Restaurants' best dishes of 2011
I tossed and turned, my sleep interrupted with quandaries that whirled like a high-speed blender gnawing on a stubborn chunk of concrete. How could I select just five favorite dishes from 2011 when...
View ArticleBob Seger shows he’s still got the same soul
When Bob Seger sang "today's music ain't got the same soul" during his signature 1978 tune "Old Time Rock and Roll" early on Wednesday night at Staples Center, the lyric rang especially true. While...
View ArticleCollege football picks: January bowls
Completing the bowl predictions with the games from the first week of 2012.
View ArticleThe Watcher: The highs and lows of 2011 TV
For TV viewers, 2012 can't get here soon enough. The past year started out moderately well but soon devolved into a dry summer and a soggy fall. Good new shows were a rarity, and old shows just got...
View ArticleL.A. ready for more than the Rose Bowl
LOS ANGELES – Well, it's that time again, folks, two-minute warning of another glorious season, and here we are feeling our yearly pigskin hunger pangs. How is it possible that this market of millions,...
View ArticleNFL picks, Week 17: Hail Mary for SCE
It's all over but the pouting. After being thrashed by longtime Clippers fan Jim Crowell's 13-3 performance last week, the So-Called Expert trails by six games in the standings heading into the final...
View ArticleSLIDE SHOW: Top Irvine sports stories of 2011
It was another special year for sports in Irvine. In 2011, there were CIF championships and some close-calls for other teams going for the top prize. There were deaths of former athletes and a...
View ArticleCourt: State can put an end to local redevelopment agencies
Cities across California were sent reeling Thursday by a state Supreme Court ruling that could spell the end for about 400 local redevelopment agencies. The court ruled on the constitutionality of a...
View ArticleReview: Meet the $60,000 Hyundai Equus
Pssst: Wanna know how to get a $100,000 executive sedan for 40 percent off? Buy a Hyundai. More specifically, buy a Hyundai Equus. Go on, take a second to recompose yourself. If you have even a passing...
View ArticleNFL: Little suspense in picking 2011 MVPs
There are great candidates for the 2011 NFL Most Valuable Player award, and then there's Aaron Rodgers.Sure, we can't go anywhere on the Internet or TV without hearing about Rodgers and "the discount...
View ArticleLakers win - and are getting Bynum back
LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers shot 71.9 percent from the field in the first half against the New York Knicks en route to an easy 99-82 victory on Thursday night. Now the Lakers are getting Andrew Bynum...
View ArticleBruins' loss is a missed chance
STANFORD -- Stanford gave UCLA a series of chances to stay close in Thursday night's Pac-12 opener and ultimately an opportunity to win in the final seconds — and the Bruins wasted all of them....
View ArticleMorning letters: Backyard Skeptics reasoning leaves doubts
LAGUNA NIGUEL, M.D. Johnson: It always amuses me how certain atheist groups like Backyard Skeptics smuggle their “we're smart -- you're stupid” ideology into their anti-God message. Instead of...
View ArticleTimothy Spangler: History’s lessons in plain sight
Closely guarded for over a millennium, 100 historical documents from the Vatican's archives are going on display in at the Capitoline Museum in Rome over the next few months. Interested members of the...
View ArticleGreat Park to host New Year's Eve party
The Orange County Great Park will host a family-friendly New Year's Eve celebration on Saturday night with dancing, activities for children and a countdown to the new year on East Coast time. The...
View ArticleGrant helps woman hear new sounds
This year, for the first time, Sharon Atkins heard her cat meow. "You should see some of the conversations we've been having," she joked. "I had always seen his mouth move but never knew what that...
View ArticleR.J. Manning: Getting our democracy back
Democracy is often praised but rarely is defined. Depending upon how it is practiced, democracy can be a source of freedom or an instrument for exploitation. In its basic form, democracy is government...
View ArticleHow much do you accept, rather than try to change another?
I just love getting letters from readers. Some simply comment on my column. Many are e-mails asking for advice. I am no therapist. I am just a 55-year-old mom, a widow, a self-proclaimed great friend,...
View ArticleEditorial: Court kills sacred cow of crony capitalism
In a monumental victory over crony capitalism that for too long has diverted billions of dollars in property taxes from more legitimate uses, the California Supreme Court overwhelmingly ruled Thursday...
View ArticleEditorial: Brown’s pep talk for tax hikes
You've got to hand it to Gov. Jerry Brown. If nothing else, he is consistent. Since returning to the governorship after a 28-year hiatus, he has been steadfast in promoting his one main plan for saving...
View Article