The Proc ran into two celebrities yesterday in Old Town Pasadena. If you were a fan of the funniest comedy that was ever made, “Arrested Development“, you’ll enjoy these pictures of two of the show’s characters with The Noticeable One:

Me with Alia Shawkat. Alia played Maeby Funke on “Arrested Development”.

Me with Mae Whitman. She played Ann Veal on “Arrested Development”. You know…”Her?”

You know, not a day goes by where I don’t find myself referencing this show and it was really cool to run into two people who played on it. I swear, the corner down there near Delacey & Green St. is just a magnet for celebrities. They were both very nice people and I even asked Alia if a movie of the TV show was in the works. She said that she thinks they might be doing something but she wasn’t 100% sure.

Pasadena. Center Of The Universe.

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Last week, we not only found out that Steve Madison is an actual dick in real life who sends his henchmen to comment for him on my website - we also found out that City Councilmembers don’t just get a monthly stipend of nearly $1400. They also get an extra $300 reimbursed for cell phones, an extra $5000 for computer equipment, and so on and so on.

There’s more to that list than meets the eye, though.

TOP TEN OTHER REIMBURSEMENTS RECEIVED BY CITY COUNCILMEMBERS

10. $1.35 so they can pretend like they take the MTA to work and just actually pocket the money for lottery tickets
9. $3.99 for the first minute, $2.99 each additional minute
8. Every third Maserati you buy is on the City.
7. Five. Five Dollar. Five Dollar Footlong.
6. $15 for condoms and mouthwash
5. $1 to beat up anyone caught singing “Seasons Of Love” from “Rent”
4. $500 for LA Clippers front row tickets (promptly given right back to the City)
3. Free one month Netflix trial
2. $25 for Sid Tyler “protection money”
1. $6000 so you can be “better than everyone else”

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It’s time for number nine on my list of The Ten People Ruining Pasadena. #9 on the list is none other than owner of the Pasadena Journal, Joe Hopkins.

For some reason, Joe thinks he’s helping out the black community with his newspaper. It’s sad because he isn’t. Joe has a real, real precious opportunity which he constanly fucks up: he publishes a newspaper and can really get things out to a community that has been disillusioned and downtrodden for so long. However, he decides to instead “reach out” to black Pasadena by telling kids to stop listening to music that hasn’t been played anywhere since 1992. He also doesn’t concern himself where he is getting the word out - I’ve only actually seen his paper at liquor stores and beauty salons. (And when I do see his paper, it’s usually 3 or 4 weeks old…get some new route guys, Joe!)

Joe simply endorses candidates for office because they’re black. That’s it. That’s their only qualification in Joe’s eyes. If Jesus Christ were running against a black man, Joe Hopkins would be sitting there calling Jesus a big racist. He wanted every black person to drop out of last year’s District 1 Council race except one. if I were endorsing a candidate and said “I like the guy cause he’s white”, I’d be called a racist. There’s no “ok for one, not ok for the other” when it comes to race in my book.
Joe’s also a hypocrite. Obama is half-black. I’m half-black. Yet, Joe didn’t even list my name in people of African American descent who were running for office in the 2007 election. Gave him a phone call about that, he never returned it.

Then, Joe goes on and on in his newspaper how if you don’t like or vote for Obama, you’re a member of the KKK.

Joe wrote a book. It is called “I Will Not Apologize“. Then, when someone offends Joe, he wants them to apologize…but it’s ok if he doesn’t?

Every City, unfortunately, has someone like Joe Hopkins. It’s a shame - because the people that blacks should be listening to in Pasadena, people like Joe Brown of the NAACP, get overshadowed by this nutcase.

Joe Hopkins is ruining Pasadena for two main reasons. First, he’s spreading the wrong message to his community - a message full of hate and racism and everything that he says he despises. Secondly, being the way that he is, is counter-productive. To a not-so-bright white person, he makes it seem like he’s the voice of the entire African American community (e.g., stupid people think ‘Oh if Joe Hopkins thinks that, EVERY black person must think that’). Not a good thing to project, Joe, especially in a city like Pasadena.

There’s an old saying that you should never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. Too bad Joe only buys it by the pint and wastes most of the ink he purchases.

So, Joe, I give you the honor of being #9 in my list of The Ten People Ruining Pasadena.

Be seeing you. Happy Wednesday.

- AP