LAstories/15/dp1st/mark2nd
Fashion f & #281;te
Each year, the CaliforniaMart gives an award to an “entertainment entity in television, film or music that, in the past 12 months, has gained national attention and popularity through the creation of a unique perspective on fashion.”
Last year’s winner was E! Entertainment Television, which devotes much of its programming to fashion. A likely candidate for the award this year might have been The WB television network, which many teen-agers watch to keep an eye on the latest trends.
So who was the winner when the awards were presented last week?
The Gap not for its clothing but rather for its commercials in which attractive, khaki-clad dancers swing, go-go and line dance against a white background to catchy tunes.
In presenting the award, CaliforniaMart spokeswoman Alanna Chaffin challenged attendees to admit they had never tried any of the moves from “Khaki a-go-go” in their own living rooms. That drew more than a few embarrassed laughs around the room.
Name Game
When word surfaced that CBS and ABC had a couple of competing dramas with similar titles set for the fall season, the question became who would blink first and make a change.
So far, everybody is holding firm.
The CBS drama is titled “Now and Again,” an eerie tale about a man who comes back from the brink of death in another man’s body. ABC is offering “Once and Again,” a domestic drama about two single parents who come together.
In an apparent attempt to force a move by ABC, CBS Television President Les Moonves reportedly said he won’t be making any changes.
“(Moonves) said, ‘let them worry about us,'” according to Glenn Gordon Caron, who is producing the CBS show. “Whenever you get bullishness from a network head you don’t want to diminish that.”
Pick Me, Pick Me
DreamWorks SKG fever seems to have hit all parts of L.A. County, with municipalities lining up to court the entertainment company after its decision to pull out of the Playa Vista development.
Along with overtures from obvious places like North Hollywood, Burbank and Glendale, other offers came from areas a little more out of the way.
Lancaster and Palmdale each offered land for a new studio, even though it would be 45 miles away from Hollywood. That shot in the dark prompted the city of San Fernando to jump in with an offer of land as well.
“We figure if Palmdale and Lancaster are bidding for it, why not San Fernando?” said City Administrator John Ornelas. “We know it’s a long shot.”
Officials in San Fernando, a mostly built-out city of just 2.4 square miles, are still debating whether to offer DreamWorks smaller-sized parcels for off-site production, or a grander site for a full-blown studio. DreamWorks officials say they plan to stay put for now.
Slimming Down
Wondering why sections of the L.A. Times sometimes come in different sizes these days?
It’s because the newspaper continues its move to a slimmer format. The conversion may be annoying to those who expect their paper to be the same size, but complaints have been few, according to officials with the Times’ customer-service section.
So when will the changeover be finished?
“We’re looking at the third or fourth week of October,” said spokesman David Garcia. “It will be about an inch narrower.”
