what have you learnt about this city from the media (TV, movies, news, etc)? All of your answers are valuable to this class I'm taking. And consider this a spinoff of the other thread.
Anti-intellectual. A "company town," i.e., only one business: movies. Paralyzing freeways and monstrous traffic. Heavenly weather. Wonderful beach communities. Bizarre, baroque gated communities in the hills for the super-rich. Overwhelming emphasis on looking beautiful. Global center for a casual dress culture. Flip-flops are appropriate footwear for business (love that one myself!). World capital of plastic surgery and obsession with the most superficial in Western culture. Consumerism run amok.
And, most lately, a very strong move towards making the town grow up culturally -- especially opera and that fine symphony orchestra. Getty's museum in Malibu -- great collection. In short, a town that's growing beyond its movie industry to become a world-class city.
No one knows what LA is. As Thomas Wolfe (I think) said about Brooklyn: "Only the dead know Brooklyn." (And, yes, I have no idea what that means, either.)
Personally, I love LA, but I'm a gorgeous airhead who loves classical piano.
BONUS FEATURETTE -- MY FAVORITE MOVIES ABOUT LA!!
"Sunset Boulevard"
"Chinatown"
"Short Cuts"
"Clueless"
Topic: Things you have learnt about Los Angeles from the media