Good morning. It’s Saturday, May 23. Here’s your one-minute guide to some of L.A. Material’s recent reporting.
I’ll be in your inbox every Saturday morning with this new, weekly roundup.
1. Spencer Pratt is gaining support from Democratic voters…
… but they wouldn’t ever admit it in public. “There're little, secret groups that are forming,” said one Los Feliz screenwriter, who’s part of a growing legion of registered Dems supporting the bombastic reality TV star turned Republican mayoral candidate. Many say they’re fed up with visible drug use and homelessness.
2. Hollywood writers have found a lucrative new format.
When screenwriters are shopping an idea to Hollywood studios, they usually submit pitches or spec scripts. But a new format is upending the time-honored system: Pulpy short stories, like the ones you might find on Reddit, are now regularly converting into million-dollar deals. One industry exec called it “a gold rush.”
3. Online gamblers have poured more than $3 million into the mayoral race.
The trend has caused much anxiety about gambling addiction and insider trading. But did you know that, until the 1940s, election betting was practically a national pastime? Cigar stores in L.A. served as a hub for gamblers, and newspapers cited betting odds in lieu of modern polling. It turns out L.A. has a venerable history of election gambling.
MORE STUFF WE DID
THE FAMOUS HILLS at the La Brea Tar Pits will remain (mostly) open during the museum’s renovation. We sent a reporter to roll down them.
THE SANTA YNEZ RESERVOIR was empty when the Palisades needed it most. Now it’s a source of tension in the mayor's race.
SINGLE-ISSUE ANIMAL welfare voters have become increasingly vocal this election cycle.
OUR REPORTER Matt Hamilton managed to piss off both the pro- and anti-Pratt camps this week. First, with his story about the candidate’s Democrat supporters (see the Instagram comments). Later, by pointing out that Pratt has spent nearly $15,000 at the Hotel Bel Air (prompting at least one fan edit of him as a clown).
THE LINKS YOU CLICKED THE MOST
THE BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL is going to war with the red-pilled Kitson boutique, the California Post reported.
ELEVEN L.A.-AREA restaurants have been added to the California Michelin Guide, Eater reported.
FOR ROUGHLY THE price of a West L.A. fixer, you could buy this roadside hotel and biker bar in Lake Hughes.
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