Duke's restaurant in Malibu survives fire but is now a muddy mess
Duke's, the iconic seaside restaurant in Malibu, was one of the few buildings along the city's storied stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway that came through January's Palisades fire still standing.
Its managers had almost finished cleaning the damage left by smoke and were preparing to reopen when Thursday's heavy rain triggered mudslides on the scorched hillsides nearby.
Las Flores Canyon Road turned into a river of mud flowing across PCH and into Duke's parking lot.
Now it will be months before the restaurant can reopen, manager Jimmy Chaves told the Malibu Times, adding to the economic woes of the restaurant's 130 employees, six of whom lost their homes in the fire.
The mudslide also closed the portion of PCH in front of the restaurant, although one lane has since been opened to emergency and cleanup crews.
The restaurant, which has been a favorite watering hole for tourists and locals for decades, is named in honor of Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku.
Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, who inspired the 1959 film 'Gidget,' about carefree surfers frolicking in an idyllic Southern California paradise, still works at Duke's as an 'Ambassador of Aloha,' according to the restaurant's website.
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San Francisco Chronicle
8 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
When Don Nelson collects Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, he'll throw shade at Doncic trade
Don Nelson never coached by the book, maybe because he never read the book, having had no intention of coaching in the first place. So the man honored Sunday at the Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals game in Oklahoma City with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award had to write his own virtual book on coaching. Here is a snippet, which might bring back fond memories for long-time fans of the Golden State Warriors. It takes place in early 2007 at Smitty's, an Oakland dive bar near Lake Merritt. Nelson, coach of the Warriors, arrives with two of his players, Stephen (Stack Jack) Jackson and Baron (Boom Dizzle) Davis. The Warriors hired Nelson that season, an eyebrow-raising move because he was 66 and had been out of coaching a year, seemingly retired. This was his second go-round with the Warriors, having coached them for seven seasons, starting in '88. The Warriors had just traded for Jackson, who came with baggage. The previous season, while on probation for an assault-and-battery charge, Jackson got into a beef at a strip club and fired several shots from his handgun. Davis had a rep for not getting along with coaches, including the previous Warriors coach, Mike Montgomery. At Smitty's, Nellie, Stack Jack and Boom Dizzle played shuffleboard, drank scotch and talked basketball for a couple hours. Finally, Nelson told his two players, 'You guys are going to be my captains. You run this team, and we're going to have fun.' And so it was. The Warriors scrapped and swashbuckled their way into the playoffs and pulled off the 'We Believe' miracle, a No. 8 seed defeating the No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks. Yes, Nelson had a style. Still does. He said for Sunday's on-court award presentation he would wear a tuxedo jacket, out of respect for the honor; a black t-shirt and blue jeans, because he doesn't take himself too seriously, and a Hawaiian necklace, because he is an adopted son of Maui, his long-time home. And shoes. More on those in a moment. The award is a big deal to Nelson. He hasn't left Maui in six years. He was lured away from paradise by the Chuck Daly honor, the culmination of Nelson's lifetime love affair with basketball that began in a chicken yard in rural Illinois, on his parents' hog farm. 'My uncle Walt put up a basket (a bicycle tire rim) in the chicken yard, and the chickens just (pooped) all over your court, of course,' Nelson says. 'It was a mess. One day I was playing against the guy next door, I dropped my gum, I thought I found it three or four times.' With Nelson's stories, sometimes you have to ponder the punch line for a moment. When Nelson was in seventh grade, pork prices slumped and the family lost the farm. That was fortuitous for young Don, because the one-room schoolhouse with six kids back on the farm wasn't going to lead him to college. The family moved to big-city Rock Island, where Don, big, strong and smart, became a star in high school. At Iowa, he was a third-team All-American as a junior, and in those pre-NIL days, he took a summer job at the International Harvester factory in Rock Island, operating a punch press. 'I looked to my right and to my left, and both guys working those machines had fingers missing,' Nelson said, laughing. 'They got 'em lopped off on the machines. They had these protective sleeves you're supposed to wear, but this was piece-work, and the only way you could make money was to take the sleeves off so you could go faster. I'm looking over, their goddamn fingers are missing and I'm going, 'Holy s—t, it's going to be hard to be a basketball player with fingers missing.' ' Nelson survived the factory, and after Iowa he went on to a 12-year NBA career, earning five rings with the Boston Celtics. He played one season under coach Red Auerbach, before Auerbach moved to the front office. Nelson made it a routine on game days to arrive at the arena several hours early and drop by Auerbach's office. 'I would sit there and talk basketball with him,' Nelson said, 'and I just learned so much from him. That's how I really got deep into the game. Things like how to run a team, how to get your team ready, get after guys at halftime.' That reminded Nelson of a story. 'One game we were down by about 15 at halftime. Red got on my old friend, Tom (Satch) Sanders. He said, 'Goddammit, Satch, you're not playing worth a s—t. If you don't get going, we're going to lose this game.' Satch says, 'Coach, I haven't been in the game yet.' ' After retiring, Nelson needed a job, so he decided to become an NBA ref. He worked the Summer League in Los Angeles and was told he'd need a year of seasoning in the Eastern League. Then he got a call from Milwaukee Bucks' GM Wayne Embry, offering him the assistant coaching job under Larry Costello. Back then (1976-77), NBA coaches had one assistant coach. 'I had a family of five and no job, so at least I was working,' Nelson said. Eighteen games into the season, the Bucks were 3-15 and the frustrated Costello quit. 'I begged him not to, because I thought I'd get fired,' Nelson said. Team owner Jim Fitzgerald offered the head job to Nelson, who turned it down twice before giving in. 'He said, 'Look, give it a try, we don't have anybody, we've got a game tomorrow.' So I said, 'OK, I'll try it and see what happens.' So I went from being a $25,000 assistant coach to being a $50,000 head coach.' At Milwaukee, out of pure expediency, Nelson developed his style of position-less basketball, which he would later bring to the Warriors, creating Run TMC. With the Bucks, Nelson was coach and general manager, and for that first season, the team's only scout. 'Being the GM, that gave me a tremendous advantage, I could pick players I thought we could work with and be good with. So I always picked the best player (regardless of size) and kind of made it work.' He made it work for 1,335 wins, second on the NBA's all-time list to Greg Popovich. Nelson coached the Warriors three seasons after We Believe. Then Joe Lacob bought the team and fired him. The Chronicle reported that Lacob wanted "a young, up-and-coming coach." 'I was a little surprised with the way things happened, but I think it is for the best for everybody,' Nelson said back then. Next — and last — stop for Nellie: Maui. He and wife Miss Joy fell in love with Hawaii during his playing days and bought a vacation house on Maui in '95, then bought more property. 'There was a good time to buy property on Maui,' Nelson once told me, 'and during that time, I bought a lot of it.' The Nelsons' beautiful waterfront home in Kihei is a base for Miss Joy's competitive Hawaiian canoe paddling, and for Nellie's poker. Years ago, Nelson became famous for his regular poker games with a group of Maui neighbors, including Willie Nelson and Owen Wilson. Times change. Nellie still plays poker with the boys every Wednesday, but Willie retired from poker after he got COVID. Too risky, although he still tours and performs, and has a new album out. Don Nelson still plays golf two or three times a week, and says he is feeling good. 'I quit smoking cigars and pot, and quit drinking alcohol,' said Nelson, noting he also smoked cigarettes for 30 years, a habit he picked up with the Celtics, who would light up at halftime. 'I quit weed about six months ago. I haven't drank alcohol in five years or so, so I'm pretty boring, but I'm pretty healthy. I don't participate in that stuff anymore, I do OK without it.' Boring, but with style. Nelson said his outfit for the Sunday ceremony would include special shoes, a tribute to Luka Doncic. 'I'm wearing a pair of Luka's shoes,' Nelson said. 'He's my dear friend, this is in protest of the trade (the Mavericks traded Doncic to the Lakers in midseason). I get 15 seconds on national TV. I don't have to say anything. Look for those shoes, goddammit.'
Buzz Feed
9 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
Lilo & Stitch Director Responds To Ending Backlash
Spoilers follow for Lilo & Stitch. At this point, the live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch has made so much money that, if you're reading this, it's possible you've seen it twice. You're also probably aware that the remake makes a lot of changes to the original plot of the 2002 animated film — and that people aren't happy about the biggest change to the ending, which sees Nani leave Lilo behind in Hawaii to study marine biology in San Diego. In a new interview with Variety, the remake's director Dean Fleischer Camp addressed the backlash towards the film's ending for the first time. "I've had some time to think about this," he said. "I do think that a fair amount of the people who are dunking on that premise have not actually seen the movie, and they write me stuff that is clearly wrong. They get the beats of the story wrong. But when you see it doesn't feel that way at all, and you see the intent of the actual filmmaking." "There are two larger conversations going on that led us towards that ending. We wanted to expand the meaning of ohana, and ground it in traditional Hawaiian values of collectivism, extended family and community. [Screenwriter Chris Kekaniokalani Bright], who's Hawaiian, made a really important observation about the original early on in our discussions. He didn't buy that the two orphan sisters would just be left to fend for themselves. He said, 'Neighbors, church groups, aunties and uncles, all these people would step in. That's just the Hawaii I know and grew up in.'" "That led him to create this character of Tutu, and she ultimately takes Lilo in as hanai, which is this culturally specific term and tradition that is a form of informal adoption. It isn't about blood or paperwork, but love and responsibility for the greater good and for one's community." Dean went on to say that Hawaiians who have seen the film "love" the reference to hanai, which is "this uniquely Hawaiian answer to the question of who shows up when things fall apart, and that idea of informal adoption. It shows the broader community's willingness to sacrifice and do whatever it takes for these girls and for their ohana." He also pointed out the difficulty of aiming to "satisfy everyone" when it comes to remaking beloved properties like Lilo & Stitch. "You are treading on hallowed ground when you make one of these, because these are films people grew up with, and I'm one of them, and I totally understand it. But we didn't want to just restage the beats of the original film, as much as we both loved it." "We wanted to tell a story that's honest about what it means to lose everything and still find a way forward. People do get left behind, like what Nani says, this is, and it's incumbent upon the community to make sure that they aren't forgotten." You can read the entire interview here.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Elvis & Lilo & Stitch: 'Everyone's Favorite Elvis-Loving Alien' pulls up to Graceland
Elvis and Ann-Margret. Elvis and Nancy Sinatra. Those teams were popular with audiences. But not as popular as Elvis & Lilo & Stitch. Released in 2002, the Disney animated feature film "Lilo & Stitch" introduced audiences to a lonely young Hawaiian girl and Elvis fan, named Lilo, and her new "pet," Stitch, a somewhat dog-esque genetically engineered extraterrestrial who liked to rampage but really yearned for a hug. Together, the duo pursued 'ohana (a Hawaiian term for "family") while playing "Suspicious Minds" on a portable record player and battling space aliens. Like Stitch's stolen spaceship when it crash-landed on the island of Kauaʻi, the movie made an impact. It earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature (it lost to Miyazaki's "Spirited Away," as any movie would), and collected $273 million at the international box office. (In comparison, 1964's "Viva Las Vegas," with Elvis and Ann-Margret, earned the equivalent of $94 million, in 2025 dollars.) On May 23, Disney released a new "Lilo & Stitch," the latest in its series of more-or-less live-action remakes of beloved animated features (other examples — all with digitally animated characters — include "Beauty and the Beast," "Mulan" and "Snow White," to name a few). Directed by Dean Fleischer Camp (who charmed audiences with the low-budget "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On"), the movie preserves but de-emphasizes its predecessor's Elvis connection. Even so, in the actual live-action world — the world of Disney and Graceland, of marketing and merchandise, of fans of music and movies — Elvis & Lilo & Stitch remain inseparable. "The amazing thing is that each generation gets introduced to Elvis in a different way, and for a certain generation, 'Lilo & Stitch' was how they were introduced to Elvis," said Angie Marchese, vice president of archives and exhibits at Graceland. "Now in their mid-20s, these people became fans because of the Disney movie," she said. "And now there's a whole new generation of kids who will be introduced to Elvis and his music through this new live-action version." How many kids? A lot of 'em: The new "Lilo" immediately established itself as a blockbuster. According to Variety, the entertainment industry newspaper, the movie set a Memorial Day weekend record by collecting an estimated $183 million at the U.S. box office. With the addition of its overseas revenues, Variety added, "Lilo & Stich" is off to "a staggering $341.7 million global start." On May 22, the evening before the movie's official release date, Disney hosted an invitation-only screening of the new movie in the 464-seat theater at The Guest House at Graceland, the hotel on Elvis Presley Boulevard that is located just north of the Elvis mansion. Attendees — mostly Elvis fans already connected to Graceland via various mailing lists — packed the house. They snagged free "Lilo & Stitch" posters and leis, and posed for selfies against Hawaiian backdrops and alongside larger-than-life Stitch figures, dressed in Elvis garb (there was a "Blue Hawaii Stitch," a "Jailhouse Rock Stitch," and a "50000000 Million Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong Gold Lamé Suit" Stitch). Earlier in the day, an animatronic Stitch in a rhinestone-studded jumpsuit toured Graceland in a miniature motorized vehicle, to the surprise and likely delight of fans. "The lovable renegade alien, who happens to love the music of Elvis Presley, arrived at the gates to Graceland Mansion in a pink convertible before going across the street to view the King of Rock 'n' Roll's jumpsuits and pink Cadillac at Elvis Presley's Memphis entertainment complex," stated a Disney press release about the publicity event. The headline described Stitch as "Everyone's Favorite Elvis-Loving Alien." ELVIS AT 90: Decade-by-decade milestones in the life — and afterlife — of the King The ballyhoo echoed similar fanfare that heralded the release of the first "Lilo & Stitch" 23 years earlier. In 2002, the movie's arrival coincided with Graceland's yearlong commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death; Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, told The Commercial Appeal that the release of an Elvis-connected "classic G-rated Disney flick" would open "a powerful market" for Graceland. In 2002 as in 2025, Disney and Graceland hosted an invitation-only local premiere for "Lilo & Stitch," but the earlier event was more elaborate. The screening of the film at Downtown's now-vanished multiplex, the Muvico Peabody Place 22, was followed by what The Commercial Appeal called a "lavish luau" in front of the ticket pavilion at Graceland, complete with fire dancers, leis made from actual orchids, bamboo huts and costumed movie characters. Testifying to the event's importance, the guest of honor was the nephew of Walt Disney, longtime Disney executive Roy E. Disney, who at the time was vice chairman of the Disney company and chair of Disney Feature Animation. (Roy Disney died in 2009, at 79.) The Los Angeles premiere of the 2002 movie had occurred about a week earlier. Priscilla Presley attended, and told reporters that "Lilo & Stitch" offered "a great message to bring family back together again because really, that's what it's all about. Elvis was very much a family man, regardless of what you hear. He loved family and he always came home." In 2025 as in 2002, Disney and Elvis Presley Enterprises are banking on the appeal of "Lilo & Stitch." The gift shops at Graceland now are stuffed with items from the grandiloquently labeled "Disney Stitch Inspired by Elvis Collection," created by NECA, a pop culture collectibles company. Ranging from $12.99 to $34.99, these include plush and plastic figures of all sizes, showcasing Stitch in Elvis garb. Stitch-as-Elvis pins and other items also are available. The new merchandise augments a still thriving line of "Lilo & Stitch" merchandise, tied to the original film. Stitch "has become a crucial character in the Walt Disney Company's modern empire, mainly in the form of a dizzying array of licensed merchandise," The New York Times reported this week, in a story that called Stitch "a cash cow for the company." Reported the newspaper: "The company's annual financial reports for 2023 and 2024 included 'Lilo & Stitch' on a short list of nine examples of its 'major' licensed properties, putting it on par with classics titans like Winnie the Pooh and Mickey and Friends, and conglomerates like Star Wars and the collective Disney princesses." Meanwhile, vintage 2002 "Lilo & Stitch" collectibles continue to be popular on eBay and elsewhere; these include eight McDonald's Happy Meal toys, one of which presents Stitch in an Elvis jumpsuit, strumming a guitar atop a surfboard. ELVIS WEEK 2025: Graceland to celebrate the King with concerts, panels, vigil and more The new "Lilo & Stitch," for the most part, is remarkably faithful to its inspiration, even to the inclusion of a clip from the same B-movie, 1958's "Earth vs. The Spider." But — somewhat surprisingly, in the wake of the hit Baz Luhrmann biopic — the new movie has less Elvis than the old. Yes, the soundtrack showcases the same songs ("Heartbreak Hotel," "Devil in Disguise," "Hound Dog"), in basically the same situations (although the remake totally bungles the Stitch-as-record-player "Suspicious Minds" scene); but the live-action Lilo (played by Maia Kealoha) is less the Elvis evangelist than was her cartoon counterpart. In the first film, Lilo pays Stitch the ultimate compliment: "You look like an Elvis fan." She pulls out an 8-by-10 "Blue Hawaii" portrait of Elvis and declares: "Elvis was a model citizen." She tells Stitch: "I have compiled a list of his traits for you to practice." This leads to comic scenes of Stitch strumming a guitar while wearing an Elvis-style jumpsuit and pompadour. The film ends with a happily-ever-after vacation "photo" of Stitch and his new human family posing in front of the gates of Graceland. None of these Elvis moments are recreated in the new movie — although Stitch does appear, briefly, in his Elvis jumpsuit during the end credits. Maybe we'll get more Elvis — for better or worse? — in the sequel, if there is one. The 2002 "Lilo & Stitch" was followed by a TV series and three direct-to-video feature films. The first of these features was "Stitch! The Movie," which — perhaps due to budgetary constraints — licensed only one Elvis song, the thematically appropriate but hardly epochal "Slicin' Sand," from 1963's "Blue Hawaii." The lyrics likely did not give Leiber & Stoller sleepless nights. Encourages Elvis, while serenading a bevy of beauties: "Dance, dance, dance/ 'til your toes get tan/ We're gonna have us a ball on the beach/ Slicin' sand..." This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Lilo & Stitch: Elvis references, Stitch merch and a visit to Graceland
