Reba McEntire talks the Hollywood Bowl before headlining it for the first time

• March 22, 2023

Country star and actress Reba McEntire can’t wait to bring her full stage show — her live band, backup singers and opening acts Terri Clark and The Isaacs — to the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for the first time.

Though she’s graced the stage a couple of times before — during a Broadway performance of “South Pacific” back in 2007 and in 2012 she was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame alongside Chaka Khan during a special tribute evening hosted by Julie Andrews — she’s never performed a proper headlining show at the venue in her nearly five-decade career.

“It’s a dream come true,” she said during a recent phone interview ahead of her West Coast shows at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert on March 31 and her Hollywood Bowl debut on April 1. “I’ve always loved the Hollywood Bowl. It’s wonderful and just the best place to see a show.”

Back when she was filming her sitcoms, “Reba” from 2001-2007 and “Malibu Country” in 2012-2013, in the Los Angeles area, she’d gone to several shows at the Hollywood Bowl.

“I saw Annie Lennox and Sting perform there together (in 2004) and I was a huge fan, so it was fun to watch them in that atmosphere,” she said. “There’s just so much history there with all of the performances that have happened … it’s just iconic and we’re happy to be part of it.”

McEntire, who is such a legend she is commonly referred to by first name alone, is currently out on the final leg of her Reba: Live in Concert Tour. With 35 No. 1 career singles under her belt, it was difficult, she said, to narrow down a set list for this outing.

“We did a lot of research to see which songs fans want to hear and we put them together for a good-flowing show that has a lot of energy,” she said. “And we like to bring it back down and make it intimate and then let it get big again. It has to be like a rollercoaster of emotions. I’ll never forget when I was doing a concert tour with George Strait, after the first show I said ‘George, you didn’t do ‘The Chair.’ And he said ‘Yeah, I’m not doing it.’ I said, ‘But why? That’s my favorite song!’ Then I thought about how many times people have come up to me and said ‘Why didn’t you do ‘The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia’ that’s my favorite song!’ We just have to leave some of them out.”

Though her most recent album of original material, “Stronger Than the Truth,” came out in 2019, she released a box set in 2021, “Revived Remixed Revisited,” with reworked versions of her songs that truly helped her hone in on a set list for the road. Fans will get to hear some of these versions live, too, thanks to that album.

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“That gave us the opportunity to do something different,” she said. “Like ‘Consider Me Gone,’ it’s a real up-tempo song, but recording it with Dave Cobb when it’s stripped down with less instrumentation, it’s so much more emotional. It changed the song completely and I perform it now and so many people are singing along to it. I could hold the microphone out and let them sing the whole song. It’s fun when people know and love a song enough to know it by heart and to sing it along with me.”

In the past, McEntire has said that her 1990 cover of the Bobbie Gentry song “Fancy” is her favorite to perform live. She stands by that now.

“It’s very powerful,” she said of the audiences roaring back the line “I might have been born just plain white trash, but Fancy was my name.”

“It’s the rags to riches song,” she continued. “She prevails and it was a rough road and not everyone approved of the way she got her success, of course, but it’s about survival. That song goes right along with my song ‘I’m a Survivor.’ That’s another one I have near the end of my show and when I play it people will stand up and hold up their diplomas to show me that after they got their kids through school, they went back and go their education. So those are songs I love to sing and I’ll never get tired of them because they’re great songs. I didn’t write them, so I can sure brag on about it. Kudos to those songwriters.”

Having opened for everyone from Red Steagall, Conway Twitty and Lee Greenwood to The Oak Ridge Boys and being out on the Urban Cowboy Tour with Mickey Gilley and Johnny Lee, McEntire is also encouraging her fans to show up early for her support act, singer-songwriter Terri Clark, who is known for ’90s hits like “Better Things To Do,” “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” and “Girls Lie Too,” and opening act The Isaacs, a bluegrass and Southern gospel family group.

“It’s going to be a very entertaining evening and I hope people come early because they will not regret it,” she assures.

Aside from music, McEntire has a varied résumé. She’s also tackled Broadway and was the lead in Irving Berlin’s “Annie Get Your Gun”; her sitcom “Reba” aired for six seasons on The WB/CW; she’s starred in several feature films including “Tremors” alongside Kevin Bacon; and she was most recently cast as Sunny Barnes on the third season of ABC’s crime drama “Big Sky.”

“I did a Zoom with (producer and writer) Elwood Reid and he said ‘I’ve got an idea for the third season of “Big Sky” and you’re going to play a very dark character,’” she recalled, noting that her boyfriend, actor Rex Linn, was sitting across from her at the dining room table and loved the idea of his partner taking on a new kind of role. Her character on the show needed a husband, so Reid also hired Linn for the job.

“We had a great time doing it and that really was a stretch for me, but the writing was so good so you really get into it,” she said with a laugh, while referring to her sneaky and possibly murderous character as “just an overly protective mother.”

She’s got a bunch of other projects going on, too. She starred as a judge in the Lifetime movie “The Hammer” earlier this year and opened her very own restaurant and entertainment venue near her hometown in Atoka, Oklahoma, on Jan. 26. The three-story, 15,000-square-foot venue features a full restaurant with a menu filled with comfort food and locally sourced items, an antique bar, a stage for live music, lots of memorabilia and the third floor is dedicated to merchandise and Jackie’s Library, a space built to honor her late mother, a former school teacher and librarian.

“You can pull a book out and sit quietly and read, enjoy a drink, a good meal; it’s a really versatile place,” she said, noting that this wasn’t a venture she just slapped her name on. She actually “picked the upholstery, curtains for the windows and paintings for the walls.”

Since she and her beau also love entertaining at home, she has a new coffee table-style book coming out later this year that will offer hosting and travel tips, food and cocktail recipes, share little stories about her life and more.

“Rex and I love throwing parties,” she said. “I love to cook and he loves to cook, though he’s a better cook than I am. The book was fun to research and find new ways of hosting but, really, you can bring stuff out and mix and match and it doesn’t really matter, people just want to be together and have fun. It doesn’t have to be perfect, which is what we have learned. That’s why the book is called, ‘Not That Fancy.’”

Reba: Live In Concert Tour

With: Terri Clark and The Isaacs

When: 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 31

Where: Acrisure Arena, 75702 Varner Rd., Palm Desert

Tickets: $49.75-$219.75 at Ticketmaster.com

Also: 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1 at the Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles. $25-$249 at Ticketmaster.com.

​ Orange County Register 

Travel: Silversea is the ultimate ultra-luxury luxury liner

• March 22, 2023

How luxurious is Silversea Cruises? “Very” is a simple answer, but to do the question justice, it really begs another: “Where to begin?” We may as well start at the top of the day, as in breakfast, when even the simplest of things is elegant and elaborate on what many consider the epitome of sailing in style.

Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes is not only tasty, but makes for a grrreat example when comparing and contrasting Silversea’s upper-luxury class of cruising with the other major consumer categories. So, let’s head to the buffet, grab a bowl and dig in.

On Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and other mainstream-class lines, if the favorite breakfast of Tony the Tiger doesn’t come in a single-serving cardboard box, it’s probably out of a dispenser that requires a few turns of the knob at the serviceable, yet unsophisticated cereal bar. On Princess, Celebrity, Disney and other premium-class ships, Frosted Flakes often comes in single-serve plastic bowls. At the buffet on Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Windstar and other luxury-class ships, big spenders with a sweet tooth will likely find Frosted Flakes in a crystal bowl from which guests spoon into their own.

The friendly and capable bar staff in the Dolce Vita Lounge is indicative of Silversea’s lofty level of hospitality. (Photo by David Dickstein)

And then there’s Silversea. Like with so many things both ordinary and extraordinary, this ultra-luxury cruise line does things with a higher brow. Those boxes of Frosted Flakes lined up on a glass shelf in the Italian-themed La Terrazza bistro are not really for the taking — by you, that is. Just eyeing the cereal will get the attention of a watchful crew member who will assume the task, not only unboxing the sweetened contents from the other side of the sneeze guard, but having the cereal delivered to your table with your choice of six kinds of milk. They even do the pouring honors, but not before you sit down at the white linen-covered table. And don’t you dare carry your own plate as not letting them do it gets the same reaction as if you insulted their mother.

While this six-star level of attention is embraced by returning guests and nettlesome for the uninitiated, this is Silversea’s culture, and they’ve been doing things this way long before COVID-19 literally took serving utensils out of passengers’ hands at the buffet. For nearly 30 years, the cruise line has been pampering guests at lofty levels, right down to asking coffee drinkers how much foam they want with their flat white and which of five types of pillows they prefer on what might be the most comfortable beds in the cruise industry.

Each passenger on Silversea is assigned a genuine butler. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Another bar-setter, when Silversea promises a butler assigned to each suite, he or she isn’t just a cabin steward in tails; this class of butler shines your shoes without being asked, arranges for a tailor to hem newly purchased slacks, changes the casing of even your decorative pillows, responds to a page within seconds, and, when they know you will be in the Dolce Vita lounge instead of your suite at 4:30 p.m., has your daily delivery of canapes sent to where you’ll be playing team trivia. Oh, and those bougie bites come with unlimited caviar.

A museum’s worth of original artwork adorns Silver Moon. (Photo by David Dickstein)

For a brand that’s all about service and goes to more destinations than any other cruise line, it’s surprising that Silversea hasn’t served Southern California since 2018, the year Royal Caribbean acquired the pioneer of all-inclusive cruising. Come January 2025, however, San Pedro’s World Cruise Center returns as an embarkation port for Silversea when Silver Shadow raises anchor for a 22-night voyage to six Hawaiian ports and four in French Polynesia. That April, the larger and newer Silver Moon embarks on a 19-night cruise from L.A. Harbor to Vancouver with six Hawaiian ports and lots of sea days in between. (At last check, rates were 75% off for that sail, as low as $11,400 per person, and that includes flights and transfers as part of Silversea’s “door-to-door” all-inclusive fare.) In May of 2025, Silver Shadow returns to the Golden State for an 18-night itinerary from L.A. to Southern Florida through the Panama Canal.

Early risers aboard Silver Moon take advantage of a warm Brazilian morning. (Photo by David Dickstein)

West Coast cruisers who don’t want to wait that long or travel far to pick up a Silversea ship have a few options out of San Francisco this year and next depending on availability: a 10-night expedition cruise to Puerto Vallarta on Silver Wind (October); a 132-night journey to Hawaii, Oceania, Asia and Alaska on Silver Shadow (January 2024); and a 23-day Panama Canal voyage to New York on Silver Shadow (May 2024). Additionally, Silversea has Silver Muse and Silver Whisper sailing to and from Anchorage and Vancouver for the Alaskan cruise season that begins in May. (Deep discounts offered at press time had fares as low as $3,800 per person for a weeklong voyage to the Last Frontier.

Silversea (www.silversea.com) sails to more than 900 destinations on all seven continents, and for the bulk of a recent 69-night trek, 140 well-to-do wanderlusters paying at least $51,000 per person did one of those large land masses in style. Their “Grand South American Cruise” out of Fort Lauderdale was aboard the 596-passenger Silver Moon, the very ship that pays Southern California a visit in 2025. As with many cruises dubbed “grand” or “world,” this one was broken up in multiple itineraries so that those who can’t afford to spend so much time and/or expense can still get a good taste of what cruising on Silversea is all about.

Sheer deck-adence

Speaking of good tastes, much of what was served on the 12-night leg from Rio de Janeiro to Bridgetown, Barbados, yielded plenty, as it should from ultra-luxury cruising. Nearly half of Silver Moon’s Italian-accented decks have at least one restaurant, which is considerable for a mid-size ship.

Elegant Atlantide, a main dining room on Silver Moon, features seafood and steak. (Photo by David Dickstein)

From top to near-bottom: Excellent pizzas and gelatos are served at Spaccanapoli on Deck 11; on 10 is The Grill, the ship’s poolside restaurant that at night transforms into Hot Rocks where guests cook their own surf and turf on a 460-degree volcanic stone; and on 8 is the Parisian-inspired La Dame, the most elegant dinner option that’s well worth the $60 surcharge. Also on 8 is the Arts Café for perfect coffees and teas, and light bites changed five times between 6:30 a.m. and 11 p.m.; and on 7 is the aforementioned La Terrazza that transitions from a breakfast and lunch buffet to a fine dining Italian restaurant in the evening. Steps away on the same deck is the Silver Note, an intimate supper club with terrific food, drinks, live music and a smooth vibe for those who know the tricks to score a coveted table. This popular joint is way too difficult to book, and a certain someone who likes to have dinner around 6 was lucky to get a table at 9 on an undesirable night.

Former Southern Californian Erin Montgomery leads a class on Brazilian cooking in the S.A.L.T. Lab. (Photo by David Dickstein)

The lowest public deck is the most tasteful as nearly every inch is dedicated to food. On 4 are the ship’s two main dining rooms: the elegant Atlantide for seafood and steak, and S.A.L.T. Kitchen, which is one-quarter of a unique experiential program named for the acronym for “Sea & Land Taste” and debuted on Silver Moon in 2021. The first page of S.A.L.T. Kitchen’s menu changes with every port, featuring locally inspired dishes. Some of those recipes are cooked up next door at the S.A.L.T. Lab, which excitingly redefines the growing culinary class craze on cruises. It’s a beautiful space, but with only nine stations, it’s almost as hard to get into as the Silver Note upstairs. The other two components of S.A.L.T. are a bar that specializes in local libations, and select culinary shore excursions that truly offer guests some local flavor. Also on 4 is Japanese-themed Kaiseki, which is free for lunch, but $40 at dinner.

Personal preference

Silver Moon docked at Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Just as ultra-luxury cruising isn’t for everyone, either is Silversea among the sailing elite. Take their dress code. Having cruised on 20 different lines, several of them in the luxury category, we can say without a doubt that Silversea’s is the strictest and most baffling. “Formal night” requires ladies to be in cocktail dresses or pantsuits and gentlemen in tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits and tie. The thesaurus considers “informal” and “casual” as synonyms, but not Silversea. Men must still wear a jacket on “informal night” with women in dresses or pantsuits. Also curious is that exceptions and variances exist depending on the day and whether you’re inside or out. Oh, and if dinner is indoors, the dress code is different restaurant to restaurant.

Smokers delight in being able to light up portside at The Grill/Hot Rocks in addition to a dedicated indoor-outdoor lounge and on the outside patio of the Arts Café. Nonsmokers may detect a waft that’s surprisingly omnipresent for a ship built in 2020.

A fun and flashy salute to British pop entertains guests in the Venetian Lounge. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Passengers expecting elaborate shows will be disappointed, but there should be enough talent among the entertainment team to make up for modest production values. And although complaints were heard about the lack of activities scheduled during the day, this cruiser found the list to be robust for a luxury sail. Rounding out the key venues, a full-service spa includes a decently sized gym while the casino, although small, is staffed with dealers so reflective of Silversea’s brand of niceness they almost make losing a pleasure.

OK, so that’s going too far. But going too far is also a signature of Silversea. They’ve got cloth cocktail napkins, by George. From butlers who will draw your bath to galley workers changing the direction of the sliced mango at the buffet to appease a lefthander, Silversea is determined to deliver the ultimate pleasure cruise for those who love being pampered, if not coddled.

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​ Orange County Register 

5 Gracie Abrams songs to listen to ahead of her Los Angeles shows

• March 22, 2023

Gracie Abrams is certainly shaping up to be the next big thing in Gen Z pop, a subgenre currently led by acts like Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Khalid and Lil Nas X.

The Los Angeles-born and raised artist built her following with a pair of EPs released during the pandemic that included songs she’d written living in her childhood bedroom. The now 23-year-old singer-songwriter just released her debut album, “Good Riddance” on Feb. 24, which was produced by Aaron Dessner of The National. Abrams inherently fell into the entertainment pool thanks to her parents, director J.J. Abrams and TV producer Katie McGrath, but she’s carved her own path with an ability to craft songs that serve as a self-critical analysis of heartache and the growing pains of her early 20s.

Abrams is currently on the road on the Good Riddance Tour, which includes two hometown stops at The Fonda Theatre March 29-30. She’ll also be back in the area, serving as support on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood for the Aug. 3 and 8 dates only.

At just 13, Abrams started releasing music via Soundcloud. Most of the tracks were simple acoustic covers of older Phoebe Bridgers songs like “Funeral.” It wasn’t until dropping out of Barnard College that things started to fall into place Abrams. After creating a buzz on Soundcloud and Instagram by releasing original tracks, she landed a deal with Interscope Records and in 2019, dropped her first official single, “Mean It.”

Last month, Abrams surprised fans by performing an acoustic set to celebrate “Good Riddance” at Fingerprints Music in Long Beach and she made an appearance at Amoeba Records in Los Angeles two days later.

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According to Kara Lane, the live music director at Amoeba Music Hollywood, fans waited nearly seven hours in line before the doors opened to purchase a copy of “Good Riddance” as guaranteed entrance for her performance. The purchase included a commemorated “Live at Amoeba” signed poster by Abrams for fans, too.

“We seriously had fans in line ready to purchase her record as early as four in the morning,” Lane said. “It was raining heavily that day, too, but fans were so excited to get in. I have to say, Gracie’s fans are seriously some of the nicest, coolest fans. They were all so excited to see Gracie, too. Everyone was genuinely happy to be there when the show happened, and the overall experience of having Gracie there was incredible.”

Ahead of her two dates at The Fonda Theatre, we came up with a list of the best old and new songs from the rising pop star to listen to before these shows. In no particular order, here’s the list of our favorites.

“I miss you, I’m sorry”

The nearly three-minute track off of Abram’s 2020 EP “Minor” is a tender ballad on heartbreak with luscious string arrangements and layered vocals. It’s an anthem for fans who know the feeling of returning to the one you love, even if it disappoints you, far too well.

“Best”

This song sets the pace as it kicks off Abrams’ 12-track debut album “Good Riddance,” with hushed vocal lines and a lyrical, brutally honest, self-examination of her breakup. As she sings, “Used to lie to your face, twenty times in a day. It was my little strange addiction,” it’s clear her mistakes — and pain/regret — are on full display.

“Where Do We Go Now?”

One of the singles from “Good Riddance” that was co-written by producer Aaron Dessner, “Where Do We Go Now?,” details the confusion that comes with dropping a romantic partner and acknowledging the growing pains of moving on as she begins to heal.

“Feels Like” 

A standout, synth-pop dance anthem off Abrams’ “This Is What It Feels Like” EP that dropped in 2021. This one explores all of the emotions one feels when falling in love. “Feels Like” really does feel and sound like like falling in love for the first time all over again.

“Mess It Up” 

This song was released as just a single in 2021 that features Abrams detailing the mistakes made on her behalf with a previous love entanglement and the anxiety and heartbreak that came with it. It’s poetic, soft and honest.

Gracie Abrams: Good Riddance Tour

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 29-Thursday, March 30

Where: The Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles

Tickets: Both dates are sold-out; however resale tickets are available at axs.com.

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​ Orange County Register 

TikTok CEO to tell Congress app is safe, urge against ban

• March 22, 2023

By KELVIN CHAN

TikTok’s CEO plans to tell Congress that the video-sharing app is committed to user safety, data protection and security, and keeping the platform free from Chinese government influence.

Shou Zi Chew is due to answer questions Thursday from U.S. lawmakers concerned about the social media platform’s effects on its young user base and possible national security risks posed by the popular app, which was founded by Chinese entrepreneurs.

Chew is sticking to a familiar script as he urges officials against pursuing an all-out ban on TikTok or for the company to be sold off to new owners.

TikTok’s efforts to ensure the security of its users’ data, including a $1.5 billion project to store the information on Oracle servers in the U.S. and allow outside monitors to inspect its source code, go “above and beyond” what any of its rivals are doing, according to Chew’s prepared remarks released ahead of his appearance before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

“No other social media company, or entertainment platform like TikTok, provides this level of access and transparency,” he said.

Chew pushed back against fears that TikTok could become a tool of China’s ruling Communist Party because its parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing.

“Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country,” Chew said.

He distanced TikTok from its Chinese roots and denied the “inaccurate” belief that TikTok’s corporate structure makes it “beholden to the Chinese government.” ByteDance has evolved into a privately held “global enterprise,” Chew said, with 60% owned by big institutional investors, 20% owned by the Chinese entrepreneurs who founded it and the rest by employees.

It’s “emphatically untrue” that TikTok sends data on its American users to Beijing, he said.

“TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, U.S. user data with the Chinese government,” Chew said. “Nor would TikTok honor such a request if one were ever made.”

TikTok has come under fire in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific, where a growing number of governments have banned the app from devices used for official business over worries it poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy or could be used to push pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation.

Chew, a 40-year-old Singaporean who was appointed CEO in 2021, said in a TikTok video this week that the congressional hearing comes at a “pivotal moment” for the company, which now has 150 million American users.

U.S. regulators have reportedly threatened to ban TikTok unless the Chinese owners sell their stake. Lawmakers have introduced measures that would expand the Biden administration’s authority to enact a national ban and called for “structural restrictions” between TikTok’s American operations and ByteDance, including potentially separating the companies.

Chew said TikTok’s data security project, dubbed Project Texas, is the right answer, not a ban or a sale of the company.

The company started deleting the historical protected data of U.S. users from non-Oracle servers this month, Chew said. When that process is completed later this year, all U.S. data will be protected by American law and controlled by a U.S.-led security team.

“Under this structure, there is no way for the Chinese government to access it or compel access to it,” he said.

He said a TikTok ban would hurt the U.S. economy and small American businesses that use the app to sell their products, while reducing competition in an “increasingly concentrated market.” He added that a sale “would not impose any new restrictions on data flows or access.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Paul George leaves with apparent knee injury as Clippers lose to Thunder

• March 22, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The march to the playoffs continues and the Clippers are fully aware they cannot afford any missteps.

Even so, there were slip-ups Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder and they even stumbled in stretches, which eventually cost them the game on a night that might have come with a far more significant cost.

Clippers star Paul George appeared to hurt his right knee in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 101-100 loss, and losing the All-Star wing for any extended length of time could cost the team its championship aspirations.

George collapsed to the floor under the OKC basket with 4:38 left, grabbing his right knee, after colliding with Thunder guard Lugeuntz Dort. After laying face down for several moments, George was helped off the court and headed to the locker room with a possible hyperextended knee, according to Bally Sports SoCal. Supported by staff on either side, George did not appear to put any weight on his right leg.

“I went up for the rebound, kind of hit his leg,” Dort said. “I didn’t do it on purpose, definitely an accident.”

There was no immediate update on George after the game.

“I saw it, but he’s still being evaluated,” Coach Tyronn Lue said, adding that he had not yet talked to George.

George was driven out of the arena on a cart with his right leg fully extended, leaving behind a team to contemplate what lies ahead.

Forward Nico Batum also had not talked to George, but he said the Clippers (38-35) need to move forward regardless.

“You got to play basketball when you go out there, you know, got to go out there with the guys you have,” Batum said. “… play on.”

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard – who didn’t see the play and said he initially thought George was hit in the face – took the same view. The Clippers have just nine games left before the postseason and could go into the playoffs without one of their key players for a second year in a row. Leonard missed the entire 2021-22 season, including the two play-in games after knee surgery.

”Next man up,” Leonard said. “I mean, we’ll see. We got a group of guys that still want to win, that like to play basketball, so we’ll see what happens.”

Before leaving, George had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists, including a highlight-reel dunk in the third quarter when he rotated 360 degrees before slamming the ball through the rim and bringing the Crypto.com Arena crowd to its feet.

Without him, the Clippers couldn’t stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder down the stretch. The game was tied 91-all when George went down and Leonard scored before the Thunder ran off six points in a row to take a 97-93 lead.

Batum hit a jumper to pull the Clippers within 101-100. The Clippers lost a coach’s challenge of an out-of-bounds call with 30 seconds left. The Thunder inbounded but missed a shot and Leonard grabbed the rebound. He dribbled down the final seconds but was hounded by Thunder defenders and failed to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.

“They did a great job. It started with Dort and then they shrunk the floor,” said Leonard, who led the Clippers with 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. “It’s another explanation (example) of it’s not (being able to) open up the floor for one another, not able to get into actions. But I’ll take ownership of it. Definitely should have got a shot off.”

Lue said the Clippers didn’t attack early enough on the final play, calling it a “learning experience for us.”

“I just didn’t think we played right the whole night offensively,” he added. “We played too slow, we didn’t share the basketball the right way. I know our coaches said we got some open threes we didn’t make but just the flow of the game was nasty because we didn’t play the right way and we played slow, we didn’t move the basketball, we didn’t get to the second side.

“When we don’t play a good brand of basketball, these are the results you get.”

Thunder coach Mark Daigneault ran 10 players in and out of the lineup, which kept the Clippers in a perpetual state of the unknown. They couldn’t focus on any one player when 10 of them were hitting jumpers and free throws.

“Coach D’s done a great job with just putting guys in the right position,” Lue said, “and they bought into it and they’re playing really good basketball right now.”

Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 31.8 points this season, is a large reason why the Thunder have a shot at a playoff spot. He again led the Thunder with 31 points, seven rebounds and four assists against his former team. Jalen Williams added 20 and two other players scored in double figures.

The Thunder (36-36) have played their way back into playoff contention, winning seven of their past nine games and beating other playoff teams in the process.

The Clippers overcame a bizarre officiating sequence late in the second quarter. Leonard drove in for a layup and, believing he was fouled on the play, argued when the referee didn’t call it. He was slapped with a technical foul.

Terance Mann, who was trailing on the play, took exception to the non-call and also argued with the official, earning a technical. He then raised his arms in disgust and was hit with a second technical and the automatic ejection that comes with it.

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Mann had been active on offense and defense, posting eight points, three rebounds and one steal in 11 minutes.

Crew chief Curtis Blair told a pool reporter that Leonard aggressively clapped at the official. He said Mann pointed aggressively at the official, then used profanity toward the official, earning the two technical fouls and the ejection.

The Clippers started the game doing nearly everything right, resulting in a 17-4 run in the first five minutes. The next seven minutes weren’t good. And the following 12 weren’t any better on a night when they finished 6 for 31 from 3-point range and 12 for 21 from the free-throw line.

The Thunder capitalized on several communication breakdowns by the Clippers on offense and defense to chip away at the score until they moved ahead 23-22 after the first quarter. The Clippers went 0 for 11 from the field during the Thunder’s run.

The team stayed close despite the Clippers’ inability to land 3-pointers. They were just 2 for 15 from behind the arc in the first half and trailed 56-51.

SPIN CYCLE https://t.co/zesuAhpgn1 pic.twitter.com/Ne9XU15aE3

— NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Huntington Beach council balks at approving state-mandated housing plan

• March 22, 2023

Referring to state housing laws as the “governor’s mandate,” Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland and two other city council members blocked approval of the city’s massive housing plan for the rest of the 2020s.

But rather than kill the city’s 1,164-page “housing element” outright, the sharply divided city council united behind a motion to postpone the matter for further consideration at its next city council meeting on April 4.

Strickland and one other council member cited environmental concerns for blocking the homebuilding plan.

“I don’t believe (Gov. Gavin Newsom’s) housing crisis, his housing mandate, is more important than the health and safety of our citizens,” Strickland said during the council’s meeting Tuesday, March 21. “That’s why I’m opposing this housing element.”

Strickland was joined in voting down the housing plan by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark and Councilmember Pat Burns.

Councilmember Casey McKeon, who frequently votes with the majority, recused himself because of a potential conflict of interest. That resulted in a 3-3 vote, one vote shy of the majority needed for plan adoption.

“I cannot in good conscience support (this) item,” Van Der Mark said before the vote, complaining about the effects of housing construction on clean air, water supplies, traffic and the city’s wetlands. “I don’t believe the benefits of building outweighs the consequences of destroying our city.”

The decision raised the specter of past housing fights that erupted over the city’s refusal from 2015-20 to comply with state demands it revise its last housing element. That resulted in a 2019 lawsuit against the city. The two sides returned to court earlier this month, trading state and federal lawsuits over housing on March 8 and 9.

At stake is a state-required blueprint for how the beachside, Orange County city of 199,000 will increase housing by 2030.

Although some council members tied the state’s homebuilding mandate to Newsom, it’s actually rooted in a 53-year-old statute lawmakers began strengthening under Newsom’s predecessor.

The law requires all California cities and counties to develop periodic housing plans that include affordable housing. More recent legislation stiffened penalties for failing to adopt a substantially compliant housing element, including the authority for the state to sue recalcitrant cities and levy fines up to $600,000 a month for failing to have an approved housing element.

Huntington Beach, already 17 months late in adopting a state-approved plan, had been ordered to make room for 13,368 new homes this decade — enough homes for 29,475 residents, Van Der Mark noted.

But members of the Huntington Beach council refused to approve a required statement that the need for housing overrides potential environmental impacts like air and water pollution, noise and overtaxed public facilities like parks.

“(The state housing department) is requiring us to sign a statement … that we believe that the benefits of these affordable housing projects override the negative impacts that they can cause to the environment,” Strickland said. “The state is forcing our speech and violating our First Amendment rights.”

Huntington Beach’s conflict with the state boiled over again in the past two months when the city stopped accepting applications for duplexes in single-family neighborhoods under Senate Bill 9 and stopped accepting applications for backyard “accessory dwelling units,” or ADUs, under state laws easing restrictions.

The state sued the city on March 8. The city retaliated by filing a federal lawsuit against the state the next day.

On Tuesday, a federal court judge rejected the city’s request for a temporary restraining order barring the state from enforcing fines and penalties for failing to comply with housing laws. The judge ruled there’s no risk of irreparable harm to the city since such penalties aren’t imminent.

In addition, the council voted 4-2 Tuesday to resume accepting applications for SB 9 and ADU projects, a move that may make the state’s new lawsuit moot.

During the public comments portion of Tuesday’s city council meeting, nine residents spoke in favor of adopting the housing element while three either opposed the plan or criticized Newsom.

City staff and Councilmember Dan Kalmick argued the environmental statement is just a technicality.

The city has been working on the housing element since the summer of 2021. Without approval of the environmental statement, said City Manager Al Zelinka, “then the rest of it is for not.”

“I’m disappointed … that after going through all of this work that we’re getting hung up on a technicality,” Zelinka said.

Kalmick said it’s ironic that plan opponents cited environmental concerns when they recently rejected a city purchasing plan to use 100% renewable products.

Burns renewed his calls “to fight state overreach,” complaining about threatening letters state offices have been sending to the city.

“It’s just bullying,” Burns said. “What Sacramento is trying to do to us is just negate our influence and take over.”

City staff and plan supporters warned the council could be putting the city in legal jeopardy without a housing element, including the risk of lawsuits, lost state funding, fines, the loss of control over permits and, ultimately the appointment of a receiver to choose what housing plan the city will adopt, city staff said.

“If you don’t like a loss of local control,” responded Councilmember Natalie Moser, “then you’re really not going to like the potential ramifications of not adopting a housing element.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Ducks’ Nikita Nesterenko debuts in loss to Flames

• March 22, 2023

ANAHEIM — There were several welcome-to-the-NHL moments for 21-year-old Nikita Nesterenko on Tuesday night.

First, the predictable ones. A rookie solo lap, sans helmet, leading his Ducks’ teammates for the pregame warmup at Honda Center, and then a spot in the starting lineup against the Calgary Flames, playing on a line with center Isac Lundestrom and Jakob Silfverberg.

Of course, there is a certain stress associated with the solo lap.

“Try not to think too much, try not to fall, not miss the net,” Nesterenko said. “That was the main thing I was worried about. It felt pretty quick and then the guys were out there. So it was pretty special.”

Only 37 seconds into the game, there was another brand of welcome-to-the-big-leagues realism when the line was on the ice for the Flames’ first goal, scored by former Duck Nick Ritchie, a first-round draft pick in 2014. Nesterenko logged 13-plus minutes of ice time and had four shots on goal in making his NHL debut in front of his father Mikhail, who was on hand for the big moment.

“I think we handed him a tough start,” Silfverberg said after the Ducks’ 5-1 loss. “Even with all those circumstances, even as the first period went on, his line got a few chances. Throughout the whole game, he had some good looks. He just didn’t manage to put the puck in. Overall, I think he should be happy with his game.”

Calgary scored twice in the first period, added a goal in the second and two more in the third as Tyler Toffoli had three assists. The Flames’ four other goals came from defensemen Troy Stecher and Rasmus Andersson, the latter scoring on the power play at 2:36 of the second period, and Elias Lindholm, just 46 seconds into the third, also on the power play and Andrew Mangiapane wrapped up the scoring at 15:26.

Calgary went 2 for 3 with the man advantage.

Flames goalie Dan Vladar made 19 saves, his bid for a shutout ending with Frank Vatrano’s power-play goal in the second period, at 7:26. Ducks goalie John Gibson made 38 saves on another busy night in net.

Troy Terry, the Ducks’ second-leading scorer, left the game with an apparent upper-body injury in the third period after getting sandwiched and did not return. There was no update on Terry’s status after the game.

Troy Terry is not happy as he walks to the locker room after being sandwiched by Zadorov and Ritchie#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/50pr8SZBfB

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2023

The Flames were coming off an embarrassing 8-2 loss against the Kings on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena and are in a desperate race for a wild-card playoff spot.

“We knew they were going to be a little ornery after the game last night against L.A.,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “Other than a few spurts in the second period, maybe about six minutes in the second, we couldn’t sustain much. Every time we turned, they were in our face.”

The Ducks have lost four of their past five games and now with 11 games remaining after Tuesday’s loss, it is clearly audition time.

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Which brings it all back to Nesterenko, who signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Ducks on March 15 and was on the ice practicing the next day in Irvine. It’s been a dizzying 10 days since he played his final collegiate game with Boston College, which lost in double overtime to Merrimack to end its season.

Against the Flames, there were promising signs after the opening shift. Nesterenko held his own in a puck battle along the boards with Flames center Nazem Kadri late in the first period. He had two prime scoring chances in a matter of seconds against Vladar with 9:30 left in the second and another excellent opportunity from the base of the right circle with 6:25 remaining in the third.

“The puck came at me quick there,” Nesterenko said of the second-period chances. “I just tried to whack it home without thinking. A couple of good chances. Gotta score on the next couple.”

Eakins praised his work ethic and alertness.

“I think he learned a couple of quick lessons about this league, how hard it is to be a winger on the wall,” Eakins said. “As the game went on, I thought he got better and better. There wasn’t much brightness out there tonight, but he would be the one bright light because I actually thought he played well.”

Nesterenko caught up with @AlysonLozoff after making his NHL debut tonight @AnaheimDucks | #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/dLip5biONb

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) March 22, 2023

​ Orange County Register 

Man convicted of second-degree murder in Garden Grove hotel shooting

• March 22, 2023

SANTA ANA — A 21-year-old man was convicted Tuesday of gunning down another man in a Garden Grove hotel two years ago.

Enrique Torres, Los Angeles, was convicted of second-degree murder with sentencing enhancements for the discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury or death and the personal use of a firearm. Torres is scheduled to be sentenced June 9.

Torres was convicted of killing 28-year-old Eddie Barajas of Stanton on Jan. 17, 2021, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at 11999 Harbor Blvd.

Barajas and his friends went to the hotel at about 3:40 a.m. that night to attend a party, according to a trial brief from Deputy District Attorney Stephen Cornwell.

The group got into a “verbal exchange” with Agustin Cortez, of Hawthorne, and Torres, Cornwell said.

Cortez was charged in connection with the attack, but prosecutors later dismissed the case against him.

It was unclear what started the dispute, but there was an allegation that someone yelled out a gang name, Cornwell said.

As the argument escalated into a physical fight between the two groups, Barajas stooped to set down his beer and when he stood back up he was shot in the head, Cornwell said.

Barajas was heard to say, “Let’s just have a good day” before the argument escalated, Cornwell said.

Torres fled, but was later arrested May 18, 2021.

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​ Orange County Register