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06/02/2008: "Blazing Future"

Not sure if it was just a slow news day, or I just underestimate the power of Hollywood, but the biggest story in the world yesterday was the fire on the Universal Studios backlot. The blaze, that started just before dawn, burned for most of the day, consuming three acres of facades and buildings. Because of the nature of the burning material and still air in Los Angeles, a black pall could be seen rising over the studio all day.

With the development of studio back lots into condos, Universal is one of the last of the breed. The fire is believed to have started in the New York Street facade section, an area familiar to any TV viewer - think "Baretta" or "Starsky and Hutch" - and spread to several nearby areas. The Courthouse Square, made famous in the lightning scene from "Back To The Future", was destroyed, although the courthouse itself was saved. Nearby, the King King exhibit was gutted, and a video vault suffered significant damage.

It was the contents of the vault, and the plastic containers of the videos, that generated the black smoke and the stubborn fire. Universal spokesmen said that all of the videos in the burning warehouse were duplicated elsewhere, but this morning there was a story that Universal Music also used the warehouse to store master recordings, and that those may have been lost.

In the early '90s, there was another fire on the back lot that caused nearly $50 million in damage. As a result, there were new deluge systems that were installed in the facade sets to prevent exactly the kind of fire what was seen yesterday. The firefighters indicated that there was an issue with water pressure, and they theorized that the deluge system was actually sapping pressure from the system. Expect lots of investigations into that one.

While the fire department did great work under trying conditions, the studio management pretty much screwed the pooch so far as the public is concerned. The theme park, which includes the CityWalk complex as well as tram tours of the back lot, was scheduled to open at 9AM. They initially stated that the park would open on time - in spite of a towering black cloud of toxic smoke being generated only a few yards away from the public areas. Under pressure from the LAFD, they delayed the opening until noon. But that came and went, and crowds of tourists and would-be park goers milled outside the entrance, drawn by radio reports that included the opening time. At 1, they said it would open at 2; at 2, 2:30, and at 3 they finally admitted the park wouldn't open at all. You'd think an organization that is so dependent on the good will of the public would be better tuned to the need of that public. Of course, they were willing to screw the tourists, but the show had to go on for the MTV Movie Awards, which were held last night at the Gibson Amphitheater on the studio grounds. Maybe they know what side their bread is buttered on after all ...

A lot of history was lost, but hey - this is Hollywood. They'll just rebuild it better than it was ... better .. stronger ... faster ...