Authorities have identified the woman who was found shot to death inside a crashed vehicle in Beverly Hills overnight. The victim is 64-year-old Ronni Chasen, a "longtime Hollywood publicist" who "has represented such entertainment luminaries as the late actress Natalie Wood, composer Hans Zimmer, and move producers Dick Zanuck and Irwin Winkler," according to LA Now. more ›

Say goodbye to Hollywood, baby. Defamer, the loved--but not loved enough--celebrity gossip blog has been folded into its parent blog, Gawker. more ›

Universal Music Group's audio masters were not damaged in Sunday's fire at the Universal Studios backlot, contrary to one report, according to a UMG spokesperson.

"We had no loss, thankfully," said Peter Lofrumento, Universal Music Group’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications. "We moved most of what was formerly stored there earlier this year to our other facilities. Of the small amount that was still there and awaiting to be moved, it had already been digitized so the music will still be around for many years." -- Billboard

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For those of you who've been reading Nikki Finke's blog , the "Speechless" videos are old news by now. For those who haven't, they are a series of pro-WGA videos that demonstrate just how vital writers are to the creative process. Conceived by filmmaker George Hickenlooper and writer Alan Sereboff, the videos have been appearing sporadically since November. They all feature A-list talent appearing in what are essentially silent films. Anyway, they are finally all collected in a single place so watch, enjoy and organize! more ›

a writer's perspective more ›

a writer's perspective more ›

The holidays are over and many of us have to resolve ourselves to getting back to work and responsibilities. Everyone except the writers, anyone who works in the production of tv and film and of course, the AMPTP. Except they are at work. It was just before Christmas that Nikki Finke reported that the moguls (which is who the AMPTP are. The name is misleading – there are few, if any, actual producers involved) decided that their strategy would be to punish the writers for standing up to them – even if it meant scrapping the rest of the tv season and next fall’s pilot season, not to mention the up fronts, where they sell advertising. more ›

Let’s spend a moment on this Jay Leno fracas that’s going on. Jay was a big supporter at the beginning of the strike. He walked off his show and stopped by the strike lines the first couple of days with some food. Eventually, he paid a bunch of the people on the show. There’s no denying that it was real nice of him. more ›

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a writer's perspective I’m not sure why, but there is such a difference between 5am and 6am. When I show up to picket at 6, it feels like it’s early in the morning. Today, when I pull up at Warner Brothers just before 5, it feels like it’s the middle of the night. It’s dark. It’s freezing. I drink 5 cups of coffee, not to wake up, but to stay warm. It doesn’t work... more ›

This is why we do all of our Christmas shopping online: first the FBI reported possible terrorist threats to Chicago and Los Angeles malls this holiday season, then took it back. Hey kids! You too can grow up to be a pervert with a social conscience! Dov Charney just signed on for a deal with American Apparel's partner company that could net him millions per year. A Small World it's not: Disneyland is remodeling... more ›

By week's end, LA is regularly littered with a handful of free rags. Combined, these publications put the Tribune Company's Spring Street operation LA Times to shame as far as reporting on the dozens of municipalities that make up this metropolis of more than 12 million people. LAist reads the weeklies so you don't have to. If there's anything we missed, let us know, or better yet drop it in the comments section below.... more ›

By week's end, this town is regularly littered with a handful of free rags. Combined, these publications put the Tribune Company's Spring Street operation to shame as far as reporting on the dozens of municipalities that make up this metropolis of more than 12 million people. LAist reads the weeklies so you don't have to. If there's anything we missed, pretty please let us know, or better yet, drop it in the comments section... more ›

- LAPD seeks felony charges against a 13-year-old alleged dogfight organizer caught in South LA on Monday. The injured pitbulls are expected to recover. The kid, however, may be another story. - LA Times. - Claiming a victory in mission:gangbusters 2007, LAPD central division Capt. Andrew Smith reports, "We really believe we have taken the head off the 5th and Hill Gang." - Daily News. - The transcripts are out on the Khalid Sheikh... more ›

Nikki Finke interviews Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal CenterQ: So what are your feelings about this Mel Gibson story? A: Look, the issue with Mel Gibson is very simple. Mel Gibson is driving under intoxication. There are no Jews in sight. He can blame his car, he can blame his liquor, he can blame the sheriff. But he can't blame any Jews because there are none around. That's precisely... more ›

Apparently Matt Leinart has no interest in competing for 'Golden Boy' status with Tom Brady. Still a few weeks from even being drafted, USC's Leinart has already fired his agent and, according to Nikki Finke, will join CAA as their first sports signee after the required 5-day nfl grace period ends. more ›

LA Observed reports this morning about the huge blog v. blog argument currently going on between LA Weekly columnist Marc Cooper and Weekly freelancer Nikki Finke in regards to her recent attack on Arianna Huffington's brand new celebrity/political-centric blog, Huffington Post. more ›