AUBURN CA - With 2011 fading slowly into the sunset this coming weekend, here’s a peek at some Media Life highlights over the past dozen months:

Beaver’s big break

Waldo, a 7-year-old beaver rescued from the Lincoln lowlands, turned a bit part in a tire commercial into a star turn before 100 million people in one of the hit ads that debuted during last February’s Super Bowl. The 30-second spot featured Waldo – plucked from his pond at Weimar’s non-profit Wild Things Inc. – as a critter with a memory for a good turn. After the big game, the commercial went into heavy rotation and Waldo went back to, well, being a beaver.

Foresthill fumes

Attorney David Brooks turned author and raised some hackles when he wrote a book about small-town eccentricities and dared to title the tome “Foresthill: A Public Defender’s Bedtime Reader.” Brooks reported that not all locals were enamored with his stories because they didn’t focus on the many “normal” people of Foresthill. Brooks said he agreed, but that the normal ones aren’t that interesting to write about.

Caffeinated kudos

Peter Sims – author, speaker, entrepreneur and Colfax High School Class of 1994 grad – won praise from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz for the ex-Falcon’s business-oriented self-help book “Little Bets.” “Powerful and practical,” Schultz said.

Bruin blockade

June’s Western States 100 provided some unanticipated thrills for eventual second-place women’s finisher Kami Semick, when she encountered three bears on the final uphill ascent, past Mountain Quarries Railroad bridge. The hissing mama bear and two cubs kept things tense for a few minutes before a group of runners, including Semick, was able to move on to the finish line. By the end of the year, a new DVD and movie about the Western States 100 Endurance Run called “Unbreakable” would premiere.

Screen screams

Former Auburn resident Gareth Smith’s work with legendary fright flick director John Carpenter appeared on movie screens nationally, when the title sequence he prepared with his former ShadowPlay business provided the creepy kickoff for “The Ward.” Smith, a Del Oro High School grad, also worked with his wife and fellow titles pro Jenny Lee to create some exciting footage for the HBO drama “Cinema Verite.”

Gilbert in bronze?

Gilbert Ortega, Auburn’s cycling man about town, died in September and Media Life became a spirited sounding board for an idea broached by some that he should be immortalized in statue form. While the idea still simmers, Gilbert was remembered with a Central Square ceremony that provided a fitting goodbye.

McGee’s resurrected

It was Media Life’s privilege in November to announce to a drooling public that legendary Colfax eatery Dingus McGee’s was back – having established a new location after an absence of nearly a decade. The location – a high-visibility spot formerly occupied by the Headquarter House near the eastern end of Bell Road – is now hopping.

“Catching” Emmy

A “Deadliest Catch” TV episode on the Discovery Channel series, much of its shot with the understanding eye of local camera pro Todd Stanley, snagged the prestigious Outstanding Reality Program Emmy Award in September. Stanley, a Lotus resident who grew up in Rocklin, shared the award as a producer. The episode was from the heart, with Stanley filming the last hours of his friend Capt. Phil Harris, skipper of the Cornelia Marie.

YouTube moment

A portable digital video camera captured something unique on YouTube – a mountain rescue by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office Falcon 30 helicopter. A GoPro camera mounted on the chest of Sacramento’s Daniel Stone caught the action as the chopper crew plucked Stone and Katie Eckert from the back end of Castle Peak.

Auburn’s rich history

Finally, Media Life took several turns this past year into the history realm. Subjects included the suspenseful story of quintuple killer Ray Latshaw from 1943, pioneer World War II Air Force pilot Betty Wood of Auburn, the filming of a spectacular Foresthill Bridge stunt for Vin Diesel’s “xXx” in 2001, the “Rattlesnake Dick” Barter gun battle in Downtown Auburn, 1971’s “Sickle Slayer” horror near Colfax, and the 1904 Adolph Weber quadruple murder case. You can find all these past columns in the Journal’s online archives.

Tweeting into 2012

As Media Life moves into another year that promises to provide more insights into the past, present and future of Auburn and its environs, I invite you to follow “AJ Media Life” now on Twitter.

And Media Life’s Gus Thomson can be reached at (530) 852-0232 or gust@goldcountrymedia.com.