week

A look at two of this week’s top high school football games:

FRIDAY

Mission Viejo vs. Santa Margarita at Trabuco Hills

Carson Palmer debuts as head coach for Santa Margarita, which has perhaps the toughest schedule in Southern California. It won’t be easy taking down quarterback Luke Fahey and the Diablos, but the return of Trent Mosley at receiver, the arrival of Trace Johnson at quarterback and a strong defensive line make this the most intriguing game of the night. The pick: Mission Viejo.

Eagle Rock at Granada Hills Kennedy

It’s two All-City quarterbacks going at it, with Liam Pasten vs. Diego Montes. Both teams are favored to win their respective leagues, so this is big for playoff seedings. The pick: Eagle Rock.

Nearly 300 Los Angeles city employees were saved from being laid off after two major unions signed off on cost-cutting measures.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents more than 8,700 rank-and-file officers, agreed to create a voluntary program in which its members can take days off in exchange for some of the overtime hours they previously worked.

The layoffs would have affected 222 civilian LAPD employees, such as clerks and administrative support workers. No sworn LAPD officers were slated to be laid off, but some would have had to do the work of the civilians who departed.

“We are continuing to do everything we can to bring layoff numbers down and I want everyone to know that we are still working and anticipate this number to get even lower,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “These numbers are not final.”

Meanwhile, the Engineers and Architects Assn. authorized a deal for its 6,000 members to take as many as five unpaid vacation days — in effect furloughs — between Jan. 1 and June 30, which could amount to about a 2% pay cut.

The deal saved the jobs of 63 members who do not work for the Los Angeles Police Department, in roles such as city planner, analyst and civilian investigator.

Some of the LAPD civilian employees who had been in danger of being laid off are represented by the Engineers and Architects Assn., and others are represented by other unions. The Police Protective League represents only sworn officers.

City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, who oversees labor negotiations at City Hall, said the money freed up by the agreements whittled the number of remaining layoffs to 75. He sent a memorandum to the city’s personnel department on Wednesday to “immediately hold in abeyance the layoff process” for employees represented by the Engineers and Architects Assn., as well as all LAPD employees.

In her proposed budget released in April, Bass called for about 1,600 layoffs as part of a strategy to eradicate a $1-billion shortfall. Weeks later, the City Council made a series of other cost-cutting moves, reducing the number of layoffs by half.

To close the budget shortfall, the council also decided to slow down police hiring — though the mayor and council president later announced that they are looking for money to avoid that outcome.

Since the budget was finalized, hundreds of workers have either left city employment or transferred to positions that are safe from the budget ax, leaving 360 positions targeted for layoff before this week’s agreements, according to a memorandum by Szabo on Aug. 15.

The Police Protective League’s Board of Directors called its agreement with the city a “win-win for all parties.”

“Officer safety is always top of mind for our union and the thought that any additional officers would be pulled away from enforcement duties and moved to non-enforcement duties compelled our union to act,” the board said in a statement. “We worked with the city to create a program that will save money to preserve civilian LAPD jobs while also providing a benefit to our members.”

Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the city’s budget committee, said that
“even in a tough budget year, we’ve ensured there will not be a single LAPD civilian layoff.”

“That was always our goal, but it was never guaranteed,” she said. “It was only possible because the Engineers and Architects Assn., the Police Department and City leadership worked in partnership to keep officers on the street and protect public safety.”

Roy Samaan, president of the Engineers and Architects Assn., said his union’s members authorized the agreement with the city in an online vote Sunday.

“We don’t want anyone to lose their jobs,” he said.

Aug. 20 (UPI) — U.S. border officials in Michigan stumbled on multiple discoveries of likely disease-ridden African bushmeat within a week’s time.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found two different passengers twice within a week in late July at Michigan’s Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Both the unidentified were from Togo and Gabon, respectively.

“These recent bushmeat interceptions are significant in bringing attention to the illegal importation of bushmeat through our ports of entry,” Detroit Metropolitan’s Port Director Fadia Pastilong said in a statement.

Bushmeat refers to wild animals often in the form of bats, non-human primates and cane rats from certain regions that, according to U.S. health officials, pose “significant communicable disease risk.”

The border agency pointed specifically to how the incidents showcase how it works with partner agencies to prevent disease outbreaks.

Border officials in Detroit added that while rodent-type bushmeat finds were sporadic as it is, the recently-located primate interceptions, they said, were “much rarer.”

“We routinely find various agriculture items and oddities,” stated Marty C. Raybon, Detroit’s director of field operations.

The Togan native from west Africa carried around 11 ponds of rodent meat. However, both travelers also had undeclared so-called “agriculture items.”

Raybon noted other similar finds include live giant snails, animal skulls and other “exotic food items.”

The unnamed traveler from central Africa in Gabon only two days later yielded some 52 pounds primate meat falsely declared as antelope.

Bushmeat is considered a cultural delicacy in parts of Africa and often consumed raw with minimal processing.

U.S. officials noted how the tradition also expands risk of disease spreading.

“Ebola, mpox, and other emerging diseases can have catastrophic consequences if they enter human populations,” they stated.

They added it’s also illegal to import bushmeat into the Untied States.

Last year in February a CBP K9 beagle agent named Buddey sniffed out dehydrated monkey remains from the Democratic Republic of Congo at Boston’s Logan Airport the traveler claimed was “dried fish.”

The illegal African bushmeat ultimately was turned over to CDC specialists for final disposition.

Meanwhile, the two unidentified African traveler were fined $300 each for the “undeclared agriculture items” in their attempt to bring their native “bushmeat” to U.S. shores.

Emmy season, we hardly knew ya!

Our last issue of the 2025 cycle is now out in the world, which means it’s time for this editor to switch from binge-watching TV at home to seeing movies in one of L.A.’s many frigid screening rooms. (Not a bad way to get through the dog days of summer, honestly.)

But before I return you to the newsletter’s regularly scheduled programming, here’s a look at some highlights from our Aug. 19 issue. Catch you in November when we open the first Envelope of Oscar season!

Digital cover story: Michelle Williams

(JSquared Photography / For the Times)

As heavy as its subject matter may be, “Dying for Sex” is the only series this season that actually left me doubled over in laughter.

My reaction stemmed from a moment early on in FX’s limited series where Molly, the kinky cancer patient at the core of the story, stumbles into a ransomware trap online. As played with slapstick brilliance by Michelle Williams, she leaps out of her laptop camera’s sight line as though it had metamorphosed into a dangerous animal — a scenario that only gets funnier when she’s joined on the floor by her friend and caretaker, Nikki (Jenny Slate).

As Williams, Emmy-nominated for lead actress in a limited series or TV movie, tells contributor Lorena O’Neil in this week’s digital cover story, those who suggest she’s only interested in serious fare are mistaken. “Dying” in particular required a sense of humor, Williams reveals: “My best friend recently lost another of her best friends to cancer, and she would tell me about the conversations they would have cheek to cheek lying in a hospital bed and how in those moments they found the thing to point at and laugh about, so [the series] felt very true to me.”

TV’s watercooler woman

Carrie Coon in “The White Lotus.”

(HBO)

Anytime I’ve seen complaints on social media about this summer’s “TV tumbleweeds,” I have thought to myself: “They must not be watching ‘The Gilded Age.’”

HBO’s delicious portrait of conniving old- and new-money New Yorkers in the late 19th century has ripened over three seasons into a reliably entertaining (if politically suspect) melodrama, thanks in no small part to Carrie Coon’s unabashedly ambitious society wife, Bertha Russell. Her cunning machinations, which this season included foisting a British duke on her reluctant daughter, have helped turn the series into a hit. Which also makes Coon responsible for not one but two watercooler successes in 2025 alone.

In her recent interview with contributor Gregory Ellwood, the (too modest) actor credits “White Lotus” co-stars Michelle Monaghan and Leslie Bibb for her character’s final-episode monologue becoming a viral sensation this spring. (It also likely clinched her Emmy nomination for supporting actress in a drama.) But having followed Coon since Season 1, Episode 6, of “The Leftovers,” I’m comfortable saying she probably played some part in earning those big moments. You don’t capture buzz on two shows in a row by pure chance.

Words to live by

Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma in “Andor.”

(Lucasfilm Ltd.)

The stirring speech Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) delivers to the Galactic Senate in “Andor” isn’t just the culmination of the series’ long-gestating political plotline, the moment at which the senator throws in her lot once and for all with the Rebellion — at grave risk to her life.

It is also, thanks to the careful work of Emmy-nominated writer Dan Gilroy, a memorable piece of oration in its own right, drawing on real-life examples such as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi to give a major turning point in the “Star Wars” universe genuine historical weight.

Gilroy joined me via Zoom recently to annotate the speech, from its unassuming opening line to its pointed use of the word “genocide.”

Read more from our Aug. 19 issue

Movies from India’s prolific film industry have found success on the world stage before.

“RRR,” an over-the-top Telugu-language action film, energized audiences in the U.S. and elsewhere a few years ago, even scoring a history-making Oscar for its original song “Naatu Naatu.” Hindi screenings have long drawn crowds to American multiplexes.

But the filmmakers behind “Ramayana” — an upcoming two-part epic based on one of the most important ancient texts in Hinduism — have something more ambitious in mind.

The massive productions — each estimated to cost $200 million to $250 million — are aimed not merely at an Indian audience, nor are they meant to appeal primarily to Hindus, who number an estimated 1.2 billion globally, according to Pew Research Center.

Rather, the goal is to turn “Ramayana,” with its grand-scale adventure story and high-tech computer-generated effects, into a full-blown international blockbuster, filmed specifically for Imax’s giant screens in what is intended to be the largest-ever rollout for an Indian film, according to its backers.

Executive Namit Malhotra — who is financing and producing the project through his firm Prime Focus — set the bar high in a recent interview with The Times, comparing his film to the likes of James Cameron’s “Avatar,” Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator” and the movies of Christopher Nolan.

While Hollywood studio bosses talk about reaching all four demographic “quadrants” (men and women, young and old) with their tentpole movies, Malhotra wants to draw two additional categories: believer and nonbeliever. For such a so-called six-quadrant movie to work, to use Malhotra’s terminology, it would have to succeed in the U.S.

“In my mind, if people in the West don’t like it, I consider that as a failure,” Malhotra told The Times recently. “It is meant for the world. So if you don’t like it, shame on me. We should have done a better job.”

Poster art for the upcoming film ‘Ramayana.’

(DNEG)

It’s a major gamble for Malhotra, who founded Prime Focus in Mumbai in 1997. The firm expanded significantly when it acquired British effects house Double Negative, and rebranded as DNEG. Malhotra owns nearly 68% of the parent company, Prime Focus Ltd.

He’s going to great lengths to make sure his big bet pays off. DNEG, headquartered in London with offices in India, Los Angeles and elsewhere, is handling the visuals. The firm has produced special effects for global studio features for years, creating Oscar-winning work for such movies as Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” and Nolan’s “Tenet.”

“Ramayana” is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the man behind 2016’s “Dangal,” the highest-grossing Bollywood film ever, including huge sales in China. Hans Zimmer and prolific Indian musician-composer A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) are collaborating on the score, while the visual effects and production design team includes veterans from “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Avengers: Endgame” and the “Lord of the Rings” franchise.

The success of “RRR,” which told the story of two Indian legends with larger-than-life abilities fighting British imperialism, is one reason Malhotra is confident that “Ramayana” might connect with Westerners more familiar with the Bible and “The Odyssey” (the subject of a much-hyped 2026 Nolan film) than with Hindu mythology. U.S. cinephiles have in the past embraced mythical Asia-set films such as Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Life of Pi.”

So why not “Ramayana?”

After all, family, good vs. evil and personal striving are all key themes that transcend national borders.

“Emotions are universal,” said Tiwari in a video call. “If the audience connects with you emotionally, I think they will connect with the whole story. Emotions have powers to travel across boundaries.”

Filmed entirely on soundstages, the first part of “Ramayana” is scheduled to hit theaters next year, with a significant push from Imax. “Part 2,” currently in production, is planned for 2027. Each part is timed for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The films do not yet have a U.S. distributor.

This comes as Imax has beefed up its clout as what is increasingly seen as a linchpin component for the release of big-screen movies, not just for Hollywood spectacles but also, lately, for local language films. Imax showcased just a handful of Indian movies on its screens in 2019, according to Chief Executive Richard Gelfond. Last year, the company played 15.

So far this year, international films made in their local language have accounted for more than 30% of Imax’s total global box office revenue, Gelfond said. Much of that tally came from “Ne Zha 2,” a Chinese-produced animated film that grossed roughly $2 billion worldwide, mostly from its home country.

As such, Gelfond has high hopes for “Ramayana.” “Judging from what we’ve seen, this has all the elements to be a global success,” Gelfond said.

At its core, “Ramayana,” based on the epic poem from thousands of years ago, tells the story of Hindu deity Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and his quest to rescue his love Sita from the demon king Ravana.

A three-minute teaser trailer introduced the concept, emphasizing the big names attached (including actors Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana), displaying some “Game of Thrones” opening credits-style visuals and conveying the tale’s historical importance. “Our truth. Our history,” reads the onscreen text. The video has 9.4 million views on YouTube.

“Ramayana” is a quintessentially Indian story. It has been adapted for stage and screen before, perhaps most notably as a series for Indian TV in the late 1980s.

For the new version, Malhotra wants to eliminate any language barriers. DNEG is using syncing technology from its Brahma AI unit to seamlessly present the film in local languages for international audiences. In the U.S., for example, the movie will screen in English.

“It’s a global film from the day we start,” he said. “I’m not trying to make it to appease Indian people in India. … If you go and watch ‘Ramayana’ and your family watches it, and people in India watch it, what’s the difference? It should speak to you like any other film.”

Stuff we wrote

Number of the week

Airing election misinformation continues to be expensive for cable news networks.

Newsmax will pay $67 million to settle a defamation suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems over false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election that aired on the right-wing news channel.

The network announced the settlement with the voting equipment maker Monday but did not apologize for its reporting.

Fox News settled a similar case with Dominion in 2023 for $787.5 million after it aired incorrect election claims. Newsmax is much smaller than Fox, which continues to battle a lawsuit from another voting machine company, Smartmatic.

Streaming is getting closer to another major milestone. According to Nielsen’s the Gauge report, streaming services accounted for 47.3% of U.S. TV usage in July, compared with 22% for cable and 18.4% for broadcast. That’s what happens when there’s new “Squid Game” on Netflix and there’s not much on regular TV.

Finally …

Listen: No Joy, “Bugland.” Excellent ’90s-style rock.

Four of Scotland’s five European representatives are still standing as we prepare for this week’s play-off rounds, with three guaranteed league phase action across Uefa’s competitions.

However, the bigger picture is not quite so rosy, with much harder qualification routes on the horizon unless significant strides are made in this campaign.

Celtic and Rangers are bidding for places in the Champions League, against Kairat and Club Brugge respectively, while Aberdeen take on FCSB of Bucharest in the Europa League.

The losers of those ties drop to the next tournament, but there is no such safety net for Hibernian, who take on Legia Warsaw for a Conference League spot.

“It’s a huge week,” Gavin Noon, who runs the X account Scotland’s Coefficient, told BBC Scotland.

“At the end of the season, Uefa will rank all the nations based on the amount of points collected over the last five years.

“As it stands, Scotland are 17th and we really need to finish 15th, so we want as many teams to pick up as many points as possible.”

SACRAMENTO — California Democrats on Monday kicked off the process to redraw the state’s congressional districts, an extraordinary action they said was necessary to neutralize efforts by President Trump and Texas Republicans to increase the number of GOP lawmakers in Congress.

If approved by state lawmakers this week, Californians will vote on the ballot measure, labeled Proposition 50, in a special election in November.

At a news conference unveiling the legislation, Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) said they agreed with Gov. Gavin Newsom that California must respond to Trump’s efforts to “rig” the 2026 midterms by working to reduced by half the number of Republicans in the state’s 52-member congressional delegation.

They said doing so is essential to stymieing the president’s far-right agenda.

“I want to make one thing very clear, I’m not happy to be here. We didn’t choose this fight. We don’t want this fight,” said Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park). “But with our democracy on the line, we cannot run away from this fight, and when the dust settles on election day, we will win.”

Republicans accused Democrats of trying to subvert the will of the voters, who passed independent redistricting 15 years ago, for their own partisan goals.

“The citizens seized back control of the power from the politicians in 2010,” said Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego), flanked by GOP legislators and signs in the Capitol rotunda that said, “Rigged map” and “Defend fair elections.”

“Let me be very clear,” DeMaio said. “Gavin Newsom and other politicians have been lying in wait, with emphasis on lying … to seize back control.”

After Trump urged Texas to redraw its congressional districts to add five new GOP members to Congress, Newsom and California Democrats began calling to temporarily reconfigure the current congressional district boundaries, which were drawn by the voter-approved independent redistricting commission in 2021.

Other states are also now considering redrawing their congressional districts, escalating the political battle over control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressional districts are typically reconfigured once every decade after the U.S. census.

Newsom, other Democratic lawmakers and labor leaders launched a campaign supporting the redrawing of California’s congressional districts on Thursday, and proposed maps were sent to state legislative leaders on Friday.

The measures that lawmakers will take up this week would:

• Give Californians the power to amend the state Constitution and approve new maps, drawn by Democrats, that would be in place for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 congressional elections, if any GOP-led states approve their own maps.
• Provide funding for the November special election.
• Return the state to a voter-approved independent redistricting commission to redraw congressional districts after the 2030 census.

Whereas Texas and several other GOP-led states are considering an unusual mid-decade redistricting to keep the Republican Party’s hold on Congress, Ohio is an anomaly. If its congressional districts are not approved on a bipartisan basis, they are valid for only two general elections and can then be redrawn.

McGuire said California would go forward if Ohio does.

“The state of Ohio has made it clear that they are wanting to be able to proceed. They’re one of the few states in the United States of America that actually allow for … mid-decade redistricting,” he said. “We firmly believe that they should cool it, pull back, because if they do, so will California.”

Republicans responded by calling for a federal investigation into the California Democratic redistricting plan, and vowed to file multiple lawsuits in state and federal court, including two this week.

“We’re going to litigate this every step of the way, but we believe that this will also be rejected at the ballot box, in the court of public opinion,” DeMaio said.

He also called for a 10-year ban on holding elected office for state legislators who vote in support of calling the special election, although he did not say how he would try to do that.

McGuire dismissed the criticism and threats of legal action, saying the Republicans were more concerned about political self-preservation than the will of California voters or the rule of law.

“California Republicans are now clutching their pearls because of self-interest. Not one California Republican spoke up in the Legislature, in the House, when Texas made the decision to be able to eliminate five historically Black and brown congressional districts. Not one,” he said. “What I would say: Spend more time on the problem. The problem is Donald Trump.”

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. Zero week has arrived for high school football. Let’s examine some of the big games.

Showdown openers

Eagle Rock All-City quarterback Liam Pasten is 6 feet 1 and 145 pounds.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

After months of preparation, the high school football season begins this weekend. Here are some attractive games to watch.

North Hollywood at Granada Hills. If you want to see a game that lasts less than 90 minutes, this Thursday game is it. Two double-wing teams running the ball again and again. They played in last year’s City playoffs. You better eat that hot dog quick. The pick: Granada Hills.

Mayfair vs. Yorba Linda at SoFi Stadium, 5 p.m.. You’ll have to pay a hefty fee for parking and to get in on Thursday night, but Yorba Linda is a top 25 team. The pick: Yorba Linda.

Eagle Rock at Kennedy. It’s two All-City quarterbacks going at it on Friday night, with Liam Pasten vs. Diego Montes. Both teams are favored to win their respective leagues, so this is big for playoff seedings. The pick: Eagle Rock.

Leuzinger vs. Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium. It’s the senior season for the little running back that will run through a brick wall if needed, Leuzinger’s Journee Tonga. Combined with quarterback Russell Sekona, that’s a formidable duo. Poly returns veteran quarterback Deuce Jefferson for first-year coach Justin Utupo. Look for a close, intense matchup. The pick: Leuzinger.

Mission Viejo vs. Santa Margarita at Trabuco Hills. Carson Palmer debuts as head coach for the Eagles, which have perhaps the toughest schedule in Southern California. It won’t be easy taking down quarterback Luke Fahey & Co., but the return of Trent Mosley at receiver, the arrival of Trace Johnson at quarterback and a strong defensive line makes this the most intriguing game of the night. The pick: Mission Viejo.

Downey at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Downey quarterback Oscar Rios is a magician with his arm and legs. Notre Dame won’t have USC commit Luc Weaver at receiver (injured). Quarterback Wyatt Brown debuts for the Knights. This game is certain to go down to the final seconds. The pick: Downey.

JSerra at Sierra Canyon. Keep track of touchdowns allowed by Sierra Canyon this season. There won’t be many. That’s how good defensively the Trailblazers are. Sierra Canyon has aspirations of being a Final Four team in Division 1 and this will be the first big test. The pick: Sierra Canyon.

Newbury Park at Long Beach Millikan. It’s the final season for quarterback Brady Smigiel, and he’ll have to wait until the sit-out period ends to get his full complement of receivers, giving Millikan the opening to try for an upset. The pick: Newbury Park.

Hart at Birmingham. The Patriots begin their annual five-game stretch of playing Southern Section teams. They intend to feature an offensive line filled with 300 pounders. One lineman won the pizza eating contest with 10 slices in seven minutes. Hart returns a veteran quarterback in Jacob Paisano. The pick: Hart.

Orange Lutheran at Miami Northwestern. This was supposed to be a big national game, with Teddy Bridgewater coaching Northwestern. He was suspended, so now Orange Lutheran gets to show off its powerful offensive and defensive lines to help its new quarterbacks. The pick: Orange Lutheran.

St. John Bosco at Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee. The Braves get a nice trip to Florida to show off their many skill-position players. The pick: St. John Bosco.

Mater Dei at Florida St. Aquinas. It’s another national TV game on Saturday in which the No. 1-ranked Monarchs are going to dominate. Who’s going to stop their exceptional receiving group featuring tight end Mark Bowman, a USC commit, and two Ohio State commits? The answer is no one. The pick: Mater Dei.

Here’s the link to the complete zero week schedule of games.

Cousins Diego Montes (left) and James Montes of Kennedy.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

The Valley Mission League held a media day. Kennedy and San Fernando are considered the league favorites but don’t forget about Van Nuys and quarterback Carlos Herrera. Here’s a report.

Here’s the top 10 City Section preseason rankings.

Here’s The Times’ top 25 preseason rankings.

Quarterback Jack Thomas (left) and receiver Demare Dezeurn should form one of the best passing duos in the City Section at Palisades.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Here’s a look at scrimmages last week and how Palisades could have the best passing duo.

Here’s the Foothill League media day.

Here’s the West Valley League media day.

Simi Valley’s Micah Hannah makes interception against Spanish Springs.

(Craig Weston)

There were three games played last week with Los Alamitos and Long Beach Millikan picking up wins. Here’s a report.

West Adams, Dymally and Maya Angelou canceled games this week in the City Section because rosters were not ready to play.

Prep series

Defensive tackle Mikhal Johnson of Sierra Canyon makes his first ever reception on tackle eligible play to score go-ahead touchdown in 21-20 win over Gardena Serra last season.

(Craig Weston)

The Times’ nine-part series previewing top high school football players continues this week with top linebackers on Monday.

Here’s the link to the series.

Dos Pueblos came close to pulling off the shocker of the early season in flag football, taking unbeaten Orange Lutheran to triple overtime before falling 23-21 in the championship game of a tournament at Beckman High.

JSerra has three of the best freshmen players in Tessa Russell, Katie Meier and Ava Irwin. Irwin is the sister of former Hart, Stanford and NFL receiver Trent Irwin, so catching passes comes in the family.

Girls volleyball

Redondo Union started the season going 8-1 in Hawaii, including a win over Sierra Canyon, to finish runner-up in the Iolani tournament.

Here’s a preseason girls volleyball preview, with Mater Dei, Santa Margarita and Redondo Union looking like the teams to beat.

Notes . . .

Logan Brooks from El Segundo has committed to San Diego baseball. . . .

Guard Nick Giarrusso has transferred from Oaks Christian to Crean Lutheran. . . .

One of the state’s top basketball players, Brandon McCoy, is not returning to St. John Bosco for his senior season. He was not enrolled when classes began this week. There has been speculation he might transfer to Sierra Canyon. Top Eastvale Roosevelt sophomore guard Cam Anderson has enrolled at St. John Bosco. . . .

Capistrano Valley has added a football game against Crean Lutheran on Sept. 5. Most notable: Capistrano Valley’s head coach, Sean Curtis, is the son of Crean Lutheran coach Rick Curtis. Someone is going to have to pay for dinner after a loss. . . .

Offensive lineman Blake Graham of Leuzinger has committed to Cal Poly. . . .

Eagle Rock is scheduled to get a new football field and new track in 2026. Construction would begin in December. . . .

Erik Zimmerman is the new boys water polo coach at Mater Dei. . . .

Junior outfielder Tyler Vladic of Cypress has committed to Oregon. . . .

St. Francis quarterback Shawn Sanders suffered a broken collarbone in a scrimmage last week and will be sidelined at least a month. . . .

Newport Harbor water polo standout Kai Kaneko has committed to Stanford. . . .

Santa Margarita softball player Camryn Legeny has committed to Utah State. . . .

Defensive back Dillon Booth from Crean Lutheran has committed to Hawaii. . . .

Pierce College has closed its cross-country course for 2025, forcing City Section schools to scramble for a new site. Here’s the report. , , ,

Pete Cassidy, a former basketball coach and teacher at St. Genevieve and later Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, has died. He was always confused with the late former basketball coach with the same name at Cal State Northridge. He became a much-beloved teacher at Notre Dame and lover of sports who’d ride his bike to games.

From the archives: Lorenzo Booker

Lorenzo Booker was once one of the top running backs in California, if not the nation, in 2001 at St. Bonaventure. He ended up playing for Florida State and had four seasons in the NFL after being a third-round draft pick, retiring in 2012. He’s a member of the Ventura County Hall of Fame, He played on three unbeaten St. Bonaventure teams and rushed for nearly 8,500 yards and 137 touchdowns.

Now he’s an assistant coach at Newbury Park with another former St. Bonaventure standout, Whitney Lewis. His son played for the Panthers last season.

Here’s a story from 2006 about his days at Florida State.

Recommendations

From 13wmaz.com, a story on new high school transfer requirements in Georgia.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on Jaime and Gabriella Jaquez hosting a basketball camp.

From Deseret.com, a story on former Murrieta Valley QB Bear Bachmeier challenging for starting job at BYU.

From SI.com, a story on former Santa Margarita football player Jacob Bower making impact at Nebraska.

From MaxPreps, a story on more than 100 former NFL players being high school coaches this season.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on X at @latsondheimer.

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WEEK 0 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

(Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)

THURSDAY

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

North Hollywood at Granada Hills

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Aliso Niguel at Beckman

Arrowhead Christian at Yucca Valley

Ayala at Summit, 7:30 p.m.

Bloomington at Perris, 7:30 p.m.

Bosco Tech at Rosemead

Century at Gabrielino

Citrus Hill at Redlands, 7:30 p.m.

Desert Hot Springs at Rubidoux, 7:30 p.m.

Eisenhower at Moreno Valley, 7:30 p.m.

El Cajon Christian at Rancho Mirage

El Segundo at South Pasadena

Estancia at West Covina, 5:30 p.m.

Foothill at Anaheim

Fontana at San Bernardino, 7:30 p.m.

Fullerton at Anaheim

Glendora at Chino Hills

Glenn at Mountain View

Hawthorne vs. Lawndale at SoFi Stadium, 8:30 p.m.

Heritage at Elsinore, 7:30 p.m.

Huntington Beach at Orange

Laguna Beach at Chino

La Puente at Covina

Mayfair vs. Yorba Linda at SoFi Stadium, 5 p.m.

Newport Harbor at Murrieta Mesa

Ocean View at Fountain Valley

Orange Vista at Apple Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Ramona at Riverside

Riverside Prep at Big Bear

Salesian at Western

San Jacinto at Beaumont, 7:30 p.m.

Santa Ana Foothill at Marina

Savanna at Bolsa Grande

Tahquitz at Hemet

Temple City at Whittier

Vista Murrieta at Great Oak, 7:30 p.m.

Warner at Public Safety Academy, 6 p.m.

Whittier Christian at San Gabriel

INTERSECTIONAL

Narbonne at Los Osos

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Santa Clarita Christian at Cornerstone Christian, 6 p.m.

INTERSECTIONAL

Milken at East Valley

FRIDAY

CITY SECTION

Nonleague

Arleta at Westchester

Banning at South East

Chatsworth at Monroe

Contreras at Rivera, 4 p.m.

Eagle Rock at Kennedy

Fairfax at Crenshaw

Fulton at Canoga Park

Hawkins at Bernstein, 7:30 p.m.

Jefferson at Reseda

King/Drew at Jordan, 7:30 p.m.

Manual Arts at Locke

Maywood CES at Legacy

Panorama at Chavez

Santee at Poly

University at Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.

Verdugo Hills at Marquez

Wilson at Grant

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Alemany at Calabasas

Arcadia at El Monte, 6:30 p.m.

Arlington at St. Margaret’s

Barstow at Capistrano Valley

Beverly Hills at Vasquez

Bishop Diego at Lancaster

Bonita at Muir

Bosco Tech at Rosemead

Brentwood at Monrovia

Buena vs. Saugus at College of the Canyons

Burbank at San Dimas

Cajon at Norco

California Military Institute at Redlands East Valley

Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary at Pasadena

Capistrano Valley Christian at Claremont

Castaic at Adelanto

Cathedral at Loyola

Chaminade at Oaks Christian

Chaparral at San Juan Hills

Charter Oak at Canyon Country Canyon

Colony at Ontario Christian

Colton at Jurupa Valley

Compton Centennial at Compton Early College

Corona Santiago at Yucaipa

Cypress at Cerritos

Damien at Aquinas

Del Sol at San Marcos

Desert Chapel at Desert Mirage

Don Lugo at Buena Park

Downey at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Duarte at Azusa

El Modena at Troy

El Rancho vs. South Hills at SoFi Stadium, 8:30 p.m.

Fillmore at Royal

Firebaugh at Santa Clara

Gahr at Valley Christian

Ganesha at Diamond Ranch

Gardena Serra vs. Palos Verdes at El Camino College

Garden Grove at Los Amigos

Garden Grove Pacifica at La Palma Kennedy

Garden Grove Santiago at Saddleback

Golden Valley at Westlake

Grand Terrace at Etiwanda

Heritage Christian at San Marino

Highland at Oak Hills

Hillcrest vs. Corona at SoFi Stadium, 5 p.m.

Hueneme at Thousand Oaks

Indio at Shadow Hills

JSerra at Sierra Canyon

Kaiser at Carter

Keppel at Baldwin Park

Laguna Hills at Anaheim Canyon

Lakeside at Pomona

La Puente at Covina

La Salle at La Canada

La Sierra at Miller

Leuzinger vs. Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium

Loara at Godinez

Long Beach Cabrillo at Artesia

Long Beach Wilson at Portola

Los Altos at Hacienda Heights Wilson

Magnolia at Costa Mesa

Maranatha at Arroyo

Marshall at Hoover, 5:30 p.m.

Mission Viejo at Santa Margarita

Montclair at Indian Springs

Moorpark at Rio Mesa

Newbury Park at Millikan

Nogales at California

Norte Vista at Silverado

Northwood at Irvine

Norwalk at Montebello

Oak Park at Agoura

Pacific at Nuview Bridge

Palmdale at Hesperia

Patriot at Chaffey

Peninsula at Alta Loma

Pioneer at Santa Fe

Rancho Cucamonga at Murrieta Valley

Rancho Verde at Corona del Mar

Rialto at Ontario

Riverside Notre Dame at Banning

Riverside Poly at Vista del Lago

Riverside Prep at Big Bear

Roosevelt at Riverside King

San Clemente at Tustin

San Gorgonio at Victor Valley

Santa Ana at Bellflower

Santa Ana Valley at Katella

Santa Barbara at Camarillo

Santa Paula at Grace

Schurr at Rio Hondo Prep

Segerstrom at Palm Springs

Servite at Corona Centennial

Simi Valley at Valencia

Sonora at Brea Olinda

St. Bonaventure at St. Francis

St. Paul at Bishop Amat

Sultana at Granite Hills

Sunny Hills at Westminster

Temescal Canyon at Paloma Valley

Temecula Valley at Liberty

Tesoro at El Toro

Upland at La Habra

Viewpoint at Channel Islands

Walnut at Garey

West Ranch at Oxnard Pacifica

West Valley at Valley View

Woodbridge at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel

Workman at Western Christian

Xavier Prep at Linfield Christian

INTERSECTIONAL

Bell at Bell Gardens

Brawley at Palm Desert

Cleveland at Harvard-Westlake

Clovis West at Edison

Coachella Valley at Vista

Crespi at Gardena, 4 p.m.

Desert Oasis (NV) at Dana Hills, 6 p.m.

El Centro Southwest at Canyon Springs

Franklin at Lynwood

Garces at Paraclete, 7:30 p.m.

Hart at Birmingham

Huntington Park at Village Christian

Imperial at Serrano

Inglewood at Central East

Jurupa Hills at Central

Knight at El Camino Real

Lakewood at Carlsbad

LA Marshall at Glendale

LA Roosevelt at Paramount

La Serna at Rancho Bernardo, 7:15 p.m.

Los Alamitos at Kapolei (HI), 10:30 p.m.

Mendez at Bassett

Mission Hills at Quartz Hill

Mountain Empire at Anza Hamilton

Mullen (CO) at Crean Lutheran

Nordhoff at Taft

Northview at Green Valley (NV), 6 p.m.

Oxnard at Mission College Prep

Rancho Christian at University City

Rancho Dominguez at Compton

Ridgecrest Burroughs at Tehachapi, 7:30 p.m.

Rosamond at Eastside

Santa Ynez at Dos Pueblos

South Gate at La Mirada

St. John Bosco at Manatee (FL), 4:30 p.m.

St. Monica at Venice

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy at Sierra Vista (NV), 6 p.m.

Summit Academy (UT) at North Torrance

Torrance at San Pedro

Valhalla at San Jacinto Valley Academy

Warren (Downey, CA) at Farrington (HI), 10 p.m.

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

Calvary Baptist at Victor Valley Christian

Desert Christian at Vista Meridian, 5 p.m.

INTERSECTIONAL

Academy of Careers & Exploration at Horizon Prep

Avalon at Fresno Christian

Cuyama Valley at Frazier Mountain, 7:30 p.m.

New Designs University Park at Southlands Christian, 4 p.m.

Tehillah Christian Academy at Valley Oaks CES

SATURDAY

SOUTHERN SECTION

Nonleague

Cathedral City at Santa Rosa Academy, 6 p.m.

El Dorado at Diamond Bar

South El Monte at Alhambra

INTERSECTIONAL

San Fernando vs. Trinity Classical Academy at College of the Canyons, 6 p.m.

Bishop Montgomery vs. St. Louis (HI) at Radford, 10 p.m.

Carson vs. Villa Park at Fred Kelly Stadium

Mater Dei at Aquinas (FL), 12:30 p.m.

Orange Lutheran at Northwestern (FL), 4 p.m.

8-MAN

SOUTHERN SECTION

California Lutheran at Temecula Prep

Downey Calvary Chapel at Entrepreneur

There was much ado Wednesday about President Trump’s picks to receive the coveted Kennedy Center Honors in December. Journalists and culture watchers combed through the histories of the president’s nominees — including actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone, glam-rock band KISS, disco singer Gloria Gaynor, country music star George Strait and English actor Michael Crawford — in order to better understand his choices.

Gaynor left some scratching their heads, especially because the disco queen’s most iconic song, “I Will Survive,” is an established anthem on dance floors at LGBTQ+ clubs. But Stallone — fondly known as Sly Stallone — seemed an obvious option. He was part of a cohort of tough-guy performers, including Jon Voight and Mel Gibson, named by Trump as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, and he once called Trump the “second George Washington” while introducing at a gala in Palm Beach, Fla.

But the heart of an artist apparently beats beneath the “Rocky” star’s hardened pectorals. His Instagram is littered with abstract paintings featuring thick, brash strokes with obvious nods to the work of Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat. He is exclusively represented by Provident Fine Art in Palm Beach, and regularly posts his canvases to social media with captions like, “No hesitation. No overthinking. Just color, motion, guts. Sometimes you don’t wait for the perfect moment—you throw the punch and make it count.”

Another, of a twisted yellow and red face, reads, “A portrait I did of Rambo’s state of mind before he enters a BATTLE, called ‘…SEEING RED’.”

Not all of Sly’s fans are happy about his affiliation with Trump. A comment on his most recent painting read, “Sorry to hear you are taking part in the Kennedy honors. Linking your self to trump is not a good look. I hope you reconsider.”

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, wondering if the “Tulsa King’s” oil paintings might now make it into the Smithsonian. Here’s your arts news for the week.

Best bets: On our radar this week

Antigone
Frederique Michel directs Neil Labute’s adaptation of the Jean Anouilh play exploring the effects of authoritarianism (inspired by Sophocles, it was first produced in 1944 Paris during the Nazi occupation).
Friday through Sept. 21. City Garage Theatre, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave. T1, Santa Monica. citygarage.org

Pirates Wanted
Last Call Theatre presents an immersive adventure experience featuring swashbuckling, knot tying, navigation, liar’s dice, sea shanties and more. Recommended for landlubbers 13 and over. Younger mateys must be accompanied by an adult.
Aug. 16-17, 22-24. Pine Ave. Pier, Long Beach. ticketleap.events/tickets/lastcalltheatre/lastcallpirateswanted

Russian pianist performs with the L.A. Phil Tuesday and Thursday at the Hollywood Bowl.

(L.A. Phil)

Rachmaninoff Under the Stars
Two nights, two different programs of the Russian romanticist’s work featuring Russian pianist Daniil Trifinov and the L.A. Phil conducted by Daniel Harding.
8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

The Broadway production of “Shucked” in 2023; the national tour arrives Tuesday at the Hollywood Pantages.

(Mathew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Shucked
The corn and puns are higher than an elephant’s eye in this Tony-winning musical comedy with a book by Robert Horn, music and lyrics by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally and directed by Jack O’Brien.
Tuesday through Sept. 7. Hollywood Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. broadwayinhollywood.com

Multi-instrumentalist Herbie Hancock performs Wednesday at the Hollywood Bowl.

(Amy Harris / Invision / AP)

Herbie Hancock
The versatile performed is joined by trumpeter Terence Blanchard, bassist James Genus, guitarist-singer Lionel Loueke and drummer Jaylen Petinaud for a freewheeling night of jazz.
8 p.m. Wednesday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

Culture news

Perry Picasshoe and his father walk through downtown Riverside while looking for a good spot to place another ice block on July 3, 2025.

(Daniel Hernandez)

Riverside artist Perry Picasshoe found a way to address the pain and upheaval of seeing people in his community pursued and deported by ICE. In a symbolic effort, Picasshoe melted 36 ice blocks on sidewalks of the Inland Empire where enforcement raids took place. “I took it as a metaphor of what’s happening,” Picasshoe said in an interview with De Los. “I was also thinking a lot about having these blocks of ice as almost a stand-in for people.”

Times Theater Critic Charles McNulty attended a Black Out matinee performance of the two-character play “Berta, Berta,” by Angelica Chéri. The show is receiving its West Coast premiere in an Echo Theater Company production at Atwater Village Theatre directed by Andi Chapman. The action, which takes place in 1923 Mississippi, unfolds as the titular character wakes in the middle of the night to find the love of her life covered in the blood of a man he killed. The play’s themes were enhanced by the unique community environment of the performance, McNulty writes. “I was more alert to the through line of history. Although set in the Deep South during the Jim Crow era, there appeared to be little distance between the characters and the audience,” he notes.

A new museum is set to open in a historic building in Miami, honoring, “the history of Cuban exiles with immersive, state-of-the-art exhibits that explore the meaning of migration, freedom and homeland,” writes Joshua Goodman. The building that houses the new enterprise was once the city’s tallest structure and was known as the “Ellis Island” of Miami.

The SoCal scene

Dancer Michael Tomlin III, with the Lula Washington Dance Company, rehearses in Los Angeles in January 2020.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Lula Washington Dance Theatre is celebrating its 45th anniversary on Aug. 23 at the Ford. Washington has been a seminal figure in the arts world, including in her home base of South L.A. — guiding and shaping hundreds of young community members and dancers at her studio over the years. The company has toured extensively around America and the world, and in 2021 received a nearly $1 million Mellon Grant. “Where there’s a will there’s a way. We are still here! After all of the trials and tribulations, riots, earthquakes, COVID and Project 2025, we are still dancing! Dance has saved us and it will save us all,” Washington told The Times in advance of the anniversary. The tribute at the Ford will include performances of historic Washington pieces alongside new works by Martha Graham, Donald McKayle and more. For tickets and additional information, click here.

The Old Globe announced that actor Katie Holmes will kick off the theater’s 2026 season in a new production of Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler,” directed by the Globe’s Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. The classic stage play is being given fresh life in a Globe-commissioned new version by playwright and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson. The show marks Holmes’ return to the Globe after Edelstein directed her in a 2023 production of “The Wanderers.” Performances are scheduled to run from Feb. 7 to March 8, 2026, and tickets are currently available by subscription only at TheOldGlobe.org.

The Broad is back with its summer concert series. On Aug. 16, guests can attend a show called “PAST + FUTURE = PRESENT, Pt. 1.” The after-hours event (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.) includes access to the special exhibition, “Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me,” as well as two performance stages on several museum floors. Haisla hip-hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids will rock out upstairs while indie rockers Black Belt Eagle Scout will take to the lobby stage.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

Wondering what Trump’s Kennedy Center Honors announcement felt like to watch? Here are the first 13 minutes, although it went on for much (much) longer.