Doc Rivers could be just what the Clippers ordered

It was the Clippers' second day of training camp in La Jolla and assistant coach Tyronn Lue was demonstrating one of the team's new defensive techniques, telling the guards to "bump" opposing big men when they set a screen, then to hurry back on defense.

Once Lue finished, Clippers Coach Doc Rivers moved his 6-foot-4 frame across the court and with his booming voice, in the now silent UC San Diego gym, Rivers immediately had the attention of his players. The new coach wanted to emphasize the importance of what Lue had said.

Every player looked directly at Rivers as he spoke, listening intently. His guards must land the "first blow" against the opposing center or forward setting a screen, Rivers said, then hustle back out to defend their own man. After two days of practice, Rivers had begun to impose his will on a new team.

Many Clippers talked about the imposing presence of their new coach.

"It's a respect factor," Chris Paul said.

"He commands a lot of respect and he deserves the amount of respects he gets," Blake Griffin said. "That's our job, really, is to just listen and trust and buy into it."

New Clippers guard J.J. Redick recalled at a recent dinner with his teammates how they all spoke glowingly about what Rivers had said in the locker room and team meetings.

Redick said he'd played for "two great coaches" who were exceptional motivators: former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy and Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Redick said Van Gundy and Krzyzewski excel at what they do because they "are original" with their messages.

He has added Rivers to the list.

"You get like goose bumps sometimes," Redick said about Rivers' speeches. "It's refreshing to play for a guy like that."

During training camp, Paul and Griffin have been careful in public not to compare Rivers with his predecessor, Vinny Del Negro. But the All-Stars made some subtle comparisons between the two coaches.

Both players said there is a purpose to everything they do in this camp. In one practice, after Griffin went up for a layup, Rivers told his star forward to dunk the ball next time. It was Rivers' way of telling Griffin to practice the way you play in a game.

"Doc is really good at pointing out those really small things," Griffin said. "There's really no wasted time in practice."

"If we're doing a drill, we won't go to the next one until we do it right," Paul said. "That's one of the things about our team this year, there are no shortcuts."

Since arriving, Rivers has talked about creating a defense-oriented team. Much of his attention has been on DeAndre Jordan. The coach wants his 6-foot-11 center to be a defensive force, not only blocking shots, but altering others.

"No practice goes by without us working on improving our defense," Jordan said.

Rivers not only tries to control what goes on with his players, but also with his staff. Rivers won't allow his assistant coaches to be interviewed by the media, saying he wants "one voice" speaking for the organization. He often listens to his players' interviews with the media before practices, telling them to hurry up so they can get to work.

Rivers has set a serious tone.

"His presence is what makes him such a great coach," said Steve Kerr, TNT analyst. "He's got an amazing way with people. He's an incredible communicator. He's fun to be around. But he's also forceful in a good way. There's no doubt who's in charge."

Rivers, 52, won an NBA championship in 2008 coaching the Boston Celtics, who also reached the NBA Finals in 2010. But he didn't want to be a part of rebuilding project in Boston, so he bolted to the Clippers.

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Orson Welles' night of mischief with 'War of the Worlds' resonates

"Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News. At twenty minutes before eight, central time, Professor Farrell of the Mount Jennings Observatory, Chicago, Ill., reports observing several explosions of incandescent gas, occurring at regular interviews on the planet Mars." — Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds"

The eve before Halloween is known as Mischief Night. And on Oct. 30, 1938, a 23-year-old Orson Welles caused more than a bit of mischief with his landmark radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds."

Most of the 6 million who tuned into Welles' "Mercury Theater on the Air" innovative adaptation of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic about a Martian invasion realized it was drama. But because of its realistic news bulletin format, some believed aliens from the Red Planet had actually landed and overrun the small town of Grover's Mill, N.J., and were on the move through the rest of the country.

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Even in this pre-Twitter and Facebook era, the reaction was instantaneous.  Listeners called into Chicago newspapers in a panic during the broadcast, while in San Francisco people fretted that the Martians were heading West. And in New Jersey, National Guardsmen were calling their armories to find out if they needed to report.

After the broadcast, thousands of letters were sent to Welles from listeners, as well as to the FCC complaining about the broadcast. And Welles, who had already made a name for himself in the New York theater scene, became a superstar. Just three years later he would shatter the rules once again with his groundbreaking feature film "Citizen Kane."

A new "American Experience" documentary, "War of the Worlds" which airs 9 p.m. Tuesday on PBS in conjunction with the show's 75th anniversary, examines the factors that turned the radio broadcast into such an extraordinary event.

With "War of the Worlds," Welles tapped into the anxiety felt by a nation that had been in the grips of the Great Depression for nearly a decade. Plus Hitler and Mussolini were coming into power, noted Cathleen O'Connell, the documentary's director-producer.

PHOTOS: Top three radio stations of 1938

"There were late-breaking news bulletins coming in from Europe all the time about the escalation of events," said Paul Heyer, professor at Canada's Wilfrid Laurier University and author of "The Medium and the Magician," about the radio legacy of Welles.

There was also a strong belief that there was life of Mars. "So when Orson Welles said Martians have landed, it wasn't necessarily a clue to people that this was a fantasy — to some people it was actually very plausible," said O'Connell.

And there was a marked rivalry between newspapers and the young upstart radio, which was becoming the primary source for late-breaking news.

"Radio was a lifeline to the nation and to the world," said Susan J. Douglas, professor at the University of Michigan and author of "Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination."

"When Roosevelt would do his fireside chats, 40 million people tuned in," said Douglas. "People would readily give up their telephones before they could give up their radios. It was very central to a sense of nation-building in a really difficult time."

PHOTOS: Fall TV sneaks 2013

Yet the No. 1 show at 8 p.m. Oct. 30 was not "War of the Worlds" but NBC's "Chase and Sanborn Hour" featuring ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy. That evening fans tuned in to listen to Bergen and McCarthy comedy monologue but began to channel surf when singer and movie star Nelson Eddy started to croon.

Though it was made clear at the beginning of the "War of the Worlds" broadcast that it was a dramatization, audiences who switched from NBC to CBS wouldn't have known that because when they tuned in "War of  the Worlds" sounded like a typical dance music program. That is until a nervous announcer suddenly interrupted with news of the discovery of explosions on Mars.

Welles, said Heyer, felt the broadcast "would frighten a few people, but he did not have any idea of how widespread it would be."

susan.king@latimes.com

----------------------------

'American Experience: War of the Worlds'

When: 9 p.m. Tuesday

Channel: KOCE

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It's best two-out-of-three in World Series as season hurls to an end

Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis will be offering his analysis throughout the World Series. Ellis, 32, recently completed his second full season as a starter for the Dodgers by batting .333 in a National League division series against the Atlanta Braves and .316 in the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ellis is familiar with the Boston Red Sox, a team the Dodgers faced during the regular season.

Regardless if your season ends after the traditional 162-game schedule or your team is fortunate enough to advance into the playoffs, the inevitable end of the year for all players marks the annual transition from everyday working professional baseball player to a daily routine that doesn't include bullpens and batting practice.

 The breakneck pace of games, flights and hotel rooms is replaced in various ways by players. For some, it is time for hobbies such as golf and hunting. For others, a vacation to rest and recover is needed. 

BOX SCORE: Red Sox 4, Cardinals 2

For a lot of veteran players — myself included — it is time to re-assimilate into home life as a husband and father. Steak dinners and bottles of wine are replaced with mac 'n' cheese and juice boxes. Ten-day, three-city trips are exchanged for carpools to kindergarten and gymnastics.

 Although most of us, myself the most, are blessed with amazing wives who juggle the household through the summer, baseball can be hard on families. It is crucial for us as husbands and dads to hit the ground running and make up for lost time. The day after the season ended, my 5-year-old daughter asked whether I had to go to the baseball field. My answer of, "No honey, the season's over," was met with a smile and a simple, enthusiastic "Yes!" from her.

 In the next week, baseball will crown a new champion and the winning team will celebrate long into the night. But morning will come and for many of the combatants, the off-season will begin with saying "good morning" to kids who are unimpressed and aloof to their father's professional accomplishments but genuinely only excited to have a full day with dad. Baseball is important and provides for our families and loved ones, but being a parent is the most important job we will ever have. 

Player(s) of the game

 Jonny Gomes made his first hit of the World Series count with his go-ahead, three-run homer in the sixth inning off Cardinals reliever Seth Maness. Gomes also had an impressive at-bat the inning before working a 10-pitch walk in a perfect characterization of the Red Sox offensive game plan. 

After the Red Sox had four-inning starts on back-to-back nights, Felix Doubront saved the Boston bullpen. He got eight huge outs in the middle of the game to bridge the game to the back of the bullpen. For a pitcher who spent the year as a starter, to throw multiple innings on back-to-back nights changed the game and made life a little easier on Manager John Farrell. 

 David Ortiz reached base in all four plate appearances, scoring two runs for the Red Sox. Ortiz is a jaw-dropping eight for 11 with four walks in the series thus far.

Turning point(s)

 Gomes' three-run homer came in an inning that started with two quick outs. Dustin Pedroia then laced a single into left field. Cardinals starter Lance Lynn wanted no part of the Boston superstar and pitched around Ortiz. Lynn was removed, setting the table for Gomes versus Maness. 

 After allowing a two-run double to Matt Holliday on a splitter in Game 3, Junichi Tazawa entered the game with two on and two out in the seventh to again face Holliday. This time he stuck with his fastball, Holliday grounded out to second and the St. Louis rally was squelched.  

Extra bases

A clearly hurting Clay Buchholz gave the Red Sox four innings to start Game 4. He was pitching without his best velocity and stuff but was able to use the kitchen sink and empty the tank in what in all likelihood will be his final appearance of the season.

Cardinals starter Lance Lynn cruised through four innings, allowing one infield hit and throwing only 50 pitches. However, Ortiz led off the fifth with a double and eventually scored the game-tying run. Lynn threw 29 pitches in the inning and looked as if all of his rhythm had disappeared.  

 A national audience is getting a long look this series at the all-around talent of Pedroia. Between the diving plays, clutch hitting and never-give-up at-bats, baseball fans are watching an undersized player plays the game as big as anyone.  

Carlos Beltran's RBI single to score the first run of the game was an example of the Cardinals' up-the-middle approach. The postseason hitting star is now a staggering eight for 10 in October with runners in scoring position.  

 In the unlikeliest move of the series, Farrell tapped Game 2 — and projected Game 6 starter — John Lackey to throw the eighth inning with a two-run lead. Lackey pitched around an error and wild pitch to escape the inning and provide Koji Uehara a save opportunity and plenty of postgame questions for Farrell.

 You cannot be picked off when your run does not matter. Rookie and prospect Kolten Wong will hopefully have a nice long career but could always be remembered for not allowing Beltran a chance to hit as the tying run with two outs in the ninth.

Game 5 preview

It's a Game 1 rematch of aces as John Lester hopes to throw another gem as he did in his opening victory. Adam Wainwright will study the opening game tape and make the necessary adjustments to give his team a much better chance to win. It will be his first start at home since his complete game win in the deciding game of the National League Championship Series, and expect the Cardinals fans to energize their Cy Young candidate. It's a best two-out-of-three now to determine the world champion, and seeing Lackey throw the eighth was the beginning of every chip being on the table for both clubs.

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Benghazi witnesses grilled in secret on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON — Two of the Justice Department's key witnesses in last year's terrorist attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, were summoned to Capitol Hill this month and grilled for hours in separate legal depositions.

Responding to congressional subpoenas, the State Department security agents were asked how the Libyan terrorists stormed the mission and set parts of it on fire, how they were armed and how they killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, sources with knowledge of the matter said. The agents also were asked about security breakdowns and whether the administration reacted appropriately to the Sept. 11, 2012, assault.

How those highly guarded and secret interviews came about was part of an increasingly bitter dispute between two branches of the federal government.

Prosecutors are under intense pressure to arrest and convict the terrorists, while the Republican-led House is determined to find who is responsible for any lapse in security that night, and whether the administration misled the public when officials initially said the attack stemmed from a protest.

Weeks before the interviews, top Justice Department officials repeatedly warned Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) against doing so, saying it would seriously jeopardize any criminal prosecution of the terrorists. They wrote three times to the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, strongly urging him not to insist on interviewing the agents.

The interviews have not been released. But the Justice Department expressed concern that Issa might reveal some details from the interviews, or that defense lawyers could subpoena them if suspects are apprehended, according to the sources, who did not have permission to speak publicly, citing the ongoing investigation. At least one person has been named in a sealed indictment in the Benghazi attacks.

The interviews "would prematurely alert individuals who may be charged about details of the government's case against them," and would give defense lawyers a golden opportunity to review the depositions and impeach the agents if they testified as prosecution witnesses, the Justice Department warned in one of the letters, according to sources.

"For over a year, department prosecutors and FBI agents have been investigating the attack and preparing for prosecution," top Justice Department officials told Issa on Sept. 23, in the first of their letters. "They have made substantial progress despite the difficulties in obtaining evidence, locating witnesses, and other issues.… We believe that a successful prosecution here is vital to protecting our national security interests."

Issa, mounting his own congressional investigation, learned the agents' names in May, and in September began pushing for access to them. The agents are Alec Henderson, who was stationed in Benghazi, and John Martinec, then based in Tripoli.

The California congressman complained that the administration was not interested in the full story of what happened in Benghazi, and that an internal State Department review was "not fully independent." He is unhappy that four State Department officials, initially placed on paid leave, were reinstated.

Issa initially gave the Justice Department until Sept. 24 to comply with his request or, he said, he would issue subpoenas. But on Sept. 18, six days before that deadline, he announced he had just signed and issued subpoenas for Henderson and Martinec.

"We finally have reached the end of our rope," Issa said at a congressional hearing as he announced his decision.

Earlier he had also demanded access to a third agent, David Ubben, who was seriously injured in the Benghazi attack. But Issa did not subpoena him.

The powerful Republican House chairman learned the identities of the three agents from Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission in Libya, who testified before the committee.

Hicks revealed that "Martinec ran into my villa [in Tripoli] yelling, 'Greg, Greg, the consulate's under attack.'" He said Martinec had been in phone contact with Henderson in Benghazi, and that Henderson told Martinec "the consulate had been breached and there were at least 20 hostile individuals armed in the compound."

Hicks described Martinec as providing "a mountain of moral support, particularly to the guys who were in Benghazi."

Hicks said Ubben was hit by mortar fire on an annex roof. "I knew David was severely wounded," Hicks said. "Doctors saved David Ubben's leg and they may very well have saved his life."

The dispute over the agents erupted Sept. 10 when Issa wrote to Secretary of State John F. Kerry seeking to specifically interview Ubben and later talk to other witnesses. "Their testimony is key in order to understand what took place in Benghazi," Issa wrote.

Peter J. Kadzik, principal deputy assistant attorney general, responded three days later, asking Issa not to insist on the interviews. He said there were past incidents where defense attorneys used outside depositions to "exploit alleged discrepancies in witness statements." He added, "The risk of inadvertent inconsistencies among multiple statements of witnesses is almost unavoidable," and later warned that the interviews could harm the agents' safety, as well as that of "other potential witnesses."

Issa was unmoved. On Oct. 8, Henderson was interviewed for eight hours. Martinec went next, for five hours on Oct. 10. No prosecutors or FBI agents were allowed inside. But the witnesses were accompanied by their attorneys. Democratic staff on the committee also was permitted to sit in.

Explaining why he went forward, Issa said at the earlier hearing: "We want to make certain that our government learns the proper lessons from this tragedy so it never happens again, and so that the right people are held accountable."

richard.serrano@latimes.com

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Lou Reed put the underground front and center

Those looking for one version of Lou Reed's life need look no further than to the late critic Lester Bangs, who presented a particularly harsh, if affectionate, take on the artist's story in a single sentence.

"Lou Reed is the guy that gave dignity and poetry and rock 'n' roll to smack, speed, homosexuality, sadomasochism, murder, misogyny, stumblebum passivity, and suicide, and then proceeded to belie all his achievements and return to the mire by turning the whole thing into a monumental joke ...," wrote Reed's longtime sparring partner Bangs in 1975.

Reed, who died on Sunday at age 71, offered a simpler biographical snapshot within his most famous song, advising that listeners "take a walk on the wild side."

PHOTOS: Lou Reed | 1921-2013 | PHOTOS: Notable deaths of 2013

Starting in the mid-1960s, the co-founder of the Velvet Underground and longtime solo artist helped set rock 'n' roll on a different course, injecting into the music's vocabulary then-taboo themes that had largely remained hidden in dungeons, junkie dens and the writings of the Marquis de Sade.

Reed and early bandmates John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker delivered work variously featuring screeching feedback and meditative guitar mantras, droning viola, metronomic drumming and gently strummed lullabies. After lineup shifts resulted in the Velvet Underground disbanding, Reed poked at guitar rock from countless angles for the rest of his life, tackling major and minor projects to varying degrees of success.

But he'll forever be known first as the voice of the Velvet Underground.

From a commercial perspective, the band was a flop. But in the decade after they split, the Velvet Underground's work was rediscovered by a new generation, one for whom Rolling Stone magazine's baby boomer history involving Elvis, the Beatles, Woodstock and the Summer of Love had become a fixed, oft-eye-roll-inducing narrative. While the Beatles experimented with LSD and weed and offered coy hints in "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," Reed and band were examining dissonance with "Heroin," a stark song about injecting the opiate and the rush that accompanies it.

Reed was the snake with the apple, bringing into rock's lexicon new thematic temptations — "Venus in Furs," "I'm Waiting for the Man," "Lady Godiva's Operation," "The Gift" tackle harsh truths — and fresh textures of noise.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Twitter reactions to Lou Reed's death

In this graininess, though, Reed could cast glorious colors: "Linger on, your pale blue eyes," he sang in the ballad "Pale Blue Eyes." In the roaring "All Tomorrow's Parties," he wrote of "a hand-me-down dress from who knows where" while a runaway band delivered glory. On the 17-minute dirge from 1968, "Sister Ray," he celebrated a big sailor "dressed in pink and leather — he's just here from Alabama," and helped birth punk rock.

So wide and varied was his career that Reed's major achievements deserve chapters: "Velvet Underground & Nico," the 1967 debut album "produced" by Andy Warhol. "Venus in Furs" helped birth gothic rock. "Candy Says" is heartbreaking. Even the oft-dismissed Velvet Underground album "Loaded" contains perfection. "Sweet Jane" and "Rock & Roll" are some of Reed's most enduring works.

As a solo artist, Reed became the king of downtown cool, a man so confident in his cred that he could market a Honda scooter to make it look (almost) as dangerous as a Harley-Davidson. He made failed stabs at commercial albums in the 1970s and '80s, and even Reed acknowledged their artistic shortcomings. ("Sally Can't Dance" notwithstanding, though, Bangs' characterization of his solo oeuvre as a "monumental joke" mostly overstates their failures.)

But throughout his artistic life, Reed delivered many perfect moments, ranging from the exquisite full-length "Berlin" to the polarizing experimental concept "Metal Machine Music" (four sides of disorganized noise). "The Blue Mask" is a truly weird rock album.

VIDEO: Remembering Lou Reed - Live performances

Reed also tackled big concepts: His chunky guitar album "New York" is an ode to his city. He adapted Edgar Allan Poe for his 2003 album "The Raven." He and Cale collaborated on a work about Andy Warhol called "Songs for Drella." His final record, perhaps unsurprisingly, was one of his most controversial: "Lulu" adapted an Edwardian text about a prostitute and featured Reed in league with Metallica. The critics mostly hated it. But go back and listen to the last song, "Junior Dad." It's a typically intense capstone.

That Reed's death was announced on a Sunday morning came as bittersweet news to those of us for whom "Sunday Morning" is the closest thing to a hymn we've got.

For many, Reed fed a craving that we didn't know we had. Others passed judgment; he reveled in the grit that interested him, and though some cast his expressions as too difficult or depressing, Reed disagreed.

"I don't see it as the dark side," he told The Times' Richard Cromelin in 1978. "If this was a novel or a movie, this stuff would be no big deal." Describing basic rock parameters as "horrifyingly narrow," Reed rejected those strictures. "If you do anything other than pure, surface optimism, you seem to come off as intrigued with the dark, murky, kinky, down side of existence."

Ultimately, Reed concluded, "It's just a little realism." American music was forever changed because of it.

randall.roberts@latimes.com

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Stocks mixed following latest record high

Stocks were mixed in early trading Monday, keeping the Standard & Poor's 500 index at a record high, as investors assessed the latest earnings from big U.S. companies.

The S&P 500 closed at a record high last week after getting a boost from technology companies, including Microsoft and Amazon. Stocks have surged this year, in part because companies have been able to keep increasing their earnings even as the economy has failed to escape stall speed.

The S&P 500 was up two points, at 1,761 in early trading. The Dow Jones industrial average was flat at 15,570. The Nasdaq composite was up a point at 3,944.

Third-quarter earnings are expected to rise by about 4.5 percent for S&P 500 companies, according to data from S&P Capital IQ. While that is the slowest rate of growth in a year, companies are still beating the estimates of Wall Street analysts. About two thirds of the companies that have published third-quarter earnings so far have exceeded analysts' expectations.

"The reason we can continue to go higher is because we are beating muted expectations," said JJ Kinahan, an analyst at TDAmeritrade.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged at 2.51 percent.

In commodities trading, the price of gold rose $2 to $1,354 an ounce. Oil was little changed at $98 a barrel in New York.

Among stocks making big moves:

— Merck fell $1.23, or 2.6 percent, to $45.31 after the company sharply lowered its earnings forecast for the full year. Third-quarter profit plunged 35 percent because of competition from generic drugmakers.

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Myanmar violence between Buddhists, Muslims threatens reforms

THABYUCHAING, Myanmar — U Abdul Samat spent his life farming the rice paddies that stretched, brilliant green, in all directions. Now he was nearly 90 years old, a great-grandfather who walked with a cane.

He was also a Muslim, and the men who stormed his village with machetes were Buddhists looking for Muslims to kill.

As the mob set fire to more than 100 homes not marked with a Buddhist flag, Abdul's neighbors took cover at the mosque. But Abdul wasn't quick enough. According to a survivor, the old man was killed by an assailant who swung a heavy sword into the back of his head.

The attack this month on Myanmar's coast was the latest in a string of brutal clashes between the country's Buddhist majority and Muslim minority. The sectarian violence has claimed hundreds of lives, most of them Muslim, and threatens to overshadow the reform effort of President Thein Sein, a former army general who surprised the world three years ago by promising to steer his isolated nation toward democracy.

The reforms had made Myanmar a rare story of optimism, embodied in the 2010 release from house arrest of pro-democracy dissident and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. But the violence, which some see as a consequence of the loosening of the police state, now threatens to put Myanmar, also known as Burma, on the map as another example of a country destablized by ethnic and religious rivalry.

Anti-Muslim sentiment has been stoked by a Buddhist political party that views Muslims as a threat and a group of ultranationalist monks who say they are defending the country against an Islamist militant takeover. The monks have called for a boycott of Muslim-owned businesses and are pushing legislation that would prohibit Buddhist women from marrying outside their religion.

The White House, United Nations and human rights groups have urged officials in Myanmar to calm the tension and resettle those made homeless since the bloodshed began in the summer of 2012.

At a congressional hearing in September, Tom Andrews of the U.S.-based rights group United to End Genocide linked the problem to decades of state-sponsored discrimination against Muslims, who make up just 5% of Myanmar's population of about 55 million.

"The building blocks of genocide are in place," he said.

In recent months, Thein Sein has met with leaders in both religions and vowed to stop the bloodshed. But as it continues, some have questioned his commitment.

Though Muslims nationwide have been targeted, members of one particular ethnic group, the Rohingya, have borne the brunt of the violence. Like many Buddhists, Thein Sein views the Rohingya Muslims, who live along the border with Bangladesh, as illegal immigrants, even though many have been in Myanmar for generations. Last year he said the only solution to the conflict was to deport or isolate the Rohingya.

Today, about 140,000 Rohingya reside in squalid displacement camps where work is scarce and movement restricted by armed police. Tens of thousands more have left Myanmar, paying smugglers to sneak them by boat to Malaysia or Thailand.

When the Pakistani Taliban threatened retaliation for the violence against Myanmar's Muslims last year, some speculated that the conflict might provoke violence by Islamic extremists in other countries. Now some Muslim leaders in Myanmar worry about a homegrown radical movement.

"I'm afraid," said Rohingya activist Aung Win, looking around a crowded camp. "One day these young men could become terrorists if they have to keep living this way."

***

It has been raining for four months straight. Aye Aye Than tries to keep her house dry, but it's not easy when your roof is made of U.N.-distributed rice sacks and your floor is made of mud.

She and 19 of her relatives have been living in this lean-to since last October, when they and dozens of others fleeing a Buddhist attack on their home boarded a leaky boat to an unknown future. They sailed along the coast all night, eventually docking in the city of Sittwe, where thousands of homeless Muslims had clustered in the camps along the murky banks of the Bay of Bengal.

The conflict that has rippled across Myanmar began here in Rakhine state in 2012 when three Rohingya men were convicted of the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman. A mob of Buddhists pulled 10 Muslims off a bus and beat them to death. Muslims in another part of the state soon attacked Buddhist villagers.

It was then, according to human rights investigations, that a two-sided flare-up of community tension turned into a one-sided campaign aimed at expelling the long-marginalized Rohingya, whom the United Nations has called one of the world's most persecuted minorities.

Hundreds were killed in a series of coordinated attacks, sometimes undertaken with the help of local security forces, according to Human Rights Watch. Pamphlets distributed by monks and political leaders urged Buddhists to isolate the Muslims, calling for "ethnic cleansing."

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Former teen idol Zac Efron buys a grown-up house

Zac Efron, who seems to be in every other movie these days, still found time to pick up a home in Hollywood Hills recently for $3.995 million.

The former teen idol, who owns another house nearby in Hollywood Hills West, bought a two-story Zen-inspired contemporary behind gates at the end of a long driveway.

The 5,644-square-foot home, built in 1964, features panoramic city-to-ocean views, expanses of glass, an open floor plan, a wine cellar, a gym and a fountain inside the entry. Including the guesthouse there are five bedrooms and five bathrooms.

The more than three-quarter-acre lot contains a pool and spa area with a waterfall.

Efron, 26, became a teen heartthrob in the films "High School Musical" and "Hairspray," as well as the TV series "Summerland."

His recent work includes the current historical drama "Parkland" and last year's "At Any Price" and "The Lucky One." He will be in "That Awkward Moment," baring most of his physique, and "Neighbors," a fraternity-moves-in-next-door flick, both set for release next year.

James Crane, Connie Blankenship and Michele Oliver of Coldwell Banker were the listing agents. Kathrin Nicholson of Westside Estate Agency represented Efron.

Finishing up her home work

Jessica Simpson, who earlier this year bought a Hidden Hills estate from Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, has sold her home in a guarded enclave in the 90210 ZIP Code for $6.4 million.

The custom-built Hamptons-inspired traditional was built in 1991 and recently renovated by Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture. Features of the house include crown and base moldings, high ceilings, a commercial-grade kitchen, a home theater, an office/library, a gym, five bedrooms, six bathrooms and 5,500 square feet of living space. There is a stone courtyard with a koi pond and a swimming pool.

The singer and television personality, who launched numerous beauty and accessory lines, has a net worth estimated at $100 million. The 33-year-old starred in the films "Major Movie Star" (2008), "Blonde Ambition" (2007) and "The Dukes of Hazzard" (2005).

She bought the property in 2005 for $5.275 million. Simpson, 33, paid $11.5 million for the Osbourne home.

Jory Burton of Sotheby's International Realty was the listing agent. Rayni Romito and Branden Williams of Hilton & Hyland/Christie's International Real Estate represented the buyer.

Ready for another adventure

Orlando Bloom has listed his compound in Hollywood Hills West for sale at $4.5 million or for annual lease at $16,500 a month.

Set behind wood gates, the house was the target four years ago of the so-called Bling Ring burglars, who focused on celebrities including Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

The four-bedroom, four-bathroom house, built in 1940, features a walnut double-door entry, three fireplaces, a den/office, a library and 3,248 feet of living space.

The wooded three-quarter-acre lot has a swimming pool with spa and is equipped with security cameras.

Bloom, 36, will star in "Zulu," set for release in December. He starred in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Lord of the Rings" movies.

The actor bought the property in 2007 for $2.75 million, according to public records.

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Condo owner's heirs caught off guard by foreclosure

Question: Last year a reclusive relative, who owned and lived in a condominium, died. Still grieving over his death, the family tried to get organized in dealing with his belongings and the life he left behind. It was overwhelming, but his mortgage was paid off decades ago so our family assumed we didn't have to worry about the condominium because the bank couldn't take it. We learned too late, the reason he wasn't receiving any mail was someone with an illegible signature had put in a forwarding order sending his mail into the ether.

The homeowner association foreclosed on the condo. It proved it had the right to do so. We have another family member on a fixed income who lives in a townhome and we want to prevent this from happening to them. What should we do?

Answer: Homeowner associations are a serious business, and their power and authority should not be underestimated. Whether your common-interest development is comprised of single-family homes, townhomes, condominium units or co-operatives, owners whose properties are in such developments might have a little more asset protection if those properties are mortgaged. In the event of an imminent foreclosure, the association would have to serve notice to the titleholder, mortgagee and all lien holders. In a common-interest development, "free and clear" property, which is a property that is mortgage-free and lien-free, could be vulnerable to a variety of mechanisms or machinations available to a homeowner association board of directors that could subject that owner's assets to great risk.

Business and Professions Code section 11018.1(c) explains that "your ownership in this development and your rights and remedies as a member of its association will be controlled by governing instruments [and] the provisions of these documents are intended to be, and in most cases are, enforceable in a court of law.... In order to provide funds for operation and maintenance of the common facilities, the association will levy assessments against your lot or unit. If you are delinquent in the payment of assessments, the association may enforce payment through court proceedings or your lot or unit may be liened and sold through the exercise of a power of sale."

Under Civil Code section 1367.4(c), the association seeking to collect delinquent regular or special assessments of $1,800 or more may use judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure as its remedy. (The $1,800 in delinquent assessments can't include any accelerated assessments, late charges, fees and costs of collection, attorney's fees, interest or any assessments that are more than 12 months delinquent.) Civil Code section 1367.4(c)(1) to (4) sets forth guidelines that boards must follow to foreclose.

Pursuant to Civil Code section 1367.4(c)(3), if the board votes to foreclose on an owner's property interest, it shall provide notice by personal service in accordance with Code of Civil Procedure section 415.10 to the owner of a separate interest or to the owner's legal representative. The board shall provide written notice to the titleholder who does not occupy the property by first-class mail, postage prepaid, at the most current address shown on the association's books. In the absence of written notification by the owner to the association, the address of the titleholder's property in that common-interest development may be treated as the owner's mailing address.

If someone owns assets worth $150,000 or more in his or her name alone, the estate will go into probate. The probate process ensures all creditors are notified of the death, all debts are resolved in a timely way and the estate is distributed to the beneficiaries named in the will or in accordance with the laws covering asset distribution when someone dies without a will. Establishing a trust and funding title to real property into the trust would avoid probate and could assist with the orderly payment of debts and distribution of assets in accordance with the trustor's wishes.

A good way to protect an estate from probate is to have a comprehensive estate plan in place that would include such documents as a revocable trust, a will and property powers of attorney. In all these documents, you name the individuals or institutions who are to manage your assets for you if you cannot do so because of incapacity or death.

In every trust, there are three important roles:

•The trustor. Also known as the settlor or grantor, this is the person who sets up the trust and funds assets into the trust.

•The trustees, or managers of the assets in the trust. The trustor is generally the primary trustee of a revocable trust and names other individuals or institutions to manage the assets if the primary trustee is incapacitated or dies.

•The beneficiaries. The trustor is generally the primary beneficiary of a revocable trust, but has named who is to receive the assets of the trust after the trustor's death.

As trustor of your own trust, you should set forth all of your assets and any ongoing debt associated with those assets, such as recurring payments for homeowner association dues, insurance, taxes and special assessments, on a separate document referenced in your trust. That way, your successor trustees would easily know what assets and liabilities you have and would know what to look for before it is too late.

Whether an estate goes through probate or is structured to avoid probate, there are many important steps that must be taken to wind up a decedent's affairs. When there is a death in the family, make sure you seek timely legal advice to avoid assets being foreclosed upon or otherwise lost.

This column was co-written by Joel J. Loquvam, an attorney who specializes in estate planning, probate and trust administration. Vanitzian is an arbitrator and mediator. Send questions to Donie Vanitzian JD, P.O. Box 10490, Marina del Rey, CA 90295 or noexit@mindspring.com.

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Sebastian Vettel wins fourth consecutive Formula One title

GREATER NOIDA, India — Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel claimed his fourth straight Formula One championship Sunday after turning in a trademark clinical performance to win the Indian Grand Prix.

Starting from pole, Vettel dominated the Buddh International Circuit to join F1 greats Juan Miguel Fangio and Michael Schumacher as just the third driver to win four consecutive championships. The only other driver to win four championships was Alain Prost.

"You've won it in style," an elated Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Vettel over the car radio immediately after the race. "Brilliant stuff. You've joined the greats."

Vettel finished almost 30 seconds ahead of second placed Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes, with Lotus driver Romain Grosjean taking his second straight third place after starting from 17th on the grid.

After taking the checkered flag, Vettel performed several donuts on the track before climbing from his car, acknowledging the crowd and kneeling with his head bowed to the track. He then climbed the pit lane fence to embrace members of his team.

"I'm overwhelmed, don't know what to say," he said immediately after the race. "It is one of the best days of my life.

"I think back about where I started, when F1 was so far away. I have so many people to thank from go-carting to junior categories of F1," he added. "I always tried to listen, learn. It has been incredible to compete against the best, it is a very tough field, and come out on top of the world."

With Vettel's win, Red Bull has also claimed its fourth straight constructor's title, despite losing Mark Webber to mechanical problems while in second place.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa was fourth with teammate Fernando Alonso finishing a disappointing 11th.

Vettel, at 26 the youngest driver to win four world titles, has now won 10 races this season, including the last six. He has won all three Indian GP races from pole.

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‘Walking Dead’: Robert Kirkman says Governor ‘could attack at any moment’

It's not an exaggeration to describe "The Walking Dead" as the biggest thing on television right now.

AMC's hit zombie series, adapted from the comic book created by Robert Kirkman, has become the most-watched prime-time drama, its recent Season 4 premiere attracting some 16.1 million viewers. But Kirkman, an executive producer on the show and the writer of Sunday's episode, "Isolation," said he and his fellow scripters are doing their best not to dwell on the series' success for fear it will become an unwelcome distraction from the creative task at hand.

"The ratings really have gotten absolutely insane," Kirkman told Hero Complex. "We really have to ignore it, otherwise it does become unrelenting pressure that we just can't deal with."

With "Isolation," Kirkman continues to ratchet up the tension inside the prison as Rick and the other survivors contend with a new kind of threat, a highly lethal illness that's decimated their ranks — and they learn that there might be an additional killer in their midst. And, of course, there's one old enemy who's still at large and guaranteed to re-appear, David Morrissey's sadistic villain, the Governor.

"He could attack at any moment," Kirkman warned.

Read on to hear what else Kirkman had to say about the upcoming episodes, and for a behind-the-scenes visit to the Georgia set of the show, head over to our sister blog Show Tracker for a detailed report by Greg Braxton.

Robert Kirkman and friends. (Megan Mack / MorrisonCon)

The focus this season appears to be very much on character. Why was that the right approach for the show's fourth year? 

We've done a tremendous amount of world building over the first three seasons, introducing you to the rules and the zombies and how things work and how to survive in this world. Now I think it's time to really get you reinvested in who these characters are and what their motives are. In Season 3, we had a lot going on with two different camps and battling over territory, there's still zombies running around, there was just a lot of moving parts. Being able to hunker down in your fourth season and really get to know these people and reinvest in what's going on with these people is a really good thing to do, to make sure that we're on solid footing moving forward.

How does placing the characters in this pressure cooker situation — they're inside the prison living with this internal threat of a disease, not an exterior foe that they can confront and fight — affect the stories that you can write for them?

Conflict is good for story in all cases and a conflict that is not necessarily defeatable in any kind of traditional way is an interesting thing to throw in the mix. They've had so many tangible threats that are definitely still around, there are walkers gathering at the fence and the Governor is still on their radar. Michonne is still going out trying to find him. But to have this other thing thrown in that is not tangible, an illness, something that is very simple and treatable in another situation where there's actual civilization and modern medicine and everything but can actually run wild and just decimate the ranks in this situation, is that much more heightened and that much more deadly and that much richer and makes it possible to lose more of these characters that we love killing off. After being able to bash zombies' heads in for so long, having this threat that's just as dangerous but you really can't do much to combat is an extra level of futility that's being pushed into their lives that they're having to deal with.

Horror as a genre enables writers to explore a wide range of ideas and emotions, and it's interesting that "Walking Dead" can simultaneously function as horror movie, action show and character drama. Do you think that's why it's resonated with viewers the way it has?

Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in Sunday's episode of
"The Walking Dead," "Isolation," written by Robert Kirkman. (Gene Page / AMC)

I do. I feel like this show offers so much to so many different people. You can watch this show and just enjoy the action or just enjoy the character drama or just enjoy the romance that is at times present. I think that's why we hear so much about families coming together and watching this show together or large groups of friends getting together at people's houses and watching this show. It's a cool thing to know that you can do a show that on its surface seems like it is specifically designed for a very niche audience, a zombie show. Before this show debuted, it was. I hope that all the people that love this genre tell their friends, otherwise we're sunk. It's become so much to so many different kinds of people that it has been a success. The horror genre is so adaptable to telling different kinds of stories in the context of horror. We experience horror in our everyday lives in many different forms so the idea of being scared and having things looming over you and having a threat around every corner is relatable on a human level.

The ratings for the show are truly remarkable. How does that affect you in the writers room?

We have never really changed the way we do things. We always try to tell the best stories possible. Luckily the show is produced in somewhat of a vacuum while we're writing episodes. It's not until we actually debut in October whether we know what the reaction is going to be to the stories that were doing. By then the majority of the season is pretty much set in stone. So we do have the luxury of not really getting the feedback until most of the episodes are shot. Otherwise it could drive us crazy a little, hearing who likes what and who doesn't like what and who's responding to this and who's responding to that. There is a tremendous amount of feedback that comes in from a show that's this popular. At the end of the day, we just have to set a course and be confident that it's the course that we're all invested in and just kind of go in that direction and hope that the audience continues to enjoy it. Thus far, it's worked. Fingers crossed.

How are things different with new show runner Scott M. Gimple at the helm?

Honestly, it's not that much different. Scott has been a very vocal presence in the writers room from the very beginning of Season 2. There are certainly different management styles that various show runners have employed. Scott has his way of doing things that I think everyone's responding well to. It's just great having someone in the room who's just been there for so long and knows this show as well as him. I think Scott more than any other show runner, he was the guy who was reading the comics before the show ever even existed and watched the first season as a fan before he was ever hired on as a writer. He's someone who just lives and breathes the show and loves it and really kind of reveres it the same way that the fans do. I think he's bringing an extra little bit of reverence to this material or some kind of extra level of love, if I can sound completely ridiculous. He's really invested and that really shows through in the work and has helped to get everyone behind him in a big way. We're all working hand in hand to create the best show. It's a great environment.

Glenn (Steven Yeun), left, and Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) in Sunday's episode of
"The Walking Dead," "Isolation," written by Robert Kirkman. (Gene Page / AMC)

It has to be interesting for you as a writer to have the opportunity to come back and revisit characters and story lines years after the fact and take them in a new direction. Do you enjoy creating this alternative narrative for the characters?

I do enjoy the big spectacle moments …. As far as pure writing goes, I do quite enjoy the emotional scenes, the real personal stuff, I do enjoy rolling the sleeves up and getting into that stuff. In general when you're talking about comic versus show, it's fun for me because things … that happened in the comic, I'm writing it in a completely different way. This illness, this virus that's sweeping through the prison, is a new concept that was introduced for the show that was never in the comics. There's so many elements that change things. While I am adapting my own material, it is fresh and new and that's something that I really enjoy — coming back to familiar material but with a new eye, with the freedom to go in any direction that I want to and be able to do cool stuff with old ideas that I came up with six, seven years ago. That to me is a fun exercise.

What's in store for the season ahead?

Awesome stuff. The unexpected. I think the coolest thing about this season is that there are so many twists and turns along the way that you can't really figure out what story we're telling until the story's told. Every time there's something introduced this season and you go, Oh, I get it, that's what this season is about, you're wrong, and I think that's really cool. When it's all said and done and all 16 episodes are completed, you're going to see a cool tapestry that comes together to tell a pretty involved, pretty cool story. We're going to be throwing some wrenches in the works as we go along.

– Gina McIntyre

Follow us on Twitter: @LATHeroComplex

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Magic Castle's Houdini Seance Chamber conjures up chills, thrills

Things were starting to go bump in the night in the Houdini Seance Chamber at the Magic Castle, the private club in Hollywood that is the headquarters of the Academy of Magical Arts.

Medium Misty Lee, who also appears at the castle as an illusionist, was attempting to contact the legendary escape artist and master magician Harry Houdini, who died on Halloween in 1926 at age 52 of peritonitis, the result of a ruptured appendix.

"Harry, we have waited all night to see your face," she proclaimed as creepy, piped-in music got louder in the intimate room.

"Will you manifest yourself tonight?" she asked.

PHOTOS: Magic Castle's Houdini Seance 

The "voice" of his late wife, Bess Houdini, cried out in the darkness: "It's not Houdini coming through! It's a fraud."

"This is highly unusual," Lee said nervously to the 10 guests who were holding tight to one another's wrists in a "psychic" circle around the table.

"Please keep your hands in the circle and on the table," Lee said as the music hit a fever pitch. "I will do my best to protect you."

But before you could say abracadabra, the table began to levitate.

The Houdini Seance, which is sort of a cross between Disney's Haunted Mansion and Victorian melodrama, has been one of the most popular attractions at the Magic Castle since 1969. The castle was founded by writer-magician Milt Larsen and his late brother, TV producer Bill Larsen, 50 years ago.

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The castle is open for all but nine days a year and hosts an average of 18 shows on four stages a night. The seance, which has to be pre-booked, takes place throughout the year.

Located in a small room outside the main dining area, the Houdini Seance Chamber is decorated in Victorian style and features such priceless Houdini memorabilia as one of the magician's straitjackets, his trunk and a pair of handcuffs the noted "Handcuff King" was unable to open.

Larsen's father, William Larsen Sr., was a magician and an attorney — in fact, he was Bess Houdini's attorney. Among the photos on the wall is one of a young Milt performing for Houdini's widow.

There's also a bit of a ghoul factor in the chamber. Rollin B. Lane, who built the mansion more than 100 years ago, died in that room.

Private groups of 10 to 12 guests participate in the seance, which lasts about an hour. There's a four-course dinner served in the chamber before the seance, though guests must leave the room after dinner so it can be cleaned and prepared for Houdini's beckoning.

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There's also a non-dining seance option. Lee sometimes does up to four non-dining seances an evening. And after the seance, visitors can attend a magic show.

On other nights, the seances may be led by Leo Kostka, who has been the Magic Castle's primary medium for some 30 years, or magician Rob Zabrecky, who also frequently performs at the castle.

"Leo is spectacular and generous," said Lee, who, with her tight curls and corset, resembles a Victorian Miss Kitty from "Gunsmoke." "Leo's show is a little more history. Rob's show is a little more comedy and mine is a little more dramatic and intense."

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U.S., Russia quietly cooperate on Iran

WASHINGTON — As the U.S. presses for a deal to limit Iran's nuclear program, it is getting help from an unlikely ally: Russia.

Relations between the two countries have tumbled to a low point this year because of a dispute over Moscow's decision to grant temporary asylum to former National Security Agency contractor and leaker Edward Snowden and long-standing friction between President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Analysts say neither side views repairing the overall relationship as a top priority.

Yet they have been careful to build cooperation in areas vital to them. They are working closely on the effort to rid Syria of its chemical weapons. And on Iran, an issue of even greater importance to the White House, they are quietly collaborating.

Despite Moscow's good relations with Tehran and its fervent dislike of international sanctions as a policy tool, it has provided crucial support to the effort to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. Russia worries that failure to strike a deal would lead to military action against Iran, which would destabilize a vast stretch of territory along the southern Russia frontier and roil the markets for its oil and natural gas, on which Russia's economy depends.

"There are tactical differences," said Gary Samore, a former member of Obama's inner circle of Iran advisors, who is now research director at the Belfer Center at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "But at the end of the day, the United States and Russia have common interests."

The Obama administration sees the election this summer of the moderate Hassan Rouhani as Iran's president as an opportunity to make progress. The Iranian economy has been hit hard by sanctions imposed over its nuclear program, and its leaders are eager to see them lifted. The diplomatic stalemate between the U.S. and Iran, which has lasted more than 30 years, lifted enough in late September for Obama and Rouhani to talk by telephone.

Moscow appears to be pressing even harder than Washington for a deal. At the end of two days of talks last week in Geneva between the Iranians and diplomats representing six world powers, the two sides praised the positive atmosphere. But for Russia's chief negotiator, the glass was half empty.

The distance between the sides "can be measured in kilometers," said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. "There is no reason to break into applause."

Although Iran has been an ally on Syria and a buyer of Russian arms and nuclear equipment, Moscow doesn't want it to have a bomb.

"There is a clear understanding in the Kremlin that should Iran get in possession of nuclear arms, it would turn into a source of instability, not only for the region, but for the former Soviet countries bordering on Russia in the south," said Alexander Umnov, a Middle East specialist at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow.

Russia's support for the so-called P5-plus-1 diplomacy, the U.S.-led effort to negotiate with Iran, has been key to the effort for a number of years.

With China following Russia's lead on the issue, Moscow's cooperation has allowed Western diplomats to claim that world powers are united in wanting to restrain an effort many fear is aimed at acquiring nuclear weapons capability.

Paul Saunders, a former State Department official now at the Center for the National Interest in Washington, said Russian-Iranian relations were "cooperative but not close."

He said Russia appreciated that Iran had not sought to export instability into Central Asia, which Moscow considers an especially sensitive region. Russia sells arms to Iran, has cultural exchanges with it and has stepped up cooperation in fighting drugs. Yet there is also "mutual frustration and mistrust," Saunders said. Moscow was not happy when it was disclosed in 2009 that Iran had secretly been enriching uranium in a new underground facility.

Iran and Russia are engaged in international arbitration over Russia's decision to cancel the 2007 sale of five advanced S-300 anti-missile systems. And though Russia has sold arms and nuclear equipment to Iran, the exports are limited, no larger than what it sells Singapore, for example, Saunders said

Russia appears less eager than the United States or its European allies to restrict Iran's nuclear activities, other than development of a weapon. But U.S. and private experts say there is no indication that Moscow is preparing to split from the group.

Two days after Ryabkov complained of the lack of progress at the Geneva talks, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry reversed direction, praising what he called progress.

The U.S.-Russia cooperation on Iran seems all the more remarkable in light of the gaping differences in the rest of their relationship.

The countries are at odds over strategic arms control, missile defense, human rights in Russia and Moscow's effort to extend its influence in neighboring states.

Obama canceled a visit to Moscow in September. A top aide to Putin, Yuri Ushakov, said this week that the two would meet no sooner than early next year.

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'Fifty Shades' casting, Kimye engaged, Netflix's surprising triumph

Rising above the Sturm und Drang, the entertainment stories that managed to captivate Twitter and move the cultural thermometer during this past week's news cycle seemed to cohere around a thematic grouping.

Call it a kind of autumnal stirring. Last week the bold-faced names, companies and IPs that made the biggest headlines could be seen as all having somehow grown up or beyond expected boundaries and outgrowing expectations (without ever entirely toppling the prescribed order of things).

Irish model-turned-actor Jamie Dornan, for one, finally shed his early renown as "The Golden Torso" by landing the hotly contested part of billionaire pervert Christian Grey in the movie adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey." It's a big break for the Calvin-Klein-clothes-hanger-come-"Marie Antoinette"-bit-player (with whom OK! magazine readers may be most familiar for having dated Keira Knightley) -- a guy most celebrity watchers couldn't have picked out of a police lineup before last week. But perhaps more notably, Dornan's "Fifty Shades" selection arrives absent the Change.org petition to remove Charlie Hunnam, the now-departed "Sons of Anarchy" star originally slotted to play Grey. ("It's 2013 ... a new era," wrote the petition's originator. "The readers are as important as the director or producer.") Progress indeed.

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As if their individual celebrity footprints were not already megalithic enough, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West became more than the sum of their parts by getting engaged at San Francisco's AT&T Park Monday. Footage of the Louis Vuitton Don putting a 15-carat ring on the sex-tape-star-turned-reality-queen's finger quickly went viral thanks West's perfectionist stage management. The rap god -- who stopped by the Hollywood Film Awards in L.A. to present an award to "12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen shortly before popping Kardashian the question -- can be seen dropping to a knee in centerfield. Cut to the flashing message (in signature all caps) "PLEEEASE MARRY MEEE!!!" on the field's Jumbotron and music from a 50-piece orchestra.

And while pre-engagement Kimye was already almost nauseatingly ubiquitous, given Kardashian and West's vast capacity for self-promotion and shrill din of hype, the couple's post-baby nuptials are fairly certain to raise the stakes of their coverage – to bring tabloid scrutiny to royal wedding levels of frenzy and speculation.

Arguably, the week's most unexpected growth spurt came in the corporate arena with the third-quarter announcement that Netflix has passed HBO in its number of paid subscribers: a streaming subscription service David toppling pay television's chest-thumping Goliath. To put that accomplishment in perspective, beyond simply validating Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos' strategy of doubling-down on original series such as "Orange Is the New Black" and the Emmy-nominated "House of Cards" (as well as "Sense8," the upcoming series from "Matrix" co-directors Lana and Andy Wachowski), the service's come-from-behind win -- surpassing HBO by 1.1 million subscribers -- highlighted the premium cable kingdom's worst fear: increasing competition from streaming video sites including Hulu, Amazon Prime's Instant Video, Apple and Verizon. The threat of cord cutting just became that much more real.

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Lest anyone decree that Netflix is the new HBO, however, the cable station's parent company Comcast fired back Friday, announcing it's testing a new service called Internet Plus to offer all of HBO and HBO Go's broadcast television, video-on-demand and streaming videos via Broadband with nary a basic cable plan in sight. In other words, attempting to out-Netflix Netflix.

Meanwhile, Katy Perry, the pop chanteuse responsible for "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream," underscored her transformation into a woman of independent means this week with the release of her fourth studio album "Prism." That process began in earnest in August, when the multi-platinum-sanctified bubblegum diva released a video teaser of her setting alight a blue wig -- an olique nod to Perry's candy confection image of years past that relied heavily upon pastel-hued hair extensions and whip-cream-squirting bras. Now at a personal crossroads -- in large part due to her "failed marriage" to comedian Russell Brand – the singer's new music comes freighted with new introspection and musical sophistication. Think of it as Perry's IPO as a grown-up.

"I love being mature," she told The Times. "I'm ready for my 30s."

chris.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @__chrislee

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Ringo Starr presents photos of the past, music for the present

Slide shows of amateur photography aren't usually premiered at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, but when you're a Beatle, rules are often bent.

"That's one of me!" said Ringo Starr excitedly when he saw his face on the big screen Wednesday. "I like that one!"

Starr, 73, was kicking off a day of media interviews pegged to the publication of his visual autobiography, "Photograph," and his forthcoming All-Starr Band tour of South America and Mexico.

He offered up dozens of photos of, or by, himself and the three bandmates he refers to as "the lads" — John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. The snapshots form a central part of the photographic narrative contained in the limited-edition "Photograph" book coming from England's high-end Genesis Publications.

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Starr told a small group of reporters and fans who scored admission to the morning session at the ArcLight that he first picked up a camera when he was 17 or 18 and has carried one with him ever since.

A dozen of his shots were enlarged, framed and put on display at the front of the theater where Starr held court following comments from several speakers including drummers Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Nirvana, and Steve Gorman of the Black Crowes.

"I've spent my whole life paying tribute to or ripping off Ringo," said Gorman, who had just flown in from New York for the event.

Starr said the book, which came out earlier this year in a digital edition designed for iPads, is in part his response to requests for him to write a book about his life.

"I've been asked to do my autobiography," he said at the press conference, "but they're really only interested in eight years," referring to the span from when he joined the Beatles in August 1962 until the Fab Four acrimoniously disbanded in April 1970.

"But I had a life before I joined the Beatles, and I've had one after I left," he said. "There would be five volumes before I got into the Beatles. I can't remember ever reading anyone's autobiography. It's just too much reading. I thought this was a better way to do it."

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The physical version of "Photograph" is a hand-bound limited edition of 2,500 copies, signed by Starr, selling for $550 in the U.S. Its 304 pages include about 240 photographs, both those of Starr and many he shot himself and is sharing publicly for the first time.

About 100 fans attended the book launch session, some by paying $40 for admission. Others took advantage of two pricier packages, the first including a copy of the autographed book and VIP seating at the book launch for $740. A dozen Starr enthusiasts went all in for an "All Access Areas" ticket covering the price of the book, entrance to the book session as well as the rehearsal/performance, their choice of a signed, limited edition print of one of Starr's photos and a photo of themselves with Starr for $4,415. Genesis co-owner Nick Roylance said the AAA buyers flew in from Boulder, Colo., Boston, England, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

Starr said his proceeds from the sale of the books and the photos will be donated to the Lotus Foundation, the nonprofit founded by Starr and his wife, actress Barbara Bach, to support charitable projects advancing social welfare. Roylance said the company, which issued Starr's previous book "Postcards From the Boys" in 2004, would also would make a donation to Lotus for each book sold.

Asked by moderator Melinda Newman if it was true he had never taken a photography course, Starr drolly replied, "Never took a drum lesson either."

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Starr was accompanied by Bach and George Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison, as well as the members of the All-Starr Band. The entourage departed with him at the end of the book session to put in a couple of hours rehearsing down the street at Studio Instrument Rentals, before reopening the doors to onlookers.

Invitees reconvened mid-afternoon to hear Starr preview snippets of the material he will be playing on the South American tour. As always since he started the All-Starr Band in 1989 with a rotating roster of rock and pop performers, Starr alternated his Beatles and solo hits with theirs. The latest lineup includes Todd Rundgren, Toto lead guitarist Steve Lukather, Mr. Mister's Richard Page and Santana's Gregg Rolie along with adjunct touring drummer Gregg Bissonette and keyboardist-saxophonist Mark Rivera.

For the rehearsal run-through, they offered abbreviated versions of Starr's "Boys" and "With a Little Help From My Friends," Rundgren's "I Saw the Light," Toto's "Rosanna" and Mr. Mister's "Kyrie." Starr noted another number had just been added to the set list with Spanish-speaking audiences in mind, Santana's "Oye Como Va": "I'd love to do 'A Little Help' in Spanish," he said with a laugh. "It could be done — but not by me."

In a question-and-answer session that followed the brief performance, Rundgren commented about the camaraderie among the members of the All-Starr Band, who have been together since 2012, noting that, "We hang out together, we eat together, we genuinely like being together."

Added the ever-witty host, "The spirit of this band is very close — they really do eat together." A few minutes later, he dropped the whimsical tone and said, "I don't want this band to break up because the chemistry is so good." As a result, plans are under way for more tour dates in 2014.

Asked about his motivation to continue touring, Starr responded with a quip that camouflaged his continuing passion for making music.

"For myself," he said, "I'm here because I've got nothing better to do."

randy.lewis@latimes.com

Twitter: @RandyLewis2

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Sean Hayes is on top of 'the World'

Sean Hayes recently returned to TV playing a single gay father of a teenage girl — and a series lead for the first time since "Will & Grace" — in NBC's "Sean Saves the World." It's one of five shows on the air from Hazy Mills, the production company he owns with Todd Milliner, which is also behind "Hollywood Game Night," "Hot in Cleveland," "Grimm" and "The Soul Man."

Is TV running out of characters that people haven't been seen before?

It's always a challenge. It helps to start from a personal place. One of [executive producer Victor Fresco's kids] is a teenage daughter. And I was a surrogate father to my niece for a while, so I draw upon that. It's important to draw on personal experience in order to write from your heart. And I think it's great that [Fresco is] drawing on his personal experience being a father to a teenage daughter as a straight man, because the comparison to straight and gay, as a parent, and the similarities between the two are exciting for me to show.

I would think the differences would be negligible.

That's clear to me and you, but a lot of times people in America still have questions about that.

FALL TV 2013: Watch the trailers

This isn't the first show with gay parenting on television.

What is, "Modern Family"? But those guys aren't leads, and they're not single. I haven't seen this particular single father/gay parent on television.

I'm guessing your primary motivation is entertainment, but, coming out of "Will & Grace," are you at all concerned with helping Americans see gay parenthood as normal?

I want to make people laugh first, and that's it. If a byproduct of that is enlightening somebody to something they wouldn't otherwise have been exposed to, then great, but that's certainly not the agenda or the intent of the show.

Your mom was a single parent. Do you draw on her for your character?

Absolutely. But I love the fact that my mom always taught me anything is possible, and the unconditional love she showed made me believe that I could do anything and she would be happy about that.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

"Will & Grace" was controversial in the beginning, and your character, Jack, was accused of being "too gay." When did you realize the tide was turning?

I was so young. It made me go back in the closet [with the media] because I was so overwhelmed at 26 or 27. I didn't want the responsibility, I didn't know how to handle the responsibility of speaking for the gay community. I always felt like I owed them a huge apology for coming out too late. Some people in the gay community were very upset with me for not coming out on their terms. They don't stop to think about what's going on in somebody's personal life, and the struggles that they're having. It was all very scary. We got death threats. It was a really rough time for me, but I was also having the time of my life.

You use your real name for your character. Is the character modeled on you?

Somewhat. I like common sense, to try and be the voice of reason at work. And that characteristic is very much prevalent in the character.

What kind of offers did you get after "Will and Grace"?

Not too many. I still don't. That's why you have to be a multi-hyphenate now more than ever if you like to constantly be working and remain in this business. And if you want something, you have to do it yourself, although I love auditioning. I love showing people that I wasn't that guy, the guy in "Will & Grace."

So you're nothing like Jack McFarland?

That's the ironic thing. I'm so boring and grounded, and I like quiet and I like structure and I like goals. I couldn't be more opposite from Jack McFarland.

You've done guest turns on edgy TV shows, but is conventional comedy where you feel most comfortable?

I think the worst thing you could ever do is label comedy. I'm a fan of the broadness of Lucille Ball, the subtlety of Peter Sellers and the oddballness of Fred Armisen and the wittiness of Marty Short. I'm a fan of all of it, and I want to do all of it. I like being weirder more than I like being conventional, but if I was just weird all the time I'd miss being conventional.

calendar@latimes.com

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'Bad Grandpa' to take down 'Gravity'; Twitter hires Vivian Schiller

After the coffee. Before riding a shopping cart to work. 

The Skinny: "Ender's Game" looks like it's pulling in some decent early reviews. Hope it's good; the novel is still a favorite of mine. Today's stories include a look at the weekend box office, Vivian Schiller's next gig and an interview with Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman.   

Daily Dose: Dick Robertson, a former Warner Bros. syndication executive, now has a school named after him. Robertson has been a longtime philanthropist of Virginia Commonwealth University, which has approved a new name for its School of Mass Communications: the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture. 

PHOTOS: Billion-dollar movie club

Back to Earth: Looks like the person who will finally end "Gravity's" reign at the box office is -- who would've guessed? -- Johnny Knoxville, whose new prank comedy "Bad Grandpa" might make $30 million this weekend. The "Jackass" star will probably top "Gravity's" projected $22 million. Good thing, because we're all running out of space puns. More from the Los Angeles Times and Variety. 

On the Twitters: Soon-to-be-public Twitter has hired Vivian Schiller, currently NBC News' digital chief, to become the head of the social media company's news partnerships. Schiller was earlier CEO of NPR, a post she left amid controversy. The New York Times describes the Twitter hire as reinforcement of the mutually beneficial relationship between Twitter and the news business, which is probably true insofar as a lot of journalists goof around on the site while working. By the way, it looks as though Twitter is valuing itself at more than $11 billion. 

PHOTOS: Hollywood backlot moments

Radioactive: No, this interview wasn't just an excuse to go to the Katy Perry album release party this week. Bob Pittman is probably best known as the co-founder of MTV. Now, as the CEO of Clear Channel, he's building out the radio giant into digital music, live events and TV. The Los Angeles Times asked him about the future of the company during an interview at the new iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank.

Building blocks: Forget "Stretch Armstrong." The people who really seem to know how to turn a toy business into a film franchise are the folks behind Lego. The toy line has two hit Cartoon Network shows and a movie coming out in February: "The Lego Movie," with Warner Bros. More pieces from the Hollywood Reporter. 

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Mark Swed on the Frank Zappa piece "200 Motels"; Robert Lloyd on NBC's new series "Dracula." 

Follow me on Twitter: @rfaughnder. If I don't make it to 1,000 by year's end, I'm going to start podcasting. 

PHOTOS: Highest-paid media executives of 2012

ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen

PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies

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Microsoft leads the Dow higher on earnings gain

Earnings gains from Microsoft and other big U.S. companies are pushing the stock market higher in early trading.

Microsoft led the Dow Jones industrial average higher after reporting higher sales of tablet computers.

The Dow was up 34 points, or 0.2 percent, at 15,543 in the first half-hour of trading Friday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up four points, or 0.3 percent, at 1,756. The Nasdaq composite rose 29 points, or 0.7 percent, to 3,958.

Microsoft beat analysts' forecasts for revenue and earnings, giving hope to investors that the company's shift to devices and services from PC-based software will be successful. Microsoft rose $2.22 to $35.94, a gain of more than 6 percent, after reporting a 17 percent increase in third quarter net income.

Amazon.com and Zynga were both up more than 6 percent on surprisingly strong quarterly numbers, too.

All three major indexes are up more than 18 percent since the start of the year as a slowly recovering U.S. economy, higher corporate earnings and continued economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve encourage investors to keep buying. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is at a 13-year high.

Amazon.com was up $29.70, or 9 percent, to $362 as investors continue to shrug off its losses. The online retailer reported that revenue rose 24 percent to $13.8 billion in the third quarter, more than financial analysts had expected.

Zynga surged 13 percent after the Internet gaming company reported it had cut losses in the third quarter. The maker of "Farmville" and "Mafia Wars" is trying to appeal more to users of smartphones and tablet computers under a new CEO.

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Santa Barbara International Film Festival to honor Forest Whitaker

Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker is the recipient of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's Kirk Douglas Award. (Francois Durand)

By Susan King

October 25, 2013, 8:52 a.m.

Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland") is the recipient of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film.

Whitaker, who is also a producer and director, will receive the honor at a black-tie gala Dec. 15 at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara.

"Forest Whitaker is an exceptional man and actor," Kirk Douglas said in a statement. "His commitment to human causes, his passion for what is right, and his dedication to his craft are inspirational and at my age, inspiration is rare."

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

Previous recipients include Michael Douglas, Kirk's son; Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford.

Whitaker earned strong reviews this summer for his starring role in "Lee Daniels' The Butler," and will soon be seen in "Out of the Furnace" and "Black Nativity."

Founder of Significant Productions, Whitaker also served as producer of the award-winning "Fruitvale Station."

The 52-year-old Whitaker is also receiving the Actor Tribute at the Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York on Dec. 2

ALSO:

John F. Kennedy on screen

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Unflinching '12 Years a Slave' poses monumental marketing challenge

 

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The aftermath of JFK's assassination, as seen on TV

As this year's death-obsessed Emmy Awards broadcast took time to mention, Nov. 22 will mark 50 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The remembrance traveled from Walter Cronkite's announcement of the president's death to a Carrie Underwood cover of the Beatles' "Yesterday" to commemorate the band's 1964 debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" — "two emotionally charged events, forever linked in our memories," said segment narrator Don Cheadle, who was born after both of them.

The assassination "was the moment when the television generation came of age," said Cheadle.

It's a statement that sounds meaningful without actually saying much. (Television generation? Came of age?) But the death of JFK was certainly the first traumatic national event the medium was called upon to make sense of, to put into order and carry to the people — the first major testing of the national mettle since the Second World War, which had been brought home by print, in newsreels and over the radio. From that moment, it seemed as if anything could happen, at any time, and television news developed to accommodate that theory, into a round-the-clock enterprise lately enlarged (and in some ways diminished) by an auxiliary army of smartphones and Twitter feeds.

VIDEO: Remembering JFK    

A change was already in the air. Only a couple of months earlier CBS had inaugurated the first half-hour evening network newscast, with a Walter Cronkite-Kennedy interview, followed a week later by NBC, with the tag team of Chet Huntley and David Brinkley also speaking with the president. But what strikes one, looking back at the assassination coverage — there are hours of it to see online — is how primitive it all looks.

Young — still the youngest person to have been elected president — and handsome and preternaturally at ease before a camera, Kennedy was the first television president; the third, after Truman and Eisenhower, to serve since the medium really opened for business, but the first to really live in it. He and the medium were made for each other; it was the killer app of its time, and he used it, smartly and in a new way, to campaign, to pitch policy and to make the public his friend.

Writing in TV Guide in 1959, Kennedy described "a new breed of candidates" with "particular reliance on TV appeal." Given the subsequent entwined history of television and politics, his words ring as prescient (and a little optimistic): "Honesty, vigor, compassion, intelligence — the presence or lack of these and other qualities make up what is called the candidate's 'image' … and while they may in fact be based only on a candidate's TV impression, ignoring his record, views and other appearances — my own conviction is that these images or impressions are likely to be uncannily correct."

He knew he had it too, a charismatic mix of patrician, politician and semi-regular Joe. Media theorist Marshall McLuhan, writing about TV's first presidential debates, described Kennedy as a "shy young sheriff" in opposition to Richard Nixon's "railway lawyer." Kennedy, he later said, had a "coolness and indifference to power, bred of personal wealth, which allowed him to adapt fully to TV."

PHOTOS: How TV reacted to JFK's assassination

In 1953, as a bright new senator with a beautiful new bride, he and Jacqueline had sat for an informal video portrait in their Boston apartment, interviewed remotely for CBS' "Person to Person." Seven years later, not long before Kennedy's presidential election, the couple appeared on the program again — Jackie pregnant with John Jr. and daughter Caroline, not yet 3, bringing the cute. In my mind I conflate them with the Petries of "The Dick Van Dyke Show," another young family of the early '60s. (Less kind critics might compare them, in light of later knowledge, to the Drapers of "Mad Men.")

He delivered 19 televised speeches in his nearly three years in office. He was the first president to allow (or, more to the point, arrange for) his news conferences to be broadcast live; much-watched, they were a showcase not only for his policies, but for his even-then fabled wit and approachability. (Kennedy liked reporters, and they liked him back.) He sat for more exclusive, and at the same time studiously informal, interviews as well — in outtakes for one, he arranges with Huntley and Brinkley for second takes of answers he thought he muffed. His ratings were good.

Nothing so controlled happened on the day of his death. The president was shot at 1:30 p.m. Eastern, and it wasn't until around 2 that the networks were fully up and running, the cameras fired up and the anchors in place. The initial reports, beginning about 10 minutes after the fact, were audio only, broadcast over "special bulletin" cards.

Some networks lacked the facilities for such emergency reporting, and cameras took time to warm up. There were hastily improvised sets, hand-drawn maps, dodgy connections, dead air. One Dallas station reported, "We will have film that is completely unedited that was made and, frankly, we do not know what is on the film." NBC's Robert MacNeil, on the phone to Frank McGee in New York, could not be heard on the air, so McGee had him speak in fragments, which he repeated bit by bit.

PHOTOS: John F. Kennedy on screen

The commentary, by reporters and anchors trained as writers, has a simple, quick-sketch eloquence. It is mostly descriptive, often of things for which no pictures were available. Although they pass along some unconfirmed reports — usually noting them as such — there is none of the compulsive speculation you get today, when stories arrive piecemeal, in micro-packets, for constant public revision, and scoops are measured in nanoseconds, and the talking heads talk just to keep talking.

Here is ABC's Edward P. Morgan:

"The scene in the White House is a mixture of stunned disbelief, anger and heartbreak. [National security advisor McGeorge Bundy's] eyes were red-rimmed, he was silent, he shook my hands in silence.... When I got to the White House, secretaries were sobbing audibly in the corridors; Charles Horsky, the president's advisor for District of Columbia affairs, was walking back and forth in the corridor with his hands beating his forehead."

A report from Morgan's colleague Bob Clark, from Parkland Memorial Hospital, where Kennedy was taken, is similarly simple and haunting: "The president was lying in the back seat of the limousine, his head cradled in the first lady's lap.... He lay motionless on the back seat of the car for some two minutes while a stretcher was wheeled out from the hospital."

There had been no TV cameras (and only one professional press photographer on the ground) in Dealey Plaza. But once the engine was running, television took over completely; the networks wiped their schedules clean to follow the story, step by slow step.

VIDEO: Remembering JFK

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Recipe: Canter's egg salad

Canter's Deli simply blends eggs, celery and mayo, with some salt and pepper, for its egg salad. Recipe: Egg Salad (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

By Noelle Carter

October 26, 2013

Dear SOS: Don't laugh, but the egg salad from Canter's Deli on Fairfax Avenue is lovely. Light, not oily or overly mayonnaise-sodden. Think you can get the recipe for this retiree?

Toby Horn

Los Angeles

Dear Toby: Eggs, celery and mayonnaise. Los Angeles' landmark Canter's Deli keeps it simple with its take on this classic. And that's just fine.

Canter's egg salad

15 minutes. Makes about 1 quart salad

1/3 cup mayonnaise, or as desired

1/3 cup diced celery

1 dozen hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced

Salt and pepper

In a large bowl, gently fold the mayonnaise and celery in with the eggs. Season with a generous one-half teaspoon salt and one-fourth teaspoon pepper, or to taste. Chill before serving.

EACH ½ CUP SERVING

Calories 182

Protein 10 grams

Carbohydrates 1 gram

Fiber 0

Fat 15 grams

Saturated fat 3 grams

Cholesterol 285 mg

Sugar 1 gram

Sodium 293 mg

NOTE: Adapted from Canter's Deli in Los Angeles.

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TWC to carry Al Jazeera America, Jamie Dornan cast in '50 Shades'

After the coffee. Before World Series ratings come in.  

The Skinny: I didn't catch the whole Red Sox victory, but got to the gym just in time to see the Cardinals' Carlos Beltran rob David Ortiz of a grand slam. Thursday's stories include a big carriage get for Al Jazeera America, YouTube's streaming music dreams and the end of Conde Nast's internship program. 

Daily Dose: Guess I'll finally be able to see what "Fault Lines" is all about. Time Warner Cable and Al Jazeera America finally have a carriage agreement, bringing AJA into markets including Los Angeles, New York and Dallas over the next six months. Remember, the channel's launch drew about 22,000 when it was carried in just 40 million homes.

ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll       

YouTube's me-too: To paraphrase Ron Burgundy, streaming music services are kind of a big deal right now. YouTube is already pretty much the top destination for young people trying to catch up on what's hot in music, so the Google-owned video sharing site was definitely expected to come out with a subscription service to rival Spotify, Rdio and the like. Well, it's happening, as soon as December. You heard it first at the Los Angeles Times. 

Good work if, you can afford it: Faced with a legal fight over minimum wage, the publisher Conde Nast is getting rid of its internship program. Interns from the company's W Magazine and the New Yorker said their internships, often a steppingstone for budding media pros, violated labor laws. Details from the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Poynter. 

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

Dude, where's my ad?: Wonder if Don Draper would've thought of this. 20th Century Fox, it seems, bought two full-page ads in the New York Times and filled them with, essentially, nothing, except for a link to the website for "The Book Thief." It's a pretty bold move, considering a page goes for more than $100,000. Actual words on this from Fast Company.  

Cast-a-Grey: The Hollywood Reporter and Variety say Jamie Dornan will replace Charlie Hunnam as the leading man in the adaptation of the kinky book "50 Shades of Grey." In other news, this is apparently a popular Halloween costume this year. 

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Steven Zeitchik reports on the career of Michael Fassbender; Randy Lewis sheds more light on the reopened Forum in Inglewood. 

Follow me on Twitter at @rfaughnder. I'm trying to break 1,000. Let's do this.

PHOTOS: Highest-paid media executives of 2012

ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen

PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies

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