Category: Los Angeles

Playwright and Oscar-winning screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney (“Moonlight”) was appointed artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse last year, but the McCraney era really began on Thursday night with the opening of a muscular revival of “The Brothers Size” at the Geffen Playhouse’s intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater. The play, part of the acclaimed trilogy “The Brother/Sister Plays,” launched McCraney’s meteoric rise in the American theater. McCraney was still a student at the Yale School of Drama when “The Brothers Size” was first produced. When I saw the play at the Public Theater in 2009 as part of the trilogy, I was keenly aware of being in the presence of a breakthrough talent. What stood out about all three plays (including “In the Red and Brown Water” and “Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet”) was the freedom of the playwriting voice — the mix of lyricism and raw realism, the musicality blending joy and pain and the playful theatricality that trusted the imaginations of theatergoers and turned stage directions into spoken-word poetry. But none of this would have had the impact were it not for the

Anyone who tuned in to the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night expecting to watch Beyoncé make a surprise appearance onstage was likely disappointed to see former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta standing there instead, not a rhinestone to be found on his staid blue suit. For weeks, ever since Queen Bey gave Kamala Harris’ campaign permission to use her stirring anthem “Freedom” as its theme song, speculation had mounted that she would perform at the convention — and that maybe she would even team up with fellow pop supernova, Taylor Swift, to send a woman to the White House. On Thursday, the theories shifted into overdrive on social media, thanks largely to a single tweet from a random X user teasing a surprise appearance on the final night of the event. If the unchecked, unfounded Bey-Tay rumors now feel like a moment of virtual mass hysteria, it’s also easy to understand why so many of us got carried away with the showbiz wish-casting. The star power across the four nights of the Democratic National Convention was so potent, the mood so buoyant, it made

When the first part of Simone Biles’ Netflix docuseries aired last month, its ending was still unwritten. Now, the script is in. “Simone Biles: Rising” Part 2, premiering Oct. 25 on Netflix, will follow the most decorated gymnast of all time to the 2024 Paris Games, where her storied comeback culminated in Olympic gold, Netflix announced Wednesday. Netflix and Biles jointly promoted the docuseries’ final two episodes in a Wednesday Instagram reel spoofing the streaming platform’s show “Emily in Paris.” In the 20-second clip, the G.O.A.T. cheekily sips from a Champagne flute — Eiffel Tower in the background — and snacks on French pastries, quipping, “Ever since I moved to Paris, my life has been chaotic and dramatic and complicated.” Although the teaser was inspired by fiction, Biles’ sentiment holds truth. The first installment of “Simone Biles: Rising,” released July 17, pulled back the curtain on Biles’ widely criticized withdrawal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) after an episode of “the twisties” — a dangerous phenomenon in which gymnasts lose their perception of their body mid-air — led

Judge rules Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend caused her death, dismisses felony charges against ex-cops – CBS News Watch CBS News A federal judge has dismissed felony charges against two former Louisville police officers accused of falsifying the search warrant in the deadly raid on Breonna Taylor’s home. The Justice Department had accused the officers, who were not present during the raid, of putting false information into the warrant. The judge also ruled that Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker is the legal cause of her death because he fired the first shot. Walker has said he thought an intruder was entering the home. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

What to know about RealPage antitrust lawsuit – CBS News Watch CBS News The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against real estate software company RealPage Friday with federal regulators accusing the company of colluding with landlords to raise the rents on millions of Americans. CBS News senior business and technology correspondent Jo Ling Kent has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Will RFK Jr.’s supporters follow his endorsement and vote for Trump? – CBS News Watch CBS News Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Friday he’s suspending his independent presidential campaign and endorsing Donald Trump, but is it a given Trump will get votes from RFK’s supporters? CBS News political correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Kamala Harris’ campaign reacts to RFK Jr.’s campaign suspension, Trump endorsement – CBS News Watch CBS News Kamala Harris’ campaign is making a play for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s supporters after Kennedy announced he is suspending his independent presidential campaign. CBS News campaign reporter Aaron Navarro has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

A K-9 unit helped Border Patrol agents seize more than 80 pounds of cocaine that was hidden in an SUV’s dashboard this week. The vehicle was pulled over on the 15 Freeway near Temecula at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release. “During the vehicle stop, a Border Patrol canine team conducted an air sniff of the vehicle and the canine alerted to the possible presence of narcotics,” the release added. “A cursory search of the vehicle revealed what appeared to be cellophane wrapped packages consistent with narcotics smuggling.” A K-9 unit helped discover more than 80 pounds of cocaine hidden in an SUV’s dashboard on Aug. 20, 2024. (Border Patrol) A K-9 unit helped discover more than 80 pounds of cocaine hidden in an SUV’s dashboard on Aug. 20, 2024. (Border Patrol) A K-9 unit helped discover more than 80 pounds of cocaine hidden in an SUV’s dashboard on Aug. 20, 2024. (Border Patrol) The occupants of the vehicle, whom the Border Patrol did not identify, were arrested. Back at the Border Patrol station, agents found 31

A group of three 12-year-olds and a 14-year-old are responsible for multiple arsons in Fillmore, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office says. Authorities said that the alleged arsons occurred at the Fillmore Historical Museum on Sunday. That day, the Fillmore Fire Department responded to the 300 block of Main Street on reports of two small fires, which were determined to be suspicious. Another fire was started in the same area on Tuesday, authorities said. Investigators later found evidence that revealed that the fires were started intentionally. The suspects were identified as four juvenile boys. Three of the suspects are 12 years old while the fourth is 14. They were arrested on suspicion of arson. It was not clear how the boys were identified as the suspects Each boy was cited and returned to their parents. They now await Juvenile Justice Court proceedings.

Punkie Johnson’s relationship with “Saturday Night Live” is “still strong,” even if she won’t be among the cast members returning for its 50th season. “Mutually, we just understood that it was not my zone,” the stand-up comic said Wednesday, shedding more light on her recent departure. Johnson, who joined the NBC sketch series in 2020, caught up with fellow “SNL” alums David Spade and Dana Carvey on their “Fly on the Wall” podcast, detailing the circumstances that led to her exit. The “Bottoms” actor, who got her start in stand-up, said she had been meaning to leave the show for quite some time. Johnson said she always felt out of place on “SNL.” “I never grew up in sketch, I never went to sketch school and I didn’t really feel like I fit,” she said, before adding “[‘SNL’] is for a different type of person.” The New Orleans comedian said she felt her “all over the place” style differed from the structure that defines “SNL” and its sketches. When she joined the cast, she said, she thought “everybody else came from stand-up.” That wasn’t always

CHICAGO —  While Democrats celebrated with abandon Thursday over the elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee, viewers of Fox News received a prolonged disquisition on the many dire shortcomings of the candidate and her party. Even before Harris took the stage at the United Center, the channel’s star prime-time commentators Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and their guests, headlined by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, belittled the vice president as unqualified, unserious and a threat to the American way. The messaging came as no surprise to regular viewers of the most influential conservative news outlet, which delivered long blocs of commentary throughout the Democratic National Convention, seldom showing the people or performances onstage in Chicago. Viewers were told that Harris and running mate Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor, would put capitalism and American values in imminent peril, opening the nation to invading hordes of immigrants and leftist economic policy that would turn the U.S. into another Venezuela. Gingrich took a swipe at Walz, suggesting he wasn’t what he appeared to be and “was never actually a coach.” The barb had been tossed

Una nueva imagen promocional de la banda mexicana de rock La Barranca. (Faro Latino) La icónica banda mexicana La Barranca, conformada por José Manuel Aguilera (voz y guitarras), Ernick Romero (bajo), Yann Zaragoza (piano), Abraham Méndez (batería) y Jorge Chacón (guitarra) está lista para sorprender a sus seguidores con su nuevo trabajo, “Antimateria”. Aguilera, fundador de La Barranca y autor de las canciones del álbum, comenzó a escribir este trabajo discográfico en el 2021. Según el artista, el disco anterior, “Entre la niebla”, se produjo y se lanzó rápidamente debido a las circunstancias de la pandemia. Sin embargo, en este caso, la banda optó por un enfoque más pausado, permitiendo que las canciones maduraran y explorando nuevas armonías y estructuras. “Antimateria” llega treinta años después de la creación de las canciones del primer elepé de la banda, “El Fuego de la Noche”. Esta nueva obra representa una afirmación de la voluntad creativa de La Barranca y es una especie de celebración de su trayectoria. La inclusión de arreglos de cuerdas en varias canciones refleja el deseo de ofrecer algo lujoso y agradecer a su público

A Silicon Valley school district announced this week that it was pausing a contract worth tens of thousands of dollars with an “energy healer” who was providing meditation sessions for administrators after parents protested over what they saw as a budgetary extravagance. Mountain View Whisman School District made the decision at a meeting of the Board of Trustees on Thursday after the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the 4,500-student K-8 district was paying $189,000 in exchange for 160 meditation sessions to energy healer Alycia Diggs-Chavis. The district’s superintendent Dr. Ayindé Rudolph told the trustees and parents that they decided to pause work with Diggs-Chavis and her company Blue Violet Energy after she completes her current contract. Diggs-Chavis described herself on her website as a “master energy healer” who “uses Sacred Geometry and Sound Healing to successfully change lives.” At Thursday night’s meeting, Rudolph tried to downplay the spiritual nature of Diggs-Chavis’ work, saying that the contract was for stress-related meditation, as far as he knew. Diggs-Chavis did not immediately respond to requests for comment. “In the meditation we focus on how do we recenter ourselves

Queens of the Stone Age has canceled the remainder of its 2024 shows due to lead singer Josh Homme’s ongoing medical issues. “QOTSA regret to announce the cancellation and/or postponement of all remaining 2024 shows,” the band said in an update posted Friday on social media. “Josh has been given no choice but to prioritize his health and to receive essential medical care through the year.” Shows in Boston, Cincinnati and Madison, Wisc., have been postponed to next year. The band’s festival appearances — including fall sets at Soundside Music Festival, Mempho Music Festival and Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City — have been canceled altogether. Ticket holders for QOTSA shows will be contacted by point of purchase with further information about new dates, and festival ticket holders were advised to visit the specific event sites for updated information. A representative for the band declined to comment further Friday. Homme, 51, who grew up in Palm Desert and started his music career there, was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 but said he had recovered after undergoing surgery. The band paused its European tour in early

Republican-led states challenge Biden program to keep families together – CBS News Watch CBS News Several Republican-led states are challenging the legality of President Biden’s immigration program to offer legal status and a path to U.S. residency for unauthorized immigrants married to American citizens. CBS News’ Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

By Kathryn Watson, Allison Novelo Updated on: August 23, 2024 / 4:24 PM EDT / CBS News RFK Jr. suspends campaign, endorses Trump RFK Jr. suspends campaign, endorses Trump 02:45 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his independent presidential campaign and threw his support behind GOP nominee Donald Trump on Friday, saying in remarks in Phoenix that he was endorsing the former president because he saw no viable path to the White House. “In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to electoral victory,” Kennedy said. “I cannot in good conscience ask my staff and volunteers to keep working their long hours or ask my donors to keep giving when I cannot honestly tell them that I have a real path to the White House.” Kennedy said three issues encouraged him to leave the Democratic Party and “to throw my support to President Trump”: free speech, the war in Ukraine and the “war on our children.” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes an announcement on the future of his campaign in Phoenix, Arizona, on Aug. 23, 2024. Thomas Machowicz / REUTERS “My

Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew is a newly minted American citizen at the age of 78. Carew, an 18-time MLB All-Star as a member of the Minnesota Twins and California Angels, was born in Gatún, Panama in 1945, moved to the U.S. as a teenager, and became an American sports legend. But it wasn’t until this week that he was officially recognized by his adopted country as one of its citizens. On Friday, Carew stood before family, friends and former teammates at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Field Office in Santa Ana, and took the Oath of Allegiance, vowing to “support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” MLB Hall-of-Famer takes the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at the USCIS Field Office in Santa Ana on Aug. 23, 2024. (USCIS) With his new citizenship, Carew will, for the first time in his life, be able to experience some of the honors and responsibilities many Americans take for granted, including voting, serving on a jury, traveling with a U.S. passport

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus continues Saturday and Sunday at Crypto.com Arena, appearing for the first time since 2016 and without animals. The circus ended its 147-year run in 2017 due to declining ticket sales, which followed the end of the use of elephants in its shows a year earlier, a decision made following years of protests by animal rights organizations — and cities including Los Angeles passing laws banning the use of “bullhooks” and other types of goads and prods employed in wrangling elephants Feld Entertainment, the circus’ parent company, announced in May 2022 the circus would return — without animals — promising “a dynamic, multi-platform entertainment franchise, providing families the opportunity to connect in fun, engaging ways.” The circus began its tour Sept, 29, 2023, in Bossier City, Louisiana and had runs at Toyota Arena in Ontario Aug. 9-11 and Honda Center in Anaheim Aug. 16 through Thursday. In addition to the absence of animals, the circus also won’t have a ringmaster. Instead there are three “show guides,” Aria (Lauren Irving), Stix (Alex Stickels) and Nick Nack (Alejandro Licea Pello)

The Average White Band will perform in Spotlight 29 Casino’s Showroom Friday. One of the most sampled bands of all time, the Scottish funk group has been active for more than half a century. Average White Band, also known as AWB, is on the American leg of its farewell “Let’s Go Round Again One Last Time” tour. Two of AWB’s original members, Alan Gorrie and Owen “Onnie” McIntyre, are still touring with the band today. The band was widely influenced by overseas R&B artists such as Marvin Gaye and James Brown, with its name being a tongue-in-cheek nod to music that was thought to be too funky for an average white band, according to American Songwriter. Former drummer Robbie McIntosh had a jazz-influenced musical background, while frequent collaborator Bonnie Bramlett had a brief stint singing back-up for Ike and Tina Turner. AWB is best known for “Pick Up the Pieces,” a single from the band’s 1974 self-titled album. Written as a song about “picking yourself up when things aren’t going well,” according to producer Arif Mardin, the song ironically became a massive success, peaking at

Secret Service places at least 5 agents on leave over Trump assassination attempt probe – CBS News Watch CBS News The Secret Service has placed at least five agents on leave, including the Pittsburgh field office head, multiple sources tell CBS News. This comes as a result of an investigation into the shooting at a campaign rally for President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. CBS News’ Nicole Sganga reports. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

RFK Jr. suspends campaign, endorses Trump – CBS News Watch CBS News Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has suspended his long-shot bid for the White House and endorsed former President Donald Trump. CBS News campaign reporter Alli Novelo has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On