William Conrad has a great boob-tube presence – in many ways, he’s just the robust guy next door, yet somehow he’s also the kind of ass-kicking authority figure we all want in a ballsy, take-no-prisoners crime-fighting force. Yet somehow both Jake and the Fatman and Cannon are both ho-hum shows. The debut DVD releases of both series showcase Conrad’s exceptional skills as a lightning rod for gravitas – call him a pre-Michael Chiklis Michael Chiklis – but for anyone save those who loved them the first time around, these aren’t exactly must-haves.

Beyond an intensely amplified sound stratagem highlighted by hydraulically controlled special effects, the one thing that has made the groundbreaking musical version of The Phantom of the Opera such an enduring success over the last 22 years of its celebrated existence is composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sweeping and emotion-tugging score, guaranteed to remain the star of the show for generations to come.

Panera produces great tasting healthful food of the highest quality in a friendly and comfortable atmosphere. Bread is their passion and expertise. They bake it fresh every day using natural ingredients and have won national and local awards, especially for their sourdoughs.

What does Chipotle mean? It's a Jalapeno pepper that is dried and smoked, having a smoky sweet flavor, and as a rule it's paired to a dark red sauce. The gourmet Mexican Grill is a burrito restaurant with many faces. You will find it at the intersection of Culver and Washington boulevards. It's snuggled among the mostly independently owned upscale eateries.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is another visual masterpiece from filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who thrilled audiences with his dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth.  “I feel the Hellboy movies are very autobiographical. They are so personal to me. I’ve been where Hellboy is, and I write him from my voice,” said the director-writer-producer of two Hellboy productions.

David Ford is from England and has been playing a unique type of solo music since 2005. His newly released album on Independiente is called Songs For The Road, and it’s a winner, a blend of a whole bunch of great influences tied together with his unique, weary, and hopeful voice.

Tanya Barfield’s ambitious period piece bites off a bit more than the production or audience can chew.  The racial discrimination theme is a strong enough underpinning, but added to the mix is sexual discrimination, job-for-sex dilemmas, sibling loyalty, political fealty, women’s suffrage, growing international imperialism and the general fate of the free world.

The producers of “The Drowsy Chaperone” have their cake and eat it too.  As do the cast, the orchestra and the audience.  While making fun of all the obvious foibles of the musical genre, “The Drowsy Chaperone” delivers a musical that is clever, self-referential and enjoyable.

Some days it seems as if all of Los Angeles is lined up in front of the Donut Man’s modest shack in Glendora, an outlying suburb of this sprawling city. People crowd the two rickety wooden benches on the tiny front porch and snake around the building, sucking in the aromas of ripe fruit, sugary glaze and yeasty dough.

The fabulous new Lobby Court is akin to a magnificent outside living room, with fabulous cushioned couches; some circular and all are stylized. Every piece of furniture is woven, and there are heaters under the most unusual drop lamps I've ever seen. The tables are glass topped, and although it's outside, there are black framed windows with a peek-a-boo look of the pool and landscaped grounds. There's also a permanent canopy to create a room-like atmosphere.

It’s all about the hoops. Not the fantastical sport that made Kobe and Shaq into gods, but, the circular-never-out-of -style-must-have-item. I wore the basketball size in the 9th grade and knew I looked cute. You couldn’t tell me any differently.  In those earrings, I was sporty, posh and sometimes even scary. In the 80s, it was all about sporting the bamboo earrings, or door knockers as LL Cool J referred to them in the 1990 song “Around the Way Girl”.