Football Follies
As Eli Broad and Michael Ovitz head to Atlanta this week to pitch their competing plans to bring a National Football League expansion team to the Coliseum, word has it the NFL staff is crazy for Ovitz’s closely guarded plan for the stadium.
“The Ovitz plan is absolutely loved by the NFL staff,” said one source close to the negotiations. “They flipped. And the staff has told the owners.”
But the plan for the Coliseum, and who could actually end up owning the team, may be unconnected.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said last week that league owners are likely to select a plan either Ovitz’s or Broad’s during this week’s meeting, but may not choose an ownership group until later.
In other words, Broad may end up rebuilding the Coliseum under Ovitz’s plan or vice versa.
Shop Around the Clock
Los Angeles is often knocked for not being a 24-hour town like New York. But you certainly couldn’t say that last week.
Crowds flocked to the L.A. County Museum of Art for the farewell marathon showing of “Van Gogh’s Van Goghs,” when the museum was open for 60 straight hours. At 3 a.m. Sunday, there was little elbow room in some of the exhibit areas.
Flash forward to the wee hours of last Wednesday morning. Mann’s Chinese Theatre was packed for the 3:30 a.m. showing of “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.”
So, is L.A. really ready to stay open all night?
Michael Collins, executive vice president of the L.A. Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the city already has New York beat because L.A. has supermarkets that never close.
“Only in L.A. can you go see Van Gogh at 2 a.m. and then go pick up a fresh package of naval oranges at your local supermarket. In New York, many of the markets are closed at that hour,” he said.
Making a Run for It
Tired of missing out on the action during all those televised police pursuits? Soon you can stage your own chase.
Calabasas video-game maker THQ Inc. announced it will launch “Felony Pursuit,” a 3-D software game that allow players to test their skills as cops or felons in high-speed chases.
The company touts the game as being “set in a city with too many vehicles, too many criminals and too many laws to enforce.”
In other words, L.A.
If nothing else, it’s sure to add fuel to the debate over video games and the message sent to kids.
Angst on Stage
Sunday nights at Uncabaret, an improv comedy club in West Hollywood, can be like attending a group therapy session.
One recent evening found “Suddenly Susan” co-star and resident wisecracker Kathy Griffin on stage discussing her lyposuction. To make a point, she showed her scars to the crowd.
“She said this is what Hollywood forces women to do,” said one shocked woman in the audience.
“News Radio” co-star Andy Dick recently showed up unannounced and closed the Sunday-night set at the club. A week later, he smashed his car into a pole in Hollywood and was arrested on drug charges.
Can’t wait for his next monologue.
