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The LAT stops just short of calling Hollywood a ghost town as industry players try to extend their summer "vacations," leisurely close deals at the Toronto Film Festival, or blithely evade a new cycle of hard work. But it sounds like a post-apocalyptic wasteland to us, where even the unwashed masses can snag a "nice" booth at the Grill and slack-faced zombies like Larry King aimlessly shuffle through our city's power corridors:

Consider the Grill on the Alley, usually the epicenter of lunchtime networking. "Today people could get very nice booths who wouldn't normally get them," noted Jeff Cleveland, the manager of the Grill.

On Friday, it was all lunch, little power. Only a few famous faces — News Corp. President Peter Chernin, media personality Larry King — dotted moguls' row, the booths that line the wall of the entrance. The rest of the restaurant, usually jampacked with rising players, was filled with regular Beverly Hills civilians dining on Cobb salad.

"I'm usually up and about kissing and hugging and all that," sniffed one well-known producer, looking around. "This is very C- and D-list."

Even a "well-known producer" can't find any fresh asses in which to insert his truffle-digging nose? We might as well nuke the entire town and start over after Oscar season.

[Photo: Gary Friedman / LAT]