If you happened to miss the December 3 Downtown News, you haven't seen the personal ads Jon Regardie suggested to help Mayor Villaraigosa get a New Year's Eve smooch. They're pretty hysterical from top to bottom. My favorite one begins with the perfectly awkward hook: "Looking for My Energizer Lady Bunny: Hot bilingual mayor has an opening on his staff - for love!"

In the same edition, peep Evan George's report on the uneasy relationship between the Smell and its new 2nd Street neighbor, the unfortunately named ImaginAsian. If you've been to the venerated punk rock club since the theater opened next door, you've likely noticed some unwelcome sonic intrusions. (Vice versa too, probably, though I haven't been to the other yet.) All on the same block, the Smell, the Edison and ImaginAsian make for an odd and eclectic trio; whether they represent all that's great about downtown or what may yet go wrong with it remains to be seen.

Photo by jimw via Flickr