The restored sign showed up more than 130 miles away from its original home as part of the roast beef chain’s pop-up at the festival at the Empire Polo Club, where it became one of the event’s go-to photo spots.
“As you can see, everyone’s loving it. Everyone’s getting a photo op standing in front of it,” Arby’s franchisee Roger Amaya said.
Over the three days, people moseyed by the pop-up near Diplo’s Honky Tonk, sometimes lining up to wait their turn to take a photo in front of the sign. Some climbed on the surrounding hay bales for a better pose, asking others in line to snap their photo in front of the cowboy hat emblazoned with the words “Arby’s roast beef sandwich is delicious.”
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A number of people we talked to taking photos weren’t from L.A. and didn’t know the lore of the Hollywood Arby’s sign — they just liked the visual.
The family that owned the location said at the time that rising food costs, the post-pandemic changes in the neighborhood and a law that raised minimum wage contributed to the closure.
Amaya said that Amir Siddiqi, head of a group of Arby’s franchises, was able to get the sign from the Hollywood location and have it restored.
“We were able to bring it back to life here and bring it to all the fans of Arby’s out there,” Amaya said.
Now that Stagecoach is over, where will the sign go next?
“That’s the big question, so you gotta stay tuned,” Amaya said.
Gogglebox’s Andrew joined the show last year with husband Alfie and the beloved couple quickly became a hit with fans
Gogglebox Andrew’s life from husband 30 years younger to friendship with Hollywood star
Gogglebox star Andrew has become a firm favourite since joining in 2025 – but what do we know about his life?
Andrew made his debut on the show in its 26th series along with husband Alfie. The married couple – who live in the Cotswolds – quickly charmed viewers thanks to their witty remarks and playful jibes at one another.
But who is the Hollywood star that Andrew is friends with after meeting on a beach in Mexico? And what were their loved ones’ reaction to their romance? Here’s everything you need to know about Gogglebox’s Andrew.
Andrew and Alfie on family’s reaction to age-gap romance
Andrew and Alfie, who share a 30-year age difference, got married in May 2024. Their wedding was a picturesque affair in Italy, attended by close friends and family.
In a recent Instagram video, the pair took part in a Q&A. When asked what were the reactions to their age gap when we get together, Alfie said: “Well it was slightly different for me and you because you were already openly gay. I was coming out as gay and telling people.”
Andrew then said: “But my mother did turn around to me didn’t she and said that if I went out with somebody or marry someone under 30 she would,” before the video bleeped out what Andrew said next.
Alfie quipped: “Lucikly I just hit that threshold. My mum was very supportive. My father was very shocked and upset and he didn’t speak to me for an entire yeah.” Referring to Andrew, Alfie added: “You were the same age as him.” He then said: “Luckily we moved past that one.”
Andrew’s famous friend ‘he met on the beach’
It turns out Andrew is rather pally with a Major Hollywood star. On Instagram in March, Andrew uploaded a photo of him and Alfie posing alongside actress Rose McGowan.
Rose has appeared in several Hollywood flicks and TV shows including Jawbreaker and horror movie Scream. She also played Paige Matthews in the supernatural drama series Charmed from 2001 to 2006.
In the comments section, both Alfie and Rose explained their friendship. Rose wrote: “Andrew and I met on a beach. Been through joy, tragedy, joy again. Love him and delighted to get to meet Alfie. When I saw him on Gogglebox I was floored. Had to find him again. So happy we’ve reconnected.”
Meanwhile Alfie explained: “They both lived in Mexico for 3/4 years…honestly there is rarely a day I’m surprised by something @andrewdnicolls says.”
Andrew and Alfie’s ‘child’
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Fans of Andrew and Alfie will also know that the couple are proud dog parents to a beloved pup called Perkins. The dog has made several appearances on the Channel 4 show too.
What’s more, the pair have also set up their dog’s own Instagram, in which they share updates from the four-legged-friend’s life. In September, they shared a photo of Perkins looking adorable on their “daddies’” sofa.
The post was captioned: “Always loved being on the sofa. Now bringing cuteness to your TV screens every Friday at 9pm on @c4gogglebox with my daddies @andrewdnicolls & @sam.alfie.mulhall.”
For years, the NFL has playfully scoffed at conspiracy theories its drama is scripted.
Now, the league has hired some of the best writers in the entertainment industry to do just that.
The NFL is going Hollywood, looking to expand its audience with theatrical motion pictures and its first scripted streaming series. This isn’t just about using the names and logos of real NFL teams, but diving headlong into storytelling about the league in the form of upcoming movies — one about John Madden, another a Christmas Day release about an unlikely hero for the New York Giants — and “The Land,” a dramatic Hulu series centered on fictional characters and the Cleveland Browns starring Christopher Meloni, Mandy Moore and William H. Macy.
It’s the next step in the partnership between the NFL and Skydance Sports, the forming of a premier content studio aimed at creating must-watch storytelling and attracting everyone from hardcore football fans to people who otherwise have no real interest in the game.
The NFL has long contended it’s the world’s greatest reality show and the numbers support that. According to Sportico, NFL games were 84 of the top 100 most-watched television shows last year. And the year before, it was 93 of 100.
“When you have an audience as big as the NFL’s, there are a lot of different demographics to service and engage even more deeply,” said Jason Reed, who heads Skydance Sports. “Those movies work as a fan service. They service towns, fans of those franchises, and they really connect. What they also do is pick up this other group of people who maybe wouldn’t watch a football game.”
Pulling back the curtain on the league is a challenge. The NFL isn’t likely to sanction unflattering content, at least not much of it, yet the goal is to make the stories as realistic as possible. How will the writers handle issues such as concussions, drug use or domestic violence? That was addressed in a presentation at last month’s owners meetings by JW Johnson of the Haslam Sports Group, who oversees the business strategy of the Browns.
“We don’t want this to be — no offense to our friends at ESPN — a ‘Playmakers’ situation,” said Johnson, referring to the popular but short-lived series on the Cougars, a fictional football team, that explored mature themes and was canceled after one season after pressure from the NFL. “We want this to be a really fan-friendly show that also has the authenticity of what happens in a locker room and on the field. We’re very comfortable with it.”
David Corenswet as “John Tuggle” and Isabel May as as “Katie” in Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story,” from Paramount Pictures.
(Sarah Enticknap / Paramount Pictures)
Dan Fogelman, creator of “This is Us,” and a lifelong football fan, had long envisioned writing a dramatic series based on his favorite sport. That led to “The Land,” which began production last fall and does not have an official premiere date.
“We’re not making this stuff up out of thin air,” said Fogelman, who also created the Hulu series “Paradise,” a post-apocalyptic political thriller. “The characters are flawed and they do bad things, but the NFL has been great about that. I was worried up top, and it just hasn’t been an issue because we’re not out there looking to be salacious. We’re not trying to do ripped-from-the-headlines, crazy, exaggerated versions of reality. We want things that really happen, done accurately and in a cinematic way.”
To that end, he brought in actual NFL players as consultants to help with the storylines and make sure the details make sense.
“We had a bunch of NFL players come and visit us in our little office, and we’re on the second floor,” he said. “Some of my heroes were in that room. I was genuinely concerned the floor was going to fall through.”
Enter NFL Films, which for more than six decades has turned a violent sport into an art form, filling the frame with meticulous focus on a Matthew Stafford spiral — and without the benefit of a second take. Those camera operators are heavily involved in the production of both the upcoming movies and the streaming series.
“That’s our whole thing,” Reed said. “How do we support great filmmakers and make sure they know how to access the resources and expertise that NFL Films has developed over 60 years, and combine those two together? That, to me, is the secret sauce of the venture.”
What’s more, what the father-and-son combination of Ed and Steve Sabol created in NFL Films provides an incredible library for future projects.
“The well is infinite,” said Jessica Boddy, vice president of commercial operations and business affairs for NFL Films. “We’ve only scratched the surface.”
For Fogelman, “The Land” is scratching a creative itch he’s felt since childhood.
“I’ve wanted to do this show for 20 years,” he said. “I’m a failed athlete myself. My connection with my father growing up — he worked a lot — was I grew up in Pittsburgh as a Steelers fan and also migrated to New Jersey, where we became Giants fans. My dad would let me watch games with him if I was quiet and didn’t act goofy. We would also throw the football back and forth.
“Now, many decades later, my father is 83, and our connection is that we talk every Monday after Giants games. He now talks with my son and me. For me, football has been very much in the fabric of my life and my relationship with my friends. This has been something I’ve been chasing for a very long time.”
Hold everything. Hollywood’s Lexington Park will not be getting a new playground after all, and that’s both good news and bad news.
To explain, let me take you back to April 15, when I tagged along with Sabine Phillips on her weekly three-hour inspection of the neighborhood’s chronic trash problem. Phillips, a housekeeper by trade, was hired by one of her clients a few years ago to help clean up their streets.
So each Wednesday, Phillips went out on her yellow Huffy cruiser and routinely logged 50 or more illegally dumped items and reported them to the city’s 311 system for pickup. And each Saturday, she filled up to four or five big bags with smaller bits and scraps of debris.
Near the end of my three hours with Phillips, who got help that day from volunteer Keith Johnson, we visited the Lexington pocket park. There were no kids there, and there never are, Phillips said. That’s because of the glass and needles in the sand, drug activity, sporadic violence, gang tags on the slide and homeless camps.
A guy from the Recreation and Parks Department showed up and said the park was in line for a possible upgrade that could cost as much as $300,000. In my April 18 column, I questioned the wisdom of investing in a playground that would remain unsafe unless there was a plan to address all the aforementioned issues.
Nick Barnes-Batista, communications director for L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, wrote to tell me his office was unaware of any playground projects planned for that park.
A spokesperson for Recreation and Parks told me that despite what was said by the employee I met in the park, there is no “immediate playground replacement project on the books.” But the department is “working closely” with the councilman’s office “to identify funding sources and to work with the community on broader park improvements and/or uses.”
OK, so it’s good news that taxpayer funds won’t be plowed into a park that could well be lost to the neighborhood almost immediately, due to all the aforementioned problems.
But it’s bad news and sad commentary that a park in the densely populated heart of the city will remain unusable for the foreseeable future.
The more important consideration, though, is the question of what’s being done to prevent the illegal dumping of furniture, mattresses and other items that sit curbside and often end up as the building blocks of new homeless encampments.
There’s a concentration of social service agencies in the neighborhood, said Stefanie Keenan, a longtime neighborhood volunteer and activist. She’s the one who hired her housekeeper to help look after the neighborhood, and she insists there is not enough enforcement of existing laws to address problems that are both a nuisance and a public safety threat, given the crime and all-too-frequent fires.
A woman pushes her walker past debris in Council District 13 in Los Angeles on Friday.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Soto-Martínez agreed to talk to me about all of this on Friday morning, when he dropped by the Bresee Foundation, a nonprofit with a range of enrichment activities for youngsters and families in the largely low-income immigrant community, as well as homelessness prevention programs. Staff and volunteers, recruited with support from the council office, were about to head into nearby streets with shovels, brooms and trash bags.
Soto-Martínez acknowledged his district’s many challenges, told the gathering that the strength of a community is its people, and thanked them for their service.
The councilman, a former labor leader who joined the growing progressive wing of the L.A. City Council in 2022 with support from the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, has three challengers in the June 2 primary (Colter Carlisle, Dylan Kendall and Rich Sarian). He told me the city has to do a better job of educating people about illegal dumping and how to report it. A related challenge, he said, “is how quickly can we get to it. And that is a budget issue because we’ve cut so many positions on trash pickup.”
Soto-Martínez said his office used discretionary funds to hire two crews from the L.A. Conservation Corps for trash pickup. On homelessness, he said, he has a team strategizing to address the needs, and a medical team that works the streets, and a tiny home village is in the works.
But the housing shortage is a major challenge, he said, and when it comes to entrenched homelessness, “we’re now starting to deal with much more difficult cases.” Namely severe mental illness and serious addiction, both of which generally come under county jurisdiction.
“We created another team that goes out every single day. We door-knock, email and phone-bank people who are at risk of eviction,” Soto-Martínez said, adding that homelessness has declined by 25% during his three years in office.
So what is his message to constituents who say they don’t see enough progress?
“We ask them to give us patience and grace,” he said. “There’s a lot of examples like this, where we’re not just dealing with one thing. We’re dealing with four or five things.”
All of that is true, but the patience he asks for is wearing thin among some constituents.
“We need to find common ground and work together,” Soto-Martínez said. “You know, they see trash as an issue, and they’re doing it their way and we’re doing it our way. But how can we team up and do it together? You know, we’re happy to build those networks out, and under many of the issues they describe, I’m not disagreeing. … We all have the same goal.”
L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez gives a pep talk to volunteers before they leave to clean their neighborhood streets of garbage and debris.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
When Soto-Martínez departed for another appointment, the volunteers took to the streets, filling trash bags. They worked their way up Vermont, and a Bresee employee told me he works the same streets every day, trying to clear a path for “safe passage” as students walk to and from school.
As I said in the earlier column, it’s an inspiration to see people step up for their communities, whether out of pride or frustration. And it’s also reasonable to expect more from City Hall.
I drove over to Western and Sierra Vista, met up with Keenan, and told her about my conversation with Soto-Martínez. She said lax city policies and frequent non-response to citizen pleas for help have created the unsolved problems residents deal with daily. She said city officials have to do a better job of helping homeless people off the streets and preventing further deterioration of neighborhoods.
She was encouraged by a message she got from a representative of Mayor Karen Bass’ office who wants to tour the neighborhood with her.
We walked west on Sierra Vista and came upon a dumped sofa, some cabinets, mattresses, and a man who has been living in a curbside encampment for months. He sat near his belongings, which spilled into the street.
Why hasn’t this been addressed? Keenan wondered aloud. She has decided to stop paying her housekeeper to help address the neighborhood’s needs, and she predicted things will only get worse because of it.
I drove over to the Lexington pocket park, which Soto-Martínez called a priority, among many other priorities. Friday was a holiday — Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. With schools closed, the park would have been a great little neighborhood asset.
But the entrance was closed, with a lock on the gate, and two tarped dwellings were set up against the iron fencing of the empty park.
After back-to-back appearances at both weekends of Coachella, David Lee Roth popped out Saturday at Stagecoach to sing Van Halen’s “Jump” with Teddy Swims for the third (and final?) time. To discuss what he called his “three-peat,” I caught up later with the 71-year-old singer, who wore a bedazzled jacket and a leather vest.
Have you bought property in Indio? Do you just live here now? No, I’ve bought property in the American musical fabric that extends beyond time frame, that extends beyond shoes and haircuts. It includes cowboy hats and yarmulkes.
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Next weekend this place is gonna be barren. Will you be back to sing “Jump” with nobody? There’ll be plenty of people here for the Diamond Dave Big Rig Trucking School and Day Care Center.
You’re on your own tour right now. How are those shows going? They go exquisitely because if you enjoy what you saw onstage [tonight], it’s that times 22 songs.
Twenty-two songs in the set. Oh yeah. I wrote every word that I sing, I wrote every note that I sing — all the melodies — and I stacked all the harmonies. Ed [Van Halen], of course, contributed all the great guitar parts. And we wrote all of those parts literally sitting in a tiny little alcove room where you put a washer and a dryer. We would sit knee-to-knee the room was so small, and he’d play the electric guitar. His mom wouldn’t let him plug in because it would be too loud, so I had to lean over. Every song that you know of Van Halen, I heard from an unplugged-in electric guitar from four inches away, going, “Too long.”
Tighten it up. Cut it short. All great musicians finish long after the ending.
Last time we talked, you said you were wearing Artemis II. What’s the outfit tonight? This is classic Nudie’s western wear from Lankershim. This is from the ’50s. This has been all over the world. This is made by Nudie’s of Hollywood, who made all of Roy Rogers’ and Jean Autry’s [clothes] and all of “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke,” “Rawhide’s” wear. Look up Nudie of Hollywood, OK? This baby’s worth more than my shoes, and they’re custom-made. This jacket’s worth more than my teeth — same thing.
Writing obituaries is a sacred, tricky task. Major news organizations compose advance obits on major figures, a just-in-case endeavor that feels both hugely important and somewhat macabre.
Several years ago, it fell to me to compose an advance death notice for the legendary conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who was confronting a terminal brain cancer diagnosis by doubling down on his performance schedule and delivering — by all accounts — spectacular performances.
The piece lay blessedly dormant for longer than anyone thought possible as Tilson Thomas persevered in the face of his illness — an inspiration to all who knew and loved him. And then, yesterday morning, it became necessary to publish. There was a rush to update the writing, to fact-check the timeline, to be sure that all salient points were included. Here was the final story of a remarkable human’s life. The sense of responsibility cannot be overstated.
I was surprised to learn that a former colleague at the paper had also written an advance obit on Tilson Thomas, so my editor worked to meld the two together. The other writer included information that I had missed and vice versa, so in many ways it turned out to be a good thing that we had mistakenly doubled up on the weighty task.
One detail that the other writer included that was formerly unknown to me: A Times story from 1985 reported Tilson Thomas walking off the stage at the Hollywood Bowl nearly 15 minutes into the hourlong second movement of Part II of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. Tilson Thomas did this, according to the archived news clip, because a noisy police helicopter simply would not go away.
A reader wrote in after the obituary went live to say that he had been there when it happened, and offered up this fresh insight:
“I was at the concert. The helicopter was hovering long, low and loud(!) with a bright searchlight scanning the trees behind the shell. It was an impossible situation which [Tilson Thomas] handled with quiet dignity. And when he returned to the stage he opted to re-start the Second Movement of Mahler VIII from the top! It was a long and memorable night at the Bowl.”
Our obituary described Tilson Thomas as storming off the stage. Not so, said the reader.
“More determination than storm,” he wrote.
And suddenly I could picture it, that moment from more than 40 years ago, with Tilson Thomas displaying the singular determination and love for his craft that would sustain him much later in life when he faced down death with the same quiet grace, the same unwavering resolve. And the music … I can hear it over the chop-chop-chop of the helicopter, until Tilson Thomas is all that remains.
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt feeling grateful for stories past. This is your arts and culture news for the week.
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
Craft Contemporary hosts CLAY LA this weekend.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
CLAY LA Emerging and established ceramic artists gather their wares for Craft Contemporary’s ninth annual fundraiser, a vibrant marketplace with complimentary refreshments, music and hands-on air-dry clay activities. Fun fact: The museum was founded by Edith R. Wyle, grandmother of “The Pitt’s” Noah Wyle. Market Preview Night, 6-9 p.m. Friday, $20 general admission, $15 members; weekend market, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday (free with $9 museum admission) and Sunday (pay-what-you-wish admission); regular museum hours, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; noon-8 p.m., the first Thursday of the month. Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Blvd. craftcontemporary.org
Music director James Conlon of at L.A. Opera will conduct his farewell concert Friday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
(Ariana Drehsler/For The Times)
James Conlon Farewell Concert The maestro, who is stepping down after 20 years as LA Opera’s music director, leads the organization’s full orchestra and chorus for an evening of Mozart, Verdi and Wagner as his grand finale. The event is followed by a celebratory gala on the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. 7 p.m. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laopera.org
SATURDAY John Adams & Conrad Tao The LA Phil’s John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair conducts the orchestra in a program that includes Piazzolla’s “Two Tangos,” Stravinsky’s “Song of the Nightingale” and Prokofiev’s “Lieutenant Kijé Suite,” plus pianist Conrad Tao performing Adams’ composition “Century Rolls,” inspired by 1920s self-playing pianos. 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Brewery Artwalk & Open Studios This free semi-annual event at the former Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery north of downtown features more than 100 artists sharing, discussing and (ideally) selling their work in the very spaces that much of it is created. 11 a.m.-6 p.m Saturday and Sunday. Brewery Arts Complex, 2100 N. Main St., L.A. breweryartwalk.com
Jerrika Hinton and Bradley Gibson in “Fremont Ave.” runs April 25-May 23 at South Coast Repertory.
(Marc J. Franklin)
Fremont Ave. The world premiere of Reggie D. White’s multi-generational drama about three Black men in L.A. and the woman who is the glue in their lives. Directed by Lili-Anne Brown. Part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Previews, 8 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday; opening night, May 1; regular performances, May 2-23. South Coast Repertory, Segerstrom Stage, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scr.org
The Liminary It’s 2042 in Last Call Theatre’s latest immersive experience and the U.S. is run by a nationalistic, isolationist government. Do you dare join the resistance? With interactive exhibits on immigration, community and hope, plus multiple endings and narratives inspired by the saga of immigrants. 8 p.m Saturday; 8 p.m. May 1-2, May 7-9 and May 14-16. 1919 3rd Ave. L.A. lastcalltheatre.com
Liz Larner, “smile (abiding),” 1996-2005; Rachel Harrison, “The Prepper,” 2024; and Rebecca Morris, “Untitled (#15-25), 2025” from the exhibition “planchette” at Regen Projects.
(Regen Projects)
planchette A group exhibition featuring contemporary abstract sculptures and paintings by influential artists Rachel Harrison, Liz Larner and Rebecca Morris. Opening reception, 6-8 p.m.; exhibit runs through May 23. Regen Projects, 6750 Santa Monica Blvd. L.A. regenprojects.com
SUNDAY Gabriel Kahane & Roomful of Teeth The eclectic singer-songwriter-composer teams up with the multi-Grammy-winning vocal group to perform music from their recently-released collaborative album, “Elevator Songs.” 7 p.m. Sid The Cat Auditorium, 1022 El Centro St., South Pasadena. sidthecat.com
WEDNESDAY
The Australian Chamber Orchestra comes to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on Wednesday, April 29.
(Nic Walker)
Australian Chamber Orchestra The ensemble from down under performs Purcell’s “Fantasia on One Note,” Handel’s “Concerto Grosso in A Major, Op. 6 No. 11,” a new work by John Luther Adams titled “Horizon,” Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending” (arranged by Adam Johnson), and Schubert’s ”Death and the Maiden” in the candlelit intimacy of the Samueli Theater. 7 p.m. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org
Jason Delane, left. and Chuma Gault in “Hymn” at the Odyssey Theatre.
(Cooper Bates)
Hymn In this drama by British playwright Lolita Chakrabarti, best known for her stage adaptations of the novels “Life of Pi” and “Hamnet,” two Black men meet at a funeral and discover a life-changing connection. Gregg T. Daniel directs this co-production between the Odyssey Theatre and the Lower Depth Theatre. Previews 8, p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and May 1; 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (an Wednesday, May 27); 3 p.m. Sundays (except May 31), through June 14. Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. odysseytheatre.com
THURSDAY
Los Angeles Ballet presents “Giselle” with Kate Inoue at the Ahmanson Theatre, April 30-May 3.
(Alex Lopez)
‘Giselle’ The Los Angeles Ballet’s staging of this classic supernatural romance features the original 1841 choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot (updated by Marius Petipa) and score by composer Adolphe Adam. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-May 2 and 2 p.m. May 3. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. losangelesballet.org
The 1967 romantic comedy “Barefoot in the Park,” starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, opens the TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday.
(Paramount Pictures)
TCM Classic Film Festival Hollywood Boulevard comes alive with four days of movie magic beginning with the opening night presentation of the 1967 romantic comedy “Barefoot in the Park,” starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Other screenings include “Alice In Wonderland” (1951), “A Place In The Sun” (1951), “Gaslight” (1944), “Out Of The Past (1947) , “Modern Times” (1936), “The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) and “The Magnificent Seven” (1960), with appearances by Fonda, Barbara Hershey, Carol Burnett, John Turturro and many more. Thursday-May 3. TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, 6925 Hollywood Blvd.; Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; TCL Chinese 6 Theatres multiplex, 6801 Hollywood Blvd.; El Capitan Theatre, 6838 Hollywood Blvd.; Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. filmfestival.tcm.com
Arts anywhere
New and recent releases of arts-related media.
French Violinist Renaud Capucon, seen performing during the 2024 Paris Olympics, has a new live album featuring the works of composer Ernest Chausson.
(Kristy Sparow / Getty Images)
Chausson This concert album pairs two pieces by French Romantic composer Ernest Chausson: “Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet, Op. 21.,” performed by violinist Renaud Capuçon, the late pianist Nicholas Angelich and the Ébène Quartet, and “Poème” for violin and orchestra, featuring Capuçon and the Brussels Philharmonic led by conductor Stéphane Denève. The show was recorded live in 2020. Warner Classics/Erato: Digital ($10) and CD ($17).
The City Unseen Emmy-winning producer-director Daniel Sackheim, whose credits include “Law & Order,” “The X-Files” and “The Americans,” is also a serious photographer. His new book of black-and-white images casts Los Angeles as the protagonist in a noir landscape of nocturnal beauty where its darkest secrets lurk in the deepest shadows. Hat & Beard Press: 108 pages, $60.
International Jazz Day The 15th annual event is Thursday in Chicago, but you can celebrate early with PBS’ broadcast of last year’s International Jazz Day All-Star Concert from Abu Dabai. Hosted by Jeremy Irons, the lineup includes Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Jose James, John McLaughlin, Helene Mercier, Danilo Perez, Arturo Sandoval and more. 10 p.m. Friday. PBS SoCal and streaming at pbssocal.org
— Kevin Crust
Culture news and the SoCal scene
Attendees walk around the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new David Geffen Galleries in Los Angeles on Sunday, April 19, 2025.
(Ariana Drehsler/For The Times)
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art news did not stop last week as it threw a glitzy opening gala for the new David Geffen Galleries, and — a few days later — welcomed members for previews prior to opening its doors to the general public on May 4. I attended the gala and checked in with a number of wonderful artists, including Mark Bradford, Ed Ruscha and Jeff Koons, about their thoughts on the new building. Then, on Sunday, we sent a team to get member reactions to the new space. Later in the week we published critic Leah Ollman’s review of the inaugural installation. Spoiler alert: Nope, not gonna give you one. You’ll have to read it.
We also ran a lovely profile by contributor Tara Anne Dalbow about Eileen Harris Norton whose jaw-dropping art collection is currently on display at Hauser & Wirth in downtown L.A. “Few people have done more to shape Los Angeles’ art scene than Eileen Harris Norton,” writes Dalbow. “The third-generation Californian, born and raised near Watts Towers in South Los Angeles, bought her first artwork at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, co-founded Art + Practice in Leimert Park, and has spent 50 years collecting artists who were, in many cases, her friends and neighbors.”
Joey Stromberg and Jenny Soo in “For Want of a Horse” at the Echo Theater Company.
(Cooper Bates)
Times theater critic Charles McNulty was — as always — incredibly busy, publishing two reviews and a feature in the past week. First up, his take on “For Want of a Horse” by Olivia Dufault, currently receiving its world premiere in an Echo Theater Company production at Atwater Village Theatre. “The subject is zoophilia, not to be confused with bestiality, though for many of us it will be a distinction without much of a difference,” McNulty writes. Curious? Read on.
McNulty also delivered a thoughtful profile Nicholas Christopher, who he dined with on a recent trip to New York. “A new Broadway star emerges each season, and this year the spotlight has alighted on Nicholas Christopher, who has been dazzling audiences and insiders alike as part of the awe-inspiring triumvirate powering the thrilling new revival of the musical ‘Chess,’” McNulty writes.
Finally, McNulty reviewed “Eat Me,” by Talene Monahon, having its world premiere at South Coast Repertory. A fan of Monahon‘s previous work, McNulty was not as impressed at he would have liked. The play, he writes, “is a relentlessly quirky work that gorges on its own dark whimsy.”
In other news, I got the scoop that new media artist Refik Anadol’s museum of AI arts, Dataland has set its opening date for June 20.
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Elinor Gunn in “Joan” at South Coast Repertory. SCR has announced its 2026-27 season.
(Scott Smeltzer)
South Coast Repertory announced an expanded 2026-27 season, featuring nine productions, including “Hamlet,” starring Raymond Lee; Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods;” Lauren Yee’s “Mother Russia;” and Oscar Wilde’s classic, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” “The 2026-27 season reflects programming changes established in SCR’s recently adopted strategic plan, which includes more classics, modern masterpieces and the continuation of an annual musical on the Segerstrom Stage,” a news release notes.
Streaming entertainment giant Netflix is in negotiations to buy the historic Radford Studio Center lot in Studio City.
Netflix plans to purchase the Los Angeles studio that has been home to generations of landmark television shows, including “Gunsmoke” and “Seinfeld,” according to two people with knowledge of the pending deal who were not authorized to speak about it publicly.
The studio’s previous operator, Hackman Capital Partners, defaulted on a $1.1-billion mortgage in January. Investment bank Goldman Sachs took over the property and is in talks with Netflix to sell it for between $330 million and $400 million.
Representatives for Hackman and Netflix declined to comment on the planned sale.
Culver City-based Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management teamed up to buy the Radford Avenue property from ViacomCBS in 2021 with a winning bid of $1.85 billion, after a competitive battle for the 55-acre studio beloved by the television industry.
At the time, the staggering price tag underscored the value — and scarcity — of TV soundstages in Los Angeles as content producers scrambled for space to shoot TV shows and movies to stock their streaming services. It was one of the largest-ever real estate transactions for a TV studio complex in Los Angeles.
Since then, production has substantially declined in Southern California. L.A. continues to battle the loss of production to other states and countries, as well as the lingering effects on the industry of the pandemic and the 2023 dual writers’ and actors’ strikes. Cutbacks in spending at the major studios after a surge in streaming-fueled TV production have further damped film activity in the region.
Founded by silent film comedy legend Mack Sennett in 1928, the lot became known as “Hit City” in the decades after World War II as popular TV shows such as “Leave It to Beaver,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Will & Grace” were made there. The storied lot gave the Studio City neighborhood its name,
Netflix, which has a market cap of about $455 billion — more than double that of Walt Disney Co. — has maintained its dominance in the global streaming business with more than 325 million subscribers.
The Los Gatos-based company has production offices worldwide, including facilities in Albuquerque, Brooklyn, London, Madrid and Toronto.
Netflix had secured an $82.7-billion deal to buy Warner Bros. studios and streaming services in December, but withdrew from the bidding war in late February after Paramount Skydance offered $31 a share. As part of the switch, Netflix was paid a $2.8-billion termination fee.
Several private equity firms and Hollywood power players, including United Talent Agency and longtime agent Patrick Whitesell, have expressed interest in buying parts of Casey Wasserman’s music and sports management firm after it abruptly went up for sale.
Providence Equity Partners holds the majority stake. The private equity firm has discussed selling the entire company or carving off Wasserman’s minority interest. Providence also has considered selling the bulk of the firm and staying on as a minority investor, one of the sources said. Another scenario could involve separating, then selling the individual business units that make up the Team.
Wasserman and Providence’s company boasts an enviable roster of music artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay and Ed Sheeran. Its sports marketing practice is viewed as particularly lucrative and has potential to grow in value as big dollars flow into sports that draw large crowds.
Wasserman, who declined to comment, has a veto right over any sale of the company that he has spent a quarter of a century building.
UTA, which also declined to comment, is among the most aggressive suitors, the sources said. The Team’s sports marketing and music representation divisions would dramatically boost the Beverly Hills agency’s profile and client roster.
The sales process is expected to stretch into summer, the knowledgeable people said. The auction could become complicated particularly if Providence decides to unwind the business.
For example, UTA could not buy the entire company because of the Brillstein television unit. The agency is bound by an agreement with the Writers Guild of America that prevents it from owning television production.
Investment bank Moelis & Company is managing the sale. A representative of the firm declined comment.
Wasserman also is the chairman of LA28, the nonprofit group that will be staging the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in two years.
Following revelations of Wasserman’s 2003 emails with Maxwell, several musicians and athletes — led by pop artist Chappell Roan and soccer star Abby Wambach — said that, to stay true to their values, they would leave the agency then known as Wasserman.
Wasserman apologized to his staff for “past personal mistakes” and said he would sell the agency.
Wasserman, a prolific Clinton fundraiser whose legendary grandfather, Hollywood titan Lew Wasserman, helped the Democrat win the 1992 presidential election, was joined on Epstein’s jet by his then-wife, Laura, actor Kevin Spacey, Epstein, Maxwell — who was convicted of sexual abuse in 2021 — and others, including security agents.
Amid the bustle and glitz of last week’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, one question loomed over the annual trade convention — how will the proposed Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery deal affect the movie theater business?
That anxiety showed up in a state of the industry speech from Cinema United trade group President Michael O’Leary, who reiterated his organization’s opposition to further industry consolidation.
It showed up in a trailer for Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming film “Spaceballs: The New One,” when a voiceover poked fun at Hollywood studios “merging willy-nilly” as images of the Paramount sign and Warner Bros. water tower flashed across the screen.
And the subject again took center stage — literally — when Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison himself gave a speech during his studio’s presentation at Caesars Palace. He sought to reassure the assembled movie theater operators and exhibition executives that the combined company would indeed release a minimum of 30 films a year.
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“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” he said during an onstage speech, in which he also committed to a 45-day theatrical window and 90-day period before films go to streaming services. “People can speculate all they want, but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it.”
It’s true that Paramount has nearly doubled its theatrical releases since Ellison took over. As he noted in his speech, the storied studio is now planning 15 films this year, up from eight in 2025.
But as I’ve written previously, theater owners and other studio executives question how releasing 30 movies a year across the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. would work — not only in terms of giving each film the proper marketing campaign to succeed in theaters but also because of the massive cost cuts that will inevitably occur once the merger is final.
Still, Ellison’s commitment to 30 films a year got a round of enthusiastic applause — and at least one high-profile boost.
A day earlier, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Adam Aron told me in an interview that he backed Ellison’s takeover of Warner, saying he and AMC believed in the tech scion’s talent as a filmmaker and a movie executive, as well as his pledge to release those 30 films a year.
“We’re enthusiastic that David will fulfill his promises,” Aron said. “And that in the end, this will prove to be a good thing for our company and our industry.”
Not everyone shares that enthusiasm.
More than 4,000 people have now signed an open letter opposing the Paramount-Warner deal, arguing that consolidating two studios will lessen consumer choice and job opportunities for creatives, particularly at a time when Hollywood is already struggling. (Notable signatories include “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve, actors Glenn Close and Emma Thompson, as well as director and producer JJ Abrams.)
O’Leary of Cinema United similarly wasn’t convinced.
“While recent pledges attempt to address the threats of consolidation to our industry, they are not yet sufficient in addressing our concerns,” he said in a statement released hours after Ellison’s speech. “We remain open to tangible commitments that will ensure a vibrant global theatrical exhibition industry for years to come.”
Elsewhere at CinemaCon, the mood was upbeat.
Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy struck a triumphant tone after an award-winning year for the studio, capped off by the best picture win for “One Battle After Another.”
They unveiled footage from new films like the upcoming “Digger” from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and brought out lead actor Tom Cruise to a sustained standing ovation from the audience. And both De Luca and Abdy espoused optimism for the future of the theatrical business. The studio plans to release 14 films this year and as many as 18 for 2027.
“The film business has always required smart betting, and we have 4 billion reasons from last year to think we’re holding the right cards,” De Luca said during the presentation, referring to the studio’s worldwide box office revenue last year.
“We all know they’re not all going to work. That comes with taking swings,” Abdy said of the studios’ films. “There’s no version of this business that’s risk-free. But our job is to step up, make our bets and own it when it doesn’t work.”
But the end of the presentation felt more somber, with the executives asking the heads of Warner Bros.’ labels to come to the stage and be recognized. Shortly after, they asked Warner Bros. employees in the audience to stand for applause. It was hard to escape the feeling that this may be the end of an era.
As my colleague Meg James reported, the cuts hit Disney’s television and movie studios, sports giant ESPN, its product and technology unit, corporate functions and marketing. Even Marvel Studios’ visual development team was affected.
The layoffs are one of the first major moves under new Disney Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro, who took the reins of the company last month. In a message to employees, he said the company needed to “constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.”
What I’m watching
Some friends and I watched “Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare” this past weekend, a truly eye-opening documentary that explains what happened during the March 11, 2011, nuclear accident and whether the world has learned anything from it.
Tyler and Chloe made an appearance on the latest episode of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch (April 19), where they spoke to hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer about their radio show.
The pair excitedly spoke about meeting a variety of A-list stars through their new show, including Halle Berry, Margot Robbie and Chris Hemsworth. Chloe said: “They were so lovely. Everyone’s been really nice.”
Tim then asked: “Who are the rotten ones?” with Tyler issuing a very candid reply.
“Do you know what I’m going to say, I’m not going to say rotten ones. We had a really awkward one, I’m just going to say it, with Ryan Gosling,” he shared.
Chloe added: “Oh god, it was awful! I think he was really jet lagged and we were his first interview of the day, and we are kind of like a massive ball of energy. We’re like punchline, punchline, punchline, and he looked slightly bewildered.”
Tyler said: “He looked so confused. It literally got to the point where we had three minutes left of the interview and [we were] like, ‘Anything you want to chat about?'”
Chloe continued: “He looked for help,” before adding: “He asked us at one point if we’d actually seen the film, so that was good. And we had.”
Tim then noted: “I reckon if you interviewed him tomorrow, he’d be a lovely bloke, do you know what I mean? That’s how it is.”
Following the announcement of his role at KISS, Tyler previously said in a statement: “KISS FAM! The mornings are gonna be unreal! Taking over from my boys Jordan and Perri is huge… but trust me, I’m ready to bring it! It’s time for big laughs and bigger tunes. KISS is where home is – this is your new breakfast show where the door is always open. It’s gonna be carnage!”
Chloe added: “I can’t believe I’m saying this – I’m joining KISS! While I know I’ve got big shoes to fill, stepping into the station that I’ve been a HUGE fan of growing up will feel like being launched into my dream job at 100 miles an hour.
“Being the newbie, I know that working alongside Tyler and a world-class team of producers will give me the perfect introduction. I’m more than ready to bring the laughs and every ounce of energy I’ve got for the KISS Breakfast listeners. I’m buzzing!”
As well as hosting the morning show on KISS, Chloe also recently attended Coachella in California, with the star posting smiling snaps with her best friend Millie Court on social media. They were also joined by Love Island: All Stars winner Samie Elishi, and Sophie Piper.
Sunday Brunch is available to stream on Channel 4, while KISS Breakfast airs weekdays from 6am
Dylan Sprouse sprang to action early Friday morning when he encountered a trespasser at his Hollywood Hills home.
Sources familiar with the incident told The Times that “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” star tackled a man on the lawn near his home after his wife, Victoria’s Secret model Barbara Palvin, spotted “the creepy guy.” Palvin made an emergency call to police around 12:30 a.m. and reported a possible burglary.
TMZ, citing unnamed sources, reported that Sprouse had a gun and held the trespasser down until police arrived.
Police told The Times that the suspect was taken in on outstanding warrants and that no injuries were reported. Additionally, the suspect did not make it inside the couple’s 1920s Spanish-style home, only onto the property.
TMZ obtained footage of the arrest, which showed a suspect, whose face was blurred out, being handcuffed outside a police vehicle. A skateboard was leaned against the fence of the Disney alum’s property, and a “Private Property, No Trespassing” sign was posted on the gate.
Representatives for Sprouse and Palvin have not responded to The Times’ request for comment.
The couple met at a party in 2017 and by the fall of 2018, Palvin was gushing to Vogue that she was “very much in love.”
“I feel like I found the perfect guy,” she said of Sprouse. “He’s very kind and gentle.”
The couple tied the knot in the summer of 2023. In 2024, Palvin walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and during a backstage interview said that Sprouse always has something up his sleeve to surprise her.
Outside the show, Sprouse revealed on the pink carpet that he had signs made with the faces of the couple’s fur babies, a French bulldog named Piggy Cow and a cat named Klaus Von Sprouse, to hold up while Palvin strutted the catwalk.
Avid Technology, the editing software company, is the latest entertainment industry player to introduce AI into its toolbox.
The company behind industry-standard platforms Pro Tools and Media Composer said it is entering a multiyear partnership with Google Cloud.
The goal is to implement both generative and agentic AI so that users can turn the “mostly manual process into an intelligent, AI-assisted experience,” Avid said in a statement Thursday morning.
“The primary bottleneck in Hollywood is manual labor [in editing] and managing thousands of hours of high-risk footage,” Avid Chief Executive Wellford Dillard told The Times. “This isn’t us just adding a new tool. It’s going from static files sitting on hard drives, to living data that understands its context.”
Google’s Gemini models and Vertex AI will be embedded directly into Avid’s processes, offering customers a chance to accelerate their editing time. Avid’s Media Composer, the editing system used on most professional film and TV productions, will now include a Gemini extension that could enhance metadata and generate B-Roll.
The company said that, overall, using AI on its platforms enables systems to understand the context of every file — allowing users to describe what they need based on visual movements, on-screen dialogue and emotional cues.
Dillard said that when someone uses Media Composer for editing, it can often be frustrating to click in and out of the application in search of the right shot buried within hours of footage. Now, he said, clients can describe the shot to AI, which could find it faster.
Anil Jain, global managing director at Google Cloud, said that these tools can do both simple functions like tweaking a scene’s background, or achieve more complex tasks, like creating promotional material.
“Most storytellers don’t get excited about putting together a promo, but if they could leverage AI to help do it a lot faster, then it becomes more interesting, gets it done and opens up the possibility of more creative time,” Jain said.
Ramesh Srinivasan, a professor of information studies at UCLA, said these kinds of deals are the “new normal” and that “almost every single industry is being sort of eaten up by the Pac-Man of AI.”
“Editing is a task that involves creativity and human artisanship. An editor is not just someone who mechanically reproduces a number of steps. They have a sense of storytelling in mind,” said Srinivasan. “In terms of AI-created content, the initial research is showing that it is flattening creativity. It’s putting out the dominant patterns that it can copy, rather than reflect, the specific diverse and creative ways we can write, or edit.”
To Dillard, Avid’s CEO, incorporating AI is a way to ensure that creators can make enough content to keep up with audiences’ increasing demands.
“The demand for content is almost insatiable, and dollars are limited. This work can help compress those production timelines [and make] more content,” Dillard said. “Our hope is that we’re actually enabling the world, within the same budget constraints that the studios have today. You’re producing more content, and you are also opening the doors for smaller production houses to be able to produce more content competitively.”
CBS hasn’t given up on producing an original late-night show — despite easing Stephen Colbert out the door.
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” ends next month after CBS canceled the popular program, citing financial pressures. The network’s top two executives told reporters during a press briefing in Hollywood on Wednesday that the network still wants to be a player in the 11:35 p.m. hour.
CBS struck a one-year deal with media mogul Byron Allen to bring his “Comics Unleashed” syndicated show to the prominent time slot once occupied by David Letterman until Colbert took the mantle a decade ago. President Trump, in social media posts, has taken credit for getting Colbert, whom he dislikes, tossed off the air.
Colbert’s final broadcast will be May 21.
Beyond the stop-gap arrangement with Allen, network executives acknowledged they don’t have a long-term plan for the late-night hours — but development executives are working on it.
“We are still going to develop other ideas, other concepts,” said George Cheeks, whose role as chair of TV Media at Paramount includes running CBS. He added that Allen’s programs, including “Funny You Should Ask” at 12:35 a.m., will allow the company to immediately turn a small profit — an increasingly critical mandate as CBS prepares to absorb the high cost of keeping NFL football on its schedule.
“If we are going to go back into that space, we have to go back into that space with a different financial model,” Cheeks said, in contrast to a show set in a theater with a band, live audience and large group of writers and support staff to stage a nightly show with numerous guests.
“I grew up in late night — I believe in late night,” Cheeks said. “The reality is that the reach is still there, but the reach is primarily on YouTube.”
It’s become increasingly difficult for CBS or other major networks to make money on a topical show when the majority of the audience, particularly younger viewers, watch snippets on YouTube.
CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach acknowledged the network wasn’t actively developing a replacement late-night show; instead the effort was in the brainstorming stage. “They’re just conversations at this point,” she said.
CBS can make money on “Comics Unleashed” because Allen pays CBS for the hours and covers production costs. In return, Allen’s company receives most of the commercial spots in the programs, which his company can sell to advertisers to defray its costs.
Cheeks dismissed concerns that Allen’s programs, which have been in syndication for years, would not be viewed as “CBS-level quality.” He called Allen “a great partner.”
“Comics Unleashed” has run at 12:35 a.m., but CBS is moving it one hour earlier on the schedule, where it will have more exposure and benefit from running immediately after TV stations’ local late news. “Funny You Should Ask” will air in the 12:35 a.m. time slot.
“I actually think the shows are strong. … They have a point of view,” Cheeks said of Allen’s programs. “It’s a change in format … a change from what people are used to.”
It’s been a rough year for CBS.
The last 12 months have included a nasty spat with Trump over a “60 Minutes” segment with Kamala Harris, which Paramount ended by paying the president $16 million. Then came the tempest over Colbert’s cancellation just days after he called the Trump settlement “a big fat bribe.”
The network got new owners — David Ellison and Skydance Media — in August and Ellison promptly installed a new boss at CBS News, Bari Weiss, who has made talent moves to shake up the division.
Because of last year’s Paramount change in ownership, the NFL has the ability to reopen the network’s TV license deal, which is expected to increase the cost of retaining the NFL by as much as $1 billion a year, potentially cutting into CBS’ programming budget.
“Capital allocation is always a major consideration,” Cheeks said. “But I would harken back to something that David Ellison said recently, which was content investment was mission critical to the future of this company.”
CBS unveiled its new fall schedule Wednesday, announcing that fan-favorite LL Cool J was returning to star in a new show, “NCIS: New York,” with Scott Caan, and the introduction of a new legal drama, “Cupertino,” from hit-making executive producers Robert and Michelle King. CBS will serve up two other new shows, including a comedic drama, “Einstein,” and a half-hour vampire family comedy, “Eternally Yours.”
Cheeks also acknowledged that, for the first time in 18 years, CBS would not end the television season in first place in viewers. This year, that honor goes to NBC, which broadcast a blockbuster February with the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics.
