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Is Hollywood inspired by the CIA, or the other way around?

LANGLEY, Va. — At CIA headquarters, beyond the handsome granite seal on its lobby floor and a wall of stars carved in honor of the agency’s fallen, experts are at work in the complex tasks of spycraft: weapons-trained officers, computer engineers, virologists, nuclear scientists.

But there are also storytellers, makeup artists, theater majors and ballerinas — Americans who probably never thought their skills would match the needs of a spy agency. Yet the CIA thought otherwise.

Though it rarely gets the spotlight, there’s a revolving door of talent between the country’s premiere intelligence agency and its entertainment industry, with inspiration and influence often working both ways.

The agency is targeting professionals at the intersection of arts and technology for recruitment, CIA officers told The Times, and continues to cooperate with entertainment giants to inspire the next generation of creative spies.

This month, the agency is assisting a New York Times bestselling author on a young adult book examining the foundations of the CIA laid during World War II. Scenes from a major upcoming film production were just shot at its headquarters, a logistical feat at an intelligence campus tucked away in the Virginia suburbs behind rings of security perimeters, where officers roam cracking down on Bluetooth signals. Another popular streaming TV series will be back at Langley to film this fall.

But their collaboration goes far deeper than that, officers said. Creative minds in Hollywood and the entertainment industry have long had a role at the Central Intelligence Agency, devising clever solutions to its most vexing problems, such as perfecting the art of disguise and harnessing a magician’s ability to cast spellbinding illusions. Indeed, in the 1950s, a magician from New York named John Mulholland was secretly contracted with the agency to write a manual for Cold War spies on trickery and deception.

These days, the officers said, creative skills are more valuable than ever in such a technologically complex world.

“You’re only limited by your own imagination — don’t self-censor your ideas,” said Janelle, a CIA public affairs officer, granted the ability to speak under her first name at the request of the agency. “We’re always looking for partners.”

An elusive history

David McCloskey, a former CIA analyst and author of “Damascus Station” and other spy thrillers, offered several theories on why the agency might be interested in fostering a robust relationship with Hollywood, calling it “a two-way street.”

“There definitely have been operational applications for espionage,” McCloskey said. “It’s probably the exception to the rule, but when it happens, it’s compelling.”

It’s easy to see why CIA leaders would be interested in Hollywood, he said, in part to shape impressions of the agency. “But their bread and butter business is receiving people to give secrets,” he continued, “and part of that is getting close to people in power.”

“The closer you are to Hollywood,” McCloskey added, “that’s a really interesting ‘in’ to having a lot of interesting conversations.”

Some of the CIA’s most iconic missions — at least the declassified ones — document the agency’s rich history with Hollywood, including Canadian Caper, when CIA operatives disguised themselves as a film crew to rescue six American diplomats in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis, an operation moviegoers will recognize as the plot of “Argo.”

“‘Argo’ was almost too far-fetched to even believe,” said Brent, an in-house historian at CIA headquarters. “It’s almost more Hollywood than Hollywood.”

Canadian Caper was both inspired by Hollywood and relied on Hollywood talent. Agent Tony Mendez had been a graphic artist before joining the agency and helping craft the mission.

Another key player was John Chambers, the makeup artist who gave the world Spock’s ears on “Star Trek” and won an honorary Oscar for his trailblazing simian work on “Planet of the Apes.” He was awarded the CIA’s Intelligence Medal of Merit for his work on the covert rescue effort.

The front page of a February 1975 edition of the Los Angeles Times

Just a few years before, Howard Hughes, then one of the world’s richest men and a tycoon in media, film and aerospace, agreed to work with the CIA to provide cover for an effort by the agency to lift a sunken Soviet nuclear submarine off the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

Deploying Hughes’ Glomar Explorer under the guise of mineral extraction, the CIA was able to salvage most of the sub before The Times broke a story blowing its cover — “the story that sunk our efforts,” in CIA parlance.

And another mission was made possible thanks to a device invented by a professional photographer — a gadget that later became the inspiration of an over-the-top scene in the blockbuster Batman film “The Dark Knight.”

In Project Coldfeet, CIA agents gathering intelligence on a Soviet station erected on a precariously drifting sheet of ice in the Arctic needed a reliable extraction plan. But how does one pick up an agent without landing a plane on the ice?

The answer was the “skyhook”: Balloons lifted a tether attached to a harness worn by an agent high into the sky. A CIA plane snagged the tether and carried the agent off to safety.

In “The Dark Knight,” Batman makes a dramatic escape deploying the same kind of balloon-harness contraption.

‘The superhero spy’

CIA leadership often says that acceptance into the agency is harder than getting into Harvard and Yale combined. Yet the agency still has challenges recruiting the type of talent it is looking for — either in reaching those with unconventional skills, or in convincing them that they should leave secure, comparatively well-paid, comfortable jobs for a secretive life of public service.

It is no easy task managing work at the agency, especially with family, CIA officials acknowledged. Deciding if and when to share one’s true identity with their children is a regular struggle. But Janelle said the CIA tells potential recruits there is a middle ground that doesn’t require them to entirely abandon their existing lives.

“People don’t have to leave their companies to help their country and to work with CIA,” Janelle said. “People come here because they love their country and know they can make a difference.”

Janelle is part of a team that regularly engages with creatives who want to portray the agency or spies as accurately as possible.

“Some producers and directors reach out and they do care about accuracy,” Janelle said, “but they ultimately pick and choose what’s going to work for the film or show.”

CIA analysts have also been known to leave the agency for opportunities in the entertainment industry, writing books and scripts drawing from their experiences — so long as they don’t track too closely with those experiences.

Joe Weisberg, the writer and producer behind the television series “The Americans,” and McCloskey, who is working on a fifth novel focused on U.S. and British intelligence, were both part of the agency before launching their writing careers. And as CIA alumni, they had to submit their works for review.

“There’s a whole publication and classification-review process,” Brent said.

That process can be a bit of a slog, McCloskey said: “They quite literally redact in black ink.”

But it is far more difficult for nonfiction writers than novelists.

“There could be bits of tradecraft, or alluding to assets, or people at the agency, which are clear no’s,” McCloskey said. “But with novels, it’s not that hard to write them in a way to get them through the review board.”

Try as they may, studios often repeat the same falsehoods about the CIA, no matter how often they are corrected. Officers and agents aren’t the same thing, for one. And as disappointing as it may be for lovers of spy thrillers, the majority of officers are not licensed or trained to carry weapons.

“One thing Hollywood often gets wrong is the idea that it’s one officer doing everything, when it’s really a team sport here,” Janelle said.

“Zero Dark Thirty,” an Oscar-winning film released in 2012 about the hunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was widely acclaimed but criticized by some within the intelligence community over the credit it lends a single, fictional CIA analyst for tracking him down.

McCloskey sympathizes with the writer’s dilemma.

“I can’t have 35 people on a team. From a storytelling standpoint, it just doesn’t work,” he said, acknowledging that little in the field of espionage is accurately captured on screen, even though there are plenty of former spies available to work as consultants.

“There’s no lack of sources to get it right,” he said. “It’s that the superhero spy — the Jack Ryans and Jason Bournes — are pretty much the Hollywood representation of espionage.”

However inaccurately glorified and dramatized, the agency hopes that Hollywood’s work can keep the revolving door moving, inspiring atypical talent to join its ranks.

“We have architects, carpenters, people who worked in logistics,” Brent said. “People might not realize the range of skill sets here at CIA.”

And as Canadian Caper showed, sometimes spycraft requires stagecraft. It’s possible that what’s needed most to complete the next mission won’t be oceanography or data mining, but costume design. Or maybe another ballerina.

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NEWS TODAY

How to get one when you have zero work experience

Jul 6, 2025 News Desk

Grace is still struggling to find a summer job without previous paid work experience

Grace Pickett A woman with long blonde hair and brown glasses in sat inside a building with yellow walls. She is smiling at the camera — Grace is still struggling to find a summer job without previous paid work experience

Grace Pickett has been applying for part-time jobs for two years now – with no luck.

The 18-year-old from Corby is hoping to head to Liverpool John Moores University to study history in September, and now her A-levels are over, she’s ramped up her job hunt.

But she’s found herself facing the same issue many other young people across the UK say makes it hard for them to get their first part-time or summer job – not having enough previous experience.

“It is very frustrating,” says Grace, who has been told by several companies they cannot hire her due to a lack of prior work experience.

Lauren Mistry, from charity Youth Employment UK, which helps young people find jobs, says it’s “a vicious cycle”.

“To have experience, you need experience.”

Grace volunteered at a charity shop for six months and says she doesn’t understand why some employers don’t think this is enough. She’s been dropping off her CV in pubs, emailing potential employers, and filling in applications on job site Indeed – but hasn’t found anything yet.

Some of Grace’s friends have “given up” on their job hunts because they don’t think they’ll ever find anything, she says. She’s not reached that stage yet, but she’s started to feel pessimistic about whether she’ll find a job before the summer ends.

Oliver Holton, a 17-year-old college student in Retford, is also struggling to find a summer job, despite nearly four years’ experience doing a paper round. Many employers in the retail and hospitality sectors want him to have more specific experience, he says.

Summer jobs are more competitive than they were 20 years ago because online applications mean there are generally more candidates for each job, says Chris Eccles, from jobs site Employment 4 Students. Increases in the minimum wage and National Insurance have also affected hiring, according to Lauren Mistry.

Oliver is trying to find a summer job, but it’s not easy

Oliver Holton A selfie of a man in a black and white patterned bucket hat. He is stood outside and in the background there is a building and the sky — Oliver is trying to find a summer job, but it’s not easy

As well as earning money, working part-time while at school, college or university, or during holidays can also help boost your CV when the time comes to apply to full-time jobs.

But figures from the Office for National Statistics show fewer young people have jobs while studying than 30 years ago. From 1992, when records began, to 2004, more than 35% of 16-17 were employed while in full-time education each summer, compared to fewer than 20% in summer 2024.

For those aged 18 to 24, about a third had jobs last summer, which is also lower than in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

We asked careers experts what you need to do to to land a summer job, and how you can stand out – even with no work experience.

Where can I find jobs?

Getty Images A young woman with long wavy hair and a red checked shirt is decorating a cup of cappuccino. A young bearded male barista, wearing a beige apron and grey t-shirt, is working in the background amidst steam rising from an espresso machine. The café has a sleek black-tiled wall and modern coffee-making equipment, creating a warm and inviting workspace atmosphere.

Many young people get their first job in retail or hospitality. There are also part-time roles in healthcare, warehousing and offices.

Though many jobs get posted on jobs boards like Indeed, LinkedIn and Reed, some employers only advertise them directly on their websites or social-media profiles.

Is it old-fashioned to drop your CV off speculatively at local pubs and cafes? Careers experts think it’s still worth trying, especially at smaller businesses.

“I actually prefer it when people come in,” says Edward Frank, manager of the Brewers Arms pub in Berwick-upon-Tweed. “It shows initiative.”

Jane Meynell, owner of Olive and Bean cafe in Newcastle, agrees. She says when candidates pop in with their CV it doesn’t just show their interest in the role, it also allows her to find out more about their personality than she might over email. And if she doesn’t have any vacancies, she often keeps the CVs on record, she says.

Show off your volunteering or teamwork experience

Getty Images A young male football coach talking to group of children in sports ground

Even if employers list previous work experience as desirable or required, they might be flexible if you find other ways to prove you’ve acquired the same skills, according to Matt Burney, an advisor at Indeed.

“You’re not going to be expected to have a really packed CV at 16, 17, 18,” he says.

Think about how you can show you’ve learned the skills employers are looking for -like teamwork, communication, problem-solving and team management.

Careers experts say this could be through volunteering at a charity shop, being on a football team, delivering a presentation or even taking on caring responsibilities at home.

Keep your CV simple

Getty Images Woman holds CV of a young woman sat in front of her in an office setting

If you’ve never written a CV before, there are countless examples online demonstrating how to format them, as well as templates.

Include your contact details, then list your work experience, if you have any, followed by your education and any volunteering or extra-curriculars. Matt Burney recommends keeping it to one page. “Don’t pad it out just for the sake of it,” he says.

“Make it easy for them to find your best skills and achievements without having to wade through large blocks of waffly text,” Chris Eccles says.

Show some personality but keep the appearance simple. Go for a size 11 or 12 font and “stay away from highly-designed PDFs”, which CV-scanning software may struggle to read, Lauren Mistry recommends.

And make the document easy for the employer to find by saving it with an appropriate title, which includes your name, she adds.

Don’t waffle in your cover letter

Some jobs also require a cover letter. This should summarise why you’re interested in the role and why you’re suitable for it.

“It’s very easy to waffle,” Matt Burney says, but people should keep it “short and specific” instead.

Cover letters a bit like exams with marking criteria, according to Chris Eccles. Study the job advert carefully to see which skills and experience the employer is looking for – and make sure you include this information, he says.

You should address the letter to the person recruiting, if you can find their name on the job listing or company website, Matt Burney says. Otherwise, open with “Dear Hiring Manager”, and end with “Sincerely” or “Best”, he recommends.

Use AI carefully

Some people use generative AI to craft CVs and cover letters. Attitudes towards that vary between companies, Lauren Mistry says – some big companies scan CVs for AI and automatically reject candidates who’ve used it. But others don’t mind.

Sam Westwood, people experience director at KFC UK and Ireland, says AI is a “really good starting point” for writing a CV or cover letter, and that recruiters at his company “actively embrace” the technology.

Careers experts recommend that if you do opt to use AI, you should check for accuracy and make sure you refine results to show your personality.

Don’t worry about your grades

Don’t stress too much about your GCSE and A-Level grades when you’re applying for a summer job. For part-time roles in retail and hospitality, “maths and English GCSEs shouldn’t be a barrier”, though the importance of exam results varies by employer, Lauren Mistry says.

Most employers just want to know that an applicant has good numeracy and literacy skills, which they can demonstrate through their CV, emails and job interview, she says.

You can never be too prepared for an interview

Matt Burney advises people ask friends or family to conduct a mock interview with them or get an AI platform to generate some questions, and think of specific examples for your answers. Chris Eccles recommends structuring your answers using the STAR answer method – situation, task, action, result.

Research both the role and the company as much as possible too. If you can, visit the place you’re applying to before your interview – cafe owner Jane says the first question she always asks candidates is whether they’ve been there before.

Present well at the interview

Getty Images Young man waiting for a job interview. He is neatly dressed in a jacket, trousers and smart shoes

It can be hard to know what to wear for an interview because dress codes vary so much by company. Lauren Mistry advises against wearing trainers, and recommends keeping your shoulders covered and avoiding blue jeans. If you’re unsure what’s appropriate, ask the company how you should dress, she says.

Careers experts say interviews are a two-way process. It’s not just an opportunity for an employer to find out about you, it’s also an opportunity for the candidate to learn more about the role and the company. Asking questions shows your interest in the role too.

You can ask about training, the company culture, and what a typical day in the job looks like. You can also ask about the next steps in the application process and when you’re likely to hear about the outcome.

And don’t just save your own questions until the end – asking them throughout the interview shows curiosity, Lauren Mistry advises.

Make sure you’re polite when you’re speaking to other staff at the company. Managers often ask other workers, like receptionists, what they thought of the candidates, she says.

Matt Burney recommends sending a short, polite follow-up email after your interview and says this will help set you apart from other candidates.

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NEWS TODAY

Diogo Jota: Liverpool’s Portuguese forward a dream to work with, says ex-Wolves captain Conor Coady

Jul 5, 2025 News Desk

During a three-year stay at Wolves, Jota made 131 appearances for the club, scoring 44 goals, including consecutive hat-tricks in the 2019-20 Europa League victories over Besiktas and Espanyol.

In September 2020, he joined Premier League champions Liverpool in a £41m deal, with Wolves boss Nuno saying Jota is leaving “knowing that it will never be forgotten, especially by our fans, all the memorable moments that Diogo provided”.

“We were gutted we were losing him because he was that good,” said Coady.

“But at the same time, you gave him a big hug and you went, you know what mate, you deserve it more than anyone. Go and enjoy yourself. Go and make a name for yourself at one of the biggest clubs because you can certainly do that. And he has done for that a number of years.”

Coady posted a moving tribute to his former team-mate on his social media account after hearing the news, which he said he did while he “cried my eyes out”.

In the post, he describes how he felt grateful hearing his kids say “dad, you played with Jota” when the Liverpool player came up on the television screens – a feeling he reiterated again.

“People look at football and think it’s all about rivalry. But watching him win the Premier League with Liverpool, it filled me with immense pride – to say I played with him and he has gone on to do incredible things,” said Coady.

“He took it by storm, like he took us by storm. Like he then took the Premier league by storm. Like he then took Europa League by storm with Wolves.

“He’s then gone and done it with one of the biggest clubs in the land. A remarkable footballer, but an even better team-mate, which is 10 times more important than being a remarkable footballer for me.”

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NEWS TODAY

Zelenskyy says will work with Trump to ‘strengthen’ Ukraine air defences | Russia-Ukraine war News

Jul 4, 2025 News Desk

US and Ukrainian leaders discuss defence capabilities on call after Trump ‘disappointed’ by conversation with Russia’s Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he agreed with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to work to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences, as concerns mounted in Kyiv over US military aid deliveries.

The two leaders had a “very important and fruitful conversation” by phone on Friday, Zelenskyy said.

“We spoke about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies,” he added in a post on the social media platform X.

The president added that he discussed joint defence production, as well as joint purchases and investments, with the US leader.

Meanwhile, US publication Axios, citing an unidentified Ukrainian official and a source with knowledge of the call, said Trump told Zelenskyy he wants to help Ukraine with air defence after escalating attacks from Russia.

This comes a day after the US president spoke to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, in a conversation he said was disappointing.

“I’m very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don’t think he’s there, and I’m very disappointed,” Trump said after the call on Thursday. “I’m just saying I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad.”

Trump said the call with Putin resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war, and the Kremlin reiterated that Moscow would keep pushing to solve the conflict’s “root causes”.

Massive drone attack

Hours after the Trump-Putin call on Thursday, Russia pummelled Kyiv with the largest drone attack of the war, killing one person, injuring at least 23 and damaging buildings across the capital.

Air raid sirens, the whine of kamikaze drones and booming detonations reverberated from early evening until dawn as Russia launched what Ukraine’s Air Force said was a total of 539 drones and 11 missiles.

Zelenskyy called the attack “deliberately massive and cynical”.

Ukraine has been asking Washington to sell it more Patriot missiles and systems that it sees as key to defending its cities from intensifying Russian air strikes.

A decision by Washington to halt some shipments of weapons to Ukraine prompted warnings by Kyiv that the move would weaken its ability to defend against Russia’s air strikes and battlefield advances. Germany said it is in talks on buying Patriot air defence systems to bridge the gap.

Trump spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday, according to Spiegel magazine, citing government sources. The two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine, including strengthening its air defence, as well as trade issues, Spiegel reported on Friday.

In Zelenskyy’s post on X on Friday after his call with Trump, he said the two had “a detailed conversation about defense industry capabilities and joint production. We are ready for direct projects with the United States and believe this is critically important for security, especially when it comes to drones and related technologies.”

Zelenskyy also said Ukrainians are “grateful for all the support provided”, as it helps protect lives and safeguard their independence.

“We support all efforts to stop the killings and restore just, lasting, and dignified peace. A noble agreement for peace is needed,” he said.

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SHOW BIZ

Trump and the arts, so far: L.A. arts and culture this weekend

Jul 4, 2025 News Desk

It’s July 4, and the country is gearing up to celebrate 249 years of independence from British rule with fireworks, beer and hot dogs. The month of July also marks nearly six months since President Trump took office and embarked on — among many other pursuits — a project to remake arts and culture in America into a set of ideas and ideals more closely resembling his own.

So many steps were taken so quickly toward a MAGA agenda for the arts that it is both helpful and worthwhile to look back on all that has happened since Jan. 20, when after being sworn in Trump issued a raft of executive orders including one titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which prompted the National Endowment for the Arts to review its grants in order to ensure that funds were not being used for projects deemed to promote “gender ideology.”

That same day Trump signed another executive order, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing,” that resulted in the Smithsonian Institution shuttering its diversity offices. After that, the administration was off and running toward the end zone.

Here is timeline of Trump’s biggest, boldest, most controversial moves in American arts and culture:

Jan. 20: Trump dissolves the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, established by President Ronald Reagan in 1982 to advise on issues of cultural and artistic import. This surprised almost no one (Lady Gaga was its chair, and George Clooney and Shonda Rhimes were members), but it was an early sign of bigger changes to come.

Feb. 7: Trump takes to Truth Social to post the Truth that shook the arts world and broke the internet: “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”

Feb. 12: Trump’s newly appointed Kennedy board members make good on Trump’s Truth Social promise and appoint Trump chairman after firing its longtime president, Deborah F. Rutter. Trump names a former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, as interim executive director and promises to make the Kennedy Center “a very special and exciting place!” TV producer Shonda Rhimes, musician Ben Folds and opera star Renée Fleming all step away from roles working with the center.

Feb. 20: Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon told a CPAC crowd in Washington, D.C. that the J6 Prison Choir — composed of men jailed after the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — would perform at the Kennedy Center. A rep for the center said, not so fast.

Feb. 26: The Washington Post reports on a pair of cancellations resulting from Trump’s orders that raise red flags for arts groups across the country. One is the cancellation of a U.S. Marine Band performance featuring high school students of color. The other is an exhibit featuring Black and LGBTQ+ artists at the Art Museum of the Americas.

Week of March 3: The Trump administration moves to fire workers with the General Services Administration, who were tasked with preserving and maintaining more than 26,000 pieces of public art owned by the federal government, including work by Millard Sheets, Ed Ruscha, Ray Boynton, Catherine Opie, M. Evelyn McCormick, James Turrell and Edward Weston. The future care and preservation of these artworks is cast into doubt.

March 14: Trump’s executive order, “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” proposes the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which also threatens museum libraries.

March 17: Trump pays his first visit to the Kennedy Center as chairman. He trashes the former management, saying the center has fallen into disrepair. He also expresses his distaste for the musical “Hamilton,” (which canceled its upcoming run of shows at the center after Trump’s takeover) and praises “Les Misérables.”

Late March: A Kennedy Center contract worker strips nude in protest of Trump’s takeover and is promptly fire, and prominent musicians, including Hungarian-born pianist András Schiff and German violinist Christian Tetzlaff, cancel shows in the United States. Tetzlaff told the New York Times that while in America he felt “like a child watching a horror film.”

March 27: Trump issues an executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which directs Vice President JD Vance to remove “improper ideology” from the Smithsonian’s 21 museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. and vows to end federal funding for exhibitions and programs based on racial themes that “divide Americans.”

April 2: Under the orders of Elon Musk’s DOGE, the National Endowment for Humanities begins sending letters to museums across the country canceling grants, some of which had already been spent.

April 29: Trump fires U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board members picked by former President Joe Biden, including former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Early May: Arts organizations across the country begin receiving news of grant cancellations issued by the National Endowment for the Arts. The emails read, in part, “The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.”

May 30: Trump announces on Truth Social that he’s firing Kim Sajet, the longtime director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery — and the first woman to hold the role — for being “a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI.” Critics quickly respond that the president does not hold that power since the Smithsonian is managed by a Board of Regents and is not under the control of the executive branch. A little more than a week later, the Smithsonian asserts its independence and throws its support behind its secretary Lonnie G. Bunch. A few days later, Sajet steps down from her role of her own accord.

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt, still reeling from just how much has happened in six short months. Here’s this weekend’s arts and culture roundup.

Best bets: On our radar this week

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Mary Pickford, one of the many stars featured in the Hollywood Heritage Museum’s exhibition, “From Famous Players-Lasky to Paramount: The Rise of Hollywood’s Leading Ladies.”

(Associated Press)

From Famous Players-Lasky to Paramount: The Rise of Hollywood’s Leading Ladies
The movie industry was built on star power, and women were at the forefront from the earliest days. A new exhibit at the Hollywood Heritage Museum celebrates actors such as Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson and Pola Negri, who blazed a trail for those who followed, leveraging their fame and gaining creative control over their careers within studio mogul Adolph Zukor’s growing cinematic empire. The show includes costumes, props, personal items and ephemera used by the stars. The museum building, the Lasky-DeMille Barn, was the birthplace of Jesse L. Lasky’s Feature Play Company, which merged with Zukor’s Famous Players Film Company in 1916 before evolving into Paramount Pictures.
Open Saturdays and Sundays. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 Highland Ave. hollywoodheritage.org

‘Noises Off’
James Waterston, Michelle Veintimilla and the virtuoso Jefferson Mays star in the Old Globe Theatre’s revival of Michael Frayn’s classic backstage comedy. The play, the forerunner of such slapstick stage works as “The Play That Goes Wrong,” revolves around a British theater’s touring production of a fictional sex romp called “Nothing On,” in which anything that can go badly does. As modern farces go, Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote that Frayn’s play is “not only one of the funniest but may also be the most elegantly conceived.” Popular among regional theaters, the play was staged earlier this year at the Geffen Playhouse.
Sunday through Aug. 3. Opening night, July 11. Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. theoldglobe.org

A older man at a microphone playing guitar.

Paul Simon
Though a recent back injury required surgery and resulted in the cancellation of two shows, America’s troubadour is scheduled to bring his “A Quiet Celebration” tour to the Terrace Theater in Long Beach and downtown L.A.’s Walt Disney Concert Hall next week. Simon has been opening recent shows with a performance of his 2023 album “Seven Psalms,” a 33-minute song suite on aging and mortality, before turning to his diverse six-decades-plus catalog of music. In reviewing the then-76-year-old singer-songwriter’s 2018 Hollywood Bowl show, Times music critic Mikael Wood presciently noted that, despite it being billed as a “farewell show,” this did not seem like someone who was ready to hang up their guitar. “It was Simon’s searching impulse, still so alive in this show, that made it hard to believe he’s really putting a lid on it. Start saving for the comeback tour now.”
8 p.m. Tuesday. Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach;
8 p.m. Wednesday, July 11, 12, 14 and 16. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. tour.paulsimon.com

Patrons enjoy an evening at the Hollywood Bowl.

Prokofiev and Pride at the Bowl
The Los Angeles Philharmonic has two shows at the Hollywood Bowl next week that demonstrate the ensemble’s eclectic range. On Tuesday, Thomas Søndergård conducts Prokofiev’s Fifth, preceded by Coleridge-Taylor’s “Ballade in A minor, Op. 33” and “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” by Rachmaninoff. Two days later, the group, conducted by Oliver Zeffman, celebrates Classical Pride with a program curated by Zeffman. It opens with Bernstein’s “Overture to ’Candide’” and closes with Tchaikovsky’s “Francesca da Rimini,” but the heart of the show brings together contemporary LGBTQ+ artists including vocalists Pumeza Matshikiza, Jamie Barton and Anthony Roth Costanzo for the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s song cycle “Good Morning, Beauty,” featuring lyrics by Taylor Mac; a performance of Jennifer Higdon’s “blue cathedral”; and a set of comedy, music and reflection from violinist and drag performance artist Thorgy Thor of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Prokofiev’s Fifth, 8 p.m. Tuesday; Classical Pride, 8 p.m. Thursday. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave. hollywoodbowl.com

Culture news

A man wearing a blue suit with an open-collared white shirt.

Thor Steingraber, executive and artistic director of the Soraya, announced he is stepping down after 12 years following the end of the 2025-26 season. In a letter to patrons, Steingraber wrote, “I’m not stopping, but rather am pivoting to new opportunities.” He previously directed opera for many years at L.A. Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lincoln Center and venues around the world, and he held leadership roles at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Music Center. Steingraber went on to thank his Soraya and CSUN colleagues, the many artists he’s worked with and supporters of the Soraya, including Milt and Debbie Valera and to the Nazarian family. No successor has been named.

For the first time since the 1912 Salon d’Automne in Paris, a rare Diego Rivera portrait is on exhibit, and fortunately for us, it’s at the Huntington Art Museum in San Marino. The painting is of Señor Hermenegildo Alsina, a Catalan bookbinder, photographer, publisher and close friend of Rivera. “This is a rare, early Rivera, from his European years, before he returned to Mexico and became synonymous with the muralist movement,” said the Art Museum’s director, Christina Nielsen, in the press release. “It’s elegant, formal, and very unlike the Rivera most people know.”

A 15th century Italian manuscript leaf depicting the Nativity scene within the initial H.

The J. Paul Getty Museum announced a gift of rare Italian manuscript illuminations last week. The collection of 38 manuscript leaves were donated by T. Robert Burke and Katherine States Burke. The works were made by the most prominent artists of the 14th and 15th centuries, including Lorenzo Monaco, Don Silvestro dei Gherarducci, Lippo Vanni, Giovanni di Paolo and Sano di Pietro. They depict religious scenes primarily drawn from the lives of Jesus, Mary and the saints and largely originated from Christian choir books. The donation also includes “Initial H: The Nativity,” made around 1400 by the prolific Don Simone Camaldolese. “The exceptional quality of the Burke Collection will radically change the Getty Museum’s ability to tell the story of Italian illumination,” said Elizabeth Morrison, senior curator of manuscripts at the Getty Museum, in a press release. The new pages will be available through the Getty Museum’s collection online once they are digitized.

The SoCal scene

A flutist, a bass player and saxophonist perform.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art held its first event Thursday night inside the Peter Zumthor-designed David Geffen Galleries last week. The new building may still be empty, but jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington and more than 100 musicians filled it with a sonic work of art. Times classical music critic Mark Swed was there and found the experience captivating: “Washington’s ensembles were all carefully amplified and sounded surprisingly liquid, which made walking a delight as the sounds of different ensembles came in and out of focus. … The whole building felt alive.” Times photographer Allen J. Schaben was also there to capture the visuals.

The new David Geffen Galleries building was built in a Brutalist style.

As far as the building itself, Times art critic Christopher Knight is less than enthusiastic, writing, “Zumthor and LACMA Director Michael Govan pronounce the new Geffen building to be ‘a concrete sculpture,’ which is why it’s being shown empty now. The cringey claim is grandiose, and it makes one wonder why being architecture is not enough. If it’s true, it’s the only monumental sculpture I know that has a couple of restaurants, an auditorium and a store. Apparently, an artistic hierarchy exists, with sculpture ranked above architecture.”

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Jake Brasch’s “The Reservoir,” currently at the Geffen Playhouse, is about a queer Jewish theater student back home in Denver while on medical leave from NYU. Josh, the protagonist, is also battling alcoholism, trying to fix himself by attending to his four grandparents. In his review, Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote that his patience ran thin with the play, “not because I didn’t sympathize with [Josh’s] struggles. My beef was that he sounded like an anxious playwright determined to string an audience along without forced exuberance and sitcom-level repartee. (Compare, say, one of Josh’s rants with those of a character in a Terrence McNally, Richard Greenberg or Jon Robin Baitz comedy, and the drop off in verbal acuity and original wit will become crystal clear.)”

— Kevin Crust

And last but not least

She Thought Lady Gaga Bought Her Art. Then Things Got Strange.

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TRAVEL

How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Patrick Ta

Jul 4, 2025 Travel Desk

Celebrity makeup artist and entrepreneur Patrick Ta admits that he is constantly falling in and out of love with Los Angeles — the place he’s called home for the last 13 years.

“[But] right now, I’m obsessed with Los Angeles,” says the San Diego native. “I feel like I am experiencing new friendship groups. For me, what makes a place magical are the people that you surround yourself with, and this entire beginning of almost summer has been the best networking and relationship building that I’ve ever had in Los Angeles. I feel like L.A. is exciting me again.”

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

While Ta has lived in Southern California for most of his life, he got his start in the makeup industry in Arizona. After convincing his parents to help him open a tanning and nail salon (which he eventually had to file bankruptcy for), his roommate helped him get a job at MAC, where he honed his skills and became a freelance makeup artist. He eventually relocated to L.A., and with the help of social media — where he posted his work — his career took off, and celebrities like Shay Mitchell, Kim Kardashian, Ariana Grande, Gigi Hadid and Camila Cabello began seeking him out to do their makeup. In 2019, he launched his eponymous beauty brand, which is known for its glowy products.

As a first generation Vietnamese American, Ta spent his Sundays at one of his mom’s nail salons in San Diego.

“Weekends were their busiest [day], so we didn’t have the weekends off to just chill, but after work I remember going to Red Lobster,” says Ta. “That was such a big treat for me and my [older] sister because seafood was so expensive, and my mom would make us share. But if we were good with her at work, she would treat us to eating out.”

These days whenever he’s not traveling, Ta tries to reserve his Sundays for spending time with friends. On the agenda is hitting up his favorite flea market, enjoying a seafood brunch at Catch and sober bar hopping in West Hollywood.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

8 a.m.: Morning workout

I wake up anywhere from 8 to 9 a.m. I have a home gym, so I’ll usually work out with my friend. He will come over and we’ll do our own circuit. I’m trying to be better and more consistent with it. Then we will either go and get a green juice from Whole Foods because it’s walking distance from my house, and we always go for a little sprint.

12 p.m.: Stop by the flea market

I will go home afterward to chill for a little bit, and then I’ll see what my friends are doing so I can start planning my day. I love going to the Grove and the Melrose flea market, especially if a friend is in town. There’s a perfume stand there that I always buy a mango sticky rice perfume [from], and it also comes in a candle. I also love wearing hats, so I like seeing what hats they have. I like the Melrose flea market because I always run into people I know, too. I also love H. Lorenzo. I always shop at the shop on Sunset Boulevard.

3 p.m.: Seafood for brunch

It’s so cheesy, but I love Catch. I love sushi. I love seafood, and it’s nice because it’s on a rooftop. I love a sugar-free Red Bull. My favorite dishes are the truffle sashimi, the mushroom pasta with shrimp added and their baked crab hand rolls.

4 p.m.: Sober bar hopping in West Hollywood

Sometimes I want to go to West Hollywood to see my gay friends and be out and about and bar hop. What’s so great about West Hollywood is you can walk around and see where everyone is. I don’t go to a specific bar, because I actually don’t drink. It’s more of a thing to do with my friends.

7 p.m.: Netflix and steak

I’ll finish off my day or any sort of socializing around 7 p.m., then I’ll go home and make myself some food. I have been obsessed with just eating a steak with avocado and A.1. Sauce, and watching whatever TV shows I like on Hulu or Netflix. Right now, I’m obsessed with the show “Sirens” [on Netflix].

10 p.m.: Do my rigorous skincare routine

I am super crazy about my skincare, and on Sundays I really try to condition my hair, my scalp, and I will always do a face mask. Then I’ll do my skincare routine. I love exfoliating my body. I have this silicone exfoliant pad that I will use to fully exfoliate my body. I’ll call it a night usually by 11 p.m. I always go into the office on Mondays and Tuesdays, so I don’t really like to stay up that late on Sunday.

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SHOW BIZ

Love Island fans ‘work out real reason’ Harrison got back with Toni in major U-Turn

Jul 4, 2025 News Desk

Harrison and Toni seemed to rekindle things in tonight’s episode, but some fans aren’t convinced as they suspect they’ve worked out the ‘real reason’ they got back together

Love Island fans ‘work out real reason’ Harrison got back with Toni (Image: ITV)

After last night’s dramatic Love Island dumping, the Islanders realised their time in the villa was limited, as they expressed their true feelings.

In a shock villa U-Turn, Harrison, who was getting to know Helena, told Toni he wanted to give things another go, despite them breaking up just yesterday. Harrison’s reunion with Toni came just as Harry expressed he still had feelings for Helena.

Early on in the episode, Harrison informed Toni that he wanted to give things another go and wasn’t ready to throw away what they had. Helena later spotted them kissing on the Terrace, as Harrison told Helena he wanted to shift his focus back to Toni.

Harrison and Toni rekindled – but some fans weren’t convinced (Image: ITV/Shutterstock)

It didn’t seem like Helena was too bothered, however, as she informed Meg that Harry told her they’d be getting back together.

However, fans weren’t convinced with Harrison’s speech to Toni, as they suspect he only did it because he suspected Helena and Harry would be getting back together sometime soon.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan said: “Harrison has clocked that Helena will always pick Harry. He is just securing his spot. I hope Toni is doing the same until someone she likes moves in.”

Another penned: “The sudden SWITCH UP from Harrison is crazy like for the past few days you were saying how you wanted Helena and now all of a sudden it’s Toni??”

Harrison and Toni got together on his first day in the villa (Image: ITV/Shutterstock)

“Harrison has obviously gone back to Toni cuz he knows Helena is obsessed with Harry & knew there’s no competition where Harry is concerned cuz he’d ‘win,'” said a third.

Despite this, the next morning, Harrison and Harry were seen preparing breakfast for Toni and Shakira – but will Harry and Helena find their way back together? Dejon thinks so…

Earlier, Dejon and Harry were seen having a heart-to-heart by the fire pit as they reflected on the shocking events. Harry is currently coupled up with Shakira, but it seems neither he or Helena can get rid of their spark.

“The way you are with Helena, that’s the H I know, but when you two [with Shakira] are together…” Dejon said, as Harry revealed it wasn’t the same.

It looks like the feelings are mutual with Helena, as she later told Meg and Dejon that she wanted to go to the Hideaway with Harry, as they later went to speak alone in the Snug.

Speaking about his connection with Shakira to Helena, Harry said: “I do like her, but obviously there’s always going to be you at the back of my mind. I know I’m going to have to make a decision at some point, but it isn’t today… just give me like a day.”

Love Island 2025 airs every night at 9PM on ITV2 and ITVX.

* Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat ,Instagram ,Twitter ,Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

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SHOW BIZ

‘The Last of Us’ co-creator Neil Druckmann leaves HBO series

Jul 3, 2025 News Desk

Neil Druckmann is leaving “The Last of Us.”

Druckmann, the co-creator of the hit HBO series and writer of the game on which it is based, announced Wednesday that he would be stepping away from the show ahead of its third season. Season 2 of “The Last of Us” concluded in May.

“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO,” Druckmann said in a statement posted on Naughty Dog’s Instagram account. “With work completed on season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, along with my responsibilities as Studio Head and Head of Creative.

“Co-creating the show has been a career highlight,” the statement continued. “It’s been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct and write on the last two seasons. I’m deeply thankful for the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and the continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II.”

Druckmann was a key creative behind the acclaimed 2013 video game “The Last of Us.” The story of a man and a girl crossing a postapocalyptic landscape had been something on his mind for years before he joined the video game studio Naughty Dog, which he now leads. Set in a world ravaged by a fungal pandemic that turns human hosts into zombie-like creatures, “The Last of Us” showed that a big-budget violent action shooter could be a canvas for complex themes and storylines.

The television series, which premiered in 2023, was co-created by Druckmann and Mazin, an Emmy Award winner for HBO’s limited series “Chernobyl.” Starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, respectively, the first season was embraced by critics and audiences alike and went on to win eight Emmys (out of 24 total nominations). The show’s second season, which adapts the story from the follow-up 2020 video game, “The Last of Us Part II,” aired earlier this year. “The Last of Us” Season 3 will continue the story from “Part II,” from the perspective of Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby.

Naughty Dog’s next game, “Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet,” in development now for the PlayStation 5, will star Tati Gabrielle (who portrayed Nora in “The Last of Us” Season 2) as Jordan A. Mun, an interplanetary bounty hunter stranded on a mysterious remote planet. Most of its details — including a release date — have yet to be revealed.

The Ankler first reported the news of Druckmann’s exit.

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SPORT

Clayton Kershaw is the greatest pitcher in Dodgers history

Jul 3, 2025 Sports Desk

The slider was sizzling. The hitter was frozen. The strikeout was roaring.

With an 84-mph pitch on the black in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox Wednesday at a rollicking Dodger Stadium, Clayton Kershaw struck out Vinny Capra looking to become the 20th player in baseball history to record 3,000 strikeouts.

As impressive as the pitch itself was the cementing of a truth that has taken nearly two decades to become evident.

Clayton Kershaw is the greatest pitcher in Dodgers history.

Clayton Kershaw records his 3,000th career strikeout as the Dodgers take on the Chicago White Sox

Greater than even the great Sandy Koufax.

Gasp. Scream. Please.

This opinion appeared here three years ago and was swarmed with a barrage of emphatic and mostly emotional arguments for Koufax.

How dare you diss our Sandy! Koufax won more championships! Koufax never choked in the postseason! Koufax was more dominant!

All true, Koufax being a tremendous human being worthy of every syllable of praise. But as Wednesday so clearly proved in front of a history-thirsty crowd at Chavez Ravine, Kershaw has done something that any defense of Koufax can not equal.

He’s endured. He’s taken the ball far more than Koufax while outlasting him in virtually every impact pitching category.

A chart examining the strikeout leaders in MLB history and where Clayton Kershaw stands.

The Dodgers’ 5-4 victory Wednesday was the perfect illustration of the grinding that has lifted Kershaw to the Dodger heavens. He didn’t have his best stuff, he was battered by one of baseball’s worst teams for four runs on nine hits, but he fought through six innings to dramatically record his third strikeout and end his quest for 3,000 on his final hitter with his 100th pitch.

“I made it interesting, for sure,” Kershaw said afterward. “I made it take too long.”

When he took the mound at the start of the sixth, just one strikeout shy of 3,000, the crowd erupted in deafening screams previously only matched by a World Series win. When he breathtakingly struck out Capra — this was his last hitter regardless — he stalked off the mound and sighed and offered the thunderous crowd a sweaty wave.

“It’s a little bit harder when you’re actually trying to strike people out,” said Kershaw with a chuckle. “Running back out there in the sixth and hearing that crowd roar was up there for me, special moments…It was an amazing night.”

A young Dodgers fan holds up a sign that reads "3,000" to celebrate Clayton Kershaw's strikeout milestone.

In all, it was pure Kershaw, and it has been unmatched even by his legendary predecessor.

Koufax was a meteor, streaking across the sky for the greatest five seasons of any pitcher in baseball history.

Kershaw, meanwhile, has become his own planet, looming above for 18 years with a permanent glow that is unmatched in Dodgers lore.

Koufax was an amazing flash. Kershaw has been an enduring flame.

Koufax was Shaq. Kershaw is Kobe.

When this was previously written, manager Dave Roberts waffled on the question of whether Kershaw was the greatest Dodger pitcher ever.

This time, not so much.

“Obviously, Sandy is Sandy,” he said Wednesday. “You’re talking about 18 years, though, and the career of the body of work. It’s hard to not say Clayton, you know, is the greatest Dodger of all time.”

When one talks about the GOAT of various sports, indeed, a key element is always longevity. Tom Brady played 23 seasons, LeBron James has played 22 seasons and Babe Ruth played 22 seasons.

One cannot ignore the fact that Kershaw, in his 18th season, has played six more seasons than Koufax while pitching 463 more regular season innings. With his 3,000 strikeouts he has also fanned 604 more batters than Koufax, the equivalent of 22 more games composed solely of strikeouts, an unreal edge.

In the great Koufax debate, Kershaw is clearly being punished for his postseason struggles, and indeed his 4.49 postseason ERA doesn’t compare to Koufax’ 0.95 ERA.

But look at the sample size. Kershaw has pitched in 39 postseason games while Koufax has appeared in just eight. Kershaw has had 13 postseason starts that have lasted past the sixth inning while Koufax has had five.

Kershaw has pitched in multiple playoff rounds in multiple seasons, while Koufax never pitched in more than one playoff round per season, greatly increasing Kershaw’s opportunity for failure.

Kershaw has indeed stunk up the joint in some of the most devastating postseason losses in Dodger history. But he has taken the mound for nearly five times as many big games as Koufax and, in the end, he has just one fewer World Series championship.

“I’ve been through it, a lot, ups and downs here, more downs that I care to admit,” said Kershaw. “The fans … it was overwhelming to feel that.”

In the end, the strongest argument for Koufax supporters is the seemingly obvious answer to a question. If you had to win one game, would you start Koufax or Kershaw?

Of course you’d pitch Koufax … if your parameters were limited to five years. But if you wanted to pick a starter and you had to do it inside a two-decade window, you would take Kershaw.

Then there are those rarely recited stats that further the argument for Kershaw over Koufax: Kershaw has a better career ERA, 2.51 to 2.76. Kershaw has a better winning percentage, .697 to .655. And despite playing in an era where individual pitching wins are greatly cheapened, Kershaw has 51 more wins than Koufax.

How rare is 3,000 strikeouts? More pitchers have won 300 games. Only three other pitchers have done so left-handed. Only two pitchers in the last 100 years have done it with one team.

Now for the intangibles. If this is indeed the golden age of Dodger baseball — as Andrew Friedman so deftly described it — then the guardian of the era has been Kershaw.

The clubhouse culture is borne of his constantly present professionalism. The work ethic starts with him. The accountability is a reflection of him. For 18 years, through injury and embarrassment as well as fame and fortune, he has never complained, never blamed, never pointed fingers, never brought distraction.

And he always shows up for work. Every day. Every game. Every season. Clayton Kershaw has always been there, which is why he will be there forever on a statue that will surely be erected in the center field plaza next to the bronze figures of Jackie Robinson and, yes, of course, Sandy Koufax.

It is unlikely the Dodgers would ever script the words, “The greatest Dodger pitcher” on the base of his statue. They are understandably sensitive to Koufax and his legacy and importance to a legion of longtime fans.

But they know, just as those fans lucky enough to be at Dodger Stadium Wednesday know it.

They weren’t just watching greatness. They were watching The Greatest.

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SHOW BIZ

Khloé Kardashian’s plastic surgeries and cosmetic work revealed

Jul 2, 2025 News Desk

Khloé Kardashian is setting the record straight — and giving credit where it’s due — about the plastic surgery and cosmetic work she’s had done after a London-based surgeon rattled off a list of suspected surgeries in honor of the reality star’s 41st birthday.

Dr. Jonathan Betteridge had a rather suspicious mind: He told followers in an Instagram Reel that he believed Kardashian had undergone a brow lift, an upper-eyelid lift, a nose job, a chin implant, a facelift and a neck lift for “overall tightness and definition” and lip filler.

Referring to side-by-side photos of Kardashian from a while back and from the recent Bezos-Sánchez wedding in Venice, Betteridge said she “looks dramatically different from a few years ago, and whether you see it as glow-up or glam makeover, there’s no denying she’s created a bold new look for herself.”

Then he added a disclaimer, saying he had no personal knowledge of what Kardashian had done and was purely speculating, albeit as a professional.

He also asked people to offer their opinions and voila, along came Khloé.

“I take this as a great compliment! first off I think these photos are about 15 years apart, But here’s a list of things that I have done. I’ve been very open in the past about what I have done so here we go,” Kardashian wrote in a comment.

And it turns out the doc’s speculation was mostly wrong.

Here’s what Kardashian copped to: a nose job. “Laser Hair” for the hairline and “everywhere else,” which we assume means laser hair removal. Botox and Sculptra injectables on her right cheek after she had a melanoma tumor removed. Collagen baby threads under her chin and neck. Sofwave laser treatment for skin tightening.

She lost 80 pounds slowly over time, she said, and has had fillers but not in the past few years. (“I hear it never goes away,” she wrote, “so I’m sure it’s still there but calmed down.”)

Also, in addition to “regular facials, peptides, vitamins and daily skin care,” Kardashian said she gets salmon sperm facials.

Giggle or not — it’s your choice. We giggled. Turns out said facials are all the rage.

She added that in 2025 “there are many other things we can do before surgery but when it’s time, and if I choose to, I know some great doctors.”

Kardashian has indeed been open about her cosmetic work over the years, talking about her nose job in 2021 and saying in 2023 that she hadn’t used diabetic medicine to take off what was about 60 pounds at the time. “Let’s not discredit my years of working out,” she wrote in reply to one Ozempic accusation. “I get up 5 days a week at 6am to train. Please stop with your assumptions. I guess new year still means mean people.”

In her list, the reality star credited all her providers as well.

Kardashian’s youngest sister, Kylie Jenner, also recently got candid on social media about her plastic surgery, revealing to a TikTok user the details of her breast augmentation.

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Frederick M. Nicholas dead: Lawyer shaped MOCA, Disney Concert Hall

Jul 2, 2025 News Desk

Frederick M. Nicholas, a war hero, attorney and real estate developer who shaped several of Los Angeles’ major arts and public service institutions, died peacefully at his home Saturday. He was 105.

Nicholas led the design and development of major L.A. landmarks, including the Museum of Contemporary Art and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Surprisingly enough, Nicholas discovered his love of the arts in law school at the University of Chicago. “When I went downtown, I saw an art gallery for the first time,” he said in a 2022 YouTube interview with Blake Meidel, a young film creator. “I went inside and I looked at it and I was overwhelmed.”

When he returned to L.A., where he had studied journalism at USC, Nicholas took classes in the visual arts and built a law practice that included representation of artists and galleries. He took on several distinguished roles in the arts community, serving as MOCA’s chairman and vice chairman for a cumulative 11 years and a life trustee for the remainder of his life. Nicholas was instrumental to the development of the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

It is little wonder that he was nicknamed “Mr. Downtown Culture.” In the 1980s, Nicholas led the city out of a cultural stasis and turned it into a global cultural and architectural powerhouse.

“Fred, we literally wouldn’t be L.A. without you,” former mayor Eric Garcetti said in a message to Nicholas on his 100th birthday.

Renowned architect Frank Gehry told The Times that Nicholas’ involvement in MOCA “was too good to be true.”

“He is an extremely smart man, and he’s sensitive. He’s been involved in and interested in the arts as a collector,” Gehry said in 1982. “He understands both the architecture and business of development. He knows all the players involved with the museum, and he has their respect. When I heard he was involved I thought it was too good to be true. I know he can pull it off.”

Nicholas negotiated with Giuseppe Panza of Varese, Italy, to acquire the Panza Collection. Including works from Mark Rothko, Franz Kline and others, the art now forms the core of MOCA’s permanent collection.

As chair of the Walt Disney Hall Concert Committee beginning in 1987, Nicholas headed a committee to find an architect (Gehry was eventually hired for the coveted gig), fundraise and plan the building process.

Over 105 years, Nicholas engaged with some of history’s greatest artists. “I met Pablo Picasso and I had dinner with him,” he told Meidel breezily.

Nicholas’ influence in L.A. extended into the realm of public service as well. After an incredibly successful law career, he shifted to pro bono work. “I thought that lawyers should do something to help the poor,” Nicholas told Meidel. Nicholas founded Public Counsel in 1970, which provided legal support to vulnerable people, including veterans and unhoused families, in what is now the largest firm of its kind in the U.S.

“Public Counsel really is his greatest legacy,” Nicholas’ son, Anthony Nicholas, told The Times on Tuesday. “They are still helping people today.”

Nicholas was born on May 30, 1920 in Brooklyn, N.Y. When he was 14, his family moved to L.A. In 1941, Nicholas served in the Army and was discharged five years later.

“One of the things that made me successful in law was that I was always in a hurry. I was always eager to move because I felt that I had lost so much time in the war. I had to make it up,” Nicholas, one of the oldest and most decorated WWII veterans, said in a retrospective on his life and work at age 100.

Nicholas was also adored by his family. Anthony recalled his father’s “beaming smile,” “great, great energy” and “the love he spread around the world.”

Nicholas is survived by his children, Deborah, Jan and Anthony; Anthony’s wife Mona; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and sister Helen Devor.

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SHOW BIZ

Glenn Whipp’s Emmy ballot: Read his list of dream nominees

Jun 30, 2025 News Desk

Emmy nominations voting ends tonight at 10 p.m. PT. Still need help with your ballot?

I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. Still time to bite into a “Jaws” doughnut and peruse my picks for this year’s Emmy races. (An ordinary bagel will do.)

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My personal picks in 15 Emmy categories

There are more than 100 Emmy categories, and if you scrolled through each and every one of them on the Television Academy’s website, you are probably one of those people who read the terms and conditions on a document before signing your name.

For me, simply filling out the following 15 categories — five each for comedy, drama and limited series — left me exhausted and in need of a sweet treat. And I already finished my “Jaws” doughnut. Maybe this cherries jubilee? Paul Giamatti would approve.

Without further ado, here are my picks and a brief line of reasoning for each. And if it’s predictions you’re after, you can find our full BuzzMeter panel’s choices here.

Bridget Everett in "Somebody Somewhere."

COMEDY SERIES
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Hacks”
“A Man on the Inside”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“The Rehearsal”
“Somebody Somewhere”
“The Studio”

Yes, “The Rehearsal” is a comedy.

COMEDY ACTRESS
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Bridget Everett, “Somebody Somewhere”
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”

Last call on nominating Everett (and her magical series), which has won a Peabody.

COMEDY ACTOR
Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Seth Rogen, “The Studio”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Best Netflix comedy: “A Man on the Inside,” anchored by Danson, still a master of light laughs.

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Kathryn Hahn, “The Studio”
Linda Lavin, “Mid-Century Modern”
Jane Lynch, “Only Murders in the Building”
Catherine O’Hara, “The Studio”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”

Colón-Zayas won last year, probably for the episode that she submitted this year. It’s weird when shows drop their new seasons in June.

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ike Barinholtz, “The Studio”
Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons”
Paul Downs, “Hacks”
Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

Thank you, Sal Saperstein!

DRAMA SERIES
“Andor”
“The Last of Us”
“Paradise”
“The Pitt”
“Severance”
“Slow Horses”
“The White Lotus”
“Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”

Voting for “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” checks a couple of boxes.

DRAMA ACTRESS
Kathy Bates, “Matlock”
Britt Lower, “Severance”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Kaitlin Olson, “High Potential”
Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”

Moss won this Emmy eight years ago. With the show ending, she has earned a parting gift.

DRAMA ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”
Adam Scott, “Severance”
Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”

“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with.” Godspeed, old friend. Also: Joel’s parting words should flash onscreen any time an Emmy winner goes long at the podium.

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus”
Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt”
Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt”
Tracy Ifeachor, “The Pitt”
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”
Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise”
Parker Posey, “The White Lotus”

Women of “The Pitt” > Women of “The White Lotus”

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Patrick Ball, “The Pitt”
Gerran Howell, “The Pitt”
Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus”
Damian Lewis, “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”
Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”
Tramell Tillman, “Severance”
John Turturro, “Severance”

I don’t know. Tillman might deserve the Emmy for this alone.

Christine Tremarco and Stephen Graham in "Adolescence."

LIMITED SERIES
“Adolescence”
“Dope Thief”
“Dying for Sex”
“The Penguin”
“Say Nothing”

“Adolescence” should win everything.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTRESS
Kaitlyn Dever, “Apple Cider Vinegar”
Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin”
Lola Petticrew, “Say Nothing”
Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex”
Renée Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

OK, maybe not everything, as “Adolescence” doesn’t have a submission here. Zellweger probably won’t win because comic acting rarely does, even though it most definitely should.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTOR
Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

Farrell has already won so many awards for “The Penguin,” it feels like either A) he must have won the Emmy too or B) he hasn’t, and good God, let somebody else have a prize. (Like Graham.)

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”
Ruth Negga, “Presumed Innocent”
Deirde O’Connell, “The Penguin”
Imogen Faith Reid, “Good American Family”
Jenny Slate, “Dying for Sex”
Christine Tremarco, “Adolescence”

Doherty will likely win for the series’ third episode, the taut two-hander with Owen Cooper. But the fourth episode is just as good — maybe even better — featuring a heart-rending turn from Tremarco as the mom trying to hold it together.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”
Rob Delaney, “Dying for Sex”
Rhenzy Feliz, “The Penguin”
Hugh Grant, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
Ashley Walters, “Adolescence”

Cooper will soon become the fifth teen actor to win a Primetime Emmy.

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NBA free agency: What to expect from the Lakers and Clippers

Jun 28, 2025 Sports Desk

The Lakers and Clippers put in the work during the NBA’s two-day draft that was completed Thursday night and now they will turn their attention to shaping their rosters.

The first key dates are Sunday, when LeBron James and Dorian Finney-Smith have to inform the Lakers and when James Harden has to inform the Clippers of their decisions to opt in or out of their contracts, and Monday, when the NBA free-agency period begins.

James has a player option for $52.6 million and Finney-Smith has one for $15.3 million.

“At that point, we’ll know the tools we have to go out into free agency and fill out the roster with the draft ending tonight,” Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, told Spectrum SportsNet after the second round of the draft Thursday. “The work for that has already begun, but the focus now will turn from draft focus to free agency and we won’t rest until we get it right.”

Harden, who has a player option of $36.3 million, also has the same day to let the Clippers know his desires.

“He’s our No. 1 priority,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, told the media after the first round of the draft Wednesday night. “We’re super hopeful that James is here and he’s here for a long time. He has a player-option, so he can opt-in … or he can opt-out and hopefully we can do a deal that makes sense for both sides. But James, as you guys know, was phenomenal and we hope to continue to see his play.”

The Lakers were able to add an athletic wing player when they acquired Adou Thiero in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who picked him with the 36th pick of the second round.

The most pressing need for the Lakers remains a center, and they’ll have to look into free agency or via trade to acquire one.

The top big men are Indiana’s Myles Turner, Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez and Atlanta’s Clint Capela.

Turner, who made $19.9 million last season, is probably headed back to the Pacers and will do so at a price the Lakers can’t offer him. The Lakers have the taxpayer mid-level exception of about $5.65 million to spend.

“As I said at the end of the year, we know one of the things we have to address is the center position and that’s clearly going to be one of our focuses as we begin the free-agency period,” Pelinka said on the Lakers’ TV show. “And that’s right around the corner.

“So, we’re looking forward to just putting in the hard work and making sure we take care of all the needs on the roster to give [Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] the tools he needs for this team to be great next season.”

Though the Clippers drafted a center in the first round with the 30th pick, getting Yanic Konan Niederhausher of Penn State, Frank said his team “probably will have at least three centers.”

The Clippers can use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception that’s projected to be about $14.1 million on a player or two, and perhaps even find a center.

They will also perform due diligence by calling other teams to see about trade opportunities.

“You’re always in constant contact with all the teams,” Frank said. “You have a good sense of the things that you can be involved with and other things that you’re not.”

Free agency begins Monday at 3 p.m. PDT, but players can’t sign contracts until July 6.

Also, Clippers wing Norman Powell is eligible for a contract extension. He has one year left on his deal that pays him $20.4 million next season.

“At the appropriate time, we’ll sit with Norm and his representatives to talk about what kind of an extension and what it would look like and how it would fit in the bigger picture,” Frank said.

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SHOW BIZ

Ceramicist Michael Frimkiss: L.A. arts and culture this weekend

Jun 27, 2025 News Desk

Ceramicist Michael Frimkiss — who was born to a Jewish family in Boyle Heights in 1937 — died on Feb. 28 at 88, leaving a uniquely L.A. legacy of classical clay creations, as well as a family of artists in his wake.

Frimkiss’ wife is the Venezuelan-born ceramicist Magdalena Suarez Frimkess, who, received her first major museum retrospective last year at 95 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His grandchildren — Sachi and Louie Moskowitz — are also artists. Born to Lelia Moskowitz, Frimkiss’ daughter from his first marriage, the Moskowitz siblings are currently staging an exhibition through July 27 titled “Made to Last” at Arcane Space gallery in Venice. Sachi is a ceramicist, like her grandfather, and Louie is a photographer.

The show is, in part, a tribute to Frimkiss and a nod to the artistic impulse passed down in the family through the generations.

As the family patriarch, Frimkiss distinguished himself as a uniquely Southern California artist who infused traditional clay vessels with pop culture aesthetics and cutting-edge social commentary.

Frimkiss’ father was also an artist who made his mark working in graphic design. He and his wife encouraged their son’s interest in art from an early age. After graduating from Hollywood High, Frimkiss won a scholarship to the school that would become known as Otis College of Art and Design. It was an exciting time for ceramics, with Peter Voulkos and his students creating a new Abstract Expressionist language for the art form.

An undated photo of ceramicist Michael Frimkiss.

In a 2000 interview with The Times, Frimkiss talked about how a peyote trip in 1956 ended with his decision to pursue the art of ceramics: “He describes being awake for 24 hours, then having a vision like ‘a glow in my forehead.’ What he saw was material being shaped into a vessel, a process that he had glimpsed at Otis but never tried. ‘I thought, that must be pottery. I must be throwing pots. That’s the answer,’ he says.”

Frimkiss went on to work in a ceramics factory in Italy, before moving back to L.A. In 1963 he met and married Magdalena, and the couple settled into a home and studio near Venice Beach. Frimkiss’ life was marked by a difficult decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis, but he went on to define himself as an iconoclastic artist noted for a no-water throwing technique that created wafer-thin pots with inimitable qualities.

Frimkiss’ work is in the Smithsonian, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, among others.

I’m arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt looking to get my hands in some clay. Here’s this week’s arts and culture rundown.

Best bets: On our radar this week

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A woman and a man in period costumes run through a grassy clearing.

‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’
Romance is in the air as the Independent Shakespeare Co. launches its annual Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival. Four young gentlemen’s vow to devote themselves to the chaste study of academics is derailed by the arrival of four fetching noblewomen in the comedy “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” Catch the final preview tonight or attend Saturday’s opening night. The festival second show, the Elizabethan tragedy, “Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marlowe, debuts Aug. 6.
Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through July 27 (except July 4). Outdoors at the Dell at the top of the Old Zoo, Griffith Park. indieshakes.org

Photo of a man on a background of colorful illustrations like a book, dog, pizza, TV, shopping bag, and more

Kamasi Washington Live
The jazz saxophonist and composer leads an ensemble 100-strong performing Washington’s six-movement suite, “Harmony of Difference,” in its entirety for the first time. The second two nights of a sold-out three-night stand (sign up for ticket availability alerts) marking the public’s first opportunity to visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new David Geffen Galleries prior to the installation of art. The Times will have boots on the ground reporting on the experience.
7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. David Geffen Galleries, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. lacma.org

‘Tombstone’
This premiere of a new 4K restoration of director George P. Cosmatos’ 1993 western about Wyatt Earp and that notorious shootout at the O.K. Corral also serves as tribute to actor Val Kilmer, who died earlier this year. The actor’s portrayal of John Henry “Doc” Holliday, which former Times film critic Peter Rainer called “a classic camp performance,” is one of the key reasons for the film’s longevity as a cult classic. Kurt Russell stars as Earp, with Bill Paxton and Sam Elliott as his brothers Morgan and Virgil.
7 p.m. Saturday. Academy Museum, David Geffen Theater, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org

Takako Yamaguchi
In the third of its relaunched “MOCA Focus” exhibitions, which present an artist’s first solo museum show in Los Angeles, the institution turns its attention to the 72-year-old Japanese-born painter, whose appropriation of diverse imagery challenges ideals of ethnic identity and cultural ownership. The show features “archly stylized” oil-and-bronze-leaf seascapes that bring together her highly-crafted sense of “Eastern” and Western,” developed over 40 years. “The L.A.-based Yamaguchi either presents the canvas as if a sculptural element itself, painted with ridges and creases and layers of depth, or treats it as a neutral surface upon which she renders a form atop (parallelogram, eye, grid of circles), as though in shallow relief,” wrote Times contributor Leah Ollman in a 2019 review. “As she plays with illusion and dimension, these highly reduced images open up, their formal distillation yielding conceptual complexity.”
Sunday through Jan. 4. Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. moca.org

Tom Hulce in the Oscar-winning 1984 film "Amadeus."

Ultra Cinematheque 70 Fest
Milos Forman’s “Amadeus,” Mel Brooks’ “Spaceballs,” John McTiernan’s “Die Hard” and Ivan Reitman’s “Ghostbusters” headline this summer’s edition of the American Cinematheque homage to large-format films. The monthlong, 33-film series kicks off with Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” screening at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the Aero. The festival wraps Aug. 4 with Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” also at the Aero.
Thursday through Aug. 4. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com

Yankee Dawg You Die
East West Players present a new production of Philip Kan Gotanda’s 1988 play about the challenges faced by Asian American actors in Hollywood, which, unfortunately, remains very timely. Jennifer Chang directs Kelvin Han Yee and Daniel J. Kim as two performers who meet at very different junctures in their respective careers. In a 2001 review of an earlier EWP revival, former Times staff writer Daryl H. Miller called the play, “gently comic and quietly powerful.”
Thursday through July 27. The David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 N. Judge John Aiso St., Little Tokyo. eastwestplayers.org

Culture news

A large topiary sculpture of two toy rockers — a horse and a dinosaur — split in half and paired unevenly down the middle.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced the acquisition of Jeff Koons’ monumental topiary sculpture “Split-Rocker” to anchor the east side of the campus at the new David Geffen Galleries building. The 37-foot-tall living sculpture, created in 2000, is designed to nurture more than 50,000 flowering plants. “I couldn’t be more thrilled than to have a piece of floral work in Los Angeles where — horticulturally — there’s such a wide variety of plants that can be used in its creation,” Koons said in a phone interview with Times staff writer Jessica Gelt from his New York studio. “I hope people going back and forth on Wilshire Boulevard, and people visiting the museum, are able to enjoy and experience the change in the piece.” The project will be seeded in August with the hope that it will be fully established by April, when architect Peter Zumthor’s new poured concrete building is scheduled to open to the public.

Anaheim police have located two giant sculptures valued at a combined $2.1 million that were stolen from an Anaheim Hills warehouse reports Times staff writer Andrew J. Campos. The theft of the pieces, “Icarus Within” and “Quantum Mechanics: Homme,” by artist and filmmaker Daniel Winn, apparently happened June 14 or 15 and were recovered a week later in a trailer parked at an Anaheim residence, according to police. Composed of thousands of pounds of bronze and stainless steel, the sculptures typically require “about a dozen men and two forklifts to move” Winn said. “This is not an easy task.” No arrests have been made.

Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro died at home in Milan on June 22, the eve of his 99th birthday. A renowned sculptor whose art was publicly displayed around the world, including at the LADWP’s John F. Ferraro Building downtown, Pomodoro’s most famous works involved large “wounded” spheres made of bronze. He taught at Stanford University, UC Berkeley and Mills College in the 1960s and his “Rotante dal Foro Centrale,” part of the “Sfera con Sfera” series, can be found at the west entrance of the Berkeley campus.

The SoCal scene

James Van Der Zee, "Untitled," 1927, gelatin silver print

“Queer Lens: A History of Photography,” the J. Paul Getty Museum’s newest exhibition, “is provocative and important, and the timing packs a wallop,” according to Times art critic Christopher Knight in his review of the show. The survey contains more than 270 works from the last two centuries and examines the ways “cameras transformed the expression of gender and sexuality.” Well-known artists such as Berenice Abbott, Anthony Friedkin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Man Ray and Edmund Teske are featured alongside many unknowns. “These days,” wrote Knight, citing the present anti-LGBTQ+ fervor in statehouses across the country and Washington, D.C., “the Getty is probably the only major art museum in America that could open an exhibition like ‘Queer Lens.’ Others wouldn’t dare.”

The Tony-winning revival of “Parade” tells the story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man in Georgia, who in 1913 was convicted of murdering 13-year-old Mary Phagan in a gross miscarriage of justice. His sentence was later commuted by the governor, but Frank was kidnapped and lynched by an angry mob. “This dark chapter in American history might not seem suitable for musical treatment,” wrote Times theater critic Charles McNulty in his review of the production currently at the Ahmanson Theatre. “Docudrama would be the safer way to go, given the gravity of the material. But playwright Alfred Uhry and composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown had a vision of what they could uniquely bring to the retelling of Frank’s story.”

It may be summer in L.A., but Times classical music critic Mark Swed found the dance scene in full bloom. “I sampled three very different dance programs last weekend at three distinctive venues in three disparate cities and for three kinds of audiences,” wrote Swed. “The range was enormous but the connections, illuminating.” In an expansive few days, he witnessed the Miami City Ballet’s production of “Swan Lake” at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa; the American Contemporary Ballet performing George Balanchine’s modernist classic “Serenade,” alongside new work by the company’s founder, choreographer Lincoln Jones, on a soundstage at Television City in the Fairfax district; and violinist Vijay Gupta and dancer Yamini Kalluri combining Bach and Indian Kuchipudi dance at the 99-seat Sierra Madre Playhouse. Still to come, Boston Ballet makes its Music Center debut, dancing “Swan Lake” at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion this weekend; and the L.A. Phil’s “Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks,” July 18 at the Hollywood Bowl, will feature the San Francisco Ballet dancing excerpts from “Swan Lake” and Balanchine’s “Diamonds” Pas de Deux.

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A spaceship-shaped building in an urban expanse.

In case you missed it, Times contributor Sam Lubell wrote about the landscape design of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which is scheduled to open in 2026. “George Lucas and wife Mellody Hobson chose Mia Lehrer and her L.A. firm, Studio-MLA, to design the 11 acres of landscape around — and on top of — MAD Architects’ swirling, otherworldly, billion-dollar building,” wrote Lubell. “The driving forces behind the Lucas Museum made it clear that the landscape had to tell a story too.” That narrative is more than enhanced by the stunning photography of The Times’ Myung J. Chun.

“I like the idea of giving life to the objects I create,” ceramicist Rami Kim said in a recent interview with Times staff writer Lisa Boone. “They’re my imaginary friends.” Korean-born and raised, Kim attended CalArts, earned a master of fine arts from UCLA and later worked in the animation industry. She discovered clay while making figures for stop-motion animation. Drawn to the tactile sensation of the medium, Kim began working characters into various ceramic forms. “Built by hand, their faces emerge from planters, ceramic dishes and slip-cast mugs like the cast of an animated Hayao Miyazaki movie,” wrote Boone in a compelling profile about how the artist began creating custom animal figurines for clients, many of whom, like Kim, have lost their pets.

— Kevin Crust

And last but not least

Looking for a Saturday complement to the Essential Arts newsletter? Try our weekly books newsletter. Enjoy interviews with authors, such as this one with Susan Gubar, who spoke to Times contributor Marc Weingarten about her new book, “Grand Finales: The Creative Longevity of Women Artists” — which profiles seven creators who found a second wind in their advancing years — plus news about the latest releases, the local literary scene and our favorite bookstores.

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Copyrighted books are fair use for AI training, judge rules

Jun 25, 2025 News Desk

Copyrighted books can be used to train artificial intelligence models without authors’ consent, a federal judge ruled Monday.

The decision marked a major victory for San Francisco startup Anthropic, which trained its AI assistant Claude using copyrighted books. The company, started by former OpenAI employees and backed by Amazon, was sued by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace in August.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that Anthropic’s use of purchased books was “exceedingly transformative and was a fair use” but the company may have broken the law by using pirated books. Alsup ordered a trial in December to determine damages, which can reach up to $150,000 per case of willful copyright infringement.

“If someone were to read all the modern-day classics because of their exceptional expression, memorize them, and then emulate a blend of their best writing, would that violate the Copyright Act? Of course not,” the ruling reads.

“The purpose and character of using copyrighted works to train [large language models] to generate new text was quintessentially transformative. Like any reader aspiring to be a writer, Anthropic’s LLMs trained upon works not to race ahead and replicate or supplant them — but to turn a hard corner and create something different.”

Anthropic pirated more than 7 million books from Books3, Library Genesis and Pirate Library Mirror, online libraries containing unauthorized copies of copyrighted books, to train its large language models, according to Alsup. As the company started to become “not so gung ho” about pirating “for legal reasons,” it brought on Tom Turvey from Google to obtain “all the books in the world” but still avoid “legal/practice/business slog.”

While Turvey initially inquired into licensing agreements with two major publishers, he eventually decided to purchase millions of print copies in bulk. The company then proceeded to strip the books’ bindings, cut their pages and scan them into digital and machine-readable forms, according to the decision.

Though the plaintiffs took issue with Anthropic making digital copies, Alsup ruled that this practice also falls under fair use: “The mere conversion of a print book to a digital file to save space and enable searchability was transformative for that reason alone,” he wrote.

Anthropic later purchasing books that it initially pirated did not absolve the company, but it may impact the extent of statutory damages, Alsup said.

This decision comes as Walt Disney Co. and Universal Pictures are involved in their own lawsuit against artificial intelligence company Midjourney, which the studios allege trained its image generation models on their copyrighted materials and may set an important precedent.

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Trump is seeking a quick US exit from Israel-Iran conflict. Will it work? | Israel-Iran conflict News

Jun 25, 2025 News Desk

Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump is attempting a high-risk manoeuvre in bombing Iran and then quickly seeking to de-escalate tensions, analysts told Al Jazeera.

But it remains to be seen whether Washington can navigate a clean exit from the deadly imbroglio, which has the potential to erupt into a large-scale regional confrontation.

Even if Trump avoids a wider war, analysts say troubling questions remain over how worthwhile the US military intervention was.

Early on Sunday, the US joined Israel in its military campaign against Iran, sending B-2 stealth aircraft to drop bombs on three of the country’s nuclear sites.

Trump has framed the military action as part of Washington’s long-term goal of preventing Tehran from building a nuclear weapon. But the bombing provoked a retaliatory strike, with Iran launching missiles at the US’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday.

Since then, Trump has announced a ceasefire between all parties and claimed he was able to “stop the war”. He credited the bombing with bringing “everyone together”.

But media outlets have questioned whether Trump was successful in destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities, as he has claimed. And Trump has denounced both Iran and Israel for early violations of the ceasefire.

“As soon as we made the deal, [Israel] came out and dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before,” Trump told reporters in an unvarnished moment on the White House lawn on Tuesday.

“We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.”

Behind the rhetoric

Despite the rocky first hours after the ceasefire announcement, Israeli and Iranian leaders appear to have fallen in line with Trump’s messaging about peace.

Following a call from the US president, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that his country would refrain from further attacks. Israel had “achieved all of the war’s goals”, his office said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, hailed his country’s “heroic resistance”. He said Iran would respect the truce and seek to protect its interests through diplomacy.

But experts warn that the talk of peace and diplomacy might conceal greater challenges ahead.

Trita Parsi, the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, a think tank, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s harsh words for the latest attack reveal his increasingly public frustrations with Israel, a longtime US ally.

They might also indicate that extracting the US from Israel’s war with Iran might be more difficult than it seems.

“I think it’s crucial to understand Israel does not want an end to the fighting, and I think Trump is starting to recognise how deeply America and Israel’s interests in all of this diverge,” Parsi told Al Jazeera.

Israeli officials have repeatedly signalled that their military operations against Iran are aimed at prompting wider regime change, a goal Trump appeared to endorse last week but has since disavowed.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, issued a statement to the media confirming that Israel had “concluded a significant chapter, but the campaign against Iran is not over”.

That viewpoint may diverge from Trump’s, according to Parsi. Nevertheless, Parsi believes Trump has shown more willingness to tell Israel “no” than many of his presidential predecessors.

“But Trump has not been able to sustain that ‘no’ in an effective way,” Parsi added, pointing to the US president’s interventions in Israel’s war on Gaza.

“He pressured the Israelis into the ceasefire in Gaza, but then he relented and let Netanyahu get out of the ceasefire and never go to phase two of that agreement. If he wants to deal with Iran, he’s going to have to make sure he does not repeat that mistake.”

Still, Parsi noted that Trump has shown “a remarkable nimbleness” in his ability to commit – then withdraw – US military forces from foreign conflicts. Earlier this year, for instance, Trump entered into 45 days of air strikes against the Yemen-based Houthi armed group, but by May, he had unveiled a ceasefire.

Risk of a ‘quagmire’

For its part, Iran has been seen as eager to find an off-ramp to exit the conflict. Several analysts told Al Jazeera that Tehran would likely take pains to avoid any actions that could draw the US back into the fight.

The US and Iran had been in talks to scale back Tehran’s nuclear programme. But Israel’s initial surprise attack on June 13 had derailed the negotiations.

Negar Mortazavi, a non-resident fellow at the nonprofit Center for International Policy, said that Iran still remains open to returning to the negotiating table.

The country has long denied seeking a nuclear weapon and has instead framed its efforts as aimed at developing civilian energy infrastructure.

“Iran wants to have a civilian nuclear programme,” Mortazavi told Al Jazeera. “And I think, if Trump accepts that, then there’s a very strong path and possibility for a deal.”

Trump, however, has been vague about what he may accept. He described the US attack on Sunday as the destruction of “all Nuclear facilities & capability” in Iran, in a series of statements that did not appear to distinguish between nuclear enrichment for civilian energy purposes or for weapons.

His statements were also at odds with a classified report leaked to US media, indicating that Iran’s nuclear programme was damaged but not obliterated – and could be rebuilt in a matter of months.

“IRAN WILL NEVER REBUILD THEIR NUCLEAR FACILITIES,” Trump wrote in one of the messages on Tuesday.

Still, Mortazavi believes Iran will likely have no choice but to return to negotiations, even if Trump again takes a maximalist position and opposes all uranium enrichment.

“They might be able to meet somewhere half way,” Mortazavi said of the US and Iran. She added that one possible compromise would be to have a “consortium” of regional countries that would monitor a civilian nuclear programme.

“The alternative, which is military conflict and war, is just going to be devastating for a lot more civilians”, she explained, “and could potentially turn into a quagmire like Iraq or Afghanistan”.

Sina Azodi, an assistant professor of Middle East politics at George Washington University, pointed out that Trump’s ceasefire announcement on Monday could hold clues about his approach to any renewed negotiations.

Trump started his statement by writing, “CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!” Then, he ended the missive with, “God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”

Azodi said that the message – which appeared to put Iran in the same standing as Israel – was unprecedented from a US president since the Iranian Revolution of 1979. He noted that Trump appeared to be setting a “conciliatory” tone.

That sentiment was also reflected on the economic front. On Tuesday, Trump said that China could continue to buy oil from Iran, despite US sanctions that would otherwise limit such trade.

That, too, was interpreted by many analysts as a goodwill offering to officials in Tehran, as Trump seeks a resolution to the conflict.

“Trump wants to be the one who used military force, showed strength, and then quickly brought an end to the conflict,” Azodi told Al Jazeera.

“He certainly does not want a broader conflict in the region, because then there’s a possibility that he would have to resort to more military intervention.”

Any further military involvement, analysts say, could inflame tensions within Trump’s base, as many of his “America First” followers oppose overseas military action.

Some have speculated that Trump’s strike-and-exit approach allowed him to split the difference, satisfying the war hawks in the Republican Party while mollifying those who disagree with foreign intervention.

“But it’s impossible to know what comes next, given his style,” Azodi said. “One day, he’s on a good side. One day, he’s belligerent and angry.”

Long-term success?

Whether Trump will continue his calls for peace after Sunday’s attack remains unclear.

The US president has been on the defensive, as journalists continue to question the effectiveness of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities like Fordow.

“That place is under rock. That place is demolished,” Trump told journalists on Tuesday.

He called on news outlets to apologise for casting doubt on the success of the mission. “It’s all fake news,” he said. “Those pilots hit their targets. Those targets were obliterated.”

Azodi noted that the US strikes appear to be less successful than the Trump administration has claimed. Evidence has surfaced that Iran relocated much of its uranium stockpile in the lead-up to the attack.

What is clear, Azodi said, is that the US violated international law in striking a facility under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

That could lead Iran to make good on its threat to withdraw from the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), freeing it from international obligations that would limit any weapons development.

“In the short term, yes, Trump can come and brag about [the US strikes] on Truth Social, saying that he ‘obliterated’ the Iranian nuclear programme,” Azodi said.

“But in the long term, you can’t bomb the knowledge. Iran’s fissile material appears to have survived. And now Iranians have a lot of motive for withdrawing from the NPT.”

That, he warned, would mean that “it would be impossible to monitor their nuclear programme”.

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TRAVEL

Kind-hearted Fulham star Alex Iwobi wants to keep charity work off the pitch as he opens up on struggles

Jun 24, 2025 Travel Desk

GENEROUS Alex Iowbi wants to keep his charity work strictly OFF the pitch.

Fulham made a habit of taking points off the big boys last season but giving too many against the teams they felt they should beat.

Alex Iwobi holding a soccer ball. — Alex Iwobi and his Project 17 charity hosted their P17 Cup on SundayCredit: Max Cheshire / Project 17

Fulham soccer players looking dejected after a match. — Fulham will want to cut out giving away too many easy points next seasonCredit: Reuters

League doubles over Newcastle and Nottingham Forest were supplemented by beating Chelsea and taking four points off champions Liverpool.

But painful defeats to Wolves, West Ham, Everton and two against struggling Manchester United denied the Cottagers a spot in Europe.

So rather than handing out freebies to their Prem rivals, Iwobi is determined to keep supporting those less fortunate with his Project 17 charity.

Set up in 2021, Iwobi was keen to use his public profile and platform to make a positive impact in society.

Ventures have included a homeless shelter and setting up a shop of free food at Christmas.

And this weekend was the latest P17 Cup – his very own football tournament.

After previous editions in Dagenham and Enfield, this year’s event was in Bromley in association with ACLT, a life-saving charity working to increase the number of black blood, stem cell and organ donors.

Representation in blood donation is urgent. Only two per cent of donors are black, yet conditions like sickle cell disease primarily affect black communities.

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Iwobi, 29, told SunSport: “We’re trying to raise awareness for people that are suffering with sickle cell and educate others.

“We started Project 17 after Covid lockdown when my secondary school boys said I should show I’m human and there’s more to me than just football.

Ex-Arsenal ace Alex Iwobi releases music video for his second single What’s Luv as fans call it ‘great retirement plan’

“Obviously, I like to do the music, I like to do fashion and I also like to also give back to charities.

“It’s not just the good, but also the bad stuff as well. I want people to know that not only that I go through the great times, but there’s also tough times in my life.

“For example, everyone suffers with mental illness or mental struggles. I do have my struggles as well.”

Iwobi says honest and vulnerable conversations about mental health take place in the “brotherhood” that is the Fulham dressing room.

But there have also been frank conversations about results, especially after slipping up against teams Marco Silva’s men expected to beat last season.

WHAT IS SICKLE CELL DISEASE?

SICKLE cell disease is a genetic condition that prevents red blood cells from developing properly.

The cells can become abnormally shaped and die quicker than healthy blood cells, raising the risk of clots or blood vessel blockages.

Most people live normal lives with the condition but it can trigger flare-ups called sickle cell crises, when symptoms become painful and may lead to complications.

Signs include:

Dizziness
Pain
Tiredness and weakness
Headaches
Shortness of breath

Patients with sickle cell disorders are also at higher risk of infections, anaemia (low blood iron), gallstones, stroke, high blood pressure and kidney problems.

There is no definitive cure for sickle cell disease and many patients require treatment throughout their lives.

An estimated 15,000 people in England have it and it is more common in black people.

The West Londoners paid the price last season by finishing 11th.

Now after seeing Crystal Palace lift their first major trophy and qualify for Europe, Fulham want to do the same.

Iwobi added: “Of course. We were so close last season to achieving Europe.

“We always seem to do well against the so-called bigger teams. I don’t know if we just mentally get psyched up and prepared to play.

“They are a bit more open in the sense that they all want to attack, attack, attack. They may leave a few more gaps for us to exploit.

“But against the least-favoured teams, the teams we should be favoured to win, we seem to struggle a bit more, they defend patiently.

“We’re trying to work on it in training. Hopefully, next season, we’ll find ways to break down teams that like to defend with 11 men behind the ball and produce a lot more consistent results.”

Alex Iwobi wearing a purple jersey with the number 12. — The Fulham star is keen to give back to the communityCredit: Max Cheshire / Project 17

Alex Iwobi and Rodrigo Muniz celebrating a Fulham goal. — Iwobi described the Craven Cottage changing room as a ‘brotherhood’Credit: Getty

Alex Iwobi scoring a goal during a Fulham FC and Liverpool FC soccer match. — Iwobi scored in the famous win over LiverpoolCredit: Getty

Group of men celebrating, arms raised. — The P17 Cup was in association with ACLT raising awareness for sickle cell diseaseCredit: Max Cheshire / Project 17

Alex Iwobi interacting with children at a soccer event. — Iwobi launched his charity in 2021Credit: Max Cheshire / Project 17

Alex Iwobi playing soccer. — The tournament, this time in Bromley, has expanded each yearCredit: Max Cheshire / Project 17

Alex Iwobi with a soccer ball on a field. — The Fulham star has used his public profile for good – but admits he has had times of struggleCredit: Max Cheshire / Project 17

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SHOW BIZ

Arnaldo Pomodoro, whose ‘Colpo d’ala’ decorates the LADWP, dies at 98

Jun 23, 2025 News Desk

ROME — Arnaldo Pomodoro, one of Italy’s most prominent contemporary artists whose bronze spheres decorate iconic public spaces from the Vatican to the United Nations, has died at age 98, his foundation said Monday.

Pomodoro died at home in Milan on Sunday, the eve of his 99th birthday, according to a statement from Carlotta Montebello, director general of the Arnaldo Pomodoro Foundation.

Pomodoro’s massive spheres are instantly recognizable: shiny, smooth bronze globes with clawed-out interiors that Pomodoro has said referred to the superficial perfection of exteriors and the troubled complexity of interiors.

In a note of condolences, Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said Pomodoro’s “wounded” spheres “speak to us today of the fragility and complexity of the human and the world.”

The Vatican’s sphere, which occupies a central place in the Pigna Courtyard of the Vatican Museums, features an internal mechanism that rotates with the wind. “In my work I see the cracks, the eroded parts, the destructive potential that emerges from our time of disillusionment,” the Vatican quoted Pomodoro as saying about its sphere.

The United Nations in New York received a 3.3-meter (10 foot, eight inch) diameter “Sphere Within Sphere” sculpture as a gift from Italy in 1996. The U.N. sphere has refers to the coming of the new millennium, the U.N. said: “a smooth exterior womb erupted by complex interior forms,” and “a promise for the rebirth of a less troubled and destructive world,” Pomodoro said of it.

Other spheres are located at museums around the world and outside the Italian foreign ministry, which has the original work that Pomodoro created in 1966 for the Montreal Expo that began his monumental sculpture project.

In the 1960s, he taught at Stanford University, UC Berkeley and Mills College. “Rotante dal Foro Centrale,” part of Pomodoro’s “Sfera con Sfera” series, can be found at the west entrance of the Berkeley campus. In 1988, Italian Prime Minister Ciriaco De Mita presented the sculptor’s “Colpa d’ala (Wing Beat)” as a gift to Los Angeles to mark the 40th anniversary of the Marshall Plan. It is installed downtown at the Department of Water and Power (now the John F. Ferraro Building).

Pomodoro was born in Montefeltro, Italy, on June 23, 1926. In addition to his spheres, he designed theatrical sets, land projects and machines.

Winfield writes for the Associated Press.

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Love Island fans ‘work out’ brutal ‘recoupling twist’ – and it’s bad news for two Islanders

Jun 22, 2025 News Desk

Love Island fans are convinced the Islanders will be shocked by a brutal twist following a shock recoupling announcement at the end of Sunday night’s episode of the dating show

22:58, 22 Jun 2025Updated 23:02, 22 Jun 2025

Love Island fans ‘work out’ brutal recoupling twist after dramatic cliffhanger(Image: ITV)

Love Island fans were surprised as they received a text announcing there would be a recoupling in the villa – with the power in the girls’ hands. Confused fans thought the timing was “random” – and they’re now convinced there’s a huge twist to come.

At the moment, there’s an even number of girls and boys after Malisha was dumped. It came after single girls Toni and Malisha went on a date with new bombshell Harrison. He chose to bring Toni back, and the two coupled up. Everyone is now coupled up, and therefore there won’t be any left single after tomorrow night’s reshuffling.

Although there may not be a dumping straight after the re shuffle – fans think one may be following straight after. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter to discuss, fans are convinced viewers will finally be getting their say – with a public vote after.

Love Island fans think the next recoupling will come with a brutal twist(Image: ITV)

“They’re recoupling then we vote for least compatible #LoveIsland,” said one fan, as another penned: “It shouldn’t have ended on a cliffhanger but probably means the aftermath of recoupling is chaos #LoveIsland,” said a third, as another said: “I bet there would a recoupling and public vote.” A fourth later agreed: “Noooo, that recoupling is going to be juicy #loveisland.”

Another suspicious fan tweeted: “somethings fishy about this recoupling……#LoveIslandUK #loveisland.”

The shock recoupling came after a dramatic day in the Love Island villa. Once again, it was the games that brought all the drama, as the Islanders played a brutal game of spin the bottle.

The Islanders were swapping partners left, right, and centre as they were given a series of difficult questions to answer.

The Islanders took part in a brutal game of Spin the Bottle tonight(Image: ITV)

Helena ruffled feathers when she landed on a dare and Dejon dared her to kiss the person that she’d chose to recouple with, leading to her kissing new bombshell Harrison. She was later left shocked when Shea was told to issue a one-word comment to each of his fellow Islanders.

When he got to Helena, Shea called her a “mug,” although Helena saw the funny side of it. “I think every given opportunity Harry has mugged me off left, right and centre,” she said.

Later, Megan pulled a truth card, and Harry asked her how she really felt about Conor. Megan is currently happily coupled up with Tommy.

However, in a shock twist on Friday night, Conor, who is coupled up with Emily, revealed he fancies Megan. Megan revealed the two had “unfinished business” from the start.

Will Conor and Megan go any further?

Love Island 2025 airs every night at 9PM on ITV2 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok ,Snapchat ,Instagram ,Twitter ,Facebook ,YouTube and Threads .

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Pointeworks ballet spotlights women, performs during off-season

Jun 22, 2025 News Desk

Sophie Williams’ decade-long dance career has taken her across the globe, from the English National Ballet in London to the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the Texas Ballet Theater, where she’s currently a member of the corps de ballet.

Yet she can count on one hand the number of works she’s performed by a female choreographer.

So when Williams started her own nonprofit ballet company, Pointeworks, in 2023, she knew she wanted to spotlight women, whether choreographers, dancers, costume designers or composers.

“Whenever there is an opportunity, I will utilize the platform to try and bring balance within the ballet world, which most of us haven’t seen in our careers,” Williams, Pointeworks’ artistic director, told The Times.

From its inception, Pointeworks has strived to fill in gaps. Williams was inspired to start the company as a way to provide work for professional dancers during their unpaid summer layoffs. With a lack of opportunities and an abundance of talent in the ballet world, Williams decided to create a group that performs during the off-season.

“[Pointeworks] is a very artist-forward company. It’s creating opportunities for the dancers — giving them new works, collaborations, things that can elevate their careers outside of their structured company season, and be able to provide them a platform during that time as well,” Williams said. “And also for audiences who don’t get to see ballet during the summer because companies are off, they get to see Pointeworks.”

Pointeworks debuted last June with a sold-out performance at the 500-seat Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in Williams’ hometown of San Diego. This year, the company expanded to the East Coast with three shows at New York City’s Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater in March. After a successful return to San Diego last week, the group is preparing for its first Orange County show Friday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Before the Irvine show, Pointeworks will host its first mentorship program for local students who intend to pursue a professional dance career. Selected dancers will participate in a Pointeworks class on Friday and be paired with a mentor from the company who will continue to guide them over the next year. As of Wednesday, seven students had applied and been accepted, according to marketing and outreach coordinator AvaRose Dillon.

Sisters Claire, Nicole and Emma Von Enck rehearse for their performance of “Chasing Shadows” with Pointeworks.

(Raquel Beauchamp)

Williams received more than 400 applications from choreographers for this season overall, she said. While her goal is to highlight female creatives, anyone is welcome to submit ideas.

Among the pieces commissioned for the New York shows was Laine Habony’s “Chasing Shadows,” choreographed for sisters Claire, Emma and Nicole Von Enck — who had never performed together professionally. Nicole, the eldest sister and Williams’ colleague at Texas Ballet Theater, leapt at the opportunity to collaborate with her siblings, who both dance for New York City Ballet.

Habony, also from New York City Ballet, wanted the project to be accompanied by an original score. So she enlisted Welsh composer Katie Jenkins, whom she met at Revolve Dance Project in Providence, R.I., last summer. The duo later recruited pianist and recent Juilliard graduate Joshua Mhoon to play the live score.

For the Irvine show,Williams, Paige Nyman and Adeline Melcher, all from Texas Ballet Theater, will perform the piece. This will mark the first time that Williams will dance to a composition by a female composer, she said.

“[‘Chasing Shadows’] is just very unique in the sense that it’s a female composer behind the music and a female voice behind the choreography, female costume designer behind what we’re wearing, female lighting designer behind what’s going on the stage,” Nyman said. “It’s just an entirely sisterhood piece.”

In addition to “Chasing Shadows,” the Irvine program includes new commissions from choreographers Reka Gyulai and Heather Nichols; DaYoung Jung’s “It’s Deep, It’s Dark,” which debuted in New York; and Christopher Wheeldon’s “Carousel,” a 2002 pas de deux set to music from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s musical of the same name.

“I think it gives a variety to the audience by commissioning new works, contemporary works, new classical works, but also putting in iconic classics — and ‘Carousel’ is one of those,” Williams said.

Dance careers don’t last forever, so it’s important to take advantage of every moment, Williams said. That’s why she’s passionate about maximizing opportunities both on and offstage.

Sisters Claire, Nicole and Emma Von Enck perform together for the first time professionally.

(Nathan Carlson)

In October, Williams hired interns to help with administrative tasks. Among them was Dillon, Pointeworks’ marketing coordinator and a corps de ballet member at Texas Ballet Theater. This month, she began dancing with Pointeworks as well.

“I want to make sure that Pointeworks is for the dancers first,” Williams said. “So by having dancer perspectives in just every angle — whether that’s marketing, administration, development — if you know what it is to be a dancer and you have been a dancer, I think that it’s a lot more cohesive, putting those interests first.”

In addition to dancing professionally, Dillon takes online classes at Texas Tech University, where she studies public relations and strategic communications.

“I feel like [Pointeworks has] been the perfect supplement to my education, because I’m taking classes on how to write press releases and then I’m writing press releases for Pointeworks,” Dillon said. “I could have never comprehended such a perfect opportunity to align with my goals as an artist and future arts leader and an arts advocate.”

While Dillon is just starting her career, Pointeworks also provides opportunities for more seasoned dancers. For instance, retired dancer Christian Griggs-Drane — previously with the Royal New Zealand Ballet — is the company’s development and fundraising coordinator.

Three years after retiring as a ballerina, Jung continues to work as a choreographer, rehearsal director and dance educator. She and Williams met at Oklahoma City Ballet about nine years ago and reconnected at last year’s National Choreographers Initiative in Irvine.

Even though Jung created “It’s Deep, It’s Dark” with her dancers in just 10 days, she said she appreciated the opportunity to work with such a professional, open-minded group of individuals.

“[Pointeworks] is not just about giving artists a platform. It’s about reshaping the dance landscape, ensuring women’s voices are heard and their vision brought to life,” Jung said. “I feel like I could really take risks, experiment and develop my own artistic language without the limitation in traditional structure. And I think Pointeworks was perfect at it, that I could really explore myself as an artist and as a choreographer.”

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WHAT IS SICKLE CELL DISEASE?

Love Island fans are convinced the Islanders will be shocked by a brutal twist following a shock recoupling announcement at the end of Sunday night’s episode of the dating show

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