To remind you why Off-Ramp is unparalleled in bringing you the people, places, and ideas that make Southern California a great place to live, here's a sample of our best pieces from the last year. With your contribution, we can do another year of great radio. Without it, we can't. Please give now!

“No blue skies and no green grass” is animator Genndy Tartakovsky’s rule for "Samurai Jack." He tells us about bringing back the wandering samurai (right) for Adult Swim. ... Meet jazz singer Donna Fuller, a sultry contralto who made two albums that are now eBay gold. ... It would be enough if we went to the shop where they make custom limousines and hearses, but they also make custom hunting trucks Middle East potentates use when they hunt with their falcons.

The backstory to THE sign spinning company, in NoHo ... Easter Eggs in animated films ... Brains On, the science podcast for kids, and what the brain sounds like ... the Griffith of Griffith Park was a very nasty man ... Alex Israel and Brett Easton Ellis collaborate, and our critic hates it

Mel Haber tells us about starting Melvyn's, his landmark Palm Springs eatery ... we prep you for WonderCon, coming to LA for the first time ... Marc Haefele makes us wistful for Black Mountain College ... whither Mariachi Plaza?

Joe DiMaggio's last car up for sale in Woodland Hills, and we drive in it ... seeing the Larry King murder through a clinical psychologist's eyes ... DubLab's "weird" and calming presence in Union Station ... Yacht Rock returns to LA ... Hauser Wirth + Schimmel preview ...

KB Homes is building 450 homes next to the Santa Susanna Nuclear Test Lab ... Fowler Museum opens exhibit of 2,000 pieces by Chicano Movement icon Jose Montoya ... at Otium, the prices are high, but the service is slow ... Remembering Octavia Butler ...

Music writer Alex Ross on John Williams' legacy as the composer receives his 50th Oscar nomination ... the Hidden History of Los Angeles ... Brains On takes us to the International Space Station and starts a Kickstarter campaign ... 5 Every Week gives you five cool things to do this week ...

From the corner booth at the historic Musso and Frank Grill in Hollywood, we talk the biggest night in Hollywood with critics, writers and more!

Balancing love and commuting ... TiGeorge's George LaGuerre writes his memoir ... 5 Every Week takes us to MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary for the LA Art Book Fair ... What kids know about true love: everything.

Catherine Opie's portrait of Elizabeth Taylor's home says a lot about the star ... Why is Modernism Week in Palm Springs? ... 5 Every Week gives you the ways and the means to explore SoCal ... Goodbye Jubilee