Short Briefs

Grammy’s Move Out of LA

The 64th edition of the Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Las Vegas on April 3, the Recording Academy has announced. Harvey Mason Jr, CEO of the Recording Academy, shared the update in a statement on Grammy's official website.

The shift to an April show in Las Vegas was determined after recently postponing the ceremony due to rising COVID-19 cases because of the omicron variant.

The awards show will air live from 8 to 11:30 pm ET on CBS and Paramount+ with Trevor Noah returning as the show's host. In early January, the Academy postponed the show, citing the surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant

Nominees include Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo. It is not now known which of them will perform at the April 3rd show.

Grammy tickets are not available to the general public. Nominees are given tickets to attend the awards show. The rest of the membership has the ability to purchase tickets. However, they generally sell out in less than a minute.

Superbowl Stays in LA for Now

With the Super Bowl just one month away, preparations are in full swing for the return of the NFL's premier event to LA. There is much speculation that like the Grammy’s, the show will ultimately be moved to a less highly populated venue.

But both NFL officials and local organizers say the championship game isn't leaving the Los Angeles area.

The NFL has no plans to move the Super Bowl to Arlington, Texas, or anywhere else despite the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and the accompanying health precautions in California, several officials confirmed Thursday at SoFi Stadium during a media event held to mark one month before the 56th edition of the Super Bowl on Feb. 13.

Median Home Price Hits $2.5 Million

The median home price for Westside Los Angeles homes reached $2.5 million in December, according to a report from Redfin.

In December 2021, 318 homes sold on the Westside. The median price per square foot was $997.

Nationwide, 59.6 percent of home offers written by Redfin agents faced bidding wars in December 2021, Redfin reports. That’s the lowest share in 12 months and down from a revised rate of 61.3% in November, but up from 54% in December 2020.

As the housing market slows in the winter, competition has dipped in recent months with sellers and buyers taking a break over the holidays.

Redfin is a technology-powered real estate brokerage that lists homes across the U.S., including Southern California.

Blood Shortage Declared

California officials warned last week that the state is experiencing a severe blood shortage.

“While the need for blood is constant, California, along with the rest of the nation, is experiencing the most severe blood shortage in the last ten years,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said.

Last week, the American Red Cross declared first-ever national blood crisis in the U.S.

The blood shortage forced doctors “to make difficult decisions” about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait, the Red Cross said.

The non-profit, which supplies 40% of the nation’s blood, said it has had to limit blood distributions to hospitals in recent weeks.

Some hospitals may not receive as much as a quarter of the blood products they request, the Red Cross said.

The blood shortages forced the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services to shut down the trauma center at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for hours last week — something that hasn’t happened in over three decades.

The Red Cross said it saw a 10% decline in the number of people donating blood since the beginning of the pandemic, with especially low donor turnout beginning when the delta variant began spreading in August.

“Fortunately, there is hope in ending this blood emergency with a simple act of kindness many of us can take as individuals – blood donation,” Ghaly said.

Schwarzenegger's In Car Crash

Actor and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was involved in a Pacific Palisades crash Friday that left his GMC SUV on top of a Prius.

A woman was injured Friday in the crash, but Schwarzenegger didn't appeared to be injured from photos taken at the scene.

Schwarzenegger's representative confirmed to NBC News that he was involved in the wreck.

"I can confirm. His main concern is for the woman from the other vehicle," Katie Distler said.

The crash occurred just before 4:35 p.m. at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Allenford Avenue, near Paul Revere Charter Middle School, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The woman was taken by paramedics to a hospital with minor injuries, she said.

The LAFD and Los Angeles Police Department could not immediately confirm Schwarzenegger's involvement in the crash, but TMZ published photos of the former governor at the scene, reporting that he was not injured. The crash occurred about a mile from Schwarzenegger's home, involving his GMC Yukon SUV, a Toyota Prius and a Porsche Cayenne, the website reported.

The LAFD confirmed there were no other injuries in the collision.

The cause of the crash was under investigation.