California Dolphin

A trio of climate change protesters disrupted a Broadway preview of “An Enemy of the People” on Thursday night in what some audience members — including critics — initially thought was a scripted moment. The disruption came during an immersive town hall scene in which the play’s protagonist, Thomas Stockmann (“Succession” alum Jeremy Strong), attempts to alert his fellow citizens to a deadly bacteria contaminating the resort town’s spa water. Strong and other onstage actors speak to audience members as though they are townspeople attending the forum. As one of the play’s characters offered an objection, the first protester, Nate Smith of climate justice group Extinction Rebellion, stood and pronounced, “I object to the silencing of scientists,” according to videos of the disruptios posted on Extinction Rebellion NYC’s X account. “There is no Broadway on a dead planet.” Walking down a theater aisle, Smith apologized for the interruption and identified himself as a theater artist before being cut off by “Sopranos” alum Michael Imperioli, who plays Stockmann’s brother, Mayor Peter Stockmann. “I’m sorry, you need to leave. You’re interrupting,” said Imperioli, still in character, before

Animal welfare activists on Friday pressed the Los Angeles City Council to make changes at the Department of Animal Services, saying its network of shelters are facing “deplorable” conditions and an overcrowding crisis . The activists called for stricter enforcement of the city’s mandatory spay and neuter policy, a moratorium on breeding permits and increased transparency from Animal Services. Local groups, including Take Me Home Rescue and the Animal Rescue Mission , said Animal Services is more concerned with its reputation than with the condition of animals under its care. Dogs and cats are living in feces and going months without walks, they said. The rescue groups also claimed city shelters are killing animals for space and lying about it in an attempt to achieve “no-kill” status. City officials have acknowledged an overcrowding crisis they say has lasted nearly two decades, but they maintain they do not kill for space. Angelenos are abandoning large dogs in alarming numbers, the Department of Animal Services said, and too few are adopting or fostering. “It’s crucial to emphasize that LAAS does not and will not entertain the idea

Laiatu Latu knelt down on the turf at the starting line of the 40-yard dash in a position he had seen so many NFL stars take before him. He felt the eyes of general managers and coaches at the NFL combine in Indianapolis lock onto him. His heart was pounding. He was not supposed to be here. After medically retiring because of a neck injury suffered at Washington, Latu improbable comeback could soon make him UCLA’s first first-round draft pick since 2018. The rise from being told he would never play football again to getting texts of encouragement from NFL idols such as Maxx Crosby all feels “surreal as hell,” Latu said Friday after UCLA‘s pro day on campus. “I’m living everyday like it’s my last,” Latu said. “Showing dudes that I love this game maybe more than they might have thought. And really [to] just inspire the world with what I went through. … If you got the love and dedication for something, you’re going to make it happen.” After performing well at the combine, including a 4.64-second 40-yard dash, Latu still participated in

As provocatively titled as it is, “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” the first feature from actor turned writer-director Kobi Libii, is neither the regressive atrocity that early online commentators feared nor the hard-hitting satire of systemic racism it may have intended to be. Libii’s debut lacks the potency of Boots Riley’s off-the-rails “Sorry to Bother You,” Jordan Peele’s chilling “Get Out” or Spike Lee’s underappreciated “Bamboozled,” movies that observed the Black experience with a blistering — and often blisteringly funny — perspective. The central trope refers to Black movie characters whose sole purpose in a narrative is to aid the white protagonist in his pursuits (think Michael Clarke Duncan’s gentle convict in “The Green Mile”). These “magical” individuals are presented here as collectivized into a secret organization whose members gain supernatural abilities. Their mission? Appeasing the white majority — not because they endorse such backward thinking, but as a survival mechanism. From coddling mediocrity to solving marital issues, all of their efforts aim to prevent impending violence. Aren (Justice Smith), a young artist in Los Angeles, exhibits an apologetic deference toward white people, making

For years, many of your favorite coffee chains have brewed a batch of coffee and kept it on warmers, then brewed another batch. It made sense: grab-and-go. People are busy. You may have even seen the little timers Starbucks used to put on the brewers to dump the coffee when it got too old. If you’ve been to Starbucks lately, you may have seen them toss the old brewing machines in the back and roll out shiny new cylinders where the old coffee machines used to be.  The new machines are called the “Clover Vertica.” That’s Starbucks-speak for a new way to brew coffee. And other chains may be taking notice. Joe Gormley, equipment development team senior manager, right, demonstrates a Clover Vertica, a single-serve on-demand coffee maker during Starbucks Investor Day, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear) Starbucks calls it an innovation in production: no longer do you need to “batch and brew” the coffee and waste an entire urn when it’s not needed. Instead, with a couple of turns of a dial, a custom cup of coffee is ground and

A day before a critical matchup against a divisional opponent, Lakers players and coach Darvin Ham expressed optimism following Friday morning’s practice in El Segundo. The Lakers (36-31) sit in ninth place in the Western Conference and host Golden State, the team right behind them, Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers have 15 regular-season games remaining and are 4-6 in their last 10 matchups with teams they’re chasing in the West. “Today was a great day, the energy was high and we mixed in some things we want to try,” said Ham, whose team started the day two games behind No. 8 Dallas, 2½ behind No. 7 Phoenix and three back of No. 6 Sacramento. “This is an extremely important game and our meeting was very positive. There was a lot of dialogue. I encouraged guys to speak out. Everyone is looking in the mirror, coaches and players, to see how we can get better.” On the injury front, Ham said it is “status quo” with the players who have been sidelined: forwards Christian Wood (knee) and Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and guard

LAS VEGAS —  Dylan Andrews made his way around the locker room inside T-Mobile Arena, going from one teammate to the next. The UCLA point guard exchanged hand slaps, hugs and words of encouragement, his eyes glistening with tears born of a season having reached its cruel conclusion. There was no way of knowing whom he was saying goodbye to for the final time. Even though nearly every player on the Bruins’ roster has remaining eligibility, they all have decisions to make about their futures. Should they return for another season together? Declare for the NBA draft? Chase more playing time on another team? Head back to Europe? See what kind of name, image and likeness deal they could get elsewhere? “Look, it’s all crazy,” coach Mick Cronin said Thursday of the new world order in college basketball after the Bruins were eliminated from the Pac-12 tournament during a quarterfinal loss to Oregon. “Everybody’s a free agent. It’s the way it is. We’ll deal with it all.” The scholarship math isn’t as simple as it seems. UCLA has one available at the moment, with the likelihood