CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 22, 2013 | By Rebecca Trounson, Los Angeles Times
Mark Saylor, a former Los Angeles Times editor who oversaw a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles on corruption in the entertainment industry, died Friday of cancer at his Pasadena home, his wife said. He was 58. Saylor, who was also a nationally ranked chess master, was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer last spring, said his wife, Nora Zamichow, a former Times staff writer. In 1998, as entertainment editor for The Times' business section, Saylor worked with reporters Chuck Philips and Michael A. Hiltzik on three major projects over one year: fundraising by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that netted only pennies for its charity; a resurgence of radio station "payola," or illicit payoffs, for airplay of new recordings; and the preponderance of untested luxury detox programs for wealthy celebrities.
OPINION
February 19, 2013 | Jonah Goldberg
"We need to buy a movie studio. " Amid the conferences, panels, meetings and informal conversations in the wake of the presidential election, this idea has been a near constant among conservatives who feel like the country is slipping through their fingers. Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee combined raised just more than $1 billion, and all we got are these lousy T-shirts. Since conservatives are losing the culture, goes the argument, which in turn leads to losing at politics, maybe that money could be better spent on producing some cultural ammo of our own?
BUSINESS
January 25, 2013 | By Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times
The Hollywood jobs picture continued to improve last year. Employment in Los Angeles' entertainment industry climbed nearly 4% in 2012, reflecting an upswing in feature film production in the fourth quarter and a surge in commercial shoots, which climbed to a record level last year as major brands spent more money on campaigns to promote their products. The so-called motion picture and sound recording category - including those who work at the major film studios, music labels and post-production houses - employed an average of 129,675 people in 2012, up 3.7% from the average employment in 2011, according to the state Employment Development Department.
ENTERTAINMENT
January 11, 2013 | By Richard Verrier
Film and television industry groups that met with the White House on Thursday evening vowed to engage in a "dialogue" over the issue of gun violence in America. "The entertainment community appreciates being included in the dialogue around the administration's efforts to confront the complex challenge of gun violence in America," said a statement from the Directors...
OPINION
January 9, 2013 | By Lucy Hood
What's the future of L.A.'s economy? That's a question that should be at the center of this year's mayoral campaign. Key to that discussion should be recognition that Los Angeles, despite all its economic problems, is an increasingly prominent home to the next generation of technology companies that will drive the digital revolution in the 21st century. Los Angeles' tech awakening is unfolding in a slice of territory - dubbed "Silicon Beach," which initially referred to Venice and Santa Monica and then expanded to Hollywood and downtown - where established giants such as Google and Apple have opened offices and where some 500 newcomer ventures have taken root.
BUSINESS
December 31, 2012 | By Walter Hamilton and Joe Flint, Los Angeles Times
Tribune Co. is expected to emerge from bankruptcy protection Monday with a new board of directors composed largely of entertainment-industry veterans. Exiting bankruptcy would mark a milestone for Tribune, the parent of the Los Angeles Times and other newspaper and television properties. Tribune sought Bankruptcy Court protection in December 2008 after a leveraged buyout by real estate magnate Sam Zell saddled the company with $12.9 billion in debt just as advertising revenue was collapsing.