NO ESCAPE: Driving down Reseda Boulevard or...

NO ESCAPE: Driving down Reseda Boulevard or Devonshire Street used to be a nice change from crowded freeways. That was before the quake. . . . Now, because of freeway damage, traffic is way up on both streets.

THE NEW CANNES: Cancel that flight to France and the week of schmoozing with Hollywood’s elite. Who needs Cannes when you’ve got Santa Clarita? . . . That’s right, the Santa Clarita Valley International Film Festival makes its debut in March, screening mostly family-oriented films (F4). . . . Despite road damage, organizers are optimistic that the festival will be a success.

YOU MAKE THE CALL: So what if the Menendez brothers’ trials in Van Nuys ended without a verdict? Television doesn’t care. . . . Last week, production began on a Fox TV movie about the case. Starring James Farentino and Jill Clayburgh, it will conclude the story just before the juries begin deliberations. “The facts are already present,” a Fox spokeswoman said. “We’ll allow the audience to be the judge.”

QUAKE AID: Hollywood has raised money to help disaster victims around the world, so it’s only natural that the stars do something for their own. On Feb. 26, Paramount Studios will hold a night of cabaret to raise funds for quake-damaged businesses along Ventura Boulevard. . . . Among the performers: Stephanie Zimbalist, Gregory Harrison and Stefanie Powers.

VALLEY BOY: San Fernando High has launched the careers of some great sports figures, including Anthony Davis and Charles White. And now one of its alumni has made the Basketball Hall of Fame. . . . That would be Louisville Coach Denny Crum, a 1955 San Fernando grad who later coached Pierce College (C8). “He played it, slept it and studied basketball all the time,” recalled Pete Nelson, a coach at Kennedy High in Granada Hills who attended UCLA with Crum.

Heavy Traffic

Traffic has increased 158% on Reseda Boulevard and 151% Devonshire Street since the quake-damaged Simi Valley Freeway has been closed. A look at the average daily traffic volumes before and after the Northridge earthquake:

Intersection Prior to Jan. 17 After Jan. 17 Devonshire St./Sepulveda Blvd. 23,924 60,178 Reseda Blvd./Rinaldi St. 14,688 37,867

Source: Caltrans