diff --git a/static/js/pandora/UI.js b/static/js/pandora/UI.js
index 53e565c79..86ce18ecc 100644
--- a/static/js/pandora/UI.js
+++ b/static/js/pandora/UI.js
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ pandora.UI = (function() {
                 // switch from item view to list view
                 args['item'] = '';
             }
+            add['itemFind'] = pandora.site.user.ui.itemFind;
             if (!pandora.user.ui.lists[list]) {
                 add['lists.' + that.encode(list)] = {};
             }
diff --git a/static/js/pandora/item.js b/static/js/pandora/item.js
index 8eafa4400..77cce5874 100644
--- a/static/js/pandora/item.js
+++ b/static/js/pandora/item.js
@@ -174,10 +174,10 @@ pandora.ui.item = function() {
                 width: pandora.$ui.document.width() - pandora.$ui.mainPanel.size(0) - 1
             }).bindEvent({
                 find: function(data) {
-                    pandora.UI.set('itemFind', {
+                    pandora.UI.set('itemFind', data.find ? {
                         conditions: [{key: 'subtitles', value: data.find, operator: '='}],
                         operator: '&'
-                    });
+                    } : pandora.site.user.ui.itemFind);
                 },
                 muted: function(data) {
                     pandora.UI.set('muted', data.muted);
@@ -241,10 +241,10 @@ pandora.ui.item = function() {
                     width: pandora.$ui.document.width() - pandora.$ui.mainPanel.size(0) - 1
                 }).bindEvent({
                     find: function(data) {
-                        pandora.UI.set('itemFind', {
+                        pandora.UI.set('itemFind', data.find ? {
                             conditions: [{key: 'subtitles', value: data.find, operator: '='}],
                             operator: '&'
-                        });
+                        } : pandora.site.user.ui.itemFind);
                     },
                     points: function(data) {
                         pandora.UI.set('videoPoints.' + pandora.user.ui.item, {
diff --git a/static/js/pandora/placesDialog.js b/static/js/pandora/placesDialog.js
index 2b870b86d..958c658ca 100644
--- a/static/js/pandora/placesDialog.js
+++ b/static/js/pandora/placesDialog.js
@@ -22,6 +22,20 @@ pandora.ui.placesDialog = function() {
                     callback(result);
                 });
             },
+            getMatches: function(names, callback) {
+                // fixme: the results of this are of course
+                // not identical to actual place matches
+                pandora.api.findClips({
+                    query: {
+                        conditions: names.map(function(name) {
+                            return {key: 'subtitles', value: name, operator: '='};
+                        }),
+                        operator: names.length == 1 ? '&' : '|'
+                    }
+                }, function(result) {
+                    callback(result.data.items);
+                });
+            },
             removePlace: function(place, callback) {
                 pandora.api.removePlace(place, function(result) {
                     Ox.Request.clearCache(); // fixme: remove