Karen Ocamb is now a leading LGBTQ journalist in LA, but decades ago she was a cranky teenager on the East Coast, who was very gently reproved by Paul Newman over some freshly caught fish. When Newman died, Ocamb filed a loving commentary on her two encounters with the star.

Then, since Newman won the Academy's Jean Hersholt award at the Oscars in 1994, another distinguished journalist, Hollywood historian Alex Ben Block, goes to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to tell us who Jean Hersholt was and why he's beloved in the Industry.

Both of these pieces originally aired in October of 2008.

Support for this podcast comes from Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

I start this week's podcast with a piece of audio I was instructed never to play again. Ever. It's Tom Jones adapting his mega-hit "She's a Lady," so it goes "He's a Rabe, whoah whoah whoah he's a Rabe..."

The person who told me not ever to run it again was Rico Gagliano, who was just jealous. I mean, the best he could ever get is Gerardo.

We originally aired this interview on KPCC in December of 2008, when Sir Tom released the album, "24 Hours."

Support for this podcast comes from Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

A Forefather of Modern Art in Southern California; Modern Love; Cool Curator; Cool Living; Are Black People Cooler than Whites?; Stone Cold; Where's the Future?; More Jazz at the Getty; Ahmad Jamal; Not Ruby Tuesday, Ruby Restaurant; A Trumpet in Every Pot

Careful Where You Point That Thing!; Twelve Tones, Hanging Ten; Hail, Little Caesar; How Green Was My Valley?; Say It Is So; Clippers' Main Man; Mariachis on the Move; The Closer's Closet; The Wagonmaster

Off-Ramp Goes Live to Report on the Fires

Vartabedian Handicap; Galileo at the Skirball; Taco Shop Memories; Puppets of Japan; Gunning for 100 and Still Pushing Art; Commuters looking for Community; I Am a Man Now; Hallowed Ground; From New York to LA; Birth of the Cool; Listener Comment

Wine Country: Echo Park; Wine Country: Slow Pickings; Wine Country: A Tasting; With Mallets of Forethought; United in Hate; Sisyphus has his rock and Alys his bug; Spider Pavilion; Spider's Web Snares Genius; Homeboy is Here To Stay; Wes Parker Reflects on Baseball; Listener Call: LAX Pylons

Soundtrack of Your Life; Song Stories; Going Super Sonic; Jobbing at the County Fair; Sad Life, Great Writer; Film, Music, Art and Sport?; Not The End; Getty Receives the Go on Antiquities; Solar Convention in Long Beach; You're listening...

Commentator Garrison Keillor; Art Tatum Rises ; California Canon; Unsung Beat; Skid Row Seafood Joint; The Straight Bacon; Whiskey Runs with Queena; From OC to Iraq; On The Gritty Side

Sentimental Kendt; Jerry Stahl on "Love Without"; All You Can't Eat; Anime Bento; Airport Beautification; Yogathon Habitat; Mix Tapes; Firehouse Cooks; Culture Clash's Zorro in Hell; Bike On