Eco-Interns

By Andra Lim

Four billboards featuring images high school students snapped with cellphones will go up at the north side of Los Angeles State Historic Park tomorrow.

As part of an eco-internship, 20 local students worked with UCLA's Center for Research in Engineering, Media and Performance (REMAP) -- an organization that brings together technology and art -- to take pictures of the park and transform them using software.

Here's what the final product looks like:

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The 31 Pasadena Rose Court finalists.

The folks behind Pasadena's annual Rose Parade this week announced 31 finalists for the event's "Royal Court." Do we care? Not that much. (Yawn). But here's the thing: They gave us pictures of these fine young women, and we know you want to see:

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Edith Shain, who claimed to be the white-clad nurse in the famous V-J Day photo died Sunday at the age of 91 in her Los Angeles home, according reports. The iconic photograph, which shows a nurse being dipped and kissed by a soldier, was snapped by Life magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstadt on August 15, 1945 at Times Square promptly after President Truman announced the end of the war with Japan.

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Eric Leonard

Officer Johson reaches for a journalist's camera during a public meeting, in a public space.

Strained relations between the City Hall press corps and Los Angeles city officials came to a head Friday when a journalist was restrained by officers after taking pictures of people testifying before the City Council.

KFI AM 640 reporters Eric Leonard tells the Weekly he was taking photos when officers restrained him, ostensibly under a city policy that no photography be taken of citizens who come before the council. Leonard named a lawman who grabbed his camera as "Officer Johnson." Leonard still posted photos successfully to his Flickr page, however. (Updated after the jump).

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TV personality Olivia Munn, host of G4's Attack of the Show!, is the latest celebrity/activist (much cooler than actress/waitress) to team up with animal rights group PETA for its series of anti-cruelty advertisements, this time targeted at the circus. Munn stripped into action after seeing an online video of PETA's "undercover footage of Ringling Bros. trainers as they beat elephants with sharp metal bullhooks." Munn's advertisement comes in the form of a giant billboard at the intersection of Highland and Wilshire Blvd., and features the host naked in front of several elephants in their natural habitat. The billboard was unveiled Tuesday morning and reads: "As Nature Intended, Let Elephants Be Free. Boycott the Circus."

Update below by Liz Ohanesian

Shannon Cottrell

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DWP headquarters.

In another salvo in the battle between L.A.'s utility and City Hall, City Controller Wendy Greuel announced Wednesday that she is undertaking an audit of the Department of Water and Power's finances to verify its story that it doesn't have the cash on hand to transfer a promised $73 million payment to the city's ailing general fund.

The DWP reneged on the promise after the City Council last week denied an electricity rate increase for the utility's customers. The DWP stated it could not declare a surplus of funds and could not, therefore, give the city the cash. City Councilman Bernard Parks, however, has stated the department, considered the most cash rich in the city, has $1 billion dollars on-hand.

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Hot on the heels of reports that Lindsay Lohan has dissed L.A. in favor of New York, some on the Los Angeles Police Department force who come into contact with her regularly are saying they're worried about the actress' strange behavior.

Hating on L.A. is not a crime. But TMZ reports that some of those L.A. cops reported observing "erratic behavior" and "attitude" coming from Lohan in recent months, with things getting worse in more recent days. Cops even considered taking her in for a psychiatric evaluation following one of her "crazier" nights on the town.

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City Council candidate Christine Essel

​​The two candidates fighting for the Valley seat on the L.A. City Council have both been scorned for relying heavily on scads of cash from special interest groups operating outside of City Council District 2.

​But Christine Essel, whose staggering $300,000 war chest enabled her to sail into the runoff against state Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, may have just crossed a line. Even if she hasn't, her actions will most likely fan the flames of a vicious ongoing ethnic battle in Los Angeles.

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L.A. Weekly Flickr pool photographer, Brian Swanson, snapped this striking picture of a mountain lion in Bel Air on October 9 using his trusty Nikon. File under: don't try this at home (or in your backyard).

Brian Swanson