PVP-PANORAMA No. 268 • 04/24/21

PANORAMA Palos Verdes Peninsula

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No. 268 • April 24, 2021

SPRING COMES ALIVE It’s All Back

Baseball At The Bay . . .

Lunada Bay Little Leauge is back in action with the legendary Challenger League in play next week.

• Sports has taken over the Peninsula from youth to high school varsity.

From T-Ball to high school varsity, bats and balls are back in action at all baseball and softball fields on the Peninsula.

Palos Verdes and Peninsula high schools just ended the spring football season and are now working on soccer, lacrosse, softball, baseball, basketball, volleyball and just about everything else during the next few weeks.

Check out the next edition of Panorama on May 8 as we try to keep up with all the action everywhere.

Junior League Takes The Field . . .

See Page 14

and Giants battle in Minor Division action at PV Little League.

Lighter Than Air . . .

PV Lacrosse - Kings Of The Hill . . . Boys and girls beat PEN.

Junior League

Friday Night Baseball Returns To Valmonte . . . The Dodgers

Palos Verdes vs. Peninsula . . . The Sea Kings boys’ varsity soccer team got a 2-1 overtime win over the Panthers.

Catchers Catch

Little League At The Plate See Pages 12-13

Standings

Baseball Standings Are Back Page 13

Stronger Than Dirt . . .

Varsity

Sea Kings, Panthers On Deck See Page 15

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April 24, 2021

Getting Back To Normal

April Showers . . . Just as the Peninsula starts enjoying its new spring season, a little rain hits the Hill with good old May Grey on the horizon.

John H. Trotter,

DDS, MS Orthodontics

Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics

1706 South Elena Ave. Suite D Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (Located in the Riviera Village)

(310) 373-0093 Find us at TrotterOrthodontics.com or on Facebook at Trotter Orthodontics

I Want One . . . The electric bike craze has hit the Peninsula. They are a great addition for any family that lives on the side of a hill and needs to get to the park.

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April 24, 2021

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PV Football Continues To Dominate PANORAMA Peninsula, But Misses Bay League Title Palos Verdes Peninsula

Varsity Football • After the shortened season the Sea Kings and Panthers are set for off-season training in a few weeks.

By Joaquin Lugo The Palos Verdes Sea Kings faced off against the Peninsula Panthers last week in the annual Battle for the Hill. This was more than just bragging rights, this was the last football game for many 2021 graduates.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter, but Palos Verdes struck first with a touchdown and never looked back.

The Sea Kings continued to pres-

sure the Panther defense and scored again with a 40-yard pass to senior Jarred Douglas from junior quarterback Turner Helton. The Sea Kings took a commanding, 21-3, lead into the halftime.

The Peninsula offensive continued to struggle in the second half, as their first play after halftime resulting in a pick six from Sea King senior Chayce Tulley.

The Panthers wouldn’t go down without a fight, putting together a late-scoring drive that lead to a 35-yard touchdown at the end of the game, and the Sea Kings took the Hill, 42-9.

Off-season training will begin in early May for the Sea Kings. It is still not known if football will return to a regu-

lar CIF fall schedule in 2021.

Despite the winning season, winning teams such as Palos Verdes were not able to engage in playoffs due to COVID-19.

The team is working to get access to the weight room this off-season; which will be beneficial to every athletic program at the high school.

As some juniors and seniors move on to other sports, such as lacrosse and basketball. Football players hope to be back in a covid-free environment next season.

Thanks to all Palos Verdes and Peninsula High coaches and staff for operating under some tough and unusual circumstances.

Entertainment Choices Expand And Contract During COVID Restrictions

Movie Streams

• So far big expensive movies are money losers in the era of COVID, streaming and video games.

By Keila Bara The movie-watching experience is dramatically changing. What was once a full experience, with plush theater seats and popcorn, is now a simple task, with the click of a button and a device displaying a plethora of options to watch movies at any given time.

Streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and Disney+, are creating a much easier way for people to watch movies from the comfort of their own homes.

This, along with the detrimental effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the movie theaters, has raised a lot of concern regarding the survival of movie theaters.

Though some long-awaited films have been postponed in hopes of restrictions loosening enough to premiere the traditional way, others have adapted to the situation, taking advantage of the streaming services to allow people to continue to view new films safely at home.

With that, though, comes a huge financial loss for movie makers, as well as

the loss of the full movie-going experience for audiences, because watching a film at home is nowhere near the same as seeing a movie for the first time on the big screen.

There is a mixed response to how the film industry has adapted to current times, and though the experience of watching a movie in the theater is unmatched, filmmakers are doing what they can, trying to stay afloat to keep the film industry alive.

As COVID-19 restrictions are slowly being lifted around the globe, many question whether the use of theaters will fully resume post-pandemic, or if this marks the end of cinemas for good.

During 2020, many long-anticipated movies were postponed, as filmmakers were still confident that theaters would be operational soon enough.

Among the postponed were “Dune”, “The French Dispatch”, “Wonder Woman 1984”, “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Black Widow”.

Some movies, such as “Dune,” by director Denis Villeneuve, and “The French Dispatch,” by director Wes Anderson, are still holding out hope for a full theater release, with Villeneuve’s film’s newest release date being Oct. 1 of this year and Anderson’s modified date still unknown.

However, many movies have taken

an alternative route--to premiere in the few open theaters available and on streaming platforms simultaneously.

“Wonder Woman 1984,” directed by Patty Jenkins, was released in the U.S. on Dec. 25, 2020, both in theaters and on the streaming platform HBO Max. This movie did not do as well as people hoped.

Production costs were more than $200 million, but it grossed only $38.5 million during its opening weekend nationally. However, it did fairly well, given the circumstances, because the HBO Max subscriptions rose by approximately 554,000 in the weekend following the film’s release.

Part of this movie’s lack of success was simply due to the writing and production itself, as many felt it was much weaker than its predecessor, “Wonder Woman” (which was released in 2017).

Especially considering how much worse COVID-19 restrictions were back in December, this one movie does not represent the decline of the film industry for good, and it does not represent a failure in regards to releasing films on streaming platforms.

This dual-release approach has actually proven to be quite successful with the more recent film “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which premiered in the U.S. on March

Please continue on Page 6 . . .

On Staff Fiona Andersons Keila Bara Beau Demerjian Alexis Ferguson Sammy Funk Sarah Liu Joaquin Lugo Timothy Niemann Fiona Yang

Publisher/Editor: Tom Combs Copy Editors: Sue Demerjian,

Winton Combs Cartoonist: Jack Dickason

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Convenience Keeps Many Students Home

. . . Continued from Page 4

31, also simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. Despite most areas still implementing restrictions due to COVID-19, many cinemas have reopened at limited capacity, leading to a slight increase in people viewing this movie in a theater.

The box office total was $48.1 million in the first five days of opening, and HBO Max revealed that the movie received its greatest viewing audience to date. The movie has now earned more than $300 million globally, and there is still time to gross more in the weeks to come. Despite this evident success, those who opted for the at-home option seem to be at a disadvantage, lacking the same immersive experience that movie theaters provide.

“Both “Wonder Woman” and “Godzilla vs. Kong” were made for the theater experience, with the surround sound system, a big projected picture and the completely dark room,” said Peninsula High School senior Francesca Genato.

“Although I still loved watching both movies from home, [I recognize that] the movie theater experience is irreplaceable, and though [streaming platforms]

are super convenient, I would choose experience over convenience anytime,” Genato said “It is great that the option to safely watch movies during the pandemic has been provided, but after COVID-19 is over, we absolutely should go back to viewing movies in the theater, as movies are intended to be watched [on the big screen],” she said.

Most recently, Marvel’s new film “Black Widow”, which was first announced to be released in May of 2020, has now been postponed for the third time, with its newest release date being July 9.

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have been requesting this film since the character Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), played by actress Scarlett Johansson, first appeared in “Iron Man 2” back in 2010.

The first teaser trailer was released on Dec. 3, 2019, and since then fans have been anticipating its release.

In the past, Marvel has had no problem making profit off of their films, with their 2019 film “Avengers: game” grossing $2.798 billion globally.

Please continue on Page 11 . . .

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12U Girls Take On Anyone . . . The Peninsula three 12U teams will compete against each other, as well as teams from around the South Bay with Santa Monica and North Torrance scheduled for today.

Charting a path to Growth

Faster Than A Yellow Comet . . . Players in the 10U Division have to be quick around the base paths because you need all the runs you can get.

The Local Gateway To All-Things Sports On The Peninsula

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Big Yellow Ball Back In Action

Softball

• The Palos Verdes Peninsula Girls’ Softball League is back in action at Cornerstone School with weekend games through May. The league is fielding teams from 6U to 14U and will also face teams for other parts of the South Bay.

Team Work From The Bench . . . Softball players support their teammates.

In The Circle . . . The softball season

will play through May with post season championship games at Cornerstone School.

14U Defends Home Field . . .

The Peninsula’s only 14U team hosted Westchester Saturday and will travel to El Segundo today.

Cheers, Dance, Softball . . . The girls at Cornerstone are in midseason form in all aspects of girls’ softball.

Palos Verdes Peninsula

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Next Edition April 24

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April 24, 2021

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Sea Kings Take Down Panthers Boys Lacrosse • The Palos Verdes High boys’ lacrosse team gets a 19-4 win over Peninsula in Bay League action Wednesday.

The Sea Kings are 2-1 on the modified season and will have a few more non-conference games before returning to Bay League action to face Mira Costa next week. The modified season means the PV-PEN rivalry games for the spring will have only one competition.

You Can’t Win If You Can’t Score . . . The Palos Verdes High boy’ lacrosse teams allowed only three goals against Peninsula during its rivalry game.

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Entertainment Choices Continue To Change

. . . Continued from Page 4 Additionally, the Disney-owned company has been extremely prosperous during this pandemic, releasing television series “WandaVision” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” so far in 2021, with more to come.

Both were released solely on the streaming platform Disney+, yet they were incredibly successful, with “WandaVision” becoming one of the 10 mostwatched original shows on streaming platforms during its debut week (Variety).

With the use of Disney+ working very well thus far, Marvel announced that “Black Widow” will be released both in theaters and on Disney+. However, there is a catch--the film will be part of Disney+’s “Premier Access” release, meaning it will cost $29.99 on top of the monthly subscription. The expense is making this film even more of a risk to the movie’s success, because its viewership may be much lower as people do not want to pay $29.99 for a single film.

Nevertheless, a new report from Observer states that this movie is expected to gross about $170 million, mainly due to the decision to push back its release to July.

It is still unclear whether all movie theaters will be open by then, and even if they are, how many people will be allowed inside. Additionally, COVID-19 is by no means gone, and many are concerned about their safety in theaters.

Despite this, there is talk of capacity restrictions being lifted for most movie theaters, and with 211 million COVID-19 vaccines having been administered as of April 20 in the U.S., there seems to be hope of a safe theater experience by the summer months.

Peninsula High School junior Issa Ahmed is one of the people who feels uncertain about how this movie is being released.

“I think it is good that they are giving the option to watch “Black Widow” on Disney+, but it should be at most $20 to make it more affordable for everyone who wants to watch it on opening night,” Ahmed said. “[Additionally,] they should not really be showing movies in theaters during a pandemic unless extreme precautions are taken, and I do not think people will truly enforce being spaced out. I have concerns about how well this movie is going to do, given COVID-19 is still a large issue that does not seem to be getting better fast enough for it to be safe

by July,” she said.

As these big-budget movies, and countless independent films, have been forced to be released on streaming platforms for the sake of viewers’ safety, many movie-goers are beginning to worry about whether the theaters will recover from this pandemic at all.

Countless theaters have been shutting down in the past year, including numerous AMC and Regal theaters nationwide.

The Cinerama Dome in Hollywood announced its permanent closure on April 13, which shocked the film community. The theater has been a Hollywood staple since 1963 and has been the location of countless movie premieres over the years.

What was once one of America’s highest-grossing theaters (Deadline) is now just another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic and reveals a shift in how people view films.

When theaters do get the opportunity to open, the question remains: will people return to the “old-fashioned way” once again, reviving the remaining cinemas, or will streaming platforms become the ideal option, as many have grown accustomed to easy-access material with the click of a button?

If the latter proves to be true, the film industry has a huge shift to make, catering their films to smaller, less-sophisticated screens and adjusting their production budgets to increase their chance of making a profit.

Movie theaters may become obsolete, and though many in the film community are adamantly against this shift to digital streaming, it seems there is no stopping this change.

“On one hand, it is great that the film industry has found a way to stay afloat during the pandemic,” said Avery Simonian, a senior at Palos Verdes High School. “[However,] there is something about being in a dark theater with the big screen in front of you that completely immerses you into the film, and that immersion is not there when watching a movie at home,” she said. “[Regardless,] streaming services have taken over because cinemas are going out of business, and it appears as though these services are going to be the future of the entertainment industry, whether we like it or not,” Simonian said.

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Slip And Slide . . . The Royals slid past the Dodgers for a 4-1 win in Major Division action at Palos Verdes Little League last week.

Keep The Pressure On . . . The Palos Verdes Red Sox got a big win over the Silver Spur Athletics in Major Division action last week.

Time To Get Dirty . . . The Palos Verdes Giants got a big win on the road against the Silver Spur Athletics in Major Division action at Ernie Howlett Park.

Dodgers Take The Lead . . . The Silver Spur Dodgers have started the season at 2-0 and are in first place in the Minors Division.

Start The Season Strong . . . The Royals are tied for first place with the Giants in the Major Division at Palos Verdes Little League.

Editorial and Advertising deadline is 6 p.m. Monday the week of publication. PVP-Panorama is published every two weeks.

Our next edition is out May 8.

Umpires Appreciate Good Catchers . . . The catcher is the last line of defense for umpires behind the plate against wayward pitches.

www.peninsulaPANORAMA.com

Baseball Highlights Spring Sports Season Little League

• All four Peninsula Little Leagues are having modified spring seasons this year with regular season games taking place through May.

April 24, 2021

Palos Verdes Little League MAJORS Giants Royals Red Sox Cubs Dodgers

W W T RF RA 2 2 1 1 1

1 1 2 2 2

0 0 0 0 0

31 7 7 7 20 13 7 8 8 12

Nationals White Sox Athletics Blue Jays Red Sox Dodgers

3 2 1 1 1 1

MINORS

W L T RF RA

Dodgers Yankees Giants Red Sox Cubs White Sox Athletics

3 2 2 1 1 0 0

0 1 1 1 2 3

0 0 1 1 2 2 3

1 0 0 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

31 37 22 22 27 26

39 19 34 18 20 8 14

20 31 18 22 29 32

15 10 22 21 25 28 31

Silver Spur Little League

MAJORS Athletics

W L T RF RA 0 0 0

0

0

INTERMEDIATES W L T RF RA

spring. The regular spring season will last until the days of school. All-Star competition will be determined by national organizations, but there will be some kind of post-season and summer baseball happening on the Hill.

Page 13

PENINSULA LITTLE LEAGUE 2021 STANDINGS

INTERMEDIATES W L T RF RA

Let The Games Begin . . . Baseball and softball will be the key sports for the

•

Cubs Twins Orioles

1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

MINORS

W L T RF RA

Dodgers Tigers Red Sox

2 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0

15 14 0 0 0 0 32 12 26 30 15 31

Lunada Bay Little League MAJORS Dodgers Braves

W L T P RF RA 4 0 0 8 1 1 0 2

50 17 8 6

INTERMEDIATES W L T P RF RA Athletics Yankees Dodgers

1 2 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0

MINORS

W L T P RF RA

Angels Giants Cubs Rockies

2 1 1 1

1 1 1 2

0 0 0 0

25 16 10 10 2 13 35 30 33 36

4 2 2 2

35 34 33 32

Rolling Hills Little League

MAJORS

Dodgers Phillies Cardinals Mets

W W T RF RA 2 2 0 0

0 0 2 2

0 0 0 0

22 2 15 9 10 17 1 20

INTERMEDIATES W W T RF RA Dodgers Cubs Yankees Reds

0 0 0 0

MINORS

W L T RF RA

Braves Yankees Blue Jays Phillies Reds Indians

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

W-wins L-losses T-ties P-points RF-runs for RA-runs allowed

Thank Your First Baseman . . . An All-Star first baseman makes your infield look good and helps your team get into the playoffs.

updated 4/21

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April 24, 2021

Junior League Back At The Plate Baseball

• Peninsula Junior League has started its spring season with games at George Allen Field and Ernie Howlett Park.

There are six teams playing in the shortened season this spring, including the Torrance Avengers.

Both Junior League playing fields have been neglegated during the past year of pademic restrictions, so

Dodgers - Yankees . . . The Dodgers got 12-11 win over the Yankees at George Allen Field to stay undefeated on the season.

Stay Sharp . . . Yankees pitcher Noah

Thompson takes the mound against the Cubs.

2021 Junior League Standings Red Sox Torrance Dodgers Cubs Yankees Diamondbacks

W L T P RF RA 2 2 1 1 1 0

0 1 1 1 2 2

1 0 1 1 0 1

5 4 3 3 2 1

17 35 17 30 31 14

12 16 20 40 36 20

We Got Ourselves A Pickle . . . The Diamondbacks and Cubs battled to a 5-5 tie at Ernie Howlett Park last week.

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Spring Rivalry Games Continue

One More Rivalry Battle To Go . . .

Beginning next week Peninsula and Palos Verdes high baseball teams will begin Bay League competition by playing each team twice. The regular season will end in May with back-and-forth rivalry games for both schools.

Games Getting People Outside

One More Time . . . The Palos Verdes High boys’ soccer team got a dramatic, 2-1, overtime win over Peninsula Tuesday. The two teams will battle one more time to finish the regular season at PV High.

Publisher’s Note (crazy talk)

Active living on the Peninsula is slowly coming back. We’ve had a few bumps in the road. A few positive COVID tests and couple postponements here and there. But generally speaking, the games are being played, some kids are back in the classroom and the Peninsula roads are cluttered with bicycles over the weekend - pretty close to normal.

We will continue to get as much stuff in the camera and into the pages of Panorama as we can.

It’s weird that we have only a few issues left before our summer break.

But this could be a very busy summer, and we’re all hoping we can get back to our normal routine in the fall.

We’re looking for a cool July 4th and a gigantic AYSO Picture Day to start off the fall sports season in September. Can’t wait for that.

Georgiana Rosenkranz Broker Associate, JD CalBRE# 01411097

310.717.8767 George@GeorgeSellsTheSouthBay.com

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April 24, 2021

The Surf Is Back . . . High school

surf teams from Palos Verdes and Peninsula are back competing on the waves against other South Bay schools.

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