Orange County's Leading Source Of News, Culture And Entertainment
Orange County's Leading Source Of News, Culture And Entertainment
There’s an old newsroom aphorism from which all Americans living in this Bronze Age of the Internet might profit: “If your mother tells you she loves you, check it out.” Translation: if you’re a journalist, bring skepticism to everything you hear or read or even witness via your own ocular nerves. Check it out. The …
It's that time of the year again–Ramadan–when Muslims fast from suhoor (dawn) to maghrib (sunset) for a month (June 17 to July 17 this year), all in the name of spiritual cleansing. And beautiful deliverance comes every night in the form of the fast-break called iftar. Historically, Muslims celebrated iftar at mosques or at home, …
Continue reading “10 Great Ramadan Buffets to Try in OC This Month”
The grand old dirty pope of midnight-movie voodoo and post-'60s turn-on, drop-out mythopoeia returns with a vengeance, in his autumnal phase and with, surprise, a personal look backward at his own childhood. The Dance of Reality may be Alejandro Jodorowsky's best film, and certainly, in a filmography top-heavy with freak-show hyperbole and symbology stew, the …
Continue reading “The Dance of Reality: Alejandro Jodorowsky's last wig-out may be his best”
Richard Lee “Dick” Baney remembers the excitement he felt in 1963 as a fireballing freshman at Anaheim High School. Scouts such as Los Angeles Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda already had their eyes on him. “I was told that I’d be the first Mexican signed out of Orange County,” he says. He was drafted by the …
Continue reading “Dick Baney and the Other Lost Boys of Summer”
A duo of Middle Eastern culture festivals will be held this weekend in OC. There's the 15th Annual Persian Festival of Autumn to honor the harvest from October 1-2, from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. at the Lakeside Lagoon Next to Wild River (8800 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine). Expect music and dancing in a concert-like …
Wulf Bane represent a struggling breed in Orange County. And they readily admit it’s hard to find a scene for their raw goulash of metal, punk and general sharp-toothed ferocity. But this Costa Mesa foursome still claw their way into local haunts such as La Cave and Tiki Bar, turning unsuspecting attendees into loyal fans. …
It’s too straight ahead to be metal, but packs far too much testosterone to have the word “indie” anywhere near it. However, somewhere deep inside Wulf Bane’s tough-guy savagery lurks a monster familiar to fans of the grunge hey-day. Whether it’s their vague, angst-ridden songs of revolution, pummeling power chords…
The Thrill of Victory . . .And the agony of overeating at the county’s greatest Lebanese bakery and restaurant I didn’t fast before going to Victory Bakery’s Ramadan buffet. In fact, my stomach was still in the middle of digesting a big lunch. But curiosity beckoned. Plus, I was told there would be cake …
Continue reading “Overeating Lebanese at Anaheim's Victory Bakery N Restaurant”
South Coast Plaza is more than just another gleaming temple dedicated to Mammon and all his works, it's The Ultimate Shopping Resort. I know this because that phrase is a registered trademark of South Coast Plaza. So, legally speaking, South Coast Plaza is The Ultimate Shopping Resort®. But as Dickens' Mr. Bumble reminds us, occasionally …
Continue reading “A Clear and Present Danger, with Valet Parking”
Photo by James Bunoan “Even if this was not a law, which it is, I'm afraid I would have a lot of difficulty endorsing an enterprise which is as fraught with genuine peril as I believe this one to be. These dances and this kind of music can be destructive, and, uh, Ren, I'm afraid …
Taking center stage in the ongoing San Clemente homelessness drama is a dirt lot full of homeless people camping across the street from $4 million homes full of angry suburban residents. On Tuesday, June 18, a city council meeting in the Spanish Village by the Sea featured infuriated residents complaining about the encampment across from …
Continue reading “Homelessness Controversy Embroils San Clemente”
Is the Transportation Corridor Agency–aka. the TCA/Toll Roads–maneuvering to become a permanent transportation authority similar to the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)? Some prominent lawyers and South Countians feel it is. Dan Bane, an attorney representing San Clemente residents who oppose the TCA and SR-241 extension, certainly believes this is so. According to Bane, and …