The Crowd: Coastal Orange County teems with activity this spring
A small band of people gathered on the corner of Bristol Street and Avenue of the Arts in Costa Mesa to protest the recent performance of the Israel Philharmonic at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. While protests are as much a part of the American foundation as apple pie, driving past, I couldn't help but question the objective of standing in opposition to a philharmonic orchestra. Music, after all, is one of humankind's most enduring gifts unifying people across borders, throughout the ages.
The concert, produced by the Philharmonic Society and sponsored in great part by the Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation, was brilliant. Music director and conductor Lahov Shani led the orchestra in an inspirational program that began with a rousing performance of both the U.S. and Israeli national anthems. The 'Star-Spangled Banner' and 'Hatikvah' blended with explosive hope and promise.
Max Bruch's 'Kol Nidrei' followed, heightening the emotional pull of the evening. Leonard Bernstein's 'Halil' and then Tchaikovsky's 'Symphony No 6 in B Minor' capped the evening concert that ended in multiple standing ovations, and then an encore. A special nod to principal cellist Haran Meltzer.
The Packard International Motor Car Club will bring its most elegant and historic display of what many auto collectors and historians consider the finest American cars ever built to a show at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Newport Beach, Saturday, May 8, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Upwards of 40 outstanding cars, Concours d'Elegance quality, dating from the 1920s to the 1950s, will be on display. The Packard Club is headquartered in Santa Ana and is a non-profit social organization dedicated to the preservation of these remarkable examples of automotive engineering and art. The event is free to the public.
The Balboa Island Museum is planning its popular annual Memorial Day BBQ in the Park honoring local veterans. The museum, working with sponsors including the Balboa Island Improvement Association (BIIA), the Louis and Gladyse Foster Family Foundation, Rusty's Chips, 501 Park Avenue, and more, will produce the Monday, May 26 celebration at 115 Agate Ave., Newport Beach. Volunteers will serve your favorite barbecued burgers, dogs, SPAM and chili. Free to all vets; $15 for adults, $10 kids. To learn more visit biia.org.
The Newport Beach Country Club welcomes Childhelp's Rich Saul Memorial Golf Classic on April 28. The 13th anniversary outing is named for the late former Los Angeles Rams center Rich Saul. The Childhelp Classic is celebrating its 43rd year on the Orange Coast and will be co-chaired this season by Debra Violette and Catherine Caporaso. Eileen Saul, Rich Saul's widow, will act as tournament coordinator.
Organizers expect to raise more than $600,000 benefiting the work of Childhelp in O.C., saving the lives of the most abused and neglected children in need. Platinum title sponsors of the golf tournament are Jacquie and Michael Casey, joining executive sponsors the O'Connell Family Foundation and the Cleo A. Bluth Family Charitable Foundation. To learn more, visit childhelp.org.
They are calling for 'All Hands on Deck!' Newport Sea Base will host its Good Sea Scout awardees Anne and John Wortmann on May 16 at a reception in support of youth involved in the various programs offered at Sea Base. More than 10,000 local youth participate in Sea Base marine-focused experiences annually. John Wortmann is a Newport Beach Commodore, and the chairman of the Board of Governors for Balboa Bay Club, among many other civic and charitable endeavors supported by both he and wife Anne, the Pasadena Rose Queen in 1976. For ticket information, sponsorship outreach and more, contact Elena Garcia at (714) 546-4990 x121 or Elena.Garcia@scouting.org.
April 5 marked Leo 'Marty' Schlocker's 100th birthday in Newport Beach, his home since 1964. The WWII Army veteran was an enlisted member of the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division attached to Gen. George Patton's Third Army. Wounded and captured by the German Army during the Battle of the Bulge, Schlocker discarded his dog tags that indicated his Jewish religion, fearing death, and was sent to Stalag 9B as a prisoner of war.
Following his service, Schlocker returned to the U.S. and served 23 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, 25 years in the Army Reserve, and 30 years with the L.A. Airport Authority as superintendent of operations. A lifetime member of the Newport Beach Elks Lodge 1767, Schlocker joined his wife, Pamela, family and friends celebrating his 100th, and a lifetime of family, community and national service.
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35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
After 'The Brady Bunch' house sold to a megafan for $3.2 million, she created a sweepstakes to let fans win tours inside— take a look.
Tina Trahan bought the "The Brady Bunch" house, which appears in the opening credits, from HGTV. The 1959 house in LA's Studio City was renovated in 2019 so its interiors now match the show's sets. In 2025, Trahan put on a sweepstakes to allow fans to tour the property. Who doesn't want to live in a classic American sitcom? The house featured in "The Brady Bunch" hit the market in May 2023 for a cool $5.5 million — and it sold in September of the same year for $3.2 million. HGTV, which purchased the home for $3.5 million in 2018, had to settle for a figure that was $2.3 million less than its initial listing and about 9% less than what it originally paid for the home, The Wall Street Journal reported. Built in 1959, the two-story home in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles measures 5,140 square feet and is the embodiment of midcentury modern style. It was rebuilt to replicate the set of the TV show, the listing said. The buyer, Tina Trahan, told the Journal she was a fan of the show but didn't plan to live in the house — she said she wanted to use it for fundraising and charity events. Then, in partnership with the nonprofit No Kid Hungry, Trahan launched The Brady Experience, a sweepstakes in which participants can donate money for the chance to tour the house and eat brunch with a members of the original show's cast. Dallas, Georgia, resident Sue Myers grew up watching the Brady Bunch, and even passed that tradition on to her son. "I was the huge 'Brady' fan — I'm obviously a kid of the seventies and grew up during that time, and the Brady Bunch was on after school every day," Myers told Business Insider. "What's fun is that when becoming a parent, I've got a 24-year-old son, and so I raised him on it as well." Myers heard about the sweepstakes from a friend who knew she was a big fan, and she ended up winning an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to check out the home with her son. She went on a tour led by cast members Christopher Knight and Barry Williams, and had a brunch at the home. The renovation, which was highlighted on the TV series "A Very Brady Renovation," was flawless according to Myers. "It was so exact," she said. "It was one of those things where it was a weird feeling because when we came in, it was amazing to be there and then to see something that was so familiar to you, but in a place you've never been." Trahan told the Journal in 2023 that the house was "the worst investment ever," but has since clarified those comments, telling People that she views the home as a piece of art. "When I was buying it, I wasn't thinking, 'Oh, it was a great investment,'" Trahan told People in 2023. "When I buy art, it's because I love the art. It's not because, 'Oh, I'm going to make money on this.' If you're going to make money in art, you have to sell it. I buy art, and then I don't sell it." The first Brady Experience sweepstakes was such a success that Trahan is opening it up for another round. Trahan could not be reached for comment. Here's a look around the iconic property. The exterior of "The Brady Bunch" home was featured in the show's credits. The property was originally listed for $5.5 million. It sold for $3.2 million. Sometimes the Bradys are home. "Christopher Knight and Barry Williams, who play Greg and Peter on the show, answered the door, so that was fun," Myers said. "It was actually like walking up to the Brady House and knocking on the door, and the Bradys are there." The interior was renovated by HGTV. The network acquired the property in 2018 for $3.5 million. If you've seen the show, which aired from 1969 to 1974, then you'll recognize the staircase. The house's interior has undergone meticulous renovations to replicate the set of "The Brady Bunch" as part of HGTV's "A Very Brady Renovation," a 2019 miniseries featuring six of the surviving actors from the original sitcom. Myers was able to recreate the iconic shot on the stairs with a few cast members. Eve Plumb, who played Jan on the show, also stopped by for a surprise visit. Another feature that might evoke memories is the bright orange Formica kitchen counters. While the equipment looks similar to that of the show, none of it is operational. Myers said an actor playing Alice served them a brunch that included the famous pork chops and applesauce from the show. "Tina thought of every detail: the pork chops, the applesauce, having Alice there to serve up for everybody, and every little knickknack. Every episode was probably represented somewhere in that house." This living room was where we would see most of the cast congregate. "It is as authentic as it can be," Myers said. "I can't imagine anything else that could be replicated so perfectly because you're in a home." The property offers the high ceilings, big windows, and sliding glass doors of the show's set. "It was amazing that they could do that from a TV set to make it to be the actual home," Myers said. "You would not think you were anywhere else but in the original Brady house." All of the bedrooms are staged just as they were on the show. "I knew it was around every corner, and no, it did not disappoint," Myers said. "It was like an exact replica." Greg Brady was the eldest of the bunch, known as a ladies man. He secured his own room in the attic by season four. The actual home doesn't have an attic, so another room had to be converted into Greg's space. "They didn't have the floor plan to do that in the house, so they just made that kind of off to the side," Myers said. Even the backyard is a replica of the show. "It was just like every time I walked into a room, it was like, 'Oh, I've been here before," Myers said. "It was such a strange feeling." Tina Trahan, the house's owner, doesn't live inside but instead uses it for charitable events. After a successful run of the first Brady Experience sweepstakes, Trahan is getting ready for another round. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
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Brandon Scott Jones on CBS' ‘Ghosts': ‘I enjoy playing characters that are desperate'
Surprise! CBS' Ghosts is quite a revolutionary endeavor, especially for a sitcom on a broadcast network. A big part of that is thanks to costar Brandon Scott Jones, who plays the ephemeral, late Isaac Higgintoot — a soldier who fought on the side of the American Continental Congress in the Revolutionary War. Now, Isaac wasn't a big fan of war — he preferred surrendering post-battle — and actually met his end not by a barrage of buckshot, but due to dysentery. Still, Isaac isn't only revolutionary thanks to his character: He's possibly one of the first American military men to adhere to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of being gay in the U.S. armed forces. 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"Where does the Revolutionary War stand in pop culture and the Zeitgeist? As I've been playing the part, I've slowly been learning more and more [about history], which has been really fun." While Isaac may be Jones' longest-played character, he's far from the Maryland-born actor's first role. Jones performed with the Upright Citizens Brigade and co-wrote and starred in the 2022 film Senior Year. Audiences may also recognize him from his roles in The Good Place and The Other Two, and he's often cast as snooty, snarky, sassy — or all three. "I'm always interested in playing more that side of things," he says. "It's a fun way to access that part of me that … exists. We all have a little clap-back in ourselves, right? You get to have catharsis on camera and get paid for it." Meanwhile, Jones is working on several non-Ghosts projects that he can't talk about just yet — but he does have one new major element of his life he's happy to discuss: He's now a homeowner. 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San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
No, Sylvester Stallone isn't dead: Online confusion follows music legend Sly Stone's passing
Sylvester Stallone is very much alive, despite a wave of ' RIP Sylvester Stallone ' messages that flooded social media Monday, June 9. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, was a central figure in shaping the sound of American funk and soul in the late 1960s and '70s. He died peacefully after a prolonged battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his family said in a statement released Monday. The confusion stemmed from the nickname 'Sly,' which both men share. But their careers could hardly be more different. Stone, raised in Vallejo, was a musical innovator whose band broke racial and gender barriers. His hits — including 'Dance to the Music,' 'Family Affair' and 'Everyday People' — became anthems of a generation. His childhood nickname 'Sly' came from a misspelling of 'Sylvester.' Stallone, by contrast, is a Hollywood icon, known for portraying cinematic tough guys like boxer Rocky Balboa and soldier John Rambo. The actor is a vocal Donald Trump supporter, who last year called the anti-DEI president the 'second George Washington.' The 78-year-old celebrity has made no public statement about the mix-up, though fans were quick to set the record straight.
