Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Theater Issue 2013: Why Be a Playwright in L.A.?

Alexander Woo, a Playwright Who Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the 'Idiot Box'

6 Dance Shows to See in L.A. This Week, Including Dancing Down the Side of a Building at UCLA

This week's dance events include a site specific performance on the Red Line and several events considering Trisha Brown's 50-year career. 6. Dance on the roof A month-long celebration of New York choreographer Trisha Brown crests this weekend with two different performances at UCLA's Royce Hall ... More >>

Why Be a Playwright in L.A.? 5 Writers Share their Reasons

The pay stinks. Hollywood is more glamorous (and pays more). And Broadway is 3,000 miles away. So why be a playwright in L.A.? That's the question posed by our theater issue this year, which comes out just in time for our theater awards on Monday. Check out Steven Leigh Morris' main story in the i ... More >>

A New Book Looks at How Banksy Got So Big

See also: *Banksy Revealed? Our 2010 cover story on Exit Through the Gift Shop Several weeks ago, the Internet exploded with stories about a Banksy piece removed straight from a wall and later found at a

Paid Dues - San Manuel Amphitheater - 3/30/13

Paid Dues Independent Hip-Hop Festival San Manuel Amphitheater 3/30/13 Traffic was hellish. Parking was a mess, the outhouses were a disaster, the lines for food were ridiculously long, and one edifice labeled "will call" was not, in fact, will call. The dust was Coachella-like, and after the boil ... More >>

Terrace Martin's Jazz and G-Funk

Terrace Martin plays tomorrow's Paid Dues festival in San Bernardino. The producer, saxophonist, and emcee came up on the streets of Crenshaw and Slauson, and was tapped for Snoop Dogg's 2004 Rhythm & Gangsta album at 17 and for Quincy Jones' production staff at 22. Millions of record sold contain ... More >>

What Was Contemporary Art? A New Book Asks the Question

No matter how much new art continues to appear, an age-old question remains: what makes something art? No one knows that question better than art historian, author and professor Richard Meyer. The Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor in Art History at Stanford University recently released a new book ... More >>

Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge - The Mayan - 3/28/13

Ghostface Killah with Adrian Younge The Mayan 3/28/13 Somewhere between a classic film score and an adventurous concept album is where Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge meet on their upcoming album "Twelve Reasons to Die. Inspired by Tarantino and the RZA, the album is heavy in genre specific homa ... More >>

Ghost-Writing Allegation Rocks the Rap Battle World

In the decade since 8 Mile, the art of battling has become mainstream and big business. But recently it's faced controversy, with one rapper accusing another of paying for his rhymes. In the world of competitive battling, this is strictly verboten. A January bout for Canadian battle league King of ... More >>

The Nether, Jennifer Haley's New Play at Kirk Douglas Theatre, Takes Place in a Virtual Reality of Sexual Fantasies

In the decade since 8 Mile, the art of battling has become mainstream and big business. But recently it's faced controversy, with one rapper accusing another of paying for his rhymes. In the world of competitive battling, this is strictly verboten. A January bout for Canadian battle league King of ... More >>

Baking Books: Modern Art Desserts, Where The Pastry Arts Museum Art Collections Collide

San Francisco pastry chef Caitlin Freeman's new baking book, Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections and Frozen Treats based on Iconic Works of Art, is an edible reflection of the museum curator's constant challenge: Finding the balance between popular exhibitions (and pastrie ... More >>

Five Dance Shows to See in L.A. This Week, Including Rennie Harris Bringing Street Dance Onstage

This week's dance includes L.A. Contemporary Dance Company with new works from three choreographers, plus Rennis Harris bringing street dance to the stage in RHAW. See also: *5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week *Our Latest Theater Reviews *Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do ... More >>

Theater to See in L.A. This Week, Including a Triumphant Return of a Latter-Day Judy Garland

Tracie Bennett knocked the socks off our critic Tom Provenzano with her impersonation of Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow at the Ahmanson, which he made this week's Pick of the Week. Also Bill Raden had good things to say about S.O.E. -- Jami Brandli's clever, three-character riff on the venerable ... More >>

Veteran Producer Sir Jinx is the Missing Link

[Editor's note: Weekly scribe Jeff Weiss's column, "Bizarre Ride," appears on West Coast Sound every Wednesday. His archives are available here.] See also: Edward "Apple" Nelson Is a Legendary L.A. Drummer and 70-Year-Old Yoga Enthusiast Sir Jinx is the missing link. He is a vital nerve. Remove th ... More >>

Anthrax's Scott Ian on Why Horror Movies and Metal Go Together

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian is playing songs from the band's 1987 thrash metal masterpiece Among The Living and their new covers record Anthems on tour right now. He's also taken on a second gig hosting Fangoria's Blood and Guts, a YouTube series on The Nerdist Channel in which he meets with masters ... More >>

Dawn Richard - Roxy Theatre - 3/26/13

Dawn Richard The Roxy Theatre 3-26-13 Sure, the line was small outside the Roxy, but they were a faithful few. Once inside they got what they came for, as Dawn Richard (formerly of Danity Kane and Diddy - Dirty Money) took her loyal fans on a musical journey from grimy hip-hop to fist pumping EDM.

How to Design an L.A. Opera Production

L.A. Opera's current production of Rossini's La Cenerentola (aka Cinderella) has no glass slippers, no coach that turns into a pumpkin, no evil stepmother and absolutely no bippity boppity boo. But it is a fun visual feast, a comic opera in cartoon colors, thanks largely to the work of set and cost ... More >>

A New Play About...LAUSD School Lunch?

Cornerstone Theatre Company does not believe in art for art's sake. Nor, for that matter, do they believe in merely putting on plays. At least not in the marbled-restroom, big-ticket-opulent sense of, say, the way the Taper puts on plays. Rather, Cornerstone believes in art as a means of social cha ... More >>

Fairfax's Truth Studios Makes More Hip Hop Than Money

For nearly two years Truth Studios, a recording space in the Fairfax District, has been a haven for West Coast rap talent. On any given night, you might find clothing reps chattering, owner Nick Breton rolling blunts with rappers, and intoxicated laughter absorbed by the muted walls. The combination ... More >>

Improv Olympic Creates a Comedy Festival That's...Scripted?

Over the weekend, Improv Olympic became a Scripted Olympic. From Thursday through Sunday, Hollywood's iO West Theater hosted its first annual L.A. Scripted Comedy Festival, featuring a collection of talent from across the country showcasing sketch, variety, storytelling, stand up and short films. ... More >>

Our Top Ten Favorite Online Resources for Metal Knowledge

The bar has closed. You are standing outside with friends. You have failed at attempts to hook up for the evening. But just as you have given up hope for the night, you encounter a hot metal chick or dude that has just left the metal show at the venue next door. Drunken conversation has started, but ... More >>

Donald Freed's Play Tomorrow Interlinks Macbeth, George W. Bush and a Theatrical Dynasty

The bar has closed. You are standing outside with friends. You have failed at attempts to hook up for the evening. But just as you have given up hope for the night, you encounter a hot metal chick or dude that has just left the metal show at the venue next door. Drunken conversation has started, but ... More >>

Five Dance Shows to See in L.A. This Week, Including Tap Dancer Savion Glover

See also: *5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week *Our Latest Theater Reviews *Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A. This week's dance events include four Balanchine ballets and the Tap Dance Kid grown up. 5.What an L.A. Times dance critic has to do to get onstage with th ... More >>

Dancing in the Steps of the Master

See also: *5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week *Our Latest Theater Reviews *Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A. This week's dance events include four Balanchine ballets and the Tap Dance Kid grown up. 5.What an L.A. Times dance critic has to do to get onstage with th ... More >>

MOCA Says No To LACMA Takeover

Updated at the bottom: MOCA says no. First posted at 5:25 p.m on March 7. Headline has changed. The L.A. County Museum of Art is proposing to takeover the struggling Museum of Contemporary Art downtown. LACMA CEO Michael Govan confirmed the proposal in a statement today. He calls it a possible "me ... More >>

Can You Match The Eyes To The Rapper They Belong To?

This is a ridiculous thing, to be sure; a game birthed in the crevices of 2 a.m. emails and WAY TOO MANY mp3s and SoundCloud links. And it's as simple as it is stupid as it is infinitythings. On the following page you'll find a picture of eight separate sets of eyes. Underneath the picture you'll ... More >>

Everything A Musician Needs to Know About Getting Health Insurance

Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist, and is the author of The Girls' Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to help you ... More >>

The Best Concerts to See in L.A. This Week

Monday, March 18 The Specials CLUB NOKIA Even though The Specials instigated the massively popular ska revival of the early '80s, they're far from a typical ska band. Whereas many modern groups are happy to employ ska's peppy, jerky rhythms merely for escapist dance fare, the English band preferred ... More >>

Nina Raine's Play Tribes Depicts a Family That Talks a Lot But Doesn't Listen

Monday, March 18 The Specials CLUB NOKIA Even though The Specials instigated the massively popular ska revival of the early '80s, they're far from a typical ska band. Whereas many modern groups are happy to employ ska's peppy, jerky rhythms merely for escapist dance fare, the English band preferred ... More >>

Ginger & Rosa Review: Elle Fanning and Alice Englert Come of Age in 1960s London

Monday, March 18 The Specials CLUB NOKIA Even though The Specials instigated the massively popular ska revival of the early '80s, they're far from a typical ska band. Whereas many modern groups are happy to employ ska's peppy, jerky rhythms merely for escapist dance fare, the English band preferred ... More >>

Five Dance Shows to See in L.A. This Week Including the Revival of a Game-Changing Performance After 25 Years

This week's dance events include the Expulsion series scaling the heights of East L.A., and the revival of a game-changing show after 25 years. See also: *5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week *Our Latest Theater Reviews *Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A. 5. Blood o ... More >>

Fuck Guilty Pleasures: In Defense of Common

[Editor's Note: Fuck Guilty Pleasures celebrates the over-produced, commercial, artless, lowbrow music that we believe is genuinely worthwhile. Like, among the best music ever.] Rap only exists in extremes. Don't let the polite reviews of Lil Wayne's Carter IV fool you, for instance. It got lots of ... More >>

L.A. Author Amelia Gray Is a Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. But She's Still Living Hand-to-Mouth

See also: *Best L.A. Novel Ever: The Tournament On Monday, March 5, Amelia Gray was sitting in a windowless closet -- which she had turned into her office -- in her home in the Little Armenia area of East Hollywood, when she received a rare phone call that only top writers like Philip Roth or Don D ... More >>

The 20 Worst Albums of the '90s: The Complete List

Sure, you had the Bill Clinton blowjob scandal, OJ, Pakistan and India going nuclear, mad cow disease, the Rodney King decision, and Titanic. But what made the '90s truly awful was its music. That's not to say that there weren't bright spots -- early Beck, say, or Ok Computer and much of hip-hop's g ... More >>

The Definitive Guide to the Music of The Big Lebowski

L.A. Weekly is celebrating The Big Lebowski's 15th anniversary with a massive cover story tribute! Check out our other Lebowski-themed stories. Not doing so would be very un-Dude. The Dude's identity is strongly informed by music. As a former Metallica roadie and free love-era denizen still trying ... More >>

Divorce Party: The Musical Tries to Put a Positive Spin on Its Subject Matter

L.A. Weekly is celebrating The Big Lebowski's 15th anniversary with a massive cover story tribute! Check out our other Lebowski-themed stories. Not doing so would be very un-Dude. The Dude's identity is strongly informed by music. As a former Metallica roadie and free love-era denizen still trying ... More >>

Come and Meet Those Dancing Feet

L.A. Weekly is celebrating The Big Lebowski's 15th anniversary with a massive cover story tribute! Check out our other Lebowski-themed stories. Not doing so would be very un-Dude. The Dude's identity is strongly informed by music. As a former Metallica roadie and free love-era denizen still trying ... More >>

Leave Keyshia Cole Alone

[Editor's Note: Fuck Guilty Pleasures celebrates the over-produced, commercial, artless, lowbrow music that we believe is genuinely worthwhile. Like, among the best music ever.] I had a ghetto friend once, who was like Keyshia Cole in some ways. My friend had gelled baby hair, gold rings, crochet b ... More >>

The 20 Worst Albums Of The '90s: 10-1

The 20 Worst Albums Of The '90s: 20-11 Sure, you had the Bill Clinton blowjob scandal, OJ, Pakistan and India going nuclear, mad cow disease, the Rodney King decision, and Titanic. But what made the '90s truly awful was its music. That's not to say that there weren't bright spots -- early Beck, say ... More >>

Five Dance Shows to See in L.A. This Week, Including Balanchine at Los Angeles Ballet

See also: *5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week *Our Latest Theater Reviews *Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A. This week's dance events include the launch of Los Angeles Ballet's Balanchine Festival and eight companies in Celebrate Dance! 5. Come and meet those danc ... More >>

The Best L.A. Metal Concerts to See In March

Saturday, Mar 2 Meshuggah The Wiltern "I Am Colossus" is both the title track of Meshuggah's 2012 album Koloss, and the mission statement of the Swedish metal group -- after all, their off-kilter polyrhythmic riffs and drums have influenced dozens of bands. Their sound is anchored by the fantastical ... More >>

Grasping At The Past Through Pandora's Blackstreet Station

I sent shirtless cell phone shots of myself to, like, I'd guess 300 people in 2010. I was 29, and in the best shape I'd ever been in. In the morning, I would literally roll out of bed and onto the floor into push-up position. I could do more than 100 without stopping. I installed a pull-up bar in ... More >>

The Top 5 Punk Rock Guitarists

Somewhere along the line, punk rock's amateurish enthusiasm became conflated with a dearth of talent. That's OK -- anything to keep the squares out -- but it's not entirely accurate. Indeed, it was hard paring this list down to just five. While you might complain that your favorite isn't on here, it ... More >>

We Review Michael Bolton's New Motown Covers Album, Track By Track

Michael Bolton was before my time. I know this because Office Space had a character who was ashamed to share a name with him, and because half the laughs for his surprise appearance in SNL's "Jack Sparrow" skit were Because It's Him, and because I haven't actually heard any of his own music. I think ... More >>

Death-Metal Band The Faceless Draws Criticism for Becoming Less Death-Metal

By Jason Roche When music from Los Angeles metal group The Faceless' newest album, Autotheism, began to leak out into the blogosphere last summer, fans were divided, and so were critics. "A botched experiment of sorts," opined SputnikMusic.com; "razor sharp," countered ThePRP.com. The group's prev ... More >>

Mark Kozelek - First Unitarian Church - 2/23/13

Mark Kozelek First Unitarian Church 2/23/13 There are few unforgettable shows I can recall that don't also take in to account more insubstantial factors like lighting, stage presence and the people you happened to see them with. Performers like Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters ma ... More >>

Ryan Quincy Talks About Transforming From Reluctant Voiceover Actor to Creator of the New IFC Show Out There

Emmy-winning animator Ryan Quincy has always dreamed of having his own show. During the decade and a half he spent working his way up to animation director for South Park, he spent his hiatuses creating a world entirely his own, inhabited by hairy but harmless creatures just trying to sort out the d ... More >>

The 2013 Oscars Drinking Game

The Oscars are on Sunday, and if you plan on sitting through the entire show -- all 3 hours of it, with Seth MacFarland as host -- well, you might need a little help. Which is why we put together a little drinking game: This, hopefully, will give you something to do while the awards are doled out, ... More >>

Five Dance Shows to See in L.A. This Week, Including Pilobolus Meets SpongeBob SquarePants

See also: *5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week *Our Latest Theater Reviews *Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A. 5. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring goes solo In 1913, Nijinsky's Rite of Spring for the Ballet Russes evoked foot stomping primitives. In the 1970's, Maurice Be ... More >>