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California's insecurity complex continues to show its ugly self-hating face. Amid Pulitzers (and a complex structure of layoffs to be followed by hirings), a stream of key LA Times staff have hopped Jet Blue to JFK, simply for the joy of nuzzling at the much-gnawed teat of the NY Times.

This week, film critic Manohla Dargis (picture, right) and architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff have come east to fill the extremely large but also extremely freaky empty shoes of hothead Elvis Mitchell and the frosty Herbert Muschamp. We looking forward to harping on them relentlessly and unfairly.
[UPDATE: We are informed by sources in the know that Manohla will not "replace" Elvis's position; instead, she will be co-chief critic with A.O. Scott. Fancy that, resolving a situation of hierarchical tension...]
That Giant Sucking Sound [LA Weekly]