Ticket-Holders Threaten Suits Over Canceled New Year’s Concert
The last-minute cancellation of the Giant Village New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown L.A. threw people’s Saturday night plans into disarray.. Some disappointed, angry ticket-holders are talking about a class-action lawsuit against the organizer. Some said the cancellation had less to do with city officials’ safety concerns than with poor advance sales. A spokeswoman for the event said the charge was untrue, the Los Angeles Times reported. The heavily hyped music festival had been expected to draw more than 15,000 people. Festivities were canceled at the last minute after a fire marshal advised that Saturday’s heavy rains posed a significant safety hazard for the public.
WB, Fox Share Year’s Bounty
It was a good year to be Warner Bros. and Fox and a grim one for Sony and DreamWorks. Warner Bros. came out slightly ahead of Fox in 2005 market share, with $1.38 billion vs. $1.36 billion. Fox had 21 films in the market compared with WB’s 25, giving it a better take per pic. But Warner Bros. produced all of its top movies, while Fox got a $380 million boost from “Revenge of the Sith,” for which it received only a small distribution fee from Lucasfilm, Variety reported. The biggest loser was DreamWorks. With no and a limp year in live action, DreamWorks dropped from $926 million in fourth place last year to $501 million in seventh place in 2005. Sony also welcomed the end of 2005, dropping to third with just over $1 billion.
Mayor: Homeless a Citywide Issue
Calling the issue of homelessness a national disgrace, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Tuesday that all areas of Los Angeles County not just downtown need to be involved in finding solutions to the problem, the Daily News of Los Angeles reported. In his monthly “Ask the Mayor” radio show, Villaraigosa said he has taken the first steps to address the issue by setting aside $50 million for housing, but efforts by all parts of L.A. and the nation are needed. Villaraigosa said he, like other officials, is looking forward to a report scheduled to be released soon that will offer recommendations on how to best deal with the issue. “It is wrong that this city in this nation is the capital of homelessness,” Villaraigosa said.
Waterfront Project Milestone is at Hand
L.A. port officials will be asked Thursday to approve a nearly $11 million contract with an architecture firm to plan and guide the development of Wilmington’s recreational and commercial waterfront district. Sasaki Associates, a planning and architecture firm with offices in San Francisco and Boston, would be given a three-year contract if approved by the harbor commission at the board’s regular meeting, the Daily Breeze reported. Sasaki will be asked to come up with a master plan and final design for a waterfront project that is expected to cost about $120 million to build. The project will be constructed in two phases, with completion dates in 2008 and 2009.
Cities’ Safety Funds to Swell
The bulk of a $765 million counter-terror program will go to cities at greater risk, the Homeland Security Department said Tuesday, cheering those who say too much has been sent to communities unlikely to face major threats. What the changes may mean for California’s share of the funds from the urban area security initiative remains unclear. Homeland Security officials said they will announce how much each qualifying metropolitan area will receive in June. The agency said 35 metropolitan areas will have to apply for funding and show that they have a good use for the money. Those cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Denver and Miami. Last year, nine California cities received money from the program, with $62 million going to Los Angeles and $7.9 million to Long Beach, the Pasadena Star News reported.
Amstar Group to Buy Hilton Pasadena Hotel
The Hilton Pasadena Hotel will be acquired by Amstar Group for $65 million, the Denver real estate investment firm said. Amstar has agreed to buy the 296-room hotel from Carlyle Group, a Washington private equity firm that bought the property in 2004 for $36 million and spent $5 million on upgrades. Memphis-based Davidson Hotel Co. was part owner with Carlyle and will continue to operate the Los Robles Avenue hotel as an equity partner with Amstar. The buyers said they would spend an additional $3 million on improvements this year. It will remain a Hilton, the Los Angeles Times reported.
