation? And Telluride? "Does an old pro like John Wells really believe his heralded new 'writers company' is workable when the idea has failed several times in the past?" Right. And "who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" (H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.) Previously: Sunday Morning Shootout Drinking Game

Cop Tipping Nothing Like Cow Tipping

LOS ANGELES POLICE OFFICERS are in Atwater Village today putting the "serve" back in "to protect and to serve" with the Tip-a-Cop program. Come watch cops juggle buns and guns at Mimi's Cafe. All tips go to local Special Olympics programs. Tip-a-Cop Dinner Mimi's Cafe 2925 Los Feliz Boulevard March 29 11:00am to 3:00pm

Update on Cole Massie, Neighborhood Superkid

JUST BECAUSE HIS EPISODE of TLC's "My Life As a Child" has already aired doesn't mean we've seen the last of this cable-ready Atwater Village youngster. Here's an update: I thought I should let you know Cole was nominated (by me) and has been entered to Karate Angel's 2007 Karate Kids Hall of Fame. You can read the entry here. There has been much talk about him on fightingarts.com and judoforum.com. His entry by me to Karate Angels Kids Hall of Fame has granted me Sensei of the Month and Club of the Month on their site. Althought I think I was just doing my job pointing out a very inspiring kid to the world, I most humbly accept that award. I do hope news of his award reaches him some day, as I really don't know if they contact the winners or not. In any case it's a good update to add to your blog. He is a wonderful kid and an inspiration to all... I know he wants to be just another kid... But I hope he knows to so many he is so much more. - Richard Favinger Jr., Youth Instructor, Webmaster, Pottstown Judo Club TLC has also added a post-filming update from Cole here.

'Please Don't Call Help, We're OK'

LOCAL TV WAS A NO-SHOW at the Los Angeles River rescue in Atwater Village two months ago, but made it to one on Monday. KCAL 9 gets an earful from "Issis," the rescued woman who lives on a strip of earth in the river: "I've lived down there for like seven years. We watched the weather. We're river rats. We know. I mean, look at it. It's beautiful now. The water has gone down like five, six inches already. "She screamed down, 'Don't try and cross the river.' And we tried to yell up, 'We're not trying to cross the river.' And she calls 911. We're like, please don't call help. We're OK. We're just trying to be nonchalant." More than 100 LA and Glendale firefighters were involved in the midday rescue. "They were real Christian about it. Just real kind. Made sure we were OK."

KCAL 9, Meet Wikipedia

REPORTING ON A LIST OF most annoying sounds, KCAL 9's Linda Alvarez: "And tenth was mains humming. We don't know what that is." It's power line humming, Linda. I looked it up for you.

If '24' Nukes Los Angeles Tonight

Will they see the mushroom cloud at The Golden Globes? See FOX's '24' trailer for tonight's two-hour episode here. UPDATE: Eh, it was just Valencia.

Theme Song for Friday in LA

When the hills of Los Angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And Los Angeles is burnin'

(Bad Religion - Los Angeles is Burning)

MORE: 5-Acre Brush Fire Breaks Out In Griffith Park

Next Time on LA River Trail, Look Up

And look out. This car smashed through the railing along the Colorado Blvd. on-ramp over the Los Angeles River yesterday morning just north of Atwater Village.

The vehicle teetered on the edge of the bridge, ejecting its driver to the river below. The driver was rescued and brought in for treatment.

No word on if any joggers on the trail below were treated for heart attacks.

• Woman Pulled From River [NBC4, images below]
  
• Accident plunges woman into LA River [LA Times]
  

Nikki Finke Wants Them to Have - Or Have Not

It doesn't matter if reality-show contestants are rich or poor. As long as all of them are rich or poor. So sayeth the bumblebee behind Nikki Finke's money-obsessed Deadline Hollywood Daily.

On the next season of The Apprentice: "Most disgusting is that each week's winning team will luxe it up in a Beverly Hills mansion, while the losers are in hell sleeping in two tents in the backyard without hot showers.... I'm nauseous thinking about it."

On the next season of Survivor: "While one team will live the life of luxury, the other team is left with virtually nothing. Uh, doesn't that defeat the whole point of the show... This high concept doesn't make any sense."

I'm not sure how much Nikki travels, but believe me, there are worse places to camp than Beverly Hills.

OK, back to Atwater Village cheerleading.

Apologies for the diversion.

FOX11 Learns Where LA Ends, Glendale Begins

This morning on FOX11's journalistically iffy Good Day LA, ace reporter slash community activist Rick Lozano got schooled in Los Angeles geography. From the mayor, no less.

Lozano's holiday charity "Toys for Tots" segment began at a Toys R Us location in, the TV caption said, Glendale. Problem is, Glendale doesn't have a Toys R Us. The store is at 2901 Los Feliz Blvd., in Atwater Village, in the city of Los Angeles.

Banter between Rick and the mental zeroes back in the studio posited that this remote locale might actually be "on the border" of LA and Glendale but, no matter, there were needy ethnic kids to exploit.

After a flurry of speculation over the future of Donald Trump's misbehaving Miss USA, another Toys for Tots segment started.

Again, it had the Glendale caption. But this time it had a special guest who was certainly not from Glendale.

Lozano spilled the beans. We've been debating, he told Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, what city we're actually in, that we might be on the border of Los Angeles and Glendale.

No, said the major of LA, this is "most definitely" LA.

By the end of the segment, no more than 30 seconds later, the caption across the bottom of FOX11's broadcast had changed from Glendale to Los Angeles.