OC’s big money and key operatives are choosing up sides in the GOP presidential scramble. For Mitt Romney,Hadi Makarechian (who’s throwing a Romney fund-raiser March 16 at the St. Regis), Larry Dodge, Scott Baugh and Mike Schroeder; for John McCain,Donald Bren, George Argyos and Dan Young; for Rudy Giuliani,Paul Folino and Curt Pringle. Folino is unofficial,he says the New Majority is neutral so he won’t declare his intentions until his term as NM chairman ends soon …
A market study of OCBJ readers shows the L.A. Times losing ground to the OC Register at a stunning rate. Asked three years ago which paper they “read on a regular basis,” our surveyed subscribers favored the Times 65% to 52%. This time our survey asked a similar question,which papers they “subscribed” to. The Register’s result was about the same as before, at 50%. But the Times fell to 40%,a 23-point swing in the Reg’s favor. Countywide both dailies have lost circulation in recent years but the Times more dramatically,the Register’s roughly 3-2 advantage has widened to 2-1 …
Rebecca Schoenkopf says the name Commie Girl belongs to her. And she says both she and former editor-publisher Will Swaim have gotten job overtures since leaving OC Weekly. On “Inside OC,” Schoenkopf accepted Producer Scott Dunlop’s offer to join the show she loves to hate, his “The Real Housewives of Orange County” if there’s a third season …
Could be. New York Daily News TV editor Richard Huff lectured media giant GE that TV viewers these days only “remember the 500-pound guy from ‘The Biggest Loser’ or the buxom and annoying babes from Bravo’s ‘The Real Housewives of Orange County'” and mused about a “Real Housewives” attraction at GE’s Universal theme park …
Miocean Foundation, supported by Pat Fuscoe and other coast-loving OC execs, has sent another $200,000 to the Back Bay Science Center in Newport Beach. A $100,000 payment later this year will complete Miocean’s $500,000 pledge …
Ingram Micro CEO Greg Spierkel speaks Tuesday to UCI’s Merage School. Call (949) 824-7922 … John Rau was the first to point out an egregious error in last week’s Insider,the correct name of the Rev. Robert Schuller’s wife is, of course, Arvella …
Mission Hospital’s gala at the St. Regis drew more than 600 and netted $1 million. Lakers great James Worthy emceed …
Chicago boy and Tustin Hills real estate agent Ed Blatchford combined a Super Bowl party with his 50th birthday celebration. He served food from Chicago’s Best and watched the game on his 50-inch plasma,a Samsung, not a Vizio (see page 1),a gift from wife Laura. “An inch a year.” If only Da Bears had won.
