Norma Desmond

Will One Broadway Plaza, Santa Ana Freudian Project for City Council, Finally Get Built?

​Wow, I gotta hop on the wayback machine to remember what was the first time I wrote about One Broadway Plaza, the proposed 37-story office tower in a residential SanTana neighborhood that would be the tallest building in Orange County history AND the biggest Freudian monument yet erected for the ... More >>

Interview: Billy Gil of Doña Nicha

Doña Nick Gil (from left), Doña Billy Gil and Doña Jason Hanakeawe ​ Meet Doña Nicha. This shoegaze-y, alt-rock band with a Latin twist was formerly based in Long Beach. Made up of two brothers and a family friend (they've recently added another family member on bass), the band writes noise po ... More >>

The Habit Burger Grill Probably Won't Become One

​The chica's parents bought me a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas, so this cheapskate finally splurged on Mark Kurlansky's The Food of a Younger Land, which collected excerpts from a long-forgotten WPA program that sought to capture America's regional food traditions. It's a great read, ... More >>

Santa Ana "Resurrected"? When Did it Ever Die?

Fourth Street, SanTana: mid 1950s. What was so great about these segregated days?​ Orange County is a place where booster myths have masqueraded as fact and history since the days of Serra, but an article in this month's Orange Coast by former Los Angeles Times writer Agustín Gurza on ... More >>

From Newport Beach Film Festival to Tribeca for Harbor High Theater Freak-Turned-Filmmaker

Courtesy of Plug Ugly FilmsStraight from the horse's mouth with Michael Slàdek.Though Norma Desmond only lived at the cineplex (and now Netflix), she famously said, "I am big. It's the pictures that got small." Filmmaker and one-time Newport Beach resident Michael Slàdek is not yet big, but he is ... More >>

Chick Flick, Two Ways

In Keaton v. Heigl, girl power (Mad Money) trumps bridesmaid fashion (27 Dresses)

Peek-A-Boo!

"Beautiful Mutants"

Special Screenings

Movie of the Week: Sunset Boulevard

Diary of A Mad County

Totally Groesbeck

The artist whose vision unchained DeMille