Nikki Finke reported the good news that movies made gobs of cash over the holidays (we love any ray of Industry-related light these days), which left us in a happy frame, but unfortunately her item regarding Jay Weston worries. A producer and food lover who has been around Tinseltown long enough to see a few studio chiefs come and go, and restaurants change hands one or two or 27 times, Weston has been a go-to guy for eatery info. His "Restaurant Newsletter" -- a hold-in-your-hands newsletter detailing who is cooking where and what is being dished up -- has been around for years and become a savory staple in our city's starry eat-out scene.
But, with advertising suffering, Ms. Finke reports that the film-making foodie (or is that food-loving filmmaker?) can't put out his next issue. Oh economy, you vex us. At every turn there's a new twist, and when we see beloved local efforts, things that come from one person's enthusiasm and passion, struggling to survive, we sigh and want to do some emotional eating. If we had the "Restaurant Newsletter" in front of us we'd know where to go to eat emotionally, but we do not, so we eat poorly, and then it all spirals out of control.
So here's to rallying, and to smaller operations that are focused on people's pleasures and local businesses, weathering these trying times. Good luck, Mr. Weston, and Nikki, please keep up the sunshiny celluloid-related news. We all could use it.
