Photo by Drew Wilder-Goodwin via Flickr Creative Commons

UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden

To block to the proposed sale of the Hannah Carter Japanese garden in Bel Air that was gifted to UCLA in 1964, heirs of the garden's namesake have filed suit against the UC Regents in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

The 1.5-acre garden, viewed by the university as an opportunity to raise millions for endowments, programs and professorships, has been strongly opposed by conservationist groups like the LA Conservancy and Garden Conservancy.

The lawsuit asserts breach of contract by the UC Board of Regents for not upholding the donation documents specifying the garden, designed by landscape architect Nagao Sakurai, be maintained in perpetuity.

A spokesman for UCLA said the university "intends to contest the lawsuit," notes the L.A. Times, adding that all appropriate steps had been taken and there was "every legal right to proceed with the sale."

In January, it was reported that the university had started removing objects from the site, and planned to keep some significant pieces -- including a Buddha statue and pagoda -- at the Fowler Museum or other locations on campus.

Lisa Brenner can be reached via Twitter @lisa_brenner

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Former LA Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the SiriusXM Studios in NYC in February 2012 (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned 65-years-old on Monday just in time for jury selection to begin in his Upper Deck trial.

The former LA Laker is suing the trading card company for allegedly using his image without permission, and in doing so, damaging the commercial value of his identity and compromising his standing among peers and fans.

Upper Deck contends that Abdul-Jabbar sustained no damages, claiming they had a two-decade-long relationship with the basketball star.

The suit, filed in August 2010, focuses on the "Greats of the Game" trading cards and the use of Abdul-Jabbar's  image from his UCLA days.

According to the prosecution, the 2008 contract in question expired after 18 months and was for the use of professional career images only.

Representing the six-time National Basketball Association champion is attorney John Gaule; David Skilling is representing defendants The Upper Deck Co. Inc. 

Lisa Brenner can be reached via Twitter @lisa_brenner

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Republican presidential candidate U.S. Rep Ron Paul (R-TX)

Ron Paul town hall meetings are planned for three California campuses this week, according to a spokesperson for California State University, Chico and the Texas congressman's website.  

The Republican presidential candidate is expected to hold a meeting at CSU Chico on Tuesday evening, and his website lists a town hall at the University of California Los Angeles on Wednesday, as well as and a meeting Thursday at UC Berkeley.

Paul's party rivals have already visited California -- some even broke down here. Yet to win a primary this campaign season, Paul's message of "peace, prosperity and individual liberty" is looking to resonate with students before the state primary on June 5.

This story has been updated from an earlier version

Lisa Brenner can be reached via Twitter @lisa_brenner

Photo by Chris Radcliff via Flickr Creative Commons

¡Ay, caramba! Dwarfing Matt Groening's recent $500,000 donation to UCLA's School of Film, Theater and Television, L.A. County's top public health doctor Dr. Jonathan Fielding, and his wife, Karin Fielding, are giving the California university $50 million to fund the School of Public Health. Worst. Upstage. Ever.

"I am humbled by the exceptional generosity of Jonathan and Karin Fielding," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement. "This investment from longtime champions of public health reflects our shared confidence in the UCLA School of Public Health as a resource not only for greater Los Angeles but the entire world."

Called an "extraordinary gift" by Linda Rosenstock, the school's dean, it is the largest single donation the Public Health school has received in its 50 years. 

As such, the school -- which has about 85 full-time faculty members and 700 students -- will get a new name: the UCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health.

Where did the giant sum of money come from? The L.A. Times explains:

The money comes from Fielding's stock in a Texas-based private investment firm, Dimensional Fund Advisors, which manages assets worldwide. The school will receive the income from the stock and all profit from it if it is sold.

The massive funding puts "an exclamation mark on his dedication to the future of public health," said California Department of Public Health director Dr. Ron Chapman. 

In addition to scholarships, research enhancements, faculty recruiting, and infrastructure upgrades, the gift will also "endow a chair in population health to look at the roles that housing, education and transportation play in people's health," notes the Times.

Fielding, 69, has been a UCLA faculty member for more than 30 years.

20th Century Fox Marketing

Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons" and recent $500,000 donor to UCLA's School of Film, Theater and Television, will be honored Tuesday with star no. 2,459 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Groening's sidewalk homage to celestial gas will be located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd, not far from the star of his famous Springfield family.

The ceremony for the 12-time Emmy Award winner begins at 11:30 a.m. and will be hosted by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Leron Gubler. Guest speakers Hank Azaria (aka: Moe, Chief Wiggum, many more) and Yeardley Smith (voice of Lisa Simpson) will also be at the event.

Groening moved to Los Angeles in 1977 and began channelling his city stress into Binky, a rabbit cartoon featured in his "Life In Hell" comics. James L. Brooks approached the cartoonist in 1987 about an animated short stint on "The Tracey Ullman Show." 

"The Simpsons," which started its spin-off run in December 1989, is now in its 23rd season, and will debut episode 500 on Feb. 19.  

In honor of this landmark achievement 20th Century Fox held a tv watching marathon at Hollywood and Highland last week where 100 ultimate fans attempted to break the Guinness record for longest continuous television viewing.

Two of them did just that.

Fun Fact: The show's portly patriarch was named after Groening's father, Homer. Wanna guess Matt's mother's name?