Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao Workout in Hollywood

Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao took part in a very easy workout for the benefit of the media today at a jammed packed Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood. Pacman is fighting Timothy "Desert Storm" Bradley on June 9 in Vegas

Manny with his trainer Freddie Roach

Venice Beach Memorial Weekend 2012

©Jonathan Alcorn 2012

Big Banks Don't Keep Up Foreclosed Homes

 The stench was sickening, squatters have taken over some foreclosed homes in Los Angeles. Using them as drug dens littered with used condoms and many other disgusting things scattered about. Seems they make sure to kick out the people that have hit hard times and fell behind on their mortgage payments, but they don't have a problem with this?

Bike Love

Venice Blvd., May 14, 2012 ©Jonathan Alcorn

Happy Mother's Day

With my mom, in Marina Del Rey, 1991

My beloved mom passed away a few months ago, so Mother's Day this year is a little emotional for me. We were very close, and I miss her tremendously. We knew she was in her final days, she suffered a stroke last fall, and was basically bedridden that last five months of her life. But she taught me right to the end, handling the end of her life with dignity and grace, and it helped to comfort all of us knowing she was at peace. The outpouring of support and love I have received from my friends the last few months has been absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for each and everyone of you. And to all the mom's out there, Happy Mother's Day.

People are People

Chase Carey, Deputy Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer, News Corp, at the Milken Global Conference

It's only 11.7 miles from the intersection of Florence and Normandie to the Beverly Hilton Hotel, but in many aspects it seems like a million miles. Last Sunday, my assignment was to cover the 20th anniversary of the LA Riots on the corner where Reginald Denny was nearly beaten to death at the start of the riots, a lonely and nearly forgotten place, and home to many on the lowest end of the 99%. The following morning I found myself at the Beverly Hilton Hotel covering the 1%, it was an economic forum with billionaires and some of the most powerful elite in the business and entertainment industry. 

Billionaire LA Businessman and Philanthropist Eli Broad

Florence and Normandie, April 29, 2012

While the differences were obvious and many, something that became apparent to me was this, when you take away the titles and super bling cars etc., it often boils down to this: people are people. There were some salt of the earth, naturally kindhearted and genuinely good folks at both locations. Conversely, there was major attitude and a stay away-from-me vibe by some as well. The socio-economic divide was never more apparent to me than my experiences this week, but I was struck about how good people can be at both venues. It makes me really appreciate the deeper meaning of a quote my grade school classmate Rodney King famously uttered about 20 years ago, "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all just get along?"

Florence and Normandie, April 29, 2012