Local jazz legend Barbara Morrison celebrates the 100th birthday of Ella Fitzgerald, and gives a master class in scatting ... The band That Dog influenced bands like Weezer, so how come you haven't heard of them? That Dog's “Retreat From the Sun” turns 20 this year. ... We’ll ride the elevator with LA’s last elevator operator, Ruben Pardo ... and we’ll visit Wondercon with KPCC’s Mike Roe to talk with one of the guys who did special effects for “Logan.”

A veteran driver walks us through next week's Long Beach Grand Prix, and gives us his tips and peeves about driving in LA. ... A first-time film director says he learned a ton about making films working as a valet car parker at a Sunset Strip hotel. ... We go to Parker Center (photo, right), an architecturally significant building tainted by its connection to the bad old days of the LAPD.

New documentary Young Turks ... rebutting the Disney myths in The Perfect American ... Richard Thompson in conversation with Kevin Ferguson ... Gordon and the Flea Market ... counting the homeless in LA and Venice.

RTNA: "Off-Ramp is best damn local public affairs show" ... the tragic backstory of nylon's inventor ... Ray Greene reports from Sundance 2013 ... Rabe's sister gives Rabe's brother a kidney ... Mexi-Cali Biennial theme: cannibalism

80+ rapper Kwayzar: "I'm a tripod!" ... amateur historian discovers obscure US President Franklin Marshall ... Hearts Apart for vets and their families ... Ian Whitcomb, the happy iconoclast ... Hunter Davis makes Sir Ian McKellen say naughty things.

Turns out the goofball we made fun of was the guy we really loved ... and we hope he knew it.

An in-depth interview with actor Piper Laurie ... AngelIno or AngelEno? ... the best jazz club in LA is a lady's house ... our Crenshaw High grad series continues with Tyris Williams & grandma on making tuition at UC Irvine.

This is the end of Off-Ramp. The final episode. Really, we mean it. You won't have Off-Ramp to kick around anymore ... until 2013.

New and old takes on Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol"

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" is also Jewish ... Leonard Maltin's Christmas movies for when you're tired of the usual suspects ... marching band ... walking safer ...