Don't Take Me Seriously - Book - Page 80
ESCAPE Weekly
Dec. 11 - Dec. 17, 2009 – 22
Walker
Invictus
Continued from page 15
Continued from page 10
how it’s going, tell them things are good.
Fake it if you have to.
But I’m sure you can come up with
at least one example of how things are
going good. Maybe say something like
“The bank let me skip a payment,” or “I
dropped two pounds,” or “My mom is
getting out of prison.”
You know, something good.
Maybe you could say something
positive about the economy, such as
“How about those gas prices, hey?
Regular is staying under three bucks a
gallon,” or “I got two more construction
jobs this month than last,” or “I just got
a great deal on The Signal.”
If you speak it, who knows, the
positivity might catch on and we, right
here in the SCV, could be the catalyst for
the nation’s economic turnaround.
Well, OK, it’s time for me to take my
lithium, but you get my drift.
The World Cup was a famous
victory. The Springboks faced a New
Zealand team so dominant it had
crushed every opponent — Japan by
around 90 points, which in rugby is
a lot. South Africa won in overtime.
About that team name. The South
African national teams have been called
the Springboks since time immemorial
(New Zealand is known as the All
Blacks). A springbok is on the tail of
every South African Airlines airplane.
Cafe
Continued from 6
Don’t leave without desert. I adored
the Homemade Apple Cobbler which
was served hot with a heaping scoop of
vanilla bean ice cream ($6.50) and the
Cinnamon and Sugar Pizza which was
also served with a huge scoop of vanilla
bean ice cream ($4.95).
Frankly, despite the extensive menu,
which often produces mediocre food, I
Lazy Dog Cafe
The Lazy Dog Cafe, 24201
Valencia Blvd., Westfield
Valencia Town Center.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday
through Thursday. 11 a.m. to
midnight Friday and Saturday.
Brunch served Saturdays and
Sundays. Information and menu:
www.lazydogcafe.com.
It’s the national logo. Would Mandela
change the name to one less associated
with the apartheid regime? He would
not. Join me in a thought experiment.
An African-American is elected mayor
of Boston. He is accepted, grudgingly
in some circles. How would it go over if
he changed the name of the Red Sox?
Freeman does a splendid job of
evoking the man Nelson Mandela,
who is as much a secular saint as
Gandhi. He shows him as genial,
confident, calming — over what was
clearly a core of tempered steel. The
focus is on his early time in office.
I believe there may be one scene
with a woman representing Winnie
Mandela, but the dialogue is vague.
Damon is effective at playing the
captain Francois, an Afrikaner, child
of racist parents, transformed by his
contact with “the greatest man I’ve
ever met.” Clint Eastwood, a master
director, orchestrates all of these notes
and has us loving Mandela, proud of
Francois, and cheering for the plucky
Springboks. A great entertainment.
Not, as I said, the Mandela biopic I
would have expected.
© 2009 THE EBERT CO.
lifted “Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah” from it
and plugged it in here. Although the
principal characters are all black (other
than the rich man Big Daddy and the
prince, who is of undetermined race),
race is not an issue here because Disney
adroitly sidesteps all the realities of
being a poor girl in New Orleans in the
early 1920s. And just as well, I suppose.
“The Princess and the Frog” inspires
memories of Disney’s Golden Age
that it doesn’t quite live up to, as I’ve
said, but it’s spritely and high-spirited,
and will allow kids to enjoy it without
visually assaulting them.
Three stars.
© 2009 THE EBERT CO.
can’t imagine you’ll find anything you
don’t like at the Lazy Dog Café.
Keeping up the quality is always the rub
with restaurants that offer so much choice.
However, I’m betting this restaurant
will be different. The Lazy Dog Cafe,
which has locations in Westminster/
Huntington Beach, Orange, Thousand
Oaks and Torrance, was founded by
Chris Simms, who is almost a local.
He is married to Keri Comella, the
daughter of Joe Comella, founder of
the legendary Final Score that recently
closed in Newhall after 30 years in the
Santa Clarita Valley.
In addition, Simms’ father and
grandfather founded the notable
Mimi’s Café. This is a family with three
generations of restaurant experience.
I think they may know what they’re
doing. It certainly tastes like it.
“We focus on fresh ingredients,”
Simms said. “We want every restaurant
to have its own identity. We take the
food very seriously. We don’t want to be
a ‘chain.’”
The restaurant’s motto is “sit, stay
and play.” I think we will, and often.
Sara Phillips, a server trainer from Thousand Oaks, serves up a beer tasting sampler at Lazy Dog Café.
The restaurant, which recently opened in the Patios at the mall, features an eclectic American menu.
Frog
Continued from page 8
Michele E. Buttelman /The Signal
