Off-Ramp for Jun 27, 2009
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CyberFrequencies
SUBSCRIBE to the CyberFrequencies Podcast.Queena Kim, Off-Ramp and CyberFrequencies producer, writes:After I read in The Wrap that Nikki Finke sold her blog Deadline Hollywood Daily for $14 MILLION BUCKS, I made a few calls. My first call: Finke ... to congratulate her. And then, I dialed up Gawker’s Gabriel Snyder wondering, “How can CyberFrequencies start a blog, and get our 14 Mil?” Snyder shot back, “The fact that that number is being tossed around is just absolutely absurd…" He's heard the cash pay out is closer to $1 Million and there's a a salary and a contract that can bring extra.He said, "I emailed Sharon after she posted that story and I said, 'I simply don’t believe that 14-million-dollar number.' And she responded by saying, 'It is a crazy, stupid number in my opinion but I’m happy about it. I’m all for people paying stupid money for websites.'”But what does that mean?Snyder says it's about maintaining the illusion, "So even these two rivals have a shared interest in everyone thinking a website that covers industry news in Hollywood could be worth 14-million dollars.”Oh, I get it, so if everybody thinks Deadline Hollywood is worth $14 Mil, then Waxman can say, “Hey mine’s worth $30 Mil?”Bummer!!! Because by that equation, we CyberFreaks need to come up with a different retirement strategy
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Floyd WHO? Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola Fights for the Title Saturday
9-27 UPDATE: In the words of LAT columnist Bill Dwyre, "The tree was just too tall for Chris Arreola to chop down." Arreola lost in ten rounds, saying, "He found a way to win; I found a way to lose." Link inside. BIGGER QUESTION: Why didn't the LA Times, dying for readership, put this on the front page to draw Mexican-American readers? Instead, a feature on Neutra and Wright houses on the market. -- Rabe
Riverside native Chris "The Nightmare" Arreola fights Vitali Klitschko for the heavyweight title against Saturday (9-26) at Staples Center. So let's rub it in that we had an interview with Arreola MONTHS ago ... by sportswriter David Davis. Arreola could become the first Mexican-American heavyweight boxing champion. (More inside...)
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More Boxing: A Mighty Mo Update
Back in 2006, when Off-Ramp just started, we interviewed a little kid from Long Beach who was then the best boxer in his age group in the nation. His name is Moises "Mighty Mo" Orosco, and he still is on top. His dad Rudy's been keeping us in the Mighty Loop, and sent us details of Mo's meeting with his boxing hero, Floyd Mayweather.
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Locke High Comes Back
Off-Ramp meets three high school seniors who are actually graduating ... at South LA's Locke High, where that used to be the exception, not the rule. The students -- each with their own set of challenges -- were profiled on KCET's SoCal Connected.
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WEB EXTRA: Angels Flight Testing Continues
We saw the Angels Flight funicular cars going up and down the track Thursday (6-25) and wondered what's up. John Welborne, head of Angels Flight Railway, says they were testing the brakes, which are working fine, and he's waiting for approvals from officials before he opens the line to the public.
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Hammer Gets a Cool Mil
John talks with Ann Philbin of UCLA's Hammer Museum and Mark Allen of Machine Project about the Hammer getting a million-dollar Irvine grant to help visitors connect better with the museum.
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Garrison Keillor in love ... with women and sonnets
In the last part of my interview with Garrison Keillor, he reads from his new book of sonnets, and explains why his wife isn't mad that he's publishing sonnets about his old loves.
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Dinner Party Download
This week: bestselling author Alain De Botton gets worked over...joy is found in Mudville...and Rico digs the new wave of on-site restaurant gardens.
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The Man Who Invented Noir
Off-Ramp's Marc Haefele pays tribute to WR Burnett, who invented the "noir" genre with his book, "Little Caesar," told from the gangster's point of view. Burnett made millions and spent most of it at the track.
