KPCC: Stories by Hettie Lynne Hurtes

USC enrolls more international students than any other college

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:05:41 -0800

As in previous years, the University of Southern California enrolls the largest percentage of students from outside the country — more than any other college or university in the United States, according to a new study.

The Institute of International Education reports that USC enrolled more than 8,600 students from beyond the United States last year. That’s a 62 percent increase over the last decade.

Most of the foreign students are from China and India. University officials say growing alumni groups in those countries have begun to recruit new students.

About 70 percent of those international students are enrolled in graduate programs; engineering is the most popular choice.

On average, it costs close to $58,000 a year, including room and board, to attend USC. Most foreign students pay their own way, while more than 60 percent of all Trojan students receive need-based financial aid and 23 percent are on merit scholarships.

Another Southland school, UCLA, ranks sixth in the country when it comes to international enrollment. About 6,200 foreigners studied there last year.

2 West Covina Police employees under investigation for comedy video

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:10:12 -0800

Screenshot from "Save Miranda" comedy video Credit: "Save Miranda" video

Two non-sworn West Covina Police Department employees are under investigation over a spoof that went viral on the Internet because city patrol cars and uniforms appear in the video, according to City Manager Andrew Pasmant.

The West Covina city manager told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune the employees created a video that showed the two portraying gun-wielding officers playing a joke on a motorist, then driving off firing their weapons into the air. The video is titled "Save Miranda" and depicts five officers drawing guns on a motorist and asking him to tell them the location of a girl who's been kidnapped.

Watch the video below:

Pasmant said, after learning about the YouTube video in September, they launched an internal investigation. The city also asked the production company to remove the video from the Internet. They did — but then apparently put it back on. The Tribune said the video was featured on comic Will Ferrell's website, "Funny Or Die," though it has been removed from that site.

The 2-minute, 7-second video has gotten nearly a million views on YouTube since it was first posted on June 20.

The West Covina City Council plans to discuss it at next Tuesday’s meeting.

West Covina's City Hall is closed on Fridays and holidays. Police Chief Frank Wills and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Touhey did not immediately reply to emailed messages.

"There is no West Covina Police Officer's Association member involved in that video," union president Travis Tibbetts said Friday. He declined any further comment.

Touhey told KCAL-TV he believed officers from other agencies were involved. "I believe other cities, school districts and potential state agencies will be involved in this in the end," he said.

Zoochosis.com, based in Venice, produced the video. It was written and produced by Patrick Scott, produced by Nikos Bellas and starred six men, including actor and improviser Rick Steadman of Los Angeles.

"This is America, and truth will always prevail. Unless of course, lies make a better sound bite," was the company response to an email.

"It was just a comedy short," said Steadman who played the driver in the video.

He said it was his understanding some of the other actors in the video were police officers but he wasn't involved in casting.

He said the video was filmed in 2010 and finished in about four hours. "We had a really good crew and the director knew exactly what he wanted."

As for the weapons, which were pointed at Steadman through most of the video, "they were not real guns. They were prop guns. Patrick showed me each of the guns to show me they were dummies," he said.

"The gunshots were added post-production," he added.

As for the controversy, he said he understands if city officials are talking about use of resources, but he doesn't believe the council is qualified to judge comedy.

"The film is just funny. It's not a statement about the actual behavior of police officers," Steadman said.

He said the people he worked with "were all great guys and I hope that nothing bad happens to them."

"Taxpayer funded property was used in that video without our approval or authorization," Touhey told the Tribune. "We wouldn't approve such an asinine use or joke."

Councilman-elect Fred Sykes learned about the video when contacted by a Tribune reporter Thursday, he said. He won't be sworn in until Dec. 6, but said he was outraged.

"These are tough times nationwide. To expend wear and tear with the use of equipment is wrong. This is a waste, an inappropriate use of our resources. We need to stretch every penny. We can't afford this," said Sykes, who was a deputy sheriff for 33 years.

He was also concerned about the use of guns in the video. He said he couldn't tell if real guns and live ammo were used, but "it appeared to be and that's a bad message."

The video shows five uniformed men getting out of two squad cars, ordering a driver out of his car and yelling repeatedly, "Where's the little girl, where is she?"

When the motorist appears to sob, one of the uniformed men says, "There's the little girl." They laugh, high-five and drive off, weaving across the road and appearing to shoot out the windows of the cruisers.

Bachman said they are checking to see if the video was filmed in the city without a permit.

Touhey asked if the actors could be prosecuted for impersonating police officers.

"I'm just offended all the way around at the scumbugs who would do something like this," Touhey said. "I don't care whether it's a worker or not, I'm going after everyone involved in this."

This story incorporates information from the Associated Press.

Seal Beach to discuss shootings at town hall meeting

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:58:20 -0700

The Seal Beach community held a candlelight vigil Oct. 13, 2011, the day after the worst mass shooting in Orange County history. Credit: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/KPCC

The city of Seal Beach will hold a town hall meeting to discuss the Oct. 12 shootings that rattled the community and left eight dead. Officials say they called the town hall to answer questions about the investigation. Counselors will also be on hand and discuss the community's grieving and methods of coping with the tragedy.

The meeting will be held Thursday Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. and is expected to provide an update from officials on the shooting spree at the Meritage beauty salon.

Police arrested Scott Dekraai shortly after the shootout and charged him with the killings. Prosecutors say Dekraai was involved in a child custody battle with his ex-wife, who worked at the salon and died from her injuries.

The lone survivor of the mass shooting was 73-year old Harriet Stretz, whose hairstylist daughter was killed.

Dekraai is currently being held without bail, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

The meeting will be held at McGaugh ElementarySchool in Seal Beach.

Ex-boyfriend charged with killing LA area student

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:30:41 -0700

LA Unified School district police outside Southeast High School in South Gate after a stabbing that ended in the death of a female student on Sept. 30, 2011. Credit: Brian Watt/KPCC

An 18-year-old Southland student has made his first appearance in court after being charged with murder in last Friday’s stabbing at a South Gate high school.

Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Abraham Lopez with 10 felony counts in the death of his ex-girlfriend. Investigators allege Lopez stabbed 17-year old Cindi Santana on campus following a lunchtime argument at Southeast High School, where both were seniors.

LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy has expressed concern that South Gate police didn’t warn the school about the potential danger posed by Lopez. They had arrested him days before the stabbing for allegedly threatening Santana and her family.

Deasy said the girl’s mother did report the earlier arrest to the school’s principal.

Lopez faces up to life in prison with the possibility of parole if he’s convicted. His arraignment has been continued until Oct. 25. He’s being held on $1.2 million bail.

Former Dodger Milton Bradley out on bail after arrest for battery

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:12:13 -0700

Former Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley was freed on bail Wednesday after his arrest on suspicion of felony battery.

Los Angeles police arrested Bradley at his home in the San Fernando Valley. That’s the same location where authorities took him into custody in January, after a woman claimed he had threatened her. Prosecutors never charged him in connection with that arrest.

Bradley’s record includes his suspension by the Dodgers in 2004 for throwing a plastic bottle into the stands at Dodger Stadium. Three months after that, police officers in Ohio arrested him when he allegedly confronted one of them during a traffic stop.

The Dodgers traded Bradley to Oakland a year later. Then he played for San Diego, Texas, Chicago and Seattle — the team that released the 33-year-old earlier this year.

Milton Bradley is scheduled to appear in a Van Nuys courtroom on Oct. 18.

Giants fan beaten at Dodger Stadium improving

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:56:59 -0700

The Giants fan who was seriously injured in a beating at Dodger Stadium last spring, Bryan Stow, appears to be improving at a Northern California Hospital.

The Stow family writes on its website that the 42-year old father of two has begun talking and interacting with his family.

The turnaround in Stow’s recovery follows shunt surgery more than a week ago to relieve pressure on his brain. Last Friday, he went outside for the first time in six months. He described the feeling of sitting in the sun as “magical.”

His family says he’s getting his sense of humor back too. He chastised his mom for using his cell phone in his hospital room, saying “she isn’t supposed to be on that.”

Stow,who’s a paramedic, was walking through the Dodger Stadium parking lot after the team’s opening day victory over the Giants when he was attacked. He spent months in a coma. Louie Sanchez and Marvin Norwood have been charged in connection with the March 31 beating.

West Hollywood approves fur selling ban

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:08:39 -0700

Critter-friendly West Hollywood is moving forward with a plan to ban the sale of fur.

Here’s how much West Hollywood loves animals – it formally recognizes pets as “companions” to the people who care for them, and calls those humans “guardians,” not “owners.”

Now its city council has agreed to move forward with ordinance that bans the sale of clothing made of fur, animal hair and wool.

The ordinance still needs a second reading before final approval. That could happen at the council’s next meeting. One councilmember estimates that it’ll take effect on June 30th.

The no-fur ban would be the first ordinance of its kind in the country. The law would not apply to items made of leather.

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Man who killed NBC studio exec pleads guilty

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:01:27 -0700

A man who shot and killed a Hollywood executive earlier this year has pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

David Armstrong entered the guilty plea in an L.A. courtroom. Armstrong shot 32-year-old NBC studio exec Brian Kaplon during a St. Patrick’s Day party in Armstrong’s San Fernando Valley home.

Armstrong claimed it was an accident. He told investigators he was drunk and was showing his childhood friend a semiautomatic rifle when the gun went off. Kaplon died after being shot in the chest.

Prosecutors originally charged Armstrong with murder. He pleaded not guilty. For his guilty plea to the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter, Armstrong could receive as many as 14 years in prison.

Kaplon worked in the finance department of NBC Universal. He leaves behind a wife and three children, including twins who were born after his death.

A judge scheduled Armstrong’s sentencing for late November.

Longtime film studio chief John Calley dies

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:08:04 -0700

(From L) US producer John Calley, French actress Audrey Tautou and Us actor Tom Hanks pose during the photocall for US director Ron Howard's film The Da Vinci Code at the 59th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, Southern France, 17 May 2006. Credit: Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images

John Calley ran three Hollywood studios during his long career as a studio chief. He died Tuesday at his home after a lengthy illness. Calley was 81.

Among the varied and influential films produced under his tenure as a studio head were "All the President's Men," ''The Exorcist," ''Dirty Harry," ''A Clockwork Orange," ''Spider-Man" and "The Da Vinci Code."

Calley most recently served as Sony's chairman and chief executive officer. Before that he was the studio chief at Warner Bros. in the 1970s and MGM/United Artists in the 1990s.

At the Academy Awards in 2009, Calley received the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.

Memorial arrangements are being planned and will take place at Sony Pictures Studios.

Eddie Murphy to host Oscars

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:27:05 -0700

Comedian Eddie Murphy speaks onstage at The First Annual Comedy Awards at Hammerstein Ballroom on March 26, 2011 in New York City. Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Comedian and actor Eddie Murphy will host the 84th annual Oscar ceremony, Academy Awards producers Brett Ratner and Don Mischer announced.

Ratner says the 50-year-old entertainer is "a comedic genius; one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever." Mischer agreed, saying Murphy is "a truly groundbreaking performer [whose] quick wit and charisma will serve him very well as Oscar host."

Murphy has been on stage since the age of 15, writing and performing his own routines. Since then he’s entertained audiences in popular films including "Trading Places," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Shrek," as well as TV's "Saturday Night Live."

This will be Murphy's first time hosting the Academy Awards. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for his supporting role in "Dreamgirls."

Murphy said in a statement Tuesday that he is "enormously honored" to join the ranks of past Academy Awards hosts such as Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg.

The Academy Awards are scheduled for Feb. 27 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Wreckage from World Trade Center disaster moves to Nixon Library for 9/11 tribute

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:05:13 -0700

New York City firefighters work at the World Trade Center after two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers September 11, 2001 in New York. Credit: Ron Agam/Getty Images

Twenty tons of wreckage from the World Trade Center is part of what's been transported from New York to the Nixon Presidential Library to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

A motorcade arrived in Yorba Linda carrying 20 tons of steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center along with a damaged New York Fire Department ladder truck.

The remnants from the disaster are part of a tribute to 9/11 victims as the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks approaches.

The week-long program will feature 60 members of the Navy Sea Cadets, patriotic choral presentations by local schools, an antique fire engine display, solemn bagpipe arrangement and bell tolling in honor of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11.

The free exhibit will continue at the library through next Sunday, 9/11.

Former Laker waives extradition; faces murder charge in Atlanta

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:33:10 -0700

Javaris Crittenton #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Boston Celtics at Staples Center on December 30, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. Credit: Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Javaris Crittenton waived his right to an extradition hearing today and will be transferred to Atlanta to face a murder charge stemming from the shooting death of a 22-year-old woman.

Georgia law enforcement officials allege Crittenton was actually targeting a teenage boy he thought had stolen $55,000 worth of diamond jewelry and cash from him in late April.

He was arrested Monday night at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. Atlanta authorities were expected to pick him up by Sept. 15.

He will remain jailed without bail until he is transferred to Georgia. During a brief hearing in downtown Los Angeles, Crittenton acknowledged that he was wanted in Atlanta.

"Hopefully the authorities will transport Mr. Crittenton to the state of Georgia so we can begin defending him and clearing him from the false allegations,'' Atlanta-based attorney Brian Steel told reporters outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse.

The defense lawyer said he had spoken with officials in Atlanta before his client's arrest and assured them that Crittenton was willing to surrender in California if necessary. Steel said his client was going to fly back under his own name, accompanied by a former law enforcement officer who works for his law office, and then be taken into custody at the airport in Atlanta.

"Law enforcement officers decided otherwise and that's what finds us here in California ...,'' Steel said.

Crittenton, 23, of Fayetteville, Ga., is accused of shooting Julian Jones, a mother of four, as she stood outside her home with an 18-year-old man on Aug. 19.

Crittenton was chosen by the Lakers in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft, but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 1, 2008, in the deal that brought Pau Gasol to the Lakers.

In 2010, Crittenton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor gun possession and was placed on probation after getting into a locker-room dispute with Washington Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas, with both players wielding guns. Crittenton and Arenas were suspended for the remainder of the season by NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Crittenton was released by the Charlotte Bobcats during training camp before the start of the 2010-11 season. He then played five games with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association and 21 games with the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League.

California state colleges ready for another round of budget cuts

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 06:59:11 -0700

Students walk near Sather Gate on the University of California at Berkeley campus. Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California’s public universities and colleges could be in for another round of budget cuts if the economy doesn’t pick up.

If state revenues fall below projections, that could trigger automatic state cuts to both education and social services in California. So in preparation for that contingency, the chancellors of the Cal State system and California community colleges say they’re making plans to cope with midyear reductions in state funding.

Each system could lose another $100 million if that comes to pass. In the current state budget CSU, with 23 campuses, lost $65 million, while the 112-campus community colleges saw a loss of $400 million.

Both chancellors say additional cuts this year would result in fewer courses, larger classes, scrapped summer sessions and, of course, even higher fees.

Brown appoints Pebble Beach bank exec to help create jobs

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:09:45 -0700

California Gov. Jerry Brown Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Michael Rossi, a retired Bank of America executive from Pebble Beach, will be Gov. Jerry Brown’s senior advisor on job creation.

Under this title he will act as the liaison between the state’s business leaders and the administration. He’ll also advise the governor on regulatory, legislative and executive actions needed to promote job growth.

The 67-year old Rossi got a thumbs up from the California Chamber of Commerce, which praised him as well qualified to improve the state’s business climate as it continues to struggle with an unemployment rate of 11.8 percent, the second highest in the nation.

The new position is an unpaid post.

California home sales, prices drop, including in the Southland

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 12:55:51 -0700

Home for sale. Credit: Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Home sales fell about 4 percent in California last month compared to the previous month. On the upside, the numbers are still an improvement over last year. Things aren't quite as bright locally, with Southland home sales and prices down compared to a year ago.

The California Association of Realtors says more than 458,000 single-family homes sold in the Golden State in July. That’s about 20,000 fewer than June, but it’s 20,000 more than last July.

Despite the year-over-year improvement, the Association’s economists expected a stronger showing, given current mortgage rates and falling home prices. Their analysis: economic uncertainty and turmoil in the financial markets has caused prospective homebuyers to hesitate, and that could continue to show up in the numbers for months.

In the Southland, sales in Los Angeles took the biggest month-to-month drop – 16 percent from June to July. In Riverside County, the decline was nearly 15 percent.

In L.A. County sales dropped nearly 5 percent in July compared to the same month a year ago. Prices fell just over 5 percent as well. MDA DataQuick figures indicate the median price of a home in L.A. in July was $320,000, down from $339,000 last July.

Orange County fared a little better – sales there were down 2.8 percent with the median home price around $437,000, down from $450,000 in July of 2010.

Riverside saw a steep drop in sales, down 6.8 percent, with July prices falling 5 percent from a year ago. The median price of a home in that county was $190,000 compared to $200,000 last July.

Former Irwindale city manager used public money for nights out on the town

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:14:54 -0700

A former Irwindale official has been ordered to pay hefty fines for the misappropriation of public funds.

Following his conviction, Steve Blancarte paid $20,000 in restitution and penalties for using city money to attend Broadway plays including "Phantom of the Opera" and "Mamma Mia!." He also attended Yankees and Mets games while on alleged business trips in New York. Blancarte had pleaded guilty, citing health reasons, on Aug. 4.

The 56-year old retired Irwindale city manager was one of four city officials charged last October with misappropriation of public funds from 2001-2005. Blancarte and officials said they were traveling to New York to discuss the city’s bond rating. The cost of these trips totaled upwards of $200,000, according to the L.A. Times.

Because of his guilty plea, Blancarte will never again be able to hold public office in California.

The other three officials, including Councilman Mark Breceda; finance director Abe De Dios; and former Councilwoman Rosemary Ramirez, are due in court at the end of September.

Brutal details of Giants fan beating revealed in court docs

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:57:55 -0700

Gilbert Quinones, the attorney for suspect Louie Sanchez in the Bryan Stow beating case, speaks to reporters outside LA Superior Court on July 25, 2011. Credit: Corey Moore/KPCC

Prosecutors allege in court papers filed today that one of the two men accused of beating a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodger Stadium on opening day initially shoved him, followed him after he and his friends walked away, punched him in the side of the head and then kicked him in the head after knocking him unconscious.

The details of the March 31 attack on Bryan Stow in the stadium's parking lot were disclosed in the prosecution's opposition to the defense's request to reduce Louie Sanchez's bail from $500,000.

Sanchez, 29, is charged along with Marvin Norwood, 30, who is also being held on $500,000 bail.

Both men, who are from Rialto, are set to be arraigned Aug. 10, when a judge is expected to consider the defense's request to lower Sanchez's bail amount.

In their court filing, Deputy District Attorneys Michele Hanisee and Frank Santoro alleged the attack on Stow's group was ``a two-part incident'' in which Sanchez initially shoved Stow and punched another man, Mathew Lee.

"The Stow group walked away from the assault and continued to walk toward the edge of the parking lot,'' the prosecutors wrote. "Sanchez and Norwood pursued the Stow group and again assaulted them, several hundred feet from where the first confrontation occurred.''

Sanchez allegedly punched another of Stow's friends, knocking him to the ground, and then ran up behind Stow and punched the paramedic in the side of the head, according to the prosecution's filing.

"Stow's friends, who are paramedics, describe that Stow immediately lost consciousness and fell sideways to the ground without breaking his fall. When Stow's head hit the ground, witnesses heard his head impact the concrete and saw it bounce,'' the prosecutors wrote.

"Defendant Sanchez then kicked the unconscious Stow several times in the head. Defendant Norwood also approached Stow and kicked him.''

Sanchez has had a string of run-ins with the law, including a January 2003 conviction following his arrest for corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, three DUI arrests and a high-speed police chase in 2005, according to the prosecution's filing.

He was sentenced to a 16-month prison term in February 2008 for violating his probation and was paroled less than five months later, the prosecutors said.

"His prior offenses are all either violent in nature or are the type of offenses that put the public at risk of harm by his irresponsibility,'' the prosecutors wrote in the filing. "The injury of Stow is severe and was not based on an isolated act of violence by Sanchez, but was the culmination of a chain of violent acts against strangers.''

Sanchez's attorney, Gilbert Quinones, told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba that he had not had an opportunity to review "extensive factual allegations'' made by the prosecution in its filing and wanted copies of witness statements.

"I think the bail hearing should go forward on the next date and no later than that,'' the judge said.

Sanchez and Norwood have remained jailed since their July 21 arrests. According to court papers, police recovered "five firearms, including an AR 15 assault rifle'' during a search of Norwood's home. Prosecutors also allege that Sanchez "told witnesses not to provide information about the crime.''

Sanchez's attorney, Gilbert Quinones, said outside court last week that his client was a Dodgers fan who had attended the opening day game with "his brother-in-law, his sister and his child.'' He said Sanchez works as a
supervisor in the auto-detailing department of a Fontana vehicle auction company.

Sanchez "doesn't seem like the type of individual who would do this,'' Quinones said, declining to describe what his client may have told him about the events of March 31.

Norwood's lawyer, Lee Rosen, said his client worked as a carpenter. Both men are charged with mayhem, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury, all felonies.

Sanchez is also charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery stemming from another alleged run-in the same day, when he allegedly attacked another man and woman.

The charging document refers to injuries that caused Stow "to become comatose due to brain injury and to suffer paralysis.''

Police said Stow was attacked solely because he was wearing Giants apparel while his attackers and the female getaway driver were wearing Dodgers gear.

Stow, a 42-year-old Santa Cruz paramedic and a father of two, remains hospitalized at San Francisco General Hospital.

An initial suspect in the case, 31-year-old Giovanni Ramirez, was arrested May 22 but was never charged in the Stow beating. He has now been cleared of any involvement, even though Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck initially expressed confidence the right man had been arrested.

Ramirez is now imprisoned in San Diego on a violation of his parole stemming from another case, but his attorneys are petitioning for his release. Stow's assailants allegedly fled in a car driven by a woman.

Dorene Virginia Sanchez, 31, the sister of Louie Sanchez and the wife or girlfriend of Norwood, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory, but she was released on $50,000 bail. She has not been charged, but has a tentative court date of Aug. 19, according to Los Angeles County Jail records.

According to various media reports, Sanchez may have testified against her brother and Norwood before a county grand jury. Sanchez faces a maximum of nine years in prison if convicted, while Norwood would face up to eight years behind bars, according to prosecutors.

New 'Harry Potter' movie breaks midnight screenings record with $43.5 million domestically

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:29:14 -0700

Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis attend the New York premiere of 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2' at the Lincoln Center on July 11, 2011 in New York City. Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

The final installment in the Harry Potter franchise set a record at last night’s midnight screenings around the country.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow Part 2" took in more than $43.5 million, shattering the domestic box office record for a midnight opening - and rivaling international sales on opening day.

Warner Bros. says the Potter film took in $43.6 million in 26 countries outside the U.S. Wednesday, the day before the U.S. premiere.

The midnight record in our country followed another milestone – for advance domestic ticket sales. Many of the shows were sold out weeks ago at the 3,800 locations which had showings of the final installment.

The previous midnight record was set last summer by "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which earned 30 million bucks.

The head of the box office division of Hollywood.com says the figures also set the stage for a potentially record breaking singe day gross for the film which could rake in some $80 million, and even top the biggest opening weekend of all time set by "The Dark Knight" in July 2008.

Sherwood Schwartz, creator of 'Brady Bunch,' 'Gilligan's Island' dies at age 94

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:08:34 -0700

File: The cast of "Gilligan's Island" is shown in this 1978 photo. Credit: AP Photo

Sherwood Schwartz has died at age 94. Schwartz was the writer-creator of two of the best-remembered TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." Great niece Robin Randall said Schwartz died at 4 a.m. Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

He was being treated for an intestinal infection and underwent several surgeries. His wife Mildred and his children had been at his side.

Schwartz came to Southern California in 1938 to get a master's degree in biological sciences at USC and lived with his brother Al, a writer on Bob Hope's radio show. Schwartz eventually began penning jokes, and Hope liked them enough to hire him.

"Bob liked my jokes, used them on his show and got big laughs. Then he asked me to join his writing staff," Schwartz said during an appearance in March 2008, when he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "I was faced with a major decision - writing comedy or starving to death while I cured those diseases. I made a quick career change."

Sherwood Schwartz and his brother Al started as a writing team in TV's famed 1950s "golden age," said Douglas Schwartz, the late Al Schwartz's son.

"They helped shape television in its early days," Douglas Schwartz said. "Sherwood is an American classic, creating `Brady Bunch' and `Gilligan's Island,' iconic shows that are still popular today. He continued to produce all the way up into his 90s."

Sherwood Schwartz was working on a big-screen version of "Gilligan's Island," his nephew said. Douglas Schwartz, who created the hit series "Baywatch," called his uncle a longtime mentor and caring "second father" who helped guide him successfully through show business.

Success was the hallmark of Sherwood Schwartz's own career. Neither "Gilligan" nor "Brady" pleased the critics, but both managed to reverberate in viewers' heads through the years as few such series did, lingering in the language and inspiring parodies, spinoffs and countless standup comedy jokes.

After starting on Bob Hope's radio show, he went on to write for other radio and TV shows, including "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."

He dreamed up "Gilligan's Island" in 1964. It was a Robinson Crusoe story about seven disparate travelers who are marooned on a deserted Pacific Island after their small boat wrecks in a storm. The cast: Alan Hale Jr., as Skipper Jonas Grumby; Bob Denver, as his klutzy assistant Gilligan; Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer, the rich snobs Thurston and Lovey Howell; Tina Louise, the bosomy movie star Ginger Grant; Russell Johnson, egghead science professor Roy Hinkley Jr.; and Dawn Wells, sweet-natured farm girl Mary Ann Summers.

Calling "Gilligan's Island" a "family," Tina Louise tweeted that "Sherwood Schwartz brought laughter and comfort to millions of people." In her Twitter post she added, "He will be in our hearts forever."

TV critics hooted at "Gilligan's Island" as gag-ridden corn. Audiences adored its far-out comedy. Schwartz insisted that the show had social meaning along with the laughs: "I knew that by assembling seven different people and forcing them to live together, the show would have great philosophical implications."

He argued that his sitcoms didn't rely on cheap laughs. "I think writers have become hypnotized by the number of jokes on the page at the expense of character," Schwartz said in a 2000 Associated Press interview.

"When you say the name Gilligan, you know who that is. If a show is good, if it's written well, you should be able to erase the names of the characters saying the lines and still be able to know who said it. If you can't do that, the show will fail."

"Gilligan's Island" lasted on CBS from 1964 to 1967, and it was revived in later seasons with three high-rated TV movies. A children's cartoon, "The New Adventures of Gilligan," appeared on ABC from 1974 to 1977, and in 2004, Schwartz had a hand in producing a TBS reality show called "The Real Gilligan's Island."

The name of the boat on "Gilligan's Island" - the S.S. Minnow - was a bit of TV inside humor: It was named for Newton Minow, who as Federal Communications Commission chief in the early 1960s had become famous for proclaiming television "a vast wasteland."

Minow took the gibe in good humor, saying later that he had a friendly correspondence with Schwartz.

TV writers usually looked upon "The Brady Bunch" as a sugarcoated view of American family life.

The premise: a widow (Florence Henderson) with three daughters marries a widower (Robert Reed) with three sons. (Widowhood was a common plot point in TV series back then, since networks were leery of divorce.) During the 1970s when the nation was rocked by social turmoil, audiences seemed comforted by watching an attractive, well-scrubbed family engaged in trivial pursuits.

Schwartz claimed in 1995 that his creation had social significance because "it dealt with real emotional problems: the difficulty of being the middle girl; a boy being too short when he wants to be taller; going to the prom with zits on your face."

The series lasted from 1969 to 1974, but it had an amazing afterlife. It was followed by three one-season spinoffs: "The Brady Bunch Hour" (1977), "The Brady Brides" (1981) and "The Bradys" (1990). "The Brady Bunch Movie," with Shelley Long and Gary Cole as the parents, was a surprise box-office hit in 1995.

It was followed the next year by a less successful "A Very Brady Sequel."

Sherwood Schwartz was born in 1916 in Passaic, N.J., and grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Besides his wife, Schwartz's survivors include sons Donald, Lloyd and Ross Schwartz, and daughter Hope Juber.

Former Associated Press Writer Bob Thomas and AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report.

This story incorporates information from the Associated Press and KPCC wire services.

LEDs in LA's traffic lights expected to save millions

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:07:17 -0700

The city of Los Angeles has just finished a five-year project to retrofit its entire network of traffic signals. Bonus: It’s expected to save taxpayers millions of dollars.

City crews have been busy converting all the city’s traffic lights and pedestrian signals from incandescent bulbs to LEDs. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the LEDs are about 85 percent more efficient than traditional lights, adding the conversion would save the city about $4 million a year. That project is being financed by a $40 million loan by the Department of Water and Power. Once the loan is paid back, city officials expect that the new lights will save about $10 million a year.

The city is also working on converting two-thirds of its 210,000 street lights to LEDs.

The mayor also announced the completion of a traffic light synchronization program in San Pedro. The project, which monitors traffic conditions and changes signals in real-time, links 64 intersections and adds 17 new left turn arrows in the harbor area.