Quick Takes - Dec. 2, 2009

LACMA, architect plan

The dream of razing four of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s oldest buildings -- or at least radically reconfiguring the dreary, closed-in quadrangle they occupy -- lives on in some corners of the Wilshire Boulevard institution.

The Architect’s Newspaper reports that museum leaders are working with this year’s Pritzker Prize winner, Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, to formulate a long-range plan for getting rid of the problematic buildings and plaza and replacing them with a more open and inviting structure.

Zumthor is quoted as saying the design work alone would take two to three years and that it could take a decade to complete the project.

LACMA director Michael Govan couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday. He told the Architect’s Newspaper that planning is in “the earliest phases of thinking” and that the poor economy for the current construction project makes this a good time to strategize about better days ahead, including what to do with properties LACMA owns across Wilshire Boulevard from its current row of structures.

“I’d like to see the whole campus transformed, edge to edge, over about 15 years,” he said.

-- Mike Boehm Palin book sales surpass 1 million

“Going Rogue” has gone platinum.

HarperCollins spokeswoman Tina Andreadis said Tuesday that just two weeks after publication, Sarah Palin’s memoir has sold 1 million copies. The print run for “Going Rogue” has been increased again, to 2.8 million copies.

“Going Rogue” joins a select club of million-selling political memoirs that includes Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope,” Hillary Rodham Clinton’s “Living History” and Bill Clinton’s “My Life.”

-- associated press Jackson tops Web searches

Michael Jackson’s stunning death made him the Internet’s biggest star this year.

The quest to find out what happened to Jackson in his final hours on June 25 and to celebrate his legacy elevated the late entertainer to the top of the Internet’s search charts for 2009. On Yahoo, it ended singer Britney Spears’ four-year reign on top.

The annual lists released Tuesday were compiled separately by Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc., which combined handle two-thirds of the world’s Internet searches.

Jackson also grabbed the top spot on the third-largest U.S. search engine, Microsoft Corp.’s Bing, which announced its rankings Sunday. AOL, which relies on Google’s search technology, also had Jackson at No. 1.

-- associated press ‘Shield’ guests on ‘Lie to Me’

In an unusual reunion, six cast members of “The Shield” will join forces for an episode of “Lie to Me” with their former boss, Shawn Ryan, who joined the Fox drama this year as its show runner.

They won’t reprise their Los Angeles police officer roles from the award-winning FX drama but will play new characters in an episode that revolves around the execution of a man who was convicted 17 years ago of murdering an 8-year-old boy. It’s in production and will air in the spring.

Appearing from “The Shield” will be Benito Martinez and Catherine Dent as the uncle and aunt of the murdered boy; Kenny Johnson as a photographer who becomes a suspect; David Marciano as the wrongfully executed man; Cathy Cahlin Ryan as the ex-girlfriend of the executed man; and David Rees Snell as the brother of the executed man.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez Court blocks Lopez videos

Home videos featuring Jennifer Lopez and a movie project based on them won’t be coming to a screen near you because a judge blocked their distribution Tuesday.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James C. Chalfant issued the preliminary injunction against Lopez’s ex-husband, Ojani Noa, and manager, Ed Meyer, who have sought to distribute the footage.

The injunction will remain in effect until the case is resolved. Lopez’s attorney, Jay Lavely, said it will now go into arbitration.

-- associated press Film of Monroe smoking sells

A home movie showing a relaxed Marilyn Monroe apparently smoking marijuana has surfaced, retrieved from an attic some 50 years after it was filmed.

The reel-to-reel silent, color film taken at a private home in New Jersey was recently purchased by collector Keya Morgan for $275,000 from the person who took the film, who has asked to remain anonymous.

At one point Monroe is passed a cigarette and takes a puff but does not appear to inhale deeply. The person who made the film confirmed that the cigarette contained marijuana.

-- reuters Finally

On the mend: Regis Philbin, 78, had successful hip replacement surgery Tuesday and plans to return to his syndicated daytime talk show early next month. And rock pioneer Little Richard, 76, also was recovering at home after hip surgery last week, saying he too planned to return to performing as soon as possible.