Patt Morrison's 75th birthday wishes for the Arroyo Parkway ... 5 Every Week preps you for movie awards season ... Brains On, the science podcast for kids, interviews NBC-4's Fritz Coleman about weather forecasting ... the failed African-American film response to Birth of a Nation ...

Off-Ramp is on Christmas vacation and won't be airing December 26 and 27. See you in the New Year!

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 ...