Hair

Can it be more than 40 years since Orange Coast College musical theater star Diane Hall moved to New York, changed her surname to "Keaton," and won a role in the original production of "HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical"? Well, Diane Keaton's (non-musical) movie career, including an Oscar for Best Actress, moved right along, while "HAIR" became pigeonholed as a period piece and hadn't been heard from much until 2009, when the show won a Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

"Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair … shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen. Give me down-to-there hair, shoulder length or longer, flow it, show it, long as God can grow it, hair!" We're not talking about my hair actually, even though it's usually a little long. We're talking about "Hair," the musical. It's back, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through Thursday — brash, rowdy and, fortunately, as outrageous and funny as ever. The full title is "Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.

While putting on his uniform to attend an all-boy Catholic high school in Orange County, Marshal Kennedy Carolan never dreamed that in a few short years he would grow out his hair and travel the country, doing drugs, dissing the establishment and taking part in political demonstrations. All onstage, of course. Carolan is part of the ensemble in the national touring company of the famed (and divisive) "HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical," which underwent a successful Broadway revival in 2009.

Dusty Simington doesn't mince words when he sets the standards for his students at Salon Gregorie's. "Efficiency is key ? so is cleanliness, so basically you have to be perfect," he told the dozen-plus students gathered on the top floor of the Newport Beach hair hot spot where master stylist Simington works with the some of the top hair professionals in Southern California. Television producers hope Simington's passion for excellence and impeccable style bode well with viewers craving more sights and sounds from the "OC."

George Parros keeps a secret under that tight hockey helmet. The Anaheim Ducks right wing grows his hair long during the year for Locks of Love, a nonprofit that provides wigs to children who have suffered medical hair loss, and gets it cut just before the holidays. Last year, Parros had his girlfriend wield the scissors at home, but Saturday, he decided to make it a public spectacle. The Newport Sports Museum by Fashion Island hosted Parros’ December ritual, with the Ducks star and nine other volunteers getting in the chair to donate their locks.

The roar of cheering students drowned out the buzz of the electric hair clippers being used to shave John Muir Middle School Principal Dan Hacking's bright pink hair into a Mohawk Wednesday at the school's Family Fun Night. Hacking had agreed to have his hair shaved and styled into a colored Mohawk if students raised $2,500 for the Red Cross to help Hurricane Katrina Victims. Assistant Principal David Cole agreed to join him if the students raised more than $3,000.

Tom Titus Some sage once said, if you can remember the 1960s, you weren't really there. And certainly those characters depicted in the rock musical "Hair" -- if they're still around in the 21st century -- would recall the latter years of that decade through a hazy, hallucinogenic blur. It's taken 35 years, but UC Irvine has finally given this "tribal rock musical" its moment in the sun. Somewhat juvenile by today's standards ("Rent," for example)

Gina Forestieri had a herculean task to complete last week. The stylist at the Splitends salon in Costa Mesa had to learn how to cut hair in a new style with a new group of clients — and with cameras constantly in her face. As far as the New York native is concerned, that was no big deal. “I’m definitely made to do this because I’m not shy,” said Forestieri, who was filmed for the Style Network show “Split Ends,” in which two stylists trade salons and have to adapt to their new environments quickly.

Go to the barber any day of the week and you might get a decent conversation and a few laughs out of your 10- to 30-minute hair cut, but go to Adams Elementary School for a trim and you might get more than 100 cheering children rooting you on as your locks get snipped. That is exactly what happened Monday afternoon when 21 students and three adults decided to have their hair cut and donated to Locks of Love, a charity that creates and sells hair pieces for children with cancer or alopecia, a disease in which children permanently lose all their hair.

It’s not likely that a bald man would be approached by strangers in public asking sympathetic questions about how he’s dealing with the after effects of chemotherapy. Bald women, on the other hand, are easy targets for that type of invasive public scrutiny. Thea Chassin, the founder of Bald Girls Do Lunch Inc., a New York-based nonprofit group for women with alopecia areata, would know. She’s been bald for 10 years. Chassin was in town recently to host a Bald Girl’s luncheon at Maggiano’s restaurant in Costa Mesa, the first time the group has visited Southern California.

Super-powered female icons Wonder Woman and Supergirl are inspiring for more than their ability to fly and fight crime. They also have fantastic hair. SAS Shampoo & Style owner Monica Ruggieri knows that a great hairstyle is more than an expression of vanity. Great hair has the ability to transform a woman's attitude and sense of confidence. "When you've had your hair done, it makes you feel better all day long," Ruggieri said Monday while standing in the all-new blow-dry salon on East 17th Street.

It is about 8 a.m. on a Saturday in Newport Beach. The town is still quiet, but at a swank Irvine Co. office building in Fashion Island cars are pulling up in the front circular drive. They are full of a diverse group of people who have signed up for "Master Class," produced by a company known as STYLE 2020. Founded several years ago by O.C. entrepreneur Kathryn Moore , STYLE 2020, headquartered in Newport Beach and with a global reach, is a personal branding company.

Editor's note: Staff writer Mona Shadia has gotten used to fielding questions about Islam and Middle Eastern culture in our newsroom. Whether it's fasting during Ramadan, Eid, hijabs in the workplace, the Irvine 11 or the Arab Spring, Mona has educated her co - workers (and bosses) about her faith and experiences. Those conversations led us to realize how little some Americans understand about Islam and the Middle Easterners who live among us in this era of Islamophobia in America.

SEAL BEACH -- Pam Serdutz paced nervously outside the Salon Meritage early Thursday morning, desperate to know whether her favorite stylist was among the victims. "I can't stand it, not knowing whether Gordon survived or not," she said, trying not to cry at the scene of Wednesday's shooting rampage in Seal Beach that left eight dead and one critically injured. She was referring to Gordon Gallego, who she said had cut her hair for years. Full coverage: Deadly shooting at Seal Beach beauty salon "I called his home phone, but his message machine is full," Serdutz said.

COSTA MESA - Families packed the stands and children clutching stuffed animals lined the track. Everyone was clapping along to Queen's "We Will Rock You" as the competitors took the stage at the Orange County Fair. Small, pink and standing on four legs, Sourdough Jack, Yukon and Kobuk positioned themselves for the race, but Soapy Smith had other ideas. Jumping the track's small fence, Soapy Smith ran straight to the finish line, showing why he and was named after the infamous Alaskan con artist.

The week that began with Mustache Monday at UC Irvine's Bren Events Center, went on to feature a pair of extremely close shaves. The Anteaters' men's volleyball team took care of visiting Hawaii in four games, the first of back-to-back Mountain Pacific Sports Federation wins over the Warriors, to start the prosperous week at the Bren. Several UCI players sported real and artificial mustaches and hundreds of fans donned imitation black, blond or gray lip accessories passed out as part of a promotion that played off the Island connection of television's Magnum P.I. Even game officials caught the spirit of the brainchild of UCI assistant coach David Kniffin, who added Magnum's trademark Detroit Tigers cap to complete the effect.

Editor's note: This corrects the phone number for the salon. It's Valentine's Day weekend, so love is in the air — and for a few hours on Saturday, in the hair. Ten hair stylists will volunteer their services at Tek Salon and Spa in Costa Mesa on Saturday for discounted blow-dries and styles in the name of cancer research. As an early fundraising boost for the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation's Cinco de Mayo Reaching for the Cure Run/Walk in May in Irvine, a local mom organized the Saturday fundraiser with all the money going to the charity.

"Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair … shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen. Give me down-to-there hair, shoulder length or longer, flow it, show it, long as God can grow it, hair!" We're not talking about my hair actually, even though it's usually a little long. We're talking about "Hair," the musical. It's back, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through Thursday — brash, rowdy and, fortunately, as outrageous and funny as ever. The full title is "Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.

While putting on his uniform to attend an all-boy Catholic high school in Orange County, Marshal Kennedy Carolan never dreamed that in a few short years he would grow out his hair and travel the country, doing drugs, dissing the establishment and taking part in political demonstrations. All onstage, of course. Carolan is part of the ensemble in the national touring company of the famed (and divisive) "HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical," which underwent a successful Broadway revival in 2009.

Can it be more than 40 years since Orange Coast College musical theater star Diane Hall moved to New York, changed her surname to "Keaton," and won a role in the original production of "HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical"? Well, Diane Keaton's (non-musical) movie career, including an Oscar for Best Actress, moved right along, while "HAIR" became pigeonholed as a period piece and hadn't been heard from much until 2009, when the show won a Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.