House Party

At least seven people were shot and wounded early Saturday after at least one person opened fire at a house party, authorities said. Eight suspects have been detained in connection with the shooting and were questioned individually, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Dan McPherson. The shooting occurred about 12:30 a.m. at a birthday party in the 39500 block of Hawthorne Street, McPherson said. More than 100 guests paid entry at the door and then paid for their own alcohol, he said.

Certainly, somewhere in the world, Oscar night is considered a wildly over-hyped nonevent, little more than a glittery TV show lacking any heart or sense of history. But not here. Today might as well be some sort of holiday in Los Angeles, the one day of the year when a limousine sighting inspires more excitement than it does sarcasm, when the heavens traditionally oblige with dewy sunshine.

One man died and two women and another man were wounded early Tuesday morning when a gunman shot into a crowd at a house party, Long Beach police said. The man walked into a home in the 1900 block of Pine Avenue shortly after midnight and opened fire with a handgun on about 30 people in the backyard, authorities said. He fled on foot. Jonathan Fernandez, 25, of Long Beach, was shot in the upper torso and died several hours later. Police ask anyone with information to contact detectives at (562)

Terry Walden was in his Ohio home Monday, some 600 miles from the grieving University of South Carolina campus where he had sent his daughter off to college. He was turning over the details of a father's worst nightmare. His daughter, Allison, was a 19-year-old sophomore and member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. On Sunday morning, she was one of seven students -- six from her school, one reportedly from Clemson University -- who died in a fire after a house party on the North Carolina coast.

NIGHTLIFE impresarios Sam Nazarian and Brent Bolthouse unveiled AREA, the latest enterprise in their string of L.A. hot spots, last Thursday with an invitation-only affair that brought out the likes of Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne, Dave Navarro, Sharon Stone, Elisha Cuthbert and brothers Jared and Shannon Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars. The star-studded soiree seemed a fitting intro to the building, on La Cienega Boulevard near Melrose, that once housed the Gate and Prey.

IMAGINE a Hollywood without ironclad guest lists, demeaning velvet ropes and stratospheric cover charges. An egalitarian Tinseltown where sultry girls sans implants dance in sandals with whoever asks, even if that person happens to be a nerdy white guy with horn-rimmed glasses carrying a tarnished trumpet under his arm. Far-fetched as it may sound, this mecca exists at Crane's Tavern on El Centro. Every Sunday from May through October the low-key hangout plays gracious host to the Do-Over.

Rep. John A. Boehner, with his ever-present cigarette, seems like a throwback to the days of Capitol Hill's smoke-filled rooms. He is hip-deep in political contributions from an industry he oversees. He was once scolded for passing out campaign checks from tobacco interests on the House floor. He was booted from a leadership post eight years ago.