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Wave of Support
EACH YEAR, thousands of people run and walk to raise money for cancer research. And each summer in San Diego, hundreds hang 10 for a cure. The 16th annual Moores UCSD Cancer Center Luau & Longboard Invitational brings together legendary surfers, community and business leaders, scientists, celebrities and surf-loving philanthropists to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
The event, which has generated more than $3 million for the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, teams participants with surf gods such as Robert August, Skip Frye, Rusty Preisen dorfer, Wingnut Weaver, Jericho Poplar and Kathy “Gidget” Zuckerman on August 23 at 7 a.m. near Scripps Pier. The noon luau is on the campus of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
“For surfers, this is an opportunity to combine our love of surfing and raise money and awareness for cancer research,” says chair Jessica Yingling. “It brings together people from all walks of life in the aloha spirit. ‘Aloha’ means more than hello——it means coming together, being stronger than one.”
Preceding the invitational, the third annual Survivor Beach is August 9, 8-11 a.m., on the beach near Scripps Pier. Attendees show their solidarity in the fight against cancer by forming a long line of surfboards in the sand ——and it’s free to participate.
Get more information at 858-822-0023 or longboardluau.org. By JULIA POLLORENO
Five Questions
We sat down with retired Rear Admiral John “Mac” McLaughlin, president and CEO of the USS Midway Museumthe most visited ship in the world and most visited museum in San Diego——as it celebrated its fifth anniversary.
What’s it like to have your own aircraft carrier?
Those of us who have been a part of building this have always hoped San Diego would adopt it as her aircraft carrier. We just happen to be fortunate enough to work here. But I think a lot of people in San Diego don’t understand the history of the carrier, and the fact that the aircraft carrier was invented right here in San Diego.
What’s the strangest request from a visitor?
Last year we had 275 special events here. One of those was an 83-yearold man getting married to a 49year-old lady, and the ring bearer was her toy French poodle. The Porsche Club of America wanted to come on board and do a demonstration on the flight deck. We said yes to that. The BMW Motorcycle people wanted to give a presentation. We’ve had hot-rod associations, black-tie dinners and everything in between.
Do any portions of the Midway remain state secrets or off limits?
None at all. When [the government] decommissions a ship, it takes off anything that has any security value. People can take pictures of anything they want to, wherever they go.
What are your plans for the Midway’s next five years and beyond?
A couple of our board members went on trips to the East Coast. Wherever they went, they found a monument to the birth of our nation, the Constitution, the values of freedom for all people, and the need to sacrifice and ensure those freedoms are maintained. Yet on the West Coast, you can drive from San Diego to Seattle and there are no real American symbols. We’re trying to turn this into an American symbol.
Can I take it for a spin around the bay?
The only time this boat can leave its berth is if we ever decide to tow it back to Bremerton [to the Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility], and we’re doing everything we can to ensure that day never comes.
By ADAM ELDER
By the Numbers
$5 - The cost of a hot dog, popcorn, peanuts, cookie and 20-ounce soda at Petco Park
1,450 Calories consumed with the "5 for $5 special"
76 Grams of fat in those five bucks
6.5 Hours you'd need to walk to burn off a "5 for $5" meal
SOURCE: Katie Clark, registered dietitian, katieclarkrd.com
The Insider
KEEPING UP WITH KARDASHIAN: Buxom reality-TV bombshell Kim Kardashian joined her boyfriend, NFL star Reggie Bush, back in his hometown, where the pair hit the pool deck at downtown’s Hard Rock Hotel for the Red Bull Air Races after-party. The Heisman-winning running back with the New Orleans Saints and his socialite girlfriend were spotted enjoying each other’s company and chatting with guests including fellow reality star and hometown girl Kendra Wil kin son (The Girls Next Door).
NERDLEBRITY SIGHTINGS: Okay, so maybe Biz Stone and Evan Williams aren’t quite household names just yet, but for devotees of Twitter, the social networking service they founded, they might as well be Brangelina. The trendy tech duo were in Carlsbad for the annual All Things Digital technology conference at the Four Seasons Resort Aviara, along with media heavyweights like Arianna Huffington and the heads of NBC and The Washington Post. Proving that nerdspeak has officially gone mainstream, the conference also attracted well-known faces like Martha Stew art and Mark Cuban, both prolific Twitterers.
SPACE GIRL: Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, popped into the Air & Space Museum to talk about and sign copies of her new book, Mission: Planet Earth, which teaches kids about climate change from her astronaut’s-eye view.
COOKING LIGHT: Comedian and actor Dane Cook was spotted lunching at Maryjane’s Coffee Shop at the fueling up in preparation for that night’s performance at the Sports Arena, tried to stay low-profile, wearing sunglasses and keeping to themselves during their lunch.
SPELLING SPILLS: Also in town pimping her new tome was Candy Spelling, better known as Tori Spelling’s estranged mom. Accompanied by her Wheaton terrier, Mad-die, Spelling put on a smile while greeting fans and signing copies of Stories from Candyland, thought to be a not-so-subtle payback for Tori’s recent tell-all, sTori Telling.
MASKED MAN: Gaslamp eatery Acqua Al 2, well-known as a post-game hangout for Padres players, hosted a different kind of competitor not long ago: a lucha libre fighter! Well, Mexican actor Hector Jimenez may not be a luchador himself, but he portrayed one on screen, stealing scenes from Jack Black in the lucha libre comedy Nacho Li bre. Jimenez, who played the slender Esqueleto to Black’s corpulent Nacho, didn’t seem to be worrying about his waistline as he tucked into a meal of Italian food and wine before graciously autographing a plate for chef/owner Martin Gonzalez, who added the dish to his ever-growing collection.
HOOPS HEAVEN: Summer camp just got a whole lot cooler. Attendees at the King’s Academy basketball camp, held recently at UCSD, got to hang with one of the most awesome camp counselors ever: NBA star LeBron James. James relocated his camp to San Diego this year, promising to be “directly involved on a daily basis” with the campers.
Have a celebrity sighting to report?
E-mail us at insider@sandiegomagazine.com.
By RACHEL ZENN SACHS
Taking It to the Streets
The 1980s saw the creation of the CD-Rom, the Apple computerand the disposable camera. While inventors were revolutionizing technology, a pop culture phenomenon was taking root in the streets of downtown San Diego.
Twenty-five years ago, San Diego native Rob Hagey founded Street Scene, one of the country’s largest annual music festivals. What was once a concert involving five bands on two stages in a then-sleepy Gaslamp Quarter is now a five-stage, three-block, 40-band rockfest in the up-and-coming East Village. The event has seen many changes over the past two decades——including venue moves to Qualcomm Stadium, Coors Amphitheatre and back downtown——but one thing has remained constant: the eclectic lineup of big-name acts. Among past performers are Snoop Dogg, R.E.M., Devo, The Killers, Unwritten Law, Foo Fighters, Kanye West and Jack Johnson.
This year’s Street Scene, August 28 and 29, features the same mishmash of genres, but with added pop and glitz brought by Black Eyed Peas, M.I.A., Modest Mouse, Chromeo and Thievery Corporation. See the full schedule and purchase tickets at street-scene.com.
By FARYAR BORHANI
Wicked Little Secret
MANY SAN DIEGANS know about Kate Mor-gan, the resident ghost who allegedly has haunted the Hotel del Coronado since dying there more than 100 years ago under mys-terious circumstances. Few, however, are aware of the real skeleton in the seaside ho-tel’s closet: Wicked, Wicked, a disturbing 1973 horror flick telling the alternately grisly and silly tale of an introverted hotel handy-man who terrorizes blonde female guests. A mix of Psycho, Phantom of the Opera and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, this campy, excessively violent, made-for-the-drive-in movie was filmed entirely at the Del, from the lobby to the ballroom to individual rooms to the beach.
Makers of Wicked, Wicked, the cast of which includes such veteran character ac-tors as Edd Byrnes, Arthur O’Connell and Di-ane McBain, deployed a gimmick called Duo-Vision, which was nothing more than a split screen featuring the killer on one half and his unsuspecting victims on the other. Wicked, Wicked is an awful yet perversely entertaining little movie that ends with the creepy discovery of all the embalmed vic-tims in a hotel attic and the killer jumping to his death.
So why did the Del’s owners allow such a dark, bloody film to be shot entirely on the grounds? No one at the hotel seems to know or wants to share. In one of the gift shops that showcases memorabilia from the hotel’s 121-year history, a prominently displayed list of films made at the hotel in-cludes Some Like It Hot and Stunt Man, but not Wicked, Wicked. In fact, shop personnel say they’ve never heard of it. But the movie does merit a microscopic mention on the hotel Web site. And the film has recently found new life on cable TV. It’s aired twice in the past year on Turner Classic Movies as part of the net-work’s Friday late-night Underground series of cult and off-the-wall films.
By JAMIE RENO
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