Other birthdays have included trips to Lisbon and Sicily.
Meanwhile, Madonna has spent the past few years working on a movie about her life.
ActressJulia Garnerwas lined up to play the Hung Uphitmakerin the film before it appeared to be left on the shelf over two years ago.
Now it seems that plans have been re-imagined with Julia confirming last month she is still lined up to play the iconic popstar in a Netflix miniseries about her life.
Madonna and Julia are working with filmmaker Shawn Levy on the project, which is in the early stages of development.
Confirming that the project was still happening, despite the uncertainty, Julia told the SmartLess podcast: “Yeah, I mean, that’s supposed to still happen.”
However, she did appear to hint that the project may still be far off hitting screens as she affirmed that “anything that’s great, takes time”.
Madonna, 66, shows off bra under sheer top as she gyrates with boyfriend Akeem Morris at his 29th birthday party
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Madonna turns 67 in just over a weekCredit: Instagram
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The singer is working on her 15th studio albumCredit: Instagram
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Madonna is expected to go on hols with boyfriend Akeem Morris next weekCredit: Instagram
Cynthia Erivo, a noted theatrical divinity, redeemed the title of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend in a magnetic, heaven-sent performance that established God the Savior as a queer Black woman, as many of us suspected might be the case all along.
Divine dispensation allowed me to catch the final performance of this revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1971 breakout musical. I returned from vacation just in time to join the pilgrimaging hordes carting cumbersome picnic baskets and enough wine for a few dozen Sicilian weddings. The vast number of attendees caused bottlenecks at entry points, prompting one wag to crack, “What is this, the Second Coming?”
The headliners, Erivo as Jesus and Adam Lambert as Judas, certainly have sizable fan bases. But so too does the subject of this Greatest Story Ever Told, a messiah whose following has few equals in the history of the world. Suffice it to say, it was a supercharged evening, comparable more to a rock concert than one of the Bowl’s forays into the musical theater past.
The hard-charging exuberance was appropriate for a production that went back to the concept album roots of a rock opera that, like other countercultural musicals of the period — such as “Hair” and “Godspell” — preached peace and love while rebelling against oppression and conformity. “Jesus Christ Superstar” reminds us that Lloyd Webber wasn’t always a symbol of the bourgeois establishment.
Yes, the composer behind “Cats,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Sunset Boulevard” had an early revolutionary streak, challenging authority and testing social taboos. What made “Jesus Christ Superstar” controversial wasn’t simply the depiction of Jesus of Nazareth as a man with vulnerabilities and doubts. It was the blast of guitars and vocal shrieks that accompanied the telling of his last days and crucifixion in a manner more akin to the Who’s “Tommy” than the church organ interludes of a traditional Sunday service.
Cynthia Erivo delivered a heaven-sent performance in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend.
(Farah Sosa)
Director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo leaned into the concert nature of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The metallic scaffolding staging, the mythic scale of projections and the rhythmic flow of cast members, moving from one musical number to the next, freed the production from literal illustration.
The religious meaning of the story was communicated through the intensity of the performances. Erivo and Lambert are incapable of ever giving less than 100% when translating emotion into song. But the human drama was most evident in the handling of duets, the musical give and take that showcases the richness of all that lies between lyrics.
The conflict between Erivo’s all-seeing, all-feeling Jesus and Lambert’s competitive yet remorseful Judas was thrillingly brought to life in their different yet wholly compatible musical styles. In “Strange Thing Mystifying” and “The Last Supper,” Lambert, a Freddie Mercury style-rocker, and Erivo, a musical theater phenomenon who can pierce the heavens with her mighty voice, revealed a Judas who can’t account for all his actions and a Jesus who understands the larger destiny that is both sorrowfully and triumphantly unfolding.
Phillipa Soo provided sublime support in a cast that had considerable Broadway depth.
(Farah Sosa)
Phillipa Soo’s Mary Magdalene brought a probing, tentative and profound intimacy in her adoration of Erivo’s Jesus. In her exquisite rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” the tenderness between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, at once earthy and ethereal, deepened the expressive range of the love between them.
Soo, best known for her graceful lead performance in “Hamilton,” provided sublime support in a cast that had considerable Broadway depth. Raúl Esparza, whom I can still hear singing “Being Alive” from the 2006 Broadway revival of “Company,” played Pontius Pilate with lip-smacking political villainy. Josh Gad, who missed Friday’s performance because of illness but was in sharp comic form Sunday, turned King Herod into a Miami-style mobster, dressed in a gold lamé getup that would be just perfect for New Year’s Day brunch at Mar-a-Lago.
Raul Esparza as Pontius and Cynthia Erivo as Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
(Farah Sosa)
The acting company distinguished itself primarily through its galvanic singing. Music director and conductor Stephen Oremus maintained the production’s high musical standards, bringing out the extensive palette of a rock score with quicksilver moods.
One could feel Erivo, a generous performer who understands that listening can be as powerful as belting, building up trust in her less experienced musical theater castmates. The way she registered Lambert’s bravura moments bolstered not only his confidence in his non-singing moments but also the miracle of her own fully realized performance.
Ultimately, Jesus’ spiritual journey is a solitary one. In “Gethsemane,” the path of suffering becomes clear, and Erivo’s transcendence was all the more worshipped by the audience for being painfully achieved. Unmistakably modern yet incontestably timeless, abstract yet never disembodied and pure of heart yet alive to the natural shocks that flesh is heir to, this portrayal of Jesus with piercings, acrylic nails and tattoos met us in an ecumenical place where all are welcome in their bodily realities and immortal longings.
Lloyd Webber is undergoing a renaissance at the moment. Fearlessly inventive director Jamie Lloyd has given new impressions of “Sunset Blvd.,” which won the Tony for best musical revival this year, and “Evita,” which is currently the talk of London’s West End.
Trujillo’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” deserves not just a longer life but more time for the actors to investigate their momentous relationships with one another. The drama that occurs when Erivo’s Jesus and Soo’s Mary Magdalene interact should provide the model for all the cast members to lay bare their messy human conflicts. “Jesus Christ Superstar” depends as much upon its interpersonal drama as its rock god swagger — as Erivo, in a Bowl performance that won’t soon be forgotten, proved once and for all.
AN iconic 70s actress has been spotted looking completely unrecognisable, 47 years after playing a celebrated role that has stood the test of time.
The star, 74, was pictured in New York yesterday running errands while dressed in a pink polo shirt and white shorts, which could be considered an ode to her legendary character.
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This actress played an iconic role in a 70s classic film – do you recognise her?Credit: TheImageDirect.com
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She looked world’s away from her classic roleCredit: TheImageDirect.com
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The star is best-known for her role in beloved musical GreaseCredit: Getty
She got her big break in Hollywood back in 1978 in a musical romantic comedyfilm which ended up becoming the highest grossing musical film at the time.
Four years later, she reprised her role for the stand-alone sequel and was the only character to return from the first film.
That’s right, it’s Grease icon Didi Conn! She played Frenchy Facciano as part of the Pink Ladies in the movie and it’s sequel.
The film’s soundtrack album ended 1978 as the second-best-selling album of the year in the United States, only behind 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever.
It was nominated for several accolades including a nomination for Best Original Song at the Oscars and five nominations at the Golden Globe Awards.
Not only that, but in 2020, Grease was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
Didi previously spoke exclusively to The Sun about her experience of shooting the film and shared some behind the scenes insights.
In one memorable scene of the movie, there’s a dance contest where the cast go wild, dancing the Hand Jive and doing some rather dirty dancing.
While it looked like it would have been fun to film, Didi revealed it was anything but fun.
She expressed: “That actually took a whole week of shooting. And what was really tough about it was that it was the height of summer – my birthday was that week, and the cake they got for me totally melted.
John Travolta’s relative stars alongside him in Grease
“We were in a real high school in downtown Los Angeles, with no air conditioning, and we had to keep the windows closed because right next door was a pork plant, so you can imagine the smell!”
But it was Summer Nights, the opening number of Grease, that Didi remembered most fondly.
She explained: “I think that’s where we all bonded, and it was so much fun to sing that song and jump all around the table.
“We’d been rehearsing it for weeks beforehand, so the energy was so high when we performed it for real.”
Grease stars remembered
IT has been over 45 years since the release of hit musical film Grease, which began its decades-long tenure of dazzling fans in 1978.
Sadly, including Susan Buckner, five of the much-loved cast have passed away.
After falling ill with pneumonia, Jeff Conaway – Danny’s best pal Kenickie in the movie – sadly passed away in 2011.
The same year, Annette Charles, who played Cha Cha, lost her battle with cancer.
In 1993, Dennis C. Stewart, who played rebel Leo, was diagnosed with HIV and passed away from AIDS in 1994.
After Grease, Didi went on to star in comedy film Almost Summer, fantasy adventure film Thomas and the Magic Railroad and biographical film Frida, based on the life of Frida Kahlo.
In 2019, she flew across the pond to make her debut on British tv screens on the eleventh series of Dancing on Ice.
She was partnered with professional Łukasz Różycki and at the age of 67, was the oldest person to ever compete on the show.
However, she was eliminated in the fourth week after the judges decided to save Saara Aalto and Hamish Gaman after following the skate-off.
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She played Frenchy – one of the Pink LadiesCredit: 20th Century Fox
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The film catapulted Didi’s career to new heightsCredit: Getty
THE SKINT celebrities that are struggling to make ends meet – from Dawn O’Porter to Mischa Barton.
Even if you have made lots of money, it doesn’t always mean you’re not going to run into money problems as these celebrities have found out.
Mischa Barton
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Mischa Barton even sued her mother over moneyCredit: Rex Features
The OC actress Mischa, 39, has had a widely-publicised battle with her former momager, Nuala Barton, over her money.
In July 2015, she even sued her mother, alleging that she lied about how much Mischa was being paid for a film role and pocketed the rest of the cash herself.
She’s also struggled to make mortgage payments on her home in the past, at one point falling five months behind.
Though she eventually sold the Beverly Hills mansion in summer 2016 for $7.05 million reports The BBC.
The television presenter, 46, who has been married to Bridesmaids actor Chris O’Dowd since 2012, has opened up about her money woes.
She expressed to MailOnline: “I work pay cheque to pay cheque. I’m always broke. My card got declined last week. I’m like, what the f*** is happening? When will this end?”
The Scottish writer and director has had a varied career, presenting several documentaries and shows including BBC’s Super Slim Me and How To Look Good Naked on Channel 4.
Meanwhile, Chris, 45, has starred in some of Hollywood’s biggest productions, including This Is 40, Thor: The Dark World, Gulliver’s Travels and St. Vincent.
The couple have two children, sons Art, 11, and Valentine, who is eight years old.
Wife of Hollywood actor claims she’s ‘always broke’ and ‘lives pay cheque to pay cheque’
Lindsay Lohan
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Lindsay Lohan had her bank accounts seized in 2012Credit: Getty
The Parent Trap’s Lindsay Lohan had her bank accounts seized in 2012, for reportedly owing $234,000 in tax.
Lindsay apparently sent her 18-year-old sister to haggle with second hand stores to make some emergency cash from her old clothes.
Ali Lohan went to the vintage clothing store Wasteland to flog the singer’s most valuable designer gear.
Ali was seen arriving at the Los Angeles store with bags bursting with shoes, clothes and accessories.
But she was reportedly shocked when she was offered a lot less than she was expecting.
She went through items including a pair of Chanel pumps and a Balenciaga handbag, saying: “These have to be worth more, Lindsay was photographed wearing them, that has to add value.”
But the manager would not be swayed, and Ali had to settle much lower than she had planned.
Her Scary Movie 5 co-star, Charlie Sheen, gave her $100,000 towards the bill and Lindsay now appears to have her finances under control.
50 Cent
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50 Cent declared himself bankrupt in 2015Credit: Getty
50 Cent declared himself bankrupt in 2015, but said the move was a ‘strategic’ one, and not because he’d spent all of his money.
He made the decision after he was sued for leaking a sex tape of Lastonia Leviston, who has a child with his rap rival Rick Ross, and didn’t want other people to follow suit.
He told US talk show host Larry King in 2015L “It’s a move that was necessary for me to make at this point.
“So I didn’t allow myself to create that big red and white bulls eye on my back, where I become the person that people consistently come to.”
He still had to pay off debts of more than $22 million, though, with $6 million going to Lastonia for invasion of privacy.
Shane Richie
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Shane Richie had to borrow from friends and familyCredit: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
Back in 2020, the EastEnders legend said the coronavirus pandemic hit him hard and left him begging friends and family for loans.
Shane revealed how the pandemic and years of daft spending had left him “literally skint.”
At the time he was relying on loans from friends and family, and government help to pay his mortgage.
He told the Mirror at the time: “I was going on tour, doing a TV series and panto but it all got cancelled in March. Now I am literally skint!
“You save for a rainy day but you don’t expect the rainy day to last eight months. Thankfully, I’ve been able to borrow money from mates, my family and the bank.”
He added: “I got rid of my car but only cos I lease a car for my wife for the school run. I can get around on a moped.
“I am alright, I have had a career and if it all finishes tomorrow, so be it. If the worst comes to the worst, I’ll do stand-up or resurrect a musical.”
Shane also revealed that he blew thousands on the strangest things, in particular Planet of the Apes memorabilia.
He said: “It was my favourite show as a boy, I couldn’t resist. It harks back to Christmases when mum and dad couldn’t afford much.”
In April 2014, Courtney was hit with a $320,000 tax bill, as well as being ordered to pay $96,000 to a fashion designer she defamed on Twitter.
Later that year, the singer told the Sunday Times, “I lost about $27 million.
“I know that’s a lifetime of money to most people, but I’m a big girl, it’s rock ‘n roll, it’s Nirvana money, I had to let it go.
“I make enough to live on, I’m financially solvent, I focus on what I make now.”
And back in 2021 according to official tax records, theHole lead singerhad five outstanding tax debts that have accumulated from 2017 to 2021.
The iconic artist was hit with three outstanding Internal Revenue Service liens, totaling $1.9 million, while the rest of the debt was owed to the State of California.
The Grammy nominee explained that she was living with her parents for a while in Las Vegas before the situation became unfavourable.
She eventually moved back to Los Angeles after her manager suggested she move in with him for a bit.
But the home was too small so Dawn ultimately resided in a hotel for eight months before deciding to research “car life.”
Following her search, the singer began living in her car in 2022 and said that she “felt free.”
She added: “I felt free. I felt like I was on a camping trip. It just felt like it was the right thing to do.
“I didn’t regret it. You know, a lot of celebrities have lived in their cars.”
The singer admitted that though the experience is sometimes “scary” she’s learned “what to do in my car and how to do it, like, how to cover my windows and you don’t talk to certain people.”
She explained: “You’re careful of telling people that you’re alone, as a woman especially.”
Cat Power had to cancel her European TourCredit: Getty
Charlyn Marie “Chan” Marshall, better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter.
She spent a lot of her own money on recording 2012 album, Sun.
Then, when it came time to tour Sun, she took to Instagram to share some bad news with fans.
She wrote: “I may have to cancel my European tour due to bankruptcy & my health struggle with angioedema.
“I have not thrown in any towel, I am trying to figure out what best I can do.”
The tour was indeed postponed, with Chan later adding: “The American tour has been wonderful and amazing, and with me being unable to afford to bring my show with full production (which i helped create), to Europe.
“Financially, really dumped a huge additional amount of stress on me as I was and still am fighting trying to get tour support.”
When looking at a majestic residence like the 1908 Gamble House — a Craftsman crown jewel of Pasadena — its easy to romanticize the lives of its owners. Luxury and wealth radiate from its graceful, low-slung eaves, sloping lawns and wide porches. But the idea of class is baked into its architecture, with a series of rooms built to be occupied by the domestic servants who toiled day and night to keep the house running for its privileged inhabitants, the heirs to the Proctor & Gamble fortune.
Through Aug. 17, those rooms are open for tours with the addition of a compelling art installation by Karen Schwenkmeyer and Lisa Mann titled “Dirty Laundry,” which examines the heartache, disappointments and perseverance of domestic laborers in the early 20th century by printing their words on tea towels and sheets hung in the Gamble House’s drying yard, and stitching them into a pillowcase in one of the small staff bedrooms.
“What I mind is the awful loneliness,” reads the pillowcase on austere wooden twin bed. “Many times, many nights I went to bed and cried myself sick.”
A sculpture constructed of Ivory soap, mops and scrub brushes takes up residence in the staff bathroom. The soap, one of Procter & Gamble’s bestselling products, was marketed as 99.44% pure, and the sculpture is a meditation on “who is pure and who is not,” explained Mann during an opening reception for the installation, adding that she and Schwenkmeyer approached the lavatory as “a place of resistance and empowerment.”
The goal of the installation, say Schwenkmeyer and Mann, was to bring to light the “emotional and psychological toll of being on-call every day of the week.”
A tea towel blowing in the warm Southern California air puts it more plainly: “I hope someday will come when I don’t have to work so hard … I do hate to get up in the morning. I am so tired.”
Artists Karen Schwenkmeyer and Lisa Mann stand with their installation “Dirty Laundry” at the Gamble House in Pasadena.
(Paul Takizawa)
Domestic staff in many of the country’s most rarefied households was made up of immigrants who came to America looking for a better life only to find themselves stuck in the same classist , low-wage systems they had fled in the first place, the artists explan.
“Servants in the United States ‘were haunted by a confused and imperfect phantom of equality,’ which promised perfect parity at one moment but then suddenly shouted a reminder that some people are more equal than others,” reads a bedsheet quoting from a book about Americans and their servants by Daniel E. Sutherland, which greets visitors upon entrance to the yard.
Thinking of these words and imagining the lives of the many men, women and children who devoted their lives to caring for wealthy people is a potent way to walk through the beautiful rooms inside the Gamble House. We may not call domestic laborers servants anymore, but the way we choose to treat those who tend to our many needs — to see them and respect them, or not — speaks volumes of who we are as a society.
I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, rethinking all my assumptions about a bar of soap. Here’s this weeks art news.
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The Broadway cast of the musical comedy “Some Like it Hot” in 2022. The national tour is now playing at the Hollywood Pantages.
(Courtesy of Marc J. Franklin)
Some Like It Hot This musical adaptation of Billy Wilder’s 1959 film comedy about two musicians who go on the run disguised as women after witnessing a mob hit in prohibition-era Chicago brings a contemporary sensibility to the 1930s shenanigans. The Broadway production won four Tony Awards in 2023. Through Aug. 17. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. broadwayinhollywood.com
Keith Carradine and Shelly Duvall in Robert Altman’s “Nashville.”
(Paramount Pictures)
Robert Altman’s America: A Centennial Review UCLA Film and Television Archive celebrates the late filmmaker’s 100th birthday with a 13-film series that kicks off with 1976’s “Nashville,” which melds politics with country music and features a large ensemble including Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin, Shelley Duvall, Barbara Harris, Lily Tomlin and dozens more. 7:30 p.m. Friday; series continues through Sept. 26. Billy Wilder Theater, UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. cinema.ucla.edu
Musician Adrian Quesada performs a free concert, co-hosted by De Los, on Saturday.
(James Carbone/For De Los)
Adrian Quesada De Los, The Times’ platform for all things Latinidad, co-hosts a free concert by the Grammy-winning musician and Oscar-nominated songwriter. Best known for his work in the bands Grupo Fantasma and Black Pumas, Quesada’s latest album, “Boleros Psicodélicos II,” is “a 12-track sonic field trip through Quesada’s Latin American influences — and a testament to teamwork,” wrote Carlos De Loera in a recent De Los profile. 6 p.m. Saturday. Grand Performances, 350 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. grandperformances.org
The Actors’ Gang’s performance of “Roswell That Ends Well.”
(Bob Turton Photography)
Roswell That Ends Well The Actors’ Gang turns the Bard on his ear in this year’s Shakespeare in the Park production, an adaptation of “All’s Well That Ends Well” where outer space meets the Wild West in the form of a determined cowgirl with big dreams and a four-armed alien king. 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Aug. 24. Admission is free, reservations highly suggested. Media Park, 9070 W. Venice Blvd., Culver City. theactorsgang.com
Chow Yun-Fat in John Woo’s “A Better Tomorrow.”
(Shout! Studios)
Hong Kong Cinema Classics The American Cinematheque and Beyond Fest, in partnership with Shout! Studios and GKIDS, present a retrospective of seminal films, many of which are rarely screened. Genre master John Woo will appear with his films “Hard Boiled” (7 p.m. Saturday), a triple feature of the “A Better Tomorrow” trilogy (11 a.m. Sunday) and “The Killer” (7 p.m. Sunday). The monthlong series also includes films by stalwart action directors Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Ching Siu-tung. 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. Sunday; 7 p.m. Sunday. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com
Karl Benjamin, #13, 1970. Oil on canvas, 68” x 68”
(Gerard Vuilleumier)
Complications in Color A new exhibition marks the 100th birthday of Claremont artist Karl Benjamin (1925-2012), a painter and leader in the 1950s hard-edge abstraction painting movement. In his review of the 2007 survey of the painter’s work, Times art critic Christopher Knight wrote, “Benjamin emerges as a colorist of great wit and inventiveness.” The current exhibition also features the work of fellow abstractionists Florence Arnold, June Harwood, Rachel Lachowicz and Terry O’Shea. Noon-4 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays; noon-7 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 16. Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, 200 W. First St., Claremont. clmoa.org
Gustavo Dudamel is back at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday and Thursday.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Gustavo Dudamel returns The maestro is back at the Bowl next week and makes the most of it. On Tuesday, he conducts the L.A. Phil as Ravel meets Ellington with a little help from star Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho. Two nights later, Dudamel’s back leading the orchestra in works by Korngold (Featuring violinist Vilde Frang) and Mahler. Dudamel completes this brief concert run Aug. 8-9, conducting John Williams’ crowd-favorite “Jurassic Park” score over a live screening of the summer blockbuster. Ellington and Ravel. 8 p.m. Tuesday; Mahler and Korgold, 8 p.m. Thursday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com
Culture news
Wallis Annenberg, who died Monday at 86, photographed in 2022.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Philanthropist Wallis Annenberg — whose name became synonymous with arts and culture in Los Angeles — died earlier this week of complications from lung cancer at the age of 86. The wealthy patron was memorialized in tributes for her commitment to making art accessible to people from all walks of life, as well as for her friendship and love of animals. Annenberg was the daughter of publishing magnate Walter Annenberg, who made his fortune, in part, by selling TV Guide, among other publications, to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. For the last 16 years of her life, Wallis served as chairwoman of the board, president and chief executive of her family’s Annenberg Foundation.
Only July 23, Congressman Bob Onder introduced the Make Entertainment Great Again Act, which proposed that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts be renamed the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts. NPR reported that the bill is likely a long shot.
The SoCal Scene
Adam Lambert performs during a rehearsal of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on July 26 at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
“Jesus Christ Superstar,” starring Cynthia Erivo as Jesus and Adam Lambert as Judas , opens tonight at the Hollywood Bowl for a sold-out, three-night run. I spent last Saturday at a rehearsal dishing with Josh Gad on the sidelines while watching Lambert strut his stuff and tearing up over Phillipa Soo’s performance of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.” Read my behind-the-scenes story of how the musical came together and why the casting is so important in this era of political turmoil and change. (Gad, who was to play King Herod, had to drop out of the show Wednesday, after contracting COVID.)
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The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a variety of special programs and events. In August, the museum is holding a Saturday afternoon film series titled, “Cinematic Touchstones 1975,” which features four movies that made a lasting impact on the culture 50 years ago. The stellar lineup consists of “Mahogany,” “Escape to Witch Mountain,” “Grey Gardens” and “Barry Lyndon.” Admission to the theater is free with general admission to the museum. For schedule and additional details, click here.
The Santa Ynez Chumash Museum and Cultural Center opened in May in the tiny Santa Barbara County town on 3.5 acres of land planted with native blooms, trees, grasses and shrubs. Times staff writer Jeanette Marantos paid a recent visit and reported back on the high-tech interactive displays that bring the past to life and highlight the continuing importance of the tribe and its lasting impact on the area.
The nonprofit organization Tierra Del Sol, which champions professional development through arts education for people with disabilities, will stage its inaugural fashion show in West Hollywood on Sept. 27. The show will showcase hand-crafted designs from eight developmentally disabled artists working out of the organization’s Sunland and Upland studios. After the runway show, the creations will remain at Tierra del Sol’s Gallery, located at 7414 Santa Monica Blvd., for a six-week exhibition, ending Nov. 1.
— Jessica Gelt
And last but not least
There is nothing as soul-soothing as a hot bowl of pho — and that’s pho sure! The Times Food section has created a list of 11 great spots to eat your fill.
Dua, who has won seven Brit awards and three Grammys, said that she did not know she could sing until a teacher at the Sylvia Young Theatre School told her how good she was.
Actors who attended her classes include Keeley Hawes, Doctor Who’s Matt Smith, Nicholas Hoult, who is in the latest Superman blockbuster, and Emmy-nominated Adolescence and Top Boy star Ashley Walters.
The school was also a conveyor belt for EastEnders stars, with Nick Berry, Letitia Dean, Adam Woodyatt and Dean Gaffney all passing through its doors.
READ MORE ON DRAMA SCHOOLS
Stage fright
But there were problems along the way. In 1998 one of the drama masters was arrested for indecent assault, and the company struggled to survive the Covid shutdown.
The pressures of fame also proved too much for some former pupils, including the late Winehouse and EastEnders’ original Mark Fowler, David Scarboro, who was found at the bottom of cliffs as Beachy Head in East Sussex in 1988.
Sylvia, though, was loved by her former pupils, many of whom paid tribute to the “backstage matriarch”.
Keeley Hawes wrote: “I wouldn’t have the career I have today without her help”.
And All Saints singer Nicole Appleton commented: “This is going to really affect us all who were lucky enough to be part of her amazing world growing up. What a time, the best memories.”
DJ Tony Blackburn added: “She was a very lovely lady who I had the privilege of knowing for many years. She will be sadly missed.”
Winehouse Shows Star Quality
Actress Sadie Frost commented online: “What a woman, what a family, what a legacy! Sending everyone so much love and support. She was always so lovely to me.”
And TV and radio presenter Kate Thornton said she “meant so much to so many”.
Sylvia did not boast about the success of her students and the school’s website does not mention its incredible roster of ex-pupils.
But it is hard to imagine a single drama teacher ever having as much impact as her. Sylvia’s two daughters, Alison and Frances Ruffelle, who are directors of the theatre school, said: “Our mum was a true visionary.
“She gave young people from all walks of life the chance to pursue their performing arts skills to the highest standard.
“Her rare ability to recognise raw talent and encourage all her students contributed to the richness of today’s theatre and music world, even winning herself an Olivier Award along the way.”
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Pop star Rita Ora also attended Sylvia’s schoolCredit: Getty
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Rita Ora pictured as a student of the Sylvia Young Theatre SchoolCredit: John Clark/22five Publishing
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Denise Van Outen was a product of the prestigious schoolCredit: Getty
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A young and smiling Denise at Sylvia’s schoolCredit: YouTube
Sylvia made it to the top of the British entertainment industry the hard way.
She was the eldest of nine children born to Abraham Bakal, a tailor’s presser, and housewife Sophie in London’s East End. Born in 1939 just after the outbreak of World War Two she remembered the air raid sirens during the Blitz of the capital.
She was evacuated to a village near Barnsley during the war, only returning home once it was over.
At the local library she was gripped by reading plays and would meet up with friends to perform them.
While still at school she joined a theatre group in North London, but her dreams of treading the boards in the West End were dashed by stage fright.
She said: “I used to lose my voice before every production. When I think about it, they were sort of panic attacks.”
Instead, she married telephone engineer Norman Ruffell in 1961 and stayed at home to look after their two daughters.
When Alison and Frances attended primary school, Sylvia started teaching drama to their fellow pupils. It cost just ten pence and the kids also got a cup of orange squash and a biscuit.
Word spread and when her students got the nickname the Young-uns, Sylvia decided to adopt the surname Young for business purposes.
The first Sylvia Young Theatre School was set up in 1981 in Drury Lane in the heart of London’s theatre district.
Two years later, it moved to a former church school in Marylebone in central London, where most of its famous pupils got their start.
Even though it is fee-paying, everyone has to pass an audition — and only one in 25 applicants are successful.
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Dua Lipa, who has won seven Brit awards and three GrammysCredit: Redferns
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She did not know she could sing until a teacher at the Sylvia Young Theatre School told her how good she wasCredit: Instagram
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Emma Bunton joining the Spice Girls was thanks to Sylvia’s schoolCredit: Getty
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It was thanks to talent scouts and casting agents putting up requests on the notice board at the schoolCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
It costs up to £7,000 per term for full-time students and only has places for 250 pupils aged ten to 16.
There are bursaries and fee reductions for pupils from less well-off backgrounds, plus a Saturday school and part-time classes.
Sylvia was always keen to avoid it being a school for rich kids.
When she took an assembly she would ask pupils, “What mustn’t we be?”, and they would shout back, “Stage school brats”.
Keeping kids level-headed when stardom beckoned was also important for the teacher.
She said: “I offer good training and like to keep the students as individual as possible.
“We develop a lot of confidence and communication skills. Of course they want immediate stardom, but they’re not expecting it. You don’t find notices up here about who’s doing what. It is actually played down tremendously.”
‘Baby Spice was lovely’
A need for discipline even applied to Sylvia’s daughter Frances, who she expelled from the school.
Frances clearly got over it, going on to have a career in musical theatre and representing the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing tenth.
Those genes were strong, with Frances’ daughter, stage name Eliza Doolittle, having a Top Five hit with Pack Up in 2010.
The ever-rebellious Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011 aged 27 from accidental alcohol poisoning, claimed to have been kicked out, too.
She said: “I was just being a brat and being disruptive and so on. I loved it there, I didn’t have a problem, I just didn’t want to conform.
“And they didn’t like me wearing a nose piercing.”
But Sylvia did not want Amy to leave. She said: “She would upset the academic teachers, except the English teacher who thought she’d be a novelist. She seemed to be just loved. But she was naughty.”
Other singers were clearly inspired by their time at the school, which moved to new premises in Westminster in 2010.
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Billie Piper had her acting skills honed thanks to SylviaCredit: Getty
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Billie attended the Sylvia Young Theatre SchoolCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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Sylvia was loved by her former pupils, many of whom paid tribute to the ‘backstage matriarch’Credit: Alamy
Dua Lipa, who went to the Saturday school from the age of nine, was asked to sing in front of other pupils shortly after joining.
She said, “I was terrified”, but that the vocal coach “was the first person to tell me I could sing”.
Talent scouts and casting agents would put up requests on the notice board at the school. One such posting led to Emma Bunton joining the Spice Girls.
Of Baby Spice, Sylvia said: “She got away with whatever she could. But she was a lovely, happy-go-lucky individual with a sweet singing voice.”
Groups were also formed by Sylvia’s ex-pupils.
All Saints singer Melanie Blatt became best friends with Nicole Appleton at Sylvia Young’s and brought her in when her band needed new singers in 1996.
But Melanie was not complimentary about the school, once saying: “I just found the whole thing really up its own arse.”
Casting agents did, however, hold the classes in very high regard.
The professionalism instilled in the students meant that producers from major British TV shows such as EastEnders and Grange Hill kept coming back for more.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of less well-known performers treading the boards of Britain’s stages also have the school’s ethos to thank for their success.
Those achievements were recognised in the 2005 Honours List when Sylvia was awarded an OBE for services to the arts.
Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who has produced shows including Les Miserables and Cats, said: “The show that provided the greatest showcase for the young actors she discovered and nurtured is undoubtedly Oliver! which has featured hundreds of her students over the years.
“Sylvia was a pioneer who became a caring but formidable children’s agent.”
The Hollywood Premiere Motel doesn’t get a lot of rave reviews — in fact, it’s among the lowest ranked lodgings in the city. But thanks to its mid-century Googie design, it is the first motel to join the L.A.’s Historic-Cultural Monument List.
The City Council approved that designation on Wednesday, singling out the 1960 motel and its weathered neon sign as prime examples from the glory days of roadside architecture. There was no opposition or discussion, nor did the motel owner, listed as Yang Hua Xi, take a position.
“It may have a 1.7-star Tripadvisor rating, but we don’t judge our landmarks by thread count,” said Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, whose 13th District includes the motel, in a statement.
That Tripadvisor score ranks the motel 110th of 118 motels in Los Angeles, and its Yelp reviews aren’t any better. “Felt like puking,” wrote one Yelp user in May.
The two-story motel, which stands at Hollywood Boulevard and Serrano Avenue, was nominated by preservationist James Dastoli.
“This, to me, is a landmark that defines the entire neighborhood of East Hollywood,” Dastoli said at a city Cultural Heritage Committee meeting in March.
“My initial response, looking at the nomination, was, really?” said commission President Barry Milofsky. But he went on to support the designation.
Though the motel parking lot is often empty, its look has attracted frequent filming in the last decade, including TV’s “Twin Peaks,” “Fargo” and “NCIS: Los Angeles,” along with Justin Timberlake’s 2016 “Can’t Stop the Feeling” music video.
In their report on the site, city staffers found that the motel serves as “an excellent example of a 1960s motel that accommodated automobile tourism in Hollywood” and is “a highly intact and rare example of a 1960s motel in Hollywood.”
After the 1960s, the staff report noted that “motels began to fall out of favor as chains such Holiday Inn increasingly dominated the industry” and tourists turned to more compact building types with corridors indoors, not outside.
Soto-Martinez called the Hollywood Premiere “a survivor — still standing after decades of change in Hollywood.”
The Hollywood Premiere was built in 1960 with 42 units in a two-story, stucco-clad building, with a tall, Googie-style neon sign on a pole, parking near the guest rooms and a swimming pool at the corner of the lot behind breeze blocks. It once had a coffee shop, but that space is now idle. The architect was Joyce Miller, a woman working in a trade then dominated by men.
With Tuesday’s vote, the motel joins a Historic-Cultural Monuments list that includes more than 1,300 businesses, homes and landscape features. Begun in 1962, the list includes familiar icons like Union Station, the Bradbury Building and the Hollywood sign but also many less obvious choices, including Taix French Restaurant (built in 1929); the Studio City site of the Oil Can Harry’s bar (which operated from 1968 to 2021; and Leone’s Castle, a 1936 San Pedro apartment building designed to resemble a French castle.
Designation as a city Historic-Cultural Monument doesn’t automatically protect a building from changes or demolition, nor does it trigger any government spending on preservation. But once a building is designated a landmark, the city’s Office of Historic Resources must review permit application before any alterations are allowed. Demolition is forbidden unless an environmental review has been approved.
The city’s staff report also cited several other roadside lodgings that serve as “exemplary and intact examples of the Mid-Century Modern architectural style,” including the Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel (1964), the Wilshire Twilighter Motor Hotel (1958; now known as the Dunes Inn) and the Hollywood Downtowner Motel (1956), which is being converted into 30 interim residences for people at risk of homelessness as part of the state’s Project Homekey. So far, the Downtowner’s twinkling neon sign above Hollywood Boulevard has been preserved.
Adam Lambert sits on a rickety wooden chair just outside the main chapel at the Hollywood United Methodist Church on a break from rehearsing the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Dressed in beige shorts and a vest with matching mid-calf boots, Lambert wears his trademark glitter eye makeup with thick black liner. He’s calm and collected, content to spend his lunch break chatting, even though the rehearsal schedule is a breakneck nine days total. He chalks up his easygoing demeanor to the high-wattage professionalism of the cast, and his familiarity with the music.
Lambert first heard the soundtrack on one of his dad’s vinyl records when he was about 10 years old.
“I’ve always wanted to do that musical. I’ve always wanted to play Judas,” he says with a smile. “And when they told me Cynthia [Erivo] was interested, I was like, ‘Wow, this is gonna be crazy.’”
Lambert, a fan-favorite “American Idol” runner-up who began performing with Queen in 2011, plays Judas to Erivo’s Jesus in the Hollywood Bowl production directed by Tony-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo.
Josh Gad, who portrays King Herod, calls the cast “the musical theater version of the Avengers.” He’s referring to Erivo and Lambert, in addition to Phillipa Soo as Mary Magdalene, Milo Manheim as Peter, Raúl Esparza as Pontius Pilate, Tyrone Huntley as Simon and Brian Justin Crum as Annas. The sold-out show runs from Friday to Sunday.
Tyrone Huntley performs as Simon during a rehearsal of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Judging from the ongoing commentaryand controversy over the casting on social media, a queer, Black, female actor playing Jesus and a gay actor portraying Judas feel like a revelation to fans grappling with mounting concerns about civil rights in America. Over the last six months, the Trump administration has curtailed diversity, equity and inclusion programs and attempted to roll back key legal protections for certain members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“The challenge for the audience of seeing a female Black Jesus is so exciting. And we all feel the excitement,” says Lambert, adding that the show doesn’t change lyrics or pronouns. “Maybe it doesn’t have to do with male or female. I don’t really know if it matters what gender Jesus was, because it was about the teachings and the love and the connection to faith. So shouldn’t it transcend gender?”
Power — who has it and who doesn’t — has emerged as a defining narrative in 2025. That was also the case 2,000 years ago when Pontius Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus, who posed a serious threat to the religious and political primacy of the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Romans. The 1971 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice imagines the final days of Jesus’ life, including his agony, before he ultimately accepts his fate.
Gad is keenly aware of the notion of power as historic through-line as he approaches his titular number, “Herod’s Song,” in which the King of Judea coyly mocks Jesus before taking a frightening turn into true menace.
“This is a man who’s so insecure he can’t afford to let Jesus out of his chains in order to actually face him without the help of soldiers around him,” Gad says. “My hope is that I’m getting to bring one of the greatest hypocrites to life in a way that will both make people laugh and also make them recognize that archetype.”
Brian Grohl, left, Josh Gad, Adam Lambert and Sergio Trujillo are bringing “Jesus Christ Superstar” to the Hollywood Bowl.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
The musical was first released as a concept album in 1970 and played at the Hollywood Bowl in 1971, before debuting on Broadway later that year. During its run, protests outside the stage door were commonplace, and although the musical has reached the pinnacle of success over the years, it has remained controversial.
Big summer musicals have been a staple of the Hollywood Bowl since 2000, but the shows went dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the exception of “Kinky Boots” in 2022, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is the first of what Bowl leaders hope will be an annual resumption of the beloved programming.
“We wanted to make sure that when we came back, it was the most spectacular thing we could do,” says Meghan Umber, president of the Hollywood Bowl and chief programming officer at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
“Jesus Christ Superstar,” was always at the top of the Bowl’s musical wishlist but wasn’t available until now, adds Brian Grohl, associate director of programming for the L.A. Phil.
“The number of titles that can sustain three nights at the Hollywood Bowl is a narrowed-down list already,” Grohl said, so securing the title resulted in a lot of jumping and shouting around the office. And when it came to who would play Jesus, Umber and Grohl both say Erivo topped the list. Her “yes” made all the others follow.
Adam Lambert performs Saturday during a rehearsal of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Gad calls Erivo — who was not present at a recent rehearsal because of a previous engagement — a “generational talent.” And he’s far from alone. Talk to anyone on the cast or crew and they will immediately hold forth on her extraordinary gifts.
“I see the hand of God in her,” Trujillo says reverently. “Even now, me being in the room with her, I hear it and I see it, and it is transcendent.”
Trujillo decided to go back to the musical’s roots as a concept album and is staging the show as a bare-bones rock concert. Instead of elaborate scenic design, there are black road boxes, microphones and cords. Even the costumes are contemporary with nods to their lineage. A rhythm band will play onstage and a 37-piece orchestra will perform behind a giant LED screen that will create the illusion that the musicians are hovering in the sky above the action.
Keeping the show in the present and infusing it with the raw energy of youth culture was crucial to Trujillo’s vision, he says, adding that in the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, the musical “reflects the turbulent political times that we’re living in.”
“As I set up each one of the characters, they’re at a microphone singing and then they take the microphone and they step into the scene. I always want to remind the audience that we are in a concert, but we’re also telling the story,” says Trujillo. “Every single person understands the opportunity that we all have to take this monumental story, this monumental score, and to do it justice. So everyone is coming at it with such goodwill and so much joy.”
At a Saturday rehearsal in the church gym, Trujillo’s words ring true. The ensemble cast of more than 20 talented dancers and singers, in sweats and hoodies, run through “What’s the Buzz.” Gad watches and cheers from a table on the sidelines next to conductor and musical director Stephen Oremus, who smiles and nods his head with the beat.
“If you need me to stand in for Jesus, I’ll do it,” Gad jokes.
Phillipa Soo, who plays Mary Magdalene, sings a heartfelt rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Lambert mesmerizes the assembled crew and onlookers with a potent rendition of “Heaven on Their Minds” and Soo brings tears with a heartfelt performance of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”
“The more time I spend with this musical, the more brilliant I understand it to be,” says Manheim during a brief break. The 24-year-old, who‘s gained a tween following after playing Zed in Disney Channel’s “Zombies” franchise, is part of the youth cohort Trujillo wanted to cast. He wasn’t as familiar with the score as the older cast members — which is part of the point.
“It’s cross-generational,” says Trujillo of the show. “This is the gift that you give to your children and then it just gets passed on.”
Diana Ross returned to the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night for the first of two weekend concerts — her fifth engagement at the hillside amphitheater since 2013 and her second gig in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles in less than a year (following her performance at last August’s old-school Fool in Love festival). In other words, it’s not exactly hard to catch the 81-year-old pop legend onstage these days — which isn’t to say that it’s not worth doing. Here are nine moments that made me glad I showed up Friday:
1. After coming out to — what else? — “I’m Coming Out,” Ross zipped through a frisky Motown medley linking some of the 12 No. 1 hits she and the Supremes scored in the 1960s. Would I have liked to have heard full versions of “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Baby Love” and “Stop! In the Name of Love”? Sure. But hearing these all-timers stacked up in rapid succession was a thrill of its own — a reminder of the blend of efficiency and ingenuity attained on a daily basis at Hitsville, U.S.A.
2. Ross was backed by more than a dozen musicians at the Bowl, including four horn players and four backing vocalists, and they were cooking from the get-go: crisply propulsive in the Motown stuff; tight and gliding in “Upside Down”; lush yet down-home in Ross’ take on Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain,” from her 1972 Holiday biopic “Lady Sings the Blues.”
3. Two wardrobe changes meant that we beheld three glittering gowns in all, beginning with the fluffy canary-yellow number she emerged in. About halfway through the show, Ross slipped into a pipe-and-drape dressing room at the rear of the stage then slipped back out wearing bedazzled ruby red; later, she changed into a shimmering gold look. Each dress came accompanied by a matching shawl that Ross would eventually toss to the stage to be retrieved by a waiting assistant who seemed to know precisely when it would happen.
4. Each dress also came with a bulky mic pack that — in an endearingly peculiar costuming choice — Ross opted to wear on her waist instead of hiding it around back.
5. “I have an album out, a current album — the title of the album is called ‘Thank You,’” Ross told the crowd as she began to introduce a tune from her not-bad 2021 LP. Then she turned her head stage-left toward a sound engineer in the wings: “Who’s talking in the mic? I can hear a mic.” She returned to the audience. “Anyway, the title of the album is called ‘Thank You.’ Each song was specially written so that I could say ‘thank you’ to you for all the wonderful years, all the…” Another glance left. “Somebody’s talking in the microphone.” Another turn back. “We’re gonna start with this one — ‘Tomorrow,’ OK? We’ll start that if I can out-talk whoever’s talking over here.”
6. Ross’ daughter Rhonda joined her mom to sing another new-ish tune, “Count on Me” — “She’s been practicing,” Diana said proudly (if somewhat shadily) — then stuck around to do a mini-set of her own self-help-ish soul-folk songs, one of which beseeched us all to “stop gaslighting ourselves.”
7. Half a century after “The Wiz” debuted on Broadway in 1975, Ross sang her two big numbers from the Black retelling of the “The Wizard of Oz,” which she helped cement as a cultural landmark with her role as Dorothy in a fondly remembered movie adaptation. Here, “Home” was wistful yet determined, while “Ease on Down the Road” got even the high-rollers in the Bowl’s box seats moving.
8. During “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” Ross led the crowd in a call-and-response recitation of what she called “my mantra”: ”I’m so grateful / For all the blessings in my life / For there are many / All is well / I’m resilient / Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
9. More of Ross’ children appeared onstage at the end of the show to join her for a rowdy “I Will Survive” — and to plug their latest commercial endeavors. “Can I say one thing?” Tracee Ellis Ross asked. “‘Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross’ on Roku streams today, so check out the show.” Diana Ross reclaimed the microphone and gestured toward her son Ross Naess. “This is my son — he’s doing a line of caviar called Arne Reserve.” She looked around. “Chudney, what’s happening with you?”
David Ellison stepped within reach of his hard-fought prize, Paramount Global, after winning regulators’ blessing for his Skydance Media’s $8-billion takeover of the storied media company.
President Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr approved the Skydance-Paramount merger Thursday after months of turmoil and a monumental collision between the president’s broad powers and press freedoms.
Carr’s consent came just three weeks after Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle the president’s lawsuit over edits to a “60 Minutes” broadcast. Trump had claimed CBS producers doctored the October interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris to boost her election chances. CBS denied his allegations, saying the edits were routine.
1st Amendment experts called Trump’s suit “frivolous.” But, after months of internal upheaval, Paramount capitulated. The move was widely seen as a prerequisite for Skydance to win FCC approval and push the Paramount-Skydance merger over the finish line.
Trump has said on social media that, as part of the settlement, he also expects the new owners to provide another $20 million in public service announcements and other free programming.
The FCC approval clears the final regulatory hurdle for the acquisition that will bring another technology titan to Hollywood. Carr authorized the transfer of Paramount’s CBS television station licenses to Larry Ellison, Oracle’s co-founder who ranks among the world’s richest men, and his family.
“Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change,” Carr said in a statement. “That is why I welcome Skydance’s commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network.”
The FCC commissioners voted 2-1 in favor of the deal. Two Republicans, Carr and Olivia Trusty, voted yes, while Anna Gomez, the lone Democrat on the panel, dissented.
“After months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration, Paramount finally got what it wanted,” Gomez said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it is the American public who will ultimately pay the price for its actions.”
The Ellisons’ takeover of Paramount is expected to be complete in the coming days.
Santa Monica-based Skydance, which is owned by the Ellison family and private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners, faces an uphill slog to restore Paramount to its former glory. Years of programming under-investments, management missteps and ownership turmoil have taken a heavy toll.
Viewers’ shift to streaming has upended Paramount’s TV networks, CBS, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV and BET. Paramount Pictures lags behind Disney, Universal and Warner Bros.
Sumner Redstone’s family will exit the Hollywood stage, after nearly 40 years. The pugnacious mogul from Boston, who died five years ago, presided during an era of entertainment excesses in the 80s, 90s and early aughts — when Paramount released beloved blockbusters and cable television was in its hey-day.
For a stretch this spring, it seemed the Skydance deal could unravel.
The FCC’s review had stalled amid the legal wrangling over Trump’s lawsuit. Carr, in one of his first moves as chairman, separately opened an FCC inquiry into alleged news distortion with the “60 Minutes” Harris interview — putting CBS uncomfortably under the microscope.
Paramount’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone (Sumner’s daughter), and some Skydance executives, urged Paramount to settle. But CBS News executives refused to apologize to Trump for the “60 Minutes” edits, saying CBS journalists did nothing wrong. The settlement, which steers money to Trump’s future presidential library, did not include an apology from CBS News or Paramount.
Two high-level CBS News executives departed and three progressive U.S. senators demanded answers. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and the others lambasted the settlement talks, saying that paying Trump money to end a “bogus” lawsuit simply to get a merger approved could be akin to paying a bribe.
The winds shifted in June. David Ellison, Larry’s 42-year-old son, talked briefly with Trump at a UFC fight in New Jersey. Days later, Trump talked favorably about his friendship with Larry Ellison and the Paramount-Skydance deal.
“Ellison’s great,” Trump told reporters in mid-June. “He’ll do a great job with it.”
David Ellison last week met with Carr in Washington to persuade him that Paramount would be in good hands. They discussed the firm’s commitments and management philosophies. Skydance also gave assurances that its Chinese investors would not have a say in the company’s affairs.
Last week, CBS separately said it was canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” in May. The company said the move was financial, but conservatives and progressives alike questioned the timing due to the pending merger and Colbert’s pointed barbs at Trump.
Skydance outlined its planned changes at Paramount in a letter this week to Carr. Skydance promised to cancel all diversity initiatives, disband its Office of Global Inclusion and strip references to DEI from its internal and external messaging. The company also said news and entertainment programming would not tilt in any one political direction.
“New Paramount’s new management will ensure that the company’s array of news and entertainment programming embodies a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum, consistent with the varying perspectives of the viewing audience,” Skydance’s general counsel Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon wrote in Tuesday’s letter to Carr.
The company said it would install an ombudsman at CBS News for at least two years.
“They are committing to serious changes at CBS,” Carr told reporters in Washington earlier Thursday. “I think that would be a good thing. They’ve committed to addressing bias issues. They committed to embracing fact-based journalism.”
Ellison began his pursuit of Paramount two years ago.
He formalized his bid by January 2024. After months of negotiations, Paramount’s board and Redstone approved the Skydance takeover July 7, 2024.
Paramount’s leaders considered other prospective owners but concluded that Skydance, with its Ellison backing, would bring a solid financial foundation for a company that traces its roots back more than a century. Redstone also wanted Paramount to remain whole, rather than broken into pieces.
As part of the agreement, Skydance will be folded into the public company. Its backers will inject new capital to bolster Paramount’s finances and install a new cadre of leaders. Ellison will serve as chairman and chief executive. Former NBCUniversal Chief Executive Jeff Shell is slated to be president.
CBS’ current leader George Cheeks, one of Paramount’s three co-chief executives, could join the new regime. But the two other current chiefs, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins, are expected to depart.
The Skydance deal is expected to be executed in two parts. Larry Ellison and RedBird will buyout the Redstone family holding company, National Amusements Inc., for $2.4 billion.
After their debts are paid, the Redstone family will leave with $1.75 billion. The family controls 77% of Paramount’s voting shares, which will be passed to the Ellisons and RedBird.
Under the deal terms, the new Paramount will offer to buy out some shares of existing shareholders and inject $1.5 billion into Paramount’s strained balance sheet.
Paramount will then absorb Skydance, which has a movie, television, animation, video games and a sports unit. The deal values Skydance at $4.75-billion.
“We’re going to reorganize and restructure the business to prioritize cash flow generation,” David Ellison told investors last July. “With a track record in both entertainment and technological expertise [we will] be able to transition the company through this period of time to ensure that Paramount’s brightest days are ahead.”
Skip Brittenham, a prominent Hollywood attorney whose clients included Harrison Ford, Henry Winkler and Eddie Murphy, has died at age 83.
Brittenham died Thursday, said Ziffren Brittenham LLP, the firm he founded in 1978.
“Everyone in our industry knew of Skip’s legal prowess,” the firm said in a statement. “But some may not have known of his quiet generosity, his ability to find humor and opportunity in the darkest moments, and his unwavering belief that media and the entertainment industry must serve people, not the other way around.”
The firm did not disclose the cause of death.
Brittenham was known in the entertainment industry as a powerful dealmaker. Beyond his starry client list, Brittenham helped to forge Pixar’s initial deal with Disney, was behind the splitting of DreamWorks and ushered Disney’s acquisition of Miramax.
“What amuses me most about Skip is he often represents everyone in the deal,” Ford, who was a client before he rose to fame with “Star Wars,” told The Times in 2005. “And, he does a really good job for everybody … I’ve always walked away from every negotiation and thought, ‘Jesus, how did he get that?’”
Ken Ziffren, one of two lawyers with whom Brittenham founded the firm, told The Times in 2005 that early in their partnership, the two discovered they were wooing the same prospective client, comedian Richard Pryor.
“Skip did not back down,” Ziffren said. “He got Pryor.”
Born Harry M. Brittenham, the eldest son of an Air Force fighter pilot, he spent much of his childhood moving from one base to another. Although he attended Air Force Academy, Brittenham got hit in the eye with a squash racket in 1963. His 20-20 vision — a requirement for pilot training — was gone.
He spent four years negotiating contracts for the Air Force before enrolling in law school at UCLA.
Outside of his professional life, Brittenham was a passionate fly-fisher with decades of experience. He competed in and won several worldwide fishing competitions and practiced the sport across six continents.
The love of nature Brittenham tended to as he pursued fly-fishing led him to serve as a longtime board member of Conservation International, a leading environmental organization that honored him with its Heroes of Conservation Award.
Brittenham was also an avid fan of science fiction, and he authored a sci-fi graphic novel titled “Anomaly” in 2012. Speaking with The Times ahead of the book’s release, Brittenham said he wanted to dabble in his creative side and tap into his childhood love for Marvel and DC Comics to show people he was more than just a negotiator.
“I don’t like to just try things out,” he said. “I like to jump all the way in and figure out how to do something unique and different.”
Although Brittenham is remembered as a tenacious lawyer, he also had a reputation as a family man, often leaving the office by 5 p.m. to be with his wife and children.
Brittenham was married to actor and screenwriter Heather Thomas, and he had three daughters: Kristina, Shauna and India. He is also survived by his brother Bud, two devoted sons-in-law Jesse Sisgold and Avi Reiter, and four grandchildren.
In a TikTok video captured by a fan at one of SiR’s sold-out L.A. shows last August, the Inglewood-born singer-songwriter breaks down into tears after his wife appears onstage behind him.
“Y’all give it up for my beautiful wife, Kelly Ann,” he says on the mic after collecting himself. When he leans to give her a kiss, the crowd erupts into a sea of “aws” and cheers.
It was a tender moment between the couple during the final stretch of his Life Is Good tour in support of “Heavy” — his most vulnerable project yet, which took five years to make and tackles his years-long battle with drug addiction, depression, infidelity and the process of getting sober. Behind the scenes, though, SiR was grappling with a different hardship: The death of his mother, Jackie Gouché, a talented performer who sang with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, and helped build SiR’s confidence as an artist.
His team was “ready for me to just drop everything and come home,” says SiR over Zoom. “But I prayed about it. I talked to my family, and we made the decision for me to finish the tour out, in honor of her.”
So by the time he got to the Hollywood Palladium, where he performed back-to-back shows, he says, “I think I was drained and I needed my support, and my wife just so happened to be there, which was just perfect for me. I’ll never forget that night.”
Since that emotional performance, SiR, born Sir Darryl Farris, released an extended version of “Heavy,” subtitled “The Light,” in April, which features six new tracks, some of which are new, such as “Sin Again” and “No Good,” and others that didn’t make the cut on the original project.
The Grammy-nominated singer, who is signed to L.A. powerhouse label Top Dawg Entertainment alongside R&B darling SZA, is set to make his headlining debut at the Hollywood Bowl on July 20 for the KCRW Festival. The upcoming show will feature an opening set from singer-songwriter Leon Thomas, of whom SiR is a “huge fan,” along with two surprise appearances from, he says, the “best guests I could get.”
Ahead of the upcoming show, we caught up with the “John Redcorn” singer to discuss how he’s keeping his late mother‘s memory alive through his music, how becoming a father of two daughters has affected him both personally and artistically and his goal to make a classic record that everyone knows.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
You recently wrapped up your Step Into the Light tour a few weeks ago. How was it being onstage with your older brother, Davion, who sang background vocals, and your uncle Andrew, who is a gospel bass legend?
It was so fulfilling. I’ve worked with them before on so many different levels. My uncle plays on all my songs, and Davion and I write songs together, but to have them on the road with me was just a different outer-body experience. I think my favorite part of all of that was the time we spent [together] before and after the shows, like having dinners with my uncle and finding out things about my parents that I didn’t know. Finding out stories about my grandfather that I’d never heard. Now, our bond is that much stronger. It’s really nice to have him on the road. My uncle Andrew is awesome. I got sick of my brother. [laughs]
You were also on tour last year in support of “Heavy,” which is your most vulnerable project yet. How was it performing these songs this time around as opposed to last year? Did any songs hit differently?
We changed the set list just a tad because we had new music that we wanted to promote. The newer songs felt great. I was really specific about which ones I added because I wanted them to be songs that I enjoyed singing. The songs that I have in the set list that are staples still hit the same, and the audience still responds the same way. But it was surprising to see people singing the new music. I was fully prepared to go there and have to explain myself through these songs, but people were already vibing and singing along, which was great. My audience is great. I love my fans so much.
What songs did you add from the “Heavy Deluxe: The Light” project?
We added “No Good,” “Sin Again,” “Out of My Hands” and then, of course, “Step Into the Light,” which we added to the end of the set. But we also have songs like “John Redcorn” in there, which is a staple. If I don’t sing “John Redcorn,” people will come for my neck.
Last August, a fan posted a video of you crying during one of your shows at the Hollywood Palladium after you saw your wife, and the comment section was filled with sweet and supportive messages. Do you mind sharing what headspace you were in that night and why you felt so emotional in that moment?
That was the end of the tour, so I knew I was done, and in the middle of that tour, I actually lost my mom. At the time, I was on the phone with [TDE Chief Executive Anthony “Top” Tiffith], and he asked me if I wanted to continue. They were ready for me to just drop everything and come home. But I prayed about it, I talked to my family, and we made the decision for me to finish the tour out, in honor of her. My energy was just so low. I’ve never felt like that and had to go perform, and we had like eight more shows left. So by the time I got to the Palladium, I was drained. There’s a song that I sing called “Tryin’ My Hardest,” and I wrote that when I wasn’t sober and I was just trying to work myself through recovery. It was an ode to my mother and my wife, just telling them that I wasn’t giving up every time I relapsed. I [think] it was that song that she came out to. Half the time, tears were flowing down my face. So I think I was drained and I needed my support, and my wife just so happened to be there, which was just perfect for me. I’ll never forget that night. We sold out the Palladium twice.
You had a really close relationship with your mother, Jackie Gouche, who was a phenomenal artist in her own right. Have you written any songs in dedication to her since her passing?
I have a song that goes: (Starts singing lyrics)
Her name is Danielle, born in December but never felt the cold Chocolate skin and a heart that’s made of gold A certain resemblance to someone that I know As bitter, as sweet As easy as it was to sweep me off my feet I never imagined that you may never meet I wish you could be here to watch my baby grow She’s gonna to do well Her name is Danielle.
It’s just a song about my daughter that I wrote for her, and hopefully, I put it on the next project. Ooh. But we’ll see. My mother was such a big reason why I started really writing songs and wanting to be SiR. I was a different kind of guy growing up. I was very timid. I wasn’t sure about my musical abilities or gifts, and anytime I sent her songs, she would just light up and tell me how beautiful it was and give me advice, which was very important. After a while, I just kept impressing her and kept blowing her away in her own words. She was a huge part of my confidence.
“I should be able to have an album out every year,” SiR said. “I’m a studio rat so we should be able to find it. But my sobriety had to be at the forefront of everything, and I’m navigating being SiR sober.”
(Rolexx)
You’ve been vocal and vulnerable about your experience of dealing with addiction and all of the lifestyle changes you’ve made since becoming sober. Can you talk about what you’ve learned about yourself throughout this time?
I’ve learned that I have an addictive personality, no matter what the drug is, and I’ve created some good habits. The gym is now the biggest addiction that I have. I definitely had to just learn who I was looking at in the mirror, because when you’re inebriated, intoxicated all the time, you don’t really know what’s going on or who you are, and it’s a tough place to be. It’s a tough hole to dig yourself out of, but once you get out of that, you’ve got to navigate not falling back into the hole. It took about a year before I even got close to being sober. I’d have, like, sober weeks, and relapse after relapse and things like that. But at this point, I’m proud of where I am as a father, as a husband, and I’m trying to make sure that I just keep nourishing my artistry, because as much as I’m glad that that album came out, it took me five years to put that album out, and that shouldn’t happen. I always like to think of myself as a hyper-creative, and I should be able to have an album out every year. I’m a studio rat, so we should be able to find it. But my sobriety had to be at the forefront of everything, and I’m navigating being SiR sober. This is all new, and it’s definitely fun, but I definitely had to really work to get here.
Since releasing “Heavy,” you had another daughter, whom you talked about earlier, so now you’re a father of two. Can you talk about how fatherhood has affected you personally and creatively?
Fatherhood is like, ooh man, it’s a process. It taught me a lot about myself. I’m selfish. I’m impatient. I’m getting old. [laughs] My body doesn’t move and respond the same. When you have a 3-year-old who’s running as fast as she can and you’re trying to keep up with her, it’s tough. But it also just taught me a lot about how well I was raised. My parents were sweet. They were so nice and so kind and so gentle with us, and very protective, but in the best ways. If I’m half as good of a parent to my kids as my mother was to me, I think they’re going to be fine.
On Sunday, you are going to headline the Hollywood Bowl for the first time. How are you feeling about the show and what are you most excited about?
I can’t lie, I was excited about Leon Thomas’ set, but I realize now that I’m not going to be able to watch it, because I’m going to be doing my vocal warmups and getting ready for own thing. So now I’m just excited to see that sea of people. In L.A., I’ve done some really good shows, but it’s a 17,000-cap venue, and I think we’re doing good on ticket sales. This is the largest SiR audience that I’ve ever seen, so I’m excited to see the fans and hear them sing along.
Have you met Leon Thomas before?
We haven’t met, but I’m a huge fan. I don’t know if a lot of people [know], but Leon Thomas was a songwriter before he started putting music out on his own. Of course, everyone knows him from his acting days, but he was a part of a writing group that is based in L.A. and has been writing songs for other artists, so to see him come to the forefront of his own artistry is a beautiful thing. I think I’m on the waiting list for a Leon Thomas session. Collaborating is big right now with me, especially since things have changed and I don’t work as much as I used to on my own. I want to bounce ideas off of good artists, and I want to have great musicians in the room so we can make sure that everything is where it’s supposed to be in the song. We talked about it. I texted him [last] week just to thank him for being a part of this, and I wanted to congratulate him on all of his success. He’s a good guy, and I’m definitely a huge fan.
Why is collaboration so important for you now? What’s changed?
I want better songs. I’ve been around a long time. I got a lot of music out, but I have this thing in my head where I just want a classic. I feel like I have some really good records, but I want a song that everybody knows. As a songwriter, I think the most beautiful music comes from collaboration because you have people there to give you guidance in your own thought process. Even if I’m leading the way, I have somebody in my ear that’s navigating into this place we’re trying to get to. But I definitely just want to write better songs, and I’m not afraid to ask for help. I’ve had to learn that the hard way. I spent a lot of time over the years just kind of closed off in my box, which was great because it created my world, my sound. But now that I have established my sound, I should always be open to people helping me create in my world, especially if they know what my world is.
Have you started thinking about your next project yet?
I am definitely thinking about my next project. It does not have a name. We don’t have a date, but I am as busy as I can be right now, just with new songwriting and trying to stay ahead of it, because if I make you guys wait another five years for another project, I don’t think I’ma survive. I might have to go get me a day job. So I’m definitely working, but I’m not gonna rush. I’m not gonna force anything. I’m not just gonna put out anything. We need, you know, at least 40 to 45 minutes of just greatness, and I’m gonna do everything I can to deliver for the fans, because they deserve it more than anything.
Downton Abbey first premiered on ITV 15 years ago but was has the cast been up to since then?
11:46, 16 Jul 2025Updated 11:46, 16 Jul 2025
Downton Abbey made its debut on ITV screens in 2010(Image: ITV)
The beloved ITV drama Downton Abbey has held a cherished spot in the hearts of telly enthusiasts since its debut in 2010, and it’s no surprise that viewers are clamouring for more. Set between 1912 and 1926, this British series is centred around the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, tracing the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic staff.
Featuring a roster of adored television actors, the programme delves into several pivotal historical events, such as the First World War, the Spanish flu pandemic, the Irish War of Independence, and the decline of the British aristocracy. Downton Abbey garnered worldwide praise, captivating audiences and critics alike, and securing numerous award nominations, including Golden Globes and Primetime Emmy Awards.
Following its conclusion in 2015, the show’s extraordinary success led to the production of two feature films in 2019 and 2022, with a third one anticipated to grace the screens in 2025.
Given the extensive cast, it’s hardly shocking that many have gone on to achieve significant success on the telly or have emerged as rising stars in the realm of television and cinema. Below we delve into what the cast of Downton Abbey is doing now, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Hugh’s performance in Downton Abbey was widely acclaimed(Image: Ian West/PA Wire)
Hugh Bonneville – Robert Crawley, Lord Grantham
Lord Grantham, the head of the Crawley family, was profoundly dedicated to his ancestral home at Downton and was committed to preserving the estate for future generations.
Hugh’s performance in Downton Abbey was widely acclaimed, earning him two Emmy nominations and a nod from the Golden Globes.
Post-Downton, Hugh has remained a fixture on British telly, while also making waves in Hollywood with roles such as Henry Brown in the Paddington films, Muppets Most Wanted and Bank of Dave.
He recently graced our screens in The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, Douglas Is Cancelled and the BBC drama The Gold.
Laura Carmichael – Lady Edith Crawley
The empathetic Edith had no desire for marriage but was keen to carve out her own career in journalism. She suffered her fair share of heartbreak – being left at the altar by Sir Anthony Strallan and losing her second fiancé Michael Gregson.
Beyond Downton, Laura has appeared in dramas like Marcella, The Spanish Princess and The Secrets She Keeps.
Off-screen, Laura is in a relationship with her Downton Abbey co-star Michael C. Fox, and they have a son together.
Michelle Dockery – Lady Mary Josephine Talbot
At first, Lady Mary was a petulant and frosty young woman, but as the series unfolded, she displayed more vulnerability and kindness. Tragically, she lost her husband Matthew following the birth of their son, and later married racing driver Henry.
Michelle has taken on roles in Anatomy of a Scandal, This Town, Godless and Good Behaviour (Image: Gareth Cattermole/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Focus Features)
Since her Downton days, Michelle Dockery has taken on roles in Anatomy of a Scandal, This Town, Godless, Good Behaviour and the films The Gentlemen and Here.
Michelle is currently wed to Jasper Waller-Bridge, brother of Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Dame Maggie Smith – Violet Crawley
Dame Maggie Smith had already cemented her status as acting royalty with her portrayal of Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series and her dual Oscar wins for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and California Suite.
In her later years, she was honoured in the documentary Nothing Like a Dame alongside Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins and Joan Plowright. Her recent works include A Boy Called Christmas and The Miracle Club.
The much-loved actress sadly passed away at 89 in September last year.
Jessica Brown Findlay – Lady Sybil Crawley
Jessica was selected to play Lady Sybil Crawley, the youngest and most progressive of the Grantham daughters. She is the family’s most politically active member and strongly advocates for treating Downton’s staff as equals.
Fans will remember Sybil’s romance with the family’s chauffeur, Thomas Branson, and its tragic conclusion.
Since her Downton days, Jessica has graced our screens in a variety of TV shows including BBC One’s Jamaica Inn, The Outcast, Harlots, and Netflix’s Castlevania. She is set to star in ITVX’s drama Playing Nice and Mother Mary in the forthcoming period.
Her other roles include Elizabeth in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Linder Sterling in England Is Mine and Munich: The Edge of War.
Dan Stevens – Matthew Reginald Crawley
Matthew Reginald Crawley, a middle-class distant relative of the Crawleys, became the heir to the estate in the first episode and subsequently moved to Downton. He was paralysed from the waist down during the First World War but recovered and married Lady Mary.
Dan has had roles in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga and Legion
Tragically, he died in a car accident while driving home from the hospital. He left his share of Downton to Mary.
Dan has since carved out a successful career in film and TV, with roles in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, FX series Legion, animated series Solar Opposites and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Elizabeth McGovern – Cora Crawley
Known as the Countess of Grantham, she was the wealthy American heiress who helped save Downton. Compassionate Cora opened up Downton to soldiers during the First World War and served on the hospital board.
The American actress reprised her role for the Downton Abbey films and also appeared in the film The Chaperone. Elizabeth has also pursued her musical interests with band Sadie and the Hotheads.
Elizabeth is wed to British film director and producer Simon Curtis, who helmed the 2022 film and its yet-to-be-named sequel slated for release in 2025.
Lily James – Lady Rose Aldridge/MacClare
Audiences witnessed Lady Rose frequently at odds with others and maintaining a strained relationship with her mother. As the series unfolded, Rose matured and tied the knot with Atticus Aldridge, son of Lord and Lady Sinderby, and they have a daughter together.
Lily was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy Award for her depiction of Pamela Anderson(Image: Ian West//PA Wire)
Lily, who initially rose to fame during her time on Downton Abbey, later received nominations for a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy Award for her depiction of Pamela Anderson in Pam and Tommy. The British actress has also featured in films such as The Dig, The Iron Claw, Baby Driver, Yesterday and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Jim Carter – Charles Carson
As the butler in Downton, audiences quickly warmed to Charles’ professionalism, charisma and loyalty to the family. He was an invaluable aid to the family, particularly supporting Lady Mary through her period of mourning over Matthew.
The seasoned actor, known for his stage and TV roles before joining Downton Abbey, saw his career continue to flourish after the series. He appeared in Transformers: The Last Knight, The Good Liar, The Sea Beast and Wonka.
Jim has also lent his voice to numerous historical documentaries about Stonehenge, the Royal family, World War II and the National Trust.
Joanne Froggatt – Anna Bates
Anna Bates, portrayed by Joanne Froggatt, was a central character in Downton Abbey, involved in some of the most emotional and gripping storylines, including love, marriage, and loss, all while serving Lady Mary Crawley and her family.
Joanne’s heartfelt performance earned her three Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe award.
Since leaving Downton, Joanne has voiced the character Wendy in Bob the Builder and appeared in TV shows such as Liar, Angela Black, Sherwood, and North Shore. She also reprised her role for the Downton Abbey films.
HER breakout role saw her play Michael Douglas’s drug-addicted teen daughter in 2000 crime flick, Traffic.
Since then she’s starred opposite some of Hollywood‘s biggest names from Kevin Costner to Susan Sarandon.
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This famous actress found fame opposite Michael DouglasCredit: The Mega Agency
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She’s been in dozens of movies and films over the past three decadesCredit: The Mega Agency
And 25 years on from that career-defining role, the successful actress, 42, is embracing her natural self.
She was spotted out and about in LA in a vest top and ripped jeans freely showing off her armpit hair as she reached up to adjust her locks.
Going makeup-free, Parenthood star Erika Christensen looked at ease and radiant as she strolled in the sunshine.
Mom-of-two Erika currently stars in ABC crime drama Will Trent as the titular dyslexic detective’s on/off girlfriend Angie Polaski.
She hasn’t stopped working for the past three decades with dozens of film, TV and music video credits to her name.
Some of her best known work includes the films Swimfan, The Upside of Anger and Flightplan, while on the small screen she’s been in The Geena Davis Show and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Her first major role was back in 1995 when she appeared in Michael Jackson’s Childhood video, though she never got to actually meet the King of Pop.
She once told Blackfilm.com, “I wish I could have met him, I didn’t. We were green screened together. In the video he’s sitting in a forest and all the kids are in boats above him. He sent me an autographed photo and that was nice.”
The interview came out ahead of the release of her 2005 rom-com The Upside of Anger where she played the daughter of Joan Allen’s character Terry Wolfmeyer.
The family drama sees Terry fall for heavy drinking neighbor Denny Davies [Costner] after husband Grey upped and left the family for a life in Sweden with his secretary – though this doesn’t end up being the case.
Cheaper by the Dozen Official Trailer
Erika said at the time, “Kevin Costner and Joan Allen, who does not love Joan Allen? She’s fantastic, so cool as a person.
“She’s our mother, it’s about a family, there are four daughters, Alicia Witt, Kerri Russell, Evan Rachel Wood, and myself. It’s a great cast and it’s written and directed by Mike Binder. He stars in it too.
“It’s a bunch of us over a period of three years. It’s very dramatic and funny. It’s really character driven. I’m looking forward to see it so much.”
Erika was raised a Scientologist in Seattle and has defended the controversial religion in recent years.
She opened up about it to her Parenthood co-star Dax Shepard on an episode of his Armchair Expert podcast, explaining her beliefs.
She said: “I can justify things in all kinds of different ways, but basically, like, as a Scientologist, and I definitely cannot speak for every Scientologist about anything because everybody has their own beliefs and comes at it from even other religions and all kinds of stuff.
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Erika Christensen’s breakthrough role was in TrafficCredit: Alamy
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She currently has a lead role in crime drama Will TrentCredit: Getty
“However, I don’t believe this is the first time I have lived on this planet and I basically think I’ve probably done absolutely everything before.”
The foundation of Scientology is the belief each person is an immortal spiritual being with unlimited potential.
Erika poured scorn on Leah Remini’s stirring docuseries Scientology and the Aftermath as well as follow up Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.
She said, “It honestly doesn’t have anything to do with anything that I’ve ever learned about the group or organization.
“To be specific about [Going Clear], if somebody has read a book, read Dianetics or some Scientology book and wants to philosophically tell me what they disagree with it, cool.
“That is a totally different thing. But, specifically with that documentary, the documentary was based on a book. The book was not even published in some English-speaking countries because the libel laws are stricter than they are here.”
Erika Christensen’s career timeline
Erika Christensen’s journey in Hollywood kicked off pretty early, even featuring in Michael Jackson’s “Childhood” music video back in 1995 when she was just twelve. She never actually got to meet the King of Pop on set though, as they were green-screened together for the video.
Her big moment arrived in 2000 with her captivating portrayal of Caroline Wakefield, a teenage drug addict, in Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed film Traffic.
The role really put her on the map, earning her an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance and a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the ensemble cast. People magazine even named her one of their “Breakthrough Stars of 2001”.
After Traffic, Erika kept busy with a mix of film roles, diving into everything from teen thrillers like Swimfan (2002) to comedies such as The Banger Sisters (2002) and The Perfect Score (2004).
She also explored dramatic and thriller territory in films like Flightplan (2005), How to Rob a Bank (2007), The Tortured (2010), and more recently, The Case for Christ (2017), KIMI (2022), and Cheaper by the Dozen (2022).
Erika’s television career has been equally varied. She had early guest spots on popular shows like Frasier, The Practice, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and That ’70s Show.
A significant chapter of her TV career was playing Julia Braverman-Graham in the beloved NBC family drama Parenthood from 2010 to 2015, a role for which she won a Gracie Award in 2014.
She also appeared in shows like Six Degrees (2006-2007), Wicked City (2015), and Ten Days in the Valley (2017).
Currently, you can catch her starring as Angie Polaski in the ABC series Will Trent, which premiered in 2023.
Washington Post reporter and columnist Lou Cannon has covered Ronald Reagan for more than 25 years. This article is adapted from his book, “President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime (Simon & Schuster)
President Ronald Reagan’s aides became accustomed to figuring out things for themselves, for he managed by indirection when he managed at all. Aides who had worked for more directive presidents found this disconcerting.
“He made no demands, and gave almost no instructions,” said Martin Anderson, a veteran of the Nixon Administration. Anderson thought Reagan’s management style odd but rationalized that it was “a small thing, an eccentricity that was dwarfed by his multiple, stunning qualities.”
And yet Anderson was bothered more by this “small thing” than he let on in his useful book “Revolution,” or maybe even more than he realized. It was Anderson who told me that when he returned to the campaign in 1980, after a long absence, he was not quite sure if Reagan realized he had ever been away. Others less self-secure than Anderson or less convinced of Reagan’s greatness were bothered even more by the way their leader distanced himself.
By keeping his emotional distance from the lives and struggles of his subordinates, Reagan was less affected by what happened to them than were presidents with closer relationships. It did not matter all that much to him who was in the supporting cast. Actors came and went in Washington as they had done in Hollywood and Sacramento, without altering his purposes or changing his conception of himself. Reagan remained serene in the center of his universe, awaiting his next performance.
While his distancing of himself from others may have been useful or even necessary for Reagan, it took a heavy toll among the entourage. Principal members of the Reagan team were misled by his manner or misled themselves into an expectation of friendship. They competed to be Reagan’s favorite person.
“Here he was, enormously successful in things that he had done, very confident, comfortable with himself, and a very likable man,” said White House aide Robert B. Sims. “And he had these other people who were mature adults, most of them successful in their own right–the George Shultzes, the Caspar Weinbergers, the Bill Clarks–who had done things on their own and been successful, but Reagan was always up there at a level above these advisers and they all seemed to want to get his favor.” Reagan did not consciously play these subordinates off against one another, as Franklin D. Roosevelt might have done. Instead, he bestowed approval in a general sense on all “the fellas” or “the boys,” as he was wont to describe his inner circle, while withholding his approval from any one of them in particular.
Republican congressional leaders found Reagan uninterested in political strategy, although he was always willing to place a call to a wavering congressman if provided with the script of what he ought to say.
What animated Reagan was a public performance. He knew how to edit a script and measure an audience. He also knew that the screenplay of his presidency, however complicated it became on the margins, was rooted in the fundamental themes of lower taxes, deregulation and “peace through strength” that he had expounded in the anti-government speech he had given in 1964 for Republican presidential candidate Barry M. Goldwater.
The Speech was his bible, and Reagan never tired of giving it. Its themes and Reagan’s approach to government were, as his friend William F. Buckley put it, “inherently anti-statist.”
But on other issues, especially when the discussion was over his head, Reagan’s participation was usually limited to jokes and cinematic illustrations. This is not surprising, as Reagan spent more time at the movies during his presidency than at anything else.
He went to Camp David on 183 weekends, usually watching two films on each of these trips. He saw movies in the White House family theater, on television in the family quarters and in the villas and lavish guest quarters accorded presidents when they travel.
On the afternoon before the 1983 economic summit of the world’s industrialized democracies in colonial Williamsburg, White House Chief of Staff James A. Baker III stopped off at Providence Hall, where the Reagans were staying, bringing with him a thick briefing book on the upcoming meetings. Baker, then on his way to a tennis game, had carefully checked through the book to see that it contained everything Reagan needed to know without going into too much detail. He was concerned about Reagan’s performance at the summit, which had attracted hundreds of journalists from around the world and been advertised in advance by the White House as an Administration triumph.
But when Baker returned to Providence Hall the next morning, he found the briefing book unopened on the table where he had deposited it. He knew immediately that Reagan hadn’t even glanced at it, and he couldn’t believe it. In an hour Reagan would be presiding over the first meeting of the economic summit, the only one held in the United States during his presidency. Uncharacteristically, Baker asked Reagan why he hadn’t cracked the briefing book, “Well, Jim, ‘The Sound of Music’ was on last night,” Reagan said calmly.
Nonetheless, Reagan’s charm and cue cards carried him through the summit without incident. By the third year of his presidency the leaders of the democracies were also growing accustomed to Reagan’s anecdotes and to his cheerful sermons about the wonders of the market system and lower taxes. They were awed at what they saw as his hold on the American people.
In the halcyon days of his presidency, Reagan seemed to have no need of briefing books. And even on those occasions when he read them, he was more apt to find solutions in the movies he watched religiously each weekend.
Sometimes the movies and the briefing books pointed in the same direction. By mid-1983, the U.S. and Soviet governments were beginning to emerge from the mutual acrimony that prevailed between them since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in Christmas week of 1979. Guided by Reagan’s impulses and George P. Shultz’s diplomacy, the U.S. government was beginning to explore what would ultimately become, after the ascension of Mikhail S. Gorbachev, a more optimistic and productive era in U.S.-Soviet relations.
But arms-control enthusiasts on Capitol Hill were skeptical about Reagan’s intentions toward the nation he had called “the evil empire.” The Administration had been able to persuade a swing group of moderate Democrats to join with Republicans in supporting limited deployment of the MX missile only after Reagan pledged that he would also diligently pursue arms-control opportunities.
On the first weekend in June, 1983, while Democratic support for the MX remained much in question, Reagan went to Camp David with a briefcase full of option papers on arms control. He made a few personal phone calls, scanned the material in the folders and put them aside. After dinner, Reagan was in the mood for a movie, as he usually was on Saturday night. The film that evening was “War Games,” in which Matthew Broderick stars as a teen-age computer whiz who accidentally accesses the North American Aerospace Defense Command–NORAD–and almost launches World War III. It was an entertaining anti-war film with a clear message, intoned in the movie by an advanced computer: The only way to win the “game” of thermonuclear war is not to play it.
Two days later, Reagan met at the White House with several Democratic congressmen who had backed the MX in exchange for the President’s arms-control commitment. He began the meeting by reading from cue cards tailored to congressional concerns. “I just can’t believe that if the Soviets think long and hard about the arms race, they won’t be interested in getting a sensible agreement,” Reagan said.
Then he put the cue cards aside and his face lit up. He asked the congressmen if any of them had seen “War Games,” and when no one volunteered an answer launched into an animated account of the plot. The congressmen were fascinated with Reagan’s change of mood and his obvious interest in the film. He said, “I don’t understand these computers very well, but this young man obviously did. He had tied into NORAD!”
The opening scene unfolds onto a bird’s-eye view of a sedan making its way down a stretch of unmarked highway, as Woody Harrelson’s unmistakable drawl is heard off-camera. “You ever wonder if this industry of ours is just chasing its own tail?” he asks.
Matthew McConaughey, in his equally distinctive cadence, shoots back, “No, I don’t wonder. Restrictions, regulations, nickel and diming productions, political lectures,” before the camera pans in for a close-up of the actors.
The sequence pays homage to the gritty, atmospheric crime drama “True Detective.” Indeed, it was directed by Nic Pizzolatto, the show’s creator.
Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey have played major roles in the effort to increase Texas film incentives.
(Lester Cohen / WireImage)
In January, this four-minute video, “True to Texas,” was released as part of an unusual campaign by a coalition of A-list actors — Dennis Quaid, Renée Zellweger and Billy Bob Thornton make appearances — independent creatives and Lone Star Republicans to appeal to the Texas State Legislature.
The goal: to help bring increased film incentives to a state not known for its wholesale embrace of Hollywood or government subsidies — particularly for something like the arts.
Despite considerable push back among conservative lawmakers, the effort paid off. Last month Gov. Greg Abbott allowed the passage of an unprecedented bill boosting tax incentives for film production in the state to $300 million every two years — guaranteeing that funding for 10 years. The law goes into effect Sept. 1.
The aggressive bid to nab a slice of Hollywood furthers the ongoing rivalry between California and Texas. Several major Golden State-based companies including Tesla and Hewlett-Packard have relocated to the Lone Star State, lured by lower taxes and its business-friendly environment. It also comes as California is struggling to keep movie and TV production, having recently doubled its own tax incentive ceiling to compete with film subsidies in three dozen other states and abroad.
The new bill puts Texas in a position to become a major player among the growing list of global and regional filming hubs in an industry that has become increasingly unmoored from its historic Hollywood hometown.
“Texas now has a program that is going to be competitive,” said Fred Poston, the executive director of the Texas Media Production Alliance. “When you really take a close look at it, you realize this is a big deal. We have this new level of funding to start building more industry around it.”
The Texas bill is not only bigger and better, but found itself an unlikely champion in Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants to make his state the world’s film capital.
(Eric Gay / Associated Press)
“We are not trying to make Texas the next Hollywood — we don’t like Hollywood. We want to export Texas values,” said Patrick in a campaign update. A staunch conservative who has relentlessly opposed legalized marijuana, gambling and abortion, Patrick has vowed “to make Texas the Film Capital of the World.”
The bill, which supports the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund (TMIIF) program, offers tiered grants up to 25% for projects spending $1.5 million in the state. Faith-based films and those that shoot in historic sites or employ a percentage of crew who are Texas-based military veterans can push grants up to 31%.
The governor’s office, through the film commission, has broad discretion over which projects receive funds and awards can be denied at any stage in the review process for material that portrays Texas negatively or contains “inappropriate” content.
Conservative backlash
Still, even with the bill’s Texas-style protectionist wrangling, its passage was far from assured.
Weeks before the Senate vote, there was hand-wringing among conservative lawmakers and others who opposed the bill on economic, moral and even biblical grounds. Critics took swipes at profanity-laced scripts and what they saw as inaccurate portrayals of the state’s oilmen on TV. Some viewed the grants as akin to taxpayer theft. Many shuddered at the thought that the bill would usher in the unholy influence of a debauched Hollywood on Texas.
“The Bible warns us of the consequences of the government wrongfully taking money from some and handing it out to others,” said the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility in one of several papers it published decrying the bill.
Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison called the bill “an abomination. And shame on everybody who voted for it.”
Harrison launched his own “Don’t Hollywood My Texas” crusade.
One of his followers, the Freedom Bard, a self-proclaimed “patriotic” lyricist, recorded an earworm of a protest anthem denouncing the bill with such lyrics as: “Keep your failed policies and your liberal BS.”
“This is big government liberal redistributive socialism,” Harrison told The Times, “The governor and lieutenant governor of the supposedly Republican-controlled state of Texas chose to keep property taxes billions of dollars higher so that you can subsidize a rich liberal Hollywood movie industry — how embarrassing.”
He plans to introduce legislation at a special hearing later this month to repeal the law.
The ‘Third Coast’
Despite the hostility toward Hollywood, Texas was once known as the film industry’s “Third Coast.”
Many of the westerns of the 1920s and ‘30s were filmed in the state.
Texas’ sweeping backdrops and larger-than-life characters have inspired some of the most celebrated movies and television shows, including the 1956 epic “Giant,” the 1974 slasher classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” the 1990 sleeper hit “Slacker” and the acclaimed small-town TV series “Friday Night Lights.”
The 1956 classic “Giant,” starring James Dean, was primarily shot in Texas.
(Warner Bros. / TCM)
The state’s cultural soil has nurtured a fertile creative community with filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez (“El Mariachi”), Wes Anderson (“Bottle Rocket”) and Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”).
By the early 2000s, however, neighboring states began chipping away.
“Texas had been highly competitive, we had all of these ingredients,” said Rebecca Campbell, CEO of the Austin Film Society. “Then all of a sudden, Texas stories were getting shot in New Mexico and Louisiana.”
In 2007, the state established its first program for film incentives, earmarking $20 million. Although the program expanded in later years, it became chronically underfunded, prompting the producers of “Fear the Walking Dead” in 2021 to relocate to Georgia after filming four seasons around Austin.
Linklater had to rework his 2024 romantic crime thriller “Hit Man” starring Glen Powell, originally set in Houston, when filming relocated to New Orleans because of a lack of available incentive funds.
Director Richard Linklater on the set of “Hit Man,” with Adria Arjona and Glen Powell.
(Brian Roedel / Netflix)
“We’re completely surrounded by states that have very active film incentive programs,” Linklater told the podcast “Friends on Film.” “They really support this industry, and you have to do that to compete.”
But a perceptible cultural and economic shift in the Texas landscape began to slowly take shape during the pandemic, when a wave of actors and filmmakers relocated to the state.
Filmmaker Nate Strayer, formerly of Los Angeles, moved to Austin in 2021 and later founded production company Stray Vista Studios.
“We started to realize that we could have an industry here where our stories aren’t being pulled away to other states,” said Strayer, whose company produced the “True to Texas” video.
Noah Hawley has made Austin, Texas, his base of operations.
(Justin Cook / For The Times)
Until the pandemic shut down Hollywood, “Fargo” series creator Noah Hawley flew every other week from his home in Texas to Los Angeles for meetings with his production company when he wasn’t shooting. When the pandemic ended, Hawley found he no longer needed to be based in Hollywood.
Last year he moved his company, 26 Keys, to Austin.
“My wife and I wanted to be a bigger part of our community in Texas,” he said. “What Austin provides for me is more of a local, handmade place.”
The ‘Sheridan effect’
The other wave to hit Texas’ film industry was Taylor Sheridan.
Taylor Sheridan films an episode of “Landman.”
(Emerson Miller / Paramount+)
The “Yellowstone” creator, who grew up in Fort Worth, began filming many of his hit television shows — including “1883” and “Landman” — across the state.
The productions brought in hundreds of millions of dollars to local businesses and a stream of tourists in what many began calling “the Sheridan Effect.”
Production of “1883” alone led to 13,325 booked hotel nights in Fort Worth, according to the city’s film commission.
Beyond the economic boom, Sheridan showed that Texas could tell its own stories and help seed larger ambitions.
In February 2023, Lt. Gov. Patrick had dinner with Sheridan.
Shortly afterward, Patrick described Sheridan as the “best screenwriter of our time and one of the best storytellers ever to make movies” and said, “My goal is for Taylor to move all of his TV and movie production to Texas.”
Soon, Sheridan had a multiplier effect.
The Wonder Project, the faith-based, family-oriented production company behind Amazon‘s “House of David,” was established by filmmaker Jon Erwin (“Jesus Revolution”) and former YouTube executive Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten in 2023 with more than $75 million from such investors as Jason Blum, Lionsgate and Leonard Leo, the wealthy conservative lawyer and Federalist Society co-chairman.
Two years ago, Hill Country Studios, a $267-million film and television studio, broke ground in San Marcos. The plans include 12 soundstages spanning 310,000 square feet, two back lots, a virtual production stage and 15 acres of outdoor production space.
Zachary Levi, the star of “Shazam!” and “Chuck,” is raising $40 million to develop his Wyldwood Studios in Bastrop east of Austin. Plans call for two 20,000-square-foot soundstages, along with a hotel, restaurants and homes.
Zachary Levi is planning to create a new kind of studio system in Texas.
(Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP)
“I really felt this … calling on my life to go and build what is essentially a new version in the lineage of United Artists,” he said. “That allows the artist to really take the power back, take their destiny back.”
But for all the activity, there was no getting around the math. If Texas did not pour resources into a substantial rebate program, it would continue to lose out.
The challenge was to convince the conservative Legislature that an incentive program was not simply a Hollywood handout.
Thus began a campaign in spring 2023 with Texas voices advocating for a strong film industry.
That May, “Good for Texas,” the video precursor to “True to Texas,” showcased Lone Star-born actors such as McConaughey, Quaid, Owen Wilson, Powell and others in support of increased incentives.
Filmmaker Chase Musslewhite, a sixth-generation Houstonian who was one of the video’s producers, said she was motivated to get involved when she lost funding for her first feature after her financier opted to shoot in Louisiana.
She joined forces with Grant Wood, a Midland native, who had studied film and ran a Dallas start-up, to launch the Media for Texas advocacy group.
“We wanted to help get the film community aligned and put forth one bill with one idea to make it as easy as possible for the Legislature to push for it,” Musslewhite said.
The Texas Film Commission painted a rosy picture, saying that for every dollar invested in the incentives, Texas received $4 of new money into the economy.
A pivotal moment arrived in late summer 2024. Media for Texas co-hosted a private screening of the film “Reagan,” starring Dennis Quaid, with Patrick at Austin’s Bullock Texas State History Museum. A number of state legislators attended.
Patrick took to the podium and announced his aim to “make Texas the media capital of the world,” Musslewhite recalled.
That was the push people needed, Musslewhite said.
Last October, Patrick convened a special hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, where a new bill for a robust film incentive was front and center.
Patrick marshaled McConaughey, Harrelson, Quaid and Sheridan to support him. Joining the effort was billionaire Ross Perot Jr.
Dennis Quaid, second from left, standing next to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, looking up, at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March, is one of the many prominent Texas-born Hollywood actors and filmmakers to rally around film incentives.
(Cassie Stricker / Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo)
During the hearing, a denim-clad Quaid voiced his support. “I, for one, feel that the world is beginning to turn right side up again and common sense prevails, and I’d like to see that reflected in our films and entertainment.”
When Sheridan spoke, he expressed regret that his 2016 film “Hell or High Water,” a story of two bank-robbing brothers trying to save their Texas family ranch, had to shoot in New Mexico because of its subsidies.
“No one will be here without the incentives,” the filmmaker said.
During the last stretch before the vote, McConaughey, in a cowboy hat, made a final overture to legislators in March.
“If we pass this bill, we are immediately at the bargaining table for shooting more films and TV and commercials in our state,” he said. “That is money that’s going to local Texas restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, dry cleaners, street rentals, home rentals ― even Woody’s barber,” in a nod to Harrelson, who was also in attendance.
The high-profile campaign worked. Two months later, the bill passed in the Senate with a 23-8 vote, and by June it had become law.
A slippery slope?
Nonetheless, concerns remain about the program.
For one, the bill, which emphasizes a positive portrayal of the state, does not specifically address whether a film or show that has themes such as abortion, gun control or LGBTQ+ characters will receive funding.
In 2010, then-Gov. Rick Perry’s administration yanked funding for the Robert Rodriguez film “Machete” over concerns that the movie portrayed Texas negatively.
Funding for Robert Rodriguez’s film “Machete” was denied over concerns it portrayed Texas negatively.
(Ryan Green / Netflix)
George Huang, professor of screenwriting at UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, cautioned this could be “a very slippery slope.”
“I understand that with incentives you don’t want to appear to fund controversial subjects,” he said. “But where do you draw the line on censorship? Who in the governor’s office is the arbiter of good taste?”
Many inside the Texas film community stress that these are still early days and believe the film office will ultimately take a case-by-case approach.
“I think that those fears are misplaced, because the opportunity for what Texas can provide to the country and to the world outweighs the risk,” Musslewhite said.
For now,the Texas film community is elated.
“Texans kind of warmed up to the idea that if an industry were to grow in Texas, it doesn’t have to look exactly like it looks in some of these other places,” Strayer said. “I think they came to realize that you can kind of write your own rules.”
And what’s more Texan than writing your own rules?
Tuesday night the Los Angeles Philharmonic opened its 103rd season at the Hollywood Bowl. It was a beautiful evening. Lustrous twilight. Bright moon. Paradisal weather. Unusually light traffic. A program featuring Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev favorites. Cares could easily slip away once walking through welcoming and efficient security.
Still, the real world is never far away from the Bowl. One of the highlights of this season has fallen victim to a baffling Venezuela travel ban. Gustavo Dudamel can no longer bring his Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in August. That now means that Dudamel will spend only a single week at the Bowl during his penultimate summer as L.A. Phil music director.
Some of the Bowl’s facilities have been dolled up a bit, but the amphitheater feels fragile after the January wildfires. The military on our streets has produced an L.A. edginess. Could that have contributed to the Bowl’s unusually low opening-night attendance? Ticket sales were said to have been strong, making the many empty seats worrisome no-shows.
What Tuesday night did herald was an L.A. Phil summer season with fewer splashy events than usual (no opera, for one), several conductors making their Bowl debuts and a good deal of Russian music. It was, moreover, a Tuesday that proved a relatively somber occasion, which, despite the lovely atmosphere, fit the mood of the times.
Danish conductor and Minnesota Orchestra Music Director Thomas Sondergard made his L.A. Phil debut. There is temptation to place every debut, along with every conductor invited back to the Bowl, as a potential candidate for the long list, short list or whatever list to be the L.A. Phil’s next music director after Dudamel departs for New York next year. But Bowl concerts tend to be hit-and-run events.
Sondergard demonstrated a sense of grandeur, sometimes shattering, other times starchy. But there were all the opening-night kinks to be worked out with audio, video, an orchestra just coming back from vacation and coping with minimal rehearsal time.
None of this played into Sondergard’s or the Bowl’s strengths as Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade in A Minor opened the program. The bland Ballade is a lesser score by the late 19th and early 20th century British composer who deserves a revival for his more substantial works.
Pianist Kirill Gerstein performs with the L.A Phil on opening night Tuesday at the Hollywood Bowl.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
For Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, the subdued blue shell lighting suddenly turned a shockingly vivid orange. Amplification met the glaring illumination with the evening’s piano soloist, Kirill Gerstein, unnaturally dominating a sonically repressed orchestra. The video monitors went their own crazy way, whether unmusically flipping from close-ups of fingers and lips or attempting surreal cornball special effects.
It was all too much (and in the orchestra’s case, too little), but Gerstein is a gripping pianist in any situation. He has just released an iridescent recording of a piece written for him and vibraphonist Gary Burton by the late jazz great Chick Corea. Thomas Adés wrote his heady Piano Concerto for him. Of all the great recordings of Rachmaninoff’s over-recorded Second Piano Concerto, Gerstein’s recent one with the Berlin Philharmonic may be the most powerful.
Every note, important or incidental, he hit in the Rhapsody had a purposeful intensity. What you could hear of Sondergard’s contribution was a starkly effective percussive response from the orchestra. It was, under any conditions, a striking performance.
Video and audio settled down for Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony, which was written in 1944, a decade after Rachmaninoff wrote his Rhapsody. The world had momentously changed in those 10 years.
Both composers fled Russia after the 1917 revolution, but their relationships with their native land was very different. Although Rachmaninoff never returned, he remained thoroughly old-world Russian. He wrote his Rhapsody in idyllic Switzerland, before immigrating to the U.S., where he died in Beverly Hills in 1943.
Prokofiev spent years in Paris and in the U.S. as a modernist, but ultimately Mother Russia was too strong of a pull, and he returned despite the artistic restrictions of Stalinist Russia. His Fifth is a war symphony, written at a time of great nationalism, and it premiered in Moscow in January 1945 just after Russia had routed the Nazi invaders.
Sondergard’s performance lacked the soul of, say, André Previn. (Previn performed the Fifth at his first concert as L.A. Phil music director in 1985). Here, threatening thunder of the monumental first movement was followed by threatening lightning in the faster scherzo followed by the threateningly dark cloudy skies in the slow movement followed by the victorious bombing of the final movement.
The overpowering bigness of this performance happened on the day that the U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Three years ago, some questioned whether Russian music should be performed at all. Several other orchestras canceled performances of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” The Bowl’s annual “Tchaikovsky Spectacular” retained the Overture although the program began with the Ukrainian National Anthem.
This summer Russian music abounds at the Bowl with the usual Tchaikovsky (which will be part of the “Classical Pride” program Thursday), a full week of Rachmaninoff, along with more Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Stravinsky. It was with Tchaikovsky that Dudamel made his U.S. debut at the Bowl, the rest being history.
Russian music has, in fact, been a mainstay of the Bowl for 103 years. Russian performers and composers helped to make L.A. what it is artistically today. And how Russian composers, those who stayed and those who left, dealt with militarism, nationalism and the threat of repression has never felt more relevant.
When four top film studio musicians formed the Hollywood String Quartet in the late 1930s, its name was presumed an oxymoron. Exalted string quartet devotees belittled film soundtracks, while studio heads had a reputation for shunning classical music longhairs.
The musicians spent two intense years in rehearsal before disbanding when war broke out, and the quartet was brought back together in 1947 by two of its founders, Felix Slatkin (concertmaster of 20th Century Fox Studio Orchestra) and his wife, Eleanor Aller (principal cellist of the Warner Bros. Studio Orchestra). Oxymoron or not, Hollywood produced the first notable American string quartet.
Throughout the 1950s, the ensemble made a series of revelatory LPs for Capitol Records performing the late Beethoven string quartets and much else, while also joining Frank Sinatra in his torchy classic, “Close to You.” Everything that the Hollywood String Quartet touched was distinctive; every recording remains a classic.
The legacy of the Hollywood String Quartet is a celebration of Hollywood genre-busting and also of string quartet making. Today, the outstanding Lyris Quartet is one of many outstanding string quartets who can be heard in the latest blockbusters. Another is the New Hollywood String Quartet, which is devoting its annual four-day summer festival to honoring its inspiration as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.
The quartet’s festival began Thursday night and runs through Sunday in San Marino at the Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall. The repertory is taken from the earlier group’s old recordings. And the concerts are introduced by Slatkin and Aller’s oldest son, who as a young boy fell asleep to his parents and their colleagues rehearsing in his living room after dinner.
Conductor Leonard Slatkin speaks at the New Hollywood String Quartet concert at the Huntington.
(New Hollywood String Quartet)
The celebrated conductor Leonard Slatkin credits his vociferous musical appetite to his parents, who, he said Thursday, enjoyed the great scores written in this golden age of movie music and also championed new classical music as well as the masterpieces of the past. L.A. had no opera company in those days, and Slatkin said his parents likened film scores to modern opera scores.
Just about everyone has heard his parents in one film or another. Take “Jaws,” which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. That’s Aller’s cello evoking John Williams’ shark-scary earworm.
You’ve no doubt heard New Hollywood violinists Tereza Stanislav and Rafael Rishik, violist Robert Brophy and cellist Andrew Shulman on some movie. IMDb counts Brophy alone as participating on 522 soundtracks. You might also have heard one or more of the musicians in the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra or Los Angeles Philharmonic.
The New Hollywood String Quartet, from left: Rafael Rishik, Andrew Shulman, Tereza Stanislav and Robert Brophy.
(Sam Muller)
The New Hollywood’s programming may not encompass the original quartet’s range, but it is nonetheless a mixed selection of pieces that have somewhat fallen by the wayside, such as Borodin’s Second String Quartet. The original quartet’s performances and swashbuckling recording of the Borodin surely caught the attention of L.A. director Edwin Lester. In 1953 Lester created and premiered the musical “Kismet,” which adapts parts of the Borodin quartet, for Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, before it went on to be a hit on Broadway.
Times have changed and the New Hollywood brings a more robust tone and more overt interaction to its effusive interpretation compared with the silken and playful Slatkin and crew, who were all Russian-trained players. Hugo Wolf’s short “Italian Serenade,” which opened the program, was here lush and Italianate, while on an early 1950s disc it dances more lightly.
The big work was César Franck’s Piano Quintet. Slatkin noted that the recording, released in 1955, didn’t sell well, probably thanks to the album cover’s saturnine painting of a composer that few would recognize. Slatkin also noted that his parents weren’t enamored of their performance, but then again, he explained that they were temperamentally ever ready to find fault.
That recording, which features his uncle, Victor Aller, a graceful pianist, is slow and commanding. Jean-Yves Thibaudet was the right guest in every way for the big-boned performance at the Huntington. He is a French pianist with a flair for German music, well suited for the Belgian French composer’s Wagner-inspired score.
Thibaudet is also a longtime L.A. resident and an especially versatile performer who happens to be featured on the new soundtrack recording of Dario Marianelli’s “Pride & Prejudice,” which tops Billboard’s classical and classical crossover charts. He and Slatkin also go back decades, having performed together and become such good friends that the conductor turned pages for him in the Franck.
Seeing the 80-year-old Slatkin onstage evoked a remarkable sense of history, reminiscent of the roots to L.A.’s musical openness that his parents represented. On my drive home Thursday, I couldn’t resist following the route Albert Einstein would have taken after practicing his violin when he lived a 12-minute bike ride away during his Caltech years — the time Slatkin’s parents were making music history at the studios. Like them, Einstein played with the L.A. Philharmonic (although invited once not because he was a good violinist but because he was Einstein).
The New Hollywood and Thibaudet made no effort to relive the past in Franck’s quintet. Instead, in their opulence and expressive explosiveness, they showed Hollywood how to produce a remake that’s magnificent.
In the meantime, Leonard Slatkin, who is a former music director of the L.A. Phil at the Hollywood Bowl, returns later this month to the venue where his parents met in 1935 at a Hollywood Bowl Symphony competition. He will conduct a July 24 program that includes a recent work by the next generation of Slatkins. His son, Daniel, is a film and television composer.
