I never noticed that scene.... Maybe it was a shout out to COH? Dare I hope beyond hope?
EDIT: wiki- The building was featured in the films Earth Girls Are Easy, Mars Attacks!, The Golden Child, Into the Night, Stripped to Kill, Problem Child 2, Breathless, Californication, California Girls, 2012, Iron Man 2, "Get Shorty", Volcano, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, Escape from Petropolis, and Love Letters. It can be seen briefly with other world-famous monuments in the Futurama episode "When Aliens Attack." It has also been featured in the music videos for Randy Newman's "I Love LA"and The Prodigy's "Wind It Up". As well as in the music video for Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Californication."Similar buildings with giant donuts, under different names, are featured in the video games Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Need for Speed: Most Wanted', City of Heroes, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as well as in "Marge vs. the Monorail", an episode of The Simpsons.
EDIT 2: I added a reference in the wiki 'City of Heroes' page to show that it was closed against the wishes of the gaming community, with a link to the Task Force Hail Mary page.