"American Idol" vs. the Lakers

I can’t remember a time when two major, nationally televised events were taking place across the street from one another. But Wednesday night, “American Idol” fans mixed with Lakers fans, as the “Idol” finale went live at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live, across the street from Staples Center — where the Lakers met the Spurs for Game 1 of the Western Conference championships.

I managed to find $10 parking (not an easy feat, but there it was, not to far from $30 and $25 lots), and parked mostly among Lakers fans. Hiking to the Nokia, guys selling Lakers caps were standing near others passing out free T-shirts touting “Idol” finalist David Cook (still not sure why, or who those people were).

Inside, I got my first taste of the Nokia. Damn, it’s huge. And lacking in much character. Two Kodak Theatres could fit in there, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. The theatre may have been built to be acoustically perfect, but it’s quite plain inside.

I got there late, but still caught the Idols as they performed with Bryan Adams, Graham Nash, One Republic and George Michael. I swear the screaming was loudest for the Jonas Brothers, and clearly I’m now old, because I have no patience for them.

In the end, the right contestant won — David Cook, the “rocker” who provided much of the season’s more interesting performances. Oh, and across the street, the right team won as well. Traffic heading home was a breeze as well, as both the Lakers playoff and Dodgers game were still going on.

(Above, the L.A. Times home page looks a lot like downtown did Wednesday night, with “Idol” and the Lakers side-by-side.)

Crappy Cell Phone Pics From the Grammys

Maria and I threw on some acceptable duds and headed down to the Staples Center on Sunday evening (sans Blogger Toddler — sorry, BT) to catch the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Our seats were strong: Third row up from the floor, in the center of the audience… which meant we got to see celebs and performers walking up and down the aisle in front of us. As has become a Franklin Avenue tradition, I now present.. horrible camera phone shots from the Grammys. (And by the way, these are the good ones. I had to toss most of ‘em.)

Coolest outfit of the night: Some guy decided to wear a jacket with a roster of his favorite pop divas.

The Grammy stage.

Robert Plant’s hair.

Will.i.am gives a hip-hop tribute to the Grammys.

Tom Hanks throws on his glasses and signs a few Grammy programs for people in the front row of our section.

Maria with her former Rhino co-worker Masaki Koike, who won a Grammy yesterday in the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package category (that’s the one Maria was nominated in last year) for “What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977).” Congrats, Masaki!

Highlights from the show: Seeing Tina Turner still strut her stuff, with Beyonce, was very cool. Kayne West’s tribute to his mother elicited a few tears from Maria. Amy Winehouse was great… but live via satellite, so the electricity wasn’t felt in the room. Alicia Keys is a natural. Morris Day from The Time hasn’t aged a bit; would have loved to have seen more of their reunion. I was hoping for more from the Cirque du Soleil/”Across the Universe” Beatles tribute. That Herbie Hancock-led orchestral performance of “Rhapsody in Blue” sounded great in the Staples Center… too bad that song will forever remind me of United Airlines. And Jason Bateman is a fantastic ad-libber.

Crappy Cell Phone Pics From the Grammys

Maria and I threw on some acceptable duds and headed down to the Staples Center on Sunday evening (sans Blogger Toddler — sorry, BT) to catch the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Our seats were strong: Third row up from the floor, in the center of the audience… which meant we got to see celebs and performers walking up and down the aisle in front of us. As has become a Franklin Avenue tradition, I now present.. horrible camera phone shots from the Grammys. (And by the way, these are the good ones. I had to toss most of ‘em.)

Coolest outfit of the night: Some guy decided to wear a jacket with a roster of his favorite pop divas.

The Grammy stage.

Robert Plant’s hair.

Will.i.am gives a hip-hop tribute to the Grammys.

Tom Hanks throws on his glasses and signs a few Grammy programs for people in the front row of our section.

Maria with her former Rhino co-worker Masaki Koike, who won a Grammy yesterday in the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package category (that’s the one Maria was nominated in last year) for “What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977).” Congrats, Masaki!

Highlights from the show: Seeing Tina Turner still strut her stuff, with Beyonce, was very cool. Kayne West’s tribute to his mother elicited a few tears from Maria. Amy Winehouse was great… but live via satellite, so the electricity wasn’t felt in the room. Alicia Keys is a natural. Morris Day from The Time hasn’t aged a bit; would have loved to have seen more of their reunion. I was hoping for more from the Cirque du Soleil/”Across the Universe” Beatles tribute. That Herbie Hancock-led orchestral performance of “Rhapsody in Blue” sounded great in the Staples Center… too bad that song will forever remind me of United Airlines. And Jason Bateman is a fantastic ad-libber.