San Diego Magazine / December 2009 / All in a Day’s Work ...

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All in a Day’s Work ...

JANUARY 1, 2010

STAR POWER: Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson, who grew up in La Jolla, has long been a supporter of Scripps Memorial Hospital. He’s also become a regular at the La Jolla hospital’s annual Candlelight Ball. Serving as emcee this year, Robertson shared a personal story on the price of fame. His 11-year-old granddaughter, he said, asked him recently if he knew actor Tom Hanks. “Yes,” Robertson replied. “Do you know he gets more than a million dollars for every movie he makes?” she asked. “Yes,” said Robertson. “Do you make more than a million dollars for every picture you make?” she persisted. “No,” said Robertson. “Oh,” she said. “You better get other work, grandpa.”

SAN DIEGO SHUFFLE: After decades of dominance by the GOP, San Diego’s registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans by a razor-thin margin in early 2009. A temporary setback? Apparently not. By this month, registered Democrats had increased their lead by 8,000. Bigger news: Independents showed the largest increase, now accounting for one in four of the county’s 1.4 million registered voters ... The San Diego Film Commission reports a year-end uptick in movie and TV production after a semi-arid spell. A team from The Oprah Winfrey Show was here in December filming two episodes — including one at Black’s Beach intriguingly titled “Women Overcoming Their Fears.” Also filming: a segment for HGTV’s popular series Property Virgins; an episode of the Oxygen Network’s Tori and Dean; and an HBO World of Wonder documentary, Don’t Ask ... Tenth time’s the charm: San Diego-spawned dancer Jeremy McQueen, a local Junior Theatre alum, was a high school kid six years ago when Wicked opened on Broadway. After nine auditions for the musical blockbuster in subsequent years, he gave it one more shot. McQueen opened in Providence, Rhode Island, this month in the Broadway National Tour.

LASTING MEMORIES: Robert O. Peterson, the Jack in the Box founder, banker, arts patron and husband of former San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor, died in 1994. But his estate lives on. A sizable chunk of it, consisting mostly of fine art and antiques — including a painting by French artist Louis Valtat valued at $50,000 and a teakwood rocking chair by Maloof ($30,000) — went on the block at Kaminski Auctions this month in Boston.

THE GROUNDED EAR: Stingaree reportedly paid Lady Gaga $30,000 to attend the nightclub’s fourth anniversary party after her big concert here this month. She was a no-show. But then she might have had trouble with directions. During the Sports Arena concert, Gaga kept referring to San Diego as San Jose . . . Comedienne Lily Tomlin — who honed her one-woman show format at the Old Globe Theatre here a quarter-century ago — returns to San Diego January 28 in “An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin” at the Balboa Theatre ... Despite earlier rumors Comic-Con would abandon San Diego as too-small a venue for its annual convention in 2010, the comics freaks will return. And Preview Night, July 21, is already sold out.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Business writer Rich Acello was perusing the latest list of economic disaster jokes — “How bad is it?” — when he came across this one: “The economy is so bad Hot Wheels and Matchbox stock is trading higher than GM.” No joke, says Acello. He checked. Mattel is trading higher than General Motors.