Roger Baum

Tell Roger Baum that he laughs like the Cowardly Lion, and he'll take it as a compliment. And well he should--you could say the two of them are distant relatives. Indeed, Roger Baum, 51, is the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, the author who dreamed up the Lion, the Land of Oz, its wonderful Wizard, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Glinda the Good Witch of the South, the Wicked Witches of the West and East, Dorothy Gale of Kansas. And Toto, too. "Well, thank you very much, that's quite an honor!"

Tell Roger Baum that he laughs like the Cowardly Lion, and he'll take it as a compliment. And well he should--you could say the two of them are distant relatives. Indeed, Roger Baum, 51, is the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, the author who dreamed up the Lion, the Land of Oz, its wonderful Wizard, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Glinda the Good Witch of the South, the Wicked Witches of the West and East, Dorothy Gale of Kansas. And Toto, too. "Well, thank you very much, that's quite an honor!"

City leaders and residents in Cypress and Los Alamitos will explore consolidating their police departments during separate study sessions tonight. Although the merger could result in cost savings to the two cities, some Los Alamitos residents and police officers are already expressing their disapproval. Loss of community identity, slower police response times and a concern that Los Alamitos might not get a police substation are among concerns of residents in the smaller of the towns.

In a time when the publishing industry echoes with tales of multimillion-dollar advances and glitzy marketing strategies, there's a San Marcos press whose award-winning children's books are known instead for their magical illustrations, beautiful craftsmanship and wondrous stories. When the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, creator of "The Wizard of Oz," decided to follow the Yellow Brick Road of family tradition and write "Dorothy of Oz," he brought his manuscript to the Green Tiger Press.

Major animation artists, Hollywood producers and creators of incredible new computer technologies will be gathering at Animation III in Ojai this weekend. Presented by the Ojai Film Society, the all-day trade fair and conference will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday and continue until midnight at Matilija Junior High School. Workshops and seminars will be offered on everything from hands-on basics of animation for children and adults to careers in animation and cartooning.

"The Wizard of Oz" is getting a modern spin. Lea Michele, star of the Fox hit "Glee," has signed on to voice the lead character in an animated 3-D film called "Dorothy of Oz." The film, which is being produced by independent company Summertime Entertainment, is based on a book by L. Frank Baum's great-grandson, Roger S. Baum, and continues the iconic adventures of the early 20th century book series. Hugh Dancy and Patrick Stewart are also new additions to the cast, while producers have announced that pop-singer Bryan Adams will write music and lyrics for the production.

Video Black Indians: An American Story. Riche-Heape Films Inc. 60 minutes. Ages 12 to adult. $25. (888) 600-2922. http://www.richheape.com/ "Black Indians" are people as diverse as Revolutionary War hero Crispus Attucks, writer Langston Hughes and singer Tina Turner. They also are people who, according to this sobering, informative documentary, have struggled with their racial identity.