Now, Duel of the Laker Titans.

Popular as the NBA is here with two teams playing to packed houses and pulling down hundreds of millions in local TV revenue, it’s been a long time since we were actually relevant, with the Clippers still in eclipse while disappearing early in the playoffs and the Lakers coming off No. 14-14-15-14 finishes in the West.

That may be about to end. Whether it’s real or mere perception, both teams are under dynamic new management ready to rock and roll on the trade market and free agency, hoping for dramatic advances … and a real shot at the ultimate prize, LeBron James, a 2018 free agent.

Front office people aren’t normally charismatic, with top GMs such as San Antonio’s R.C. Buford all but anonymous, but the local teams have icons on the job.

The Lakers, who ran out of charisma when Kobe Bryant fired up his last 50 shots in his finale, have Magic Johnson in charge … a big reason they might beat everyone to Paul George, Indiana’s 2018 free agent … now pushing for a trade to the bedraggled Lakers after years in which no star player would look at them.

The Clippers are actually under their same management with Jerry West tacked on, a small move that went a long way, seeming to multiply their considerable charisma.

This comes at an opportune moment with James approaching another of his many crossroads — a year from free agency with his Cavaliers once more in turmoil after the owner, whom Bron is leery of, fired the GM, whom Bron liked, amid reports that Kyrie Irving is shopping for a new home so he’s not left on the sinking ship.

However it turns out, it’s enough to keep the league salivating for a year, with both local teams expected to be on Bron’s list.

The Lakers’ plans/hopes go like this:

1. Get a point guard — Check.

That’s Lonzo Ball, who comes billed as the most gifted young playmaker since Jason Kidd, which would make him infinitely better than the maturity-challenged, scoring point guard D’Angelo Russell, whom Johnson bade farewell in his inimitable style (“He has the talent to be an excellent player… but what I needed was a leader.”)

Lonzo is Magic’s Magic, an unselfish player who makes everyone around him better… or, in other words, the kind of player the Lakers haven’t had since Magic.

Given their 53 percent chance of losing their lottery pick, it’s nothing short of a coup.

Of course, Lonzo comes with his own maturity issues — those of his father, the mouth who keeps roaring, now guaranteeing his kid will lead the Lakers to the playoffs next season.

How long before the ego-tripping LaVar, who’s only signaling his frustrations with his own life’s accomplishments, realizes that living through his son is only making it harder for Lonzo, with the entire league targeting him as if he was Michael Jordan instead of an NBA rookie?

Remember Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox outscoring Lonzo, 39-10, in the NCAA Tournament, in all-out attack mode, he said, “to shut LaVar Ball up?”

On Lonzo’s first night in the NBA, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid tweeted a plea to Sixers No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz to “dunk on him so hard that his daddy runs on the court to save him.”

Oh, right. LaVar might not ever realize it as long as someone in the press is there to ask him about his greatness as a father.

All together, Lakerdom: “Nice job so far, LaVar. Now shut the hell up.”

2. Get Paul George — Still working on that one.

George, a 2018 free agent, told the Pacers he won’t re-sign and wants to play for the Lakers.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, teams are lined up willing to deal for George as a one-year rental, including the Cavaliers, Celtics, Wizards, Trail Blazers … and Clippers.

Indiana GM Kevin Pritchard called George’s announcement “a total gut punch,” signaling the Pacers just need time to sort through all the offers.

A GM who offered multiple No. 1 picks couldn’t even get into the conversation. The Pacers told him they had much better offers.

With George thinking Lakers, they have the advantage of being able to offer more for a player they expect to keep than the other teams can offer for a one-year rental.

So far, that appears to have been Julius Randle or Jordan Clarkson plus draft picks.

It remains to be seen if the Lakers will offer Randle and Clarkson, and if that will get it done.

3. Get better — With George next season, it’s doable.

Without George, a sudden dramatic upturn is a longshot, no matter what you-know-who says.

4. Get LeBron — Brand-conscious as James is, he might consider becoming the king of Los Angeles in his twilight years — if he thinks the Lakers are promising enough to join.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, they’re hardly the favorite to land Bron.

That would be the Clippers, according to their plans:

1. Keep free agents Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

CP3 is still considered a safe bet to return, but Blake, heretofore said to be in love with this area, is now thinking about other places like Boston, which he said he would place on his Mt. Rushmore of NBA cities.

The Celtics are targeting Blake and Utah’s Gordon Hayward, another free agent, so stay tuned to see whom they pick and who picks them.

I don’t know if Blake cares about West joining up. If Kevin Durant didn’t come to Golden State because of Jerry, KD noted later how impressed he had been by West in a telephone conversation. Not many execs get you that kind of advantage but West has before.

2. Keep on keeping on.

The Clippers have posted win totals of 56-57-56-53-51 the past five seasons … despite Paul and Blake missing 146 games, almost two seasons’ worth.

3. Get Bron.

Assuming they accomplish Nos. 1-2, they would be the favorites in the Bron Derby.

First of all, they would be good enough to offer Bron a chance at unseating the Warriors.

Even better, CP3 is Bron’s best friend among NBA players, with each of them godparents to the other’s children.

The Clippers might not even need West for this one, not that having him will hurt.

Have a nice summer of imagining all the possibilities, for a change.

Authorities have located a missing 12-year-old Oceanside boy who walked out of an Irvine hospital on Friday morning.

A security guard at a Target store in Mission Viejo spotted Michael Edward Roman shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday, recognizing the boy from a social media post about his disappearance, Irvine police spokeswoman Kim Mohr said.

Police on Friday night asked for the public’s help in locating Roman, who walked out of Kaiser hospital in Irvine shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday

Roman, who was uninjured, was reunited with his family. It isn’t clear how he got from the Irvine hospital to the Mission Viejo Target.

Breed: Chihuahua mix

Age: 3 years

Gender: Female

Size: 6 pounds

Gizmo’s story: Gizmo is a wonderful girl whose favorite activity is snuggling in your lap. She would stay in your lap all day if you would let her. She also enjoys going for her walks if she can investigate everything along the way. She isn’t a barker and is house-trained. She gets along well with other dogs, but small children scare her. She would be a perfect addition to almost any family without small children.

Adoption fee: $200, includes vaccinations, spay and microchip

Adoption procedure: Contact A Home 4Ever rescue at Ahome4ever@gmail.com.

Tom Sievers dons his dark blue “Ghostbusters” costume when he’s teaching science to kids or entertaining patients at local children’s hospitals.

But on Saturday, June 24, the Anaheim resident and his three friends wore their costumes and proton pack backpacks in downtown Santa Ana for a different purpose: to support the LGBTQ community.

“We all are just one person, one planet, one love,” said Sievers. “It’s a shame that there’s so much hate in the world.”

It was the group’s first time attending a pride event. The foursome put rainbow-colored “Ghostbusters” patches on their sleeves and attached a pride flag attached to their decorated pickup truck for the parade.

“You don’t have to be LGBTQ to come out and hang out,” said Dom Irizarry.

The “Ghostbusters” crew joined more than 1,000 spectators and parade participants — some holding “Demanding Equality Together” signs — for the mile-long parade stretching from Washington Avenue to Third Street.

The parade featured hundreds of rainbow flags, a horse-drawn carriage and several floats. Organizers promoted themes of unity, solidarity and living “As One” for the day-long parade and festival.

Sarah Kasman, executive director of Shanti Orange County, a mental health counseling provider, served as grand marshal. Several others including Laguna Beach Police Chief Laura Farinella were named community and celebrity grand marshals.

Among those waiving the rainbow flags was Miguel Magana of Orange, a proponent of equal bathroom rights for the transgender community.

“It’s scary how a lot of states are going backwards in their state legislatures,” he said. “To be able to participate in a community event like this is important.”

Magana said it’s important for the LGBT community to keep fighting for progress.

“We’ve celebrated our successes, and that’s fantastic, but we need to continue in doing more work,” he said. “We can’t just rest on our laurels.”

Members of the religious community, including the Episcopal Church, were also in attendance.

Christopher Potter, a vicar at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Rancho Santa Margarita, wore a cross necklace with rainbow beads at Saturday’s parade.

“We have a different message,” he said of his church. “The message is of acceptance, of full inclusion, of acknowledging and even praising the life of LGBTQ people as an expression of God’s love.”

John Merrill of the Log Cabin Republican of Orange County also attended the festivities.

Standing in front of a rainbow-colored “Don’t Tread on Me” flag at a booth, Merrill spoke about President Donald Trump and LGBT issues.

“I’ve been very surprised at how much (Trump) has been trying to proactively be involved in the LGBT community,” he said. “This is the first Republican presidential candidate I’ve ever seen, and I think possibly ever, that has actually held up a rainbow sign.”

After the parade, crowds moved to downtown Santa Ana for musical performances and a speaker series at the Frida Cinema.

Dan Mudra stood on the sand at Doheny State Beach, watching a delicate dance on the water.

Mudra, of Mission Viejo, spent most of his day showing off his 1925 classic Woodie car, just one of several on display at the Doheny Surf Festival on Saturday. But when he heard the tandem surfers were out in the water, he couldn’t help but head down to the shoreline to cheer on the six tandem teams gracefully put on an exhibition for the crowds that gathered to watch in awe.

“It’s absolutely amazing. You don’t see this every day,” he said.

For surfers like Mudra, the two-day festival in Dana Point was a throwback to the good ol’ days, with the event showcasing ’60s-style surfing. But the event was more than just about surfing from decades ago, with Polynesian dancers with the Hula Connection thrilling the crowd, booths set up showcasing the latest beach-lifestyle products and a small beer garden for adults to kick back a few brews.

One part of the festival that didn’t happen was a kids surf contest, canceled because of the influx of recent shark sightings in the area in recent months. Event organizer Mark Gale said there were only two kids that had signed up for the event.

But the sharks couldn’t kill the vibe at the beach, with big crowds still surfing the 2-3 foot waves.

Allan Seymour, a vintage surfboards and art collector, said events like the Doheny Surf Festival helps tell the story of the sport.

“What’s important to me is for people to realize the sport has been around a long time, and they can actually buy kinetic art, they can buy something that’s built in the ’60s and they can still surf it,” he said. “They come to this event and you can see the history of surfing. Keeping it alive, the flame, is so important.”

He quoted Tom Morey, the founder of the Boogie Board, who once said: “Teach your children the greatest thrill of all, the thrill of riding the moving wall.”

John Warren was on site selling boards from the personal collection of Spencer Croul, which included boards that dated back to the ’30s.

“There’s some very interesting vintage boards. They are very fascinating,” he said, pointing to a redwood board that had a price tag of $5,000. “They are so rare, ancient boards are very rare. Most of them have been turned into garden benches and things like that. You don’t want to damage them any further, you just want to add to the collection.”

Richard Oviedo, of Villa Park, comes to the surf festival each year to soak in the scene.

“I think it’s really good for all the people to get together with the old surfboards, it’s like a communal gathering of the surfing tribe,” he said.

Like many who showed up Saturday, his favorite part was the tandem surfers showing off their skills.

“It’s like figure skating, it’s really beautiful,” he said. “It’s elegant and graceful.”

The Doheny Surf Festival continues on Sunday with booths, entertainment and the tandem and ’60s surf contests.

A Tesla Model X crashed in the gates outside the Orange County Fire Authority headquarters at the end of Tustin Ranch Road in Irvine Saturday, June 24, night –  a bafflingly frequent event .

The car hit the metal gates at 10:27 p.m. and burst into flames. One of the car’s two occupants was transported to a hospital with a minor hand injury, said Irvine Police Department spokeswoman Kim Mohr.

Crews extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes, Mohr said. No arrests have been made. The cause of the event is under investigation, she added.

Capt. Larry Kurtz of the OCFA said that the crash marks the “seventh or eighth” time in recent years that a vehicle has crashed into the gates, which are about eight feet high and 40 feet in width.

The headquarters are located at the end of Tustin Ranch Road, where the thoroughfare dead ends into Jamboree Road at the border of Irvine and Tustin.

“Apparently, people think Tustin Ranch Road continues and just keep driving right on,” Kurtz said. “I don’t know how people miss the giant gates and the red lights mounted on them.”

In 2011, a Dodge Stratus drove through the grounds of the agency’s headquarters and crashed into the bronze memorial in front of the administration building, hurling a dog off its base and damaging a pillar. The monument, which has since been repaired, includes two firefighters rescuing a young girl and an older firefighter showing a badge to a boy and his dog.

“We are constantly replacing the gates,” Kurtz said. “It’s not cheap. I don’t know what more we can do to alert people about the gates.”

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers recalled utility player Mike Freeman from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday and placed outfielder Franklin Gutierrez on the 10-day disabled list with symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis.

Gutierrez has been dealing with the autoimmune disease, which affects his gastrointestinal tract, throughout the season. Freeman even flew in from Oklahoma City earlier this month as a precaution, then flew back the next day when Gutierrez’s symptoms diminished.

Sunday, with Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig nursing hamstring injuries and being benched as a precaution, the Dodgers couldn’t afford to play without Gutierrez too.

“I had him in there but he just couldn’t get his body going,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “To give him the 10 days and hopefully allow him to reset, gain strength, and eliminate some of the pain he’s having. Franklin wanted to be in there but I think understanding what’s best for our ball club.”

Freeman, 29, had a .295 batting average in 20 games for Oklahoma City. A middle infielder in the low minors, Freeman has played every position except catcher and pitcher as a professional.

The Dodgers claimed Freeman off waivers from the Seattle Mariners May 26. He hit .067 (2 for 30) in 16 major league games with Seattle this season and played another 15 in the minors.

Gutierrez, 34, is batting .232 with one home run in 35 games. All of his 14 starts this season, and 47 of his 63 plate appearances, have come against left-handed pitchers. Yet Gutierrez batted only .195 against lefties and .333 against righties — an unexpected downturn for a player the Dodgers gave $2.6 million to punish southpaws.

A former Gold Glove winner, Gutierrez has seen his defense diminish in recent years. He had difficulty tracking down a line drive in the left field corner Friday night. Roberts acknowledged that Gutierrez “just hasn’t felt great” in recent weeks and that day games are more of a struggle for him than night games.

Symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis and irritable bowel syndrome forced Gutierrez to miss the entire 2014 season. Roberts acknowledged that even 10 days isn’t enough to guarantee that Gutierrez will improve enough to return healthy. Ideally, the manager said, Gutierrez would be active for the Dodgers’ series against the Arizona Diamondbacks July 4-6.

“We’ve got a couple left-handed pitchers that we’ll be facing in (Patrick) Corbin and (Robbie) Ray,” Roberts said.

ALSO

Roberts said that right-hander Kenta Maeda will not throw a bullpen prior to his spot start Tuesday against the Angels. Maeda threw 17 pitches Friday night in a one-inning relief appearance against the Colorado Rockies.

BOSTON — The Angels’ 4-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday was a testament to the front office’s ability to pluck pitchers out of thin air.

The Angels finished off a series victory against the Red Sox with a game worked by three pitchers acquired for basically nothing.

Starter Parker Bridwell, who gave up two runs in 6 2/3 innings, was acquired in a minor league deal for a player to be named or cash in April. Reliever Blake Parker was claimed on waivers over the winter and then re-signed to a minor league deal. Reliever Yusmeiro Petit was signed to a minor league deal just before the start of spring training.

The latter two have helped the Angels form such an effective and deep bullpen, with such interchangeable roles, that Petit could have been the best choice to enter in the third or ninth innings.

“I like the bullpen because everybody knows their role,” Petit said. “Their role is anybody can have any role.”

After Parker’s strikeout to end the seventh, the Angels led 3-2 and had six outs to get, with plenty of reasonable combinations of relievers to use.

Scioscia opted to just go for the simplest solution. He used Petit, the only reliever who hadn’t yet worked this weekend, for all six outs. Aside from an infield hit, Petit was perfect against the top seven Boston hitters.

Told that the six-out save was an “old fashioned save,” more common in the days of Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers, Scioscia said: “I don’t care if it’s old fashioned or cutting edge, a save is a save, and we need them.”

Petit locked up the victory for Bridwell, which reinforced a decision the Angels front office had made earlier this week.

On Wednesday, the Angels had to decide whether to call up Doug Fister or release him, per the terms of the deal he signed last month. They chose to let Fister go, in part because of their confidence in Bridwell.

Fister, by coincidence, ended up being claimed on release waivers by the Red Sox and getting the ball against the Angels on Sunday.

“I was in the same clubhouse as him as week and a half ago and we were talking about pitching,” Bridwell said of Fister, recently his teammate with the Angels’ Triple-A team. “I was asking him certain things he did with his game, and the next thing you know, we’re starting against each other on the big league level.”

What’s more, Bridwell appreciated that there would be comparisons between him and Fister.

“I obviously knew he could fill a spot if they wanted that,” he said. “Me being in the spot I am, I’m going to do everything I can not to let that happen. I just go out and take care of my business and control what I can control.”

He did that effectively and efficiently against a Boston lineup that often grinds pitchers into dust, with both their discipline and power.

Bridwell held Boston to two solo homers, by Mitch Moreland in the second and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the fifth. He pitched 6 2/3 innings on just 75 pitches, without a walk.

Fister was not quite as good, allowing three runs in six-plus innings, all of them scoring after a review correctly extended an inning. The review showed that Danny Espinosa had beaten out a potential double play, allowing a run to score. Kaleb Cowart, barely off a red-eye from Las Vegas, then doubled home a run in his first major league at-bat of the season. Juan Graterol followed with an RBI single.

The Angels got an insurance run in the top of the ninth against Boston ace reliever Craig Kimbrel. Ben Revere led with his third hit of the game, then he stole second and scored on Cowart’s second hit, a broken-bat flare.

After Petit made the two-run lead stand, the Angels had finished off back-to-back road series victories against the New York Yankees and Red Sox. They are 40-39, including 14-12 since Mike Trout got hurt.

“We’re right in the mix,” Revere said. “We have a good ball club. With all the injuries we’ve had this year, we’re right there. It’s something we’ve taken in consideration. We can compete against these good ball clubs here.”

The hulking machines of “Transformers” are no longer box-office behemoths in North America. But they’re still big in China.

Michael Bay’s “Transformers: The Last Knight,” the fifth installment in the Hasbro series, scored a franchise-low domestic debut with an estimated $43.5 million in ticket sales over the weekend and a five-day total of $69.1 million since opening Wednesday. All previous “Transformers” sequels opened with $97 million-plus.

But Paramount Pictures’ “The Last Knight,” the second “Transformers” movie to star Mark Wahlberg, still showed its might overseas. It took in $196.2 million internationally, including an impressive $123.4 million in China.

Future business will tell whether those grosses are enough to cover a hugely expensive movie: $217 million to make, plus nearly as much to market. Studios reap a smaller percentage of ticket sales from Chinese theaters. And reviews — though never much of a factor in “Transformers” land — were worse for “The Last Knight” than the earlier films. Audiences gave this one a B-plus CinemaScore.

Yet “Transformers” has been increasingly skewing international. The previous film, 2014’s “Age of Extinction,” made $858.6 million of its $1.1 billion global haul abroad.

“Transformers’ is built for a global audience,” said Kyle Davies, president of distribution for Paramount. “You really have to consider how we did in the overall and it was really strong overseas and in China. That’s how we treat ‘Transformers’: It’s a global property. So we’re hopeful that we’re going to get to a good place.”

“Wonder Woman” and “Cars 3” tied for second place, both with $25.2 million. Nearly a month after opening, Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” continues to be a major draw. In four weeks, it has surpassed $300 million domestically. And at $652.9 million globally, it’s the highest grossing film directed by a woman, not accounting for inflation.

In limited release, Kumail Nanjiani’s acclaimed romantic comedy “The Big Sick” landed the best per-screen average of the year. It opened in five theaters, grossing an average of $87,000 from each. Amazon plunked down $12 million for the Judd Apatow-produced Sundance Film Festival hit. Lionsgate is handling the theatrical release.

Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled” wasn’t far behind. In four theaters, it earned a per-screen average of $60,136. The Focus Features release, starring Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell, is a remake of Don Siegel’s 1972 Civil War-era gothic thriller about a wounded Union soldier taken in by a Southern all-girls school. At the Cannes Film Festival last month, Coppola won best director, becoming only the second woman to do so.

Both “The Big Sick” and “The Beguiled” expand nationwide in the coming weeks.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers also are included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Transformers: The Last Knight,” $ 45.3 million ($196.2 million international).

2. (Tie) “Wonder Woman,” $25.2 million ($20.5 million international).

2. (Tie) “Cars 3,” $25.2 million ($11.9 million international).

4. “47 Meters Down,” $7.4 million.

5. “All Eyez on Me,” $5.9 million ($1.1 million international).

6. “The Mummy,” $5.8 million ($16.5 million international).

7. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” $5.2 million ($8.3 million international).

8. “Rough Night,” $4.7 million ($2 million international).

9. “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” $4.3 million ($1 million international).

10. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” $3 million.

ANAHEIM A parade of diversity that is Islam in Southern California was on full display at Angel Stadium on Sunday for the annual Eid prayer celebration.

Signaling the end of Ramadan, a period of fasting and reflection, Eid-a-fitr is a festive, worldwide celebration in Islam. In Orange County, a crowd of about 20,000 filled the stadium’s field and spilled into the stands for Southern California’s largest Eid prayer service. Several regular attendees said this year’s gathering was the biggest crowd they had seen.

The field was filled with a symphony of languages and cultures from the Middle East, Asia, Africa and the United States. Attendees were of all ages. The garb and style covered a swath of colors and East-meets-West combinations, such as the man wearing neon colored sunglasses and tennis shoes with his kufti hat.

There were young men in three-piece suits with women with modern hairdos and dresses, and older men with beards and traditional thobe and abaya garments and women with hijabs and burkas.

What they shared was a unity of spirit.

“You see people of all races and many cultures her, but we’re all Americans,” said Omar Siddiqui, an attorney running for Congress. “Most of us were born here.”

Dr. Munaf Kadri was born in India but raised and educated in Orange County and went to medical school at UC Irvine. He was part of a group of medical students who helped create the University Muslim Medical Association, which created two community clinics in South Los Angeles with a third on the way that seeing under-served residents.

“We’re a generation that grew up here,” said Kadri, of Yorba Linda, who is on the UMMA Community Clinic board, and said the clinic provides services with Islamic ideals. “We try to treat everyone as we would like to be treated.”

Shabbir Mansuri of Fountain Valley is an educator and founding director of the Institute on Religion & Civic Values. He said Muslims as a large minority in the United States are beneficiaries of the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 and as such relative newcomers to the American societal fabric.

That can account in part for some of the difficulties Muslims have had assimilating. But Mansuri added that his fellow Muslims should be grateful because “You have a place at the table.”

Unlike last year, when protesters tried to disrupt attendees on the outskirts of the event, held outdoors in the stadium parking lot, this year’s event went off without a hitch.

Anyone seeking entry had to have a ticket and all passed through metal detectors.

Issa Edah-Tally, the event director, admitted that security was a concern, particularly after reports started coming in about a car crashing into celebrants of an Eid in England, injuring six. Although officials did not believe that was terror-related, it comes only a week after a van injured 10 people when it rammed into worshipers in London, an incident believed to be terror-related.

“Our faith is under attack,” Edah-Tally said. “We have no idea where such hideous attacks come from, but we condemn them.”

Ismail Sameer, 23, from Garden Grove, said he does not respond when he hears anti-Islamic rhetoric.

“I just don’t listen,” he said. “I don’t give them the time.”

Given the political and media climate, some attendees and families were hesitant to talk with reporters, although one offered room on his family prayer mat for a reporter to share.

After prayers, Muzammil Siddiqui of the Islamic Society of Orange County spoke about the values and principles of his faith.

“We are Muslims and our actions must be Islamic,” he said. “And evil cannot be Islamic.”

In many cases, Muzammil Siddique said, the faith has been hijacked, literally and figuratively.

“Some use Islamic slogans, they are not Islam,” he said. “No one should be deceived by them.”

The Eid is sponsored by three Orange County mosques: the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove, the Islamic Institute of Orange County in Anaheim and the Islamic Center of Irvine.

The combining of the large congregations makes for a big party every year.

Minzah Malik of Huntington Beach attended with her mother, husband and two children. As she waved to passersby, she said, aside from the prayer service, which is segregated by gender, “It’s a very united event.”

As for the challenges of being Muslim in the United States she said, “We have to be a little more vigilant, but life goes on.”

After her sophomore year, dancer Samantha Spence of Kansas City, Mo., decided she needed a challenge. She had discovered the Westside Dance Project in Laguna Hills and was determined to find a way to study with the group. She did all her own research, including reaching out to the the director of admissions at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano so she would have a plan for schooling while in California. Meanwhile, her mother had no clue that Spence was taking her dreams into her own hands when she received a call informing her that her daughter had been accepted to the school.

Spence ended up moving to California to spend her junior and senior years at JSerra, where she lived with a family that also had students attending the school, and joined the company at the Westside Dance Project.

With college looming, Spence has taken her career into her own hands again. She applied and was accepted to a two-week summer intensive in Israel with the Batsheva Dance Company. She starts school at New York University in the fall.

Name: Samantha Spence

School: JSerra Catholic High School, starting New York University in the fall

Grade: recent graduate

Hometown: San Clemente during the school year; currently in Kansas City, Mo.

Q: Tell us about how and why you came to Orange County.

A: The summer going into my junior year I decided to audition for Westside Dance Project, a dance company in California, because I felt like I needed a challenge. I had made up my mind that if I was going to pursue a career in dance then I was going to need the kind of training that would get me there.

Q: Tell us about your trip to Israel to dance with Batsheva Dance Company.

A: I leave July 7 for the Batsheva Summer Intensive. I will spend a little over a week dancing and training with Batsheva, my dream company. Batsheva is led by Ohad Naharin, who is famous for inventing the Gaga method. Gaga is a tool for understanding the body and how it dictates movement.

Q: How did you get involved in dance?

A: I started as most kids do, in a ballet combo class in preschool. My parents say I just never stopped dancing even after class was over. I would refuse to sit down for dinner and would dance around our dining room instead. I can’t remember ever deciding to “start” dance. I just know that I’ve never wanted to stop.

Q: What is your favorite style of dance? Who is your favorite artist of all time and why?

A: Favorite style of dance is definitely contemporary. My favorite artist is Ohad Naharin. His work is so raw and fearless – it celebrates risk, intimacy and physical effort.

Q: Who have been your influences? Did you have a mentor in your development as an dancer? If so, how did they help you?

Jessie Riley. I don’t know how to explain in words all she has done for me. In the two short years I got to know her, she became much more than just my company director. She taught me how to love and care for the art form more than I thought I was capable of. She is a role model for all her students and cares for each individual as if they were her own child.

Q: What inspires you?

A: What inspires me most is watching other artists bring creativity into the world and challenge conventional thoughts, ideas and beliefs.

Q: The next challenge I want to take on is …

A: I will be attending NYU Tisch next year, which is a challenge in itself, but I’m also looking forward to auditioning and training with companies. I really want to dive deep into the industry as soon as I can. In dance, it can be all about talent, but a lot of the time your attitude as well as who you know plays a big role in the opportunities you are offered.

Q: Other than dance, are you involved in any other activities?  If yes, what are they?

A: I love photography and videography! I love to watch, make and be in films especially when they involve abstract concepts!

Q: How do the arts figure in to your long-term goals?

A: The arts will be my future. I want to create and be involved in the arts for the rest of my life. More specifically, I would love to be in a dance company, choreograph on companies around the world, and maybe even start a company of my own.

Q: What is the best advice you have received?

A: There is no one single path to success. And in addition, you are responsible for creating one for yourself.

CONTACT VARSITY ARTS: 714-796-2258 or varsityarts@ocregister.com

Orange County hip-hop rapper Michael Ramirez’s friends treated him to a weekend at the Kern River for his 27th birthday.

But the celebration soon turned to tragedy when Ramirez disappeared into the notoriously dangerous river on Thursday, June 22, his friends said on Sunday.

Ramirez, of Buena Park, his girlfriend Erica Zambada and another couple worked up a sweat pitching tents at the Keyesville campground in Lake Isabella. At around 5 p.m., Ramirez decided to take a dip.

“It was 115 degrees,” Zambada, 25, said. “We were sitting on a rock. Michael jumped in to cool down. He’s a fish – he loves to swim. He said, ‘The water is calm.’ But then an undercurrent swept him away.”

Christ Caballero, Ramirez’s partner in the popular underground group Rebellion Warfare, reacted quickly, tying a rope around his wrist. While the two women clung to the rope, he plunged in and attempted to reach his buddy.

“I got within a foot of him, but pockets of current acted like a suction, pulling him under,” said Caballero, 28, who lives in Anaheim. “I saw his head bob up one more time, and then I didn’t see him again.”

A search-and-rescue unit with the Kern Valley Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene within 10 minutes, Zambada said. Team members combed the area by land and air until sundown, and have continued the search throughout the weekend, she said.

Officials could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

Around 70 friends and family members – including Ramirez’s parents – drove to the area to help with the search. “Michael is very loved by so many people,” Zambada said.

The terrain along the river makes the search difficult. “It’s not like you can just drive along the river and look down at it,” Zambada said. “You have to  climb down rocky embankments.”

And temperatures have further impeded the effort. “One of my friends had a heat stroke,” Zambada said.

Ramirez was last seen wearing blue swim trunks decorated with white Hawaiian flowers and black water shoes with neon green lining.

As an emcee for three-member Rebellion Warfare, Ramirez goes by the name Dossicc. The group has opened for well-known acts such as Psycho Realm, Immortal Technique, Aesop Rock, Souls of Mischief and Method Man.

Zambada holds out hope that her boyfriend is alive. “I feel in my heart he was injured and he’s waiting for us somewhere,” she said. “He’s smart and knows a lot of survival skills.”

Still, time is taking a toll. “I have been shaking for four days straight,” Zambada said. “Michael is my life. Even though there are a lot of people here, I feel so alone.”

ANGELS at DODGERS

When: 7 p.m. TV: Fox Sports West

Where: Dodger Stadium

THE PITCHERS

ANGELS RHP RICKY NOLASCO (2-9, 5.23)

vs. Dodgers: 1-2, 6.67

At Dodger Stadium: 4-3, 3.80

Hates to face: None

Loves to face: None

DODGERS LHP RICH HILL (4-3, 3.73)

vs. Angels: 0-0, 6.23 ERA

At Dodger Stadium: 5-3, 2.20 ERA

Hates to face: Yunel Escobar, 3 for 10 (.300), RBI

Loves to face: Cliff Pennington, 0 for 2, strikeout

UPCOMING GAMES:

Tuesday — Angels RHP Jesse Chavez (5-7, 5.15) vs. Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (5-3, 4.62), 7 p.m., Fox Sports West, SNLA (where available)

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE >> Hundreds of rocket fans gathered to watch SpaceX launch the second installment of Iridium’s next-generation global satellite network around this sprawling U.S. Air Force base in Lompoc.

The fourth-ever West Coast launch for the Hawthorne rocket maker blasted off on time, despite heavy fog and strong winds. It was the company’s 36th successful launch.

Carter McBride, 12, came from Arizona with his family to watch his first launch.

“It looked like it was from a movie,” Carter said after silently watching the launch. “It kinda felt like my chest was shaking.”

McBride and others watched from the closest viewing locations at the base, about 4 miles away.

The view of the liftoff was obscured by dense fog. But the rocket’s glowering orange-red trail of fire came into view after it cleared the ground-hugging fog layer.

Viewers heard the ripping explosions from the rocket’s burning tail moments after it flew into the air with 1.7 million pounds of thrust. Then, as the exhaust burned off, a line of bright-white contrail formed in the blue sky.

RECOVERED 13TH BOOSTER

Minutes later, after delivering the second stage carrying 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, the 16-story-tall booster then returned to land gently on an at-sea barge off the coast of Baja California.

The booster was partially guided by a new set of titanium grid fins designed to withstand the high heat of re-entry. The Falcon 9’s former grid fins caught fire during Friday’s launch from Cape Canaveral, and on the first launch of a preflown booster on March 30.

CEO Elon Musk said the new grid fins “worked even better than expected,” minutes after the booster landed on the mesh-like appendages at its base.

They “should be capable of an indefinite number of flights with no service,” he tweeted. During re-entry, he said, the fins “glow red hot.”

The barge, or “autonomous drone ship,” will now motor the salvaged booster to the Los Angeles waterfront, at San Pedro’s outer harbor. Once there, it will dock at SpaceX’s leased space in San Pedro for recovery.

The company is working to reuse nearly all of its equipment quickly and without much maintenance, so that it can produce weekly affordable launches by next year.

IRIDIUM NEXT NETWORK

Iridium launched the first 10 of the largest-ever replacement of an 81-satellite communications network, dubbed Iridium NEXT, on Jan. 14 from the base.

Sunday’s mission successfully delivered the second 10. It will take six more launches to get all the new equipment in orbit.

The new satellites are bringing to market technology only available now on government spy satellites.

“We’ve always reached for things that nobody else can do,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch said. “Now, we’re still flying like highways in the sky in the U.S.” with antiquated 1960s-era radar technology.

“I feel really good about my satellites right now,” he said. “We’re deorbiting our entire satellite network. It’s the first time anything like this has been done.”

Though the launches will continue into next year, Iridium will start bringing its enhanced data services to industrial markets later this year, as they incrementally replace the 20-year-old network.

The process is the largest one of its kind ever, and is poised to make wide-scale improvements in air travel and the shipping industry.

The new satellites will be able to communicate with each other in order to create a mesh communications network able to reach every point on the Earth’s surface at any time with clear data service.

Iridium’s partner, Aireon, will use the network to provide global air-traffic surveillance.

Currently, aircraft can only be tracked across 30 percent of the globe because oceans, the poles and other remote regions can’t be reached by ground-based trackers.

“Aireon will bring global, real-time air-traffic surveillance without any of the limitations that stations on the ground have,” said Jessie Hillenbrand, Aireon spokeswoman.

By COLLEEN LONG

NEW YORK — Matthew Howard Sr. was just leaving a New York amusement park Saturday evening with his family when he heard someone screaming for help.

He looked up to see a young girl dangling about 25 feet off the ground from a slow-moving gondola ride. Her little brother sat next to her in the green two-person pod, crying hysterically, saying he couldn’t hold on.

Howard, 47, and his 21-year-old daughter, Leeann Winchell, positioned themselves under the girl as the ride stopped and security came running. A crowd of onlookers gathered, many filming, others calling for help.

“I said: ‘It’s ‘OK! It’s OK to let go, I’ll catch you, honey,'” said Howard.

The girl lost her grip and fell down where Howard and Winchell, arms outstretched, waited with a few other good Samaritans. The two took the brunt of the girl’s fall, tumbling to the ground themselves after the catch. They and others carried to her to where emergency workers later arrived to help her.

Howard, a contractor from Schenectady, was treated and released for a minor back injury after the rescue.

“I couldn’t let that little girl die,” Howard told The Associated Press on Sunday. “No one wants to put himself underneath a body like that, but I couldn’t stand by and watch.”

The 14-year-old girl from Greenwood, Del., was taken to Albany Medical Center in stable condition with no serious injuries, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office said.

Winchell, who is applying to be a nurse, said they visited the girl Sunday at the hospital and she was in good spirits. Her little brother was shaken up but uninjured otherwise, she said. They didn’t know how she’d fallen out of the ride.

“I’m just glad we could be there to help,” Winchell said. “We were in the right place at the right time.”

The accident happened on the Sky Ride at Six Flags Great Escape Amusement Park, about 55 miles north of Albany, New York. The ride was stopped by an operator after getting word of a rider in distress – it had been higher up at one point.

The scene was caught on video by Loren Lent, from Glenville. He said Sunday that his 10-year-old daughter and wife had also been on the ride and watched from high above as the girl fell.
“My daughter was just traumatized,” he said. “She was crying for about a half-hour after.”

Lent said he thought it took too long for park employees to stop the ride and render aid. He said the ride has no seatbelt, and just a bar across to hold patrons inside.

“I’ll never let my family on that ride again,” he said.

Officials inspected the ride and said it was in proper working order. The park said in a statement that the safety of guests is a top priority.

“There does not appear to be any malfunction of the ride, but we have closed the attraction until a thorough review can be completed,” a park official said.

On Sunday, park officials said the ride had been cleared for operation, but would remain closed.
“We are reviewing our internal procedures to ensure the safety and security of our guests and team members,” park officials said.

LAKE FOREST Swing, rock and the electric slide ruled the commons area at the Lake Forest Sports Park, while vintage cars took over the parking lot, Sunday, June 25.

The city combined the two at the “Rock Around the Clock” Concert and Car Show, attracting hundreds to the Sports Park for an evening of fun.

Performances by The Rockabillys, The Swing Kings and Redneck Rodeo provided entertainment for the large crowd in attendance, a decent portion of whom participated in an organized Electric Slide as Redneck Rodeo entertained on stage.

When residents weren’t grooving to the music, they had the opportunity to stroll through the parking lot to peruse a large number of classic vehicles made in 1975 or prior.

The concert and car show was the first of three major concerts to be put on by the city this summer. The city will host 80s Night at Pittsford Park, July 30 and the End of Summer Concert at the Sports Park and Recreation Center, Aug. 27.

Click through the slideshow to see more photos from the event.

MISSION VIEJO With plenty of summer sun coming, beach and pool trips will again be popular among residents as ways to beat the heat.

Families had a chance to have a little fun at the Montanoso Recreation Center and learn important tips to prevent drowning as part of the city’s Water Safety Day, June 24.

The afternoon provided plenty of swim activities, contests and prizes while also acting as an educational event to teach families the dangers of drowning.

The event included a talk with Orange County Fire Authority Community Relations and Education Supervisor Randy Harper and demonstrations by a team of lifeguards on how to perform CPR after pulling a victim to safety from the water.

Click through the slideshow to see more photos from the event.