Central America

OC Register to No Longer Accept Adult Ads--Wait, You Didn't Know They Ran 'Em?

Whenever people get on our case about the sexytimes ads we run in our infernal rag, I always point out that the Orange County Register run those sames ads, except smaller, coded, and in the back pages of its Sports section. Hell, I'm old enough to remember when the Reg would run ads for adult theate ... More >>

On The Line: Walter Cotta Of Alegria And L'Opera, Part Two

If there was something we learned from sitting at L'Opera, it's that this was more than a special occasion restaurant. There's no formal dress code, despite the surroundings. You could have a nice lunch without breaking the bank. The restaurant is what you made of it, whether casual or fancy. We adm ... More >>

Federal Prosecutors Win Telemarketing Ban Against Orange County Businessman

Orange County businessman Roy M. Cox apparently did not know that no means no.The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has won a stipulated judgment and permanent injunction against Cox, a Santa Ana resident who ran an international, robocalling telemarketing business that routinely violated the Nationa ... More >>

The Plight of the Tortured (as Opposed to the Torturers for a Change) Gets Big Screen Due

Hollywood's awards season has plopped onto red carpets many stars and players from films and television shows (think Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, Homeland) that glorify CIA agents, with director Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker follow-up drawing the most controversy for its scenes of American-endorsed t ... More >>

Spicy Latino Nights with Bella Farrow

Hamburger Mary's

Five Mayan Dishes To Try Before The Long-Form Calendar Resets

If you've spent the last several months at home with side-by-side translations of the Popol Vuh and the Chilam Balam, then you know there's no cause to worry about the world ending on Dec. 21, 2012, and you're also probably hungry for Mayan food... except that almost nobody in this country knows wha ... More >>

Van Halen - Honda Center - 6/12/12

Van Halen Honda Center 6/12/12 It only takes milliseconds to recognize Eddie Van Halen's ferocious guitar tone. Like sonic bullets from a gun, "Unchained" riddled into the audience with its runaway freight train guitar riff as the Honda Center exploded with Van Halen's triumphant stop in Anaheim f ... More >>

Ron Jeremy Coming to Hi-Time Wine Cellars!

When our friend at Hi-Time posted a bottle of rum with a label bearing the name and portrait of a certain porn star, we couldn't decide whether it merited a LOL or OMFG comment. We've since blocked out the thought.Whether you love or loathe Ron Jeremy, mark your calendar for July 9, for that is the ... More >>

FBI Searching For Yvonne Baldelli, Laguna Niguel Woman Missing in Panama

The FBI is searching for a Laguna Niguel woman who moved to Panama last year and has been missing for five months. Yvonne Baldelli, 42, was last seen Nov. 26 on Carenero Island in Panama's Bocas del Toro province, according to family members who set up a Facebook page to help find her. "Our family ... More >>

Van Halen at the Forum Last Night

​Van HalenFebruary 8, 2012The ForumSome secret shows tend to be bigger than others. I've been fortunate to catch a few in my concert going years but last nights friends and family dress rehearsal show with Van Halen is definitely top five. Things started off great when it turned out the Forum wasn ... More >>

Van Halen to Tour in 2012 With David Lee Roth

​Unless you were awake at 12:30 am PST or a part of their mailing list, then you'd be surprised to know that rock icons Van Halen announced they are going on tour in 2012, with tickets on-sale January 10. What happens from here no one knows since there aren't any dates or cities listed, only three ... More >>

San Salvador Sells the Breakfast of Salvis

[Hole In the Wall] At this Fountain Valley restaurant, get the breakfast before trying anything else

Leo Machado: 'Without Passion, There is No Song'

​ Looking back, Leo Machado says only words remained to shape memories of his past relationships. Fortunately for the Managua-born musician, he was able to translate them into the songs that define his full-length debut. Aptly titled Solo Quedan Palabras, the indie effort released in February ... More >>

[UPDATED with Return to Other OC Ordered:] Casey Anthony Trades One Orange County (FL) For Another (CA)?

​UPDATE, JULY 31, 9:13 A.M.: What will me miss most about having had Casey Anthony in our own Orange County (or, more likely, OC-adjacent)?Would it be her whisking away from John Wayne Airport by hired handlers? The wonder-inducing glimpses of someone who looked like her checking the calorie coun ... More >>

Blonde, Botox'd and BACK! The Real Housewives of Orange County returns this Sunday

​Because there just aren't enough cat fights, Brazilian lesbians and talks of "vaginal rejuvenation" in regular life, The Real Housewives of Orange County are back--this Sunday at 10 p.m. on Bravo.  It's been a while since the tanned and mostly toned ladies invaded our TV screens. Here's who ... More >>

Ronald Reagan Day in Larry Agran Land?

​It's unclear why this wasn't proposed a few weeks ago, but the Irvine City Council tonight will consider proclaiming Feb. 6 "Ronald Reagan Day," in honor of 40th president's birthday.The proclamation is not being foisted on the panel that leans Democratic because Reagan was once a member of the p ... More >>

And Now for Something Completely Different: Mexica Movement's Anti-Thanksgiving Event

​While you are shopping today for turkey, trim and giblets, Mexica Movement members are preparing for a totally different holiday celebration.From 3-6 p.m. Thursday, the union of the indigenous people of the colonial nations known as the U.S., Mexico, Canada and those in Central America, hosts a " ... More >>

Tonight: Pre-Thanksgiving Uncommon Burlesque Show at Commonwealth Lounge

Jennie Warren/OC WeeklyDizzy Von Damn, right, posed for our 2010 Sex Issue.​In town? At the parents' place tonight? Nothing to do after they go to bed at 9 p.m.? How about a good, old-fashioned burlesque show? OC's fave burlesque troupe, Uncommon Burlesque, is putting on a pre-Thanksgiving bash to ... More >>

¡Ask a Comida Critic!: How Can You Celebrate a Mexican Thanksgiving?

​In the spirit of the season, Rex from one of the little Lagunas sent me this:For Thanksgiving, do Mexicans celebrate it with tamales? What dishes would you suggest? Wish that it were true, Rex. Fact is, Mexicans usually celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States the same way Americans do: the sa ... More >>

"Mexican" Coke on Continental Airlines

Dave Lieberman"You're taking a picture of the Coke can?" "Yes." "O-o-okay."​I was in Washington, D.C., last week, and on my first leg flight from John Wayne to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, I asked for a Coke to settle my stomach. It had a very familiar taste; imagine my surprise ... More >>

Racist OC Register Reader Fustercluck of the Day

Headline: Hardest Worker in O.C.? Get 'em a Zoila!​ Comment by IRVINKNIGHT: 100 pesos says Yvette gives the Zoila award to either an illegal alien or a pregnant homeless girl.Comment by EVILTWIN: Another great article for "LA Opinion". Where it belongs!Comment by SHOULDNTBELIEVE: I have a bet ... More >>

¡Ask a Comida Critic!: Great Horchata?

​Since we're in the midst of Latino Heritage Month, let's take a question on Mesoamerica's favorite drink! From Paul, who also asked about menudo--but we'll save that for another time:Where can I find some good horchata (not instant)?Quite a few places, actually, but don't get too impressed about ... More >>

At the Farmers' Market: Dragonfruit

Dave Lieberman​Drive up Brookhurst Street toward the 22 and you'll see houses with strange, surreal trees that look as though they're made of cactus; a closer look reveals that they actually are succulents, long ropy ones that are tied onto forms to look like trees. They have blindingly bright flo ... More >>

The Funniest Food-Related Traffic Accident Report Of The Week

http://www.sxc.hu​Traffic accidents are rarely funny. But if no one is hurt and it involves 39,000 pounds of cheese and a truck fire, you bet it is. Add to that mix a newspaper reporter with a penchant for puns and what results is comedy gold! In his report, Sean Dugas, writer for News Herald ... More >>

Some Salvadorans Here Can Breathe a (Temporary) Sigh of Relief

​If you're a Salvadoran whose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is about to expire, you're in luck.U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that the Department of Homeland Security will extend the TPS for eligible nationals from the current Sept. 9, 2010, date through the new exp ... More >>

An Immigrant's Heart

To survive the ordeal of escaping Guatemala, Julia needed a big heart. But not this big

Iceback-Spotting?

[¡Ask a Mexican!] And: Do Mexicans measure up?

Getting Dressed for the Fest

[Trendzilla] Say yes to cotton, no to bikini tops

Pop-Rockin' Watermelon Margarita at Panama Joe's

Jessica Ford​The experience at Panama Joe's in Long Beach all depends on where you sit: the bar to the right or the dining room to the left. In the bar, you can watch just about any sport on the flat screen TVs covering the walls, and on some nights, you're greeted by scantily clad alcoho ... More >>

John Patrick Bedell: Alleged Pentagon Shooter, OC Weekly Reader?

Col. James Sabow, RIP​John Patrick Bedell, who died after firing shots at Pentagon security guards yesterday, may have been motivated in part by his obsession with a story the Weekly has covered extensively: the Jan. 1991 death of Col. James Sabow at the now-closed El Toro Marine Corps Air Station ... More >>

[Hole in the Wall] Salvi Supper at Anita's

Coin, Stamp and Collectibles Expo

Long Beach Convention Center

Interview Extra: RX Bandits

In less than 24 hours, 4th of July celebrations will officially be in full swing. But if you're an RX Bandits fan, you're probably busy thinking about July 8th. Only five days until the band takes the stage in front of their rabid hometown crowd at The House of Blues in Anaheim along side Dredg on t ... More >>

Seal Beach's Well-Traveled Rx Bandits Return With a New Album and Tour

[¡Ask a Mexican!] Survive the Great Recession! Live Like a Mexican!

Remember Books?

David Unger

AAM's Kraut Slut

AAM Kraut Slut (Static Discos) Release date: May 8, 2007 Curb Your Cynicism is a recurring blogtastic feature in which the music editor pithily enthuses about new releases and reissues he thinks will enhance your life and erode your cynicism about the state of music, circa now. Ah, Mexican techn ... More >>

Cocaine Airways

A former CIA pilot says secret flights to El Toro could explain a Marine officers suicide

This Hole-in-the-Wall Life

Sumptuous Syncretism

!Ask a Mexican!

A Moral, Abject Failure When It Mattered

Pope John Paul II, 1920-2005

!Ask a Mexican!

Eight Days

A Shore Once Far

How things were, and why they are the way they are

Tamale Time!

Tamales, topos and pan dulce at Panaderia y Antojitos Guatemala

Our Man in San Salvador

Notorious generals U.S. ties ran through an ex-OC cop

Too Loud to Ignore

Tazumal rage against the maquina

Around and Back

Delinquent Habits persistence of time

Back to Cool

Our firstand probably last, but certainly incompletecollege club guide

Don't Panic, Drink Organic