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.

My Lunches with Orson ... the life of a mattress ... Ruby Wax, poster child for mental illness ... El Macho, El Insulting? ...

An in-depth interview with writer Harlan Ellison ... a glorious reprint of a classic guide to California ... the OCMA Triennial, Pt 2 ... how to design a space suit for the movies ...

LA's first gay citywide elected official ... how the SCOTUS decisons will affect married homosexuals at tax time ... Happy birthday ZIP Code! ... the lasting impact of a huge neck tattoo ... Eric Garcetti's week.

Jody Stephens, only surviving band member Big Star's debut album, talks with LA Record's Chris Ziegler ... intrepid intern Robert Garrova learns to curl at a bonspiel ... Val Kilmer talks with John Rabe about becoming Mark Twain for his one-man show "Citizen Twain" ... Gavin Newsom on the Prop 8 decision

The Art of Wealth tells the untold story of the Huntington family ... ethics and the OC Register ... Texas Loves Lyla! at the Hollywood Fringe Festival ... Bottle Tree Ranch ... Tyris continues his evolution from South LA to college student ... James Gandolfini, c 1990 ... 16-year old starts her own vegan bakery

Chopper pilot Bob Tur to become Zoey Tur ... Clay Russell says, "Ask me about my suicide attempt." ... Gee, Dad, it's a Wurlitzer ... Basketball's biggest fan ... Dylan Brody and the lure of Armageddon ...

Linda Jay, trial junkie, attends trial of the man who killed her daughter ... Cheech Marin's Chicano art strategy ... Jimmy Webb will finally play MacArthur Park at MacArthur Park! ... new documentary on Llyn Foulkes, 78-year old Young Turk ...

The beach access app ... the nuclear engineer who built the fallout shelter ... where do you find respite? ... Frank Romero - founding father of Chicano art - now lives half-time in France ...