The NYT Sunday Styles section appears to have recovered from last week’s bout of LA-mania. Nonetheless, the ‘A Night Out‘ column features Emile Hirsch and Raphael Verela– a star of and bit player, respectively, in the skateboarding movie ‘Lords of Dogtown’– following them around Venice as they raise heck and shred pavement. (By the way, when I was a teen, we called skateboarding ‘skating.’ Now the kids call it ‘boarding.’ Some days I feel so old.)

Anyway, these guys appear to be on the low end of the A Night Out Insightful Banter Index:

“In Dogtown,” Mr. Hirsch said, “skateboards are like bikes to the Chinese.” Dinner arrived as Mr. Verela and Mr. Hirsch debated their favorite Nietzsche quotations, the dismal state of the environment and the number of spiders the average person inhales in his sleep. (Mr. Verela claimed 20 a month.)

[...]

Mr. Hirsch got his board from the trunk of the car and gazed down the slope. “It’s really steep when you’re on it,” he said, and proceeded to instruct everyone where to stand in order to get the best view of his descent. “Punk rock bro!” he shouted, and flung himself down the hill, crouched low on his board.

I’m not just saying this because they pay me to, but the mediabistro salary survey is pretty fascinating browsing. And it’s broken down by region, so we can finally address that most existential of Los Angeles media questions: Does a managing editor of a large consumer/national magazine on the West Coast make more or less than one on the East? I’m not going to tell you. You’ll have to follow the links to the mediabistro site. ‘Cause that’s the business model ’round these parts.

The NYT reports that Nolan Bushnell, the inventor of the Pong video game and founder of Chuck E. Cheese, will be opening a video game-themed restaurant in West LA called, uh, Media Bistro:

In an interview last week, he described how the 300-seat restaurant and bar would combine food and drink with ubiquitous interactive media. Touch-screen monitors, installed at every table, booth and barstool, will allow diners to place food orders, play some 70 different video and trivia games, and even take instant pop culture polls.

The monitors at the tables will be two-sided, so that two people, or two couples, will be able to play video games against each other.

If the waiters dress like Master Chief from Halo, I am so there.

Earlier this month in the pages of the Atlantic, Bernard-Henri Levy proclaimed that Los Angeles “will die,” mostly because, unlike great European cities, we don’t have a central plaza where you can go have your caricature drawn and get pooped on by pigeons. But on Sunday at the Hammer, Michel Houellebecq opined that “the future is cities like L.A.,” and old-world cities like Paris and New York will decline. (For those who don’t know, philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy and novelist Michel Houellebecq are two of the leading public intellectuals in France.) (For those who don’t know, France is a country in Europe, not far from George Clooney’s villa.)

Houellebecq’s favorite things about Southern California seem to be a kitschy overdecorated inn and a giant pet store chain. But that’s the great thing about Los Angeles! There’s something for everyone. Although next time he’s here I think he should check out the beach.

Of course, European intellectuals have long been fascinated with Los Angeles. (Can I get a shout-out for the Frankfurt School?) But it’s nice to know we’re still on the radar.

From the Sunday LAT Calendar piece on Doug Liman and his chaotic directorial style (my bold):

Several individuals who worked on “Bourne Identity” say it went off track in part because Liman constantly changed his mind about what he would do on any given day. He would set up to shoot something and then not shoot it. He frequently asked to reshoot scenes that had already been filmed. “He never knew what he wanted to do,” says Marshall. “He would reshoot some scenes four or five times because he had a new idea. It was ‘Let me see the footage and I’ll decide whether I like it or not.’ ”

[...]

When the film was finished, the studio expected the worst. Screenwriter Tony Gilroy, according to a source with firsthand knowledge, actually arbitrated against himself with the Writers Guild so that he wouldn’t have to take sole credit for the film.

Written By, are you listening? Do a feature on the Gilroy vs. Gilroy arbitration!

Back on Tuesday.

The inaugural issue of tu ciudad is on the stands, and while it won’t win any Pulitzers, it’s a surprisingly entertaining read. Which strikes me as a small social milestone: Latinos are now better than Anglos at putting out insipid yuppie lifestyle magazines. For instance, the restaurant listings actually include places you haven’t been to and might like to try. (And which don’t advertise in the magazine!) And there is a two-page spread about LA Times editorial-page editor Andres Martinez wherein he recommends intellectually demanding books (for instance, a constitutional law casebook). Hard to imagine this sort of thing in, say, Angeleno or Los Angeles Confidential.

LA.COMfidential reports on last night’s party for the Los Angeles Magazine comedy issue:

The comedians that performed at last night’s party for the comedy issue of Los Angeles magazine at the Henry Fonda Theater should have come as our date. We had fun. Apparently they didn’t:

Dom Irrera:

“Thank you for yawning. Nothing inspires a comedian like an open-mouth yawn.”

“I don’t know why I got up here. I’m already in the magazine. This is like a corporate date. The seats are too far from each other. It’s a little noisy at the bar.”

Host Rodney Perry:

“I’m working way too hard for these little chuckles you’re giving me. This is bulls***.”

The issue itself, which is not online yet, includes a surprise-free lineup of the 25 funniest people in LA. (#1: Ellen DeGeneres.) 25? I know that numbers on the cover sell magazines, but why not use a comedy number, like ‘bazillion’ or ’3.9?’ Also included are rather poignant profiles of Kathy Griffin and Dom Irrera, who apparently kills in Columbus.

I will be away from my computer all day due to professional responsibilities. Please avoid any contact with Los Angeles-related media today so that it’ll still seem fresh when I rehash it on Friday.

Hollywood Momentum, the curiously professional-looking webzine aimed at industry assistants, has started to run readers’ letters. The inaugural missive is freakish and terrifying:

Hi Lisa!

First off, I’d like to say how much I’ve been enjoying your weekly newsletter. It’s always a fun break in my day… [However] there are two articles in your latest issue I felt compelled to respond to: First… the article about keeping fit and healthy as an assistant. What lame advice. The truth is, suck it up you lazy assistants out there! Get off your lazy asses and get out of bed an hour earlier every day and get to the gym before work. “Squats at the photocopier”?!?. That isn’t going to do any good. Not only does my studio have a gym, but there is also a gym across the street I hit every day — 7:30am, done at 8:30. Showered and turning on my bosses’ computer by 8:55. In addition, I always make sure I have lots of meal-replacement shakes and protein bars at my desk. It may not taste great, but it’s the fuel I need for the day and I know it’s keeping me healthy and on point.

And as for the girl who can’t afford a bathing suit let alone a vacation. Stop complaining and sort it out. Be proactive. There is a solution for everything. I picked up a bartending gig on the weekends and have since doubled (yes, doubled) my salary with an extra 10hrs of work a week! While other assistants arrive to work Monday morning with hangovers, I’ve doubled my income. On the rare occasion there is a schmooze-worthy event on a Saturday night, I switch a shift. Not Rocket science. I do realize I am lucky to have such a great part time gig, but I can’t help but remind myself how “the harder I work, the luckier I get”.

In closing, I am surprised by the wimpiness of some of your columnists/fellow assistants. At the same time, I am reassured knowing that in this allegedly competitive world that is Hollywood, much of my competition are lazy whiners who expect life to be handed to them, and have no idea it’s theirs for the taking!

Well, there’s my 2 cents! Keep up the good work Lisa — really enjoying the site.

I would not want to meet this person in a dark cubicle.