Corny Fun and Good Harmony in ‘Plaid Tidings’

The Plaids do their holiday take on 'Matilda' in Plaid Tidings. Photo by Jana Marcus.

Not everything went well for Mom on this holiday trip out West. First there was the missed flight, and then there was the other missed flight, and then the fellow passenger who blabbed all the way to Chicago. But Saturday night at the Cabrillo Crocker Theater, things started to look up. That’s when the four stars of Plaid Tidings launched into “Strangers in Paradise,” followed closely by “Sh–Boom,” “Mambo Italiano” and a slew of jazzed-up holiday numbers as only a quartet of clean-cut fraternity brothers from 1950s middle America could perform them.

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PLATED: Starz on Mission

Starz cupcakes: one step closer to world domination. Photo by Christina Waters.

Who knew that a gluten-free chocolate cupcake could taste so sinful? Obviously the entrepreneuses of Starz did, that’s who. Because those gluten-free babies are just part of the all-starz line-up now available in a second location. Just in time for the holidays comes this gift of edible joy to the entire west side of Santa Cruz. Yes, Starz has brought its sleigh full of cupcakes to reside inside the delightful Yogizmo emporium (where it is truly Christmas all year ‘round). And that means more decisions. Which cupcake to try today? After all, Starz offers 19 varieties daily from a from-scratch menu of 196 different recipes.

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Homeless of Occupy Look Ahead

The Dec. 8 dismantling of the Occupy camp spelled the end of a short-lived haven of safety for some homeless. Photo by Chip Scheuer.

On the lawn of San Lorenzo Park hours after police broke up the Occupy Santa Cruz camp, Devin Gonzales, 18 years old and homeless, is sitting on a picnic blanket with his legs crossed. Gonzales gazes across the park’s duck pond toward the collapsed tents of the Occupy camp he had been calling home. “This was finally a safe place to come,” says Gonzales, who had never felt safe sleeping on the San Lorenzo River levee or in the woods of Felton.

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Throw Mama From A Plane: Last-Minute Gift Guide

Strapped for Christmas ideas? Help a loved one jump out of a plane.

There’s a good reason so many chipper holidays fall in the height of winter: Spreading goodwill and cheer is the social antidote to the winter blues brought on by shorter days and colder temperatures. Luckily here in the Golden State, life’s just a little easier. There are plenty of places nearby that provide activities for the intrepid, from skydiving to ballroom dancing, so a gift certificate may be just the thing.

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The Box Sets of 2011

Elvis Costello is asking his fans not to buy his $262 box set, which he considers grossly overpriced.

Ah, Nevermind. Although the Pixies’ Trompe le Monde, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ BloodSugarSexMagik and A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory were all released on the same day in 1991 as Nirvana’s breakthrough album, only Nevermind received the 20th-anniversary box-set treatment this year.

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