Last Week, Variety’s Brian Lowry looked at coverage of the California Wildfires. And Glenn Beck’s name came up…

Despite this vast region’s unparalleled variety, the prevailing image of Southern California from a distance is best summed up in a joke by the comic Gallagher, in which he compared Los Angeles with a bowl of granola — a mixture of fruits, nuts and flakes.

This perception neatly dovetails with the Eastern establishment’s condescending attitude, from the D.C. politicians who come here strictly to tap into big local money to news organizations that capitalize on celebrity foibles as a growing component of their tabloid-style content (even MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann incorporates a regular “Keeping Tabs” segment chronicling star shenanigans) — a paper-thin perspective buttressed, fairly or not, by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s current starring role as California’s governor.

The myopia crested in the idiocy of radio and CNN host Glenn Beck, who drew appropriate rebuke for saying while the fires raged, “There is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.” Never mind that most of the homes were lost in San Diego, a typically conservative bastion, as Beck simple-mindedly lumped together everyone west of Nevada under the Democratic tent.

Even more traditional anchors, however, couldn’t resist the La-la-land stereotypes, with CNN’s Don Lemon delivering a little quip about Yoga being offered in Qualcomm Stadium, the spot where fire evacuees assembled.