FireAid Hires Law Firm To Review Dispersal of Funds From Benefit Concert

Above, the famous Moonshadows restaurant before and after the fire.

It looks like those behind the FireAid benefit concert that raised over $100 million, purportedly to help those who were affected by the wildfires in January in Los Angles County, has hired a law firm to review the disbursements made. Many noted that organizations having nothing to do with the fires are getting the funds.

They have taken much criticism over the past few weeks by victims of the fires. They are also angry at the foot-dragging by Los Angeles and California officials over rebuilding permits. L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom had promised expedited permitting, but have failed to do so.

Variety posted an article on FireAid and it begins with:

FireAid has hired a law firm, Latham & Watkins, to review the dispersal of roughly $100 million in funds that were raised in conjunction with a massive benefit concert earlier this year, the charitable organization announced Monday. FireAid released a letter it sent to Rep. Kevin Kiley of California about the internal review, shortly after the congressman posted it on his X account.

Some congresspeople and journalists have hit the organization with questions in recent weeks about how the money was given out, with stories picking up particular traction among conservative-leaning news outlets. FireAid has every reason to take the skepticism seriously, as Kiley and others have brought their issues or questions to the attention of President Trump, who on Friday posted a message that began, “‘FireAid’ is a total disaster. Looks like another Democrat inspired scam.”

To read more, go here.

From Fox 11 News:

Superman Excoriates Gavin Newsom

 

'FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP': @RealDeanCain excoriates California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the state's response to deadly infernos. The actor, who moved out of California 7 years ago, believes the wildfires could start a rightward political shift in the liberal stronghold. pic.twitter.com/vvjKvtfjnd

— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 13, 2025

BSA Camp Josepho Destroyed By Palisades Fire

Above, Boy Scouts at Camp Josepho circa 1941. Camp Josepho Facebook photo.

Back around 1965, my scout troop arranged for a weekend camp-out at Camp Josepho in the Santa Monica Mountains near Pacific Palisades. We had to hike to the camp. It was the first time I hiked to a camp with a full backpack.

It has been reported that the Palisades Fire destroyed Camp Josepho.

According to Camp Josepho's website:

LOS ANGELES – The Western Los Angeles County Council, Scouting America announced today that 84-year-old Camp Josepho, its Scouting Camp nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, was destroyed in the Pacific Palisades Fire. Council leadership plans to assess the extent of the damage once the fires have been contained and decide on next steps then.

However, right now, they are dedicated to supporting families who have lost homes and livelihoods due to the wildfires that are still ravaging Los Angeles.

“The loss of Camp Josepho is sad, but the loss of life and homes throughout Los Angeles is devastating,” said Lee Harrison, Scout Executive & CEO of the Council. “Scouting families are among the thousands who have lost everything due to the fires, and our top focus is assisting them – in addition to other members of the community who have been affected.”

To read more, go here.  Please consider making a donation. I just sent mine in.

James Woods Rips 'Blithering Idiot' Newsom

 

Gladstone's Survives Palisades Fire

Above, Gladstone's 4 Fish at PCH near Sunset Blvd. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It appears that Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades survived the Palisades Fire.

Eater L.A. posted this update yesterday:

Update: January 9, 2025: Gladstones is temporarily closed due to road closures and air quality. An outside storage area sustained slight damages from the fire, but the restaurant remains unharmed.

This is especially good news to me as I frequented Gladstone's when I lived in Los Angeles. I would like to go there if I should ever go back to Los Angeles for a visit.

For more on the restaurant casualties, go here. 

Palisades Fire

Above, Gladstone's 4 Fish. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The news coming out of Southern California is a grim one.

Many homes, businesses and landmarks have been destroyed by the three wildfires ravaging the region.

Moonshadows, a restaurant in the Pacific Palisades/Malibu area on Pacific Coast Highway has been destroyed. I used to dine there back in the 1980s.

So far, Gladstones 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades has been destroyed or damaged, according to a report in the Daily News. Another one report I saw said that it was "smoking". I dined there quite often before moving to New Mexico. Fox 11 News said it was not damaged. I hope so.

Above, Asya Lipovetckaia and I at Gladstone's in 2016.

Villa de Leon, mis-reported as the Getty Villa in the media, had brush burned around it, but the structure itself has been spared. 

Here's a photo of it:

Thoughts and prayers for those affected.

Gladstone's Gets Two-Year Reprieve

Above, Asya at Gladstone's in September 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back on August 21, I posted about the eminent closure of the popular Pacific Palisades seafood eatery Gladstone's 4 Fish to make way for a new restaurant of cuisines by Wolfgang Puck.  

Gladstone's 4 Fish was one of my favorite restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

Well, it looks like Angelenos will be able to enjoy Gladstone's for another two years. The restaurant has been given a two-year reprieve.

The Malibu Times reported:

Gladstones restaurant which was scheduled to close last month has been given a reprieve. The iconic restaurant, once the highest grossing eatery in Los Angeles, has reopened under new management and is expected to keep its lease for at least two years.

The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors controls the concession which had an agreement with the late former LA Mayor Richard Riordan. When the agreement ran out the county found a new concessionaire with famed restaurateur Wolfgang Puck who won the bid. Puck hired LA architect Frank Gehry to redesign the tired structure. While the Puck group waits at least two years to secure permits the county decided not to let the space sit empty. 

To read more, go here. 

Death of Thelma Todd

Above, Thelma Todd in 1931.

Years ago, I bought Kenneth Anger's classic book, Hollywood Babylon, which chronicles scandals of Hollywood stars from the 1920s to the 1960s. That book piqued my interest.

One of the book's subjects was actress Thelma Todd.

When I used to live in Los Angeles, I would occasionally drive up the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica up to Malibu and, occasionally, up to Point Mugu.

Above, Thelma Todd's Inn in the 1930s. The house where she died was a block up the hill.

Along the way, near Sunset Blvd. in Pacific Palisades, stands a building that Thelma Todd's Inn (or Thelma Todd's Sidewalk Cafe) was located. The Inn was co-owned by actress/comedienne Thelma Todd in the 1930s. I've passed by it many times.

Above, the building that housed Thelma Todd's Inn today.

From Wikipedia:

Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress and businesswoman often referred to by the nickname "The Ice Cream Blonde", as well as "Hot Toddy". Appearing in around 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, she is best remembered for her comedic roles opposite ZaSu Pitts and in films such as Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers and a number of Charley Chase's short comedies. She co-starred with Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in Speak Easily. She also had roles in several Wheeler and Woolsey and Laurel and Hardy films, the last of which (The Bohemian Girl) featured her in a part that was truncated by her suspicious death in 1935 at the age of 29. 

On Todd's death:

On the morning of Monday, December 16, 1935, Thelma Todd was found dead in her car inside the garage of Jewel Carmen, a former actress and former wife of Todd's lover and business partner Roland West. Carmen's house was approximately a block from the topmost side of Todd's restaurant. Her death was determined to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Above, L.A.P.D. photo of Thelma Todd's body in her car. 

Investigations concluded that Todd's death was accidental, not suicide or murder. But claims in a 1989 best-seller Hot Toddy by Andy Edmonds says murder. In the book, an unnamed source, who was with Todd shortly before her death (described as a retired Hollywood executive with underworld ties) provided the Edmonds with details of Todd`s last hours and the identity of her murderer. By then, even if it were murder, all the principals were long dead.

Above, Thelma Todd at the morgue.

The building where Thelma Todd's Inn was located looks pretty much the same as it did in the 1930s.

I have a Laurel and Hardy Hal Roach Studios collection and included is a Thelma Todd/ZaSu Pitts comedy short, On The Loose (1931), that Laurel and Hardy has a cameo in.

"Carlito's Way" (1993)

Above, Sean Penn (left) and Al Pacino in Carlito's Way. Universal Pictures photo.

Last night, I watched a movie that I hadn't seen since it came out 27 years ago.

I was in the Flying J down the hill and was perusing the DVD bin and found a copy of Carlito's Way (1993) starring Al Pacino, Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller. I decided to buy it since I barely remembered a thing about it, despite the synopsis on the package.

From Rotten Tomatoes:

A free man after years in prison, Carlito Brigante (Al Pacino) intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Gail (Penelope Ann Miller), Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn), who also serves as his lawyer. When Carlito and Kleinfeld run afoul of shifty gangster Benny Blanco (John Alberto Leguizamo), it sets them on a dangerous path.

I watched it during dinner last night and it was like watching a new movie because I was so long since I last saw it.

Pacino gives a great performance. I didn't recognize Sean Penn at first, but he was great in his role as a sleazy lawyer. I am not a Penn fan by any means, but he did a great job in this. Brian De Palma directed.

Above, Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is funny that I remember the night I saw it. I went out with a former co-worker, Robyn, to dinner at Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades (one of my favorite seafood restaurants in L.A.) and we went to see the movie afterwards. It was around the time the Northridge Earthquake took place and Robyn was planning to move to Colorado shortly thereafter. 

One of these days, I'll pick up a copy of De Palma's/Pacino's Scarface. I don't believe I've ever seen that movie before. Carlito's Way has me curious enough to want to see it.

My grade: A.

Two Years Ago: Gladstone's 4 Fish

Two years sure does seem to go by fast!

Facebook notified me that two years ago Asya and I were at Gladstone's in Pacific Palisades after working on a couple of projects (a photo shoot of ties) and the portrait.

We headed down to the restaurant at the beach after we were done. While there, she uploaded the tie photos to her laptop.

Above, Asya and I at Gladstone's 4 Fish.

I do miss the beach and seafood!

Old Malibu Eateries

Above, Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A Facebook discussion on Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades jogged a memory of the old Sea Lion Restaurant in Malibu today.

I do remember the Sea Lion off of Pacific Coast Highway when it had a tank of sea lions. This ended when the restaurant burned down in 1964 and was re-opened without the sea lion tank. The restaurant kept its name, though.

I found a website of old Malibu eateries that brought back even more memories. According to it, the Sea Lion is still there, except it is now known as Duke's Malibu Restaurant.

Above, Asya at Gladstone's 4 Fish. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The website starts with:

The golden era of roadside attractions is long gone, but there was a time when Cape Cod cottages and Tiki kitsch were a key part of Malibu’s mojo.  

The restaurants and hotels are all gone, or remodeled past recognizing, but ephemera like postcards, matchboxes and menus preserve a record of Malibu’s gloriously goofy past, and in many cases, TV and films shot on location offer a glimpse of vanished local landmarks.

To view the website of old Malibu eateries, go here. 

Getting Closer To 2 Million

Above, Asya and yours truly at Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades last year.

The ol' Rancho is getting closer to the 2 million mark (in views).

We're now well below 35,000 views away from 2 million, and that's when I'll be putting up the new header that Asya created. I am very pleased with what she came up with. She actually came up with two versions that I like, so I will probably use both interchangeably.

It was almost three and a half years ago when this blog hit one million views. I thought that was remarkable. The blog was started in 2008, so it took six years to reach that milestone. But we are now nearing 2 million views, which is only roughly three and a half years later. Better yet!

I am guessing that the 2 million mark will be reached late next month, or in early July at the latest.

Photo Shoot and Gladstone's

Above, Asya and I at Gladstone's today. 

Nothing to speak of was on today's agenda until I received a text message from Asya (Anastasia) last night asking me to come over today so she could photograph some ties for a friend who is starting up an online men's apparel business (he's also her landlord). She asked to use my Canon Rebel camera.

I agreed to do so and thought this would be a good opportunity to take her to Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades after the photo work was done. We couldn't go to Gladstone's last weekend as they were closed due to a wedding reception.

I got to her apartment around 12:30 and we began work in one of the building's conference rooms that's also on her floor.

With rapid speed (this is one girl who knows what she's doing), she had the ties all laid out on a table with white sheeting underneath.

Above, Asya preparing a photo set-up. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

She tried various camera exposure settings, with and without flash, on each of the ties. I let her get her work done and just held back and gave her technical help when asked. We wrapped up the photography around 2:30 and then headed off for Gladstone's.

Above, Asya shooting a tie. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I haven't been to Gladstone's since I was last there with "Somebody That I Used To Know" (as in the song of the same name) back in April. It was great being back there again, especially with someone who is grateful and appreciative (in fact, everyone I've gone out with lately are classy and appreciative). Asya is great company. She immediately loved the ambiance of Gladstone's.

Above, Asya uploading her photos. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While waiting for our order (crab cake, an oyster platter and New England clam chowder), she downloaded the photographs to her laptop. The download worked perfectly. Tonight, she's going to be formatting them to present them.

Above, the meal has arrived. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On the way back to her apartment, she marveled at how I seem to have such a leisurely life of traveling, dining out and other things. I responded that I also get to go out with beautiful women. And, I added, "It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it! Life is rough!" She had a good laugh over that.

Today turned out to be an enjoyable one. 

Lunch By The Sea

Above, part of our lunch with the Pacific Ocean in the background. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Denise Santos and I managed to head over to Pacific Palisades for lunch at Gladstone's 4 Fish (located on Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Blvd.).

There, we had oysters, crab cakes, cerviche, spicy shrimp and other delicacies. We had a nice outside window table which provided a view of Santa Monica Bay and the surrounding beach.

From Gladstone's we headed over to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Denise had never been there before, so I decided to show it to her. While there, we stopped in a Coffee Bean coffee shop for some coffee as we were both "suffering" from food comas from Gladstone's.

In one shop, a life-sized statue of Superman stood in a window (below, right). It was nice to see a Superman that actually looked like Superman, not the abomination that DC Comics is currently passing off.

We passed by the Cineplex Odeon where, eleven years ago, several of us Godzilla fans attended the last American Film Market screening of Godzilla x Mothra x MechaGodzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (courtesy of Toho Co., Ltd.). The theater looked a little run down to me. It is hard to believe that it has been eleven years since we last gathered in Santa Monica for an American Film Market screening.

While we were walking around, a nut-job was screaming and cussing at the top of his lungs, annoying people. I supposed it is to be expected, after all, we were in Santa Monica.Another stop was at Brookstone's where we checked out the latest gadgetry they had to offer. Denise tried out a massage lounge chair while I browsed around the store.

We were thinking about going to a movie when we got back to the Valley, but it was cutting too close (time-wise) as Denise had her evening baseball league game to play in.

We headed back to the Valley via Topanga Canyon (known to us as "the scenic route") as the San Diego Freeway (I-405) would be a mess with rush-hour traffic.

Above, Denise in the massage chair at Brookstone's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

All in all, it was a pleasant excursion for a few hours.

Gladstone's Lunch

Above, a nice plate of oysters. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In-between packing, cleaning, shopping, sleeping and getting things organized for the Yellowstone vacation, I did manage to take Denise Santos out to lunch at Gladstone's 4 Fish in Pacific Palisades yesterday.

Above, Denise at Gladstone's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It was an enjoyable lunch and Denise had never been to Gladstone's before. She said she is particular about where she has seafood and she said that Gladstone's got her "seal of approval".

Following lunch, we took a "scenic route" back to the San Fernando Valley via Topanga Canyon.

The Real Identity of "Crime Wave" Professor's Laboratory

Above, Villa de Leon circa 2004.  Photo by Armand Vaquer,

For years, while driving north on Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades from Santa Monica, a large building on a coastline bluff overlooking the ocean would catch my attention.

One day, while watching the Adventures of Superman 1951 episode entitled, "Crime Wave", I saw a shot of this same building. It was shown as an establishing shot of the laboratory of an evil professor who worked for Walter Canby, the number one crime boss of Metropolis.

Above, the establishing shot in the "Crime Wave" episode of the "Adventures of Superman."

For years, many people, including me, have thought this building was the Getty Villa or part of it. The Getty Villa is a museum containing a huge collection of antiques. Actually, the Getty Villa is about a half mile up the hill from this building's location. It is in Pacific Palisades, but has a Malibu zip code.

So, what is this building then?

It turns out to be Villa de Leon, named for Leon Kauffman, the entrepreneur and wool magnate who commissioned it. Villa de Leon took over five years to build and it was completed in 1926. Villa de Leon was designed by Kenneth MacDonald to resemble an Italian palace.

According to realtor Randy Freeman's website:

It features hand-painted and hand-carved architectural details, including double-vaulted and coffered ceilings, carved wood paneling and magnificently sculpted iron railings. Built with the finest imported marble and exotic woods, the 12,000+ square foot Villa, features more than 35 rooms, including 9 Bedrooms, 11 Bathrooms, a Main Salon with three hand made crystal chandeliers, a library, a circular formal dining room overlooking the ocean, a marble entrance hall with a sculpted circular staircase.

That's quite a palace for Los Angeles!

If you have $12.5 million to spare, you can buy the laboratory of Walter Canby's professor!

Today In Pacific Palisades

Above, Gladstone's 4 Fish restaurant.

The day was spent working in beautiful Pacific Palisades, California.

This job assignment fell into my lap yesterday afternoon. All I can say that it involved a lot of walking. With all the walking I've done on the job this past year, it is a small wonder why I had no problem hoofing it around Tokyo and Niigata last December. When I went to Japan in 2007, I tired more easily. I am in much better physical shape.

The above photo is of a great seafood restaurant called Gladstone's 4 Fish. It is located on Pacific Coast Highway at Sunset Blvd. in Pacific Palisades. I took the photo with my cell phone from where I was working this morning. Great food and a great ocean view from either the inside or outside dining areas. I highly recommend it!

The last time I dined there was around 1994 with a former co-worker, Robyn. After dinner, we went to see Carlito's Way, starring Al Pacino. Good times!

Funny thing about Pacific Palisades, I still associate it with Ronald and Nancy Reagan, even though they haven't lived there since 1980.