When we started doing Best Of issues for this infernal rag years ago, we insisted on including mini-features we later called “Personal Bests”–profiles of awesome people (with an accompanying glamor shot) who never could quite make it into the regular rotation of our paper of crime, sex and taquerías, but who definitely deserved the love. We loved writing them because it allowed us to shine a spotlight on the amazing folks who are Orange County's saving grace: the community activist, the bookings agent, the chef at the front of the latest culinary phenomenon, the religious mensch, and so forth.
Flashforward to a couple of years ago, and our big-sister paper, LA Weekly, created an entire issue devoted to such profiles, deeming it their “People” issue. The special edition (complete with three different covers) proved such a smash that other papers in our chain lovingly took the idea and made it theirs. So, as Dylan once screeched, we're bringing the “Personal Bests” back home and debuting our first People issue March 7!
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Who'll be profiled? Can't say right now, although I can reveal we'll do 30 full-pagers shot by our house photographer, John Gilhooley. There'll be the unearthed gem we're famous for uncovering, as well as some big names you'd think we'd never bother with because we try to be oh-so-cool (we root for the Anaheim Ducks, too, you know–wait, did I say too much?). You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll plotz.
We look forward to turning OC People into an annual tradition à la Summer Guide and Scariest People, so be on the lookout for it in a couple of weeks!
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