Bari Bari BBQ Closes in Tustin After Four Months, Now to Be a Gyu-Kaku

I should've seen it coming. There were hints. Though the food was great, the restaurant was often deserted. Bari Bari BBQ, the mom-and-pop yakiniku that opened barely four months ago in Tustin after a long delay, has gone up in smoke. It is now replaced by one of the giants of yakiniku, Gyu-Kaku, which boasts …

[UPDATED] Braking News! Government Report Clears Toyota Software as Cause of Sudden-Acceleration Problems

​ UPDATE, FEB. 24, 12:47 P.M.: In my mailbox yesterday was a recall notice from Toyota for my wife's Highlander. Today, I learned she is not alone: Having already recalled nearly 8 million of its models in the U.S., Toyota announced it is calling back another 2.17 million to correct brake- and acceleration-pedal interference issues–in …

[UPDATED: Event Is Tomorrow!] Jaime Hernandez, Author of the Love and Rockets Comic Book Series, to Speak at the Fullerton Public Library Next Thursday!

UPDATED, FEB. 23, 12: 27 P.M.: Here's a brief interview I did with Fantagraphics Books, the longtime publishers of the Hernandez brothers, about Jaime's work. See you mañana! ORIGINAL POST, FEB. 17, 1:27 P.M.: Last fall, I was invited to the Miami Book Fair, one of the largest in the United States–not to speak about …

[UPDATED WITH CHARGES] Esteban Navarrete, OC Homicide No. 4: Shot in Parking Lot Where Fight Erupted Over Whose Mexican State is Better

Courtesy of SAPD Maria Rocha ​ UPDATE, FEB. 23, 2:06 P.M.: The Orange County district attorney's office (OCDA) today announced charges against the third defendant in the senseless slaying of Esteban Navarrete. Maria Isabel Rocha's 17-year-old brother, who is also a suspect, is also identified by the OCDA, which will try Ricardo Guerra Rocha as …

One Era Ends and Another Begins at South Coast Repertory

It's not exactly a seismic shift, but whenever two main forces behind a major artistic institution decide to step down, it's a very big deal.   And that's what's happening at South Coast Repertory, a theater that (sorry, Will Ferrell and Jenna Haze) is, hands-down, Orange County's greatest artistic contribution to the world. The announcement …

Rush Limbaugh, Charlie Sheen and Urinal Cakes Star in The Orange County Interwebs Horror Show

​ Hippies love Rush Limbaugh? Hips become boobs? A drug for laughing and crying? Attorneys advertising on piss walls? And the really, really, really friendly skies? Yup, you'll find all this and more in this week's collection of things written from and about Orange County on the Interwebs. ] ​ Long-Haired, Maggot-Infested, FM-Type Students of …

The Supervillains on Weed, Soup and What Ska Is Lacking

The Supervillains' sound isn't one that will shake the foundations of ska, reggae or punk, but the Orlando-based band draw from those genres vibrantly and competently enough to produce a respectable combination. Dominic “Dom” Maresco and Scott “Skart” Suldo started playing together when they were 16 and formed the band well more than a decade ago. …