latimes.com
Los Angeles County Museum of Art Director Michael Govan may be at the helm of an ambitious — and controversial — building project for the museum’s collection of 152,000-plus objects, but his views on what expansion means for art museums in modern times is more, well, expansive. Which explains a recent announcement that LACMA is partnering with the upcoming Las Vegas Museum of Art to share both expertise and, eventually, its collection. But how exactly will that arrangement work? And why, asked s…
4 days ago
latimes.com
The spotlight shined on great literature Friday night at the 44th Los Angeles Times Book Prizes ceremony at USC’s Bovard Auditorium, where winners took the stage to celebrate their honors and, in some cases, call attention to the free speech controversy unfolding on campus. A political undercurrent ran through the night’s speeches following the university’s cancellation of a commencement speech by pro-Palestinian valedictorian Asna Tabassum. Emily Carroll, who won the Book Prizes’ graphic novel/…
6 days ago
latimes.com
Apparently some lady named Taylor has a new album — or two. We’re still trying to make sense of “Tortured Poets Department,” and the staff here has been noting the growing debate on the topic of T. Swift overexposure. If you’d like to share an amusing haiku on the subject, send it our way! And then dive into our rundown of the brightest spots on L.A.’s cultural landscape this week ... 1. Festival of Books How soul-satisfying to start off with an event dedicated to the art of the written word? Th…
6 days ago
latimes.com
It’s been asked before, and we’ll ask it again: If music festival-goers need payment plans, have concert tickets gotten too expensive? We’re here for all things Coachella, but before we dive into that annual desert diversion, first let’s roll through your other weekend options, starting with recommendations from the culture staff here. 1. “Chocolate Room” In a be-careful-what-you-wish-for moment, step inside this room shingled with hundreds of sheets of paper screen-printed with chocolate paste.…
13 days ago
latimes.com
Welcome to another edition of Essential Arts, where the question of the week just might be: How have 99 Cents Only Stores shaped L.A.‘s cultural landscape? (Artist Andreas Gursky offers his contribution at the Broad.) But before we dive into the week’s news, let’s roll through our staff recommendations for your culture calendar in the days ahead. 1. “Fat Ham” “Hamlet” serves as a springboard for spry comedy in James Ijames’ “Fat Ham,” winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for drama. Juicy, the young…
20 days ago
latimes.com
It’s a new Essential Arts! Based on feedback from readers, we’re rethinking this newsletter and adding recommendations from our prize-winning writers on the very best culture to see and hear. We’re expanding our news digest a bit, and we’re most definitely keeping the week in review — our ICYMI rundown of headlines from the team here. Does the newly announced Broad museum expansion prompt a smile or a shrug? Read on ... 1. ‘Stabat Mater’ The most popular Easter work of the 18th century happened…
27 days ago
latimes.com
The Broad is planning a $100-million addition to its existing building. It expects to break ground early next year, and the project is slated for completion in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics. What will the extra space mean for the museum itself and downtown L.A. in general? The Broad is getting a new 55,000-square-foot building that will be attached to the existing museum via a third-floor entryway that leads to an open-air courtyard with sky views. The original building, which opened in 2015…
29 days ago
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The Broad on Wednesday announced a $100-million building expansion that will increase gallery space at one of Los Angeles’ most popular museums by 70%. The sweeping plans could provide a critical boost to downtown L.A., which has seen sluggish recovery since the pandemic and the rise of remote work left the city’s core a shell of what it had once been. The 55,000-square-foot addition is designed by the New York-based firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, which designed the original museum — built at a…
30 days ago
latimes.com
The L.A. Times Festival of Books is back for another year of readings, discussions, panels, signings and demonstrations featuring an eclectic lineup of authors including filmmaker Miranda July, actors Kerry Washington and Lauren Graham, drag star RuPaul, reality TV personality Ariana Madix and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen. On Wednesday, The Times released a list of more than 550 speakers and authors to be featured at the annual event, scheduled for April 20 and 21 on the USC…
about 1 month ago
latimes.com
James Conlon, the second music director in Los Angeles Opera’s almost 40-year history, will step down from his role after the 2025-26 season, the company will announce Wednesday. Conlon will have led L.A. Opera for 20 years by the time of his exit, and will be named conductor laureate in recognition of his many contributions to the company. Fans can expect his return as a guest conductor. Conlon’s departure from his leadership role coincides with that of Los Angeles Philharmonic’s music director…
about 1 month ago
latimes.com
The Governors Ball, just a short escalator ride up from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, is the first stop for winners and many of the other luminaries in the Oscars audience before they branch out to more prestigious (and hard-to-get-into) parties. Nonetheless, it’s the best place to catch a glimpse of the winners on a small stage in the back of the ballroom where they go to get their statues engraved. (Among those we saw mounting the dais Sunday evening were supporting actress winner Da…
about 2 months ago
latimes.com
The finalists for the 44th Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were revealed Wednesday morning. Palestinian human rights activist and writer Raja Shehadeh, novelist Yiyun Li and comedian Maria Bamford are among the 66 nominees in 13 categories honoring the highest quality of craft from authors at all stages of their careers. Bamford is one of 10 finalists, including Sophia Bush, in the newly introduced category of achievement in audiobook production, which is being given in collaboration with Audible…
2 months ago
latimes.com
There are two ways to look at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Cherokee Avenue in Hollywood. It is an area with a large unhoused population, and for the past 64 years it has been home to one of the country’s most iconic music recording studios, Sunset Sound. Now, one truth about this particular bit of real estate threatens to annihilate the other. According to multiple news reports, Sunset Sound might go out of business because of the dangers posed by a nearby homeless encampment. The homeless…
2 months ago
latimes.com
You’ve heard of “Barbenheimer,” now brace yourself for Barbie Bowl. “Barbie” the movie, in concert, has been added to the Hollywood Bowl lineup. The immersive film experience will take place on July 27. The audience will likely be a frothy sea of pink as the Barbie Land Sinfonietta takes the stage — an all-women, mostly women-of-color orchestra conducted by Tony Award winner Macy Schmidt. It would be Kenough to hear the Grammy-winning song “What Was I Made For,” but that’s just one of many hits…
3 months ago
latimes.com
Rain may be inundating Southern California, but it’s all sunshine at the Hollywood Bowl as the Los Angeles Philharmonic announces the venue’s 2024 summer lineup featuring the world premiere of the Marvel Studios Infinity Saga Concert Experience, plenty of Gustavo Dudamel and the West Coast’s first-ever Roots Picnic, featuring Queen Latifah, Common, Digable Planets and more. “The Hollywood Bowl is L.A.‘s venue. It’s L.A.’s backyard,” says Meghan Umber , L.A. Phil’s chief content officer. “And we…
3 months ago
latimes.com
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m beginning to think that newsletter guru and arts columnist Carolina Miranda is not actually on jury duty. Every week she claims she’s still in a windowless courtroom, I become increasingly suspicious that she is actually on an exotic vacation — somewhere with museums on every block and plenty of churros and tinned fish. She checked in yesterday to tell us they have a verdict, which I believe is code for “I’m flying home soon.” In the meantime, I’m Jessica Gel…
4 months ago
latimes.com
On Tuesday, following a week of allegations, first-time author Cait Corrain admitted that she had created six profiles on the Amazon-owned book review site Goodreads in order to boost the ratings of her forthcoming debut sci-fi novel, “Crown of Starlight,” and downgrade a number of fellow debut authors. Using those fake accounts, Corrain left reviews of her rivals’ books that “ranged from kind of mean to downright abusive,” she wrote in a two-page apology letter Tuesday on X. She added that she…
5 months ago
latimes.com
The water is its own world. One and a half million gallons rest behind 11 panes of 4-inch-thick glass in a warren below the stage where Cirque du Soleil’s “O” plays at the Bellagio. This is the lighting tunnel — and when the 25th anniversary show begins in a few hours, spotlights will flood the water through these windows, highlighting the breathtaking acrobatics taking place above and below its surface. It’s a warm afternoon, but the theater is chilly as Russian swing performer and strongman Jo…
5 months ago
latimes.com
He has the head of a dog and the body of a cop. His name is Dog Man. If you’re a parent of a child under 10, you know all about this oddball character and his bestselling series of 11 eponymous books by “Captain Underpants” author Dav Pilkey. If you’re not a parent, pop some Champagne and celebrate your precarious freedom. Dog Man may come for you soon enough. Pilkey’s comic book universe of mischievous children, talking toilets, villainous cats, zombie lunch ladies, potty humor and the aforemen…
5 months ago
latimes.com
Five months of collaborative public programming will be part of the third iteration of Getty’s sprawling arts project, PST Art. Formerly known as Pacific Standard Time, this new incarnation, titled “PST Art: Art & Science Collide,” is set to debut in September of next year and feature cultural, educational, scientific, community and arts organizations from across Southern California, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, CalTechLive, Crenshaw Dairy Mart, LACMA’s Art + Technology Lab and the Ne…
6 months ago
latimes.com
On Sept. 29 Eric Blaine Hodgson celebrated his arrival in Zambia on Facebook. The landlocked country in southern Africa, known for its vast floodplains and epic waterfalls, was the 100th country Hodgson had visited. He was leading an Africa safari cruise in his role as a travel expert with OUTBound, the LGBTQ+ travel company he founded in late 2020 with “Mean Girls” star Jonathan Bennett and Bennett’s husband, “The Amazing Race” alum Jaymes Vaughan. “Thank you OUTBounders for making this happen,…
6 months ago
