Investigators seek help identifying suspect in San Juan Capistrano homicide

• July 13, 2023

Orange County sheriff’s investigators Wednesday released a surveillance video photo of a suspect in a fatal stabbing at the beginning of the year in San Juan Capistrano in the hopes it will prompt leads for an arrest.

Investigators were looking for a suspect in the Jan. 14 killing of 30-year-old Jorge Marvin Guadarrama in the 2600 block of Calle San Luis. Deputies were dispatched at 5:21 p.m. and found the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect is described as a man with a thin build who was wearing jeans and a black-hooded sweatshirt, deputies said.

Anyone who may have information helpful to investigators was asked to call 714-647-7000. Orange County Crime Stoppers will accept anonymous tips at 855-TIP-OCCS.

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​ Orange County Register 

Heat wave to persist through the weekend in Southern California, with Inland Empire feeling the hottest temperatures

• July 13, 2023

A summer heat wave is set to extend its stay in Southern California, and state officials are working to ensure the most vulnerable residents are prepared as triple-digit temperatures make their way across the Inland Empire.

A high-pressure system started building over the region earlier this week and temperatures are expected to continue climbing throughout the week, peaking this weekend, said National Weather Service meteorologist Courtney Carpenter. Excessive heat warnings were already in affect in some cities in Riverside and San Bernardino counties on Wednesday and additional warnings were set to go into effect in Los Angeles county on Friday and lasting through at least the weekend.

Temperatures reached into the high 90s in parts of the Inland Empire on Wednesday, and will continue to rise through the weekend with cities including Menifee, in Riverside County; and Redlands, in San Bernardino County; reaching highs of 104 and 107 respectively by Sunday.

While triple-digit heat is no stranger to the Inland Empire, state officials on Tuesday launched the Heat Ready CA campaign. The two-year, $20 million initiative is meant to raise public awareness to the dangers that extreme heat brings to those at highest risk of heat-related illnesses, including those 65 years or older, workers, people with chronic illness, those with disabilities and those who are pregnant.

“Extreme heat is a killer,” Brian Ferguson, a spokesperson for the state’s Office of Emergency Services, said on Wednesday. “More than any disaster we face, we see more fatalities from heat.”

Along with the health risks that come with excessive heat — nausea, cramping, and strokes — officials were also monitoring the potential for additional brush fires while fire departments across the region already battle several blazes that have popped up.

“There was a lot of new vegetation that has grown during our wet Spring,” said Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. “The hot temperatures combined with this newly dried-out vegetation will exacerbate the risk of wildfires.”

Meanwhile, communities along the coast will continue to receive the short end of the heat wave with an early morning marine layer and the ocean breeze keeping temperatures in the 70s.

In Los Angeles and Orange counties, beach cities including Redondo Beach and Laguna Beach will remain in the mid 70s for most of the week, slowly rising to the high 70s and possible low 80s by Sunday, Carpenter said. The high 70s trend will continue into early next week along the coast.

California State Parks’ Orange County Superintendent Kevin Pearsall said the past three weekends have been so busy at the beaches that parking lots at Bolsa Chica, Huntington State Beach, Crystal Cove and Doheny State Beach were closed during periods because they hit capacity, leaving beachgoers waiting for spots to open up. “Everyone wants to come to the beaches to enjoy the ocean, sand and sun, the recreation and concessions,” Pearsall said.

Anaheim, Fullerton and other inland Orange County cities won’t be as lucky with temperatures already in the low 90s on Wednesday. Those inland cities, thankfully, won’t see much change in temperature with highs hanging in the 90s before slowly dropping early next week.

Los Angeles County’s inland communities will definitely feel the heat with Pasadena, Woodland Hills and Azusa — among other cities — to reach into the high 90s on Thursday and reach into the low 100s by the weekend.

The heat wave is set to stick around into next week with some areas feeling a slight cooling by Wednesday, though only by a couple of degrees.

Staff reporter Laylan Connelly contributed to this report.

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​ Orange County Register 

Clippers turn it on late, beat Grizzlies for 2nd summer league win

• July 13, 2023

LAS VEGAS — Xavier Moon had 16 points and second-year guard Jason Preston and first-round draft pick Kobe Brown both had double-doubles as the Clippers used a strong finishing kick to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 83-74, in a summer league game on Wednesday afternoon.

Preston had 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes, while Brown had 12 points on 3-for-12 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in 30 minutes. Brodric Thomas added 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, while Moon shot 7 for 12 from the field and added four rebounds.

The Clippers (2-1) feasted on 23 Memphis turnovers but they led by just one point heading into the fourth quarter and fell behind in the final frame.

The Grizzlies (1-2) held a three-point lead after a pair of Kenneth Lofton Jr. free throws with 4:50 left, but the Clippers closed the game on a 16-4 run to secure the win. A Thomas 3-pointer with 2:59 left put the Clippers ahead to stay.

Lofton paced Memphis with 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and seven turnovers in 30 minutes. Jake LaRavia added 22 points and five rebounds and Nathan Hoover had 11 points.

The Clippers next face the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday at 1:30 p.m. They will play an additional weekend game against an opponent to be determined at a time to be announced.

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​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers, Padres to open 2024 regular season with series in South Korea

• July 12, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers’ history of making international baseball history will add a new chapter in 2024 when they open the regular season with the first MLB regular-season games in South Korea.

The Dodgers and San Diego Padres will square off on March 20 and 21, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. Each team will play one game as the home team.

The series in Korea will be the first in an unprecedented series of international games scheduled by MLB next season. The Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies will play in Mexico City on April 27-28, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in the Dominican Republic (March 9-10) and the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies in London (June 8-9).

For the Dodgers, this is the latest in their history of international trips. They played the Padres in Monterrey, Mexico during the 2018 season – a series that featured a combined no-hitter by Walker Buehler, Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia and Adam Liberatore. In 2014, they opened the season with games against the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Sydney Cricket Grounds in Australia.

In 2010, the Dodgers played a series of exhibition games against the Chinese Professional Baseball League All-Stars. In 2008, they went to Beijing for exhibition games against the Padres. In 1988, they played exhibition games against the Montreal Expos in Puerto Rico.

“We can’t wait to play meaningful major-league games for the very first time in front of the outstanding baseball fans of South Korea next season,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in announcing the games. “The Dodgers have a long and proud history of helping to grow the game abroad, highlighted by our trips to Mexico, China and Australia. It’s very exciting to add Korea to the list. I know our players are thrilled to put their talents on display in a country so rich with baseball tradition and talent, including former Dodgers Chan Ho Park, Hee-Seop Choi and Hyun-Jin Ryu.”

This will be the ninth time in MLB history the season has opened internationally.

PITCHER ACQUIRED

The Dodgers acquired right-hander Tyson Miller from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations. Miller was designated for assignment by the Brewers last week.

In order to add Miller to the 40-man roster, the Dodgers moved right-hander Daniel Hudson to the 60-day injured list, meaning he will be sidelined until at least early September. Hudson returned from ACL surgery to make three appearances this month before injuring the MCL in his other knee.

Miller, 27, was originally a fourth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs out of Cal Baptist. He has made 13 appearances in the big leagues (three starts) over parts of three seasons with the Cubs, Texas Rangers and Brewers, posting a 7.92 ERA. He made seven relief appearances for the Brewers this season with a 5.92 ERA.

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​ Orange County Register 

Kobe Bryant’s NBA legacy lives on in a new way as 2 rookies bear his name

• July 12, 2023

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

LAS VEGAS — There’s Kobe, wearing the uniform of a team from Los Angeles. There’s Kobe, the last one on the court at practice and getting yelled at because the buses are waiting for him.

How fitting. Just like old times.

There will never be another Kobe Bryant, of course. And make no mistake – Kobe Brown and Kobe Bufkin would be the first two players at NBA Summer League to insist that there will never be another Bryant. They would never pretend otherwise. But for the first time since the Lakers’ Hall of Famer retired in 2016, the NBA is about to have fans watching guys named Kobe again.

Brown is in Summer League with the Clippers. Bufkin is entering his rookie year with the Atlanta Hawks. Both were named for Bryant, who – for now – is the only player named Kobe to make it to the NBA. In a couple of months, that seems likely to change.

“It means a lot,” Brown said. “There’s definitely a target on my back, I feel like. A lot of guys, when they hear the name Kobe, they think of Kobe Bryant. Obviously, I’m not him, by any means. But I try to keep that edge and play as hard as I can, just like he did.”

It’s impossible to know exactly how many people are named Kobe. It remains relatively unusual.

According to the Social Security Administration, there was a six-year stretch – 1998 through 2003, coinciding with Bryant’s early years in the NBA and first three championship seasons with the Lakers – when the trend of giving babies that name peaked; the most was in 2001, when 1,552 baby boys had Social Security card applications filed for them with that name.

The name still had a small following, maybe a few hundred babies each year, until 2020, the year that Bryant, daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash on a foggy Sunday near Calabasas. Another 1,500 boys were given that name that year, surely many in tributes to Bryant’s life and career; the most popular name that year for newborn boys, according to the government data, was Liam, which was used about 20,000 times. (There were also variations, such as Kobee and Kobey, and a few dozen American newborn girls were given the name as well in 2020.)

“It’s never affected me too much when it comes to playing ball,” said Bufkin, who was born in 2003. “I try not to think about it as much when I’m actually on the court. But obviously carrying the name comes with a certain work ethic that you’ve got to try to match. And it’s hard as hell to match it. If I get halfway there, I’ll be all right.”

Case in point: The Hawks had a Summer League practice this week that was scheduled to go for 45 minutes, with a bit of shooting afterward. Most players were off the court after about an hour and 15 minutes. Almost all of them had their sneakers off and were ready to head to the bus a few minutes after that, but Bufkin was still on the court, working on drives from half-court against a defender.

“Just trying to follow the blueprint,” Bufkin said.

Bryant’s popularity remains overwhelming 3½ years after his death.

Bryant jerseys are still extremely common among Lakers fans. Nike plans to re-relaunch the Kobe brand this summer, and Bryant is the cover athlete for two editions of NBA 2K24 – “NBA 2K24: Kobe Bryant Edition” and “NBA 2K24: Black Mamba Edition,” with the tie-in there being the 24 that was one of Bryant’s two NBA jersey numbers. And there is another tribute of sorts coming at the Basketball World Cup; Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards is set to wear No. 10 for USA Basketball this summer, the number Bryant donned when he played for the national team.

“It just shows how much he inspired generations,” Bufkin said. “I was kind of part of the first generation to come behind him, and it’s crazy that our parents were willing enough to name us after him.”

Brown has never been inside Crypto.com Arena, the building that the Clippers (for one more season) and the Lakers call home. It’s the arena – then called Staples Center – where Bryant played the majority of his 20 seasons with the Lakers, scored his career-best 81 points against Toronto in 2006 and called home for five championship runs and 18 All-Star campaigns.

“It’s definitely a blessing,” Brown said. “I’m excited to go inside the building, see it, actually play where he played all those years and did so much for the city of Los Angeles.”

Given that they’re both first-rounders, Bufkin and Brown seem like locks to be in the NBA when the new season opens this fall. Bufkin was drafted No. 15 overall out of Michigan by the Hawks – and also has a brother named for an NBA player in Isaiah Thomas. The Clippers selected Brown at No. 30 overall out of Missouri.

They’re not Kobe Bryant. But they do represent a new way for the Kobe Bryant legacy to live on.

“It’s an honor, just that so many people have been impacted, like all of us, by Kobe, that people are honoring their children and choosing that name,” said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who was Bryant’s agent. “And we’ll probably see more and more of that, because it’s such a special thing.”

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Kobe Bufkin poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected 15th overall by the Atlanta Hawks during the NBA draft last month in New York. Bufkin is one of two NBA rookies named after late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

​ Orange County Register 

Review: Tina Turner musical in Costa Mesa fails to capture late star’s greatness

• July 12, 2023

Of the many qualities associated with the astonishing life and pop music career of Tina Turner — the darkest of lows, the most empowering of highs — ambivalence wouldn’t seem anywhere on the list.

Yet the oddly suppressed production of “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” which opened Tuesday at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, is disengaging during much of its 2 hours, 40 minutes.

Tina survived a hardscrabble early life of talent under assault from marital toxicity and violence. It was followed by a professional rebirth and liberating redemption as a rock icon.

And while this posthumous mounting —the star herself died at 83 in May — isn’t required to be a cathartic musical homage, one could hope for at least a memorable showcase of her extraordinary talent.

Instead, one leaves this show wanting not more, but perhaps something different.

This isn’t just due to the grim challenges in Tina’s existence — unflinchingly and graphically on display with facial slaps and punches starting in the opening scene — but an uneasy, and ultimately dysfunctional fit between sobering drama and jukebox musical.

An audience member might even pause rooting for Tina versus evil Svengali/physically abusive husband Ike Turner and, instead, be simply antsy for the show itself to better engage.

(Sneak preview: the production offers an exhilarating encore, so if you also get a bit antsy, hang in there. A truth-in-advertising blurb could read: “Come for the show but stay for the concert.”).

I’ve seen the production on Broadway, and this tonal disconnect was already in place before the show hit the road. In fact, some questionable directorial choices likely stem from the show’s 2018 debut in London.

Here’s an unlikely culprit: the murky lighting palette throughout the show tamping down the energy of scene after scene throughout.

With minimal props and not especially notable costumes, the primary visuals on display are hardly even on display, almost everything being lit in dank, deep reds, blues, greens and purples.

You’ll be wide-eyed at Tina’s woes, but you also may have to squint a bit to see them. (This dramatically improves in that must-see encore).

Another frustration is with arrangements of Turner’s familiar hit songs that one wants and expects to pay off, but which are arranged to service the necessarily tough-edged storyline.

For instance, on opening night, there was an audible murmur of excited anticipation through the hall at hearing the slow, opening chords of Ike and Tina’s fabled version of “Proud Mary.”

But as orchestrated here to fit plot demands — Ike’s continued, first-act abuse of Tina — the number just tails away, none of the feverish, building pace of rhythm and horns that established the performance in pop music lore.

(Ummm, again, did I mention? Stay for that encore.)

Contrasting with these repeated disconnects is the one famed recording — “River Deep-Mountain High” — that works wonderfully well for song and story supporting each other.

In the scene, ‘60s pop producer Phil Spector — possibly the worst real-life pop Svengali of ‘em all, he died in prison in 2021 for murdering an actress — kicks Ike out of the studio during the recording.

Now we see and understand who Tina, unshackled from Ike for the first time, might be as an artist and a person. More importantly, Tina sees herself.

Possibilities, for her, and briefly for the show, soar.

A positive note is that the road production’s problems aren’t due to the talent on display in Costa Mesa.

As one of two actresses rotating as Tina, Zurin Villanueva on opening night had both the husky vocal gravel instantly associated with the singer’s later recordings and appearances, as well as the acting skills to represent both her early-life emotional buoyancy and ultimate survival.

If her moves don’t have the vibrant and organic shimmy one associates from video of the young, real-life Tina, Villanueva’s vocals and acting take us where the show needs her to go.

Roderick Lawrence achieves the unenviable chore of making Ike into not a likable person, but perhaps a recognizable one.

Lawrence effectively drapes Ike through his coats of many unpleasantries, including egotist, neurotic self-pitying narcissist, druggie flame out and, the character’s through line, intolerable jerk.

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A captivating, if fleeting, performance comes from Ayvah Johnson, the child actor playing young Turner under her given name, Anna-Mae Bullock.

A veteran of the Broadway staging, Johnson has a voice ringing full and true in her two numbers, “Nutbush City Limits” early on, and then “We Don’t Need Another Hero” near the end. These earned her the opening evening’s biggest curtain call cheer.

Tina’s greatest second act hit, which rebooted her professional existence and enshrined her career and ultimate life the rest of the way, was, of course, “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”

Forget about love, just liking this show would be enough.

‘Tina: The Tina Turner Musical’

Rating: 2 ½ stars.

When: Through July 23:  7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays

Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

Tickets: $29-$119

Information: 949-556-2787; scfta.org

​ Orange County Register 

Disney extends CEO Bob Iger’s contract through 2026

• July 12, 2023

By Thomas Buckley | Bloomberg

Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. extended the contract of Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger for another two years, giving the longtime executive more time to implement his turnaround plan and find a successor.

Under the new arrangement, Iger will remain CEO through Dec. 31, 2026, the company said Wednesday in a statement.

Iger, 72, returned to run the entertainment giant in November after previously serving as CEO for 15 years. At the time, he was given a two-year deal expiring in December 2024. In addition to improving Disney’s profitability, he was charged with helping to find his replacement, a critical process for any company, but one that the company has bungled in recent years.

Disney made the announcement while Iger was attending the annual Allen Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. Also at the event, which features leaders from the worlds of entertainment, technology and finance, were two people viewed as potential successors, Disney theme parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro and TV chief Dana Walden.

Iger, who previously ran the company’s TV business, is credited with beefing up Disney’s creative arsenal. He acquired the Pixar animation studio shortly after becoming CEO in 2005, and later added Marvel’s superheroes and Lucasfilm, parent of Star Wars. As a result, Disney dominated the movie industry with hit after hit in 2010s. Iger also opened the Shanghai Disneyland resort.

Iger has had less success finding someone to replace him. After briefly making Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs his second in command, the company named parks chief Bob Chapek as CEO in February 2020.

Chapek’s tenure, which coincided with the pandemic, was rocky, and the board fired him last year after he became embroiled in clashes with talent, staff and Florida officials.

​ Orange County Register 

Universal Studios Hollywood starts construction on Fast & Furious roller coaster

• July 12, 2023

A Fast & Furious roller coaster coming to Universal Studios Hollywood is expected to feature a street racing-theme with a jaw-dropping track that hugs the hillside between the upper and lower lots and spinning cars designed to simulate a drifting sensation.

Construction will begin soon on a Fast & Furious coaster with a state-of-the-art ride system featuring “innovative and technological achievements never previously employed,” according to Universal Studios Hollywood.

SEE ALSO: ‘The Last of Us’ is coming to Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights

The new Fast & Furious coaster will replace the Animal Actors and Special Effects shows that closed in January on the upper lot of the theme park, according to Universal officials. Demolition work on the Animal Actors show venue began in May, according to a video posted by Theme Park Shark.

The Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift launched shuttle coaster with dual stations and spinning cars is expected to open in 2025 at Universal Studios Hollywood, according to Roller Coaster Database. An official opening date has not yet been set for Universal’s newest thrill ride.

SEE ALSO: Knott’s Berry Farm hopes to reopen Xcelerator coaster this summer

Early concept art of the Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift coaster project posted to Screamscape shows a half-loop C-shaped spike track segment hovering over the ride entrance. Early conceptual plans dreamed up during the Blue Sky phase can and often do change throughout the development process.

The sports car-themed multi-launch coaster is expected to feature ride vehicles attached to a controlled spinning system to create a drifting sensation, according to Screamscape.

Screamscape reports the new Fast & Furious coaster is expected to be built by Liechtenstein-based Intamin Amusement Rides – the same ridemaker behind Velocicoaster in 2021 and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in 2019 at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

“They are trying to create a terrain-style ride that can offer something along the thrill levels of the Velocicoaster in Florida,” according to Screamscape.

SEE ALSO: Solar-powered roller coasters coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain

A Los Angeles County government permit filed in November for a geotechnical study described the planned route of the new terrain-hugging coaster coming to Universal Studios Hollywood.

“An outdoor coaster that starts from the upper lot and will descend toward the lower lot along the hillside in front of the Fire Station 51 and back up and loop around the Starway escalator,” according to the permit.

The ParkFans forum that has been studiously tracking development of the Fast & Furious coaster — code named Project 409 — has overlaid the purported track layout onto a satellite image of the Universal hillside.

The $7 billion Fast & Furious saga — which has become Universal Pictures’ most-profitable and longest-running film franchise — apparently is big enough to support two attractions at the Hollywood theme park.

The existing Fast & Furious — Supercharged experiential attraction will remain on the park’s behind-the-scenes Studio Tour, according to Universal officials.

​ Orange County Register