Gawker: defamer, bomb threats

BREAKING: MGM Tower Not Reduced to Rubble, Reopens For Business

STV — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:30:00 EDT

A quick survey of informants drunkenly furloughed next door at the Pink Taco have confirmed that MGM Tower was not — we repeat, not — blown to bits after a reported bomb threat earlier this morning. In fact, we hear that work resumed on site within the last hour after a building search turned up nothing. One tipster sends word that "the receptionist who took the call couldn't tell whether it was a young boy or young girl," instantly suggesting a relatively tame prank that nevertheless shook the very souls (or whatever amounts to the ICM equivalent) of the tower's tenants.

Follow the jump for the official all-clear, plus a brief anthology of survivor stories from the front.

——-Original Message——-
From: xxxx
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 1:29 PM
To: xxxx
Subject: MGM Tower Threat

Please be advised that the police department didn't find anything problematic so there is no longer a cause for concern. Please return to work. Thank you for your cooperation.

And now, word from the displaced:

[E]verything seems ok. Icm is done cat calling caa assists across the street I guess cause they're returning now. Le sigh. Back to work. Just another crazy thing to happen in century city I'd hate to see what's next.

Friend of mine just had lunch next to evacuees —they said the receptionist who took the call couldn't tell whether it was a young boy or young girl.

The all clear came in @1:30, nothing found, and a slightly passive aggressive "please return to work right the fuck now" (w/me adding "the fuck") on the auto recording — threat was called into a something called a "christianson glaser" (not sp correctly) — and there's a guy playing ragtime on the grand piano in the bldg lobby. Literally writing this, most work I've done today.

BREAKING: Bomb Threats Spur Evacuations at MGM Tower

STV — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:59:24 EDT

And we don't mean Valkyrie: Word into Defamer HQ reveals that a bomb threat has been received by multiple tenants at MGM Tower, indicating that "the device would be activated at noon." The LAPD has been notified, evidently, but with the threat having yet to be verified, the building superintendents are reportedly evacuating the building from 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. We hear ICM is out already.

Follow the jump for the full memo, and best wishes to those affected in Century City. Developing...

——— Forwarded Message
From: xxxx
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 10:30:25 -0700
To: xxxx
Conversation: Building Evacuation
Subject: Building Evacuation

Please be advised that another tenant in the MGM Tower has received a bomb threat. The Los Angeles Police Department has been notified and is on site. Although the threat indicated that the device would be activated at noon, nothing has been verified at this time, as a precaution we have decided to evacuate the building between 11am and 2pm. You will be evacuated by the Floor Warden’s two floors at a time.

Please call the MGM Hotline for an all-clear prior to returning to the MGM Tower at 2:00 pm, the number is [redacted].

Breaking: Bomb Scare Near SAG, Variety, E! Buildings

Mark — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:10:50 EDT

Reports are pouring in about a bomb scare stopping traffic over on Wilshire Blvd, close to the headquarters of SAG and across the street from Variety and E! [Ed.note—Has anyone checked to make sure that Seacrest is safe?] A sampling of our nearby operatives' descriptions of the situation apparently created off by a mysterious briefcase left in front of Organic to Go:

· It appears that there is a bomb threat at the SAG building or one of its connected restaurants. Wilshire has been blocked off by LAPD patrol cars from Curson to Hauser and there is police tape across sidewalks leading from Wilshire Courtyard/E! Building to SAG, across the street. The restaurants along the row have been evacuated, but there seems to be some guy on the roof of one of them sitting in a lounge chair reading a book. He's either a really relaxed bomber, or the evacuation hasn't made it past the first floor. Either way, you'd think the helicopters would have tipped him off. Happy traffic, Wilshire drivers!

· Police have taped off Wilshire around SAG and Variety offices on Wilshire near Masselin. We first heard that there was a bomb threat to the Ralphs, but now it seems that a brief case left at Organic To-Go is the culprit. People are milling outside the Variety and SAG offices as the cops cover everything with reused yellow caution tape. LAPD doesn't have the funds for new tape?
· Apparently someone may have a grudge against SAG or the organic food place right next door... or maybe it's just another ill-conceived Adult Swim marketing stunt? Our office pool is betting that it's a rasher of bacon left outside the Organic cafe to stun the normally militant raw foodies into submission.

Var's The Knife blog confirms the shoddiness of recycled police tape, and has a photo from a safe distance. Developing, as local authorities and news crews try to determine the likelihood that the potential bomber was in some way trying to protest Paris Hilton's early release from prison.

(What, you thought we were going to get out of this without a Hilton mention?)

UPDATE 2: The Knife again reports from within the Var office:

UPDATE (2:32 pm) We've got two cops in our newsroom, telling us to stay 30 feet away from all windows. Our film reporters are paying no attention.
UPDATE (2:36 pm) OK, now they are.

To the best of our knowledge, nothing has yet exploded.

UPDATE 3: All clear, says internal e-mail from within the affected area:

Dear Tenants,
Wilshire Blvd. has re-opened! All of the caution tape has been removed and
we can now resume back to business as usual.

BREAKING: Briefcase "bomb" threatens lunch for Variety, E! [The Knife]