Emilio Nares was three years old the first time he went to Rady Children’s. He had just started preschool and had come down with something. At first, his parents, Richard and Diane, thought it was …

I can only show my Gratitude for those Mercies from God, by a Readiness to help his other Children and my Brethren. For I do not think that Thanks, and Compliments, tho’ repeated Weekly, can …

Neil Patrick Harris, in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, is at his finest as a villain you almost have to root for. His musically inclined attempt at trying simultaneously to woo the girl and join a …

“When I graduated, I got lucky with a road trip that paid me for the tour,” says the frontman of the Chris Daniels Project, who grew up in Mission Hills and went straight from graduating …

The Last Starfighter is an ’80s coming-of-age sci-fi adventure clearly made to cash in on Star Wars’ success. This movie was an early pioneer in computer-generated spaceship battles. What makes it such a great movie …

The hand-picked would-be successor to termed-out Eighth District San Diego city councilman David Alvarez, who is currently raising money for a county board of supervisors race in 2020, has been faring well in the big-money …

Although it’s not immediately clear to some, those “Funner, California” commercials are actually promoting Harrah’s Casino in Valley Center. “They actually changed the name of the property where the casino sits to ‘Funner,’” explains videographer/editor …

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Boston Marathon bombing victim Jeff Bauman, but don’t expect the Lifetime Channel. Stronger invites audiences to cast aside all fear of drippy sentiment in tight closeup. This tale of an ordinary …

“The band never went all the way away.” Vaden Todd Lewis would know. As one of the Fort Worth band’s founding members, he is also one of its survivors. The band broke out in 1994 …

Wide sweeping views? Check. An aircraft engine from the 1920s? Check. Bedrock morteros at a peaceful backcountry trail camp? Check. This loop hike includes the entire length of Airplane Ridge, breezes by interesting rock formations, …

I used to go to indoor play parks only when it rained. Now I go when it’s over 100 degrees as well. At this time of year, it could be either. “We are an indoor …

At the Lego Ninjago Movie press conference held last week at Legoland Carlsbad, a child asked the film’s assembled cast and crew, “What happened to the cat?” The tot was referring to the monstrous beast …

Dear DJ: Lately, I’ve been reading excruciatingly well-researched historical novels set between 1780 and 1820 written by early/mid-20th Century Englishmen: The Poldark novels by Winston Graham, and the Master and Commander series by Patrick O’Brian. …

When Oceanside’s double Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Jason Mraz left manager Bill Silva after 18 years, the separation was proclaimed to be friendly and drama-free. But Green Day’s termination of San Diego’s highest profile resident rock manager, …

Giraffe in Juarez There’s a giraffe in the central park of Ciudad Juárez. Simple as that: a towering, Upper-Case and lonely giraffe. I studied her as she gazed at the sun sinking behind the hill …

Much of Hansol Jung’s Wild Goose Dreams takes place in a cyberspace Babel. Throngs of voices, mantras of zeroes and ones, and pop-up ads scream for attention, pinball off each other, and drift away. If …

"You can’t unmilk a coffee,” this guy in front of me’s saying. “Once it’s in, it’s in. One-way ticket. Like marriage.” “Barber, party of seven!?” This is Monday morning. Yet the place is totally jamming. …

Randy Burgess won 715 games during his 33 years of coaching water polo at Coronado High School. He led the boys’ team to 16 section championships and the girls team to three titles before he …

Grossmont College professor Raul Sandelin premiered his new music documentary Throttle the Sun on September 14th as part of the college’s Fall Concert Series. In the film, he’s interrogating the history of, and the changing …

As San Diego State University sets out to acquire a big chunk of Mission Valley in the form of a bitterly fought Qualcomm Stadium takeover, many of the big toys it already owns are being …

Skip the pot ads Every week you print a letter from someone complaining about the pot ads. I think some people have too much time on their hands. We get an excellent paper, free of …

Penny Dreadful stole my heart with solid acting and flawless writing. It invites you to a universe where literary Gothic horror icons meet eye-to-eye. There’s not one character in the series that you don’t fall …