Here are 4 reasons Los Angeles should be embarrassed by the Lighting of the Angels at L.A. Live ^[1]:

1. Host Adam Corolla – Yes, he’s a Los Angeles native. He can be pretty damned funny. But, is this really the guy you want to host a family-friendly tree-lighting event at the newest entertainment venue in L.A? He admittedly strayed from the teleprompter, got lost in what he was saying, and made Britney Spears visibly uncomfortable when mentioning her rise “from the ashes.” I hate to be the one to ask the question. But, was Seacrest not available?
2. The Politicians – These are talking heads that wear suits and take credit whenever they can. A photo op turned into a battle for stage time as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilwoman Jan Perry, and the dude from AEG all had to get their speaking time. Separately. Then, a bunch of other suits had to come on stage to get some face time, too. Not to mention the fun little jabs at who is a Trojan and who is a Bruin. So much for making this anything more than a local interest story.
3. Britney – Natalie Cole sang. The highly-anticipated superstar shopping a brand new album didn’t. She didn’t dance. She hardly said a word. But, boy can she hold a wireless mike and throw a fake switch to light a fake tree.
4. The Tree – I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that they made a mistake by not having a real Christmas tree to offset all the concrete, glass, and flashy advertisements of L.A. Live. But, it’s part of a 7-minute holiday multi-media light show, they said. What could go wrong? Nothing, if you like a botched countdown and a “tree” that just changes colors to music. I think you can buy those at Target.

Los Angeles missed another opportunity tonight. It could have begun an annual tradition rivaling the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center. It could have given the network reason to broadcast the event nationwide and show L.A. in a moment of festive glory. Get Kanye up there rocking a remake of Christmas in Hollis. Let the Foos do another orchestral masterpiece. Invite the Pussycat Dolls to do… whatever it is that they do.

Tonight, we witnessed something cheesy, fake, and lacking in that old holiday magic. What we got, was your parents’ old aluminum tree with the color wheel, and a joint visit from all your boring aunts & uncles.

Come to think of it, maybe it was perfect.

Related posts:

1. How Should L.A. Celebrate NYE? ^[2]
2. Archiving Angeles (AA): Christmas in Pershing Square ^[3]
3. Premature Decoration Is A Crime ^[4]
4. LAist Quoted in New York Times ^[5]
5. Recycle your Christmas trees! ^[6]