Diary of a Mad County

SATURDAY, Aug. 10 Tim Hoiles, grandson of Freedom Communications founder R.C. Hoiles, fumes as he leaves a meeting of family members considering the sale of the owner of The Orange County Register and several other media companies. Tim, who claims several family members want to join him in selling their stakes in the company to the highest bidder, reportedly calls the meeting a "sham" and threatens to sue to force a sale. He apparently isn't the only one royally pissed. Register reportersare apparently miffed that while their overlords stonewall them on the story, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal are regularly scooping them—on their own turf.

SUNDAY, Aug. 11 About 50 gang membersreportedly beat one another with metal pipes ripped from the stage scaffolding during KKBT's Summer Jam Concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine. Three people are injured, no arrests are made, but police shut down the show in the middle of L.L. Cool J's set with several headlining acts waiting in the wings. The '96 Summer Jam was also cut short due to violence. Irvine is not alone in experiencing live-music ugliness tonight. During the Blondieshow at the Grove of Anaheim, an Ashcroft golf shirt-attired, middle-aged yuppienear the front of the stage glares indignantly at a waitressfor several seconds after she serves him a martini with an olive instead of a twist. Will the madness ever end?