Via our anonymous-tips website widget came this correspondence December 4: “LA Times increases street price 50%… Not one mention of it anywhere on the Web. WHY?”

Well, partly BECAUSE this is not the kind of thing the LA Times or any other major daily likes to trumpet with a press release. But on behalf of this faithful reader, we checked in with an LAT spokesperson who kindly confirmed the full details:

“The single-copy price increase went into effect on December 3 for the daily (Monday-Friday) editions and this past weekend for the weekend and Sunday editions. It affects only the single-copy prices for the print editions sold at news racks and retail locations: $1.50 for daily, $2 for weekend or Sunday.”

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Variety reporter Dave McNary was in attendance Monday night at the AFTRA Media and Entertainment Excellence awards (AMEEs). He relates a pretty good ad lib by honoree David Crosby.

The singer was one of three award recipients at the Club Nokia gala dinner event. Crosby received the Sound Recordings nod, while America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh was recognized for Entertainment and long-time Spanish language Dodgers broadcaster Jaimee Jarrin took home the honors for Broadcasting.

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We went to Patrick Range McDonald‘s birthday party in West Hollywood on Saturday. Here we are pictured with McDonald (in the middle) and Variety’s Ted Johnson.

Other notables at the party include Michael Weinstein, founder of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Mike Gatto, attorney and politico at Mayer Brown, Miki Jackson and John Walsh, who host Neighborhood Point of View (the cable access show), Japhy Grant, editor of Queerty.com, Rick Jacobs, founder of Courage Campaign, Christine Pelisek, staff writer at LA Weekly, Daniel Heimpel and Max Taves, freelancers at the Weekly Jill Stewart, deputy news editor at LA Weekly David Hernandez, longtime gadfly and public access producer Sabrina Venskus, environmental attorney, B. Daniel Blatt, blogger at GayPatriot.net, Tom Whitman, nightlife promoter, Nick Velasquez, Rocky Delgadillo‘s spokesman, writer Luke Thompson and Jim Hoffmaster, character actor.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was, of course, invited but didn’t show. Which was both disappointing and expected…just like his stint as mayor.