Jamming on the 101: Local Hip-hop Band Imperial Stars Give New Meaning to the Term 'Block Party'

UPDATE: Do you want to have dinner tonight with Imperial Stars? Check out more recent developments here! Hardcore hip-hop band Imperial Stars will be the most popular band you've never heard of; this morning, the Garden Grove trio blocked the 101 Freeway in Hollywood during rush hour to perform their song “Traffic Jam 101” on …

The Orange County Interwebs Horror Show Reviews Are In

​ This week's collection of things on the Interwebs from or about Orange County includes netizen reviews of a car shop, a sandwich shop, UC Irvine dorms, hotspots for meet-ups, Fullerton City Council candidates, San Clemente's immigration checkpoint and Huntington Beach white boys who refer to themselves in the third person. ] Asians and Anteaters …

Chapter One: the modern local: Opening in Downtown Santa Ana: Sometime This Year: Maybe Early Next

​ Much speculation has swirled around what exactly was going into the building on the corner of Third Street and Broadway in downtown SanTana, and now there's a definite answer: a gastropub with the grammatically mysterious name Chapter One: the modern local (lowercase and superfluous colon theirs). ] There is no set timetable for its …

Far-Right Journalists Accuse Rick Warren of Coddling Terrorists

​ Saddleback Church lead pastor Rick Warren, he of the Purpose-Driven Life®, gets criticism from all sides, but the jibes I find most amusing usually come from the extreme right, both of the political and religious wings, which consider him a liberal heretic. If only! Christianity Today recently covered a controversy surrounding Warren's invitation to …

Gettin' Made: Cake Pops Book Signing in Costa Mesa on Monday

In 2007, Suwanee, Georgia resident Angie Dudley took a cake decorating class on a whim. She quickly became hooked on the basic techniques she learned, including making and tinting frosting, icing cakes and how to use decorating tools. Soon after, the Bakerella blog was born. It became a site where Angie could chronicle and share her many baking exploits …

Islamaphobes Go Nuts Because Campbell's Now Makes Halal Soups

Alphabet Soup to be Replaced by Quran Broth? ​ Mass-produced items identified as kosher long ago entered the daily lives of non-Jews in this country–in fact, betcha pesos to dollars most people don't even notice the acronym “KSA” put on items approved by the Kosher Supervision of America. But as Muslims enter the mainstream of …

Breaking Into the Boys Club: The New Crop of Female Comics Creators (Part 2)

The portrayal of fictional female characters took it on the chin this week. And that chin happened to belong to The Facebook Movie Social Network. Anyone who had ever hidden a friend's Farmville update dog-piled on the movie's negative depiction of women, claiming the filmmakers were either being sexist or simply finding a new way …

Only Happy When It Rains?

  Despite Garbage's admonitions to the contrary, I'm not happy when the weather is inclement. I just want to stick my head in an oven.Like this morning.No need for an intervention. I wouldn't want to rob you readers of the joy of seeing me name-drop my way through a blog…because that would be selfish. As self-absorbed as I am (yeah, …

The Drums and Surfer Blood Made Heat Waves at the Pomona Glass House Last Night

​The Drums, Surfer Blood, The Young Friends, The Non Chalants September 28, 2010 Pomona Glass House The Hype: The Drums and Surfer Blood are both “buzz bands,” and depending on who you talk to, that buzz may or may not be warranted. Some say that these guys are just your average indie bands trying to …

Taco Bell Crime of the Week: Employees Stealing Your Credit Card Info!

The headline's tale is why I try not to ever use my credit card at fast-food restaurants. The dirty details after the jump! ] From Grand Rapids, Michigan: A credit card scam that allegedly defrauded numerous people involved two Taco Bell employees who used “skimming” devices to copy card numbers, and two others who masterminded …