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Knott’s Berry Farm author does two book signings in Buena Park

November 7th, 2009, 11:55 am by PETER LARSEN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

jay-jennings-and-old-41-red-cliff-steam-engineJay Jennings, whose long love for Knott’s Berry Farm eventually led him to write a book on the theme park’s history, will talk about the book and sign copies at two events in Buena Park over the next few days.

“Knott’s Berry Farm: The Early Years” tells the story of the park’s development from roadside berry stand to the theme park it eventually became, a topic Jennings loves to share.

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, he’ll be at the Buena Park Library at 7150 La Palma Ave., talking about the book and then selling and signing copies.

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jennings will be at Buena Park Historical Society on Monday, Nov. 9 for the annual members meeting held at the Congregational Church located at 6633 Beach Blvd.

For more information on Jennings and his collection of Knott’s Berry Farm memorabilia, go to http://knottsberryfarm.blogspot.com.

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Booted ‘Survivor’ contestant Erik Cardona never saw it coming

November 6th, 2009, 5:41 pm by PETER LARSEN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

erik_snuffblog

Erik Cardona grew up in Chino Hills, which made him the closest we had to an O.C. contestant on Survivor” this fall. Well, that and a special  moment he shared as a lad with one of Pedro’s colleagues here at the Register — more on that later.

So after Cardona suffered the equivalent of a 2-by-4 upside the head in Tribal Council on Thursday’s episode, we were interested in chatting with our O.C.-adjacent ex-Survivor on his experiences on the wild and wooly shores of Samoa.

A bartender and substitute teacher before the show, Cardona says he was a fan of the show who never dreamed he’d appear on it, until one day while walking in Santa Monica with friends, a casting agent saw something she liked.

“I met someone who literally grabbed me by the collar and said, ‘Would you ever (be on ‘Survivor’)?” he says. “I said, ‘Lady, you have no idea how perfect the person you just bumped into is.”

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Friday highlights: Are there any?

November 6th, 2009, 9:37 am by The Watcher

Ricky Gervais runs 'The Office'Friday is a tough viewing night, what with the networks backing off and the cable channels often filling their cards with sports and movies. Here are two decent choices, something old and something new:

New: USA’s new series “White Collar” is pleasantly amusing in the USA style of “Monk,” “Psych” and “Burn Notice.” Tim DeKay finally gets a role where he’s not a goofball or a psychopath. Callie Thorne guest stars tonight at 10.

Old: Friday can be a good time to seek out an old series you missed or want to rewatch. One that you must see, if you haven’t already, is the original British version of “The Office.” Cartoon Network runs an episode from season two at 9.

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‘Real Housewives’ Watchalong: How much am I being paid?

November 6th, 2009, 8:34 am by The Watcher

Gretchen - It's not her fault!Welcome to the first “Real Housewives of Orange County” Watchalong, wherein the Watcher provides a running commentary on the events of the episode.

Longtime readers are familiar with the Watcher’s take on “American Idol.” Now, I dip even farther down the ladder of credibility to take on the local ladies of liquor and lip collagen.

The upside: no singing.

Let’s plunge right in.

The episode begins with a helpful recap of last season.

Vicki bad-mouthed her husband, Jeana had a hard time with the real estate market, everyone hated Lynne, Tamra hated everyone and, oh yeah, Gretchen’s fiancé died.

All caught up? Good. Let’s roll.

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‘Survivor: Samoa’: Rethinking Russell

November 6th, 2009, 8:33 am by The Watcher

The face of genius?It happens to me almost every season of “Survivor.” I start out hating the villain and end up a fan by the end.

Thursday’s episode of “Survivor: Samoa” turned me fully to a Russell fan. Sure, his crowing and preening during the confessionals is annoying, but the guy can play the game.

In what was undoubtedly the craziest merge ever - and probably one of the 10 best episodes in the show’s history - the politics careened from right to left and back again, and Russell was at the middle of it all.

Oddly, it was the normally passive Jaison who brought up Erik’s name for elimination - after Jaison, Monica and Laura took turns in the group’s collective sights - but it was Russell’s machinations that led to the uproar.

Rather than trying to quietly worm into the Galu power structures, Russell rolled into camp like a bowling ball and knocked away the veneer of peace at Galu.

But did he make a mistake by playing the Hidden Immunity Idol at Tribal Council? Was it an act of overconfidence or paranoia?

The political excitement of Tribal Council was only enhanced by the hilarity of Erik’s bloviating. I can’t recvall a blindside that was ever preceded by such “he has no clue” bloviating.

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Thursday highlights: Mergers and acquisitions

November 5th, 2009, 10:35 am by The Watcher

Galu on top, for nowHighlights from tonight’s TV schedule:

The merge: Why does “Survivor” call it “the merge” instead of “the merger”? That’s like when football announcers talk about players “defensing” each other. Either way, the event takes place tonight on “Survivor: Samoa,” with Galu bringing eight players and Foa Foa just four. The F-Fers seemed doomed, don’t they? No tribe has survived that sort of imbalance since - oh, yeah, since last season. 8 p.m. on CBS.

The acquirers: Our favorite local lasses, “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” resume their televised antics of spending money and getting drunk. (OC Register’s Richard Chang previews the new Housewives episode.) The Watcher will pitch in with his thoughts tomorrow morning. 10 p.m. on Bravo.

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Preview of the season premiere of ‘Real Housewives of O.C.’

November 5th, 2009, 2:21 am by RICHARD CHANG, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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“The Real Housewives of Orange County.” From left: Tamra Barney, Alexis Bellino. Jeana Keough, Vicki Gunvalson and Lynne Curtin. Photo by Richard Chang/The Register.

housewives_slideshowGreetings, folks, and welcome back to another exhilarating preview of “The Real Housewives of Orange County”!

Every week, before the show airs, we’ll give you a sneak peek at what transpires on tonight’s episode of the Bravo reality TV series, now in its fifth season, if you can believe it. Tonight at 10 is the season premiere of the fifth season. It will air earlier if you have satellite TV or Bravo’s HD channel. Check your local listings.

Tonight’s episode starts with original housewife Vicki Gunvalson. She is riding in a car with her daughter Brianna and her son Michael. It’s morning, and they are headed for an exciting day of skydiving.

“I just want to see you fall out of a plane,” Michael, 23, says to his mother in the back seat. Brianna, 22, squeals in delight. It’s ominous for Vicki, yet humorous for the general viewer.

“I’m 47, now I feel like it’s my time,” Vicki says.

The trio arrive at Pacific Coast Skydive and check out the single-engine plane.Vicki is scared.

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News bits: We welcome our alien overlords

November 4th, 2009, 5:26 pm by The Watcher

V for victoryAll of ABC’s promotion for “V” appears to have paid off.

The show averaged nearly 14 million viewers in its premiere hour Tuesday night and - more importantly to the network - bested “NCIS” among 18-to-49-year-olds.

The Watcher thought the first 10 minutes were spectacular, but I was less impressed with the next 50. We’ll get three more episodes of “V” before it goes on vacation until March.

In other news:

* The Jake Pavelka edition of “The Bachelor” will begin Jan. 4. This will be the first season broadcast in high-definition.

* CBS cut the season order for “Numb3rs” from 22 episodes to 16. “Numb3rs” clearly was a bubble show even before the news. This makes it more likely that we’re watching the final season.

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Wednesday highlights: Starters and second-stringers

November 4th, 2009, 9:21 am by The Watcher

Fabio returns to 'Top Chef'Highlights from Wednesday night’s TV action:

First string: The Yankees and Phillies are back at it in Game 6 of the World Series. That means that once again, “Glee” and “So You Think You Can Dance” will be missing from the lineup. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. on Fox.

Second string: Bravo is stretching out the “Top Chef” season. The winner will not be crowned until Dec. 9, which means it will take six Wednesdays to winnow the final six chefs. Tonight,we get a “special” edition of “Top Chef,” as several former contestants come to share stories from past seasons - and to cook a little. Season five fan favorite Fabio Viviani hosts. 10 p.m. on Bravo.

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Did an O.C. woman survive the cut on ‘The Biggest Loser’ Tuesday?

November 3rd, 2009, 7:26 pm by PETER LARSEN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

biggest_shay2blogShay Sorrells, a 30-year-old social worker from Newport Beach, has been a fan favorite on “The Biggest Loser,” but that doesn’t necessarily translate into survival when the competition gets tough.

After all, the villian of this current season, Tracey Yukich, a 37-year-old from Allen, Texas, made it to this eighth episode despite the way fans seemingly couldn’t stand to see her on the show another minute.

So what happened on Tuesday night? We’ll not spoil it here, read on a little more if you want to find out before you’ve seen the show…

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