HALO POWER: How much help do the...

HALO POWER: How much help do the California Angels need? Maybe something heavenly? There’s a movie remake in the works of “Angels in the Outfield” (1952). That one was about the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates, who got unexpected help from an angel. The remake is about Gene Autry’s team--the producers liked the Angels/angel angle. . . . But it wasn’t shot at the Big A. Due to the Rams football schedule, the remake was shot at the Oakland Coliseum, made to look like Anaheim Stadium.

ADD TRITE? Sportswriters nationwide are having fun with the Mighty Ducks’ name. A recent example, from New York Times sports columnist George Vecsey: “You start calling a hockey team a cutesy name, and things start to fall apart. . . . The thing I really resent about the Mighty Ducks is that they advertise a movie, promote a corporation, and what is even worse, they generate tons of money so Disney can expand its trite empire.” . . . Vecsey also squeezed in “the smoggy sprawl of Orange County.”

TEMPLE LAW: As an appellate lawyer, Alan Dershowitz has known great victories--the Claus Von Bulow appeal--and crushing defeats--the Mike Tyson case. Dershowitz keeps busy as a Harvard law professor, lawyer and best-selling author. He’s also a popular lecturer. . . . On Jan. 22, he’ll address the National Conference on Jewish Contemporary Law in Irvine. The next day, he speaks at Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach. In between, he’ll also autograph a few of his books.

DANDY RIDE? Renting boats to tool around Orange County’s bays and harbors is big business at Christmastime (E3). Here’s a sample of what you can get if you rent, let’s say, the 110-foot Dandina of Irvine Coast Charters: Hot/cold hors d’oeuvres, live band, full crew, and singing Santa Claus Jim Mahoney. “We send him out on all the big boats,” says the boat company’s Nancy Irvine. “He’s been doing this for years.” Cost: About $4,000--or $40 a person for a party of 100.