los angeles times

Many industries complain that new government regulations are bad for business; now, we're hearing it from the adult film biz. A proposed L.A. city regulation to require porn actors to use condoms has adult film makers threatening to leave Tinseltown -- and to take the lion's share of an $8 billion-a-year industry with them.

Taking a cue from more high-end swindlers, a slew of violent gangs, including the Bloods, the Crips and the Latin Kings are branching out into mortgage fraud, identity theft, check counterfeiting and bank fraud, among other crimes.

Tribune Co. creditors are suing for billions of dollars in damages, alleging Tribune Chairman Sam Zell and lender JPMorgan Chase pushed the company into bankruptcy when Zell purchased it mainly with debt in 2007.

Tribune CEO Randy Michaels is expected to resign after The New York Times reported he has fostered a sexist "frat house" culture at the news company. Employees said he encouraged sexual innuendo, profanity, poker parties and other bawdy behavior, according to the story.

While customers clip coupons, sift through Black Friday ads and hunt for hot toys, stores are looking for extra employees to help man the seasonal sales. For those searching for jobs, both part time and full time, the holiday season marks the ideal time to land a retail gig. As seasonal hiring...

Finally, a horse bet I can win: betting on a horse to lose. Sound crazier than California? Well, California lawmakers have approved it, and it's now awaiting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature. Here's how it would work: You would act as bookmaker, setting odds and accepting bets. If the horse...

So much for the hope of a relatively quick and painless exit from bankruptcy for Tribune Co. A reorganization plan that would have turned over control of the Chicago-based media conglomerate to lenders has reportedly fallen apart.

With Bell, Calif. pole-vaulting into national headlines for paying its city manager $800,000, it's human nature to wonder how much bacon the top manager in your community brings home -- and how much fat is on it. Bell covers 2.5 miles and has 36,000 residents, none of whom, it is fairly safe to...

Tribune Co.'s Chief Executive Randy Michaels has some interesting ideas on how to remake the 163-year-old news company, including television news without anchors. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Michaels is said to be "rethinking" Tribune's business interests, including "reducing...

Give Sam Zell this much credit: He didn't fail small. The wee Tribune Co. chairman is fond of loud talk and outsize gestures and in the media world, he'll be remembered for a very big move: His hyper-leveraged takeover of a struggling newspaper and TV conglomerate, and the almost immediate descent...