Getting Ready for Showtime

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Paying a visit to L.A. Live on Sunday, one saw a complex getting set for showtime. Crews were testing lights on the plaza's tree, getting set for Thursday's real debut. Wrapped presents, like ESPNZone (opening today, December 1), the Conga Room (opening December 4), and the Grammy Museum (opening December 6) are placed tenderly with care near the unwrapped Club Nokia and Lucky Strike bowling alley.

Across Chick Hearn Court, Laker fans made their way toward Staples Center to watch the 13-1 Lakers host the 8-7 Toronto Raptors. They dodged tired car fans dragging bags of brochures heisted from the last day of the L.A. Auto Show.

In front of Staples Center, Fox Sports West color analyst Norm Nixon was getting ready for pre-show talk with game analyst Rick Fox. (Nixon is the former Laker point guard who lead the early Showtime years, and Fox is the former small forward for the Lakers Shaq/Kobe era).

Despite the unfinished state of the complex, visitors were seen posing for shots in front of any possible light formation and angle. What’s forming at Figueroa is something that is feels like a Los Angeles that many have claimed to offer, but that always fell short.

It's the “Showtime” that Downtown has been waiting for.