Iran

Mahmoud

When Director Abbas Kiarostami Left Iran, He Lost a Home but Gained a Planet

The Invention of the Hot Pocket, and Other Tales From a Conference on Iranian Jews

Though Jews and Iran have had their differences, it might be surprising to learn that the history of Jews in Iran is as old and rich as Hugh Hefner. That 2,700-year history was recognized and honored this weekend at a conference held at UCLA's Fowler Museum in conjunction with its "Light and Shadow ... More >>

Iranian Actress Sheila Vand's Path to Argo Ran Through UCLA and Experimental Steampunk

Say the word "starlet" in polite conversation and risk conjuring up an image of Lindsey Lohan's mug shot or Amanda Bynes toking up in traffic. For aspiring young actresses in the thick of it, however, the indignities that pile up tend to be less tabloid-ready -- pointless general meetings, indiffere ... More >>

Q & A With Homeland's Abu Nazir: Navid Negahban on Israeli and Persian Cuisine, Looking for Hummus in L.A., Shimon Peres' Facebook Page Getting Detained by the Real Guys

Who is Navid Negahban? If you're a fan of Showtime's Emmy-award winning thriller Homeland, you might know that he is the actor who brings a quiet, composed danger to Abu Nazir, an Al-Qaeda overlord who has violent plans for Damien Lewis' Brody, a U.S. military officer whose trust he gained as a POW. ... More >>

$5.59 Gas in Los Angeles: Fuel Reaches High Not Seen Since 2008

The jobless rate is down. People are starting to spend money again. Some of Wall Street's biggest stocks, like Apple, are trading at record highs. Damn, this Great Recession might have just turned a corner for the better. Finally. Wait a minute. Did you say $5.59-a-gallon gas? Right here in L.A?

Iranian-Americans in L.A. Protest China's Support of Iran, Erect Huge Mural Outside Chinese Consulate

It's a strange week for Chinese-U.S. relations. We're welcoming Vice President Xi Jinping to Los Angeles day after tomorrow for a full city tour (including yacht ride and Lakers game) to strengthen L.A.'s business ties to the rich communist country. Similarly, on a national scale, President Obama i ... More >>

Iran Bans Barbies; Disgruntled Little Girl Calls Replacement Dolls 'Ugly and Fat'

L.A.-based toy company Mattell is facing some pushback from the Iranian government, re: the "destructive cultural and social consequences" that its freakishly perfect Barbie dolls have on the little girls of Iran. Reuters reports that the ban was unofficially passed in 1996, but that the "morality ... More >>

Attari: 99 Essential Restaurants 2011

Your Weekly Movie To-Do List

Repertory paradise

Henry Rollins! The Column: Listening to Ramones in Tehran

Timothy Norris​[The one and only Henry Rollins contributes a weekly column and far-reaching reportage to the music section of the LA Weekly. Look for your weekly Henry Rollins fix right here on West Coast Sound every Wednesday and make sure to tune in to Henry's KCRW radio show every Saturday ... More >>

Hammer Conversation

Top 10 Rock Books of 2010

​With the year coming to a close, we're heading off the inevitable barrage of "best" lists coming your way with one that will actually be useful and problem solving (a holiday gift guide for the music lover in your life, that's not actually music... or a t-shirt). Buy 'em a book! iPad and Kin ... More >>

In Search Of: Mahssa Taghinia On Rare Iranian Records And More

courtesy mahssa taghinia​ Mahssa Taghinia of B-Music/Finders Keepers Records is a DJ and record collector whose specialty is long-lost '60s and '70s Iranian pop, psych, and funk gems. Her Pomegranates compilation--available now from Finders Keepers--shows off the best of her finds from flea m ... More >>

Margie and Robert E. Petersen: Driven to Collect

Crossing Forbidden Boundaries

Gay love in Israel and Iran

Textiles Exhibit

Snips and Snails: Let the Fall Art Season Begin!

Alessandro Balteo Yazbeck in Collaboration With Media Farzin at Christopher Grimes Gallery

Lonely Songs and Still Lives at UCLA’s Celebration of Iranian Cinema

Far away, so close

Iranian Teens In Trouble!!

Hammer Projects: Shirana Shahbazi

Scott Ritter and The Mission (Accomplished)

Empire and its discontents

Seymour Hersh, the Optimistic Pessimist

On Bush, Iran and the challenges to journalism

The Beautiful Game

In his new film, Iranian director Jafar Panahi argues for fair play on and off the soccer field

Scott Ritter's History Lesson

“Can anybody tell me what a Sunni Wahhabist is? Anybody?”

Déjà Vu All Over Again

Administration’s case against Iran sounds hauntingly familiar

This Is Iran, Too

The Pencil Evolution

Iranian identity and the graphics of Alireza Abedini

In Search of Home

Three Iranian families in L.A.

Misadventures in the Motherland

A child of Iran returns

This Is Iran, Too

Iran Loses Game, Keeps Hair

The Muslim Hipster

Reza Aslan

My Spirits, My Cravings, My Garden, My Spring!

Masters of Persian Music at UCLA

Under the Skin of the Country

Two local film showcases lift the veil on Iranian society at the dawn of a new cultural conservatism

“Next Time, You’ll Be Executed”

A gay Iranian torture victim’s ordeal

Shame of Iran

U.S. remains silent on gay hangings

The Politics of Home

Sexual hypocrisy, fractured identities and Azadeh Moaveni’s Lipstick Jihad

Tehran Nights

The Back Story

Holy Shiite

Literature and Liberation

Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Teheran

Overtaking History

The Baghdad stakes

Feelings of Insecurity

Inside the U.S. roundup of Muslims

Pistil-Packin’ Mama

All in the Family

Home is where the heart of Maryam is

Poet of the Revolution

Majid Naficy’s tragic journey home

The Calling

Closely Watched Terrains

Iranian films then and now

Persian Love

Andy touches the stars