clips

{NY Times} {Salon} {Parenting/Family Life} {LA Times} {LA Weekly} {LA Magazine} {Essays} {Inside} {Early Newspaper Work} {Miscellaneous}

He’s Taking a Walkabout on the Wild Side

Brief profile of Steve Irwin, host of “The Crocodile Hunter.” This was one of the first major media stories written about Irwin, who was just as hyper and cartoon-like on the phone as he is on TV.

People Just Strange Enough to Be Real

Feature about two new documentary programs including “First Person,” the half-hour interview show created by the great Errol Morris.

Jaleel White (’Don’t Call Me Urkel’) Grows Up

Cover story for TV section about former child star and his struggle to rid himself of the “Urkel factor.” I went in skeptical, but couldn’t help but like the guy.

It Takes a Village to Help One Man

Is this a participatory feature or an exercise in masochism? Both, it turns out. For one week, I followed the advice of 12 of LA’s growing legion of “lifestyle experts “—including a life coach, a spiritual advisor, a physical trainer and a personal brander. Ended up a little more confident, a lot more self conscious and very, very tired. 

Time to Take Back the Night

I was asked by editors at the LA Times for 2,000 words on Halloween and why it matters. My ponderings on why we all celebrate fear in a time of recession, terrorism and mass anxiety got mixed up with a vivid recovered memory of being mugged by a Smurf. 

Dog Town

First person cover story for Calendar section about the canine-craziness of Los Angeles. 

East/West Smackdown

Cover story for Calendar section in which I go head-to-head with a die-hard Westsider over the comparative merits of our ‘hoods. It gets nasty. Generated a ton of response from readers, many of whom didn’t quite get our intended cheekiness. 

Curses!

Sunday feature about the casual, common and public use of profanity. Fuck yeah!

The Roman Empire Rises Again

Interview with director Ridley Scott on the eve of the release of “Gladiator.” Friendly and thoughtful, Scott was positive the movie was going to be huge—I secretly thought the movie was silly and figured it would flop. Goes to show you.

Taking a Fast-Track Career in Stride

Profile of martial arts action star Jet Li. What made this more than just an ordinary junket story was the glaring contradiction of a mild-mannered, Chinese-speaking Buddhist publicizing a super-violent American action flick.

A King’s Ransom

Short feature about filmmaker Scott King and his decision to sell nearly everything he owns, including a 1939 Seeburg jukebox that I picked up for $400. Score!

Shrieking in Cyberspace

I was asked to give a reality check to claims that terrorists are poised to strike with computer attacks. It was a tough story to report—who am I, saying these expert techies are simply wrong?—but in the end I came away convinced that the whole threat is less about terrorists in Jalalabad than policy wonks in Virginia, scarring themselves silly reading Tom Clancy paperbacks.

High Anxiety

Cover feature on the tense last days of the Internet boom in Los Angeles. I was assigned the story during the height of the dot-com gold rush, only to witness most of my sources go bankrupt. The resulting story, the anchor of a package called “LA-Dot-Com,” won a 1999 award from the L.A. Press Club for best feature story.

Cool Millions

Feature about entrepreneurs who capitalized on the hip reputation of Los Angeles’ Eastside. As the headline said: “Getting rich in an area that prides itself on being the anti-Westside can get complicated. How do you hang on to your street cred when the natives blame you for selling their little piece of boho rhapsody down the river?”

But is it Garbage?

Another story of an endangered pop landmark, this one a crumbling roadside attraction in Simi Valley called Bottle Village. I first wrote about the place as a beat news reporter for the Daily news in the Valley but returned with friends a few times afterward – it truly is a a magical, spooky and affecting place. So far, neither the taxman nor the neighbors have managed to bulldoze it, thanks entirely to a group of artsy out-of-towners, God bless ‘em.

Page 3 of 4 pages « First  <  1 2 3 4 >