The New Yorker‘s Dana Goodyear just gave a nice interview to San Diego Magazine about her recent piece on Chef Javier Plascencia and Tijuana’s efforts to land on the international foodie map. (The piece is  well worth the read if you missed it).

A choice tidbit:

We are outright fans of Plascencia in San Diego. Do you sense Angelenos clamoring to “claim him,” too? Did you end up rooting for him and the BajaMed movement by the end of your trip/reporting? How could you not root for Plascencia and his fellow Baja chefs! I do think that people in L.A.–and certainly the food-obsessed–are increasingly aware of him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he opened a place here. My sense is that he fields offers all the time.

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At least someone got a decent story out of the Royal visit to Los Angeles earlier this month. The New Yorker‘s Dana Goodyear caught up with News of the World reporter Robert Jobson–in LA to cover Will and Kate–as he found himself out of a job after his newspaper spontaneously imploded in the wake of the recent phone hacking allegations.

Our favorite part:

In Canada, Jobson had got a chance to talk one on one with William, at a media reception at a bar. “It was off the record, but I suppose it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I went and spoke to him, and he said he couldn’t wait to get home so he could get to Anglesey, lock himself in a darkened room for a couple of days, and chill out. I said, ‘I think I’ll try to do the same, Your Royal Highness.’ ”

British biographer Andrew Morton has the “church” of L. Ron in a frenzy with his new biography of Tom Cruise. The book claims:

Cruise is the # 2 guy, after David Miscavige,

daughter by Katie Holmes “conceived like Rosemary’s Baby”,

Cruise’s next mission is to recruit David Beckham,

Nicole Kidman “feared blackmail” over sex tapes made with Scientologists,

Idle thought: Kidman should have feared blackmail over Eyes Wide Shut.

The book comes out in the US on the 15th of this month, but won’t appear in the UK, due to the stringent libel laws. Paulette Cooper has been on the receiving end of such lawsuits.

And Dana Goodyear goes inside the Celebrity Centre.

One screenwriter is using her free time to good advantage: food blogging. Food Coma L.A is screenwriter Kelly Fremon’s baby.

Writers: 750 videos AMPTP: 1

Showrunners aren’t working, despite rumors to the contrary.

Dana Goodyear met Jerry Maren, of the Lollipop Guild, who didn’t get any residuals from The Wizard of Oz. Surprise–neither did Ray Bolger, Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, or anyone else from the 1939 classic.

(photo from slackmistress)

AMPTP bravely soldiers on, despite heavy fog of uncertainty.

Deadline Hollywood Daily, where Nikki Finke sees a glimmer of hope.

Doris Egan of House, writes on writing for a living.

James Surowiecki, in the New Yorker, explains the whole thing, sort of:

The paychecks and the profit-and-loss statements may indicate that the writers and the producers should be able to resolve their dispute quickly. But in labor relations the bottom line isn’t always the bottom line.

Dana Goodyear, last seen looking at Luke Ford’s camera at the Captivity party, is now the New Yorker’s blogger in LA. Goodyear tells FBLA:

I’ve been living in Los Angeles for two-and-a-half years, and started writing full-time for The New Yorker six months ago (I was an editor at the magazine before that). I thought a blog would allow me to write about the city with some immediacy and intimacy. I’ll be posting two or three times a week.

Her most recent post is an interview with filmmaker Steve Okazaki, maker of White Light, Black Rain.

After Dark’s producer Courtney Solomon promised that the premiere party for his horror flick, Captivity, wouldn’t be the same old blah evening of red carpet, screening, sponsored cocktail and home by 11. Biggest difference? No screening and open bar.

Despite the presence of the Suicide Girls (who were certainly the most polite dommettes we’ve ever met–one lanky young thing in gaffer tape pasties and bondage boots squeaked “pardon me, please” as she edged through the crowd) the only risky act was breathing all the second hand smoke. Or talking to Luke Ford.

Joel Stein, Claire Hoffman and Dana Goodyear were pointed out to us, but it was too much trouble to fight through the crowd and shout at them. Let’s guess who gets a piece out of this first.

We observed Paul Cullum interviewing producer Solomon. Solomon sounds like Nathan Lane when he speaks, which is so unexpected in a torture/horror mogul. He explained that showing the film at the premiere party wouldn’t help it at the box office. The film was banned from the Regal chain, but the MPAA wouldn’t allow use of the word BANNED on the ads. You’d think they don’t want people to see the movie–they didn’t watch it, so why should anyone else?

Ross Johnson worked that space like a cowboy at roundup–Move ‘em on, head ‘em out–Rawhide! Bas Rutten obliged. Miss HorrorFest06, Black Betty, (Jessica Chisum) was a welcome addition to the red carpet, as were Ryan Starr and Rachel Leigh Cook.

We must confess that we were outside, chatting up John Lippman, while the big freak show was happening inside. If you’ve seen one guy hanging from meathooks, you’ve seen ‘em all.

Later, the on-site piercer freaked people out by announcing he was a Republican who’d voted for Nixon. Some things are just too disgusting, ya know?

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