INSIDE SCOOP COMMENTARY ENTERTAINMENT E3 IS CENTER OF GAMING UNIVERSE PAGE 3 TEQUILA HELPS SALES PAGE 5 CARIBBEAN KINGS AT PIER PAGE 8 Visit us online at smdp.com THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007 Volume 6 Issue 207 Santa Monica Daily Press CHROMEO HAS GOT LEGS SEE PAGE 8 Since 2001: A news odyssey THE EASY DOES IT ISSUE LIFESTYLE POTTERPOTTER POOPERSPOOPERS BookBook series’series’ adultadult fansfans debunkdebunk childishchildish perceptionsperceptions STORYSTORY BYBY MELODYMELODY HANATANIHANATANI PAGE13PAGE13 Fabian Lewkowicz [email protected] HOGWARTS AND ALL: Lauren Thompson (left) and Tennie Brown, dressed as characters from ‘Harry Potter,’ play ‘Scene It’ with ‘Ad Walker’ Luis Nieves shortly before midnight Tuesday. Structure bandit caught in act BY KEVIN HERRERA I Daily Press Staff Writer Hernandez has plead not guilty and is due back in court guns and knives, and we wanted to make sure we caught on July 24, according to the Los Angeles County District the guy before he did any type of physical violence.” PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY Despite their exhaust-filled Attorney’s Office. The parking structures are managed by Parking workplace, the city’s parking garage attendants can He is being held on $800,000 bail. Concepts. Representatives from the company could not breathe a little easier now that a suspect has been charged A screwdriver, tire iron, knife and a handgun were be reached for comment. for a string of armed robberies against them. used in the series of robberies. In one incident, the sus- Earlier this year, SMPD spent $75,000 to install secu- A Los Angeles man is being accused of targeting Santa pect took money from a parking booth when the atten- rity cameras in all of the downtown structures, excluding Monica parking attendants in the downtown structures dant had stepped away. No employees were injured in the the two that are attached to Santa Monica Place, which for the better of a year, authorities said Wednesday. robberies. City officials said the average loss was between offer parking for free on most days. The cameras were Juan Carlos Hernandez, 31, was charged with nine $200 and $300. installed to protect parking attendants and improve traf- counts of armed robbery and one count of commercial “This is a good find for us,” SMPD’s Lt. Alex Padilla burglary for incidents that date back to July 23, 2006. said. “This guy was getting worse and worse, using hand- SEE CAUGHT PAGE 7 PLAY IN A BAND WORKSHOP GABY SCHKUD (310) SIGN UP NOW! 586-0308 (310) 453-1928 The name you can depend on! 1347hillstreet.com www.santamonicamusic.com 1901 Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica Calendar 2 THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007 A newspaper with issues 1920 Santa Monica Blvd. (Corner of 20th & Santa Monica Blvd.) (310) 829-9597 Hours: 6:30am - 10:00pm Daily MERCEDES BENZ TAXI SERVICE $28.00 FLAT TO LAX EURO TAXI FROM SM OF SANTA MONICA Cookie thief puppet show 2601 Main St., 2:30 p.m. — 3:15 p.m. (310) 828-4200 The Ocean Park Library offers a summer activity program for children ages 4 and up. • OUR FARES AVERAGE 20% LESS THAN MOST OTHER LOCAL TAXI CO. • CLEAN CARS - VANS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR LARGER PARTIES ‘Born to be Wild’ • ALL OF OUR DRIVERS SPEAK CONVERSATIONAL ENGLISH 13211 Mulholland Dr., Beverly Hills, 7 p.m. — 11 p.m. • 24/7 DISPATCH IDA-Africa presents “Born To Be Wild Thursday,” which will include • ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED WWW.EUROTAXISM.COM hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, silent and live auctions, a raffle and more. Dr. Sheri Speede and others are raising funds for the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee BIODIESEL! IT’S THE FUTURE Rescue Center in Cameroon. Ticket price is $75 in advance; $85 at the door. For more information, visit www.ida-africa.org. EURO TAXI is working hard to add cars to the fleet that will use BIO-DEGRADABLE fuel as well as convert our existing cars to this new environmentally friendly technology. It will give us up to 92% cleaner air, Santa Monica Laughter Club create jobs, reduce our deficit and lessen our dependence on foreign 717 Broadway, 11 a.m. — noon oil. For more information, please log on to www.labiofuel.com or search Shakti’s Elements offers a class on laughter yoga, which combines breathing, dance, for biodiesel. Thank you for your interest and support. and movement with laughter exercises to improve health and vitality, decrease pain and everyday stress and promote a positive mental attitude. Led by Kim Selbert, DON ALEXANDER, OWNER/GM Certified Laughter Yoga Leader. Suggested donation of $3 to $10. Yappy Hour @ Tails of Santa Monica 2912 Main St., 6 p.m. — 8 p.m. A social gathering for dogs and their people. There will be light 10% off Brazilian, refreshments, dog snacks and play time. For more information, call (310) 392-4300. Bikini or Playboy Wax The 12 Steps for Everybody 16730 Bollinger Dr., Pacific Palisades, 7 p.m. — 8 p.m. 310-562-1592 *WITH MENTION OF THIS AD OFFER ENDS AUGUST 7, 2007 The 12 Steps for Everybody’s writing meeting is for all 12-Step programs or anyone with a habitual problem or illness. Call (310) 454-5138 or e-mail [email protected] for more information. Friday, July 13, 2007 2 Live Crew gets hurt 12249 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista, call for time That’s right - 2 Live Crew will be performing at The Good Hurt tonight. For more information, call (310) 390-1076. 'Mean Girls' screening 601 Santa Monica Blvd., 2 p.m. — 4 p.m. Join the Santa Monica Public Library in the Main Library Auditorium for the last Teen Angst Summer Film screening. "Mean Girls," starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams will be shown. All ages are welcome. Seating is first come, first served. 320 SANTA MONICA BLVD. OFF 3RD STREET PROMENADE IN BAY CITIES BEAUTY SUPPLY The tutus have landed 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. The American Ballet Theater is in town to perform Lar Lubovitch’s interpretation of “Othello” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. For tickets or more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com or call (213) 365-3500. Thump your rump Grand Opening 3321 Pico Blvd., 9 p.m. — 2 a.m. Club Tubthump is moving their “’90s Nights” to Santa Monica Bar & Grille. Tubthump features an assortment of ‘90s music ranging from En Vogue to Nirvana to the Spin Doctors. No cover charge. For more information, % visit www.smbgrocks.com. Alternatively soul and reggae 1026 Wilshire Blvd., 9 p.m. OFF It’s Alternative Soul & Reggae night at the Temple Bar with Chris Joyner, John 50 West, and Cipes and the People. Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 at the door. SUSHI For more information, visit www.templebarlive.com. Bundy/Wilshire FREE DELIVERY Santa Monica Rotary 2 block West 1250 Capri Drive, Pacific Palisades, noon — 1:30 p.m. Lunch & Dinner Guests are welcome for lunch. For more information, contact (310) 820-1021 June M. Doy at (310) 922-6274 or (310) 917-3313. For more information on any of the events listed, log on to smdp.com and click the “Events” tab for the given day’s calendar. HARA SUSHI Y WELLESL 12222 Wilshire Blvd. WILSHIRE Inside Scoop Visit us online at smdp.com THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007 3 Council minus a quorum By Daily Press staff CITY HALL City officials canceled Tuesday night’s scheduled City Council meeting after it was determined they wouldn’t have enough members on hand. Two council members were out of the country, while another was stuck in the San Francisco Bay area after her flight was delayed. A fourth member could not attend. At least four of the seven members need to be present in order for a meeting to pro- ceed, according to City Clerk Maria Stewart. Members were expected to discuss vehi- cle access to Santa Monica College’s Bundy Campus, which is located adjacent to the Santa Monica Airport, as well as progress that has been made in securing a stop light at Bundy Drive, which is under the jurisdic- tion of the city of Los Angeles. Also on the agenda was a recommendation that the council support AB 700 after a new amendment was added last week by the State Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. The bill calls for an air quality study to be con- ducted at the airport. The committee insisted that a task force comprised of state and local agencies, community members and airport Fabian Lewkowicz [email protected] users be created to discuss ways to decrease air- LOCKED AND LOADED: E3 vendor Jasaon Carrasco fights to the finish while playing ‘Resident Evil — The Umbrella Chronicles’ on Wednesday at craft emissions and the impact airport opera- Barker Hanger. The Electronic Entertainment Expo, being staged at several Santa Monica venues, runs through Friday. tions have on surrounding communities. The council endorsed AB 700 last month after submitting several amendments of its own, including one which prevents City Hall from being sued based on data gathered in the study. One of the issues that was expected to Not playing around draw a crowd was the creation of new parking restrictions in neighborhoods located just titles they hope to offer consumers in the troller will be available later this year. The south of Santa Monica High School. Video game industry coming months. existing Wii remote and nunchuck acces- Residents have complained for years about The announcements kicked off the E3 sories clip into the gun’s plastic housing. students and employees at a nearby hotel tak- converges on city to Media & Business Summit, which runs The Wii remote snaps into the steering ing up all the available parking in the area, through Friday in Santa Monica.