Today: October 13, 2024
Today: October 13, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Arts

Messi is heading to the US as Saudi Arabia kicks off bidding war with MLS for aging soccer stars

Karim Benzema — taking the money and running into the box. AP Photo/Hussein Malla The announcements on consecutive days that the storied Real Madrid and France soccer star Karim Benzema is joining the Saudi Pro League and that Lionel Messi, thought by many to be soccer’s GOAT, intends to play in the United States’ Major League Soccer may mark the beginning of a new international bidding war for superannuated soccer stars. MLS has for many years been recruiting aging talent from big European clubs, but the Saudi interest is new. Benzema’s move to Al-Ittihad – costing more than US$200 million

Messi is heading to the US as Saudi Arabia kicks off bidding war with MLS for aging soccer stars
Arts

Astrud Gilberto spread bossa nova to a welcoming world – but got little love back in Brazil

Astrud Gilberto backstage at New York City’s Birdland Jazz Club in 1964. Popsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images Astrud Gilberto didn’t set out to be an ambassador of bossa nova, the laid-back Brazilian musical genre with rhythms recognizable to music lovers around the world. According to Gilberto, who died on June 5, 2023, at the age of 83, she wasn’t expecting to be on the 1964 recording of “The Girl from Ipanema” – the song for which she is best remembered. At the time of the recording, she wasn’t even a professional singer. But Gilberto’s breathy singing voice –

Astrud Gilberto spread bossa nova to a welcoming world – but got little love back in Brazil
Arts

Linguists have identified a new English dialect that's emerging in South Florida

Travel to Miami, and you might hear people say ‘get down from the car’ instead of ‘get out of the car.’ Miami Herald/Getty Images “We got down from the car and went inside.” “I made the line to pay for groceries.” “He made a party to celebrate his son’s birthday.” These phrases might sound off to the ears of most English-speaking Americans. In Miami, however, they’ve become part of the local parlance. According to my recently published research, these expressions – along with a host of others – form part of a new dialect taking shape in South Florida. This

Linguists have identified a new English dialect that's emerging in South Florida
Arts

After 'Rapper's Delight,' hip-hop went global – its impact has been massive; so too efforts to keep it real

MC Solaar, a pioneer of French rap Photo by Eric Catarina/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Soon after the fall 1979 release of “Rapper’s Delight,” versions of the first commercially successful rap recording began cropping up around the world. Two Portuguese-language versions, “Bons Tempos” and “Melô Do Tagarela,” were put out in Brazil. One version from Jamaica provided a relatively faithful recreation of the Sugarhill Gang original, while “Hotter Reggae Music” slowed down the track, transforming it into reggae. Other local language versions came from the Netherlands with “Hallo, Hallo, Hallo,” Venezuela with “La Cotorra Criolla” and Germany with “Rapper’s Deutsch.” ‘Rapper’s

After 'Rapper's Delight,' hip-hop went global – its impact has been massive; so too efforts to keep it real
Arts

How TV shows have grappled with a post-Dobbs America

In a March 2023 episode of ‘Accused,’ a teacher tries to help his student navigate the hurdles of getting an abortion. Steve Wilkie/FOX Two doctors sit, despondent, on the side of a busy road as they watch an EMT zip up the body of their patient into a body bag. The patient died as a direct result of a fatal ectopic pregnancy, which her OB-GYN refused to treat because of a new anti-abortion law in her home state. Tears in her eyes, one of the doctors responds to questions from the EMT about the death. Then she shouts: “It’s the

How TV shows have grappled with a post-Dobbs America
Arts

How Black Americans combated racism from beyond the grave

The addition of a simple ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’ could be a quiet act of resistance. Rae Tucker/Find a Grave The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently published a story about a Black cemetery in Buckhead, a prosperous Atlanta community. The cemetery broke ground almost two centuries ago, in 1826, as the graveyard of Piney Grove Baptist Church. The church has been gone for decades; the cemetery now sits on the property of a townhouse development. It is overgrown, with most of its 300-plus graves unmarked. The article describes how some of the buried’s descendants and family members are trying to get the property

How Black Americans combated racism from beyond the grave
Arts

Book Review: Christine Pride and Jo Piazza continue as dynamic duo with 'You Were Always Mine'

“You Were Always Mine” by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (Simon & Schuster) I don’t know who introduced writers Christine Pride and Jo Piazza but I’d like to thank their literary matchmaker. Each talented on their own, a special magic happens when they co-author a book together. Their first novel, the 2021 release, “We Are Not Like Them” tackled Black Lives Matter, race relations, police brutality, journalism ethics, forgiveness and friendship between two women, one Black and one white. Written in alternate voices, the book was at times tough to read but it felt important and necessary. Their new book

Book Review: Christine Pride and Jo Piazza continue as dynamic duo with 'You Were Always Mine'
Arts

`Cats' returns at new Perelman Center, a $500 million building in downtown Manhattan

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s absence from New York City’s stages will be at most 14 months, with “Cats” returning in June 2024 at the World Trade Center’s new Perelman Performing Arts Center. The $500 million building, the next-to-last element of the World Trade Center redevelopment to open following the 2001 terrorist attacks, announced its inaugural season Wednesday. “Cats” will appear in June and July 2024 directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, with choreography by Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles. The musical will have reimagined staging set in Harlem’s drag Ballroom Culture. Bill Rauch, PAC’s artistic director,

`Cats' returns at new Perelman Center, a $500 million building in downtown Manhattan
Arts

Klimt portrait 'Lady with a Fan' up for sale with $80M estimate

A late-life masterpiece by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt could become the most expensive painting ever sold in Europe when it is auctioned later this month. Auctioneer Sotheby’s said on Wednesday that “Dame mit Fächer” — Lady with a Fan — will go up for sale June 27 in London, with an estimated price of 65 million pounds ($80 million). The last portrait Klimt completed before his death in 1918, the painting shows an unidentified woman against a resplendent, China-influenced backdrop of dragons and lotus blossoms. It was last sold in 1994, going for $11.6 million at an

Klimt portrait 'Lady with a Fan' up for sale with $80M estimate
Arts

Historic Boston church where the Revolution was sparked to host its first play

Old North Church played a pivotal role in the nation’s fight for independence and has continued to be an active house of worship for 300 years. Today, one of Boston’s most popular tourist attractions is also, for the first time, a theater hosting an original play. “Revolution’s Edge,” set the day before the start of the American Revolution, is a dramatic imagining of the interactions of three real people with different views whose lives are about to be upended by the impending war, and explores what the events will mean for their families. The play opening Thursday

Historic Boston church where the Revolution was sparked to host its first play
Arts

Trump's historic federal arraignment was virtually invisible to the public

Former President Donald Trump’s federal arraignment in Miami on Tuesday was historic — yet virtually invisible to the public. In an era when people are accustomed to instantly available images and sounds of important events, Trump’s not-guilty plea to charges of hoarding classified documents was a step back in time. Hundreds of photographers and television crews were at the courthouse — many broadcasting live from outside — but they couldn’t show the key moments inside the courtroom. Efforts by news organizations to loosen restrictions that generally prohibit cameras in federal courtrooms failed, despite the event’s unprecedented

Trump's historic federal arraignment was virtually invisible to the public
Arts

Prosecutors accuse weapons expert in Baldwin case of drinking, smoking

The weapons supervisor on the film set where Alec Baldwin shot and killed a cinematographer was drinking and smoking marijuana in the evenings during the filming of “Rust,” prosecutors are accusing, saying she was likely hungover when she loaded a live bullet into the revolver that the actor used. They leveled the accusations Friday in response to a motion filed last month by Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys that seeks to dismiss her involuntary manslaughter charge. The prosecutors accused her of having a history of reckless conduct and argued that it would be in the public interest for

Prosecutors accuse weapons expert in Baldwin case of drinking, smoking
Arts

Pat Sajak announces 'Wheel of Fortune' retirement, says upcoming season will be his last as host

Pat Sajak is taking one last spin on “Wheel of Fortune,” announcing Monday that its upcoming season will be his last as host. Sajak announced his retirement from the venerable game show in a tweet. “Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all,” the tweet said. Sajak, 76, has presided over the game show, which features contestants guessing letters to try to fill out words

Pat Sajak announces 'Wheel of Fortune' retirement, says upcoming season will be his last as host
Arts

California Gov. Newsom spars with Fox News host Hannity over Biden, immigration and the economy

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sparred with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, insisting President Joe Biden is physically fit for a second term as president while refusing to say whether supporters have urged him to run against Biden on the 2024 ballot. Asked if he believes Biden is “cognitively strong enough to be president,” Newsom said yes, adding that he talks with the president “all the time” and has traveled with him aboard Air Force One. ‘You never answered my question directly,” Hannity responded. “How many times does your phone ping a day, people

California Gov. Newsom spars with Fox News host Hannity over Biden, immigration and the economy
Arts

'Hair,' 'Everwood' actor Treat Williams dies after Vermont motorcycle crash

Actor Treat Williams, whose nearly 50-year career included starring roles in the TV series “Everwood” and the movie “Hair,” died Monday after a motorcycle crash in Vermont, state police said. He was 71. Shortly before 5 p.m., a Honda SUV was turning left into a parking lot when it collided with Williams’ motorcycle in the town of Dorset, according to a statement from Vermont State Police. “Williams was unable to avoid a collision and was thrown from his motorcycle. He suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York, where he

'Hair,' 'Everwood' actor Treat Williams dies after Vermont motorcycle crash
Arts

The Beatles are releasing their 'final' record. AI helped make it possible

Artificial intelligence has been used to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo to create “the last Beatles record,” decades after the band broke up, Paul McCartney said Tuesday. McCartney, 80, told the BBC that the technology was used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds during the making of director Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary series, “The Beatles: Get Back.” The “new” song is set to be released later this year, he said. Jackson was “able to extricate John’s voice from a ropey little bit of cassette and a piano,” McCartney told BBC radio. “He

The Beatles are releasing their 'final' record. AI helped make it possible
Arts

As a stolen silver sleuth, German curator returns heirlooms Jewish families lost in the Holocaust

An independent German commission on Tuesday recommended that a painting by Wassily Kandinsky currently owned by the Bavarian state bank be returned to the heirs of a Jewish family that originally owned the piece of art. The commission can be called on in cases of disputes over the restitution of Nazi-confiscated cultural property, especially Jewish property. In the case of the heirs of Hedwig Lewenstein Weyermann and Irma Lewenstein Klein versus Bayerische Landesbank, the commission advised that the 1907 painting “The Colorful Life” by Russian artist Kandinsky be returned to the heirs. The commission’s recommendations are non-binding

As a stolen silver sleuth, German curator returns heirlooms Jewish families lost in the Holocaust
Arts

Tina Turner musical on national tour gains extra meaning in the wake of the rock icon's death

The national tour of Broadway’s “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical” makes its California debut this week, arriving as a poignant, posthumous celebration following the rock music icon’s death last month. “Tina” opens in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre on Wednesday, steps away from her Hollywood Walk of Fame star and where she recorded for Capitol Records. It plays there until July 9, followed by two weeks at Segerstrom Center the Arts in Costa Mesa and stops in San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose later this summer. “We have always wanted to put

Tina Turner musical on national tour gains extra meaning in the wake of the rock icon's death
Arts

'Avatar 3' pushed to 2025 and Disney sets two 'Star Wars' films for 2026

“Avatar: The Way of Water” may have finally arrived in theaters in 2022, but that long parade of “Avatar” delays isn’t done, yet. The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday pushed the release of “Avatar 3” a year, bumping it from December 2024 to December 2025. The timeline is stretched even further for the next planned installments. “Avatar 4” is now slated to hit theaters in December 2029; “Avatar 5” is set to arrive in December 2031. If those dates hold, the “Avatar” film series will have stretched across the first four decades of the century. Director

'Avatar 3' pushed to 2025 and Disney sets two 'Star Wars' films for 2026
Arts

Grammys add new categories, including for pop dance recording and African music performance

More change is afoot at the Grammys. The Recording Academy announced Tuesday that three new categories will be added to the awards show in 2024: best pop dance recording, best African music performance, and best alternative jazz album. In addition, two existing categories have been moved to the general field, which means that all Grammy voters can participate in selecting the winners: producer of the year, non-classical, and songwriter of the year, non-classical, the latter of which was first introduced this year. Previously, the general categories were made up solely of the “Big Four” awards: best

Grammys add new categories, including for pop dance recording and African music performance
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Rhiannon Giddens is as much scholar as musician. Now, she’s showing her saucy side in a new album

Most people familiar with singer Rhiannon Giddens know her scholarly side. She won a MacArthur “genius grant” for her work making sure the contributions of Black Americans aren’t ignored in the history of folk and country music. Earlier this year, she earned a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the opera “Omar,” about an enslaved Muslim man who lived in Charleston, South Carolina. She’s produced an online series on the history of the banjo — which she plays adeptly — and has lectured at Harvard, Stanford and Yale. Her saucy side, not so much. That will change for

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US readying plans to evacuate drone bases if necessary under Niger’s new junta, commander says

The U.S. is making precautionary plans to evacuate two key drone and counter-terror bases in Niger if that becomes necessary under the West African nation’s new ruling junta, the Air Force commander for Africa said Friday. That planning includes looking for U.S.-allied nations in the Saharan and Sahel regions, some of the world’s most active areas for al-Qaida- and Islamic State-allied extremist groups, “that we could maybe partner up with, and then move our assets there,” Air Force Gen. James Hecker told reporters in Washington. Hecker stressed that there had been no decision from the Biden administration

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Gun control unlikely in GOP-led special session following Tennessee school shooting

Tennessee’s GOP-dominant Legislature will return to the state Capitol on Monday months after a deadly school shooting, equipped with a long list of proposals about mental health, school resources, tougher penalties for violent criminals and more. Almost certainly missing from the special legislative session will be any serious consideration of tightening Tennessee’s relaxed gun laws. On March 27, a shooter opened fire at a Nashville Christian elementary school and killed six people, including three young students. The tragedy contributed to a record pace for mass killings in the U.S. this year and jumpstarted a statewide campaign

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Chess chiefs ask why it’s still mostly a man’s game. Culture, but hormones and endurance too?

A top global chess official on Friday called for more research into whether factors such as hormone levels and physical endurance might have an impact on players’ abilities at the game, which has traditionally been and remains dominated by men. The world chess federation FIDE stirred controversy with its decision, announced this week and set to take effect Monday, to prohibit transgender women from its official events for women until the federation makes an assessment of the issue. Dana Reizniece-Ozola, the deputy chair of the federation’s management board, insisted that the goal of the new regulations was

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Biden administration sharply expands temporary status for Ukrainians already in US

The Biden administration on Friday announced a major expansion of temporary legal status for Ukrainians already living in the United States, granting a reprieve for those who fled Russia’s invasion. The move is expected to make 166,700 Ukrainians eligible for Temporary Protected Status, up from about 26,000 currently, the Homeland Security Department said. To qualify, Ukrainians must have been in the United States by Aug. 16, two days before the announcement. They are eligible for work authorization. The temporary status was originally scheduled to expire on Oct. 19, 2023 but is being extended 18 months to

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