Carl St. Clair says he plans to stay in Orange County and renew his deal to conduct the Pacific Symphony when the current contract expires in 2009. The orchestra has grown in acclaim in 18 years under St. Clair, but so has he; beginning next year he also will head Berlin’s prestigious Komische Oper. OC “is a place where I’ve really been so well received and so well treated,” he said on “Inside OC.” “You can count on the fact that I will be here to celebrate my 20th year with the great musicians of the Pacific Symphony” …
Turning heads at Chapman U’s American Celebration: Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus (a guest of Orange cardiologist Larry Santora) and Sheriff Mike and wife Debbie Carona, still on the social circuit with deputies in tow. The event, which included a tribute to philanthropists Marybelle and Paul Musco, raised a record $2.4 million …
New OC Register Publisher Terry Horne dropped a bit of news at a coming-out chat with the OC Press Club at Memphis at the Santoro in Santa Ana: OC Post will become a freebie. Post is “right on track. We lost a million,” Horne quipped …
For one evening the Reg and L.A. Times make peace: LAT Publisher David Hiller leads a tribute to Horne’s predecessor Chris Anderson at the OC Biz Council’s annual dinner Jan. 29. Pundit George Will is the featured speaker …
Newport Beach lawyer John Manly is a minority investor in Will Swaim’s alternative-paper startup, The District Weekly of Long Beach. Manly has won big settlements from the Diocese of Orange for the sex-abuse scandals, which have been exhaustively chronicled, favorably for Manly, by Swaim’s former paper, OC Weekly. Swaim says that’s how Manly got to know him, but it’s absurd to think the investment is a quid pro quo: “Hell, I’ve been predisposed to by people like John Manly,little guys taking on powerful, corrupt or powerfully corrupt institutions.” Swaim says The District has exceeded revenue projections in its first nine months: “The newsroom feels like OC Weekly in its heyday. Our Web site is probably the best of its kind.” Swaim says Manly is helping with other potential investors: “We’re talking to two major media companies, and are signing a deal with a third within days” …
Memo to Mickadeit: The market’s been irrational lately …
As Anaheim’s PR chief, John Nicoletti has worked closely with Disney. Now he’s going to work for Disney, heading its global parks and resorts division that includes all of the theme parks, cruise lines and vacation club. He’ll commute to Burbank from his home in Fullerton, “which means I’ll probably be a frequent rider of the increased Metrolink service that OCTA has promised by 2010” … Visiting: Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, at UCI Tuesday evening …
Lucky guy: EE RR and Pacific Life Senior Veep Mary Ann Brown are engaged.
