Review & Preview.

JANUARY 11 - 17

Lion on Block: Metro-GoldwynMayer Inc. has put itself up for sale at an asking price of at least $7 billion, the Los Angeles Times reported. The venerable studio, now controlled by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, has struggled over the years to achieve the necessary critical mass -- TV network, music, cable, etc. -- to become a major force in Hollywood. Its prime asset is a 4,100-title library that includes the James Bond series, among other major titles, though judging by Wall Street's tepid response, it's unclear whether any of the big boys have either the interest or the financial resources.

Get Off the 405 at the 32?: California plans to begin numbering the exits on its state and interstate highways under a $30 million plan that begins this month. For north-south routes, the numbers (which will be added alongside street names) will ascend from zero starting at the Mexican border; for east-west routes, zero will start at the Pacific Ocean. We're confused already.

Separate Channels: CBS President Les Moonves insisted that he would operate UPN as a separate network and not "CBS 2," as has been the speculation. In town for the semiannual TV critics press tour, Moonves provided few clues on how UPN would turn a profit or who would replace UPN head Dean Valentine, who resigned earlier this month. UPN is owned by CBS parent Viacom.

Enron, the California Story: Enron Corp. and its auditor Arthur Andersen LLP may have destroyed documents that were subpoenaed last June by a California Senate committee investigating energy-price manipulation. State Sen. Joseph Dunn said Enron hasn't fully complied with the subpoena and may face contempt charges and fines. The committee is investigating whether energy companies manipulated the California market.

Dim Outlook: State legislative analyst Elizabeth Hill blasted Gov. Gray Davis's $100 billion budget for 2003, noting that it's full of "overly optimistic assumptions" about getting money from the federal government and stock market-related tax revenues. Hill also disputes the governor's assumption that the recession will be mild and short-lived. She estimates that the state will face a budget deficit of $4 billion by the end of the next budget year -- on top of 2003's shortfall, estimated at $12.5 billion.

Dim Outlook II: Despite the relatively tame unemployment numbers so far, a Chapman University forecast projects that Los Angeles County will see payrolls decline by 22,000 jobs this year because of an increasingly weak manufacturing sector. That's a decline of 0.5 percent -- still relatively modest given the recession -- compared with a 1.5 percent net gain in payroll employment in 2001.

Welfare Shortfall: L.A. County officials revealed that a $70 billion shortfall for programs that move people off the welfare rolls will require cuts in a number of anti-poverty programs. The deficit stems from the increasing costs of administering the Calworks welfare-to-work program and from an assumption that the state would approve a higher budget request for Los Angeles -- something the state refused to do.

Housing Push: Mayor James Hahn has released a plan for developing a $100 million trust fund to build affordable housing in Los Angeles. The move, which must be approved by the City Council, would represent the largest city-led investment in the nation, according to housing advocates who long have pushed for the fund. The money would come from several sources, including the hotel tax and Community Redevelopment Agency funds.

JANUARY 21 - 27

King Holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday means that federal, state and many local government offices will be closed -- and no mail -- but many businesses will be open.

Freeway Grousing: This week Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority conduct a series of community workshops as part of a study on the horribly congested Ventura Freeway. The three-year study will evaluate freeway conditions and recommend improvements. (They need three years for that?) The workshops will be held Tuesday in Encino, Wednesday in Calabasas and Thursday in mid-city LA. For details, call (866) MOVE-i 01 or log on to www.communityspeakup.com/101.

Debating Points: The first of three planned debates among the leading candidates for the Republican gubernatorial primary election is being held at San Jose State University. The hour-long debate between Secretary of State Bill Jones, former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, and L.A. investment banker Bill Simon begins at 7 p.m. and will air locally on KCET Channel 28, KABO Talkradio 790 AM. (Other media outlets had not yet committed to airing the debate.)

Boffo or Bust?: Is Disney's Michael Eisner headed for a bonus this year? The Beverly Hills Chamber hosts an economic summit on Wednesday to shed light on what's ahead for the entertainment industry. Among the participants are Milken Institute Vice Chairman Donald Straszheim, CNN financial anchor Myron Kandel and Phoenix Pictures Chairman Mike Medavoy.

Kuehl Views: State Sen. Sheila Kuehl delivers the keynote address at UCLA's annual land-use conference on Friday at the downtown L.A. Marriott. Topics may not be riveting for the masses (water supplies, adult zoning), but there is plenty for developers, conservationists and public officials to squabble about.

Picture This: On Thursday evening, USC's tech think tank, Larta, will hold a panel discussion on digital cinema. Yeah, what ever happened to that? A blaring of trumpets, followed by feuding over who would pay for the new systems and what the industry standard would be, followed by silence. On hand will be some leading 'digerati" at the school's Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts.