Latest news with #Fullerton-based
Eater
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Universal CityWalk Is Getting a Korean Barbecue Restaurant
is an editor of the Southern California/Southwest region, who covers the evolving landscape of LA's food scene. A series of restaurant closures hit Universal CityWalk in January, with the theme park-adjacent shopping street saying goodbye to Popcornopolis, Sparky's, Crepe Cafe, Dongpo Kitchen, and more. Now, a new slate of restaurant openings is being announced, including Raising Cane's, Slice House by Tony Gemignani, and most recently, Fullerton-based Korean barbecue spot Mr. BBQ. The restaurant, which has a second location in Las Vegas, will take over the former Johnny Rockets space, reports What Now LA. Mr. BBQ is slated to open sometime in 2026. If the menu at the original Fullerton location is any indication, diners can expect all-you-can-eat meats like pork jowl, beef brisket, and beef belly, alongside gyeran-jjim (steamed egg), soondubu, and more. Soju and beer will also be on deck to wash it all down. A new bar at the Getty Hilltop art museum the Getty just debuted a new cocktail bar in its courtyard. Trellis Bar & Lounge, serving from 2 p.m. onward on days the museum is open, serves cocktails and small bites, including tostadas, taquitos, and more. Although Trellis usually closes at 6:30 p.m., it will stay open until 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays this summer during the Off the 405 concert series. The series kicks off this Saturday, July 26, with Empress Of. Los Angeles gets its own One Piece Cafe A little more than a year after the One Piece Cafe debuted in Las Vegas in May 2024, it has arrived in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times reports that the One Piece Cafe has landed in Little Tokyo just in time for this year's Anime Expo, which kicked off on July 3. The themed cafe, designed to resemble a pirate ship, serves dishes inspired by the One Piece series, including a katsu sandwich, LA galbi, and more. Genghis Cohen at the Kibitz Room While Genghis Cohen searches for its new permanent location, the restaurant will host Genghis Cohen Live at the Kibitz Room starting July 23. The weekly series will feature up-and-coming comedians and bands every Wednesday and Thursday. A new bagel destination near USC Bagel pop-up Bagels by Kneady has settled into a new location in Rock & Reilly's in USC Village. The sourdough bagel specialist is open 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day, serving loose bagels and sandwiches like the Toro Rojo with scrambled eggs, cream cheese, and bacon bits. All the bagels at Bagels by Kneady, which opened in USC Village. Bagels by Kneady Eater LA All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Los Angeles Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Rich with visual effects, ‘King Kong' stomps into Fullerton
From sailing on a ship to Skull Island to a fight between King Kong and a T-Rex, Maverick Theater's 'King Kong' is in its sixth year of bringing live audiences a bit of movie magic. Using live-video capture, rear-screen projection, a green screen and miniature sets, the tech-heavy production opened July 11 and runs until Aug. 10 at the Fullerton-based community theater. 'It's all filmmaking and theater tricks,' said Brian Newell, theater founder and the show's writer and director. 'I fell in love with special effects when I first saw 'King Kong' on TV when I was 5. I collected any magazine or book I could read to learn how the effects were done.' Guests enjoying the production might not realize the challenges of presenting a show with live visual effects, where some actors perform backstage in front of a green screen, or a projected backdrop with a miniature set. There are pre-recorded scenes, but most are done live. And then there's the 16-foot long Kong arm. 'The basic concept I came up with to pull off the giant scale of Kong was to project his image on a large rear screen that nearly fills the stage,' Newell said. 'Actors could then interact with Kong, and he would appear larger than life. 'Also, shooting my Kong actor on miniature sets gives the audience a forced perspective that Kong is a giant in our world. The only large-scale Kong element in the show is his hand and arm. The arm I built is about 16 feet long with articulating fingers to grab the actors. To add an actor in some of the Kong scenes, I set up a green screen to capture their performance and then mix their video feed into the live Kong video feed, blending the two together on the stage's rear screen.' The Kong hand and arm is a welded metal frame on casters that can roll on and off stage. The hand is made up of hinges, pulleys and aircraft cable controlled by an operator backstage. The technology has been used before, just not in this way, Newell said. 'All arena concerts have a live camera feed on a giant screen for audiences to see the musicians. The difference is with 'Kong,' the audience never sees what we are shooting backstage,' he said. 'Some theater productions have used live footage but probably not the way I do. I think our show could be a one-of-a-kind.' But there are always challenges. 'Opening night, the backstage crew couldn't transfer the camera to a tripod in time for the scene on the Empire State Building,' Newell said of their first performance in 2019. 'So for the entire scene, they had to hold the camera as still as they could to get the shot. Of course that's really impossible, so it looked like Manhattan was having a small earthquake. That's frustrating because we all want perfection, but it was also very funny, which is probably why the camera was shaking.' Alex Wesevich, of Fullerton, has been helping manage backstage for the production since its first year. 'I work on the cabaret side of the theater,' Wesevich said. 'My job, along with quick changes and the usual set movements, is to cue the actors using the green screen — who can't see what or who they're interacting with — and let them know what's happening and when to move. 'I also coordinate to help cue the Kong actor on the other side of the building since he can't see the actors either. Working with green screens means sometimes our actors are interacting completely blind. It takes a lot of trust. It's such an interesting and unique blend of technology and live theater. Of course cameras and projections are used in other shows, but it's rare to see people working with live projections, much less compositing several green screens while doing it.' Wesevich said the technical aspects of the show can be very difficult. 'We've got it down pat after so many years, but oh boy, Kong's very first tech week was still the worst tech week I've ever had, before or since,' Wesevich said. 'But even now, I mean, what hasn't gone wrong? Sometimes the screens all go off and the actors have to continue on anyway in total darkness. Sometimes the green screen curtain falls down seconds before we need to use it. One memorable time, the stage-right curtain leg ripped in half horizontally on the Kong arm side and had to be held up with safety pins. It's never dull.' Alex Conway, of Long Beach, who is a scenic artist by trade, initially helped Newell with the miniatures and Kong suit, and continues to assist on each production. 'The challenge of building mechanical props for a show like this is you can't just buy it off the shelf. Everything needs to be designed and fabricated from scratch,' he said. 'From paper to model to mockups, there are quite a few steps to make sure things will look and work great. Just like creating all of the props and sets for this production, the staging is also very complex. With the miniatures, projections, large-scale props and sets, it's really not like anything you have seen on stage.' 'King Kong' runs through Aug. 10 at the Maverick Theater, 110 E. Walnut Ave., Fullerton. Tickets range from $17.50 to $33 and can be purchased online at
Los Angeles Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County goes big with a new mural
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County & Inland Empire unveiled a new mural outside its Edinger Avenue building in Santa Ana on Tuesday. The new billboard-sized artwork is meant to catch the eye of the more than 100,000 drivers motoring past the organization's building each day. Sloane Keane, chief executive officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County & Inland Empire, hopes the work will not only touch the young people the organization serves, but also highlight the life-changing impact mentorship can have and inspire people to volunteer. 'We wanted this mural to be two things: a piece of art and also a call to action to the community,' Keane said to the crowd at the mural unveiling ceremony. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County & Inland Empire is a mentorship program serving at-risk youth, especially those from low-income households who are in need of positive role models. The organization works to match young boys and girls with a mentor through multiple professionally-supported programs the nonprofit offers. According to BBBS, nearly 65% of the population they serve live below the poverty line and low-income youth are nearly 10 times more likely to drop out of school. By partnering youth (or 'Littles') with a positive role model who provides a mentoring relationship (a 'Big'), BBBS increases the chance of a successful academic career for the child. 'Littles' who participate in Big Brothers Big Sisters have a 98% success rate of graduating from high school and almost 67% go on to be the first to graduate from college in their family. For the mural, the organization tapped local artist, Carla Roque. 'I love to create murals that bring a little bit of joy to the communities that they are created in,' Roque said. Against the BBBS logo, a Latino child, or a 'Little,' wearing glasses looks up at his 'Big' mentor, whose face isn't visible to the viewer. Viewers can infer from the wide smile and shining eyes of the youngster that he feels the adult is someone he can look up to and admire. Yellow rays emphasize the boy's line of vision toward his mentor and more details around the man's hand on the boy's shoulder demonstrate the powerful connection between the two of them. 'It takes little to be BIG,' the mural reads. Roque said she worked hard to include culturally specific features that would help members of the community feel represented in the work. 'We were really looking to make sure the community saw themselves in the mural, that was something that fit within this space of who they are, especially calling out male mentors for young Hispanic males. There is a huge need for that in this area,' said Roque. 'The little things like the gold chain were details that people in the community would notice and feel seen.' The Fullerton-based artist has been working in the community for 25 years, primarily creating murals. For this recent work she employed the help of seven pairs of 'Bigs' and 'Littles,' giving mentors and mentees the opportunity to take part in the creative process. Keane said it was also important for the organization to show two males in the mural. 'This is a reminder to the community to get involved, particularly men. We are looking for men,' said Keane. 'We have over 100 little boys today waiting for a positive male role model to be introduced into their life.' Keane said the two words on the bottom of the mural, 'Volunteer' and 'Donate,' are meant to inspire action. 'Those are the two most important resources this organization needs. Everybody needs funding but in equal measure we need volunteers to walk through the door and stand up and mentor,' said Keane. For donation and volunteer opportunities with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County & Inland Empire visit
Los Angeles Times
28-03-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Contractor for taxpayer-funded projects in Newport Beach, Anaheim, other cities faces wage theft allegations
The owner and foreman of a Fullerton-based construction company that took on taxpayer-funded jobs in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties face felony allegations of wage theft and fraud. The owner of Towo Enterprises Inc., Yun Su Chung, and the company's foreman, Jae Weon Kim face allegations of conspiracy and lying to discourage an injured worker from receiving benefits. The owner of the company has also been charged with 14 additional felony counts, including intent to evade taxes and falsifying official documents. They pleaded not guilty in December and were released from custody after posting bail. Their next court date is set for April 23, according to online records. Their charges were sparked by an investigation by the non-profit Center for Contract Compliance that began over three years ago, representatives for the organization said Wednesday in a news release. 'The offense was not discovered earlier because Yun Su Chung, the owner of Towo Enterprises, Inc. and his superintendent, Jae W. Kim directed employees to lie to compliance inspectors at job sites,' attorneys with the Orange County district attorney's office wrote in a criminal complaint filed Dec. 12. At least five people working for Towo Enterprise Inc. came to the Center for Contract Compliance in October 2021. They reported that the company was providing less than the prevailing wage mandated by state law. One said they had been injured on the job but did not get worker's compensation pay . Prosecutors claim Chung tried to conceal wage theft and reduce his premiums by providing inaccurate information to his worker's compensation insurance providers. The costs saved by allegedly doing so would have given his company an unfair advantage over other contractors competing for publicly funded jobs. 'Wage theft and insurance fraud not only affect workers but also have a direct impact on a public agency's ability to deliver high-quality projects on time and within budget,' Center for Contract Compliance Executive Director Branden Lopez told the Daily Pilot in an email Friday. '...When contractors underpay employees—pocketing funds meant for their wages — the quality of work suffers.' Towo Enterprises Inc. did work that was paid for by taxpayers in numerous cities across Southern California between April 2019 and November 2022, according to court documents. Some of their projects included the remodeling of the amphitheater at the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve, the Orange Coast College horticulture program's greenhouse and the East Broadmoor Trail at Santiago Canyon College, as well as street repairs and improvements in Anaheim, Brea, San Clemente and Ontario. In the 2020-2021 fiscal year alone, the California Labor Commissioner's office issued 516 citations to contractors hired for publicly-funded projects who had shorted their workers over $10,979,508 in wages. That's almost 20% of the combined $56,949,252 withheld by employers caught breaking labor laws in both the public and private sector that year. 'The CCC uncovers around $5-to-7 million annually in wage theft on public work projects,' Lopez said. 'The labor commissioner cites contractors for two or three times more than this annually. This does not include any of the cases in situations when an aggrieved worker hires their own attorney to sue for back wages.' Research suggests the true cost of wage theft may be exponentially higher than the value reported to state officials. A study conducted by the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations estimates workers in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties lost an average of $2.3 billion to $4.6 billion in pay annually due to minimum wage violations between 2014 and 2023.
