Magic Johnson Theaters

The former Magic Johnson Theaters at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza will be taken over by upscale theater operator Rave Motion Pictures. Dallas-based Rave will manage the 15-screen multiplex in the South Los Angeles mall after a $10-million renovation of the complex is completed in May, owners of the mall said Monday. In Los Angeles, Rave currently operates the Rave 18 at the Howard Hughes Center (which was formerly known as the Bridge). Rave, founded in 1999, owns or manages 61 theaters with about 1,000 screens in 20 states.

Not long ago, the maintenance and security teams from the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza took a field trip to the glitzy Grove in the Fairfax district. Their leader and tour guide, Ken Lombard, pointed out the clean walkways, expertly trimmed shrubbery and neatly uniformed security guards. Lombard said he expected no less from his staff at Crenshaw Plaza, where his company is wrapping up a three-year, $35-million upgrade that includes a new food court, 15-screen theater complex and other improvements.

Nine former employees of the Magic Johnson Theater have been convicted of stealing an estimated $144,000 in illegal ticket sales during a one-year period, prosecutors said Tuesday. Allison Albertha Lammey, 31, a manager at the theater, was the latest employee to be convicted when she pleaded no contest Monday to one count of theft. A Superior Court judge sentenced her to 40 hours of community service, ordered her to pay $500 in restitution and placed her on a year of summary probation.

Magic Johnson Theaters was a blockbuster business story in the mid-1990s, the feel-good saga of a plucky underdog's climb to the top of the heap. Since Johnson and his partner sold their ownership stake in 2004, time and circumstances have been less than kind to the cineplex at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. But new owners for the mall and new operators for the theaters have big plans to rejuvenate the venture. The undisputed success ? considered improbable by many at the time ?

While I am pleased that the Magic Johnson Theaters complex in Baldwin Hills is receiving front-page coverage, I was very displeased with the focus of the article ("Home Screen Advantage," by John L. Mitchell, Feb. 14). I am a middle-class American of African ancestry who, contrary to the reporter's view, does not expect members of the audience to talk. I have been going to movies at the multiplex since the opening week. For the most part, the audiences have respected their fellow audience members' right to listen to the dialogue provided by the screenwriters and actors--not the audience.

In its marketing strategy for "Bulworth," 20th Century Fox attempted to lay the groundwork for a crossover urban audience that bridged Westwood and Baldwin Hills. "If any movie can bring the races together to see a film it's this one," said Debora Ames, 45, who saw the movie over the weekend at the Magic Johnson Theaters in Baldwin Hills. "I've always admired Warren Beatty, but I didn't know he had it in him."

Not long ago, the maintenance and security teams from the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza took a field trip to the glitzy Grove in the Fairfax district. Their leader and tour guide, Ken Lombard, pointed out the clean walkways, expertly trimmed shrubbery and neatly uniformed security guards. Lombard said he expected no less from his staff at Crenshaw Plaza, where his company is wrapping up a three-year, $35-million upgrade that includes a new food court, 15-screen theater complex and other improvements.

Magic Johnson Theaters was a blockbuster business story in the mid-1990s, the feel-good saga of a plucky underdog's climb to the top of the heap. Since Johnson and his partner sold their ownership stake in 2004, time and circumstances have been less than kind to the cineplex at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. But new owners for the mall and new operators for the theaters have big plans to rejuvenate the venture. The undisputed success ? considered improbable by many at the time ?

In Los Angeles, Magic Johnson needs little introduction. The storied former Lakers point guard is now equally well-known for his community-minded business endeavors. His Magic Johnson Enterprises-affiliated companies and licensing deals make him a big player in L.A., and his name graces movie theaters nationwide, including an AMC-owned multiplex at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. When he's not traveling, the former NBA MVP likes to spend his weekends in the Southland.

When writer-director George Tillman Jr. was shopping his screenplay about a large middle-class African American family around Hollywood, some studio executives turned him down cold, saying the project needed action and violence if it was ever to attract audiences. How wrong those studio executives were. Tillman's new film, "Soul Food," based on his memories of his grandmother's Sunday afternoon dinners attended by the whole family, debuted at No.

The former Magic Johnson Theaters at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza will be taken over by upscale theater operator Rave Motion Pictures. Dallas-based Rave will manage the 15-screen multiplex in the South Los Angeles mall after a $10-million renovation of the complex is completed in May, owners of the mall said Monday. In Los Angeles, Rave currently operates the Rave 18 at the Howard Hughes Center (which was formerly known as the Bridge). Rave, founded in 1999, owns or manages 61 theaters with about 1,000 screens in 20 states.

In Los Angeles, Magic Johnson needs little introduction. The storied former Lakers point guard is now equally well-known for his community-minded business endeavors. His Magic Johnson Enterprises-affiliated companies and licensing deals make him a big player in L.A., and his name graces movie theaters nationwide, including an AMC-owned multiplex at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. When he's not traveling, the former NBA MVP likes to spend his weekends in the Southland.

Three women from Detroit -- Rita, Lynn and Renie -- are having lunch at a budget-busting restaurant, far from where they started out. It's the first time they've met, but they've got lots to talk about. For anywhere from two to 20 years, they've been banging their heads against the same wall, the one called Hollywood. Rita Wallace, 28, spent four years making her own movie about South Los Angeles roller skaters.

Nine former employees of the Magic Johnson Theater have been convicted of stealing an estimated $144,000 in illegal ticket sales during a one-year period, prosecutors said Tuesday. Allison Albertha Lammey, 31, a manager at the theater, was the latest employee to be convicted when she pleaded no contest Monday to one count of theft. A Superior Court judge sentenced her to 40 hours of community service, ordered her to pay $500 in restitution and placed her on a year of summary probation.

It looks as though not even Magic could turn around the beleaguered Santa Barbara Plaza shopping center in the Crenshaw district. The Community Redevelopment Agency's Board of Commissioners voted Thursday to terminate its exclusive agreement with Earvin "Magic" Johnson's development company to revitalize the commercial project. But, as is common with anything even remotely connected to the CRA and City Hall these days, there is more under the surface than what appears in public.

The seventh annual Pan African Film & Art Festival opens today at the Magic Johnson Theaters, where it will present more than 70 features, documentaries and shorts, some of them worthy revivals, through Feb. 15. As has been the case from its inception, this year's festival showcases outstanding, enriching and diverse films from around the world.

It looks as though not even Magic could turn around the beleaguered Santa Barbara Plaza shopping center in the Crenshaw district. The Community Redevelopment Agency's Board of Commissioners voted Thursday to terminate its exclusive agreement with Earvin "Magic" Johnson's development company to revitalize the commercial project. But, as is common with anything even remotely connected to the CRA and City Hall these days, there is more under the surface than what appears in public.

Three women from Detroit -- Rita, Lynn and Renie -- are having lunch at a budget-busting restaurant, far from where they started out. It's the first time they've met, but they've got lots to talk about. For anywhere from two to 20 years, they've been banging their heads against the same wall, the one called Hollywood. Rita Wallace, 28, spent four years making her own movie about South Los Angeles roller skaters.

In its marketing strategy for "Bulworth," 20th Century Fox attempted to lay the groundwork for a crossover urban audience that bridged Westwood and Baldwin Hills. "If any movie can bring the races together to see a film it's this one," said Debora Ames, 45, who saw the movie over the weekend at the Magic Johnson Theaters in Baldwin Hills. "I've always admired Warren Beatty, but I didn't know he had it in him."

While I am pleased that the Magic Johnson Theaters complex in Baldwin Hills is receiving front-page coverage, I was very displeased with the focus of the article ("Home Screen Advantage," by John L. Mitchell, Feb. 14). I am a middle-class American of African ancestry who, contrary to the reporter's view, does not expect members of the audience to talk. I have been going to movies at the multiplex since the opening week. For the most part, the audiences have respected their fellow audience members' right to listen to the dialogue provided by the screenwriters and actors--not the audience.