Kings seek a bounce-back game vs. Philadelphia Flyers

• December 18, 2024

After falling apart in Pittsburgh, the Kings traversed the Keystone State for Thursday’s throwdown with the Philadelphia Flyers and Calder Trophy favorite Matvei Michkov.

In Pittsburgh, the Kings scored in the first period for the fifth straight game and, despite going away from the early jitters of Tristan Jarry to start Alex Nedeljkovic, the Penguins again allowed a goal off the hop.

But the Kings faltered where they’ve typically excelled this season, in the third period, and then again in the frame that has flummoxed them the most, overtime. They fell to 0-0-4 in games that reached an extra session this season, bringing their two-season total to a lackluster 7-0-15.

Despite sitting on a second-intermission lead, the Kings were fortunate to even reach OT as the third period was dominated by the trio of Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust. They piled up menacing opportunities before Crosby set up the equalizer and Rakell secured the victory in overtime.

“Third periods have been our best, I think, that’s been the trend anyway, for a while, and it was not tonight,” Kings coach Jim Hiller told reporters. “We relied on Darcy (Kuemper) way too much. They got some energy with the second goal, they tied it. They had a lot of chances, too many.”

Kuemper was praised widely after the game as he contained more than a few fires once the Crosby line heated up late. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and winger Adrian Kempe, who had a breakaway go awry in OT and who opened the scoring, respectively, each lauded Kuemper as well as Alex Turcotte, who scored a brilliant goal in transition.

“He’s a skilled guy. You can see that much in the games, but on practice days he’s been outstanding and finally he brought some of that into the game and scored a huge goal for us,” Gavrikov said.

At Wednesday morning’s session with reporters in Philadelphia, Gavrikov spoke in Russian about another “skilled guy,” Philly’s front-runner for rookie of the year, Michkov.

Current Flyers bench boss John Tortorella guided Columbus when Gavrikov and former Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois played in Ohio’s capital. Gavrikov was asked if he had any advice for Michkov, who despite his immense potential had been benched and scratched multiple times by Tortorella already.

Gavrikov said that he had seen clashes between Tortorella and his players before, including Dubois.

“There were very interesting locker-room battles with Pierre-Luc Dubois,” Gavrikov said. “In the dressing room, we just sat there frozen wondering what would happen next, like we were watching a movie. Tortorella yelled a lot at him, he also shouted back, and I was sitting there thinking someone is going to break someone’s forehead, something will definitely happen.”

Much like the story of a similar confrontation told on Spittin’ Chiclets by former Ducks center Ryan Kesler, who played for Tortorella in Vancouver, Gavrikov said that the veteran coach, who won a Stanley Cup in 2004 with Tampa Bay, appreciated pushback and the passion that came with it.

“He likes it. Torts likes it when they answer him,” Gavrikov said. “It is important to him that the player cares.”

Gavrikov went on to express appreciation for Tortorella’s guidance in his own career and confidence that Tortorella could steward young players, despite a gruff approach that could cause friction with some players.

Michkov may or may not have needed the discipline he’s received, but his talent is undoubted. In an eyelash over 17 minutes a game, he’s racked up 27 points in 29 contests. He leads the struggling Flyers power play in points by a wide margin and trails only Travis Konecny in overall scoring.

He’s been held off the scoresheet in his past two games, but had slathered on 10 points in his prior five games. He’s already drawn comparisons to contemporary Russian stars like Nikita Kucherov and Kirill Kaprizov, as well as consecrated figures like Pavel Datsyuk and Pavel Bure.

Kings at Philadelphia

When: 4:30 p.m. PT Thursday

Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

TV: ESPN+, Hulu

​ Orange County Register 

Gov. Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency over bird flu infections

• December 18, 2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to rising cases of bird flu, the same day the U.S. Centers for Disease Control confirmed a person in Louisiana had been hospitalized with a ‘‘severe’’ case of the disease.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,” Newsom said in a statement. “While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”

California is the first to declare a statewide emergency, though Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a targeted “disaster” alert in July after officials there detected an outbreak at a Weld County egg plant.

There have been 61 human H5N1 cases nationwide of avian flu since April, according to CDC data. Thirty-four cases are in California, mostly among agriculture workers exposed to infected cattle. More than 4 million chickens and turkeys have died since the illness began wreaking havoc on dairies and farms in 2022.

The state of emergency will allow state agencies to shift from a regional response to statewide testing and disease surveillance, according to a copy of the executive order.

The state Department of Public Health has distributed personal protective gear to dairy workers, and encourages people six months of age and older to receive updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines to minimize the chance of contracting human and bird flu illnesses.

The state Department of Public Health said as of Friday there have been no reported cases of one person spreading the illness to another person.

The agency began recalling gallons of raw milk last month after reporting that nearly a quarter of the state’s 1,100 dairies were being quarantined for the diseases. People should avoid consuming raw milk products and instead use pasteurized milk.

​ Orange County Register 

Can the U.S. end ‘unprecedented’ housing crisis?

• December 18, 2024

The story of the 2024 housing market has been one of a nation frozen in place, with millions of people unable to move amid rising home prices, stubbornly high mortgage rates and a drastic shortage of inventory.

The year is on track to have the slowest housing market in three decades, with a projected 4 million home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors — making 2024 the second straight year of historically anemic sales. The last time sales dipped that low was in 1995, when the U.S. population was 22% smaller than it is today.

“This is just an incredibly low figure considering how many people we have in America, and Americans’ general view that as their situation improves, they move,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “I simply don’t think that you can remain at this low level.”

The depths of the housing slump surprised even economists, who had predicted that by spring, mortgage rates would fall enough to pull sales out of last year’s doldrums. Instead, inflation remained stubborn, driving up interest rates. By April, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage had topped 7%, stalling sales during what should have been peak shopping season. Buyers simply couldn’t afford what was available, while sellers, reluctant to trade historically low pandemic-era mortgages for much higher ones, had little incentive to list their homes. Despite the lack of activity, prices kept rising because there were so few homes available.

Government data shows that inflation rose last month from the previous year, albeit much more slowly, so the Federal Reserve made only a modest cut to interest rates at its latest meeting.

“I don’t see mortgage rates changing based on this data,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “I think the Fed will probably signal that they’re going to cut as much as they can, but they have to watch out for these other inflationary forces that may be popping up or may take longer than they were hoping to go away on their own.”

This housing crisis is largely a supply crisis, and not just because people aren’t selling their homes. The country simply hasn’t built enough new homes to keep pace with a growing population: Zillow puts the shortage at 4.5 million homes, Freddie Mac at 3.7 million.

Builders have been struggling against higher costs for borrowing, materials and labor — relics of the pandemic. In October, new housing starts for single-family homes dropped by 6.9% from September, to 970,000, according to the Census Bureau.

Americans are now living in the aftermath of a historic run-up in home prices and rents amid this crushing housing deficit. In the third quarter of 2024, the median sale price for a house, $420,400, was 32% higher than in the second quarter of 2020, at the start of the pandemic, according to federal housing data.

And the nationwide median rent, at $1,382 a month in November, was 20% higher than in January 2020, according to Apartment List. In 2022, more Americans than ever were rent-burdened (meaning they spent more than a third of their income on housing), and homelessness reached record highs.

“I’ve been working on this issue for three decades, and I’ve never seen the crisis this deep or this broad,” said Shaun Donovan, the chief executive of Enterprise Community Partners, a housing nonprofit, and a former secretary of housing and urban development under President Barack Obama. “The depth of the crisis is unprecedented.”

The high interest rates aren’t helping. Between July 2023 and June 2024, first-time homebuyers purchased less than a quarter of the homes that sold, the lowest share since 1981. And the ones who did buy were older than ever, with a median age of 38, NAR found. In the 1980s, first-time buyers were generally in their late 20s, according to NAR.

An era of cheap debt that began in the wake of the 2008 foreclosure crisis came to a thunderous end in 2022, when the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates to tamp down inflation. The days of 3.5% mortgage rates are over.

Realtor.com is predicting that mortgage rates will hover around 6.3% through next year, while Redfin expects them to stay closer to 7%, keeping many prospective buyers on the sidelines.

With buyers, sellers and renters all stuck, the forecast for 2025 remains uncertain. Some economists are hopeful that new inventory could create some momentum, while others are doubtful that the logjam will be broken. Redfin, expecting that demand will continue to outpace supply, predicts prices will rise by 4% next year, while CoreLogic, expecting that high interest rates will deter more buyers, forecasts a more modest 1.9% growth.

Sam Khater, chief economist at Freddie Mac, projects that prices will rise faster than they did in 2024, but sales will still increase as buyers come to terms with how far their dollars will go. “Homebuyers will adjust what they’re looking for,” he said.

There is some optimism on the inventory front. The National Association of Home Builders is expecting construction to start on about 1 million single-family homes next year. And there’s been a construction boom in the rental market from projects that began during the pandemic, with 1 million new multifamily units coming to market in 2024 and 2025, a 50-year high. This influx means that rents could at least remain flat in 2025, as they did in 2024.

In August, new rules went into effect governing how real estate agents are paid, and although the changes have not affected commissions so far, Redfin predicts that broker fees might dip slightly next year, particularly in the luxury market, potentially reducing one of the costs associated with selling a house.

Several states and cities have passed legislation to spur residential development, which is critical because most building rules are set at the local level. President-elect Donald Trump has called for loosening regulations, which could make it easier to build, and for opening federal land to housing construction.

But the second Trump administration might create its own headwinds. Trade tariffs could increase the costs of some building materials, like Canadian lumber, and spur inflation, driving up interest rates again. Mass deportations could increase labor costs, since an estimated 30% of construction workers are immigrants. And if federally backed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants that guarantee most home loans, are privatized — a move Trump proposed during his first term — mortgage rates could rise.

“People hoping for a huge housing boom and house prices coming down, rents coming down — it’s hard to see how that would happen in a Trump administration,” said Dean Baker, a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a nonpartisan think tank.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

​ Orange County Register 

Mortgage rates above 6% next year is consensus forecast

• December 18, 2024

Home shoppers hoping for more attractive mortgage rates next year may be disappointed.

That’s the takeaway from several economists’ 2025 housing forecasts, most released over the past couple of weeks.

Most of the eight forecasts call for the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to remain above 6% next year, with some including an upper range as high as 6.8%.

That range would be largely in line with where rates have hovered this year. The average rate has gone as low as 6.08% in September — a 2-year low — and as high as 7.22% in May, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. The average rate was 6.6% last week.

“Even by the end of next year it’s hard to see sub 6% mortgage rates,” said Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American, which predicts the average rate on a 30-year mortgage will range between 6% and 6.5% next year.

The biggest wildcard for mortgage rates next year is whether President-elect Donald Trump’s major policy initiatives will end up driving inflation and the national debt higher, which could keep mortgage rates elevated. That’s because what happens with inflation, the U.S. deficit and the economy can influence moves in the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to price home loans.

Trump says he wants to impose tariffs on foreign goods, lower tax rates and lighten regulations, policies that could rev up the economy, but also fuel inflation and increase U.S. government debt.

Economists at Redfin project that the average rate on a 30-year mortgage will hover around 6.8% next year, citing expectations that Trump’s proposed tax cuts would increase the U.S. deficit and his tariffs plan could stoke inflation, ultimately pushing mortgage rates higher.

However, mortgage rates could drop to the low-6% range if the economy weakens or if plans for tariffs and tax cuts are dialed back, according to the forecast.

A couple of forecasts are more optimistic about how low the average rate on a 30-year mortgage will go in 2025. Fitch Ratings sees it ranging from 5.8% to 6.4%, while TD Economics predicts the average rate will drop to 5.8% by the end of the year.

The average rate is still below its historical average of 7% going back to 1971. But that’s little consolation to home shoppers now because over the last 10 years home prices have risen much more quickly than incomes.

“So it’s kind of having this double whammy on affordability that someone 30 years ago with a 6% rate wasn’t having to deal with,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS.

Rates in the 6% range would mean most homeowners with a mortgage would have to take on a higher rate than they currently have if they elected to sell their home and finance another. More than four in five homeowners with a mortgage have an existing rate below 6%, according to Realtor.com.

Economists see some bright spots for homebuyers next year. Those who can afford to buy regardless of where rates are, or who can bypass them altogether by tapping into home equity gains, should benefit from a continued increase in homes for sale and modest pace of home price growth.

​ Orange County Register 

Carson Palmer returns to Santa Margarita looking to make an impact, lift up football program

• December 18, 2024

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – He’s not doing it for the money.

Carson Palmer earned millions playing quarterback in the NFL after a Heisman Trophy-winning senior year at USC.

Palmer said he pursued the football head coaching position at Santa Margarita because he feels indebted to the high school that created the foundation that enabled him to have a rewarding and prosperous life in college and pro football.

Palmer was announced as Santa Margarita’s football head coach last week.

This past season he was a voluntary quarterbacks coach for the school’s freshman team that had his son Fletcher playing quarterback. Palmer also has a daughter at Santa Margarita and two younger children.

“As I was around this program more and realized the impact you can have in this game at this level, I wanted to have that impact,” said Palmer who sat down for an interview Tuesday in the Santa Margarita football building. “I want to be that coach when kids say, ‘Mom, remember when I played for Coach Palmer … ‘ I want to be part of that. I want to feel that.”

Anthony Rouzier had been the Eagles’ head coach since the 2020 season. Rouzier was placed on administrative leave in late October when the school began an investigation into an alleged hazing incident in the school locker room. Defensive coordinator Steve Fifita was promoted to head coach for the remainder of the season.

This is not, Palmer said, a temporary job, a three-year gig that will end when Fletcher’s senior season ends. He plans on coaching Santa Margarita long after his son graduates.

A wall in the Eagles football office has a list of the team’s CIF-SS championships, including the years 1996 and 1997 when Palmer quarterbacked the Eagles to CIF Southern Section titles. He threw for 413 yards and five touchdowns in the 1997 CIF-SS Division V final, a 55-42 win over Tustin in what remains one of the more memorable games in Orange County high school football history.

“I want to get this thing rockin’ and rollin’,” said Palmer who turns 45 later this month. “I told the team when I met them that I want to make an impact and I want to teach football, but I also want to put another year on the wall.”

There is work to be done. While Santa Margarita consistently is a team in the upper portion of the Orange County Top 10, the Eagles have not been top contenders for a CIF championship since their most recent CIF-SS title in 2011 when Harry Welch coached the team. The Eagles also won a CIF State championship that season. There have been a smattering of wins in the playoffs, but since the 2018 season Santa Margarita is 31-41.

This past season Santa Margarita tied JSerra and Servite for fourth place in the six-team Trinity League and finished 5-7 overall, although three of the losses were by three or fewer points. The Eagles beat previously undefeated Inglewood in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs before losing to St. John Bosco 31-29 in the quarterfinals.

Where does Palmer start his Santa Margarita coaching venture?

“My focus right now is on putting together a coaching staff,” he said. “And to make sure we have a freshman team, a junior varsity team and a varsity team. The numbers (players in the football program) have been funky around here for a while so they weren’t able to field a whole JV team because of numbers. I want to improve the numbers here so that there’ll be a JV team and JV coach, so our guys can work on and develop that chemistry and bond that was created in the freshman year.”

Palmer said he has reached out to many coaching prospects, and many have reached out to him.

“I’m casting a wide net,” he said “I’m not going to just slap together a staff by a certain date. I’m very intentional in this process. I want everybody to be stellar in their ability to teach the game, but I also want them to have a good vibe and have the right kind of energy around these kids.”

The roster has a high-quality nucleus.

Junior linebacker Dash Fifita was named a co-defensive most valuable player in the Trinity League this season. Junior receiver Trent Mosley, the league’s MVP as a sophomore in 2023, missed a few games this season because of injury but still was selected all-league first team. Freshman running back Jaion Smith made all-league first team as did junior linebacker Leki Holani and junior cornerback Jayden Crowder.

Palmer said his coaching style and methods will borrow from many of the coaches he played for, including Pete Carroll, Norm Chow and Steve Sarkissian at USC and Hue Jackson at USC and with the Raiders and Bruce Arians with the Arizona Cardinals.

“I’ve got tons of stuff, tons of one-liners,” Palmer said. “I would just write stuff down they would say because they were funny, or I’d think, ‘Man, that’s such a good point.’

“I’ve been given so much by so many great minds and so many great teachers that I’m just recycling it all and using those points and maybe putting a spin on it. Some of that was so perfect I don’t need to put a spin on it.”

Palmer said he will bring in an offensive coordinator to run the offensive show, to make the calls on game nights. But, of course, Palmer will be in on the design.

“I’m going to have my handprints all over it,” he said. “I want to hire someone to call the plays so I don’t miss anything, so I can do a good job of managing it all so I don’t have distractions. But as we build out the playbook I’m going to be all over it.”

There will be some facets of coaching a high-level, Trinity League football program that might require more attention than Palmer anticipated.

Such as …

“Fundraising,” he said. “I had no idea how much of my time that’s going to take. There are always things coming up, and I’m just on Day 3 here, right?

“I just thought ‘OK, there’s a pool of money and you just figure it out and you just spread it out.’ There are all these little things that need to be accounted for, and I’m just now wrapping my head around it. In business it’s cash in and cash out, but here it’s just way more layered than that and I’ve got to figure it out.”

Palmer spent all four of his high school years at Santa Margarita and all four of his college years at USC. Today there is much more movement of athletes jumping from school to school, even in high school football.

“If someone here wants to leave then they’re going to leave,” Palmer said. “If they want to come then they’re going to come. If they make the decision to come, that’s awesome, if they want to leave there’s no hard feelings.

“That’s the landscape now and I’m not going to fight it.”

Carson Palmer came back to Santa Margarita to fight on for the school that meant much to him 30 years ago and still does today.

​ Orange County Register 

12 sexy Christmas movies to stream this ho-ho-holiday season

• December 18, 2024

If you’re dreaming of a steamy Christmas this year, these festive flicks will deck your halls with holiday cheer.

From PG-rated films that throw in some holiday innuendo and all-in-good-fun frolicking to R-rated films that’ll land you straight on the naughty list, we’ve compiled a list of (subjectively) sexy Christmas movies that are worth a watch. Some movies made the list based on spicy social media discourse (the Grinch himself doesn’t exactly ooze sex appeal) and some made the list for more obvious reasons.

While we encourage enjoying any of the following films in a cozy room by the fire, we’ve included a fire meter to gauge the holiday hot factor.

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (2000)

You might be thinking “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is the antithesis of sexy, but I assure you, reader, Christine Baranski’s portrayal of the libidinous Martha May has sparked discourse online that is not nearly as PG as the family favorite film. The live-action take on the classic Christmas tale stars Jim Carrey and Baranski as the Grinch and Martha May Whovier. He may be a mean one, cuddly as a cactus and charming as an eel as the song goes, but Martha May could always see past his prickly exterior.

‘Single All The Way’ (2021)

This Netflix original follows Peter, played by Michael Urie, who’s desperate to avoid his family’s side-eye about his single status when he goes home for the holidays. He convinces his best friend Nick, played by Philemon Chambers, to help him pull a fast one and pretend that their platonic relationship is now romantic. When Peter’s mother, played by Kathy Najimy, fixes him up on a blind date with her (extremely) hunky trainer before he’s had a chance to announce his faux relationship, things go sideways. This PG movie has a light simmer, a lot of longing and along with Peter’s family, you might yell at the screen, “Make out, already!” The main hot factor lies in the natural (and potent!) chemistry between Peter and Nick, and despite them often struggling to find the right words, their feelings for one another come through in a sweet and, yes, sexy, way.

‘Hot Frosty’ (2024)

This Netflix original was surely pitched as “Frosty the Snowman” meets “Jack Frost,” and the result is something like “Jacked Snowman.” Lacey Chabert, known for “Mean Girls,” stars as Kathey Barrett, whose “kafé” is in ill repair after her handyman husband died of cancer. Her besties try to cheer up their bereaved friend by gifting her a red scarf. Later, when she passes a snowman sculpting competition, she sees a buff, statuesque snowman and snaps a photo of him wearing her fancy new scarf. Naturally, he comes to life looking just as well, sculpted, as he did in his snowman form, and sexiness unfolds. The film is rated PG, so only a light sizzle for this sweet snowman rom-com.

‘The Merry Gentlemen’ (2024)

This one is for the millennials who spent their formative years pining for “One Tree Hill” star Chad Michael Murray. The Netflix flick follows Broadway dancer Ashley Davis who’s mostly abandoned her hometown for the Big Apple. When she’s passed over for a role, she returns home to find that her parents’ venue, The Rhythm Room, is in trouble. Enter Luke (Murray), the local handyman with a killer bod. Ashley decides to utilize the hunky small-town locals and channel her Broadway chops into producing “The Merry Gentlemen,” a steamy all-male, Christmas-themed revue that will surely raise the funds to save her folks’ venue. This rom-com is also, surprisingly, PG-rated, but sexy nonetheless.

SEE ALSO: 10 die-hard Christmas and holiday movies full of action, horror and comedy

‘A Cowboy Christmas Romance’ (2023)

This flick may have put Lifetime Channel on the naughty list for the first time ever. Starring Jana Kramer and Adam Senn, the movie follows a real estate agent who’s back in her Arizona hometown just before Christmas, hoping to persuade a local cowboy to sell his family’s ranch. As many of us know from bingeing “Yellowstone,” ranchers don’t like when outsiders arrive to threaten their family’s land. As the title suggests, though, their initial conflict evolves into a Christmas entanglement. The TVPG-rated movie is the network’s first to include a steamy scene that alludes to nookie.

‘Happiest Season’ (2020)

Listen, any movie with Kristin Stewart deserves a spot on a sexy movie list. She’s so angsty, she’s always biting her lip and running her hands through her hair. “Happiest Season” is no exception. The PG-13 Hulu original follows Abby, played by Stewart, and Harper, played by Mackenzie Davis, a couple who have been dating for nearly a year. Abby isn’t a huge fan of Christmas since her parents died, so Harper invites her home to meet her family over the holidays. But there’s a catch: Harper hasn’t come out to her family, so the couple has to keep their romance under wraps, much to Abby’s discomfort. This movie is rife with stolen kisses behind closed doors, longing and sexual (and romantic) frustration. The cherry on top of the sundae: Aubrey Plaza proves an unlikely ally for Abby, and a sexy one to boot!

‘The Holiday’ (2006)

Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet star in this PG-13-rated holiday rom-com as two women trying to escape heartbreak over Christmas. Winslet’s character, Iris, swaps places with Diaz’s character, Amanda, sending them to opposite sides of the world where Iris encounters Jack Black’s character Miles, and Amanda encounters Iris’s dreamy brother Graham, played by Jude Law. Naturally, things become very sexy all around, people are falling in love left and right and they all spend New Year’s Eve together surrounded by twinkling garlands, clinking champagne and Aretha Franklin belting “You Send Me.” Adorable, heartwarming, and, yes, sexy.

‘Batman Returns’ (1992)

“Batman Returns” audiences are still arguing over whether the PG-13-rated film is a Christmas movie or not, but for the sake of this sexy Christmas movies list and because the film takes place at Christmastime and includes Christmas in its plot points, it’s earned a spot on this coveted roundup. Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman cracks her whip and slinks about in spandex throughout this film. The ultimate femme fatale, with lines so suggestive I won’t mention them here, Pfeiffer’s performance opposite Michael Keaton as Batman is oozing with tension and sensuality. She even manages to make scenes with Danny DeVito’s Penguin sultry.

The Best Man Holiday (2013)  

The holiday-themed sequel to the acclaimed 1999 film “The Best Man,” this R-rated comedy-drama catches up with a group of college buddies when they reunite after 15 years. With everyone under one roof, it becomes clear that no matter how much time has passed, old flames, new secrets and lingering drama will complicate this group’s merry little Christmas. How did this film score three holiday flames? Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, Terrence Howard and Harold Perrineau give a sensual choreographed lip sync performance to New Edition’s “Can You Stand the Rain,” while Melissa De Sousa tosses her panties and drops lines like “Donde esta mistletoe?” This spicy and tender film is also a tear-jerker!

‘Reindeer Games’ (2000)

As far as Christmas movies go, this one is not of the Holly Jolly variety. Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron star in this cross between “The Town” and “Ocean’s 11.” The R-rated film is rife with convicts and seedy motels, a poorly orchestrated casino heist, a convoluted love triangle (maybe even love square?), and then there’s hot chocolate and some very bad men who dress up like Santa (but with guns). So what makes this movie sexy, you ask? Angsty love letters, a steamy dip in the pool and Theron serving up lines like, “When I get back in that room, you better be wearing nothin’ but a candy cane!”

‘Love Actually’ (2003)

This R-rated Christmas movie is probably the most widely debated holiday film in the last couple of decades. Tweets and essays with lines à la “More like Lust Actually!” and “There’s actually no love in Love Actually” have made their rounds annually since the film’s release, but because this is a list for sexy Christmas movies, I’d be remiss to exclude it. The film follows multiple storylines, most very messy (because humans) and includes more angst, longing, sleaze and R-rated scenes than most holiday films. Whether you want to hate-watch it or love-watch it, it’s a sexy holiday movie you shouldn’t miss, if not for the yearly cultural discourse alone.

‘Bad Santa’ (2003)

Whether this R-rated movie is sexy is a matter of taste, but it’s fair to say it’s definitely raunchy! Billy Bob Thorton is a jaded, ill-mannered, booze-addled bad, very bad Santa (until March when he’s the Easter Bunny.) Lauren Graham, known best for “Gilmore Girls,” plays a bartender who’s got a kink for the ol’ Saint Nick and when Thorton strolls into the drinking hole where she works, the two get straight to . . . exchanging presents? But then, in the spirit of Christmas, develop something more.

​ Orange County Register 

Four new Crystal Cove cottages will open to public, just in time for Christmas

• December 18, 2024

Staying at one of the coveted Crystal Cove cottages is like taking a travel trip back in time – and it could make for the perfect Christmas gift, if you’re lucky enough to nab a spot.

Getting a reservation at the seaside getaway isn’t easy – but with four more newly-restored cottages up for grabs starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, the chances to stay in the unique beachfront retreat just got better. The first visitors will be able to stay starting Dec. 23.

“They will go fast,” Crystal Cove Conservancy president and CEO Kate Wheeler said. “We’ve been working hard to try and get them released for the holiday.”

Reservations for a fifth unit, Land’s End, will also start on Thursday, but that cottage won’t be available for visitors until Dec. 30, she noted.

READ ALSO: Holiday spirit in Orange County? Register staff reveals favorite spots (including Crystal Cove)

Reservations will initially be released in a four-week format.

A stay at one of the quaint beachfront homes isn’t about luxury, but about a unique experience that harkens back to a simpler time.

The four cottages are part of the $55 million North Beach restoration that is years in the making. Eight of the restored cottages were opened to the public in 2023, and another five more, including a duplex making a total of six units, are expected to be released in about a year, Wheeler said.

Crystal Cove’s historic cottages are among the most in-demand overnight stays in the State Parks system, a place tucked in coves and cliffs, wedged between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach.

“It’s probably one of the most desirable, popular elements of California State Parks. There’s been a massive investment into these cottages and it has taken over 20 years,” State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall said.

Painstaking detail has gone into ensuring the cottages represent when they were built between the 1930s and 1950s, a bygone era when “coveites” enjoyed a laid-back lifestyle in the cobbled-together collection of homes, many built from wood that washed ashore.

At one point in the late 1990s, a luxury hotel was planned to replace the beachfront homes, but opponents squashed the development proposal, making way for the stretch to become a state park.

In 2006, after decades as a private community, Crystal Cove became a place for vacationers to have a unique getaway on the sand. The 29 south-end cottages in the 2.3-acre Crystal Cove Historic District were previously restored and joined the State Parks’ inventory of overnight offerings.

Planning for the restoration of the North Beach cottages spanned a decade, with an extensive back-and-forth in the California Coastal Commission permitting phase that ended with the granting of approvals in 2017.

Details such as ensuring the boardwalk was built up on stilts, rather than having a seawall that could exacerbate erosion, were added into the plan to get the final approval.

“It’s just exciting when a few more can go online for the public to enjoy and experience,” Pearsall said. “Adding four more to one of the highest-demand reservation opportunities in our department is always a benefit – to everybody.”

Funds for the project came from many sources – donor pledges, institutions, low-interest loans, grants and earned revenue from the existing cottages.

Among the 17 cottages on the northern end will be a hostel-style accommodation with 11 beds that will also serve as an overnight educational opportunity for coastal engineering programs.

“It’s hard to describe, frankly,” Wheeler said. “Really, coming in on the close of this project feels like a bit of a miracle. When we started this project in the years leading up, we didn’t have the funding and didn’t know where the funding was going to come from.”

But just like the cottages – built with a hodgepodge of what was available to create something incredible – it has all came together to make “Crystal Cove magic,” she said.

While reservations have a reputation for being impossible, people who dedicate themselves to learning the system, and with a little bit of luck and persistence, can score a spot, Wheeler said.

“We find that if people go after it with a little bit of tenacity, the way we’ve done with the project and the way people have done with saving the cottages, people can do it,” she said.

Here’s a bit about the new cottages coming online:

• Carpenter’s Castle, #11A, has an ocean view and features four bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms, and sleeps up to eight people.

• Crow’s Nest, #11B, is perched high above the shoreline and offers a cozy studio with one bathroom with “sweeping ocean views and endless sunshine.” It sleeps two people.

• Grunion Run, #25, has ocean views from the patio and living room, just above the sand. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom and sleeps six people.

• Board and Batten, #28, has an ocean view patio, and is a cozy retreat with two bedrooms and one bathroom; it sleeps up to six people.

Go to reservecalifornia.com to reserve a cottage.

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers vs. Denver Broncos: Who has the edge?

• December 18, 2024

CHARGERS (8-6) vs. BRONCOS (9-5)

When: Thursday, 5:15 p.m.

Where: SoFi Stadium

TV/Radio: Ch. 11/Prime Video; 98.7 FM; 105.5 FM/94.3 FM (Spanish)

Line: Chargers by 3

Notable injury designations

Chargers: OUT: TE Will Dissly (shoulder), CB Cam Hart (concussion). DOUBTFUL: DB Elijah Molden (knee). QUESTIONABLE: TE Hayden Hurst (hip), LG Zion Johnson (ankle), DL Otito Ogbonnia (pelvis), LB Denzel Perryman (groin).

Broncos: OUT: RB Jaleel McLaughlin (quadriceps), CB Riley Moss (knee).

What’s at stake: A victory for the Chargers over the Broncos would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker and put them on a better path to finishing second in the AFC West thus earning a better seeded spot in the playoffs. A victory for the Broncos over the Chargers would put them on a better path to finishing second in the division thus earning a better seeded spot in the playoffs.

Related: NFL playoff picture

Who’s better: It’s a tossup. At the moment, the Broncos are second in the division and holders of the sixth-seeded spot. The Chargers are third in the division and holders of the seventh-seeded spot. The Chargers have the more experienced and more accomplished former University of Oregon quarterback in Justin Herbert. The Broncos’ Bo Nix has made a name for himself in his rookie season, particularly in the games after Denver’s loss to the Chargers in Week 6. The Chargers rebounded for a 23-16 victory over Denver after consecutive losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. The Chargers are on a two-game losing streak going into the rematch with the Broncos, having lost to the Chiefs in Week 14 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15.

Matchup to watch: Denver defensive back Patrick Surtain II sat out all but one play of the first game between the teams after suffering a concussion. He’s among the most disruptive forces in the NFL, and the Chargers were fortunate they didn’t have to face him. He could fill that role Thursday, though, shadowing the Chargers’ young receiving corps, especially rookie Ladd McConkey.

Chargers win if: The Chargers said all the right things after doing so few of them during their 40-17 loss Sunday to the Buccaneers. How they respond to their worst loss of 2024 will be a key to Thursday’s game and, indeed, to the rest of the season. The Chargers cannot afford to have the sort of defensive breakdowns against the Broncos that they had against the Buccaneers, who torched them for 505 total yards. Herbert’s mobility must return if their offense is to be as effective as it needs to be. Herbert’s sprained left ankle means the Chargers must adjust their playbook, taking out some of the rollouts and scrambles.

Fantasy sleeper: Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker has made 29 of 31 attempts this season, including eight of nine from 50 yards or beyond. He set his career-high of 59 yards earlier this season, breaking his previous best of 55 yards, set last season. The Chargers’ offense has relied on him during all-too-frequent stalled drives inside the 30-yard line this season. He has misfired only once inside the 50 this season. It’s likely the Chargers will need him again Thursday.

Prediction: It’s difficult to imagine the Chargers failing to respond in a positive way to their humiliating loss to the Buccaneers. After all, a victory over the Broncos would all but clinch a playoff berth. The Chargers have had two two-game losing streaks, but not one three-game skid. Chargers 21, Broncos 20.

​ Orange County Register