A center-cut, no-fat review of what was said this past week by folks the world over and right at home
"The villa owner refuses to move, so the real-estate developer has had to dig out all around it to force him to.” - A Weilian Real Estate Sales Company employee regarding the owner of a Chinese villa, which now stands atop a 30-foot deep man-made pit. The owner refuses to vacate the space for a shopping mall and apartments unless the company pays him 20 million yuan.
“We kind of embrace that we are non-mainstream. We’re independent. We don’t have the red carpet and we try not to kiss Hollywood’s ass.” - Gary Ellenberg, co-founder of ‘The Other Venice Film Festival’
“There is a huge agenda behind trying to destroy me and put me down.” - Heather Mills, soon-to-be ex-wife of Paul McCartney, on the negative publicity she’s received since it was announced the couple would be separating “I thought I could do something special … I feel that it was really a missed opportunity.” - Architect Frank Gehry on the Santa Monica Place Mall, which he designed “You are the best female artist ever, all your fans are missing you and want the best for you.” - A message posted by a British Britney Spears fan in on the singer’s website. Fans were asked to leave messages of support for the singer who’s currently in rehab “Mayor Giuliani believes Hugo Chavez is not a friend of the United States, and his influence continues to grow because of our increasing reliance on foreign sources of oil.” - From a written statement released by Rudy Guliani’s office in response to the news that the former mayor has links to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez through his law office, which lobbies on behalf of Citgo Petroleum Corp. – the American subsidiary of the state-owned Venezuelan oil company “I think these veterans have earned the right to park without being charged.” - Armand Assayag, a representative with the Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, on a city ordinance allowing veterans to park for free “Saturday I rose from the dead and then died again.” - Comedian Sinbad on rumors that he had died. The rumors began on the Web site, Wikipedia.com; an online encyclopedia where the public can update entries “This is the wrong project, in the wrong place and this applicant has taken on the wrong communities... I am with you until this project is dead in the water.” - Assemblywoman Julia Brownley speaking at a rally on the possibility that a natural gas processing plant will be installed 20 miles off the coast of Malibu near Oxnard THE CITY.” - Denny Zane, co-founder of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights on the rising rent prices in Santa Monica
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 17, 2007. Read the original PDF.