Seal Beach Mel’s Drive in Closes Doors

Mel’s Drive-In at the Shops at Rossmoor  closed their doors on Tuesday.    The family owned restaurant was opened by Steve Weiss in 2008.  Weiss is the son of the creator of the  Original Mel’s Drive-In in San Francisco,  which was made famous by it’s role in the movie American Graffiti.   

The Press Telegram reported that a large decline in customers and the refusal of the landlord to reduce rent led to the decision to close this location.  

To read the full story visit the PressTelegram.com.

Harvest Festival Begins in Long Beach this Weekend

The Harvest Festival Original Art and Craft Show®, the largest indoor arts and crafts show on the West Coast, returns to the Long Beach Convention Center October 2-4, 2009 with unique products, eclectic entertainers and a full day of fun.

For over 37 years, the Harvest Festival’s unique shopping and entertainment atmosphere has enamored shoppers. The show offers thousands of distinctive, handmade items, including jewelry, photographs, sculptures, pottery, accessories, clothing, specialty foods and more. The products offered are the highest quality, as each exhibitor is subject to a rigid jury process to be selected as a featured artisan.

The Long Beach Harvest Festival has once again partnered with the Los Angeles affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, in honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. The show will provide Susan G. Komen for the Cure® with half the proceeds collected from shopping bag sales and all the proceeds from the parcel check. To recognize the growing demand that food banks around the country are facing, the Long Beach Harvest Festival has also joined forces with the Good Provider Food Bank of Southern California and will hand out $2 off admission coupon to anyone who brings a non-perishable food donation to the show.

Besides offering products that you can’t find anywhere else, the Harvest Festival is also known for providing a very family-friendly environment and offers a number of entertainment acts that thrill audiences of all ages. Whether it is high energy dance numbers, a strolling Elvis on stilts, or spectacular puppeteers, customers can always count on an entertaining and fun shopping experience at the Long Beach Harvest Festival.
  What:     The Long Beach Harvest Festival Original Art and Craft Show(R)
  When:     October 2-4, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach CA
  Hours:    Friday: 10 am – 6pm, Saturday: 10 am – 6pm, Sunday: 10 am – 5pm
  Tickets:  Adults: $9, Seniors (62+): $7, Youth (13-17): $4, Group
            (10 or more): $5, Kids 12 and Under: Free
  Info:     For tickets and information, please call 415-447-3205 or
            visit www.harvestfestival.com

Audience Members Amaze at Oprah Season Premiere Party

The Black Eyed Peas helped Oprah kick off her 24th Season Party last week in Chicago. Oprah closed down Chicago streets to film her Season Premiere which both thrilled and annoyed many of the Chicago natives. The show was a star studded event with performances by the Black Eyed Peas, James Taylor and Jennifer Hudson among others. If caught the show or have seen the video floating around the web then you know that it was the Black Eyed Peas and the Flash Mob (a pre-arranged meeting where the group all practiced the dance ahead of time) audience members that stole the show.

Check out the video here:

Sonic Boom Rattles Southern California

Seal Beach and Southern California were rattled today around 5:50 thanks to a sonic boom from the Space Shuttle landing at Edwards Air Force Base.    One local resident said, “I thought a car ran into my house.  The whole house shook and there was a very loud boom.  I ran outside to see what it was and then my neighbor told me that the Space Shuttle was landing today.  I had no idea we would hear it all the way down here.”

The Space Shuttle landed in California after a 14 day mission to deliver supplies.  The Shuttle was forced to land at Edwards after weather on the East coasts was determined to be too unstable to land.

$25 Restaurant Gift Certificates for $1!!

Restaurant.com is running a n 90% off $25.00 gift certificate special through September 13th!    You can browse through hundreds of local restaurants including Seal Beach favorites The Abbey and Cafe Lafayette.   Most restaurants require a minimum purchase of $35 to get the $25 discount.   To get the discount you just need to add to your cart, purchase and print.   Some people have reported having to use a discount code if so it’s NINETY.   Check it out the offer expires soon!  Visit Restaurant.com

Brad Pitt Speaks Out in Support of Gay Marriage

Promoting his new movie, ‘Inglorious Bastards’, Bratt Pritt opened up to Parade magazine about his feelings on love, the right to marry and how he would feel if one of his children were gay.

Some have criticized Pitt and Jolie for not setting a better example for their children by getting married.  Pitt’s was not shy about sharing his feelings about marriage equality or the right for people to live their lives the way they wish to live them.

He’s found a “soul mate” in Jolie, Pitt said, but he insisted he meant what he has said in the past about not marrying her.

“When someone asked me why Angie and I don’t get married, I replied, ‘Maybe we’ll get married when it’s legal for everyone else,’ ” he said. “I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it, hate mail from religious groups. I believe everyone should have the same rights.”

Pitt told Parade he takes exception to anyone trying to dictate how someone should live and who they should love.

“Just the other night, I heard this TV reverend say that Angie and I were setting a bad example because we were living out of wedlock, and people should not be duped by us,” Pitt told the magazine. “It made me laugh.

“What damn right does anyone have to tell someone else how to live if they’re not hurting anyone? How many times do you think real love comes to someone in a lifetime? If you’re lucky, maybe two or three.”

People should be able to be happy, Pitt said, and that includes his children.

“Would it bother me if a child of mine turns out to be gay? No, not one bit,” he said. “Listen, I want my kids to live the lives they want to live. I want them to be fulfilled. I hope I teach my kids to be who they really are.”

To read the full article in Parade Magazine click here.

Orange County Fairgrounds Up for Sale?

Just as many are enjoying the last few days of the Orange County Fair, news has surfaced of a potential sale of the OC Fairgrounds due to the California Budget crisis.   A group has started a Save the OC Fair petition to try and stop the sale of the fairgrounds to an OC investor group.  The petition website states the following:

Due to the current budget crisis in the state of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed the idea of selling off a number of “under-utilized” fairgrounds, arenas, and parks owned by the state to generate immediate revenue.

While this plan has been under consideration for quite some time, a resolution signed by the Fair Board, during a secretive and impromptu meeting with inadequate notice to the public on July 15th , actually put the plan in motion by offering their support in selling the fairgrounds to a non-profit entity.

Ironically however, less than one week after the resolution was signed, a non-profit organization, “The Orange County Fair and Events Center Foundation”, was announced – Formed by members of the Fair Board themselves! These being the same members who fell under scrutiny last year for taking advantage of their positions by using up hundreds of concert tickets, partaking in extravagent lobster dinners behind the scenes of the fair, and so on.

The shady and left-handed tactics used in signing the resolution to sell the Fairgrounds, as well as establishing the non-profit company to subsequently purchase the land has, by design, kept the neighboring home owners, citizens of Orange County and the Business Owners who utilize the O.C. Fairgrounds in the dark regarding the plan – Until JUST NOW!!

Other sites considered for sale, where adequate notice was given, were able to stop the proceedings by gaining a large amount of local support and providing a substantial amount of proof that the site is not “under-utilized”.

The closed-door plan to sell the O.C. Fairgrounds has caught many un-suspecting residents of Orange County by surprise. Working with extremely limited time, we wish to stop the sale of the fairgrounds based on the heritage it brings to Orange County, the programs it houses to benefit our children, and the many small businesses that count on it for their survival. Following such a deceptive start, if the venue is sold there is no guarantee of what may take its place and/or how it will be run.

To sign the online petition click here.

Paula Abdul Not Returning to American Idol

Our favorite “Straight Up” crazy American Idol judge, Paula Abdul, announced via Twitter Tuesday night that she will not be returning to American Idol this season. After a public battle with Fox over her contract she announced, “With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL. I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent,but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1become an international phenomenon. What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me. It truly has been breathtaking, especially over the past month. I do without any doubt have the BEST fans in the entire world and I love you all.”

TMZ reported that their ’sources at “American Idol” say the show made Paula Abdul two offers … and then she just went and quit by tweet. TMZ was told Paula was pulling in somewhere between $2 and $3 million a year and she wanted more. “A.I.” made her an offer that she didn’t like at all. Paula countered but producers didn’t want to pay that much, so they countered with another offer. Rather than responding to the second offer, Paula shocked everyone by tweeting her goodbye. The weirdest thing … “A.I.” took the tweet seriously and responded with an official sayonara’.

Whatever the reasons are for Paula’s departure we’re sad to see her go. We just can’t imagine American Idol will be the same without the crazy antics of Paula Abdul….

8 Year Old Ciana Wows America

Maybe it’s because of the lack of great shows on my Tivo this summer, but I decided a couple of weeks ago to check out America’s Got Talent. I’d managed to avoid this show until this year and unfortunately now I think I’m hooked on yet another reality show. This week the judges and America were both in awe of this 8 year old girl with an amazing voice. Check out her performance below:

Tours Available of High Tech US Navy Ship

This weekend, August 1-2, at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons station, free tours will be available of the guided missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG 65). 

The tours at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station are free. No reservations are required. The vessel does not have handicapped access.

Saturday tours will be from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Sunday tours will be from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Displays of other Navy, Marine Corps and Army equipment also will be available.

Public entry will be via the Liberty Gate, on Seal Beach Boulevard, south of the Pacific Coast Highway. Call (562) 626-7215 for more information.

« Previous Page — Next Page »