Business

Monday, October 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy forces big changes in entertainment

Hurricane Sandy’s hammering of the East Coast has prompted the cancellation of today’s taping of  “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in New York City and two other late night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman, taped their shows without audiences today. Broadway shows, movie theaters, and  TV and film productions have shut down due to Sandy as well. Details on deadline.com .
Saturday, October 27, 2012

It’s Halloween time!

A big weekend for Halloween fans to go shopping for decorations, hunt down the right costume for fright night, and of course, buy candy for those little ghosts, goblins, and other night creatures who may come a trick or treating. No longer just a kid’s holiday — Halloween is now a favorite of adults as well and it’s big business, […]
Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Burbank-based KCET announces major merger deal

KCET is hooking up with Link Media, the parent company of Link TV, a national satellite network and international news portal. KCET, the country’s largest independent public broadcasting station, announced the deal in a press release today. Link Media is an independent non-profit media company. The merger will create a new impressive public media company, KCETLink, which will reportedly “… acquires, […]
Tuesday, October 16, 2012

City Buzz: Burbank Water and Power payment snafus

Have you checked your Burbank Water and Power bill –CAREFULLY – lately? Some folks have done so and made some surprising discoveries. I’m hearing some residents have noticed monthly utility bills are now $100 more since the installation of those so-called and very controversial smart meters. Also last month, a senior citizen, on a fixed income, was hit with a […]
Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Hollywood trade paper Daily Variety sold

The oldest of Hollywood’s trade papers, Daily Variety, has a new owner today. The 107-year-old Variety was very slow to move into the digital age. For that reason, and poor management, it has been struggling for years and bleeding a lot of red ink. In its glory days of the 1990s, when circulation and advertisement were robust, the publication took […]
Monday, August 27, 2012

Gas prices heading up for Labor Day weekend, consumers blame oil companies

Gasoline prices are on a roll again — upward!  As the long Labor Day weekend approaches, prices at the pumps continue to creep up. Today the national average for a gallon of self-serve regular is $3.75, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report. As usual, prices are higher in California.  Today the state and the Los Angeles/Long Beach (including Burbank) […]
Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Comcast NBCUniversal hit with “Tonight Show” jokes and class action lawsuit

More bad labor press for Comcast NBCUniversal.  First, a lot of shock and surprise when it came out last week  that about 20 staffers got laid off  from the highly rated, “The Tonight Show.”  Host Jay Leno reportedly was forced to take a pay cut as part of that budget slashing.  For the past couple of nights, Leno and his […]
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Alert: Nail salon robberies in Burbank

Nail salons  and their clients have been put on the alert by the Burbank Police Department. The agency sent out a new release on Thursday warning about a series of nail shop robberies in Burbank and nearby Van Nuys. The robberies in B-town took place last month on July 24 and 27th, according to Sergeant Darin Ryburn, Burbank PD media […]
Friday, August 17, 2012

Entertainment Bits: MJ’s will reviewed, Facebook stock down again, WGA-West slams Verizon/cable deals

No surprise that a family feud is underway over the very rich estate of the late pop legend, Michael Jackson. Some of the superstar’s disgruntled siblings have charged his will is a fake. Yes, that’s the will that left the singer’s fortune to various charities, his mother, and his children and nothing to his brothers and sisters.  Forbes investigated MJ’s […]