For their Grammy weekend oral history of West Hollywood’s Sunset Marquis hotel, an establishment that turns 50 in April, Hollywood Reporter journos Gary Baum and Michael Walker “interviewed more than two dozen big-name performers, behind-the-scenes players and longtime employees.” The result is a collection of anecdotes that reads like outtakes from This Is Spinal Tap.

Take for example this nugget from producer Martin Lewis. Note, above all, his priceless pre-Yelp era reaction:

“The first night I stayed there, in 1982, my TV wasn’t working. I tried phoning the front desk, but no one answered. So I stormed down to the lobby to remonstrate. The guy behind the desk was stoned out of his head. “My TV isn’t working!” I snapped. “Well, throw it in the pool, dude,” was his reply. I was sold. This was my hotel.”

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Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, The Hollywood Reporter has put to bed a little earlier than usual the November 30 edition of its weekly print magazine. And what an edition it is.

To go along with a cover story by Gary Baum and Daniel Miller about the involvement of the magazine’s original publisher Billy Wilkerson beginning in 1946 with the Hollywood Blacklist, there is a heartfelt essay from Wilkerson’s son (pictured). Together, these articles mark the first time THR has publicly acknowledged its role in one of Hollywood’s saddest chapters. Here’s how W.R. Wilkerson III ends his piece:

On the eve of this dark 65th anniversary, I feel an apology is necessary. It’s possible, had my father lived long enough, that he would have apologized for creating something that devastated so many careers. On behalf of my family, and particularly my late father, I wish to convey my sincerest apologies and deepest regrets to those who were victimized by this unfortunate incident.

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Last month, singer Barry Manilow was famously inserted into a 2012 World Series telecast by analyst Tim McCarver, who blanked on a Joe Buck reference about old-day cheers for Barry Bonds and meandered into foul pop culture territory. Now comes an equally hilarious Copaca-doozy involving actor James Marsden.

During a panel discussion at the Napa Valley Film Festival, moderator Billy Bush (Access Hollywood) picked up on the actor’s IMDb bio-trivia page, which stated that Marsden is a huge Manilow fan. Wrong. Per The Hollywood Reporter magazine item by Merle Ginsberg and Gary Baum:

“I have a famous actor friend of mine – I won’t tell you who he is – but he likes to go into other people’s [IMDb] bios and add things,” Marsden explained.

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Last week, we relayed some angry reaction from THR.com editor Joseph Kapsch to a report by TheWrap involving some staff departures at his publication. This week, it’s time to once again note some new arrivals at Janice Min‘s never-a-dull-moment transformed trade, one of whom will report to Kapsch.

Former Angeleno magazine senior editor Gary Baum is joining the publication as a staff reporter while author and freelancer Andy Lewis is coming on board as a staff writer. Per the website announcement:

Baum will contribute to the Style and About Town sections, including the Rambling Reporter page. He will also cover restaurants and write THR‘s weekly online Eat Sheet stories. In June he wrote “L.A.’s Power Golf Clubs: Where the Hollywood Elite Play” for the magazine.

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