Toys R Us launches special 'Twilight' merchandise sections in stores and online

Can't wait for "New Moon," the latest movie in the "Twilight" saga, to premiere in 17 days? Fans can get their vampire fix on at Toys R Us, which is selling "Twilight"-themed charm bracelets, Barbie dolls, backpacks, lunchboxes and even dog tags through special in-store sections and a dedicated New Moon section on its website.

"Curl up with the dark mystery that is Edward Cullen on the fringed pillow," reads the description for a throw pillow that bears the vampire's image.

The "New Moon" movie, starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, hits theaters Nov. 20.

-- Andrea Chang

Photo: Toys R Us' Twilight Saga New Moon Trio Pack features a tote bag, fleece blanket and throw pillow and sells for $34.99. Credit: Toys R Us

Consumer Confidential: Amazon, Netflix, hookers

Here's your finally-a-Friday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--It's shaping up to be a merry e-Christmas. At least that's the message from our friends at Amazon.com, who reported a hefty 69% increase in quarterly profit and said things should continue looking swell right through the holidays. Significantly, the company's turbo-charged results were fueled primarily by sales of electronic goodies, which indicates that consumers are more comfortable buying big-ticket items -- at least if they're offered at the right price. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Watch out for aggressive sales this holiday season. Retailers know you care mostly about price, and they'll be fighting to get your business.

--Build a better mousetrap and investors will beat a trail to your door. That's the takeaway from Netflix, the online DVD-rental service, which has all but decimated brick-and-mortar rivals. The company's stock hit a 52-week high after Netflix reported a 48% spike in profit, based mostly on more people taking out subscriptions. Up next: A bigger push into online streaming of movies and stuff.

--A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Craigslist alleging that the site contributes to prostitution with its listings for adult services. The judge ruled that sites can't be held accountable for their content. Hookers rejoice.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Pizza, Enron and e-books

Here's your tantalizing Tuesday roundup of consumer news from hither and yon on the Web:

--When the going gets tough, it turns out the tough aren't eating pizza. Domino's Pizza Inc. has reported a steeper-than-expected drop in quarterly earnings -- a result, the company says, of more people preparing their own food during these recessionary times rather than ordering in. On the upside, though, Domino's says it's met with some success offering stuff beyond its usual crust-and-cheese lineup, especially sandwiches for lunch.

--He's baaack. Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling will take his case to the Supreme Court, arguing that he was wrongly convicted of securities fraud, insider trading and lying to auditors, resulting in a 24-year prison term. Skilling says federal law was inappropriately applied in his case and that he was unable to get a fair trial amid "blistering daily attacks" in the media. I'm sure we're all sending good thoughts to the man who helped oversee the wipeout of more than $60 billion in shareholder wealth and $2 billion in Enron employee pension plans.

--Step aside, Kindle. Barnes & Noble is getting set to unveil its own e-book reader. The Wall Street Journal says the bookseller could roll out its device by next month, just in time for holiday sales. The B&N reader reportedly will have a six-inch screen, touch input and a virtual keyboard. Amazon.com has lowered the price for its Kindle to $259, so it's a safe bet that any new entrant to the e-book market will arrive near or below that level. My position remains unchanged: It'll take a pretty dazzling effort by any electronic gadget to woo me away from the myriad pleasures of the printed page.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Kindle, bank fees and Whoppers

Here's your wow-it's-Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- Amazon.com really wants you to have a Kindle. The online retail giant has cut the price of its e-book reader yet again, this time by $40. Now, you can score a Kindle for $259, rather than the $399 it was originally offered at in 2007. Amazon will also offer a $279 international version that it says will work in 100 countries. Me, I'm going to see what Apple and Microsoft have up their sleeves on the tablet-computer front before splurging on an e-reader of any sort (which I still think won't be as enjoyable as a good old-fashioned book).

-- We all know that banks are making money hand over fist from overdraft fees -- I wrote about it the other day in my column. And now comes a new report informing us that the practice may be even more lucrative for our banking brethren than previously thought. According to the Center for Responsive Lending, banks pocketed nearly $24 billion in overdraft fees last year, up 35% from just two years earlier. The main reasons: Banks automatically sign up customers for overdraft protection and then order transactions from highest to lowest, rather than chronologically. Consumer advocates say this all but guarantees that fees will kick in for people living paycheck to paycheck.

-- Burger King says it's going upscale. Good luck with that.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Cars, Kindles and credit

• The president of Toyota Motor Corp., Akio Toyoda, said it was "extremely regrettable" that an American family died in a crash believed to have been caused by a faulty floor mat. That's commendable, as far as it goes. But such language is standard among Japanese execs and politicians whenever something goes wrong. More important is what Toyota will do about the problem. So far, no word of a recall or any other measure.
• Amazon.com says it will no longer remove any books from people's Kindle e-book readers without their permission. The decision follows an outcry over the online bookseller deleting copies of George Orwell's "1984" from Kindles due to a copyright issue. Amazon's new policy is intended to help settle a lawsuit brought by Kindle users. Orwell would be pleased.
• California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown has filed suit against two businessmen who run a "credit repair" company. Brown says the two -- Todd Swick and Michael Sardo -- have ignored repeated warnings that they must register their business with the state and post a $100,000 bond. He says the lawsuit is intended to make sure that all credit repair firms follow the law. Here's a tip: The only one who can repair your credit is you. Don't pay fees up front to any company saying it can help.

-- David Lazarus

L.A.'s last Virgin Megastore launches going-out-of-business sale

The Hollywood Virgin Megastore has started the process of cutting prices and emptying its shelves in preparation for an expected mid-June closing. It's part of the nationwide shutdown of the music store chain announced in March.

Here's the lowdown on what the closure means for shoppers from our colleague Todd Martens over at the L.A. Times' music blog Pop and Hiss.

"The countdown has begun. The last remaining Los Angeles outpost of the Virgin Megastore retail chain launched its going-out-of-business sale last week, with music, DVD and video game products marked down from 10% to 30%.

The clearance sale officially began Thursday. A weekend visit revealed the store to still be fully stocked, and as of Sunday night one would hardly know the store was on its last legs. April's music and DVD releases were on wide display, and most CDs and DVDs were discounted 20%. Those looking for video game bargains may have to hold out a bit, as discounts in the electronic department were largely at 10%.

The staff hasn't been given a timetable for the sale, and an official closing date has not yet been announced, said one of the store's workers. The largest discount right now is at 30% off, but that number will increase in the coming days.

If and when Pop & Hiss gets an official closing date, we'll update this post. A Virgin spokeswoman says the store is expected to close in mid-June.

The closure of Virgin will leave the neighborhood with one last notable record store -- the indie behemoth Amoeba Records. There has, however, been a recent influx of vinyl-centric stores in nearby communities."

-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Echo Park books: Stories old and new

Just down the street from the papaya-walled Laundromat on Sunset Boulevard, in the heart of Echo Park, is a new bookstore-cafe named Stories.

Opened in November, it is the brainchild of Liz Garo and Claudia Colodro. Both are veteran booksellers: Colodro got her book savvy working for Dutton’s book store in North Hollywood for six years; Garo spent time in sales at Book Soup on the Sunset Strip.

Stories, a hip, loft-like store with concrete floors and high ceilings, is as peaceful as a college library during finals. Small tables are stationed at the front adjacent to the two-story shop windows facing the street. Tucked into the back corner, a small cafe dispenses coffee, killer blondie brownies and soup-and-salad fare.

In between the reading room and the cafe, shelves are stacked with a happy marriage of new and used books. Perusing the cookbook section toward the rear, I found "Tassajara" by Karla Oliveira, a gourmet vegetarian cookbook from the Buddhist monastery standing alongside "The Vogue Cookbook of Menus and Recipes" from 1964. In the children's section, there is a nice selection of new copies of award-winning "Polar Express," as well as vintage books such as "Reggie the Goat" (1967) and Little Golden Books from the 1920s.

Although the owners try to keep a 50-50 ratio between new and used books, "the vintage ones fly off the shelves so fast, it’s often more like 70% new and 30% old," Colodro said. They also take books in trade, generally offering 25% cash and/or credit toward the store’s retail price.

Pop culture, paperback fiction and regional L.A. are among the shop’s specialties, although there’s also a good number of biographies, gardening, art and design books — "a little bit of everything," Colodro said. What it doesn't carry — or want — are technical, computer and text books.

With independent bookstores practically on the endangered species list, it’s refreshing to see a small,
neighborhood bookstore flourishing. Stories is at 1716 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park; (213) 413-3733; myspace.com/storiesla. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.

—Barbara Thornburg 

Book-signing by team behind the Spider-Man/Obama issue

In a parallel universe, today's inauguration was threatened momentarily by an impostor posing as President Barack Obama, who was quickly identified by Spider-Man through a game of basketball.

The real commander in chief thanked the friendly neighborhood superhero with a fist bump, as mentioned in today's story on the comics industry.

That storyline, from a special edition released by Marvel Comics last Wednesday, has apparently hit a nerve. Unsigned copies of the issue are fetching up to $200 on eBay. Stores this week reloaded to meet demand with copies from a second printing run. A third printing run has been scheduled, after pre-orders for the second run sold out.

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the issue's writer Zeb Wells and artist Todd Nuack are adding their autographs to their masterpiece at a free book-signing from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach. The address is 1807 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Call 310-372-6704 with questions.

The store will be selling a limited supply of copies.

Nuack will also be drawing sketches to raise money for the nonprofit Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which offers free legal aid to members of the comics industry. Comic Bug will match the amount raised and donate it to the KIDS charity.

--Tiffany Hsu

Photo: Marvel

Bookstores trying to get you in the holiday spirit

Another casualty of the slow holiday season might be bookstores, who are seeing less traffic these days as savvy shoppers borrow books from the library to save money.

Barnes & Noble reported an $18-million loss in its third quarter, which ended Nov. 1, and publishers across the country are cutting back on staff as bookstores order fewer books. (Oddly, Oren Teicher, chief operating officer of the American Booksellers Assn., told me that every time there’s a presidential election, bookstores have a really bad October).

But some bookstores aren’t going to give up without a fight. Many are pulling out all the stops for the holiday season to attract customers. After all, many members of the American Booksellers Assn. do a quarter of their annual sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Vroman’s in Pasadena ...

Santa's Little Helper: Gifts for kids who cook

We asked Times Food writer Amy Scattergood to, uh, cook up a list of gift ideas for the pint-sized chef in your life. Here's what she, uh, served up:

1) "Fanny At Chez Panisse: A Child’s Restaurant Adventures with 46 Recipes" by Alice Waters. Shop around, but we found it at Amazon.com for $14.

2) An immersion blender. Great, safe, convenient tool for kids with a big fun factor. Shop around, as prices vary.

3) Kid’s chef outfits (hats, coats, aprons). Shop around, but prices range from $9 to $25. Here's one site we like.

4) Colorful measuring cups. Teach basic measuring and math skills while you work on recipes. The cooler colors, the better.

5) Tongs, about $20 and up. Kids LOVE these; good for lifting up pasta, etc., as well as playing jousting games with and picking up mudpies.