RIP to Steven Bach and LA CITY BEAT.

Former United Artists executive (he was around for the release of films such as APOCALYPSE NOW, MANHATTAN and RAGING BULL) and biographer (including books about Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl) Steven Bach recently passed away. Here's the NEW YORK TIMES obituary: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/movies/28bach.html?_r=1&scp=64&sq=%22los+angeles%22&st=nyt

Given the passage of time and the current disinterest in examining films of yesteryear, it's likely that Bach's role in Michael Cimino's HEAVEN'S GATE (an overreaching followup to the critical and popular success THE DEER HUNTER)--plus Bach's still-worth-reading memoir FINAL CUT--won't be remembered by today's media.

LA CITY BEAT, formed years ago to keep LA WEEKLY from having a monopoly on the city's alternapaper market, died as of last week's issue: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/03/weekly_down_citybeat_to_s.php

Recent editorial/business decisions didn't help, including hiring Rebecca Schoenkopf and Will Swaim (in separate regimes) to give the paper some of the OC WEEKLY bratty "attitude" (more apparent during Schoenkopf's tenure)--and the discharge of respected film critic Andy Klein.

And now, one can imagine that Mike Lacey and Jill Stewart are in triumphant celebration--bathing in the delusion that their now unchallenged center-to-right alternapaper speaks for all of Los Angeles, and praying that no one comes up with enough capital to challenge them either in paper editions and/or on the Web.

LA CITY BEAT: Here's a chance to compare Andy Klein to his replacements.

Recently, veteran alternapaper film critic Andy Klein was relieved of his weekly duties at LOS ANGELES CITY BEAT.

So readers will know what they'll be missing, here are some samples of Klein's work:
http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/godard_s_missing_link/7932/

http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/blinded_by_the_light/7919/

Now, let's shine a light on Klein's replacements at LA CITY BEAT.

First up, here is a review of PAUL BLART MALL COP by Megan Seling, who, in her prose stylings, tries hard to emulate both departed LACB editor Rebecca Schoenkopf and short-lived LA WEEKLY mid-90s snarkster Hugh Bonar:
http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/food_court_blues/7952/

Next is a review of the Bollywood/Kung Fu hybrid CHADNI CHOWK TO CHINA:
http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/currying_favor/7951/ by Brendan Kiley, who, in his prose stylings, comes off as a slightly punkier version of Ben AT THE MOVIES Lyons.

Assuming the rationale for hiring Ms. Seling and Mr. Kiley at LA CITY BEAT was something like: "Hey, their salaries combined are a lot less than what we were paying Andy!"
[CORRECTION TO THE ABOVE PARAGRAPH: Seling and Kiley are, according to critic Luke Y. Thompson, syndicated critics now being carried by LA CITY BEAT. Here's Thompson's complete post in the comments section on HOLLYWOOD-ELSEWHERE:http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2009/01/newbies.php Sorry for the inaccurate assumption. And here's a comprehensive entry on Thompson's blog addressing the post-Andy CITY BEAT: http://www.lytrules.com/weblog/archives/003006.php]

Ladies and gentlemen, you've seen the past and future of alterative newspaper film criticism.

Which era do you prefer?

Some opinions as to why LA alternapapers are pitiful shadows of their former selves.

First up: former LA WEEKLY left-to-center columnist Marc Cooper's lengthy-but-fascinating take on how the paper wound up in the hands of NEW TIMES troglodyte Mike Lacey: http://marccooper.com/la-weekly-the-autopsy-report/
Don't forget to read the voluminous section of comments, if only to see Rick "The Finger" Barrs from the old NEW TIMES LOS ANGELES (now editing Lacey's Phoenix paper) rear his contentious head. Suffice to say that Rick's still freakin' incredible.

Also, Dennis Romero covers CITY BEAT LOS ANGELES' difficulties, with some mentions of the sins of the Rebecca Schoenkopf-as-editor period:http://www.danceblogga.com/2009/01/dance-music-news-media-notes.html

And both papers have engaged in film-critic firing lately; Andy Klein (who I've enjoyed overall since his tenure at the late LA READER) has been let go by CITY BEAT and Ella Taylor has been dropped from the LA WEEKLY by NEW TIMES management.