'The O.C. Fairgrounds' season finale Wednesday  

This week my favorite television shows are airing season finales, making way for mid-season replacements. But one finale I'm really looking forward to isn't on TV; it's the ongoing drama, "Sale of the OC Fairgrounds." This series finale should be a doozy when it takes place Dec. 15. As the season comes to a close, like any well-written show, the characters wind up in court. 

The last few episodes have whet our appetite for what could be a season or a series finale. 

Barbara Venezia 

Who could forget the one where Facilities Management West made an end run to the governor's office to purchase the property, leaving its former partner, Costa Mesa, in the dust. 

Or the restraining order episode. The OC Marketplace challenging the legality of the sale, no one paid much attention to the order though. 

Last week's episode was interesting as the state fired fair employees, then Facilities Management West, which hasn't even opened escrow, promises to hire them back. The only character eighty-sixed big time was CEO Steve Beazley, who I guess the writers decided to kill off and not have return next season no matter who owns the Fairgrounds. I wonder if the show's producers gave him a nice parting gift or some big dollars to go away and go away quietly. 

The episode that was way too predictable for me is the one where the OC District Attorney cleared the well-connected Republican OC Fair Board members of any wrong doing regarding conflicts of interests. Gee, even the State Attorney General stepped away from these guys because he felt they were so conflicted. Did he know something our DA didn't? 

Of course there are some new/old characters that popped up this season, too. The story line spiced up when Becky Bailey-Findley returned. She's the former Fairgrounds chief executive, who then consulted for Costa Mesa on the sale. Now, she's switched roles, and will be leading the sale transition working for Facilities Management West. Talk about determination; there's no way she's letting anyone write her out of this show. 

Now I know the scripts are getting a little far-fetched, but they're captivating. The characters are so multifaceted, and agendas and plot lines are so convoluted. Each episode brings a new and unexpected twist. 

Rumor has it some stories have yet to air. Like the one where OC Fairgrounds COO Jerome Hoban was flown to Las Vegas on Facilities Management West's private plane, wined and dined at the International Association of Fairs and Expositions convention Nov. 30 - Dec. 1. Was this state employee on official OC Fairgrounds business? 

Here' s what Robin Wachner, communications director of the OC Fair & Event Center wrote," Jerome Hoban was not among the employees representing the OC Fair & Event Center at IAFE." 

When I asked if he attended in any capacity, she replied, "We are unable as an organization to comment on an employee's activities outside of work." Hmm... is that code for yes? 

I'm hooked on this show. It has all the right ingredients to keep audiences glued to their seats to the finale on Dec. 15. It has the perfect blending of betrayal, power, money, hinky politicians, backroom deals, greed, and stupidity. I haven't been this excited since Who Shot JR! 

Barbara Venezia's column appears weekly & online. Follow Barbara's Bits video column exclusively online. Contact her at bvontv@earthlink.net or bvontv.com

By BARBARA VENEZIA  

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER 

Dec. 09, 2010