Characters

Everything you need to know about Tatum Norton can be found in the recent decision she made for college. Alabama had offered the Newport Harbor High senior a scholarship to play volleyball for the Crimson Tide. She said it was a three-year scholarship, something rare when it comes to the position Norton plays. Norton is a libero, a defender who must also provide accurate passing. An NCAA Division I scholarship for a libero? It almost seemed too good to be true. Apparently it seemed to be too easy for Norton.

IRVINE - Standing on a grassy hilltop overlooking the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, filled with overgrown fields and abandoned runways, developers on Wednesday pointed to where the first of 5,000 new homes will open by early next year. "If you use a little imagination, you can see what this area can become," said Emile Haddad, president and chief executive of FivePoint Communities, the Aliso Viejo-based developer of the Great Park Neighborhoods. With the groundbreaking of the first 726 homes Tuesday, the project, which has been marked by challenges, is finally underway.

NEWPORT BEACH - Chase Valentine, 3, wanted something for Christmas that's little difficult to come by in Orange County: snow. "It was so cool. On the way over here he said, 'Mom, the twee is so big,'" said Chase's mom, Tiffany Valentine, while nestled on a blanket with the shy tyke at Fashion Island's annual tree-lighting ceremony Friday night. The Valentines from Newport Beach showed up at 4 p.m. to grab prime real estate in front of the stage where students from Laguna Beach's Musical Theatre University performed alongside Mickey, Minnie and Goofy from the Disneyland Resort.

Families wanting to get into the Halloween mood without the spooks and spirits can head over to a fairytale-themed haunted house. The Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina is hosting its first family-friendly Haunted House that takes children through the story of "Snow White," complete with dwarfs and prizes throughout. "It's a story basically," said Executive Director Thomas Giulioni. "It's patterned off the story 'Snow White,' but we threw in some fun wrinkles. " The Haunted House is less haunted and more a show, with six scenes featuring more than 20 characters, Giulioni said.

Among the works of literature recognized as classics finding their way to the stage, it would be difficult to find a more overrated example than Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice. " Yet it continues to enjoy its 200-year shelf life, with two local colleges having produced it over the past few years. Now South Coast Repertory has given this well-ripened chestnut the full-blown professional treatment, adding a modern character to the mix and mounting a visually entrancing version as the opening production of its 48th season.

Editor's Note: This column originally appeared online at National Football Post. I fell in love with the NFL in the late '50s and '60s because my father took my brothers and I to Rams game at the Los Angeles Coliseum. They were nosebleed seats, which necessitated telescope-strength field glasses to follow the action, but we loved the Rams. The Fearsome Foursome defensive line eviscerated opposing quarterbacks, wreaking havoc on offenses throughout the League. Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy and Roosevelt Grier were devastating and colorful, but my favorite was the "gentle giant" Merlin Olsen.

NEWPORT BEACH — Reading, writing and arithmetic form the heart of education. But what about kindness, friendship, hard work and the other character traits that are also important to becoming a well-rounded individual? "If the child's behavior isn't in check, they can't learn," said Pamela Coughlin, principal of Mariners Elementary School. Every elementary school uses some kind of character education program, but about a third of those in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District have jumped on board with one program adapted from former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden's children book "Inch and Miles: The Journey to Success.

Editor's note: This corrects the spelling of Julie Karges' last name. I once had a neighbor who made a living as a tree trimmer. And every so often, he would dig up an unwanted but valuable tree — usually some kind of palm — and plant it haphazardly in his front yard. His property turned into a mismatched forest of odd trees, the new arrivals taking the place of the ones he sold whenever he was short on cash, which was often. The tree trimmer's property became very quirky and very un-Irvine, which was part of the reason I moved to Eastside Costa Mesa.

COSTA MESA — David Baida's heard it hundreds of times by now: "You were born to play that part." But it nearly took a miracle for the actor to audition for the role. After a run at Los Angeles' Pantages Theatre, Baida and the rest of the touring cast of the hugely successful Broadway musical "In the Heights" will debut at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Aug. 3. Set in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood, "In the Heights" brings three days in the life of its Dominican and Puerto Rican community to colorful, euphoric existence.

N early 70 Corona del Mar Intermediate School students were honored for their "good character" in a special ceremony Monday morning in the gymnasium. And it didn't take long for Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry to quote the late John Wooden — in the heart of USC territory, no less — to the hundreds who showed up for the special event. "Character is important, and coach John Wooden knew that," Curry told the seventh- and eighth-graders and their parents. "He knew that the character of his players were more important than the talent."