Will big demand for hands-free cellphone devices leave retailers empty-handed?

If you are planning to buy a headset or hands-free Bluetooth device for your cellphone, it might be a good idea to call ahead before you drive to the store. Some Southern California retailers report high demand and low supplies as phone users prepare for a state law that makes it illegal to talk on a handheld phone while driving, beginning July 1.

The wireless earpieces cost from $20 to $80. But the fine in addition to related court fees and other penalties could set back offenders more than $90 for the first violation and more than $200 for subsequent offenses, according to the Daily News.

Many cellphone users maybe grumbling about the expense of complying with the law. But retailers like cellphone store manager Vlad Riftin of Van Nuys are not complaining:

"I just gotta thank the cops for the sales. That's all I have to say."

-- Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Beatrice de Gea / Los Angeles Times

Get ready -- this weekend's going to be hot, hot, hot

Here comes another heat wave, thanks to a high-pressure system hovering over the West Coast. Meteorologists say it'll be strong enough to beat the stuffing out of a weak onshore flow. (Love that weather lingo.)

We're looking at possible record-high temps this weekend, well into the 90s. Add in high winds making it hard to fight that fire on Mt. Baldy, and we could be in for a bumpy ride.

Oh -- and yes, that's City Hall in the photo, reflected and refracted in the mirrored facade of the police administration building now under construction in downtown LA.

--Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Scott Harrison / Los Angeles Times  

Some photos for you to chew on

Not only does photographer  Kealoha Villa find his models inspiring and colorful, they are also tasty, and in some cases, sugar-free, too. These tiny, gelatinous candies are the stars of the Long Beach resident's Gummy Bear 365, a once-a-day photo project he shares with friends and fans on Flickr.

What can you do with a Gummy Bear, a camera and a few minutes each day? Well, there are Gummies studying a crossword puzzle,  munching on fruit, voting in the state primary and dressed as the Incredible Gummy Hulk. There are also Gummies on the rocks and, Villa's favorite, a Gummy at rest. (Click on the Full Story link at the bottom for a Q&A.)

Villa, who is on day 217 of his project, squeezes in his daily photo sessions while working as a database administrator in Irvine or in the Long Beach apartment he shares with his girlfriend, Sheri.

Though Villa is fond of green, lime-flavored Gummies or sugar-free tangerine and blueberry bears, he resists the temptation to pop them in his mouth once they have been photographed.

"I simply leave them where I photographed them, only for them to be found by Sheri (my girlfriend), which she isn't always happy about," he said.

--Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Kealoha Villa

 

Teens tune out CDs **

Looking for a quiet place away from those rowdy and noisy teens? Try your nearby music store.  An industry report today found that nearly half of all teenagers bought no compact discs last year. While sales from digital downloads are up, it was not enough to make up for the decline in CD sales among Internet users. Highlighting the shift, Apple's online store became the No. 2 U.S. music retailer, selling more songs than all but Wal-Mart.  Story by Michelle Quinn.

How far is the music business willing to go turn sales around? The New York Times  said that gossip blogger Perez Hilton is negotiating a label deal with Warner Music Group.

--Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

** Correction: An earlier version said that overall music sales fell 10% last year. It was spending on music by Internet users that fell 10%