Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Star Power

I was able to hit two parties recently because one involved a student film festival, and the kiddies don’t usually party into the late hours. The event, a fundraiser at Isabel’s Cantina in P.B., was for students involved with the film festival. The cause made it easy to fork over the $25 for dinner.

The film fest will be the group’s 11th annual. As I talked to students, I kept glancing over their shoulders to see the films playing on the wall.

I ran into a woman I met at a party years ago. She crashed parties while going to UCLA, once using John Wayne to help get her into a mansion. She said, “I didn’t tell you about the time I worked at John Wayne’s place on his boats. It was a rental house, for $500 a week. I had been kicked out of Whittier College for climbing out a second-floor window, and when we got arrested for doing something stupid, his attorney bailed us out of jail.”

Groups of ten people were invited into the kitchen to grab a plate. I passed on the fish tacos but enjoyed the rest of the food.

I sat down next to an older couple, and we talked movies. When the guy started one story, he said to his wife, “You can go to the bathroom now.” He smiled as he told me, “She’s heard this so many times. I thought I’d save her from hearing it again.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

He told me about a ten-year high school reunion for Madison High School in Clairemont in 1975. His friend talked about her younger brother going to Hollywood to pursue acting. He had remembered him being a lot younger and running out onto the football field a few times with the cheerleaders. She mentioned a film he was doing in Africa. He told me, “It wasn’t until my third time watching Star Wars and seeing the name Mark Hamill in the credits that I realized it was him. I had seen the pictures from the filming. They had the creatures and robots; I didn’t even realize the film would be so huge.”

I talked to an older Latino man about a few of his productions that ran on KPBS. He had won an Emmy. Because one of his kids was involved in making films, I asked how much easier it is now to do a film than it was in the ’60s or ’70s. He said, “Oh, the advances are amazing. You can dissolve one scene into the next. You can do stuff on your laptop. The tools are in everyone’s hands now. I remember student films I did, and we had to press on the letters for the credits. And those were a big deal to type out.”

Everyone was buzzing about an SDSU student named Ben, who made a film called Die Cast. Wally, who runs the UltraStar Cinema in Hazard Center, told me Ben’s movie was amazing and he would be huge someday.

When I sat down to talk to Ben, he had funny stories about filming it in the warehouse he works at in Vista, using tattooed workers as cast members. He told me two Chargers players saw the film and want to be involved with it. I asked him how he got started, and he said, “In high school, I had a cheap camera. I would do stupid videos and put them online. This was before YouTube.”

Ben’s film has been accepted for a Washington D.C. film festival, but he needs to raise money to go there and show it. He’s never been out of the state.

I quickly cruised from P.B. to Carlsbad for Paul’s 28th birthday party with an ’80s theme. I didn’t dress in ’80s garb. Luckily for me, many in the crowd also wore regular clothes. The people who did go ’80s seemed to be doing the hip-hop thing: a few looked like LL Cool J, with the sweat suit and floppy hat. A few had the Run-DMC look — Adidas sweat suit and gold chains. One person opted for the preppy ’80s look, complete with a sweater tied around his chest.

A DJ spun lots of ’80s hip-hop I recognized. I heard NWA as I pulled up. The neighbors may not have cared for the noise, although one nearby house was having a baby shower and probably didn’t mind. The huge nursery behind them wouldn’t be calling the cops.

There was a cute little girl — she might’ve been eight — wearing a Michael Jackson shirt. She also wore sunglasses and a white glove. A teen girl was dressed up like a prom queen.

I asked where Paul was. His girlfriend, dressed like someone from Flashdance, said he was on a beer run. When Paul showed up, he told me, “Hey…I figured I’d take responsibility for having enough beer here.” I gave him a hard time for his shirt not having the older Adidas logo.

Paul’s dad invited me inside for Mexican food. I was full from earlier but couldn’t resist the nachos and tostadas. Anytime someone went inside for food, a small white dog barked at their ankles. Even though the authentic Mexican food was great, most people seemed to opt for the chicken nuggets and wings.

There were a couple of lowriders driven to the party, but a more interesting vehicle I saw was a van for radio station 94.1 FM. I talked with the woman who drove it there. She does production for Clear Channel and told me a lot of interesting radio-station stories. She said A.J., a DJ at 94.1, is as nice in person as he sounds on the air. We both talked a little smack about DJs Jeff and Jer. She told me a story about a radio-station intern who had a website similar to Perez Hilton’s, but instead of knocking celebrities, the site takes shots at some of their coworkers.

I told Paul’s dad that he must love that he can attend his son’s party; some kids wouldn’t want their folks there. He said, “I have three kids. They’re all eight years apart. I have a good relationship with them, and we like hanging out now. They’ll invite me over for a beer.”

The strobe lights on the driveway and darkness of the backyard made it difficult to take notes. When I overheard someone talking about Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland having a seizure on a plane, I said, “I might have a seizure trying to write with this flashing light.” Paul’s dad then offered me a flashlight.

As the DJ turned things up a notch, a few people broke out the cardboard boxes to breakdance on. It was fun to watch. I was there for an hour before leaving.

I never heard an ’80s rock song, but then, it wouldn’t have fit the vibe and look of the crowd.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

India Hawthorne is common in coastal gardens, Citrus trees are in full bloom

The vernal equinox is on March 19

I was able to hit two parties recently because one involved a student film festival, and the kiddies don’t usually party into the late hours. The event, a fundraiser at Isabel’s Cantina in P.B., was for students involved with the film festival. The cause made it easy to fork over the $25 for dinner.

The film fest will be the group’s 11th annual. As I talked to students, I kept glancing over their shoulders to see the films playing on the wall.

I ran into a woman I met at a party years ago. She crashed parties while going to UCLA, once using John Wayne to help get her into a mansion. She said, “I didn’t tell you about the time I worked at John Wayne’s place on his boats. It was a rental house, for $500 a week. I had been kicked out of Whittier College for climbing out a second-floor window, and when we got arrested for doing something stupid, his attorney bailed us out of jail.”

Groups of ten people were invited into the kitchen to grab a plate. I passed on the fish tacos but enjoyed the rest of the food.

I sat down next to an older couple, and we talked movies. When the guy started one story, he said to his wife, “You can go to the bathroom now.” He smiled as he told me, “She’s heard this so many times. I thought I’d save her from hearing it again.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

He told me about a ten-year high school reunion for Madison High School in Clairemont in 1975. His friend talked about her younger brother going to Hollywood to pursue acting. He had remembered him being a lot younger and running out onto the football field a few times with the cheerleaders. She mentioned a film he was doing in Africa. He told me, “It wasn’t until my third time watching Star Wars and seeing the name Mark Hamill in the credits that I realized it was him. I had seen the pictures from the filming. They had the creatures and robots; I didn’t even realize the film would be so huge.”

I talked to an older Latino man about a few of his productions that ran on KPBS. He had won an Emmy. Because one of his kids was involved in making films, I asked how much easier it is now to do a film than it was in the ’60s or ’70s. He said, “Oh, the advances are amazing. You can dissolve one scene into the next. You can do stuff on your laptop. The tools are in everyone’s hands now. I remember student films I did, and we had to press on the letters for the credits. And those were a big deal to type out.”

Everyone was buzzing about an SDSU student named Ben, who made a film called Die Cast. Wally, who runs the UltraStar Cinema in Hazard Center, told me Ben’s movie was amazing and he would be huge someday.

When I sat down to talk to Ben, he had funny stories about filming it in the warehouse he works at in Vista, using tattooed workers as cast members. He told me two Chargers players saw the film and want to be involved with it. I asked him how he got started, and he said, “In high school, I had a cheap camera. I would do stupid videos and put them online. This was before YouTube.”

Ben’s film has been accepted for a Washington D.C. film festival, but he needs to raise money to go there and show it. He’s never been out of the state.

I quickly cruised from P.B. to Carlsbad for Paul’s 28th birthday party with an ’80s theme. I didn’t dress in ’80s garb. Luckily for me, many in the crowd also wore regular clothes. The people who did go ’80s seemed to be doing the hip-hop thing: a few looked like LL Cool J, with the sweat suit and floppy hat. A few had the Run-DMC look — Adidas sweat suit and gold chains. One person opted for the preppy ’80s look, complete with a sweater tied around his chest.

A DJ spun lots of ’80s hip-hop I recognized. I heard NWA as I pulled up. The neighbors may not have cared for the noise, although one nearby house was having a baby shower and probably didn’t mind. The huge nursery behind them wouldn’t be calling the cops.

There was a cute little girl — she might’ve been eight — wearing a Michael Jackson shirt. She also wore sunglasses and a white glove. A teen girl was dressed up like a prom queen.

I asked where Paul was. His girlfriend, dressed like someone from Flashdance, said he was on a beer run. When Paul showed up, he told me, “Hey…I figured I’d take responsibility for having enough beer here.” I gave him a hard time for his shirt not having the older Adidas logo.

Paul’s dad invited me inside for Mexican food. I was full from earlier but couldn’t resist the nachos and tostadas. Anytime someone went inside for food, a small white dog barked at their ankles. Even though the authentic Mexican food was great, most people seemed to opt for the chicken nuggets and wings.

There were a couple of lowriders driven to the party, but a more interesting vehicle I saw was a van for radio station 94.1 FM. I talked with the woman who drove it there. She does production for Clear Channel and told me a lot of interesting radio-station stories. She said A.J., a DJ at 94.1, is as nice in person as he sounds on the air. We both talked a little smack about DJs Jeff and Jer. She told me a story about a radio-station intern who had a website similar to Perez Hilton’s, but instead of knocking celebrities, the site takes shots at some of their coworkers.

I told Paul’s dad that he must love that he can attend his son’s party; some kids wouldn’t want their folks there. He said, “I have three kids. They’re all eight years apart. I have a good relationship with them, and we like hanging out now. They’ll invite me over for a beer.”

The strobe lights on the driveway and darkness of the backyard made it difficult to take notes. When I overheard someone talking about Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland having a seizure on a plane, I said, “I might have a seizure trying to write with this flashing light.” Paul’s dad then offered me a flashlight.

As the DJ turned things up a notch, a few people broke out the cardboard boxes to breakdance on. It was fun to watch. I was there for an hour before leaving.

I never heard an ’80s rock song, but then, it wouldn’t have fit the vibe and look of the crowd.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets
Next Article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.