So would anyone really watch the real ‘OC?’

LOLITA HARPER

I guess we need to get over it.

“The OC” television drama carries our county’s name and depicts

people who live in Newport Beach, but the people behind the new hit

show are never really going to come down here. Not to film, not even

to hang out.

The second of the two “viewing parties,” sponsored by the Fox

Network, in which cast members were scheduled to be on hand to watch

Tuesday’s episode with adoring fans, was on 52nd Street in Hermosa

Beach. The first one was in Irvine.

OK, cool. We all understand that people other than Newport-

Mesa residents are watching the show, but wait until you hear

where it was held: Sharkeez. Don’t we have one of those down here? I

could have sworn that’s where I watched the majority of last year’s

NFL season.

I called the Newport Beach Sharkeez -- best known for its

laid-back atmosphere, great food and bucket drinks -- to see if we

could look forward to an upcoming appearance.

I made the mistake of calling at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday.

“Miss, you are calling right in the middle of my lunch, OK?” the

manager said.

“I know, I just realized that, I am so sorr...”

“Thank you,” he said and then hung up.

So that is how it’s done in the OC.

I started to wonder if network executives automatically dismissed

Newport Beach as a promotional area for reasons that have already

proven true. Perhaps they thought residents would complain, whine or

“sniff” that the show is not an accurate portrayal of their

community. Maybe Newporters would balk at the fact that the Malibu

shoreline looks nothing like their home town and how dare those

Hollywood big wigs try to pass off an imitation.

Sure, we are all saying that, but really we are just miffed that

you haven’t even taken the time to come down here and chill with us.

What has Hermosa got that we don’t? OK, besides the proximity to

Hollywood that makes dollars and sense.

But to have an opening night viewing party hosted in Irvine?

Irvine? C’mon. Newport is cooler than Irvine. (I should know, I grew

up there.) Don’t be afraid of this beach town, it has always welcomed

Hollywood stars. Come down to this Sharkeez, relax, have a beer --

shoot -- pick up some new material.

Sure, some Newport-Mesans are knit-picking at little details but

what does that mean? That means they are watching. The OC has become

“that” show. The show everybody tunes in to but nobody wants to

admit. It is what New Kids on the Block was to the pop music scene in

the late 1980s.

Many people here feel about the new series the way character Sandy

Cohen feels about Newport Beach: Sure, on the surface there are

things we don’t like, but when it comes down to it, we secretly love

it. I bet people in Chino are still glued to their televisions.

Cassidy Weiss, a Newport resident, and Rachel Alcone, who lives in

Irvine Cove, had some semi-harsh criticisms of the new teen drama

when it first came out, but that would never stop them from watching.

“We are fans,” the girls said.

Plus, you have got to remember who you are dealing with. We are

talking about Newport Beach.

Tell residents, whose median home prices hover around $900,000,

that you had to film somewhere else because it would improve the

bottom line and you will get a sympathetic ear. People around here

didn’t make their money from fool-hardy, sentimental decisions to

satisfy some quotient of “realness.”

And who wants to watch a show about the “real” Newport Beach,

which some residents would tell you is all about Little League,

Advanced Placement classes, charitable work, sailing, exercise, good

health and good healthy fun?

Adam Brody, who plays Seth Cohen, told Entertainment Weekly:

“Now, ‘Baywatch’ could have made it real -- in December there

could have been one lifeguard in a truck and no bikinis. But come on

-- it’s boring. They’re gonna fancy it up to make it more

interesting.’’

Good point. Now I have to run so I can get all my evening chores

done in time to watch, The “O-,” er, the “Oprah Winfrey” show. Yeah,

that’s it.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at [email protected].