PETER BOWES - BROADCASTER & JOURNALIST

Michael Jackson: Some thoughts...

2009-06-28T12:40:00.001-07:00

It is only three days since Michael Jackson was declared dead but it
feels like much longer. The inevitable circus ensued. It brought
memories flooding back of the 2005 trial in Santa Maria. The media -
desperate to be 'on top of the story' (me included) with all its
twists and turns - and the fans - disbelieving, distraught and angry.
Today, more celebrities will pay homage to MJ at the BET Awards, which
have been hastily re-worked as a tribute to the King of Pop. And
rightly so. There is also a sense of fatigue setting in. TV and radio
reporters (me included) repeating the same 'lines' over and over
again. Everyone says R.I.P. Michael, but nobody allows it to happen.
The real tragedy lost in tabloid hullabaloo. Death by Showbiz is
probably the best headline I've seen. Oh and the US government should
declare war on prescription drugs and the doctors who peddle them.

California grinding to a standstill

2009-06-11T06:40:00.001-07:00

Close the door California is broke. There are just weeks to go (before
the end of July) before state coffers are empty. Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger has vowed to let California government come to a
"grinding halt" rather than agree to a high-interest loan to keep the
state afloat if he and the Legislature do not close the yawning budget
gap in coming weeks.

http://tinyurl.com/mk2aqz

Bye bye Miss California

2009-06-11T06:33:00.001-07:00

You're fired! Donald Trump to Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, who stirred up a controversy when she said gays shouldn't be allowed to marry. She was sacked not because of what she said (say pageant leaders) but because she broke her contract by not making certain appearances.

"It's just because of my answer, I think," Prejean said Wednesday shortly after learning of Trump's decision. "None of this would be happening right now if I just said, 'Yeah, gays should get married.'"

Michael Jackson

2009-06-11T06:28:00.001-07:00

Michael Jackson is facing yet another lawsuit. The company behind a planned Jackson Family Reunion concert has filed suit in federal court in New York accusing Jackson of reneging on a promise to appear with sister Janet and brothers Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy and Jackie at a concert this summer.

Los Angeles earthquake 4.7

2009-05-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't feel it - 43 miles from the epicenter - but tonight's 4.7 (initially reported to be 5.0) earthquake is the latest in a string of tremblers to his Southern California in the last few weeks. It lasted 10-15 seconds. Two aftershocks - including a 3.1

No major injuries. There has been some structural damage - people fled cinemas and their homes. The ceiling fell in at a theater in Long Beach. Minor damage in peoples' homes - fallen pictures, ornaments etc. Friends who felt it say it was very strong. A rumbling followed by a jolt and and a bang. Not the usual rolling motion. Scary, they say. Once again, dog owners report that their animals noticed first.

GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA, CALIF.
Geographic coordinates: 33.940N, 118.337W
Magnitude: 5.0 Ml
Depth: 13 km
Time near the Epicenter: 17 May 2009 20:39:36

Location with respect to nearby cities:
2 km (1 miles) E (91 degrees) of Lennox, CA
2 km (1 miles) SSE (157 degrees) of Inglewood, CA
3 km (2 miles) NNE (23 degrees) of Hawthorne, CA
15 km (10 miles) SSW (213 degrees) of Los Angeles Civic Center, CA

A timely reminder that the Big One is overdue. The end of the San Andreas fault was not experienced a major rupture for at least 250 years. The San Andreas fault runs for roughly 1287km (800 miles) through western and southern California in the US. It marks the meeting point of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. The two plates either side of the San Andreas fault are moving past each other at a rate of about 25mm each year - the fault's "slip rate." If all the strain was released at once, it would have enough energy to unleash a magnitude-8 earthquake - roughly the size of the devastating 1906 quake in San Francisco. Quakes are predicted to occur on the southern part of the fault every 200-300 years.

Duck, cover and hold.

QUAKE HISTORY

July 29, 2008: 11:42 am: 5.4 Chino Hills Earthquake, the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area experienced its largest earthquake in years as a magnitude 5.4 event occurred 8.5 miles beneath the Chino Hills. This earthquake was felt across much of southern California, and as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada. I was at a movie memorabilia auiction preview at the time and filming!

Monday January 17, 1994: 0430 PST 6.7 - Northridge: Sixty people were killed, more than 7,000 injured, 20,000 homeless and more than 40,000 buildings damaged in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino Counties.

April 18, 1906: 7.8 - One of the greatest earthquakes ever to hit California. Damage was extensive in San Francisco, and was increased perhaps tenfold by raging fires. Total damage was estimated at over $500 million. Seven hundred people died. The earthquake occurred on a blind thrust fault, and produced the strongest ground motions ever instrumentally recorded in an urban setting in North America. Damage was wide-spread, sections of major freeways collapsed, parking structures and office buildings collapsed, and numerous apartment buildings suffered irreparable damage.

Santa Barbara folks go home

2009-05-09T21:25:00.001-07:00

An evacuation order has been lifted in the California town of Santa
Barbara where a fast moving wildfire has destroyed more than 13 square
miles. More than a third of the blaze is now contained although fire
officials are warning that it will take several days to put it
completely out. A dramatic change in the weather helped firefighters
gain the upper hand over this ferocious blaze. A blanket of cool,
moist air flowed in from the ocean and quelled the flames. At one
stage 30 thousand people were evacuated from their homes, but they've
now been allowed to return. Tragically some families discovered that
they no longer had a home. Firefighters are warning that the danger
isn't completely over. They describe the weather conditions are
fickle, and while the fire is still burning, there's a danger the
flames could be fanned by fresh winds. There's still no word on the
cause of the fire, which is expected to burn for several more days.

Russell Brand's "transparent" BAFTA LA award

2009-05-09T13:10:00.001-07:00

Russell Brand was named Best British Comedy Performer at BAFTA/LA's
2nd Annual British Comedy Festival last night in Beverly Hills.
Typically Brand, he poked fun at the honour and the event itself. He
was happy to win a "provincial" award although he pointed out the
"transparent" nature of the gong -- a glass plate. Most stars hung
around for the entire night although Russell slipped away immediately
after picking up his award. He made a fleeting reference to being
"banned from radio."

Tracy Ullman said she was "just thrilled" to be receiving the night's
lifetime achievement award - the first BAFTA/LA Charlie Chaplin Award
for Lifetime Achievement in Comedy. Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky won
Best British Comedy Film, which was accepted by actress Alexis
Zegerman.

The night, which was great fun and well attended, was hosted by Sharon
Osbourne. She looked great but made several references to being
"pissed."

The night included a traditional British dinner -- braised ribs and
Yorkshire Pudding - and plenty of off-colour comedy.

The end of Brit week (three weeks actually) in LA. Another successful year.

Looking better in Santa Barbara

2009-05-09T12:48:00.001-07:00

The early morning marine layer brought better news for Santa Barbara
-- the fire is now 30 per cent contained and the mandatory evacuation
orders have been lifted. But the blaze is still a "sleeping giant,"
according to one official, and if the winds kick up again, the flames
could spread.

Fog helps fire fighters

2009-05-09T07:05:00.001-07:00

A thick layer of fog along the California coast will help firefighters
battling the Santa Barbara blaze today. It's 20 deg F cooler than
yesterday and the fire is now moving away from the city. But he blaze
is still only 10% contained and the authorities are warning an
additional 23,000 people should be ready to leave at a moment's
notice. 30,000 have already been evacuated.

Cool Santa Barbara weather but fire rages on

2009-05-08T16:28:00.001-07:00

More than 30 thousand people have now been ordered to leave their
homes in the California town of Santa Barbara, where a wildfire is
burning out of control. At least 75 homes have been destroyed and
firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze. More than 12
thousand properties in Santa Barbara are under a compulsory evacuation
order. The fierce fire, which started on Tuesday, is proving extremely
difficult to get under control. At one point the front edge of the
fire stretched for five miles – rapidly consuming the tinder dry brush
in its wake. One official likened the fire to a 'blowtorch." The main
problem for firefighters has been the sudden changes in the wind speed
and direction. Local residents have been forces to sleep in community
centers and schools, not knowing whether they'll have a home to return
to. More than two thousand firefighters are battling the blaze from
the ground and the air. A DC-10 jet has been dumping huge loads of
fire retardant over the blaze. There's one glimmer of hope. The
weather forecast is for much cooler temperatures – a change that
should help the firefighters although it's still likely to take
several days to get the blaze fully contained.

Santa Barbara fires - "all hell broke loose"

2009-05-08T10:06:00.001-07:00

The Santa Barbara fire suddenly took a turn for the worse early today. According to Fire Chief Andrew DiMizio: "All hell broke loose" as flames rushed down steep canyons. 30,000 people have been evacuated and the blaze is moving towards city limits. Once again strong winds and searing temperatures are hampering the fire fighting effort. A wildfire of this ferocity, in the spring, is very unusual. It does not bode well for Southern California for the rest of the year. Developing...

Phil Spector - how much longer?

2009-04-10T17:45:00.001-07:00

Actually it hasn't been that long. It is over two weeks since jurors
on Spector's second murder trial retired to consider their verdict,
but their deliberations have been strangely fragmented. A combination
of official court holidays and jury illness means the jurors have been
agonizing over their verdict for just under 30 hours. Perhaps they're
not agonizing, rather just taking their time and being meticulous
about dissecting the evidence. But the longer it goes on, it does
raise the possibility of yet another hung jury. It seems unlikely with
them having the option to consider manslaughter, but who knows? Have
been listening to a lot of Spector music in the last few days - for
various post-trial pieces - and there's no denying the man was a
genius. The 60s - Wall of Sound - made for the mono car radio - stuff
is infectious.

Golden Globes

2009-04-03T18:36:00.001-07:00

A very sensible decision by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to
broadcast next year's Golden Globes LIVE in all US timezones. The
Globes join the Oscars which have been aired at the same time around
America for years. Soon they'll be tweeting the results.

From the HFPA:

Jorge Camara, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association®,
announced the timetable for "The 67th Annual Golden Globe® Awards" to
be broadcast in HD Sunday, January 17, 2010 from 5-8 PM (PST) and 8-11
PM (EST) live from The Beverly Hilton on NBC.
"In this age when news is disseminated with increasing
rapidity, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to
announce that this year's Golden Globe Awards telecast will be aired
live nationwide," said Camara. "For the first time, viewers on the
west coast will see the winners announced at the same time as the rest
of the country, with no tape delay."

Key dates for the Golden Globe Awards timetable are as follows:

October 30, 2009
Friday
Final date for press conferences for Television entries

November 6, 2009
Friday
Deadline for submission of Golden Globe entry forms

November, 2009
(Exact date TBA)
Cecil B. DeMille Award/Miss Golden Globe Announcement

December 3, 2009
Thursday
Deadline for nomination ballots to be mailed by Ernst & Young to all
HFPA members

December 9, 2009
Wednesday
Final screening date for Motion Pictures

December 10, 2009
Thursday
Final date for Motion Picture press conferences

December 11, 2009
Friday
Deadline for receipt by Ernst & Young of nomination ballots

December 15, 2009
Tuesday
5:00 a.m. Nomination Announcement of "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards"

December 18, 2009
Friday
Deadline for receipt of media credential applications

December 28, 2009
Monday
Final ballots mailed by Ernst & Young to all HFPA members

January 6, 2010
Wednesday
Deadline for receipt of publicist credential applications

January 13, 2010
Wednesday
Deadline for receipt by Ernst & Young of final ballots

January 17, 2010
Sunday
Presentation of "The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards" Live telecast on
NBC at 5 PM PST and 8 PM EST