Orange County's Leading Source Of News, Culture And Entertainment
Orange County's Leading Source Of News, Culture And Entertainment
The Little Hoover Commission* (the bipartisan, independent state commission dedicated to “promoting economy, efficiency and improved service in the transaction of public business”) has issued a new report on the state prison system, one that neatly dovetails with recent Blotter posts on sentencing and politics. And for such a nice bunch of technocrats, the Lil' …
GAME TIME Mater Dei is Latin for “Mother of God,” but the Santa Ana Catholic high school's mascot is the lion, and in gymnasiums around the nation, Mater Dei High School's boys' basketball team has displayed nothing of the Virgin Mother's nurturing qualities—her meekness, mildness, mercy—instead mauling its opponents on the way to becoming a …
Access to behind-the-scenes band life has become increasingly banal. Between “reality” television and coverage of performers hoping to lower the bar on self destruction (dudes, anything you'd dream of trashing Led Zeppelin has already destroyed twice as monumentally), it's tough even to cock an eyebrow at backstage behavior anymore. The entertainment industry encourages us to …
First for some numbers that aren't as big as you might think, or others might want you to think. If California were a separate country, it would have the world's sixth-largest economy, one hears time and time again. The governor even repeated the We're Number 6 bleat in his State of the State speech last …
The first thing to notice about Governor Schwarzenegger's plan, which is being billed as a universal healthcare plan, is that it isn't a universal healthcare plan. It's a mandatory health insurance plan. It will not make sure a sick person gets the treatment he or she needs– the treatments, drugs, doctors and hospitals, an insurance …
This story, as originally conceived, was supposed to be a compilation of the year's best box sets and other reissues. But then it hit me–in today's shuffle-driven iPod world, with the pace of pop culture moving at breakneck speed, it's pointless to make such temporal distinctions. The past is ever-present, and the present quickly becomes …
In a strange way, it is perhaps somewhat fitting that James Brown and Gerald Ford died within a day of each other, since Brown and Ford had a unique bond. As Brian Koller notes in his ePinions review of the James Brown compilation CD Disc Four: Godfather of Soul (1972-1984), “James Brown was probably the …
Continue reading “Funky President: Gerald Ford N James Brown”
From a top floor suite in the Xerox Building's perch above the 5 and 55 freeways in Santa Ana, Mike Schroeder overlooks a cluster of federal, state and local government agencies where his calls get priority. A former chairman of the California Republican Party, Schroeder is a red wine connoisseur, lawyer, world traveler, USC football fanatic, …
Continue reading “The Reporter vs. the Republican Power Couple”
Visit the rest of Orange County's best damn dining guide at ocweekly.com/food, where it says “Where to Eat Now” on the right side of the screen. If there are any bugs with it, e-mail Gustavo at ga*******@******ly.com with your complaints! DINNER FOR TWO: ¢ . . . . . . . . . . . …
Per LA Times: Riled blues pianist H-Bomb Ferguson passes away Sunday. Says Ponderosa Stomp, which hosted Ferguson in notable late performances: Born May 9, 1929 in Charleston, South Carolina, H-Bomb's father was a strict minister who nevertheless encouraged his sons' interest in music, even going so far as to pay for piano lessons. While the …
Continue reading “R.I.P. H-Bomb Ferguson (“Midnight Ramble”)”
ZACK’S BACK?Earlier this year, the nonprofit Centro Cultural de Mexico hosted a grand reopening party for its new downtown Santa Ana location. Performance troupes of every possible Mexican region and culture—Oaxacan brass bands, Aztec dancers, child baile folklorico groups from Michoacán, punk bands, mariachi ensembles, hip-hop artists—gathered in the Centro’s already crowded concert room and …
Last week the LA Times wrote a piece about OCTA's South Orange County Major Investment Study. Its results directly contradict the Transportation Corridor Agencies' claims that its planned Foothill South (241) Toll Road extension would relieve traffic in south Orange County. Steve Lowery cites the new study in this week's Diary of a Mad County: …