Memorabilia

The 2,863 boxes of papers and memorabilia recently moved to Cal State Long Beach's library represent a hefty portion of late 20th century California's political history. The archives of former Gov. George Deukmejian's administration cover many key state issues, including the death penalty, education reform and the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. In the large storage room where the cardboard boxes are shelved, framed photographs show Deukmejian with superstars of politics, entertainment and sports: Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Tommy Lasorda, Sylvester Stallone and John Travolta, among others.

The line of cars into Pleasant Grove stretched nearly a mile Saturday afternoon as residents made their way into the neighborhood to dig through the debris. A message scrawled on a building near the entrance read: "Mourn for the dead. Fight like hell for the living. " The once-serene slopes shaded by thick oak groves were unrecognizable. Street after street was strewn with mangled wires, wooden planks and metal sheeting. Photo gallery: Tornadoes cut path of devastation The trees that used to make the place so special now posed a new menace to those digging, forcing them to maneuver around fallen tree trunks and massive roots.

Jessica Penner and Zuzana Moravcikova breezed into the Beverly Hills Hotel, hockey sticks in hand. One stick belonged to Jessica's husband, Dustin Penner of the Los Angeles Kings, the other, to his teammate, Zuzana's fiancé, Michal Handzus. Stacia Robitaille brought a Hall of Fame jersey from her husband, hockey legend Luc Robitaille. A steady stream of women followed, bearing sports tickets, autographed equipment and other memorabilia from the Lakers, Dodgers, Clippers, Kings, Galaxy and Chargers.

Much of the tennis memorabilia stolen from Pete Sampras last November has been returned, according to an attorney who worked with investigators on the case. Anthony Salerno, a Century City lawyer hired by the Sampras family to help in the investigation, said Sunday that another attorney allegedly representing those who took the material from a storage facility had contacted his investigator early Saturday morning to say the trophies and other items would be returned, with the expectation of no further investigation or penalty.

The inevitable just took a little longer in Sunday's women's singles final at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament. Despite a gritty performance by 15th-seeded Marion Bartoli of France, No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark persevered and won, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. Before a packed stadium in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, Wozniacki earned her $700,00 first prize by surviving Bartoli's go-for-broke approach and her own uncharacteristically shaky ground-stroke...

Eddie Brandt's obsession with the movies was evident in his North Hollywood home, which he transformed into an indoor-outdoor theater by installing a film projector on a tiny loft with windows and pointing it toward his yard. Saturday night was movie night at Brandt's, starting in the early 1970s. Cinema buffs ? including the host ? screened 16-millimeter films, viewing them through oversized windows or while sitting outside. Every day had also been movie day for Brandt since his North Hollywood thrift shop evolved into a movie memorabilia store after he bought his first warehouse of film collectibles in 1972.

Jeffrey Mantor, who has a sizable tattoo of Rita Hayworth on his left bicep and one of Anita Ekberg from "La Dolce Vita" on his right, is standing by a long row of beat-up filing cabinets containing thousands of headshots. When he begins pulling out pictures, it's as if he's reaching straight into the heart of Hollywood's golden age. Photos of beauties including Dorothy Dandridge, Kim Novak, Mae West and Lauren Bacall are all signed. There's even an autographed Bette Davis headshot dated Oct. 15, 1937, that bears the photographer's Warner Bros.

Michael Jackson's estate filed suit against a business partner of the late singer's mother Thursday, alleging that memorabilia created with her permission and other commercial ventures constituted "wholesale misappropriation" of the pop icon's intellectual property. The suit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, accuses Canadian entrepreneur Howard Mann of "arrogant disregard" for the estate's rights and asks a judge to stop his company, Vintage Pop Media, from further use of Jackson's name, image and music.

Laurent Bouzereau was more than a little reticent when a French publisher approached him to write a book on the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. "The subject matter," he says, "has been done to death. I have 200 books myself on the man. " That's including the two he's written on the legendary filmmaker of such classics as "Rebecca," "Notorious," "Rear Window," "Vertigo," "North by Northwest" and "Psycho. " But Bouzereau liked the publisher's approach, which would feature rare photographs and other memorabilia from the Hitchcock family archive.

Tucked behind flowing pink bougainvillea and thick green shrubs, the Woodland Hills home quietly masks the force of nature that once lived inside. The wide doors are in deference to his wheelchair. The bars on the window are symbolic of his fight. Sitting peacefully on a bookshelf in the dining room is a gold urn containing his ashes. Typically, perfectly, the top and bottom of the container are wrapped in masking tape. Roy Campanella, Lord knows, would do anything to hold himself together.