As all of France reels from the Paris terror attack that left 12 dead Wednesday, dozens of San Diegans gathered in Balboa Park to prove the pen is mightier than the sword — or the keyboard is mightier than the Kalashnikov, as one woman put it.

Candles lit the faces of grieving guests in front of the park’s House of France Thursday. Speakers condemned the three-gunman massacre at Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine known for its mockery of political and religious leaders, including the Prophet Muhammad.

"I think it is important to show that I'm really sad and I think everybody here has a sad heart for what happened,” Sandrine Gerzevitz told NBC 7.

Some mourners were French; others just loved the country. All wanted to show solidarity with the positive movement that has grown from the streets of Paris, set fire to social media and caught hold in the U.S. They began holding up what the terrorists wanted to silence.

"The pen is mightier than the sword. Every time. We can never forget that or be afraid to use the pen,” said attendee James Bowser.

With signs reading “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”), the demonstrators joined in a moment of silence to remember the victims: political cartoonists, journalists and police officers among them.

Their voices then filled the night with a chorus of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem.

"With these candles, we're symbolically taking back the night and saying, not only will we not stop our expression of freedom, but we will get louder and we will join together,” a woman yelled to the crowd.

Gerzevitz was shocked by the news of a mass shooting Wednesday, but it made her realized what other parts of the world face daily. 

"It's something really painful for sure, and you realize that it's not only in Paris. It happens every day, everywhere right now: Syria, Iraq, Iran. I mean, it's not only Paris, and that's what hurts me. That’s why I'm here today,” Gerzevitz said.

But instead of bringing France to its knees, it raised the people up, the group said.
 

Junior Seau is a first-ballot Pro Football Hall Of Famer. There is no debate, no argument, no counter-point, nothing that can contradict that statement.

The late Chargers legend is eligible for enshrinement for the first time this year and, to the surprise of nobody, made the list of 15 finalists for induction (the Class of 2015 will be announced on January 31, the day before the Super Bowl in Arizona).

By any measure, Seau is one of the greatest linebackers who ever lived. The NFL started keeping tackling stats in the late 1970’s. Only three players (Jesse Tuggle, Ray Lewis and Clay Matthews Jr.) made more tackles than Seau did in his 20 year career.

I used to work with Dale Hellestrae, an offensive lineman who played 15 years in the NFL, most of them with the Dallas Cowboys when Jimmy Johnson was coaching them to Super Bowl wins. We were talking about Junior one day and I remember Dale saying what made Junior so good was Seau’s combination of intelligence, aggressiveness, and speed. When a big offensive lineman got his hands on Seau, he could be blocked. The problem was getting your hands on him, which was extremely difficult to do.

It will be a fantastic, awful, joyful, tearful day for Chargers fans when Junior takes his rightful place alongside football’s immortals.

If Don Coryell gets his bust in Canton, OH, with him, they’ll have to hand out boxes of handkerchiefs at the door.

I’m going to spend a lot more time talking about Coryell than Seau because nobody needs an explanation of why Junior is a Hall Of Famer. Coryell, however, has been snubbed for far, far too long.

The late Chargers and Cardinals coach is a Hall of Fame finalist for the second time. It’s sickening that Coryell is not already a member of pro football’s most exclusive club.

The man was one of the most innovative and influential coaches in history. Heck, they named an entire offense after him! Coryell revolutionized the passing game at San Diego State in the 1960’s (for that, thankfully he is a member of the College Football Hall Of Fame). He took his pass-first mentality to the NFL in 1973. That year NFL teams averaged little less than 19 points a game. What happened next is astonishing.

Within a decade, in 1983, NFL teams were averaging 22 points a game. A new breed of quarterbacks (Joe Montana, Dan Marino, John Elway, etc.) had entered the league, all of them running elements of the Air Coryell offense. Scoring stayed at that level through 1986, when Coryell left San Diego.

Average scoring across the league dipped immediately and did not return to the 22-point level again until 2009.

Now, that sure doesn’t seem like a coincidence. Coryell’s impact is still felt in the pro game today. Many of the schemes, routes, personnel groupings, even the terminology is a direct descendant of the system Coryell pioneered.

He never took his team to a Super Bowl. But, he won. In the Super Bowl era, the Cardinals have had two head coaches with a winning record. One is Bruce Arians, who’s been there the last two seasons. The other is Don Coryell.

In his career, Coryell won 111 games. That’s more than John Madden (who was an assistant under Coryell at SDSU and told me he would not have had the success he had without Don’s help), Bill Walsh … and Vince Lombardi.

The difference is, all of those guys won rings. But, so did Mike Shanahan, Barry Switzer and Brian Billick. Shouldn’t the ability to make an impact so big it changes the trajectory of a sport be more important than winning one particular game on one particular Sunday?

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, here are the other 13 finalists, in alphabetical order:

Morten Andersen, K
Jerome Bettis, RB
Tim Brown, WR
Terrell Davis, RB (Lincoln High School alum)
Tony Dungy, Head Coach
Kevin Greene, LB/DE
Charles Haley, LB/DE
Marvin Harrison, WR
Jimmy Johnson, Head Coach
John Lynch, FS (Torrey Pines High School alum)
Orlando Pace, OT
Will Shields, OT
Kurt Warner, QB

A United Airlines flight taking off to Denver from Sacramento International Airport caused sparks and flames and was forced to turn around Friday morning because of a possible bird strike.

The event on Flight 1596 was reported around 5:30 a.m., Sacramento Fire Department spokesman-firefighter Roberto Padilla told the Sacramento Bee.

Many passengers told NBC affiliate KCRA that the Boeing 737 lit up with sparks and flames.

One of those passengers was KCRA meteorologist Eileen Javora. She wrote on her Facebook page that she yelled, "fire, fire," buried her head into the passenger sitting next to her and thought to herself, "this could be it."

"The plane never lost altitude, we never dipped side to side," she said, "but there was certainly a fire on the engine on the right side of the plane."

Several passengers who came off the plane also told KCRA that they saw smoke and flames, which made a lot of people start yelling.

At one point, Javora said a flight attendant came out with a fire extinguisher. All of it, however, lasted "about 10 seconds," Javora said.

In a statement, United Airlines said the flight landed safely after "our pilots reported a possible aircraft bird strike."

The plane taxied to the gate and all 129 passengers and crew members were escorted to the gate area. 

There have been about 142,000 "wildlife strikes" with civil aircraft in the United States between 1990 and 2013, the most recent year available, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. In that time period, 62 planes were destroyed or damaged and 25 people were killed because of the strikes.

Sacramento International Airport has had more bird strikes that any other California airport, according to the FAA, as it is located along the Pacific Flying, a major bird migration path.
 

San Diego fire crews and the San Diego Police Department responded to a two-car accident in downtown Friday morning.

Two vehicles were involved in the accident at 10th Avenue and A Street just before 11 a.m.

One patient was transported to the hospital, but the extent of injuries is unknown at this time.

The intersection was closed to traffic for investigation of the accident as of this report.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

One person was killed after a single-unit aparment fire broke out in Carmel Valley.

The fire broke out at the two-story apartment building at 3515 Caminito El Rincon at 11:25 a.m. and neighbors attempted to douse the fire before firefighters arrived, the fire department said.

San Diego Fire Rescue said the victim was transported to the University of California San Diego burn center where the man did not survive his injuries. No other injuries were reported.

San Diego police were also on the scene to direct traffic.

The Metro Arson Strike Team is investigating the fire. Damages were estimated to be $20,000.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

With the NFL playoffs moving into the divisional round -- with two games Saturday and two more on Sunday -- the matchups are sexier and the stakes even higher. Here are four players (or, in one case, a unit) that could be the deciding factors in which teams advance to the conference championship games on Sunday, Jan. 18:

SATURDAY

No. 6 seed Baltimore Ravens (10-6) at No. 1 New England Patriots (12-4), 4:35 p.m. EST – The theme here has been that if any team is built to beat the Pats in Foxboro, it’s the Ravens, who beat New England at home in the 2012 AFC Championship Game and – with Joe Flacco at quarterback – has a history of winning on the road. Since 1996 when the Ravens were born (following their move from Cleveland), the franchise has 10 road playoff victories, tied for the most ever in league history. And in their three playoff matchups since 2009, Baltimore has won two. But one player for the Patriots could be a difference maker in this one, tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski was injured and did not play in that 2012 AFC title game and wasn’t yet in the NFL when Flacco and Co. beat the Pats in the 2009 playoffs. This time, Gronkowski is healthy and contributing in a big way. The Pats offense is much better when Tom Brady has “Gronk,” who had 82 catches this season for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. If the Ravens can’t get a handle on him, Gronkowski could help lift the Pats into the AFC title game.

No. 4 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) at No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (12-4), 8:15 p.m. EST – The Seahawks are at home, where they are nearly unbeatable, but they’ve had trouble with the Panthers, a rugged defensive team built much like the Seahawks – with a solid running game featuring No. 1 back Jonathan Stewart and an athletic quarterback in Cam Newton. The Seahawks won both their games against Carolina the past two seasons, but the games were very close (12-7 and 13-9). So why should the Seahawks be confident going into this game? Because since returning from injury after missing the first five games of the season, linebacker Bobby Wilson has been playing like the league’s defensive MVP. His speed, range and smarts could give the Seahawks the deciding factor to stuff Stewart and corral Newton. Over the past six games, the Wagner-led Seattle D has allowed just 39 points. With Wagner in the middle, breaking big plays against the Seahawks can be extremely difficult. He's as fast as a running back. As 49ers running back Frank Gore said late in the season: “That No. 54, Bobby, man. He’s (expletive) fast. Fast as (expletive), man. They play great together.”

SUNDAY

No. 3 Dallas Cowboys (12-4) at No. 2 Green Bay Packers (12-4), 1:05 p.m. EST – Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a strained left calf (some reports even say it’s a tear), so Green Bay’s usually mobile passer may be as nimble as a statue in this marquee matchup. But he says he’s playing, no matter what. That will put a huge burden on the Packers’ offensive line to protect Rodgers. Green Bay’s passing game must be effective if it wants to outscore Tony Romo and the Cowboys. So, this five-man unit is going to be put to the test. This season, the Packers’ line has been sensational in protecting Rodgers. Packers QBs were pressured only 21.7 percent of pass attempts this season, the fourth-best figure in the NFL. Fortunately for the Packers, Dallas ranked just 28^th in the NFL in sacks, with 28, getting to the QB on 4.8 percent of pass attempts. But if Green Bay’s offensive front can’t keep Rodgers safe, the Cowboys will have a much better chance of pulling an upset.

No. 4 Indianapolis Colts (11-5) at No. 2 Denver Broncos (12-4), 4:40 p.m. EST -- Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning are in the spotlight on this one, and for good reason. It’s a matchup of perhaps the best quarterback of his generation (Manning) against Luck, who took his place in Indianapolis and has been sensational. But if the Colts are to topple the Broncos on their home field – where they are unbeaten this season – Indianapolis will need some help from its running game. Enter Daniel “Boom” Herron. Early in the season, Herron was behind Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson on the depth chart. But with Bradshaw hurt and Richardson ineffective, the Herron, a second-year player from Ohio State, has emerged as a threat late this season. In last week’s victory over the Bengals, Herron carried 12 times for 56 yards (a 4.7 average). If the Colts can get some big plays from “Boom,” the Broncos’ defense won’t be able to concentrate solely on Luck.

A San Diego police officer and another driver were hospitalized Thursday night after a suspected drunken driving crash in Clairemont.

The San Diego Police Department said the officer, who was responding to a call, was driving south in the 4600 block of Genesee Avenue just before midnight when a man ran a stop sign and collided with his vehicle.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Both were transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

The San Diego Police Department is asking for the public's help in locating a missing man who may be at risk.

Trung Van Ho, 71, was last seen at 9 a.m. Thursday morning leaving in his car from the 6000 block of Rancho Del Sol Way in the Carmel Valley area. Authorities do not know where he was headed. Credit card purchases suggest he might be in Victorville, Calif., they said.

Police said Ho suffers from memory issues and diabetes and may be at risk. He is described as five feet tall, 100 pounds with grey hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a yellow jacket and cream colored pants.

Ho may be driving a 1997 black four-door Toyota with Calif. license plate 3WOD684.

Anyone with information about Ho's whereabouts is asked to call the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000 or Detective Maura "Mo" Parga at (619) 531-2390.

 A San Diego medical marijuana employee was pistol-whipped as three men barged in to steal goods inside Thursday night.

 The incident happened at Green Air Patient Care at 6810 El Cajon Boulevard in Rolando just before 9:30 p.m. Police said three men with their heads and faces covered by hoods entered the storefront while four employees were inside.

One employee tried to stop the assailants at the front door, but was subsequently pistol whipped in the head with a black, semi-automatic handgun. He sustained a non-life threatening head wound, police said.

Authorities said the suspects took display items and the victims' personal property before escaping on foot.

Police only described the suspects only as dark-skinned because hoods covered their faces.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000.

San Diego County Crime Stoppers is seeking the public's help in solving a 2011 father and son double-murder cold case.

Keith Butler, 30, had just walked his father, Darryl Hunter, 49, to the bus stop at 30th and C streets after the two visited someone in a nearby apartment. But 20 minutes later, both had been shot to death.

Hunter was found by officers on the north side of 2900 C Street, and his son's body was inside an apartment complex a block away. Both had suffered gun shot wounds and later died from their injuries.

The San Diego Police Department and Crime Stoppers are asking anyone with information about the murders to call the San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

One anonymous resident helped Escondido cops spread a little holiday cheer over Christmas.

Police said an anonymous Escondido resident, a part of the Escondido Charitable Foundation, contacted the police prior to the holidays last year to give $10,000 to the department. The donor asked the officers to give out $100 to people they met along the course of their day that most needed the money.

The donor wanted to give the officers the means to spread the goodwill themselves, police said.

Over the course of several days, officers stopped people on the street, driving in cars and waiting at bus stops. Other officers remembered people they had encountered in the past that needed the goodwill.

In videos posted to the Escondido Police Department’s Facebook page, a police officer gives one woman – who he said in the video was a cancer survivor – the $100 bill and she stands there in disbelief before hugging a boy next to her and crying.

Police Chief Craig Carter said officers were able to make a bad situation better for at least 100 families, adding that it was rewarding for the officers to see the joy the goodwill brought to individuals and to feel as if they made a difference during the holiday season.

It sounds like a scene from Happy Feet, but after attaching a GPS-like tracking device, SeaWorld's Animal Rescue was able to release a rescued Guadalupe fur seal back into the wild.

The female seal was found off a sea wall at Carlsbad State Beach back in December, weighing only 80 pounds and suffering lacerations on her right side. She was in need of urgent medical care, which included fluids and antibiotics.

A nutrient-rich diet consisting of capelin, sardines and herring was able to bring the seal's weight up and at the time of her release, she had gained nearly 20 pounds. She will now be able to forage for food on her own.

Senior Research Scientist Dr. Brent Stewart hooked the satellite transmitter up to the unnamed seal to hopefully track her movements and learn more about her species and its travels.

The tracker will only be good for about six months, until she molts and it likely dislodges, SeaWorld Rescue said.

SeaWorld said an adult male fur seal can grow up to six feet in length and weight up to 350 pounds. Females typically reach four and a half feet and 100 pounds. The seal released Thursday was a healthy 98 pounds.

Kale chips may be the only food this 85-pound beagle eats for a while.

The extremely obese beagle was rescued earlier this week by local animal rescue One Tail at a Time after he was surrendered to Chicago Animal Care and Control. The rescue said the poor animal “became urgent as soon as he came in” because he could hardly walk.

“He had to be wheeled out in a wagon,” the shelter said in a Facebook post.

The dog was taken to a vet to be checked out, where he weighed in at a whopping 85 pounds.

“Everyone was stunned,” said Heather Owen, President of the Board of Directors for the rescue. “When we weighed him and saw 85, all the vet techs and the vets all came out.”

The shelter named the dog Kale Chips, “because that’s pretty much what his future looks like.”

“We’ve slimmed down dogs almost as big as this, so we’re up to the challenge,” the shelter said in the post.

Rescuers said Kale Chips still has “a long road ahead” but they hope to help him recover.

“There’s definitely hope,” Owen said.

Owen said the shelter plans to put Kale Chips on what they call a “green bean diet,” where they reduce his dog food and replace it with green beans and other healthy greens.

“We’ll put some kale in there for sure,” she said.

Owen said rescuers only know that Kale Chips’ owner was elderly, but they believe that something may have prevented his owner from being able to walk him.

“My assumption is that the owner couldn’t walk him for quite some time, fed him too much and without exercise over time he got to be that size,” she said.

Owen estimated that a typical beagle weighs in at 20 to 30 pounds, but noted that Kale Chips could be mixed with another breed that may make him larger.

The shelter asked for help fostering Kale Chips until blood tests are completed and he is put on a new health plan. At that point, he will be eligible for adoption.

“He’s awesome. He loves people, he doesn’t seem like depressed or anything like that,” Owen said. “He’s just a happy guy.”

Those looking to donate for Kale Chips’ care or apply to foster or adopt can visit One Tail at a Time’s website.

(H/t Huffington Post Chicago)

A small plane nose dived Friday into a San Fernando Valley intersection near the Van Nuys Airport, killing the pilot, authorities said.

Miraculously nobody else was hurt in the crash reported around 1:15 p.m. at Vanowen Street and Hayvenhurst Avenue, in Lake Balboa, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"I couldn't get to the body," said Pat Gallegos. "He was long gone by the time that we got there."

The pilot was described as between 40 and 45 years old, according to Sgt. Barry Montgomery with the Los Angeles Police Department. No one else was on board the experimental plane.

The intersection was closed to traffic as emergency responders investigated the wreck. The plane did not hit any buildings, cars or pedestrians during its descent, Montgomery said.

"It absolutely could have been a lot worse," Montgomery said.

The plane is a single-engine Lancair that crashed under unknown circumstances, according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.

The runway at Van Nuys Airport was inspected following the crash and is operational, according to spokeswoman Mary Grady. Airport operations were not affected.

Witnesses said they didn't hear any noise before the crash.

"The engine wasn't on at all," said Cheryl Dickerson, who was with a neighbor near the crash site seconds before the crash. "He happens to look up and goes, 'Do you think he's going to make it?' I said, 'I don't know.'"

She said the plane glided silently for a few seconds before nose-diving — somehow managing to avoid hitting anyone.

Esther Lopez, who also witnessed the crash, said she often visits friends who live near the intersection, just south of the airport.

"We heard the loud 'boom!' and then it was, like, 'what was that?" she said.

Asher Klein contributed to this report.

Partnered with San Diego Crime Stoppers, the San Diego Sheriff's Department's Fugitive Task Force is asking for help in finding a violent felon authorities say should be considered armed and dangerous.

James Kang, 30, is wanted for felony domestic violence, intimidating a witness and resisting arrest. There is a no bail warrant out for his arrest, and he was last known to be living in the Bonita area, according to authorities.

Investigators described Kang as 5-feet-8-inches tall and weighing 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and a $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to his capture. Anonymous emails and text messages can be sent in by clicking here.

A ninth-grader in Westchester attacked his substitute teacher in a violent episode captured on video in which the boy throws punches, curses and puts the teacher in a headlock, sparking concern among parents at the school. 

Police are investigating the case at Gorton High School in Yonkers on Monday. They say the 16-year-old student was captured on a cellphone video attacking the teacher.

The boy hasn't been arrested and there are no charges at the time, but he has been suspended from school for five days, according to the Yonkers school board.

Parents say the attack is troubling. Jairo Veras, a teacher at another school in the area, has two daughters at the school, one in the same grade as the boy who allegedly attacked the teacher.

"I don't see any respect for the teacher, the authority in the school," said Veras. "It's a really, really bad situation." 

Eiman Fadda said she wants to make sure her daughter is safe in class.

"I told her, you gotta be careful, stay away from people like that," she said. 

The school board said a superintendents hearing has been requested.

Some Point Loma residents will be without water for the rest of the night after a water main broke Friday afternoon.

The 12-inch, cast iron line ruptured at about 1:36 p.m. near the intersection of Catalina Boulevard and Canon Street.

Water flowing to the main was shut off about an hour later.

At this point, customers living along Catalina Boulevard between Talbot and Charles streets do not have water service, and the city of San Diego does not expect service to be restored to all customers until 2:30 a.m. Saturday.

The city is currently undergoing a massive overhaul of its outdated water distribution system, according to Arian Collins with the city's Public Utilities department.

The department is working to replace all its cast iron water mains by 2017. In 2014, the city experienced 75 water main breaks — the fewest in the past decade, Collins said.

Let’s face it: It's only Jan. 9, and you've already missed out on the biggest show of the year.

That’s not a knock on you or anything, though. After all, there was simply no way you could have got in to see it anyway. Somehow, planets aligned and the gods of music conspired together to bring Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, and Aloe Blacc to the Belly Up on Thursday night. The 600-capacity Solana Beach venue was completely closed off to the public, and actual word on the show got out mere minutes before it kicked off.

Not like it really mattered  the event was a private party for William Morris Endeavor, one of the premier booking agencies in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, Nashville, NYC, Miami and London. It’s an annual thing: Each year, it rents out the Belly Up for a party and hosts a gala for staff at the La Costa Resort & Spa, in Carlsbad. Acts that have played previous years’ parties include LMFAO, the Crystal Method, Snoop Dogg and Pharrell.

For what it's worth, WME outdid itself this year. The evening started off around 7:30 with a 30-minute set by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, who performed selections from their new duets album of jazz standards, "Cheek to Cheek." After a stage setup change, they were followed by hip hop/R&B star Aloe Blacc (known for such songs as "The Man," "Wake Me Up," and "I Need a Dollar") and a 30-minute set of his hits. The Foo Fighters finally took the tiny stage (for them) and belted out more than 75 minutes of Foo classics ("Monkey Wrench," "Hero") and such well-known covers as Tom Petty's "Breakdown" and Van Halen’s "Ain’t Talkin' 'Bout Love."

According to Belly Up promotions manager Meryl Klemow, the party was incredible.

"Everyone was extremely nice, and all of the artists seemed to love the Belly Up," Klemow said. "Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett both came in to do a soundcheck earlier. The Foo Fighters did one, too, but had their people do it for them. You could tell during Gaga and Bennett's set that he's definitely one of her idols and that they really respect and admire one another. The Foo Fighters were just amazing -- you could tell Dave Grohl got a kick out of playing a smaller club like ours instead of the huge amphitheaters they normally play. At some point during their set, he hopped offstage, made his way through the crowd and got on top of the bar and played guitar! It really surprised everyone, and we definitely don't see that every day [laughs]. It's so apparent that he has absolutely 100 percent of the passion he had when he started playing music originally. The band hung around afterward and talked with everyone. It was funny seeing the guys on our staff, who are normally very reserved, freaking out about them."

Klemow also got to meet and take photos with Grohl, and said he was incredibly nice, very unassuming and down to earth.

"He was smiling the whole time and couldn’t have been a nicer guy," Klemow said. "At one point backstage, he mentioned something about liking our ravioli, and we were like, 'Dave, you can have ravioli here whenever you want! [laughs]' "

Here’s a tough question: If you knew the Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett and Aloe Blacc were playing your work party, would you be able to keep it a secret? Klemow and the Belly Up staff had to do just that.

"It was almost easier, knowing it had to stay secret," Klemow said. "I didn't tell my family, my boyfriend -- anyone! It's just a secret no one could know. I actually forgot about it for awhile [laughs]. We all wanted it on the down low as much as possible. We just didn't want a mob scene here. But you should've seen it: We had our security, the bands had their security, and let me tell you something: No one’s getting through Gaga's security. They're intense [laughs]. Whoever got in were either William Morris Endeavor agents or invited directly by the agency itself."

Klemow was also quick to praise her team, who hosted an awesome show with some of music's biggest stars.

"It’s so geeky, but it's very true: Seeing our staff pull together for an event like this and pulling it off without a hitch just made me so proud. They're just so professional; no one was trying to take pictures and everyone was pitching in with jobs they don't normally do. It was great."

Klemow compared the party to a more concise version of one of those huge desert festivals -- you know, the kind that just announced their 2015 lineup: "This is kind of like my ideal version of Coachella. Four amazing acts, done around midnight -- and then you’re good to go."

Dustin Lothspeich plays in Old Tiger, Diamond Lakes and Boy King. Follow his updates on Twitter or contact him directly.

The Navy sailor paralyzed when his truck was forced off a San Diego highway overpass by another driver has been told there’s a chance he’ll walk again.

It’s been four months since Navy Petty Officer Kenny Freudenvoll’s truck flew off the I-8 off-ramp and down 50 feet to the ground in an accident in Mission Valley.

The crash destroyed parts of his spine, so Freudenvoll uses a wheelchair.

“One of the surgeons who did surgery on my back says there is a very good chance I will walk again,” said Freudenvoll.

Freudenvoll’s truck was crunched and left in pieces after the fall. The veteran recalls sitting in the wreckage and thinking his life would end there, that he'd never see his wife and children again.

Although he’s only five years old, Freudenvoll’s son Jacob is helping in a big way.

Jacob inspires his father to get through hours of painful physical therapy each week, even though his dad said there are tough moments.

“He was going to bed, and I was sitting here watching TV and I hear him holler out, 'I really miss Dad walking,'” Freudenvoll said.

“That's the biggest thing that's hit me the worst, just being more independent and tying my own shoes and getting dressed without having somebody help me,” Freudenvoll said.

The driver who struck Freudenvoll’s truck and fled the scene pleaded guilty Monday to driving without a license and hit-and-run causing injury.

When California Highway Patrol officers later caught up with Jose Uribe, they said the defendant tried to change his tire and wipe off some of the paint damage caused by the collision.

It was Uribe’s passenger who turned him in to authorities.

Prosecutors say Uribe fled the scene because he was driving without a license.

At the time of the crash, Uribe was on probation for false imprisonment and concealing evidence charges stemming from a 2012 rape case.

Freudenvoll didn’t know what to say about Uribe’s guilty plea. He only worries if Uribe doesn't learn his lesson, he'll end up hurting someone else.

Uribe is scheduled to be sentenced April 13.