Entertainment

THE chef reaches up, pulls down a ticket, shouts out an order, spins around and inspects a couple of plates going out, wiping the edges with a towel. A loud clatter of dishes, a line cook barks back, and another order goes out. This is the Foundry on Melrose, Eric Greenspan's hot new restaurant. It's hectic and tense and noisy, but we're not in the kitchen -- we're in the dining room.

FRANKI CHAN is not a screamer. But that didn't stop the mild-mannered DJ and promoter from losing his cool last year at one of L.A.'s slickest venues, the rooftop bar at downtown's Standard Hotel. "We basically had a blowout that night," Chan says of his October face-off with his former business partner, celebrity DJ Steve Aoki, over a disputed booking.

As Broadway prepares for its big night tonight, it has more to celebrate than the annual parade of self-congratulations that is the Tony Awards. For the second straight year, Broadway has registered record attendance and gross revenues at a time when other forms of entertainment are looking at bleak bottom lines. The League of American Theatres and Producers, a national trade association for the Broadway industry, reported recently that 12.

Washington Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder strolled the sidelines at his team's training camp like the boss at a company picnic. As floodlights bathed the field one recent night and the sticky summer air cooled, he chatted with coaches and team executives. When star receiver Santana Moss jogged off for some water, Snyder shook his hand. But when the scrimmage heated up, so did Snyder.

There was a time when New Orleans' Canal Street was the Champs Elysees of the American South -- a smart stretch of glitzy stores, bright lights and glamorous theaters. Today, it is a tired place, home to T-shirt shops and empty storefronts. Enter Roger Wilson, 50, a New Orleans native and star of "Porky's." Wilson left town when he was 14, but he was called back after the storm. First, he coordinated private relief efforts.

There's been parental panic in Portland, Ore., severe tropical depression in Tampa, Fla., and a mad scramble in Minneapolis. There was so much outrage among families in Little Rock that the Arkansas attorney general promised a swift investigation, as did his counterpart in Missouri after seeing the dust-up in Kansas City. All over the country, little girls are crying that they want -- they need -- tickets to see their idol, a 14-year-old named Miley Cyrus (a.k.a.

london -- The queen was already dressed to the nines in full robe and regalia when photographer Annie Leibovitz suggested that the crown was a bit much. Did she flounce out of the room in a huff, saying, "I'm not changing anything. . . . I've had enough," as the promotional trailer of a BBC documentary implied? No. The video of Queen Elizabeth II grumbling and striding purposefully, an aide grappling with her long train, was taken as she made her way into the photo session.

The days when you could spend a Saturday night easily flitting between venues on the Strip are a fading memory. Whether it's a spin through an overpriced megaclub, walking along the tiny, congested sidewalks and standing in endless lines everywhere, crowds (lovingly dubbed "meanderthals") will hinder you no matter where you go. If you weren't a misanthrope before your trip, you will be after. A few survival tips: THE MONORAIL IS YOUR FRIEND. It's a godsend -- cheap and fast.

A feud involving the man who sang "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" could wind up in court, just in time for Christmas. Elmo Shropshire was sued Monday by a Los Angeles company that claimed breach of contract. Fred Rappoport Co. said Shropshire interfered in a $1-million-plus deal to sell musical trucks, bobblehead dolls, snow globes and cookie jars featuring characters from an animated show based on the novelty song.

WRITERS are striking. Wall Street is in Grinch mode. Gas prices are rising, and holiday shopping is sucking our bank accounts dry. It's a rare Angeleno who isn't hurting this year, but that doesn't mean we can't show ourselves a good time. Less money just requires more of an imagination -- and in our opinion, that equals more fun. So don't think of yourself as strapped for cash; think of yourself as free to explore.