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Actors and directors, including Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Colman Domingo and James Mangold, gather to talk about how fear can push you forward, early auditioning, the role of storytelling in today’s world — and vaping at the Vatican — at the Los Angeles Times 2024 Oscar Roundtables. The fear factor behind great art Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Colman Domingo, Peter Sarsgaard, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong dive into their films, truth-telling and acting alongside your director. READ HERE Doubts, sure. Compromise? Never 6 directors on doubt, compromise and Timothée Chalamet. READ HERE More to Read From the Oscars to the Emmys. Get the Envelope newsletter for exclusive awards season coverage, behind-the-scenes stories from the Envelope podcast and columnist Glenn Whipp’s must-read analysis. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Christina House is a staff photojournalist with the Los Angeles Times. She officially joined the visual journalism team in 2017 after 10 years as a freelance photographer. House grew up in Long Beach and is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton. Her love for photography started when she visited the Philippines, her

By Aliza Chasan Updated on: December 24, 2024 / 6:14 PM EST / CBS News The significance of “Chrismukkah” Significance of Christmas and Hanukkah falling on the same day 05:24 This year, the first night of Hanukkah will fall on the same day as Christmas for the first time since 2005. Christmas and Hanukkah both always fall on the 25th, but of two different months, with Christmas coming on the Dec. 25th of the Gregorian calendar, and Hanukkah starting on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar. Hanukkah’s start date on the Gregorian calendar varies year by year because the Jewish calendar is based on luni-solar calendar cycles. According to Chabad, months under the Hebrew calendar follow a lunar cycle, lasting about 354 days. To keep from falling behind the approximately 365-day solar calendar, there’s a 13th month on the Jewish calendar every few years to make a “leap year.” Another difference is that on the Jewish calendar, holidays begin at sundown and continue through the next day, so Hanukkah, which lasts eight days, will get its start this year

It’s become synonymous with the other sounds of the season: Mariah Carey’s Christmas music or the doorbell dings of the Amazon delivery drivers—yes, the ringing of those Salvation Army Kettle Bells. But if you’ve noticed fewer bell ringers this year, you’re not wrong. The Red Kettle campaign debuted in San Francisco in 1891, with the bells added in New York City shortly after. By 1901, kettle funds provided for the first large-scale sit-down dinner at Madison Square Garden for those in need. Each year, more than 25,000 people volunteer to be Salvation Army bell ringers from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. This year, however, many storefronts and corners have been noticeably absent of bell ringers, red kettles—and donations. So, what’s behind the decline? The Salvation Army tells KTLA that in 2023 the organization had fewer than half the volunteers it had before the pandemic, although those numbers are slowly starting to rebound. Adding to the challenge are fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as a struggling economy, which has led people to cut back on extra expenses. The Salvation Army calls it “empathy economics”

A teacher at a high school in Covina is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting two students, according to prosecutors. The alleged assaults began in 2022, according to a news release from the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. Joshua Daniel McGinn, 41, was arrested on suspicion of the crimes on Dec. 18. In an arraignment hearing on Jan. 6, he’ll be formally charged with the following: Four felony counts of oral copulation of a person under 18 years One felony count of sexual penetration by use of force One misdemeanor count of sexual battery Two felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor more than three years younger One felony count of contact with a minor for sexual offense One felony count of possession of child or youth pornography The acts were committed with two female students under the age of 18, prosecutors say. As of his arrest, McGinn was a teacher at Charter Oak High School. He is still listed in the staff directory on the school’s website. “Prosecutors from our Sex Crimes Division are working tirelessly to ensure

Ryan Levert, the youngest child of O’Jays lead vocalist Eddie Levert, has died. She was 22. LeMicah Levert and Carlysia Levert, grandchildren of Eddie Levert, confirmed Ryan’s death this week on Instagram. They are the children of Gerald Levert, Eddie’s late first son. “Whenever you don’t answer the phone I knew something was wrong and now I’m going to have that feeling forever,” LeMicah captioned an Instagram tribute to his late aunt. “I love you @missryanlevert! I wasn’t prepared for this,” he added. Carlysia remembered Ryan by posting a photo of her aunt accompanied by purple heart and dove emojis to her Instagram story. Neither of the social media posts revealed further information about Ryan’s death, including a cause of death. According to her Instagram biography, Ryan had been battling lupus. A representative for Eddie Lavert, 82, did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment. Ryan died nearly 20 years after her older brother Gerald died in November 2006 of a heart attack. He was 40. Sean Levert, the O’Jays singer’s second son, died in April 2008 after falling ill while carrying out

Maybe stooping over a hot stove for hours to prepare a traditional Christmas dinner doesn’t quite put you in the holiday mood. For those who want to get out of the house on Christmas Day, there are plenty of places open around Los Angeles. Catch a Christmas Day movie or NBA game AMC and Regal cinemas, among others, will be open Christmas Day, with morning, afternoon and evening showings of the season’s recent family-friendly releases, including “Mufasa: The Lion King,” “Moana 2,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Wicked.” The New Beverly Cinema will show Robert Eggers’ new take on “Nosferatu” and Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight.” Although online advance tickets for both afternoon showings are sold out, you may get a ticket by showing up at the box office in person an hour before showtime, according to the theater’s website. If adrenaline-packed sports are more your speed, the Cosm, Inglewood’s new entertainment and sports venue, is open and offering two NBA showings — the Timberwolves at the Mavericks at 11:30 a.m., and a double-header, featuring the Lakers at the Warriors and the Nuggets at the

By day, Israel Claustro was an Orange County prosecutor who took down violent gang members, sex abusers and corrupt bureaucrats. In 2022, Claustro glided to electoral victory, winning an open judicial post. For years, he also operated a medical billing and healthcare management firm on the side. Now, he is facing accusations that his moonlighting was rife with fraud and part of a long-running conspiracy with a Pasadena doctor, according to federal court records. The physician, Kevin Tien Do, agreed to plead guilty this month to one count each of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and signing a false tax return, according to court records. Do admitted to drafting medical reports that were submitted and billed to a state fund for injured workers, concealing his involvement by working with a co-conspirator to list other doctors’ names on the records. Federal prosecutors have not named Claustro in court documents or charged him with a crime. But Do’s plea agreement and the charges filed against him detail how he operated the scheme with “co-conspirator #1,” described as an O.C. prosecutor who in 2022 became a judge, and

Biden vetoes bill to add new federal judges Biden vetoes bill to add dozens of new federal judgeships 04:38 President Biden signed 50 bills into law on Christmas Eve, as the year and his time in office draw to a close. The bills Mr. Biden signed include socialite and activist  Paris Hilton’s bill to protect teenagers living in residential treatment facilities, a bill setting anti-hazing standards on college campuses, and a bill preventing members of Congress from collecting pensions if convicted of certain crimes.  Hilton is the force behind the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which passed the House and Senate last week. The legislation creates a federal work group on youth residential programs to oversee the health, safety, care, treatment and placement of minors in rehab and other facilities. The new law is personal for Hilton, who has testified before Congress that she faced abuse in such facilities as a teen.  Another measure the president signed, S. 932, prohibits members of Congress convicted of crimes related to public corruption from receiving their retirement payments. Previous law allowed members to continue to receive checks only after

The Santa Monica Police Department is seeking help in identifying a driver that allegedly hit and killed a person on Sunday. The fatal crash took place at about 6:40 p.m. on Sunday on the intersection of Chelsea Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. According to authorities, the victim, who is yet to be identified publicly, was crossing Wilshire southbound when they were struck by a white Toyota Rav4 heading eastbound on Wilshire. The Toyota’s driver then fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The pedestrian, a Vietnam War veteran and Santa Monica resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. On Tuesday, police released graphic video footage of the collision. In that video, the Toyota can be seen speeding off after the crash sent the elderly victim flying. The Toyota Rav4 that was allegedly used in a fatal Santa Monica hit-and-run crash. (SMPD) Additional photos released showed a clear image of the suspect’s Toyota and security footage of the alleged driver. The photo showed what appeared to be a bearded man wearing glasses, a black hoodie and gray sweatpants. No additional details were immediately made available.

By day, Israel Claustro was an Orange County prosecutor who took down violent gang members, sex abusers and corrupt bureaucrats. In 2022, Claustro glided to electoral victory, winning an open judicial post. For years, he also operated a medical billing and healthcare management firm on the side. Now, he is facing accusations that his moonlighting was rife with fraud and part of a long-running conspiracy with a Pasadena doctor, according to federal court records. The physician, Kevin Tien Do, agreed to plead guilty this month to one count each of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and signing a false tax return, according to court records. Do admitted to drafting medical reports that were submitted and billed to a state fund for injured workers, concealing his involvement by working with a co-conspirator to list other doctors’ names on the records. Federal prosecutors have not named Claustro in court documents or charged him with a crime. But Do’s plea agreement and the charges filed against him detail how he operated the scheme with “co-conspirator #1,” described as an O.C. prosecutor who in 2022 became a judge, and

It’s that time of year, when families and friends come together to share their holiday cheer and a few circulating pathogens. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, said people should be on the lookout for the “Big Four”: three respiratory viruses currently moving through the U.S. — influenza, COVID-19 and RSV — and one stomach virus — norovirus. According to WastewaterScan — an infectious disease monitoring network led by researchers at Stanford and Emory universities, with lab-testing partner Verily, Alphabet Inc.’s life sciences organization — those four viruses are running hot around the nation. In the case of COVID-19, the half of the U.S. east of Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico — is trending “high,” while the Western states are still generally low, with some hot spots in major cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake and Boise, according to WastewaterScan. But that’s likely to change as holiday travel moves those viruses around in what Chin-Hong referred to as “the Great Holiday Equalizer.” It’s flu, though, that is grabbing most physicians’ and researchers’ attention right now, he said. While

A rolling strike of Starbucks baristas has grown since kicking off Friday to include about 300 of the coffee giant’s shops across the U.S., according to the union organizing the work stoppage. The strike, set to end after Christmas Eve, seeks to pressure Starbucks during the busy holiday season to offer a better wage proposal over what would be a first contract for its workers. Employees also aim to push Starbucks to resolve outstanding unfair labor practice charges filed by workers in recent years. Starbucks Workers United, the union that represents about 10,000 workers at a few hundred of the ubiquitous chain’s nearly 16,500 U.S. locations, said that baristas in Boston, Philadelphia, Portland and Tucson walked off the job Monday as part of a plan to grow the number of striking employees over the course of the five-day action. They joined baristas in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle who launched the strike and were followed by others in Denver, New York, St. Louis and other cities. “My co-workers and I made the difficult decision to launch unfair labor practice strikes in hundreds of stores across

Mariah Carey, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Christmas,” just earned herself another gift this year in the form of two new Billboard records. Carey’s upbeat holiday pop song, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” has topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a 17th total week and set a new streaming record, according to the music outlet. The “Fantasy” and “Emotions” singer-songwriter surpassed her own record at No. 1 on the multimetric chart, Billboard reported Monday. The 1994 song’s latest peak position gives the five-time Grammy winner her longest career lead on the chart, exceeding her previous 16-week run at No. 1 in 1995 and 1996 with her Boyz II Men duet “One Sweet Day.” “This is amazing!!!! Will never ever ever ever ever take this for granted,” Carey wrote Monday on her Instagram stories, which featured Billboard’s post about the longest Hot 100 reign. “Merry early Christmas!!!!” The ubiquitous “All I Want for Christmas Is You” also led the the Hot 100 chart for a third consecutive week this holiday season, Billboard said, claiming the third-longest run in the chart’s 66-year history. (At No.