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from OCBJ.com - Orange County Business Journal
January 7, 2008
DeVore’s Travels with Charlie; RE Woes For Real Housewives
“Charlie Wilson’s War” gets only two stars from Irvine Assemblyman and former Wilson traveling companion Chuck DeVore, who faults the hit movie for liberal bias. He says the film, starring Tom Hanks as Wilson, aptly portrays the Texas Democrat as congressional champion of the Afghan rebels (as well as a boozing womanizer), but snubs the real architect of their victory over the Soviets, Ronald Reagan: “The History Channel’s version is better.” As a Pentagon specialist from 1986 to 1988 Devore monitored anti-Communist insurgencies in Nicaragua (think Ollie North), Afghanistan and other hotspots. He spent 11 days in 1987 with Wilson, OC’s Bob Dornan and six other Congressmen on a fact-finding tour that included visits to refugee camps in Peshawar and dinner with Pakistani strongman Zia ul-Haq, events dramatized in the movie. A year later DeVore gave his bulletproof vest and other protective gear to Dana Rohrabacher—the incoming OC congressman was preparing for his own mission into Afghanistan, where he battled with a Mujahedin unit against Soviet forces ...
It’s not in the televised story line, but the mortgage meltdown has hit the stars of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” Vicki Gunvalson and Lauri (Waring) Peterson have pulled second homes off the market for lack of interest and former title insurance rep Slade Smiley (not back this season) is losing his over-leveraged Coto de Caza home. “With the market changing all of us in the real estate business were just killed,” says Housewife/broker Jeana Keough, who is negotiating a “short sale” for Smiley. But Keough says after a six-month lull she just sold three homes in three days: “This is the best time to buy real estate.” If not the best time to have to unload it ...
Meantime, here come the spinoffs: Bravo said it has begun filming “Manhattan Moms” in the Hamptons and ordered a one-hour pilot for Smiley’s ex-girlfriend Jo De La Rosa. And “Housewives” creator Scott Dunlop said he is working with KDOC’s Bert Ellis on “a national show emanating from the OC” ...
City National Bank CEO and OC “wealthy weekender” Russell Goldsmith has been appointed to the Federal Reserve Board’s 12-member Advisory Council ...
Retired Pacific Life vice chairman Glenn Schafer has been elected a director of Denver-based Janus Capital Group. Schafer will be one of the honorees at the Forum for Corporate Directors annual dinner on Feb. 27 ...
Democrat state Sen. Lou Correa, OCBJ Politician to Watch for 2008, spent 10 days in China as part of a delegation (three lawmakers, a few Northern California tech execs) hosted by the Chinese government. Correa said he looked into unfair trade practices, but he sounded more impressed by the opportunities for California exporters, “especially in terms of environmental cleanup.” He marveled at the contrasts: “There are donkeys pulling carts, and a couple of miles away there’s a Lamborghini dealer.”
Rick Reiff
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