Selling

An Irvine man was arrested on suspicion of grand theft and accused of selling fraudulent artwork by British artist Damien Hirst on EBay. Vincent Lopreto, 42, allegedly sold forgeries of Hirst's pieces titled "Opium," "LSD" and "Valium," said Police Lt. Rick Handfield. Investigators traced $300,000 in sales, but authorities believe there may be more, Handfield said. Lopreto was allegedly selling the phony art for $3,000 to $5,000 apiece. Handfield said a California gallery purchased 20 fake prints.

PCM Inc., an El Segundo company that sells information technology products and services, has attracted little attention in more than a quarter-century of business. But that soon may change. The owner of a competing company has starting snapping up PCM's stock, raising speculation of a possible takeover. Firoz Lalji, chairman of technology company Zones Inc. in Auburn, Wash., now owns about 5% of PCM, according to a regulatory filing. And he called PCM "one of the poorest-performing companies in its industry.

Regarding "In a Chokehold" [Dec. 28]: While nurseries make money selling invasive plants, the taxpayers foot the bill for countless projects to restore our public lands. To learn more about what not to buy, visit the California Invasive Plant Council's website at www.cal-ipc.org or the California Native Plant Society at www.cnps.org. Carolyn Martus Carlsbad

In another sign that the hot Southland housing market is throttling down, homes here are staying on the market longer lately. The share of houses that have been listed for sale for at least two months climbed in the Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire and Ventura regions of Southern California compared with a year ago, according to an analysis by real estate website Trulia . Thanks to perennially tight supply, Southern California housing...

Listing details Location: 870 S. San Rafael Ave., Pasadena 91105 Asking price : $4.5 million Previously sold for: $1.4 million in 1990 Size: Six bedrooms, four bathrooms and two half-baths in 5,956 square feet plus a 646-square-foot guesthouse. Lot size: 1.26 acres Additional features: Four fireplaces, two stairways, air conditioning, security system, three-car garage, basement. Around the neighborhood: Through the first three quarters of 2009, 70 single- family homes sold in the 91105 ZIP Code, according to MDA DataQuick, at a median price of $900,000.

John Lautner's Hatherall House Location: Shadow Hills Size: Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 3,634 square feet Published: Aug. 2 Listed then for: $1,595,000 Sold for: $1.35 million on Nov. 18 Villa Allegra: Classic and modern Location: Hollywood Hills Size: Six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and four half-baths in about 14,000 square feet Published: June 18 Listed then...

1557 Park Vista Way, No. 32, West Covina 91791 Listed for: $748,888 Size: Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,362 square feet Lot size: 0.23 acre (9,969 square feet) Features: Built in 2009, the two-story house sits on a cul-de-sac and has a living-room fireplace, a deck, a balcony and a two-car garage. MLS ID: T09101655 2111 E. Casa Linda Drive, West Covina 91791 Listed for: $585,000 Size: Four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 1,898 square feet Lot size: 0.32 acre (14,070 square feet)

This is Beverly Hills?, I wondered, oh so many years ago when a friend took me to lunch in a sweet little house with a fireplace on South Beverly Drive. Chez Mimi later moved to Santa Monica, and Urth Caffé now dispenses soy lattes and iced green tea from that rose-covered cottage. Back then (and now), South Beverly Drive didn't seem fancy at all, more like a small-town Main Street where you'd find shops selling nightgowns and one-piece swimming suits, baseball cards and birthday gifts.

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful," wrote 19th-Century tastemaker William Morris. This good advice was easier to follow when labor was cheap. Today's homeowner--eager to restore an old house, add distinction to a bland one or create a neoclassic--soon learns that period architectural details are hard to find and cost a small fortune to duplicate.

It was just another tragedy in family court. A young crack mother, desperate to conceal her pregnancy, had locked herself in a tenement bathroom and given birth to a three-pound boy. As she pushed, he fell to the floor and broke his skull. The mother abandoned him, like she had two previous babies. All were born addicted to crack. "Can we do anything about this woman?" asks Judge Judith Sheindlin, her voice taut with anger.

As far as corporate notices go, they don't get much creepier than this recent alert from Verizon Wireless. The company says it's "enhancing" its Relevant Mobile Advertising program, which it uses to collect data on customers' online habits so that marketers can pitch stuff at them with greater precision. "In addition to the customer information that's currently part of the program, we will soon use an anonymous, unique identifier we create when you register on our websites," Verizon Wireless is telling customers.

Justin Long, the actor who took a few to the head in the 2004 film “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” has sold his Hollywood Hills house for $2.055 million. Long works on both coasts and no longer needed the house. The contemporary Mediterranean was built in 1990 and sits on nearly a third of an acre.  Hand-hewn wooden doors open to an enclosed courtyard. The fenced and terraced yard features fruit trees and a lawn. The two-story living room has beamed ceilings and a fireplace.

After the coffee. Before analyzing the Redskins' 2014 schedule. The Skinny: Sorry we are a little late today. Had to jump on the HBO/Amazon story and make sure that was in our roundup. Other stories include recaps of Aereo's big day at the Supreme Court and Comcast and Charter are trying to work on a deal to swap and sell some cable systems. Daily Dose: The NFL will unveil its fall schedule this evening. Things to watch for will be what games CBS gets for its new Thursday package.

HBO has cut a deal to sell reruns of many of its hit shows to Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime Instant Video platform. Among the programs  that will be made available on Amazon's Prime Instant Video streaming service are "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," "The Wire," "Girls" and "Veep. " The agreement also covers HBO's miniseries including "Band of Brothers" and original movies such as "Game Change. " As part of the pact, HBO's online streaming service HBO Go will also be available on Amazon's new Fire TV settop box the end of the year.

Jerry Buss' show-stopping mansion in Playa del Rey has sold for $5.1 million. The custom Italian-style villa was built in 1998 by the late Los Angeles Lakers owner and billionaire, and it shows. Lakers logos are incorporated in the home's stained-glass double-door entry, which opens to a rotunda. Spanish tile floors, wood-beam ceilings and a winding staircase continue the architectural style inside. A three-stop elevator also connects the 10,846 square feet of living space. There are multiple balconies, three fireplaces, seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms -- just enough excess to befit the man who transformed the local professional basketball team into what became known as "Showtime" by giving seats to celebrities and entertaining fans with the Laker Girls.

Tom Hanks, producer, director and A-list actor, has cast off a house in Pacific Palisades for $5.025 million. The Spanish-style villa, built in 1929, has an Old Hollywood ambiance. The interiors feature archways, frescoed ceilings, a library, a sky-lit kitchen, a sun room, a beauty salon, four bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms in 6,289 square feet of living space. The living room opens to a loggia and gardens. The property sits behind hedges and a tall wall on nearly a third of an acre.

Joe Hahn of the alt rock band Linkin Park has sold his home in Brentwood for $4 million. Set in a six-home gated community, the contemporary house was built in 2002. Features include a rotunda staircase, floor-to-ceiling windows, solar power, an elevator, five bedrooms, six bathrooms, 6,893 square feet of living space and a three-car garage. The more than half an acre of grounds has city, canyon and ocean views. Hahn, 37, is the DJ and programmer for Linkin Park, which has won two Grammy Awards and sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.

Could an Opening Ceremony store be coming to every city in the land? Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, founders of the influential retailer and its eponymous private label, announced plans on Tuesday to accelerate growth after scoring a minority investment from Boston-based private equity firm Berkshire Partners . The new capital will be used to “enhance its Opening Ceremony women's, men's and accessories collections and its e-commerce capabilities,...