Lakers back in black
LOS ANGELES – For the Lakers, it has been joy to the world since Steve Nash's return. They have won two games that both easily qualify for the "fun category" of watching basketball — Tuesday's 100-94...
View ArticleNotable deaths of 2012
See personalities from the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics, business, literature and world affairs who departed this year. Related: Celebrities we lost in 2011 Celebrities we lost in 2010...
View ArticleReview: It's all about the burger at Hopscotch
"Should I get the barbecue ribs or the burger?" I ask, and my waitress responds, "Ooh, our burgers are really juicy." She says this in slow motion, as if she's picturing herself eating a burger at this...
View ArticleJohnson: Holiday shopping frenzy continues
The day after Christmas is serious business for more than a few people. Someone told me it would be fun. I should have known better. What follows is but a snapshot in time of an insane,...
View ArticleStudy: Voters' assessment often flawed
Voters really do make ill-informed decisions at the ballot box, according to a new study published in the American Political Science Review. "Our results suggest severe limitations in humans' ability...
View ArticleLocals enjoy last meal at The Cottage
LAGUNA BEACH – The smell of coffee and the sound of clanking silverware filled the dining room of the Cottage on Wednesday, as if it were any other day.But it wasn't. At 3 p.m., Owner Jennifer McCulley...
View ArticlePeyton Manning, Peterson make Pro Bowl
NEW YORK – Sensational comebacks have Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson headed for the Pro Bowl. Also selected Wednesday to the NFL's all-star game was Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III....
View ArticleTop sports people of 2012
It was a memorable year for sprinters, swimmers, cyclists, freshmen and Britons. It was a forgettable years for drug cheaters, big-budget baseball franchises, and hockey. The following athletes stepped...
View ArticleLetters: We gave the 72nd Assembly District our very best
FULLERTON, Chris Norby, Former state assemblyman for the 72nd Assembly District. I recently ended my service to my constituents in the California State Assembly. My 72nd District included Fullerton,...
View ArticleHoliday Bowl: Who has the edge?
Breaking down UCLA's matchup against Baylor in the Holiday Bowl (Thursday, 6:45 p.m., ESPN). OFFENSE Offense is what they had in mind when the Holiday Bowl selected Baylor and UCLA to match up in San...
View ArticleThe year in classical music
"I am sitting in the smallest room of my house. Your review is in front of me. Soon, it will be behind me." – composer Max Reger, responding to a negative review. It was a pretty good year. Classical...
View ArticleNotable stage works of 2012, for better or worse
When I was a younger and more ambitious critic, I looked forward to compiling top 10 lists at the end of the year; the bottom 10, too. What better way to show off those intellectual biceps than by...
View ArticleDec. 26 celebrity birthdays
These people of the present and past were born on this date. Actor Donald Moffat ("Clear and Present Danger," "The Bourne Identity") is 82. Actor/Muppeteer Caroll Spinney (Big Bird on "Sesame Street")...
View ArticleCathy Thomas' food favorites of 2012
We love year-end lists. They are so delectably tidy. The top five books. The top 10 tunes. The top 100 movies. For years now, I've been closing out the year by listing favorite dishes, treats that I've...
View Article'Champagnes' by other names just as festive
Why have Champagne and other sparkling wines become associated with New Year's Eve and other festive occasions? Consider its history. The lively beverage was originally served during the coronation of...
View ArticleThe best movies of 2012
They're called "moving pictures" for a reason. Moving pictures are the ones that endure, that stick in our memory after the credits fade. "State of the art" changes, visceral "popcorn" entertainments...
View ArticleRaiders still deciding between Leinart, Pryor at QB
ALAMEDA - Oakland Raiders coach Dennis Allen isn't ready to select a starting quarterback for Sunday's game in San Diego and said it's possible both Matt Leinart and Terrelle Pryor could play. Leinart...
View ArticleNFL's QB carousel will be awhirl this offseason
The regular season that concludes Sunday has been, in some ways, unlike any before it. We had replacement officials whose inexperience and ineptitude culminated in the "Fail Mary" at Seattle. We had...
View ArticleUCLA's cruel summer yields cool Holiday
SAN DIEGO – Four months ago, the heat from the blistering Inland Empire sun beat down on the UCLA football team – a squad not long removed from another mediocre season and the saga of another new coach...
View ArticleViewers appear to be OK with reality TV fakery
On Dec. 11, Dave Hester opened up a locker full of dirty laundry about "Storage Wars." The Costa Mesa collectibles dealer asserted in a lawsuit that the series he used to star in was at least partly...
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