Remembering Ken Reich

The death of the former Times reporter is generating plenty of recollections of his decades-long career at the paper as well as his reputation for being notoriously high-handed. Times columnist Patt Morrison recalls one her colleagues saying that Reich once ended a telephone conversation with these remarks:

''... and THAT, my good woman, is why YOU are a telephone operator and I am a reporter for the Los Angeles Times!''

More tributes and memories by the Daily News' Rick Orlov and L.A. Observed. Times staff are working on an obituary.

-- Jesus Sanchez

Hollywood special effects master Stan Winston dies

The Oscar-winning artist, whose work was featured in such hits as "Aliens" and "Jurassic Park," died Sunday at his home in Malibu from multiple myeloma. He was 62. More details and photos of Winston's life and work, which earned him four Oscars and numerous nominations.

Photo: Titan Books

Dancer Lola Montes dies

One of the country’s most renowned Spanish dancers, Lola Montes started her own company, Los Angeles-based Lola Montes and Her Spanish Dancers, in 1955 as part of a career that spanned more than seven decades. She died Friday in her home in Laguna Woods. She was 90. Chris Pasles has the full obituary.

-- Jesus Sanchez

A Hollywood classic, press agent Warren Cowan, dies

When legendary Hollywood press agent Warren Cowan defended his profession in a short article a few years ago, he could not help but mention that Kirk Douglas was  "one of my oldest friends and clients;" Paul Newman "would think nothing of ... holding a limo door open for me;" and that he spoken not once but twice that very morning with pianist Van Cliburn. It was typical of Cowan not to miss an opportunity to promote and influence, which made him popular with a long list of Hollywood stars over a career that spanned more than 60 years.

Late Wednesday, Cowan, 87, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after being diagnosed with cancer only three weeks earlier, his firm, Warren Cowan & Associates, announced.

But it was the many years at his previous firm, Rogers & Cowan, where Cowan and partner Henry Rogers reigned supreme in Hollywood publicity. You have Cowan to thank (or blame) for helping pioneer such popular publicity tools as celebrity sporting events, top 10 lists (the "most watchable man" or "most hypnotic eyes"), and product placement. 

Their firm took off in the 1950s as Hollywood's studio system broke down, prompting many stars to hire their own publicity agents. But Cowan was working in the business years before, juggling journalism classes at UCLA while representing actress Linda Darnell.

When asked who is favorite client was, Cowan, at least publicly, never strayed from the same response: "The next one."

Times Staff Writer Dennis McClellan is working on a full obituary. More coverage in Daily Variety and LA Biz Observed.

-- Jesus Sanchez

Photo: 1989 photo from Los Angeles Times Library

Good morning -- here's what's happening 5.13.08

Those two LAUSD honchos who did nothing when a student reported she was sexually abused by a substitute teacher are back on the job. That's right: They've been criminally charged, yet they're back at the school. Richard Winton and Howard Blume explain what on Earth is going on.

Why did Inglewood police shoot and kill an unarmed man on Sunday? The cops involved say they heard gunshots, but neither weapons nor bullets were found. Police search for reasons but the community demands answers. Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Hector Becerra have the story.

Game 5 of the series is tomorrow and Kobe says he'll be ready. To do what? Mike Bresnahan visits with the Lakers' injured MVP.

The UCLA snooping scandal -- still growing. Sixty-eight current and former workers, including four doctors, pried into medical records that were none of their business. Lawanda J. Jackson, the  employee indicted by a grand jury last month, looked at 61 separate files, including those of celebs and her fellow employees. More details from Charles Ornstein.

LAX to Florida for $18? Great travel deals are out there, if you know where to look, says Peter Pae.

Visions of the Virgin Mary in the Mojave Desert, where the faithful have headed for 20 years for Our Lady of the Rock gatherings. The Catholic Church isn't thrilled, but attendees say they find solace. Paloma Esquivel  makes a visit. (And a photo gallery -- Virgin Mary in a sandwich, anyone? -- here.)

Jimmy Fallon's going to take over for Conan when the time comes. Oh -- and a new "90210" series, a "Boston Legal" pickup, and a "Family Guy" spin-off. Matea Gold and Maria Elena Fernandez have details of NBC's fall lineup.

Fabulist James Frey ("A Million Little Pieces") writes a crummy novel. David Ulin has the review.

--Veronique de Turenne

Photos: Los Angeles Times

Robert Nudelman, Hollywood preservationist, has died

Love the Cinerama Dome? How about the gorgeous movie palace that is the El Capitan Theatre? They're still standing thanks in large part to Robert Nudelman, the impassioned preservationist who died on Tuesday. Valerie J. Nelson writes about Nudelman's life:

"There probably isn't a single historic building or development project in Hollywood that Mr. Nudelman didn't have a part in," Offenhauser said in a statement.

Nudelman began his activism in 1978 by fighting to save MGM's old Lot 2 in Culver City, a 10-acre site that included sets from the films "Gone With the Wind" and "King Kong."

The effort failed but Nudelman dedicated the rest of his life to the preservation of Hollywood history and landmarks -- with mixed success.

In 1990, he helped persuade Disney to spend $6 million to restore the El Capitan to its original splendor. A hard-fought attempt to prevent the Hollywood Bowl's acoustic shell from being demolished was lost; a new shell debuted in 2004.

As recently as last month, Nudelman, who was president of the Hollywood Heritage Museum, was fighting against "supergraphics", enormous advertisements in the outsides of buildings. (LA Independent)

You can read the rest of the Times' Nudelman obituary here. And here's a mention in City Councilman   Eric Garcetti's blog,

--Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Charles Hillinger traveled America and took readers along for the ride

Charles Hillinger had the job most journalists dream about: write about any subject that interests you regardless of its location across the country.

So, that's how Times readers met a 75-year-old sidewalk pickle-maker in Manhattan; learned of the mysterious objects at the bottom of a dry California lake;  or followed the Beatles during a 1964 stay at a Bel-Air home, where they swam and played cowboys with toy pistols sent over by Elvis Presley. These were some of the nearly 6,000 stories Hillinger wrote during his more than 40 years at The Times.

On Monday night, Hillinger died in his sleep at a Rancho Palos Verdes nursing home, reports Dennis McLellan and the Daily Mirror blog.

Hillinger was often compared to broadcast journalist Charles Kuralt. In the forward to the 1996 book, "Charles Hillinger's America: People & Places in All 50 States," the former CBS News correspondent praised his print counterpart for his straightforward style:

"He doesn't draw cosmic conclusions from his travels, or bother to puzzle out deep meaning. He shows up and listens and understands, discovers things he didn't know before, then sits down and writes plain stories about plain people which tell the readers things they didn't know before, either, or hadn't thought about."

-- Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Los Angeles Times