When I was a kid, I was fascinated by a “sport” called roller derby. The illegitimate cousin of professional “wrestling,” this cheesy enterprise was broadcast on Channel 13 and involved a bunch […]
Retorts: Skating on the edge of theater
Retorts: Many great GG neighborhoods
No good deed goes unpunished. That’s clear from this week’s reaction to Garden Grove City Councilman (and mayor pro tem) Kris Beard’s latest initiative. He wrote a proposed resolution to declare that […]
Retorts: Sift SB 54 facts from rumor
At every public meeting of city councils in Orange County, whenever the subject of sanctuary cities comes up, there seems to be a lot more heat than light. As I write this, […]
“A Quiet Place” makes a great sound
By Jim Tortolano For the last generation or two, the horror movie business has been stuck in a nightmare of its own making: a “Groundhog Day” of clueless people hanging out in […]
Retorts: An early season election primer
It’s only March, but the political season is already underway. Huge signs are popping up at every street corner advertising the two-word platform of the candidate: MY NAME. A little later in […]
Retorts: Missing snowballs in the spring
The coming of baseball season always leads to a singing of that most popular of sporting songs, “Take Me Out To the Ball Game.” Estimated to be the third most-commonly sung tune […]
Retorts: Blaming past is easy, but in vain
The Americans took California from the Mexicans. The Mexicans took it from the Spanish. The Spanish took it from the natives. Those natives took it from … does it matter? America used […]
Retorts: Cruel dilemma of guns in the U.S.
Editor’s note: Jim Tortolano wrote this column in October 2017 after the Las Vegas killings. He thinks it’s still appropriate in the wake of today’s mass shooting at a school in Florida. […]
French cafe lifestyle in Garden Grove
By Jim and Marilyn Tortolano If you’re not so flush with Bitcoins that you can’t jet across the pond daily for a taste of the French café lifestyle, there are a couple […]
“Darkest Hour”: Oldman shines, but …
By Jim Tortolano “Darkest Hour,” starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill in the early days of World War II, deserves high praise for the performance of its lead actor and a head […]
