READ IT AND WEEP (OR NOT)
LA Observed has news about the LA Times, including this:
[Wednesday's] issue of the auto section Highway 1 was the last one, the paper confirmed in an editor's note. Pulitzer-winning columnist Dan Neil will move to the Business pages on July 18. No word yet on where, or whether, Susan Carpenter's Throttle Jockey column will go. (Her latest.) Also, the weekly listings section The Guide will stop being printed after July 24.
Full post is here.
ANNE MIDGETTE NAMED TIM PAGE'S PERMANENT REPLACEMENT
From a Washington Post internal memo posted at Media Bistro's Fishbowl DC:
We are delighted to announce that Anne Midgette is the Post's new classical music critic. She has been filling in on a temporary basis since January.
Memo in full is here.
WHEN PUBLICISTS COLLIDE
I had the pleasure of meeting the delightful Lucy Pollak, theatre publicist extraordinaire, on Tuesday.
Among her current projects is this production by Jeff Favre, which we should all go see:
Theater critic and columnist Jeff Favre (Back Stage West, Daily Breeze, Downtown News, Ventura County Star) has written a new Garage Rock musical which premieres July 19-August 16 at art/works Theatre in Hollywood. This is great rock and roll - Jeff wrote the book, and the music and lyrics are by lead singer Missy Gibson and guitarist Mike Flanagan of the indie band Breech (indie-music.com's Top 25 CDs of 2007 for "Tarnish and Undress" and winner of the 2003 DIY Album of the Year with its release, "Apron Strings"), It's 1983, and Chip and his budding garage band are looking for the new sound that will take them to the next level - much to the dismay of Chip's mom (played by Breech's Missy Gibson) a singer-songwriter from the '60s with a checkered past and a belief that good music is more than a simple hook. For tickets to "The Next Big Thing," call (323) 960-4418 or go to http://thenextbigthingmusical.com.
JOE FEINSTEIN, RIP
If you ever worked with Joseph Feinstein, you might have known him as a sometimes-reviewer of stuff from theatre to restaurants, for outlets ranging from online blogs to the Westside Today newspapers. I knew him as that but also as a teacher at my high school, lo those many years ago. Joe passed away in May, and you might enjoy learning about his past in this LA Times obit. He was a man whose work at Grant High School touched many, many kids' lives.
USA TODAY'S WILLIAM KECK HEADS TO TV GUIDE
From Media Bistro's Fishbowl LA:
Longtime USA Today entertainment columnist Will Keck makes his move to TV Guide to become the senior editor of the mag's Hollywood bureau.
From the press release:
Mr. Keck will launch a weekly column in TV Guide magazine about the latest TV news, shows, and stars, as well as write features and news stories and report from the red carpet at all major entertainment events…. The addition of Mr. Keck to TV Guide comes on the heels of a new look and attitude to the 20+ million weekly readers-strong magazine, resulting in several promotions of its top editors including Lisa Chambers as managing editor (formerly features director), Carol Dittbrenner as features director (formerly deputy features director), and Bruce Fretts as articles editor (formerly editor-at-large).
Read the whole thing here.
