Nearly two years to the day since my last re-assignment, I have received word — sotto voce — that I will return to my former duties at the Orange County Register as the fearless voice for classical music in the suburban hinterlands. I will, in short, no longer be my newspaper’s celebrated celebrity columnist on Page Two, skewering the famous with my relentless wit and mischievous prose, but instead, once again, dabble in the ultra-elitist art of music criticism full time somewhere in the back pages of the newspaper, past Dear Abby, past the pet stories, past the bridge column — just keep going, OK? — where, no doubt, the young and innocent will be protected from my words and where, what’s more, snobs such as the likes of me truly belong.
The timing of said shift (why do I sound like Sounds and Fury?) has yet to be exactly determined, thus the sotto voce announcement, though I assure you it was official. “That’s going to happen,” were, I believe, the exact words of the announcement, uttered in reply to a query, not mine, concerning the future of one Tim Mangan and whether he might become, given the shocking changes currently rocking the Register these days, the fearless voice for classical music etc. that he previously was.
With a new, young and ambitious owner now ensconced, the Orange County Register, I’m convinced, will soon be the talk of the newspaper industry. How to put it in a nutshell? Let me put it this way: We’re hiring. In the newsroom alone, we will be hiring 23 persons, including copy editors, a restaurant critic, a car writer, a Dodgers writer and — gasp — a movie critic. We will be beefing up the print product with more pages — including a daily business section of 8 pages — and install a pay wall on the website. A weekly Sunday magazine (glossy) is forecast. Writers will no longer be valued (or scorned) for the number of page views they rack up. In such a climate, naturally, you return Tim Mangan to his old beat.
Needless to say, I’m cheered by the news. Maybe more relieved than cheered though. Writing the celebrity column these last two years has been an experience that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy, if I had one. No, wait. I would. That would be perfect.
classical life 
That’s wonderful news for ALL of us who appreciate classical arts in Orange County, and equally wonderful news for you! Congratulations, and viva success for the “new” Register!
Hurray! That’s great Tim!
All right! Finally – more reviews! Don’t always agree but love to be stimulated. Sounds like good things coming.
It SOUNDS like good news, but take care this is not the last act of Tosca, Mr. Cavaradossi. Forgive the gallows humor; this is indeed good news!
Gallows humor is fine with me, Rod. Yes, though … what is obvious from my post and all of you seem too polite to say is that what the new owner is doing is radical and risky, a real gamble. Investing in print is so 1985. And yet, what we were doing (going whole hog with digital) wasn’t working.
The Register newsroom, which has grilled the new owner in two town hall-style meetings already, is cautiously optimistic. There’s hope for the first time in a long time in the building. The new owner is a sharp and thoughtful man, and if anyone can do it I think he can.
Noooooooo! Your celebrity column is the reason I bought a subscription to the Register: had to tell the editors you are a draw. But soon I won’t have the humor before tackling the real news. You can be proud that you made the gossip re-assignment a success, and I’m sure you will roll with the new management punches. I was pleased to see another reader make the Letters column recently, complimenting you.
Rosemary, I’m glad you liked my celeb column. I did do the best I could. I think I may be writing for a little bit more on celebs. I’m not unknown to bring a little humor to my classical coverage, however.
Tim, I always liked your classical work, but I don’t remember it being this funny. I hope you can keep employing this wit in covering classical music – if not in the printed reviews (I know sometimes people can be touchy about those), then on a Register blog.
I don’t have a blog at the Register at this point, just this (independent) one. I do try to include humor in my writing, where appropriate.
I’m thrilled! Congrats on your reassignment!
Thanks, sis.
Tim,
It’s good for you and it’s good for us – win, win for the classical gang! Congrats and good luck.
Joe
So nice to have you back where you belong. (It doesn’t exactly fit what Jerry Herman had in mind, but I’m OK with that if you’re OK!)
This is good news for all of Orange County!
Congratulations! That which does not kill you makes you stronger?
Ask me that one on my death bed.
Who is in the photo? Mystery celebrity?
That’s me, gray-haired, after a hard day at work on the celebrity column. The guy is whispering to me about my future.
The whispering guy looks like a young Stravinsky.
Good for you, Tim. I am glad to see some vestiges of taste return to the sad travesty of a newspaper that the Register has become.
Hearty, hearty congratulations TIm!
Congratulations, and Alleluia!!!!!!
What CKDH said!!! This is wonderful news.
But the cocktail column? What’ll become of the cocktail column? That’s what we really care about.
Fabulouso!
AlleluiaV I so look forward to reading your reviews here, in the Register and in Opera News.
I’m only saddened because I got a bit of glee — laughing with you and not at you — at the image of someone of your serious, classical-music background having to grin and bear it while writing about silly celebrities in a slyly sarcastic, subversive manner.
I know the newspaper industry — and the print media in general — is entering a brave new world, so I don’t know how things will turn out in the long run for anyone, for any publisher, well-intentioned or otherwise.
In the case of a major publication like the New York Times, when the NY Philharmonic visited the West Coast several months ago — particularly to honor the centennial of the San Francisco Symphony — the Times didn’t even bother sending their music critic (or anyone) to cover the trip. I believe they in the past would have dug into the kitty and paid for such reporting, but not nowadays, not under a changing culture and economy.
^ Sorry, but my posting did come off as a bit of a downer.
Let me make amends by saying the new owner of the Register does appear to have a goal of following and upholding higher quality. So best of luck to you, Tim!
It sounds almost too good to be true. Let’s hope it isn’t and therefore it is.
Tim, I’m happy and excited for you!….because I know how much you disliked your “chore” these last couple of years. At last you’ll be in the genre you love and I, and many others, welcome you back. Buona Fortuna! Marti M.
Hallelujah, indeed! As, much as I get a kick out of your wry observations on the trifles of celebrities and your rare but witty explorations of the perfect cocktail, your biggest gifts as a writer (aside from this blog, of course) could always be found in your classical music columns and reviews.
For lo these many years, your column has provided such a desperately needed antidote to our otherwise dumbed-down, low-brow culture. That’s why I was so enthusiastic about subscribing to your blog when I first heard of it.
Your peerless writing and keen insighst into the classical music world deserve to be shared with your avid readers once again in the pages of The O.C. Register.
Although your triumphant announcement remains unofficial (for now) I’m so pleased that I may just celebrate by digging out your recipe for the perfect martini!
Congratulations, Tim. Nobody deserves it more than you do.
Tim – We’re very happy for you – you’re back where you belong! Terry & Jim Lathrop
I am so pleased that you will once again be able to return to not only music criticism but the music education that I have so appreciated from your former post.
Congratulations and much good luck.
Sheila
This news was not unexpected. The deterioration of celebrity news is all around us. Newspapers thought they could stave off this crisis by using high quality writers. Where did that get us? Some bushy-tailed, bright-eyed publisher comes along and completely screws this up, reassigning said writer to the coverage of a lost cause – reporting on the best that mankind can offer. When will this insanity end?
Tim, do what you have to do. My only regret is that I never really looked at your celebrity column. I still think Kardashian was a mid-twentieth century Soviet composer. If it were only true.
Much Ado About Nothing ……….
Stay classy, AJ.