🤙 Friday the 13th Lucky Irish Vibes

"For anybody who's on the down side of advantage and relying purely on courage — it's possible."

— Russell Crowe, Best Actor, 73rd Academy Awards (2001)

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A 26-year-old Walt Disney sends a telegram to his brother before boarding a New York train back to California after losing the rights to his studio's only famous character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: 'DON'T WORRY EVERYTHING OK WILL GIVE DETAILS WHEN ARRIVE.' Those details were the brainstorming ideas for Disney's brand new character, Mickey Mouse.

How long would it take to watch every film nominated for this year's Best Picture?

ANSWER ↓

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WEEK AHEAD: The NWS is calling this potentially one of the top March heat events on record. A massive ridge builds through next week with temps 20-30 degrees above normal. Heat Advisories are near-certain Tuesday through Thursday. Stay hydrated, complete outdoor activities early or late, and never leave people or pets in cars.

Founded by and supporting LA creatives, Dear Neighbor Handrolls is a roaming sushi pop-up serving fresh, handcrafted handrolls across the city. Catch them this Sunday at Smorgasburg LA at ROW DTLA from 10 AM to 4 PM. Free entry, free parking for the first two hours. Follow their Instagram for mid-week and Saturday pop-up locations.

ORDER ONLINE →    FOLLOW FOR POP-UPS →

From the Motor City to the Angel City. Detroit Pizza Depot, founded by three Michigan transplants, is expanding from its Hollywood flagship to a new Inglewood kitchen on Crenshaw Blvd. The style traces back to 1940s Detroit autoworkers who used factory oil pans to bake what became the city's signature square pizza: crispy caramelized cheese edges, dense but light enough to eat with your hands. Build your own or go specialty, then wash it down with a Faygo.

SEE THE MENU →    ORDER NOW →

☕ CULVER CITY: Caffe Luxxe opens new cafe in Culver City's historic Washington Triangle building, via Palisades News

🏈 LONG BEACH: Born Wild Sporting Club planning opening in Long Beach, via What Now Los Angeles

LA City Planning Commission approved a five-story mixed-use building at 1410 S. Main Street replacing two single-family homes. The project brings 20 apartments, 3,676 sq ft of ground-floor restaurant space, and 28 parking spots to the block. Four units will be set aside as very low-income housing. Venice-based m_Royce Architecture designed the contemporary low-rise with a rooftop terrace and perforated metal screening.

READ MORE VIA URBANIZE LA →

An empty 1.2-acre lot next to Sheldon Skate Park is getting a major upgrade. The Southeast Valley Roller Rink and Sheldon Recreation Center will bring an 8,100 sq ft roller rink, a loop track, and a 1,300 sq ft rec center to 12515 Sheldon Street. Rios designed the project with curvilinear paths inspired by skating movements and views of the Verdugo and San Gabriel Mountains. Funded by Proposition K.

READ MORE VIA URBANIZE LA →

🚇 BEVERLY HILLS → DOWNTOWN: Metro D Line Subway Extension will open Friday May 8th, via Streetsblog Los Angeles

🚌 SANTA MONICA: Santa Monica has opened new bus-only lanes on Broadway as part of Santa Monica's ongoing Broadway Safety Project, via Santa Monica Next

🦒 AGOURA HILLS: The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing on Agoura Road continues to make progress, via Spectrum News

Tinder just unveiled its biggest product overhaul in years at the inaugural Tinder Sparks 2026 keynote, and Los Angeles is the first city to get the new IRL Events feature. The update lets users discover local events, from pottery classes to trivia nights, and see which other singles are interested in attending. LA was chosen as the pilot city alongside 10+ other major announcements including AI-powered matching, video speed dating, and new partnerships with Duolingo and Beli.

READ THE FULL ANNOUNCEMENT →

New CoStar data shows early recovery for Santa Monica's retail core. Vacancy along the Third Street Promenade has dropped from a peak of 15.1% in 2024 to about 13.6%, and retail property sales hit $143 million over the past 12 months. Entrepreneur Daniel Negari has been the biggest mover, acquiring roughly 368,000 sq ft of office and retail space including the historic Junipher Building for $17 million. City officials are helping the push with open-container entertainment zones and 470 residential units under construction.

READ MORE VIA YO! VENICE →

Netflix is acquiring InterPositive, the AI moviemaking company founded by Ben Affleck, in a deal worth up to $600 million. The startup builds tools that let filmmakers alter existing footage after it's shot. David Fincher has already used the tech on an upcoming film starring Brad Pitt. Affleck built InterPositive in secret with backing from RedBird Capital Partners, and the acquisition marks one of the largest AI deals by a major Hollywood studio.

READ MORE VIA BLOOMBERG →

💼 THE WALLIS: Jean Davidson named Executive Director and CEO of The Wallis, via Beverly Press

🎥 AMAZON ULTRA: Amazon raises price of ad-free Prime Video plan, tags 'Ultra' onto brand name, via Deadline

Conan O'Brien hosts the 98th Academy Awards this Sunday, March 15 at 4:00 PM PT on ABC, and this year's races are genuinely up for grabs. Best Picture is a two-horse showdown between Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" (13 noms) and Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" (16 noms, an all-time record). Best Actor might be the tightest race in decades with Michael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet, and Leonardo DiCaprio all in the mix. Jessie Buckley looks locked for Best Actress for "Hamnet," and PTA is the heavy favorite for Best Director after sweeping BAFTA.

SEE FULL PREDICTIONS VIA PAGE SIX →

Boots Riley returned to SXSW last night with the world premiere of "I Love Boosters," his wildly anticipated follow-up to "Sorry to Bother You." The heist comedy stars Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield, Eiza Gonzalez, Naomi Ackie, Demi Moore, and Poppy Liu, and kicked off the festival's milestone 40th edition with the kind of trippy, rip-roaring energy only Riley can deliver.

READ MORE VIA DEADLINE →

🐔 OSCARS EATS: Inside Wolfgang Puck's 84-dish Oscars banquet for Hollywood's biggest stars, via ABC7 Los Angeles

🍿 KPOP 2: Netflix and Sony confirm KPop Demon Hunters 2 as 'only the beginning,' via Variety

🤵 THE LOWDOWN: Tommy Lee Jones joins 'The Lowdown' cast for Season 2, via The Wrap

Selection Sunday is March 15 and the bracket is taking shape. San Diego's Viejas Arena will host first and second round games March 19-22, bringing March Madness to Southern California's backyard. On the local front, UCLA is projected as an 8-seed in the West Region, which runs right through San Diego, while USC sits just outside the field as one of the first four out. Arizona holds a 1-seed on the top line. Duke, Michigan, and Florida round out the projected 1-seeds heading into the final weekend of conference tournament play.

SEE FULL BRACKETOLOGY VIA ON3 →

Luka Doncic put up 51 points to lead the Lakers past the Bulls in a statement win that also marked LeBron James' return to the lineup. It was Doncic's first 50-point game in purple and gold, and a reminder that this Lakers roster has serious firepower when fully healthy.

READ MORE VIA ESPN →

🏈 FREE AGENCY: Best team fits for remaining free agents, via ESPN

🐏 COBIE DURANT: The Dallas Cowboys have signed Cobie Durant, longtime Rams cornerback, to a one-year contract, via Yahoo! Sports

A) 24 hours, 53 minutes. You could technically marathon every Best Picture nominee before the ceremony starts Sunday night. Whether you should is a different question entirely.

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