The individual performances in the Lakers’ ugly, but decisive, 98-78 series-clinching win over the Houston Rockets on Friday were almost too numerous for coach JJ Redick to focus on each one.
That collective spirit is also what makes him so confident heading into the Lakers’ first Western Conference semifinal appearance since 2023.
“For us to be written off a few weeks ago and to win a playoff series is a big deal,” Redick said after the Lakers polished off their first-round playoff series in six games. “And it just speaks to the character of our team and the leaders of our team. They didn’t let go of the rope.”
After winning a series in which they were underdogs for every game they won, the Lakers return to the scene of their lowest moment to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals beginning Tuesday.
The last time they were in Oklahoma City, the Lakers lost by 43 points. Their two best players sustained regular-season ending injuries, with news of Luka Doncic’s hamstring injury and Austin Reaves’ oblique strain coming on consecutive days after the loss. Still dazed from the emotional hangover, the Lakers lost their next two games.
“There was a lot of question marks,” Reaves said. “And just the way that we responded as a group, I think it just tells you a lot about the people that we have in our room. There’s no quit.”
The Lakers finished the regular season with three consecutive wins. They leapt out to a 3-0 series lead against Houston before letting doubt creep in again. After the Lakers squandered two chances to end the series, including a disappointing home loss Wednesday when Reaves returned from injury, critics wondered if the Lakers would really be the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 playoff lead.
James wouldn’t allow it.
The superstar forward dominated with 28 points on 10-of-25 shooting, seven rebounds and eight assists. He outscored the Rockets by himself in the second quarter 14-13 as the Lakers went on a 27-3 run to open a 19-point lead.
“We understand that he’s the guy that brings energy, but also we have to help him,” forward Rui Hachimura said, “especially you know, he’s old now.”
Hachimura didn’t try to suppress a smile.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura blocks a shot by Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. during the first half of Game 6.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
The Japanese forward did his part with 21 points, including five three-pointers. Smart leapt for a jaw-dropping block against 6-foot-8 Tari Eason and drew three charges. Ayton had 16 rebounds, helping the Lakers outrebound the best rebounding team of a generation 54-45.
Ayton, often maligned for his inconsistent effort, has been a force in the postseason, averaging 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds while often guarding Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun one-on-one.
“He’s been saying it all year: ‘Wait till I get to the playoffs,’” Smart said of Ayton. “It’s a different side of him that fans haven’t seen, that we expect, that we know he can give. He knows it and he’s ready.”
In his second game back from injury, Reaves had 15 points on seven-of-14 shooting with three blocks. He missed all four of his three-point attempts, still searching for his shooting rhythm after a long layoff. But the way Reaves attacked his treatment and returned before the typical four- to six-week timeline was his own form of leadership, Redick said.
Reaves sometimes left his house at 7:30 a.m. and didn’t return until more than 12 hours later. He drove all over L.A. looking for different treatment options. He did everything short of following Doncic to Europe, Reaves joked.
Doncic’s status is still unknown for the beginning of the conference semifinals. He has yet to progress to live play on the court, although he recently started incorporating movement into his on-court drills instead of just stationary shooting. He is still out indefinitely.
Without the star point guard, the Lakers could confidently turn to James to steer them through choppy waters. He averaged 22.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the first-round series. At one point during Friday’s game, Reaves approached him to just tell him his performance was “insane.”
“I don’t think you can say in words how special he was,” Reaves said, “not just tonight but this series, this year.”
In the locker room after the game when the Lakers prepared to break their last huddle, the lights suddenly clicked off. Players started bleating, serenading James with sounds deserving of the G.O.A.T. — greatest of all time.
Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, giving you the latest on city and county government.
We’ve got a month left before the June 2 primary election, with mail-in ballots already heading to voters’ mailboxes.
As if on cue, the big campaign money is pouring in from an array of well-funded interests: business groups, labor unions, hotels, taxicab companies and even one candidate’s mother.
To get around the city’s strict fundraising limits, those donors are putting much larger sums into “independent expenditure” campaigns that operate separately from their favored candidates.
Let’s take a look at some of the outsized spending to emerge in recent weeks.
Police union targets Raman
Things had been pretty sleepy in the L.A. mayor’s race, even with Mayor Karen Bass facing challenges from Councilmember Nithya Raman, reality TV personality Spencer Pratt and 11 other opponents.
That all changed after the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing rank-and-file officers, dropped more than $400,000 on ads targeting Raman, who was elected to the council twice with support from Democratic Socialists of America, which isn’t endorsing in the mayoral primary.
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Bass has been aligned with the union on a number of issues, supporting the hiring of more cops, signing off on higher police salaries and vetoing a ballot proposal to let Police Chief Jim McDonnell fire officers.
Raman, on the other hand, has been campaigning on her opposition to a package of police pay increases, saying the decision by Bass and the council to approve them was “politically motivated.”
Bass and others said the increases were needed to keep police from leaving a department that has lost 14% of its officers since 2020.
The league tried and failed to unseat Raman two years ago. This time around, the union is texting voters a campaign video highlighting her opposition to a city law barring homeless people from setting up encampments within 500 feet of a school.
The ad, which appears on YouTube, Hulu and other platforms, cites Raman’s recent vote against a new “no-camping” zone in Venice, in an area plagued by assaults and other crimes.
“Raman has voted over 75 times to allow homeless camps next to schools, daycares, parks and other sensitive locations, undermining public safety,” the ad’s narrator says.
Raman responded with her own campaign video saying Bass gave the union “more money than the city could even afford,” forcing city leaders to cut other services “to the bone.”
“This is what happens when a city governs for powerful interests rather than working people,” she said.
The league is planning to spend more than $1 million opposing Raman, and it’s already gotten some help. For example, office building owner Kilroy Realty Group has given $100,000 to the anti-Raman campaign.
A mother of a campaign
Real estate executive Zach Sokoloff has a not-so-secret weapon as he seeks to unseat City Controller Kenneth Mejia: his mom.
Sheryl Sokoloff is the spouse of Jonathan Sokoloff, managing partner of the Los Angeles-based private equity investment firm Leonard Green & Partners. She recently dropped $2.5 million into a committee promoting her son, which has produced digital ads accusing Mejia of performing too few audits.
“Zach Sokoloff will actually do the job as controller,” the ad’s narrator says in one 30-second spot.
Mejia, in an email, called the attacks “baseless” and accused Sokoloff’s family of “using their extraordinary wealth to try to buy the Controller’s position.”
“Unlike my opponent, I do not have any millionaire family members who can bankroll my campaign,” he said. “Just like last time we ran, we’re relying on small dollar donations from LA residents who are inspired by our record of providing unprecedented transparency and accountability on their tax dollars.”
Spending surge in the 11th
We already knew the race for the 11th District, which covers L.A.’s coastal neighborhoods, had gotten outrageously expensive.
Last week, Councilmember Traci Park reported raising nearly $1.3 million. Human rights attorney Faizah Malik, Park’s lone challenger, took in her own impressive haul of $454,000.
Turns out the independent expenditure campaigns in the race are nearly as costly.
Two city employee unions — the Police Protective League and United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 — have spent nearly $900,000 on efforts to get Park reelected. And they’re getting help.
The firefighters, a Park ally since her 2022 campaign, collected $150,000 for their pro-Park effort from Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, a construction trade union. The police union picked up $150,000 from restaurateur Jerry Greenberg and $200,000 from real estate company Douglas Emmett Properties, which gained notoriety for its push to evict tenants from West L.A.’s Barrington Plaza.
Malik, backed by Democratic Socialists of America, accused Park of doing the bidding of her donors at the expense of “everyday working Angelenos,” by supporting police raises and fighting stronger renter protections.
Hotel workers take aim at Park
Meanwhile, a different union is doing its own sizable spend.
Unite Here Local 11, which represents hotel workers, has put nearly $340,000 so far on efforts to promote Malik and tear down Park. The union’s leadership has been furious with Park, who voted against a hike in the minimum wage for tourism workers to $30 per hour.
Park said the wage hike would harm the city’s hospitality industry, costing hotel workers their jobs.
Like the police and the firefighters, Unite Here is not going it alone. The union picked up $50,000 from United Teachers Los Angeles and another $50,000 from Smart Justice California, a group focused on less punitive public safety strategies.
Unite Here has attempted to portray Park, a Democrat, as a Trump sympathizer, highlighting remarks she made to the president when he visited Pacific Palisades in the wake of the Palisades fire. The union also pointed out that she voted against making L.A. a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants.
Park told news radio station KNX in 2024 that the state already has a sanctuary law, and that she considered the ordinance to be an act of “symbolic resistance” — one that would jeopardize federal funding.
On Thursday, Park accused Unite Here of using a picture of her with personnel from the Army Corps of Engineers to falsely imply that she was standing alongside ICE. The Army Corps removed debris from thousands of burned-out properties in the Palisades.
Park, in a statement, called the mail pieces “dishonest and disgusting.”
Unite Here didn’t directly address Park’s allegation, but told The Times that “Local 11 believes that our local elected officials should not collaborate with the Trump administration in any way.”
Speaking of the hotel wage
Unite Here isn’t the only player in the hotel wage fight to leap into this year’s council races.
Two L.A.-based hotels, working with the California Hotel and Lodging Assn., have put a combined $300,000 into a political action committee supporting Maria Lou Calanche, who is seeking to unseat Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez; political aide Jose Ugarte, who is running to replace Councilmember Curren Price; and Park in the 11th.
The group, which goes by the name Fix Los Angles PAC, doesn’t seem to be sweating all the details. Its phone script to voters, which was filed recently with the Ethics Commission, got Calanche’s name wrong, referring to her as Mary instead of Maria.
State of play
— EXPANDING THE VOTE: L.A. voters could be asked in November to take the first step toward giving noncitizens the right to vote in city and school board elections. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, now running for reelection, wants voters to give the council the authority to let noncitizens vote in elections for mayor, council and other city offices, as well as the school board.
— HOME SHARING HOLDOUTS: Bass is looking to relax the city’s rules on home-sharing, by letting residents rent their second homes on a short-term basis through Airbnb and other platforms. Some council members were cool to the idea, saying this week that they fear such a move would shrink the city’s housing supply.
— EYE IN THE SKY: The LAPD deployed drones more than 3,000 times last year, using them mostly for emergency calls or officers’ requests for help, according to a report submitted to the Police Commission. The 3-foot-wide surveillance devices are being used by a department already known for its sizable fleet of helicopters.
— SEIZING CONTROL: Bass and Councilmembers Tim McOsker and Ysabel Jurado want the city of L.A. to obtain majority control over the embattled Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency that delivers services to the region’s unhoused population. That proposal comes a year after the county’s Board of Supervisors voted to pull more than $300 million out of LAHSA.
— A GLOOMY OUTLOOK: L.A. voters lack confidence in the ability of city, county and state officials to make housing more affordable, according to a survey conducted by the Los Angeles Business Council.
— READY FOR OUR CLOSE-UP: L.A. plans to install 125 speed cameras by the end of July, in the hope of catching misbehaving drivers. But there are already some takeaways from San Francisco, where the technology is being credited with getting drivers to slow down.
QUICK HITS
Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s signature program to combat homelessness returned to South Los Angeles, sending outreach workers to areas around 23rd and Broadway, Adams Boulevard at Main Street, and Washington Boulevard at Main Street.
On the docket next week: The major candidates for mayor are set to square off Wednesday at a forum sponsored by NBC4 and Telemundo 52, in partnership with Loyola Marymount University and the Skirball Cultural Center.
Stay in touch
That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
WASHINGTON — More than 60 days into his war with Iran, well past public deadlines he had set for its end, President Trump sat through a briefing from U.S. Central Command outlining yet another set of options for a fresh round of strikes.
On offer Thursday were unpalatable choices for a president eager to move on from the conflict he started. Renewed U.S. attacks risk inflaming the war beyond Trump’s control, undermining a fragile ceasefire for which American allies fought hard. But the very need for such a briefing underscored how difficult a position the president has found himself in.
A legal deadline for congressional authorization arrived Friday that threatens to increase pressure on the administration — and underscore lagging support for the most unpopular U.S. war in modern times. Global oil prices remain above $100 a barrel entering the midterm election season. And a diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran appears nowhere in sight.
Signs pointed to another U.S. military buildup in the region this week that could portend a fresh round of fighting. A U.S. Defense official familiar with the matter said the U.S. military has used the weeks-long pause to replenish its munitions. So, too, have the Iranians, who have reportedly increased their efforts to dig out stockpiles of missiles and drones buried by U.S. and Israeli strikes.
“Amateurs look at strategy; pros look at logistics,” said Robert Pape, a professor of international relations at the University of Chicago. “I have seen more buildup of force — actual firepower, with the addition of a third aircraft carrier, and logistics — than we’ve seen since the beginning of the war in February. So there’s been a notable change in the past week.”
The logistical surge appears to be a stream of Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft making their way to the region, alongside the addition of a third aircraft carrier. Only two carriers were in place when Trump first launched the war Feb. 28.
“That’s a pretty good sign that they’re mobilizing,” Pape added. “These are strategic and operational indicators. I would imagine they’re looking for a sharp knock.”
More than 10,000 Marines from expeditionary units are now in theater, giving Trump the option to launch limited ground operations, such as seizing a small stretch of coastline or initiating an assault on Kharg Island, the hub of Iran’s oil industry.
Occupying Iranian territory could provide the Trump administration with leverage in negotiations with Tehran. But it would also carry significant domestic political risks. A clear majority of Americans — including many Republicans — oppose a ground war.
More troops would be necessary to hold ground for any substantial period of time, experts said.
“I do have the impression, from some of the briefings that I have received as well as other sources, that an imminent military strike is very much on the table,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, told CNN.
Departing Washington for the weekend, Trump told reporters that a “very disjointed” Iranian government, torn internally over whether to agree to a nuclear deal with the Americans, had put his administration “in a bad position,” uncertain whom to negotiate with or whether any agreement it might strike would be enforced.
“Right now we have negotiations going on. They’re not getting there,” Trump said. “They want to make a deal, but I’m not satisfied with it. So we’ll see what happens.”
And yet, the longer talks continue, the more pain Americans can expect to feel as global energy and fertilizer prices continue to skyrocket over disrupted commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, affecting the costs of pocketbook items ranging from food and fuel to airfare.
Trump hopes a brief new round of powerful strikes, potentially targeting Iranian infrastructure, will force Iran’s hard-liners to support a negotiated settlement — a gambit that could backfire, after an inaugural volley of strikes in the war killed off the government’s moderate voices, empowering the militant leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever, or do we want to try and make a deal?” Trump asked, speaking with reporters on the South Lawn. “I mean, those are the options.”
In a letter addressed to Congress, Trump dismissed a 60-day deadline for congressional authorization for the war set forth in the War Powers Act, claiming the ceasefire with Iran had effectively stopped the clock on the administration’s legal responsibilities. Democrats argue that an ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports constitutes an act of war that, absent a formal diplomatic agreement, requires congressional approval.
Speaking with reporters, Trump offered a less nuanced explanation.
“It’s never been used, it’s never been adhered to,” Trump said of the act. “Every other president considered it totally unconstitutional, and we agree with that.”
The internal debate over resuming the war comes after Pentagon officials informed Congress this week that the conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, had cost taxpayers $25 billion thus far.
Pete Hegseth, the president’s secretary of Defense, defended the effort at a congressional hearing Wednesday, telling lawmakers that the United States was “absolutely” winning the war.
“Militarily,” Hegseth said, “on the battlefield, it’s been an astounding military success.”
He declined to say whether he had advised the president to launch the war in the first place.
Zayn Malik, the former One Direction star turned solo artist, canceled all U.S. dates for his upcoming tour. The hitmaker was recently hospitalized for an undisclosed illness.
“To my fans: Thank you so much for all the support and love you’ve shown me on the album release and more importantly your love, prayers, and well wishes for my health,” Malik wrote Friday in an Instagram story. “I’ve felt it, and it’s meant the world. I’ve been at home recovering and I’m doing well and will be better and stronger than before.
“I’ve had to take another look at my schedule for the months ahead and have to reduce the number of shows on the KONNAKOL Tour,” he continued. “I want to make sure I still get out and see as many of you as I possibly can. I’m really looking forward to playing these shows for you, and I hope to see the rest of you around the world very soon. Big Love, Z”
While the “Side Effects” singer still has forthcoming shows in the United Kingdom and Mexico later this month, he nixed the U.S. leg of the tour, which was slated to kick off this July in Philadelphia. Other major stops included Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, Inglewood, Anaheim, San Francisco and Seattle, with the tour concluding in Miami on Nov. 20.
The announcement comes weeks after Malik, 33, revealed he was hospitalized. The singer didn’t disclose what condition he was suffering from, but on April 17 — the day his latest album “Konnakol” dropped — he shared a since-expired Instagram story that included selfies of the singer in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV.
“To my fans – Thank you to all of you for your love & support now & always – been a long week and am still unexpectedly recovering,” he wrote alongside the photo. “Heartbroken that I can’t see you all this week, I wouldn’t be in the place I am today without you guys and am so thankful for your understanding.”
The “Prayers” singer also thanked “all the incredible hospital staff of [doctors], nurses, cardiologist, management, admin and everyone who had helped along the way and continue to”.
Earlier this year, Malik performed his first ever seven-night residency in Las Vegas at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson has lamented he would like to preside over a “normal Congress,” but the chamber the Republican is leading is anything but.
All-night sessions. Hours of dead zones with no action on the floor. Legislation being written on the fly, behind closed doors. Sudden votes scheduled. Spectacular failures. And, as happened this week, stunning turnarounds in which the House actually passes bills.
“Sometimes it’s an ugly process, sometimes it’s a long process,” Johnson said after House passage of a bipartisan bill to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, ending the longest agency shutdown in history. “But we got it done.”
Republicans, who face an uphill climb this election year to keep hold of their paper-thin House majority, appear at times as if they are still learning on the job, years after having returned to power in 2022, while they are also about to ask voters in November to rehire them for another term.
This week’s starts and stops — for example, five hours of delay as Johnson huddled behind closed doors to salvage his agenda, then a sudden vote tally near 11 p.m. — would typically have been the kind of situation that shocked the political and procedural senses. Now, it’s just another Wednesday.
Or two weeks ago, when a routine House Rules Committee hearing ended up becoming a midnight forum to debut a just-produced 14-page bill to revise a surveillance bill, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, before it was rushed to the floor for a 2 a.m. vote. It failed.
“House Republicans have shown again that they can’t govern,” said Rep. Ted Lieu of California, part of Democratic leadership.
“They routinely pass bills to the Senate that are way too extreme, then it ends up that we have all these floor session days where we’re just doing nothing,” he said.
House GOP’s slim majority makes leader’s job challenging
Johnson, who took over for the ousted Kevin McCarthy more than two years ago, is presiding over one of the slimmest House majorities in modern times, leaving him no room to spare if he’s trying to pass legislation on party-line votes, without Democrats.
The speaker is juggling not only President Trump’s priorities but also those of the various factions that make up his majority, from the conservative House Freedom Caucus to what remains of the GOP’s more pragmatic conservatives.
And Johnson’s own future is always in question, after Republicans chased other speakers, including McCarthy, John Boehner and Newt Gingrich, to early exits.
Last year Johnson, of Louisiana, led passage of the party’s signature achievement, a big bill of tax breaks and safety net cuts, which Trump signed into law. At the time, he quipped about the difficulty of getting it over the finish line.
“I do so deeply desire to have just a normal Congress,” the speaker said in July.
“But it doesn’t happen anymore,” he said. “Our way is to plow through and get it done.”
What’s ahead as House GOP tries to stay in power
Ahead of the fall elections, Johnson and other Republican lawmakers have discussed an agenda that includes the promise of another GOP-only budget package like the tax cuts bill that they could push through the House and the Senate, without Democratic votes.
Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) said Thursday that he expects “the centerpiece” of that package “will be supporting our troops” with more than $100 billion in funding for the war against Iran as well as money to replenish defense munitions and other Pentagon-related needs.
Despite the turbulent week in the House, Arrington said what they’re calling “Budget reconciliation 3.0” should be the “next order of business.”
Yet GOP lawmakers may decide it’s better to skip the hard work of legislating, and the dramatic upheavals that tend to come with it, and hit the campaign trail to win over voters instead.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House GOP’s campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, acknowledged that trying to pass legislation with such a tight majority “can be rough. It’s ugly.”
“I’d be fine with letting us go home and campaign,” Hudson said. “But we’ve got a lot of important work still to do.”
Some of Johnson’s most ardent sparring partners, those most conservative Republican lawmakers, turned their blame for the messy process not on Johnson’s leadership but on their own GOP allies across the Capitol in the Senate, who often dismiss the House’s work.
“Yeah, sometimes, it gets a little tense,” said Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. “But we’re still getting stuff done. We’re sending it over to the Senate. So we look forward to them doing their job.”
The 61st Venice Biennale — the world’s most celebrated international exhibition of contemporary art — made headlines Thursday when its awards jury resigned amid a growing controversy over its April 23 decision to exclude countries charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
In the current moment, this specifically meant Israel and Russia, and an uproar ensued — particularly with regard to Israel. The Israel Foreign Ministry blasted the decision on social media, writing in an April 26 post that the boycott “is a contamination of the art world. The political jury has transformed the Biennale from an open artistic space of free, boundless ideas into a spectacle of false, anti-Israeli political indoctrination.”
The jury posted its brief statement of resignation online four days later “in acknowledgment” of its original decree, in which it wrote, “At this edition of the Biennale, we wish to set out our intention — to express our commitment to the defense of human rights,” before explaining it would not consider certain countries for awards.
The Biennale moved swiftly to reverse course after the jury’s resignation, issuing a news release that noted, “All National Participations included in the 61st Exhibition … are eligible … following the principle of inclusion and equal treatment among all participants. This is consistent with the founding spirit of La Biennale, based on openness, dialogue, and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship. La Biennale seeks to be — and must remain — a place of truce in the name of art, culture, and artistic freedom.”
To that end, the awards ceremony originally scheduled to take place on May 9 has been pushed to November 22 — the last day the exhibition is open to the public. There is precedent for “exceptional circumstances” delays, and the last one took place in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without precedent, however, are the newly established awards, created to replace the coveted Golden Lion awards that the jury traditionally hands out to two winners each year. This year, instead of the Golden Lion for best national participation at the Biennale; and the Golden Lion for best participant in the Biennale’s central exhibition, the Biennale has established two Visitors’ Lions to be awarded in the same categories.
Instead of a jury deciding the winners this year, the honor will be left — as the new award name specifies — to the exhibition visitors.
“Visitors eligible to vote for the Visitors’ Lions are ticket holders who have visited both Exhibition venues,” the release reads.
“Visits to both venues will be verified through the ticketing system’s tracking. Each ticket holder may cast one vote for each of the two awards, in one single session.”
Whether Visitors’ Lions will become a Biennale mainstay remains to be seen — but I can imagine the democratic idea might keep its place when the Golden Lions make their return next year.
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt doing my best to tread water in difficult times. This is your arts and culture news for the week.
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
Quentin Lee and Justin Lin on the set of their debut feature, “Shopping for Fangs.”
(Margin Films)
Celebrating 30 Years of Margin Films Award-winning filmmaker Quentin Lee and his production company mark three decades in the business with a weeklong screening series. Lee’s breakout 1997 debut “Shopping for Fangs,” co-directed by Justin Lin, is the opening film. Also screening: “Ethan Mao,” Saturday; “The People I’ve Slept With,” Sunday; “The Unbidden,” Monday; “Rez Comedy,” Tuesday; “Last Summer of Nathan Lee,” Wednesday; and a sneak peak of three episodes of the Canadian TV series “Comedy InvAsian III,” Thursday. Selected screening includes a Q&A. Lee is also releasing a book, “Cinemasianamerica,” commemorating the occasion. Each film screens one day, 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m., through Thursday. Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. laemmle.com
Dvořák and Korngold Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the Los Angeles Philharmonic pay tribute to Michael Tilson Thomas, who died April 22, with his composition “Agnegram,” and perform Korngold’s “Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra” with violinist María Dueñas. The evening concludes with “Symphony No. 7 in D minor” by Dvořák. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Anna Van Valin, from left, Elias Scoufaras and Bruce Nozick in “Warsaw” at International City Theatre.
(Jordan Gohara)
Warsaw The world premiere of British playwright and “Selma” screenwriter Paul Webb’s drama about the fate of a woman whose life links two monumental historic moments, World War II and Sept. 11. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 17. International City Theatre, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach. ictlongbeach.org
SATURDAY
The Kronos Quartet, from left: Gabriela Díaz, David Harrington, Ayane Kozasa and Paul Wiancko.
(Danica Taylor)
Kronos Quartet The West Coast premiere of the group’s latest large-scale multimedia project, “Three Bones,” which combines live performance, video, visual art, recordings and environmental sound to explore the histories of Indigenous, Gullah Geechee and Chinese American communities in the United States. 6 p.m. UC Santa Barbara campus, Campbell Hall. artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
Michael Caine, from left, Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman in the “The Prestige,” screening Saturday at the Aero.
(Francois Duhamel / Touchstone & Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Prestige Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale square off as rival magicians in a 20th anniversary 35mm screening of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller. 7:30 p.m. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. americancinematheque.com
The cast of “Carlota: Alhajero de Secretos,” opening Saturday at LATC.
(Teatro Alebrijes)
Carlota: Alhajero de Secretos Writer-directors Rodrigo García and Ugho Badú reimagine Federico García Lorca’s tragedy “The House of Bernarda Alba.” The co-production between San José-based LGBTQ+ ensemble Teatro Alebrijes and L.A.’s Latino Theater Company is in Spanish with English supertitles. 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 24. Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, downtown L.A. latinotheaterco.org
SUNDAY
Henri Lubatti in “Exit the King” at A Noise Within.
(Daniel Reichert)
Exit the King Eugène Ionesco’s classic absurdist comedy about a desperate monarch who refuses to admit his time has come, translated by Donald Watson and directed by Michael Michetti. Previews, 2 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and May 8; opening night, 7:30 p.m. May 9; runs through May 31. A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. anoisewithin.org
Organist Anna Lapwood performs at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday.
(Gerald Matzka / Getty Images)
Anna Lapwood The popular organist performs work from “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” “Flight” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” as well as Olivia Belli’s organ solo “Limina Luminis,” in this recital. 7:30 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
TUESDAY
Willie Birch, “Uptown Memories (A Day in the Life of the Magnolia Project),” 1995. Painted papier-mâché and mixed media, 82 × 62 × 60 in. New Orleans Museum of Art.
(Roman Alokhin)
Willie Birch: Stories to Tell This career retrospective details Birch’s exploration of the Black American experience since the 1960s, posing difficult questions along the way in his work as an artist, community organizer and “cultural provocateur.” 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, through Oct. 21. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park. caamuseum.org
Lucía performs Tuesday at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach.
(Shervin Lainez)
Jazz in Long Beach Two jazz-influenced acts come to the Carpenter Center next week. Lucía brings her signature mix of traditional American jazz and Latin folk in a Spotlight Sessions concert on the Cabaret Stage. She’ll also be performing songs from her forthcoming album. “The Magic of Manhattan Starring Benny Benack III” is a tribute to the Big Apple and the songs and singers most associated with it, including Blossom Dearie, Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel. Lucía, 8 p.m. Tuesday; Benny Benack III, 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Carpenter Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. carpenterarts.org
Smith, Cabezas & Childs Molly Turner conducts the LA Phil New Music Group, with multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Gabriella Smith, cellist Gabriel Cabezas and jazz pianist Billy Childs in a program of eco-friendly music curated by Smith, including compositions by Smith, Childs, Michael Gordon, John Cage and Esa-Pekka Salonen. 8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
WEDNESDAY Andrés Jaramillo: A Journey of Immigrants, Part II The Colombian American pianist follows up on his January 2025 program with a celebration of the global cultural exchange created by immigrants, placing Latin American composers within the Romantic tradition. Featuring works by Chopin, Calvo, Mejía, Barber, Lecuona, Friedhoff-Calvo and Pinzón-Arroyo. Presented by Piano Spheres. 8 p.m. Wednesday. Thayer Hall at Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. pianospheres.org
Morgan Freeman, left, and Brad Pitt star in David Fincher’s 1995 film “Seven.”
(Robert Isenberg / New Line Cinema)
Seven A 4k screening of David Fincher’s 1995 thriller about two cops on the trail of a serial killer. Appearances by production designer Arthur Max and set decorator Clay Griffith. 7:30 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
THURSDAY
“Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage” at the Wallis, May 7 to 9.
(The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts)
Dancing With Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown & Cunningham Onstage This kinetic retrospective captures the cross-disciplinary collaborations between vanguard artist Robert Rauschenberg and choreographers Trisha Brown (“Set and Reset,” with an electronic score by Laurie Anderson) and Merce Cunningham (“Travelogue,” created with John Cage). 7:30 p.m. Thursday and May 8; 2 p.m. May 9. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
The Physicists Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton are residents of an insane asylum beset by murder, mayhem, espionage and questions about the morality and ethics of science in this 1962 German satire by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Directed by Brent Hinkley. 8 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through June 20. The Actors’ Gang Theater, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. theactorsgang.com
Arts anywhere
New and recent releases of arts-related media.
The Adding Machine Currently running at the Theater at St. Clement’s in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, through May 17, this New Group production with a revised script by Thomas Bradshaw receives a one-time livestream next week. “[Elmer] Rice’s expressionist drama is known for being a tale of man vs. machine in an age of merciless efficiency, but inhumanity in a broader sense is its true core subject,” wrote Laura Collins-Hughes in a recent New York Times review. “The happy news about Scott Elliott’s handsome yet under-realized revival … is what a delight Daphne Rubin-Vega is to watch as Mr. Zero.” The cast also features Sarita Choudhury, Michael Cyril Creighton and Jennifer Tilly. The League of Live Stream Theater: 4 p.m. Tuesday. $40, includes 24-hour replay.
Art Work Photographer and writer Sally Mann weighs in on the creative process with stories, advice and life lessons, all illustrated with photos, journal entries and letters, making for a compelling, often surprising journey. Abrams Books: 272 pages, $35
“Insomnia & Seven Steps to Grace” by Joy Harjo.
(Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)
Insomnia and Seven Steps to Grace The new album by Joy Harjo, the first Native American to be named United States Poet Laureate, serving from 2019 to 2022, combines jazz, funk, rock and Native music sounds with her signature “vibration of love” as she boldly confronts injustice and draws inspiration from ancestral memory and the political turmoil of the moment. The double LP’s packaging features original art by Harjo and the poet’s extensive liner notes. Five-time Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding produced as well as contributed vocals and played bass on the project. Smithsonian Folkways: Double vinyl LP ($33), CD ($17), hi-res digital download ($13), digital download ($10).
— Kevin Crust
Culture news and the SoCal scene
Michael Tilson Thomas in 2018.
(Paul Marotta/Getty Images)
Times classical music critic Mark Swed wrote a lovely appreciation of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who died last week at the age of 81. Tilson Thomas, Swed wrote, “made music matter by making hope matter. He was, moreover, one of us. He achieved greatness though an epic amplification of a uniquely L.A. positivity in which grumpy became wistful.”
LA Opera music director James Conlon is preparing to step down after a record 20 seasons with the company, and in a recent story, Swed cataloged his impressive numbers: “More than 500 performances of 70 different operas at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and occasional neighboring venues, such as the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.” Swed attended a recent farewell gala and noted some highlights, including excerpts from “The Marriage of Figaro.”
Times theater critic Charles McNulty spent a recent trip to New York almost entirely in various Broadway theaters, catching up on what he says is a “strange season by all accounts.” McNulty notes that Broadway is still the place acting powerhouses like Adrien Brody, John Lithgow and Laurie Metcalf go in search of the kind of depthy material increasingly unavailable onscreen. He looks at four such shows — and their epic leading actors — including “Death of a Salesman,” “Giant,” “The Fear of 13” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”
David Henry Hwang (book adapter, “Flower Drum Song”) and Alexandra Silber (book adapter, “Brigadoon”) at the James Irvine Japanese Garden in Little Tokyo.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Malia Mendez wrote a great piece about a trio of classic musicals running concurrently in L.A. She takes a closer look at “Flower Drum Song,” adapted for East West Players by David Henry Hwang; “Brigadoon,” adapted for Pasadena Playhouse by Alexandra Silber; and “The Sound of Music” at the Hollywood Pantages. All three were originally written by two of the 20th century’s most dynamic and celebrated writing duos: Rodgers and Hammerstein (“Flower Drum Song” and “The Sound of Music”) and Lerner and Loewe (“Brigadoon”). And all still resonate in modern times.
Mendez also wrote about a special event taking place this weekend called Night at the Library — held as part of the downtown Central Library’s centennial celebration. “The four-hour extravaganza Saturday will feature more than 200 artists and 25 to 30 activations peppered throughout the library campus, plus DJ sets and local food truck fare. Highlighted performers include Bob Baker Marionette Theater and Los Angeles Master Chorale,” Mendez writes.
Doug Chiang, Podrace Crash, production art for “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” 1995-99.
(Lucas Museum of Narrative Art)
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art unveiled its inaugural exhibitions this week — noting that all 20 were curated by George Lucas himself. The $1-billion museum will open to the public on the first day of fall and the exhibits will be shown in more than 30 galleries spread over 100,000 square feet of exhibition space. And, yes, “Star Wars” memorabilia will be part of the “cinema” exhibit with large-scale vehicle installations, production designs, props and costumes.
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Lincoln Clauss, center, as the Emcee in Asolo Repertory Theatre’s “Cabaret,” at the Old Globe.
(Courtesy of Cliff Roles)
The board of directors of San Diego’s Old Globe named Trish Santini as the theater’s new managing director. Santini joins Artistic Director Barry Edelstein as a co-chief executive, and enters her new role on July 1. Among other arts leadership posts, Santini was the inaugural executive director of Little Island in New York City, and led the launch of the $250-million public park and performance venue.
Here comes Bob Chesney’s rebuild. And Iamaleava’s redemption. An exceptional head coach and an exciting quarterback, with the wind at their backs, racing toward a relatively breezy schedule?
USC defensive tackle Carlon Jones grabs UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava during a game on Nov. 29.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
Sky’s the limit, man.
Watch them dip and dance and make defenders miss all the way to New York. Watch the cautionary tale about the perils of the transfer portal turn into a fairy-tale comeback.
No, that’s not me building castles in the sky.
Consider the unprecedented heights to which Chesney took tiny James Madison, and think of the places he can go with a junior QB whose trajectory had him headed toward Heisman Trophy hopefuldom before turbulence hit.
Iamaleava arrived in Knoxville, Tenn., with more hype than any quarterback since Peyton Manning. The 6-foot-6 Long Beach native, with an outside hitter’s rocket arm and the gazelle-like gait, was considered the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit out of Warren High in Downey. As a redshirt freshman in 2024, he won 10 games and led the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff.
Heisman buzz was building. Until it wasn’t, deadened last spring by the contract dispute that was debated ‘round the college football world. There was disagreement between Iamaleava’s camp and Tennessee — which was reportedly paying him more than $2 million per season, less than the going rate for some comparable quarterbacks and more than the Bruins reportedly offered.
UCLA — 3-9 last season and with only two bowl appearances in eight years — isn’t anyone’s idea of a shortcut back to glory. But there is this: The Bruins seem really to have Ted Lasso’d a certain energy these days. A can-do frequency. Joy and positivity are in.
UCLA coach Bob Chesney leads the Bruins through their first spring football practice at Spaulding Field on April 2.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Alysa Liu, the figure-skating psychology-student Olympic champion? She said there’s a new golden rule: Am I having a good time?
And mercy, the No. 6-ranked softball team — whose silly postgame interviews have gone viral — is having a record-smashing season.
Now we also have Chesney extra-cheesing out here, showing up with free pizzas at fraternities, outreach to get the bros out to the Bruins’ spring game Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
But how does Iamaleava fit into this bright motif?
Perfectly, actually. When I asked him last year what he was telling his teammates after head coach DeShaun Foster was fired three weeks into the season, sky falling, wheels falling off, Iamaleava smiled his easy smile: “Man, just keep the belief.”
If that reads like a cliché, imagine the coolest guy in school saying it, and meaning it.
Iamaleava has a Long Beach lean, laid back and comfortable in his skin. He’s super-tight with his seven siblings, and super-proud of their Samoan heritage. And even though he and his younger brother Madden, a backup UCLA quarterback, were always “the toughest dudes on the field,” former Warren coach Kevin Pearson said, “they are the nicest, sweetest off of it.”
But wasn’t Nico the villain? The bad guy? That disloyal, greedy kid at the center of college football’s first apparent holdout?
The criticism was so loud — and so wrong, Pearson said — it had the man stressing. “It made my stomach hurt,” he said, “what people were saying about Nico.”
Pan out and Nico is a face in a crowd. For example, of the top 600 football prospects in the class of 2021, more than 60% of them transferred at least once, and 42 of the top 50 quarterbacks changed schools, according to the Athletic.
And he was about the only thing that was good about last season’s Bruins.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava passes the ball during an upset of Penn State at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 4.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
He was their leading passer and rusher. Of UCLA’s 24 touchdowns, he accounted for 17, including five in the Bruins’ 42-37 victory over No. 7 Penn State, which earned him a slew of national weekly honors, including Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
But the Bruins won only three games. The whole season was a hot mess, though you wouldn’t have known it, talking to Nico.
He seemed to get it. Not like he understood the assignment of rehabilitating his image, but with the sincerity of someone who appreciates what’s actually hard.
You might remember, his mom, Leinna, was diagnosed with breast cancer when he was 14.
“She definitely opened my eyes, just as a young kid growing up,” said Iamaleava, noting that she is OK now, busy traveling all over the country with his younger volleyball-playing sisters.
“She got diagnosed my freshman year and it was just kind of time to grow up and take care of the little ones. That changed my mindset and my perspective on life. Life’s short, you know? And we’re very blessed to be here and wake up every day.”
Nico could have been defensive in the face of criticism and failure, but he never was. Could have disappeared after defeats as some quarterbacks have, but he didn’t.
His mantra: “That’s on me, man.” Even when it wasn’t.
Despite everything, he was overly accountable, gracious under pressure, upbeat.
“Think about what he had to go through last year,” Chesney said. “He got the preseason, had a couple weeks with the guys, then he got into season, had a couple weeks with the guys, and then all hell broke loose, right?
UCLA offensive linemen Garrett Digiorgio, left, and Sam Yoon, right, help quarterback Nico Iamaleava up after he ran for extra yards against Penn State at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 4.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
“To be able to stick with it and stay through that, you’re just probably trying to keep your head above water. And a lot of our conversations are about that, ‘Hey, this is different this time around.’”
Way different. Chesney has revamped UCLA’s roster with 40-plus transfers, including several key contributors from the JMU team that made the College Football Playoff.
And then there’s Nico, looking like everybody’s big brother at spring practices, smack-talking and celebrating the guys, as engaged as Chesney but easier to spot because his golden helmet glistens above everyone else’s.
“We did a leadership vote,” Chesney said, “and it was undeniable, [Nico] was the No. 1 vote on this entire team to be the leader. And I wanted to just share that with him and make sure he didn’t have to wonder, ‘Do these guys respect me?’ They do. And not only by the position you play, but by the way you play it. By the way you handle it off the field.”
By smiling through it all, even in the immediate aftermath of the Bruins’ loss to New Mexico, their third loss in as many weeks, when it looked like UCLA might not win all season.
“This is a game that as a little kid you loved to play,” Nico said that night. “A lot of [us] are treating this like a job. We gotta get back to having fun.”
And now that Nico and the new-look Bruins have that kite in the air, watch them run with it.
Trevor Brown needs to beat his alma mater, Hart High, to win the Foothill League baseball title.
Brown, a first-year head coach at West Ranch, has his team at 8-3, which is tied for first place with Castaic going into Friday’s regular-season finale against Hart at West Ranch.
West Ranch defeated Hart 6-5 earlier this week.
Brown was a standout catcher for Hart, then went on to star at UCLA and played briefly with the San Francisco Giants.
They say catchers make the best managers, and Brown is another example of using his catcher’s experience to help with coaching.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com
In a hearing about competing protective order filings from reality TV star Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen, a Utah judge granted Thursday that both orders go into effect, though he delayed making a decision on a custody arrangement.
The orders, which were issued by third district court commissioner Russell Minas, are in place for three years and require Paul and Mortensen to stay at least 100 feet away from each other. He also warned that they both could be subjected to criminal charges if there’s a violation of the orders.
“I do think it’s important that there be mutual orders,” Minas said. “I am just concerned that if I don’t order both of them to stay away from each other, there’s going to be some additional problems.”
Addressing Paul and Mortensen, Minas said: “I’m hoping that you’re not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict … I do want to work with both of you to try to restore some sense of normalcy. I just think right now, you two need to stay away from each other and there needs to be orders that will result in consequences if you attempt to try to engage each other because I still think you have this attraction to each other, physical or otherwise.”
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star, 31, and Mortensen, 33, both appeared in Utah court for the hearing, which was livestreamed, the first time they’ve been seen in the same room together since news broke last month that they were involved in domestic violence investigations involving multiple allegations.
In the weeks leading up to the ruling, the judge had granted Mortensen custody of their son, with up to eight hours per week of supervised visitation for Paul, known as one of the stars of Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.” That arrangement will stay in place until the judge offers his recommendation on parent time on or before May 11.
Dakota Mortensen in the courtroom on Thursday.
(Bethany Baker / Associated Press)
A review hearing is set for June, once mental health and domestic violence assessments of Paul and Mortensen ordered as part of the safety plan by child protective services have been completed and processed.
Paul’s attorney, Eric M. Swinyard, described the hearing as a “significant step forward.”
“Taylor was incredibly candid with the Court that she is not perfect and owned her faults,” read part of his statement. “She looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the Court to make progress in the custody case.”
The Times also reached out to Mortensen for comment.
Paul and Mortensen had been under investigation by both the Draper City Police Department and West Jordan Police Department regarding a series of allegations each made that the other had acted violently during altercations in February, as well as an incident that took place in 2024. After the February allegations made headlines, a video of Paul in 2023 that led to her arrest was leaked; it showed the reality star throwing bar stools at Mortensen while her daughter was present. (Paul pleaded guilty in abeyance to aggravated assault following that incident and her probation in that case will be up in August.) Amid the investigation, Mortensen and Paul filed competing protective orders against each other.
The Salt Lake County district attorney’s office and the Draper City prosecutor both declined to file charges against Paul in April, citing insufficient evidence to prove allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
The situation between the embattled exes also resulted in the pausing of filming of “Mormon Wives” Season 5. The show has documented the pair’s tumultuous relationship since it’s launch in 2024. It also led to the shelving of Season 22 of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” which featured Paul as its heroine.
But Thursday’s ruling on the orders comes a week after reports surfaced that “Mormon Wives” has resumed production on its fifth season, without Paul and Mortensen’s involvement — though, Paul reportedly has the option to return. The fate of the unaired season of “The Bachelorette” remains unclear.
The Lakers needed it, of course. The Lakers wanted it.
The Lakers are paying for it.
Because LeBron James hasn’t looked superhuman since playing those 45 minutes, including all five gutsy minutes of ovetime.
He hasn’t looked great.
Not even particularly good, not by his lofty standards.
And the Lakers need their not-quite-ageless wonder to be at least great to beat these Houston Rockets one more time. They need James’ best can-you-believe-he’s-41? act if they hope to close out this challenging best-of-seven first-round series without Luka Doncic.
The Lakers went up 3-0 largely thanks to James’ contributions.
After weeks of willingly playing third-wheel behind Doncic and Austin Reaves, James made it look like playing the alpha was like riding a bike in Game 1’s 107-98 victory: He got right on it and gave the Lakers 19 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
Then James had 28 points in the 101-94 victory in Game 2. And there was his monster effort in Game 3, when he had 29 points and 13 assists and, in overtime, a key steal and block in the Lakers’ 112-108 victory.
But James has been much more mortal in the two games since, and the Lakers have lost both.
With a chance to finish off the Rockets in Game 4 on Sunday at the Toyota Center, James had almost as many turnovers as points: eight and 10, respectively.
With a second chance to finish off the Rockets in Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, despite a second day of rest, James had a jagged performance that looked like a lot of work in the Lakers’ 99-93 loss.
He had a game-high 25 points on nine-of-20 shooting, but he missed all six of his three-point attempts. He smoked layups. And missed three of his 10 free-throws, short on those attempts like he was on many of his misses Wednesday.
And while he had only two turnovers, they were the type to turn a tide, the type we’re not accustomed to witnessing from James. That type the Lakers can’t afford for him to make.
If he were a quarterback, he could have been called for intentional grounding, he overthrew Rui Hachimura by so much in the second quarter, when the Lakers were trying — and failing — to hang onto their early lead.
And then James got rhe ball ripped away from him by Reed Sheppard, the Rockets’ 21-year-old, allegedly 6-foot-2 guard, who raced up the court for a fast break dunk with 2:22 to play. That made it 92-85 and effectively doused the Lakers’ comeback.
“Just bang-bang plays,” James said at his locker, with a shrug. “Try to flush this one … we got to be better on Friday.”
The Lakers will have just two more shots at winning a series they weren’t supposed to before it started.
Their third attempt at closing out the Rockets comes quickly, when they play Game 6 on Friday at Houston. The Lakers will need something resembling the best version of James if they’re going to win and avoid the spectacle of a Game 7 showdown Sunday.
That would bring the Lakers to the brink of becoming the first team in NBA history to blow a 3-0 series lead. It would be an unavoidable blotch at the bottom of James’ 23-season resume that otherwise is highlighted by a 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
But James and the Lakers aren’t thinking about that now — or about whatever chatter is coming out of the Rockets’ now-confident camp (on Tuesday, Jabari Smith Jr. told reporters “We’re obviously the better team.”)
“Ask one of them young guys that question,” James said, unmoved. “I’m too old for that.”
But not too old — the Lakers hope — to carry them to one more victory and save them from infamy.
Two weeks ago, LIV Golf did its best to conceal the fact that the Saudi Public Investment Fund would cease to bankroll the league after the current season, only to have LIV CEO Scott O’Neill let the truth slip during a television interview.
This week, the intentions of PIF and consequences to LIV are known by all.
LIV Golf announced Thursday that it has established a new independent board that will attempt to keep the league afloat utilizing a “diversified, multi-partner investment model.” In other words, a model that doesn’t include PIF.
PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan no longer will serve as LIV Golf chairman, another unmistakable signal that the Saudi sovereign wealth fund worth an estimated $1 trillion is cutting ties with financially troubled LIV.
LIV Golf was supposed to be a key component in Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “Vision 2030” plan to diversify the kingdom’s economy away from oil. PIV lured megastar golfers Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and others away from the PGA Tour by shoveling hundreds of millions of dollars into their bank accounts.
Al-Rumayyan, Prince bin Salman’s trusted technocrat, was charged with implementing the plan, but LIV Golf has failed to attract significant viewership or commercial sponsors despite innovations such as a 54-hole format and a team model.
When LIV and the PGA Tour came to a short-lived, tentative agreement to end pending litigation and potentially join forces in 2023, Al-Rumayyan was a key figure in the negotiations.
A last-ditch effort to broker a merger between the rival leagues took place in the White House in February 2025 when President Trump hosted Al-Rumayyan, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods. No agreement was reached.
Now, apparently, PIF will attempt to turn its attention to initiatives that don’t bleed billions. The fund has invested more than $5 billion into LIV Golf since it was launched in 2022 and is reportedly spending $100 million per month this year.
The wealthy but suddenly unmoored LIV golfers have been left to scramble like a weekend hacker trying to salvage a bogey after chipping into a sand trap.
LIV Golf Louisiana announced that the tournament scheduled for June 25-28 in New Orleans has been postponed. A new date hasn’t been set. However, an official told ESPN on Thursday that next week’s tournament at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington, D.C., will take place as planned.
Six other tournaments remain on the schedule that concludes with LIV team championships on Aug. 27-30 at The Cardinal at Saint John’s in Michigan. Tournaments outside the United States are scheduled for South Korea, Spain and Great Britain.
Hired Thursday to come up with a financial model to keep LIV afloat sans PIF are Gene Davis and Jon Zinman, described in a LIV statement as “seasoned experts with proven track records of navigating complex situations and unlocking value for global organizations.”
LIV Golf’s contorted spin on acknowledging that PIF will no longer subsidize the league was a statement saying it will focus on ”securing long-term financial partners to support its transition from a foundational launch phase to a diversified, multi-partner investment model.”
Davis, the newly appointed chairman of the LIV Independent Directors Committee, sees opportunity in the face of a PIF-less future.
“LIV Golf has built something truly differentiated — a global league with passionate fans, world-class talent, and demonstrated commercial momentum,” he said in a statement. “The executive leadership team, along with Jon and I, see a clear opportunity to help the league formalize its structure, attract and secure long-term capital, and position the business for growth while continuing to promote the game across the world.
“ We look forward to positioning LIV Golf for future success.”
Marcus Smart knows what it feels like to be on the other side. The last time the Lakers guard was in the playoffs, he was helping the Boston Celtics storm back from a three-game deficit in the Eastern Conference finals to force a near-historic Game 7.
Now he’s watched the Lakers’ seemingly insurmountable three-games-to-none series lead dwindle to 3-2 after a 99-93 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. Smart isn’t flinching.
Whether defending a three-game lead or coming back from one, Smart knows the mindset is the same.
“We really got to literally go out there and be ready to die,” Smart said Wednesday after the Lakers failed to close out the Rockets for the second consecutive game. “… When I was on the other end, that was our motto: be willing to run through a wall and sacrifice your body for the betterment of the team. And that’s what we’re going to do now.”
Lakers guard Marcus Smart knocks the ball away from Rockets guard Amen Thompson during Game 5 at Crypto.Com Arena on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
NBA teams are 159-0 with a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series. Only four have even pushed it to the decisive Game 7. Smart’s 2023 Boston Celtics, when they clawed back against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, lost Game 7 at home after star Jayson Tatum turned his ankle on the first play of the game.
Hoping to avoid joining the historic list, the Lakers get a third try at vanquishing the Rockets for good in Game 6 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PDT at Houston’s Toyota Center.
“Once we get on that plane and head down to Houston, we got to forget about it and understand what we are going for,” said LeBron James, who had 25 points and seven assists Friday. “It’s going to be even harder. Every game is hard. It’s so hard to close out a team in the postseason, to win a series, and this is our first time doing it as a unit.”
The Lakers built a three-game lead in the series despite playing without leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves in the first four games. Reaves returned from a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain Friday, scoring 22 points on four-of-16 shooting with six assists, but his presence couldn’t stop the gradual decline of the Lakers offense.
The Lakers have failed to reach 100 points in each of the last two games. From shooting 53.9% from the field and 51.7% from three in the first 10 quarters of the series, they have shot just 44.6% from the field and 29.2% from three in the last 10, excluding overtime of Game 3.
Luke Kennard, a flamethrower who scored 50 points in the first two games, has scored just eight in the last two. He was scoreless from the field Wednesday, including two missed three-pointers. A 91.2% free-throw shooter, Kennard even missed a free throw.
On the other hand, Houston has found its rhythm. The Rockets made 38.7% of their shots in the first 10 quarters — Games 1 and 2 and the first half of Game 3 — and have shot 46.3% in the 10 quarters since, excluding the Game 3 overtime period. Their three-point shooting has jumped from 30.9% to 34.1%.
“We just got to make shots,” Smart said of the offense’s struggles. “… And we’re not giving ourselves a chance by turning the ball over, which we can’t get a shot up on the rim because of that.”
The Lakers had 15 turnovers that resulted in 18 Rockets points Wednesday. The game started slipping away in the second quarter when they had five turnovers with the Rockets scoring nine points off the miscues. The Lakers let their 11-point first-quarter lead turn into a four-point halftime deficit.
Smart, who was asked to handle more ball-handling responsibilities while Doncic and Reaves were injured, had six turnovers and just two assists Friday. He called them “unacceptable.”
Rockets center Alperen Sengun yells out for the ball while Lakers guard Marcus Smart pressures the ball hander during Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“The turnovers come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s about limiting them,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And you certainly have to give your guys freedom to make basketball plays. I would say in general though, turnovers of aggression are OK; turnovers of passivity are not.”
The Rockets only averaged 8.5 steals per game during the regular season, but had two players in the NBA’s top 10 in total steals with guards Reed Sheppard (sixth, 122 total steals) and Amen Thompson (eighth, 119). They had three and four steals, respectively, in Game 5.
A defensive play from Sheppard stifled the Lakers’ late comeback. The Lakers trimmed a 13-point lead to three in less than three minutes. The cheer from the sold-out crowd at Crypto.com Arena was deafening when James kissed a left handed layup off the glass to pull the Lakers to within one possession with 2:59 left.
Sheppard immediately responded with a midrange jumper then picked James’ pocket on the next Lakers possession, going coast-to-coast for a two-handed dunk that pushed the lead back to seven with 2:20 remaining.
The crowd went silent.
The Lakers had that same stunning effect on a road crowd already this series when they stormed back from a six-point deficit in less than 30 seconds in Game 3. The prospect of doing it again with even larger stakes brought an excited smirk to Smart’s face.
“We knew this was going to be a tough series,” Smart said. “I think everybody knew that, and it’s turning out to be exactly what we expected. And now the fun begins.”
The small Little Lake school district, which serves mainly low-income families in southeast Los Angeles County has become the setting for one of the longest teacher strikes in state history — reaching the the 10-day mark on Wednesday — as its 200-member union takes on significant issues straining districts throughout California.
The teachers have walked out over health costs increasing by $14,000 a year for some, crowded special education classes and proposed class size increases in a district grappling with declining enrollment and unsustainable past spending. The teachers aren’t asking for a pay raise — but their high-cost benefits are tantamount to a big pay cut.
While a settlement appeared close with negotiations to resume Wednesday afternoon, the dispute has taken a toll. Although schools are open with substitutes, the strike has consumed about 6% of the academic year. Most parents have kept children home, while scrambling to manage disrupted work and home routines — especially difficult in a school system where about 80% of students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch because of family poverty. Teachers have typically lost several thousand dollars of pay that they are unlikely to get back.
“We’re trying to stay positive but every day feels like a punch to the gut,” Sabrina Ireland, a 6th grade math and science teacher, said on the picket line Wednesday in front of her campus, Lake Center Middle School. “I’m losing sleep… We have some teachers that both the husband and the wife teach here. They have no income right now.”
It’s hard for Little Lake to be noticed alongside the mammoth L.A. Unified School District, which has about 390,000 students. An L.A. Unified strike was dramatically averted with hours to spare on April 14 in a conflict that commanded local and national attention for weeks.
But this district — with seven elementary and two middle schools — is enduring a crippling strike, affecting about 3,400 students drawn from Santa Fe Springs and parts of Norwalk and Downey.
In terms of lost instructional days Little Lake ranks high. Earlier this school year, teachers went out for 12 days in the sizable Twin Rivers Unified School District in north Sacramento County. Teachers in New Haven Unified in Union City in Alameda County struck for 14 days in 2019. And an Oakland teachers strike in 1996 lasted about a month.
Teacher demands statewide
Numerous shorter walkouts and near strikes have unfolded throughout the state this year, part of a loosely coordinated effort by the California Teachers Assn. to align unions’ contract expiration dates and benefit from collective force. The union dubbed the effort as “We Can’t Wait.”
The issues surfacing in Little Lake echo the dynamic in L.A. Unified and elsewhere.
“Up and down the state, educators have won life-changing healthcare benefits and support for special education and have forced districts to create the safe and stable classrooms our students deserve,” said Gabriella Landeros, a spokesperson for the California Teachers Assn.
In the broad picture, district budgets throughout the state are likely to be a little larger, level or somewhat smaller — and schools could yet receive a big boost by the time the state’s budget is adopted in June.
Martin Gonzalez,13, left, a seventh-grade student at Lake Center Middle School, and Sebastian Escobedo, 11, a sixth-grade student at Lake Center Middle School, join striking Little Lake teachers at Lakeland Elementary School on Wednesday in Norwalk.
(Gary Coronado/For The Times)
But cost pressures have escalated quickly in many regions. In Little Lake, as in L.A. Unified, the cost of services for students with disabilities and percentage of students identified as having disabilities has risen sharply. Healthcare costs also have gone up fast.
Meanwhile, enrollment is declining, offsetting the benefit of state increases in spending per pupil. Inflation hit hard in recent years, while prompting employee groups, especially in urban areas, to fight for wage boosts to keep pace. This comes as one-time pandemic relief aid has expired.
Thousands more for healthcare
In Little Lake, strike supporters say they are fighting over issues that justify the sacrifice. Starting in January, the monthly premiums for the health plan used by many teachers rose from zero to $1,400 a month paid over 10 months each year — an enormous reduction in take-home pay.
To back off from that charge, district officials proposed raising average class sizes in kindergarten through fourth grade from 24-to-1 to 28-to-1, according to the district. Union negotiators want to keep class sizes where they are.
District officials acknowledge their proposals are painful, but said they face an unsustainable financial situation.
“We are at a point fiscally where the district can no longer support 100%,” of healthcare premiums, said Acting Supt. Monica Martinez-Johnson, a career district employee who started as a teacher.
A fact-finding report endorsed that account, but also noted that the district suddenly ended health subsidies on January 1, when a previous agreement expired. Employees were immediately forced to pay about 40% of the cost of their monthly premiums.
“This decision … has soured the relationship and [affects] all aspects of this reopened negotiations,” said Donald S. Raczka, who prepared a fact-finding report, issued April 12, as chair of a panel that included district and union representatives.
Jennifer Conforti, center, a teacher at Lake Center Elementary, pickets at Lake Center Middle School in Santa Fe Springs on Wednesday.
(Gary Coronado/For The Times)
Dollars and sensitivities
The financial implications of the strike are difficult to calculate at this juncture, but the district doesn’t necessarily lose money. Subs are making $500 a day, but there are fewer subs than teachers and striking teachers forfeit pay.
In-person student attendance has ranged from 18% to 31%, which will mean lost funding linked to student attendance. The annual operating budget of the district is $73 million, of which salaries and benefits are $53 million, according to the district.
Many parents and students have joined teachers on picket lines.
“We’ve stuck it out this long, we wouldn’t want them to fold on an agreement that doesn’t benefit them,” said Melissa Maggard, who has two daughters at Lakeland Elementary.
Therapist Sherry Gonzalez has kept her fourth-grade son at home, rescheduling work hours, hiring babysitters. Her son receives special services for a disability at Lake Center Elementary, and home routines are harder without this support.
“I don’t feel comfortable taking him in during a strike with subs who do not know my son’s needs,” Gonzalez said. “As a parent it’s just been hard. It’s been so frustrating. We feel worn down, tired, and we feel like we’re being ignored and unheard.
“To see this drive a wedge between the community, it feels hurtful,” she added. When asked how she’s been trying to cope, she responded: “Crying.”
What’s next?
The turmoil has included the sudden resignation of then-Supt. Jonathan Vasquez a week into the strike. After a 10-hour negotiating session on Monday, an altercation or a feared altercation — accounts vary — resulted in the district calling police.
A potential deal in the works includes employees paying zero to $630 a month in healthcare premiums — depending on their choice of health plan. Class size would not rise. Budget cuts would be necessary. On the chopping block are six intervention teachers serving students who need intensive academic help.
The union this week was pushing for a one-time $4,000 bonus for its members, but not a permanent increase. The pay scale for teachers ranges from $58,752 to $118,363.
Negotiations resumed Wednesday afternoon at a location considered more secure than district headquarters.
WASHINGTON — The White House is warning Congress that funding to pay Department of Homeland Security personnel will “soon run out,” sparking new threats of airport disruptions and national security concerns as the House slow-walks legislation to end what has been the longest-ever lapse in agency funding.
In a memo late Tuesday to lawmakers, the Office of Management and Budget said money that President Trump tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other workers through executive actions will be exhausted by May. It called on the House to quickly approve the budget resolution senators approved in an all-night session last week that would pave the way for full funding for the department.
“DHS will soon run out of critical operating funds, placing essential personnel and operations at risk,” the memo said.
The pressure from the Trump administration could help House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose narrow Republican majority has been stalled out, tangled in internal party disputes on a range of pending issues, including the Homeland Security funding. They have left the chamber at a virtual standstill.
The House was expected to vote as soon as Wednesday on the Senate budget resolution that is designed to unlock a multistep process to eventually fund the department. But by midday, House action again screeched to a halt. The administration has warned GOP lawmakers off making changes that could prolong passage.
“Restoring funding for the Department of Homeland Security has never been more urgent, as demonstrated by recent events,” the memo said, a nod to the situation over the weekend when a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the annual White House correspondents’ dinner that Trump, the vice president and top Cabinet officials were attending.
Homeland Security shutdown is longest ever
Homeland Security has been operating without regular funds for more than two months after Democrats refused to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol without changes to those operations after the deaths of Americans protesting Trump’s deportation agenda.
While immigration enforcement workers have largely been paid through the flush of new cash — some $170 billion — that Congress approved as part of Trump’s tax cuts bill last year, others, including TSA, have had to rely on Trump’s intervention through executive action to ensure their paychecks.
But with salaries topping $1.6 billion every two weeks, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said recently, those funds are drying up.
More than 1,000 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began, according to Airlines for America, the U.S. airlines trade group that called Wednesday on Congress to fully fund the agency.
“The urgency to provide predictable and stable funding for TSA is growing stronger by the day,” the group said in a statement. “Time and time again, our nation’s aviation workers and customers have been the victim of Congress’ failure to do their jobs.”
Complicated budget strategy ahead
House and Senate Republicans have embarked on a go-it-alone strategy, attempting to approve funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol without Democrats. They want to provide $70 billion for those immigration operations for the remainder of Trump’s term to ensure no further interruptions.
It’s a cumbersome process, the same that was used last year to approve Trump’s tax cuts bill, that will play out over several weeks.
The Senate launched the process last week, and is now waiting on the House to act. Once that budget resolution is approved, both the House and Senate are expected to draft the actual funding bill, a process that can take weeks.
In the meantime, Johnson is next expected to quickly turn this week to legislation that would fund the other parts of Homeland Security, including TSA, the Coast Guard and other agencies.
That bipartisan bill has support from Democrats and already passed the Senate a month ago, when Republicans reluctantly agreed to carve out the immigration-related funds that Democrats had opposed. But it has been stalled out in the House, as Republicans in that chamber disagreed with the Senate’s approach.
Mascaro writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
THE BIGGEST outdoor swimming pool in the UK is reopening this week for the season.
Tooting Bec Lido, which first opened in 1906, is one of the most popular freshwater lidos in London.
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Tooting Bec Lido is reopening this week for the spring and summer seasonCredit: AlamyIt underwent a huge renovation last year as well, costing millionsCredit: Alamy
Measuring twice the length of an Olympic pool, it can welcome up to 1,400 swimmers at once.
And despite being unheated, you can expect it to be busy when it reopens on May 1, with temperatures expecting to hit 26C.
Anyone wanting to visit will have to register for a free membership and, while tickets are sometimes available on arrival, it is recommended to book ahead – especially on hot days.
From May to August, it will be open from 6am to 8pm, with two swimming sessions a day. In September it closes earlier at 5pm.
The lido underwent a £40million upgrade last year, which will “safeguard it for the next 50 years” and includes new water systems and filtration systems to keep the pool cleaner.
The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey raved about the lido, saying: “When I used to live in South London, this was the best place to spend the mornings.
“Not only was it the best brisk wake up, but there was a form of comradery amongst other swimmers, all supporting each other when the cold got a bit too much.
“In the summer, it has the best vibes, especially after ending with a coffee to relax on Tooting Common to warm up.”
Hillsea Lido is also reopening this week, after a £7million makeover.
Megan Thee Stallion’s Broadway run playing Zidler in “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” is ending weeks earlier than planned, and days after she announced a messy split from NBA star Klay Thompson.
The “Wanna Be” hitmaker is pulling out of her first Broadway run weeks sooner than anticipated. Megan announced the news on Instagram alongside a bandaged heart emoji and said she would step away from the production Friday rather than the originally slated May 17.
“Hotties, my last performance as Zidler in @moulinrougebway will be May 1,” she wrote. “It’s been such an honor to be part of thee Moulin Rouge family and I’ve met so many amazing people in this theater!
“Y’all work so hard and I have so much respect for the dedication, the stamina, the work ethic, the time and the effort y’all put into the work! I’m so grateful for the cast and crew that made this experience so meaningful. And to all the Hotties that showed up or planned to attend, thank you for supporting me during this incredible journey! I LOVE YALL . . . See you soon.”
The Grammy Award-winning rapper made history as the show’s first woman to portray the charismatic cabaret manager Zidler — the character’s full name is Harold Zidler. Broadway veteran Eric Anderson will step back into the role on May 19, but the actor who will cover the interim, from May 2 through 17, hasn’t been announced.
The wildly popular “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” was recently extended on Broadway, with its final performance set for Aug. 30 after a seven-year run.
Although Megan didn’t offer a reason for her departure, the move comes amid a recent health scare and some personal upheaval for the “Hot Girl Summer” chart topper.
On Saturday, the “Savage” rapper aired some dirty laundry on social media, writing in a since-expired Instagram story that her recent beau, Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson, didn’t know if he could be monogamous and had treated her horribly during their time together. “I need a REAL break after this one,” she wrote.
She followed the social media admission with a formal statement issued to People confirming that she and Thompson had split just months after they took their relationship public.
“I’ve made the decision to end my relationship with Klay,” Megan said in a statement. “Trust, fidelity and respect are non-negotiable for me in a relationship, and when those values are compromised, there’s no real path forward. I’m taking this time to prioritize myself and move ahead with peace and clarity.”
Less than four weeks after suffering a Grade 2 left oblique muscle strain, Austin Reaves is closing in on a return with the Lakers in position to clinch a spot in the Western Conference semifinals.
Reaves will officially be a game-time decision before Wednesday’s potentially series-clinching Game 5 against the Houston Rockets at 7 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena. He was questionable for Games 3 and 4, warming up on the court before each game, but was ultimately ruled out.
The Lakers have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series despite playing without Reaves and leading scorer Luka Doncic, who is out because of a Grad 2 left hamstring strain.
“JJ [Redick] specifically was like you have to be comfortable with your body and what you can do to go out there and help us be successful,” Reaves said of his coach in his first comments to reporters since suffering the injury on April 2. “And I want to get back out there as fast as I can. But like I said, I feel good and trending in the right direction and can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and attack another day.”
Reaves said he typically has a very high pain tolerance. Even though he finished the game against Oklahoma City on April 2, he wasn’t surprised the injury that left him grabbing at his left side repeatedly during the game turned out to be significant enough to sideline him for several weeks.
The game was especially painful for the Lakers, who also lost Doncic on the same night. Reaves’ regular-season ending injury news came a day after Doncic’s. The Lakers, then in third place in the Western Conference, came crashing down from a 15-2 record in March. They suddenly looked like sitting ducks in the playoff hunt.
At least only to those outside the locker room.
“Our confidence doesn’t waver as a team,” Reaves said. “Basically the message from that day forward was … that they were going to do everything as a team to give us an opportunity to come back and play. And they’ve done exactly what they said.”
The Lakers finished the regular season with three consecutive wins to hold onto home-court advantage as the fourth seed. They raced out to a 3-0 series lead against the Rockets, who staved off elimination with a blowout win in Game 4.
Doncic is progressing in his return, but still has not started playing one-on-one yet. Last weekend, he improved enough to incorporate movement into his on-court work instead of just standstill shooting.
Last year, studios and Hollywood labor unions lobbied hard to ensure animated movies and shows could compete for California’s expanded film and television tax credit program.
The payoff came last week, when three animated movies were among the nearly 40 film projects that received a production incentive in the latest round of awards, the California Film Commission announced Thursday.
Walt Disney Co.-owned 20th Century Studios received $21.9 million for “The Simpsons Movie 2,” Disney Entertainment Television got $3.5 million for “Phineas and Ferb” and DreamWorks Animation was awarded $24.7 million in credit allocation for a yet-untitled animated film.
The three are the first animated feature films to receive tax credits from the state of California. (Last month, two animated shows — a spin-off of “Rick and Morty” and “Stewie,” which branches off from the “Family Guy” cartoon — also received tax credits.)
I spoke with DreamWorks Animation Chief Operating Officer Randy Lake about the award, which he called a “potential game changer” for the Glendale-based studio known for the “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda” franchises.
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“Unlike live-action, our projects are years long,” he said. “You’re talking about not just a job for six or nine months on set. It’s literally three or four years that these projects can take. It’s long-term employment.”
Like most of Hollywood, the animation industry has suffered from the effects of the 2023 dual writers’ and actors’ strikes, as well as the retrenchment in studio spending after the initial rush to invest in content for streaming services.
And like much of U.S. film and TV work — particularly in California — the animation business has been deeply affected by the increasingly rich tax credits offered by other countries.
Over the last 15 years, countries including Canada and Ireland have slowly built up animation hubs, aided by their local talent and lucrative production incentives specific to animation and visual effects.
DreamWorks, too, has outsourced work to partner studios, particularly in Vancouver and Montreal, as costs in the U.S. have increased and studios face pressure to rein in their production expenses while theatrical box-office revenue has become less reliable.
Just three years ago, DreamWorks cut about 70 jobs across its corporate functions, feature films, TV and technology departments. In 2024, Disney-owned computer animation studio Pixar laid off about 175 employees as it pulled back on its production of streaming series.
But with the recent tax credit allocation, DreamWorks will hire about 100 people in California for its upcoming untitled film. Those jobs would probably would have been outsourced to a third-party studio, Lake said. Keeping all of the jobs on that film in California helps improve collaboration among the teams and foster more creativity, he said. Today, DreamWorks has about 1,000 employees.
To understand why the new incentives are meaningful, consider that a DreamWorks Animation movie similar to the one that received the credit will typically have a crew of about 400 to 500 people.
That film is a big feature, though Lake declined to share details since the project hasn’t been announced.
Both the Animation Guild and studios have pointed to the incentive as a way to bring back animation jobs to the Golden State.
“Studios have been chasing animation tax credits in other states and countries for years, so it’s incredibly rewarding to see them use California’s for the very first time,” Marissa Bernstel, a trustee on the union’s executive board and member of the task force that helped lobby for the expanded production incentives, said in a statement last week. “The results feel very real, and I’m excited to see what future employment opportunities the incentive inspires.”
Lake said DreamWorks hopes to take advantage of the state incentives for all of its full-budget films.
“We’ll be applying for the next window,” he said, adding that he hoped they will be successful so “we’ll be able to have more and more of our films be fully produced in state. That’s the goal.”
Stuff We Wrote
Film shoots
Number of the week
Lionsgate’s “Michael” had a massive opening weekend with just over $217 million in global box-office revenue. In the U.S. and Canada, the Michael Jackson biopic hauled in about $97 million, far surpassing studio expectations.
The film, which stars Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, as the late singer, chronicles the pop star’s rise from his early days in the Jackson 5 through the growth of his solo career. The movie ends in 1988 while Jackson is on tour for his hit album “Bad.”
The premiere for “Michael” marks the biggest domestic opening for any biopic, musical or otherwise. The 2015 movie “Straight Outta Compton” previously held the record for highest opening weekend total for a musical biopic, with $60 million in the U.S. and Canada, followed by the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 2018, which had a $51.1-million domestic opening.
Critics’ reviews of “Michael,” however, were largely negative. Many noted the plot sidesteps the child sexual abuse allegations against Jackson and said the film presents a more one-dimensional view of the singer.
An earlier cut of the film did end in 1993 and addressed the allegations, but that ending had to be scrapped due to a clause in a legal settlement with an accuser that stipulated he could never be pictured or mentioned in a dramatization of Jackson’s life. Jackson and his estate have denied that the pop star abused children.
What I’m watching
I finally finished the Hulu series “Paradise” this last week, which kept me guessing about literally everything all the way until the end. I’m interested in seeing where this genre-morphing show goes next season.
Welcome to this week’s Lakers newsletter, where the brooms are going back in the closet.
The Lakers squandered their first playoff sweep since 2010, but are still one win away from their first playoff series win of the JJ Redick era.
Three weeks ago, even this moral victory of a 3-1 lead seemed out of reach. Now actually grabbing a spot in the conference semifinals could take more than one super-human performance.
All things Lakers, all the time.
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Help needed
The forceful drives turned into desperation jumpers. The dominant dunks became limp layups that dribbled off the rim.
LeBron James carried the Lakers to a historically insurmountable 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series against the Houston Rockets. But with a chance to clinch the series Sunday, he showed just how much the Lakers need someone else to help carry the team across the finish line.
James had his worst shooting game of the season, settling for 10 points on two-of-nine shooting. The nine field-goal attempts he took were tied for the fewest he’s taken in a playoff game. He didn’t extend his streak of consecutive playoff games with double-digit scoring to 144 until the fourth quarter.
Just after accepting a third-option role behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, James was thrust back into the top spot when the star guards were injured April 2. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer had no problem putting on his Superman cape again. He started taking — and making — more shots than he had in months. His usage rate spiked.
But with the ball back in his hands more, James had eight turnovers in each of the last two games. The turnovers, 24 total by the Lakers on Sunday, were their “kryptonite,” James said.
The Lakers’ lack of guard play is becoming a glaring weakness.
“That’s the biggest challenge we have is just the ballhandling and downhill drivers, not having those guys,” Redick said.
Doncic and Reaves are progressing in their returns. Just three weeks after his oblique injury, Reaves was questionable for Games 3 and 4. He even warmed up before the games. But his timeline for return is still indefinite.
Considering the Lakers’ 3-0 start to the series, it might be safe to think the team would just wait until the conference semifinals for Reaves’ return. Redick said it’s fair to consider all factors when deciding when to bring Reaves back. But after a long conversation with the guard Saturday, Redick said the most important variable is the player’s confidence.
“That’s always the final hurdle coming back from an injury,” Redick said, “is the psychological component of it.”
Doncic, hampered by a balky hamstring, is ramping up, but is still not as close as Reaves.
The hope of getting their two most important players back was “a carrot” for the Lakers to keep extending their season, Redick said. A two-day break between games could be just as significant of a lifeline.
The one day of rest between Games 3 and 4 was the shortest of the series so far. The Lakers, led by 41-year-old James and 32-year-old Marcus Smart, looked especially desperate for the extra downtime.
Smart was wearing inflatable compression boots on both legs in the locker room before the game. Lakers were dropping passes like they were loose coffee plans with someone who lives across town.
Meanwhile the 23-year-old Alperen Sengun was doing spin moves in transition, finishing through contact and flexing toward the crowd in the third quarter with the Rockets up by more than 20.
Smart insisted the mistakes were mental. They looked like physical fatigue manifesting as mental blunders.
“It’s something we gotta clean up,” said Smart, who had four turnovers Sunday. “We know it, we understand it.”
The Lakers have time to fix it. The two-day break between Games 4 and 5 will be the last such break of this series if the Lakers let this stretch on.
Games in mirror are closer than they appear
This series is 30 inexplicable seconds away from being 2-2.
NBA teams that have a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series are 159-0. Since 1984 – when the NBA expanded its playoffs to 16 teams – teams with home-court advantage in the current series format are 125-42. Had that comeback never materialized, the Lakers would still have the upper hand in this series but they surely wouldn’t be invincible.
In a tighter-than-it-appears series, the Lakers have their 3-1 lead thanks to a run of hot shooting.
They were already the NBA’s most efficient shooting team, but the early part of the playoff success came from a sudden uptick in three-point shooting. The Lakers’ 40.8% three-point shooting through the first four games was 5.1 percentage points better than their regular-season mark. On the other hand, the Rockets are shooting 5.1 percentage points worse than their regular-season rate.
The Lakers identified turnovers and limiting offensive rebounds as the two most important items against the Rockets. They’ve struggled on both. The Lakers averaged 20 turnovers per game in the first four games and gave up 16.8 offensive rebounds. The Rockets’ 39% offensive rebounding rate is almost identical to their league-leading 38.8% from the regular season.
The Lakers have turned the ball over on 20.9% of their possessions, the highest turnover rate in the playoffs.
The Rockets have scored 21.5 points per game off the Lakers’ turnovers, the second-most of any team in the playoffs. Only Oklahoma City — the team that’s waiting for the winner of this series — has scored more points off turnovers in the playoffs.
On tap
Wednesday vs. Rockets, 7 p.m.
The Lakers can clinch the series at home and earn extra rest days before facing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals. The Thunder finished a sweep of the No. 8 seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round Monday.
Friday at Rockets, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)
If this game is necessary, it will be especially difficult to win for the Lakers. Both teams will have to travel from L.A. to Houston and we just watched what happens when the shorthanded Lakers play on one day of rest in the playoffs.
Sunday vs. Rockets, TBD (Game 7, if necessary)
The Rockets are trying to become the fifth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. The 2023 Celtics were the last team to even a series after a three-game deficit. Smart’s Celtics lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals to the Miami Heat.
Status report
Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain)
Approaching the four-week mark, Doncic is ramping up his on-court work. On Sunday, he progressed to more movement instead of standstill shooting. He is still out indefinitely.
Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain)
Reaves’ return has been faster than many expected. He was questionable for Games 3 and 4, a quick three-week turnaround from his initial injury on April 2.
Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain)
After missing Game 1 with a knee bruise, Durant sprained his ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and missed the next two games. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Sunday pain and limited range of motion because of a bone bruise in Durant’s ankle are keeping him sidelined, but there’s a chance he returns this series.
Favorite thing I ate this week
Seafood boil with the Combo No. 4 (crawfish, snowcrab, shrimp, corn and potato) at Crawfish Cafe in Houston.
(Thuc Nhi Nguyen / Los Angeles Times)
This was a culinary bucket list item for me: Viet cajun food in Houston.
At Crawfish Cafe, you choose your seafood combination for a delicious, and slightly messy, seafood boil. I went for a combination of crawfish, shrimp and snow crab tossed in a mix of Viet cajun and Thai basil sauces. But there are more than a half-dozen sauce choices, so with that many options left to explore, maybe I wouldn’t be mad if this series returns to Houston.
BRITAIN’S biggest aquapark is reopening just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend – and is getting a new 39ft-high water slide.
The ride is built for “adrenaline junkies” and is the first attraction of its kind in the UK.
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The new slide is perfect for adventure seekers and is the “first UK tower of its kind”Credit: UnknownThe giant aqua park features eight diiferent inflatable coursesCredit: Unknown
Aqualand is reopening this weekend (May 2) in time for the bank holiday, and is back with a new addition that is “not for the faint hearted”.
A brand new mega-slide will form part of the adventure site this summer and is “officially the UK’s first tower of its kind”.
The X Tower – standing at 12 metres tall – is a huge six slide tower and is ideal for racing with its dual lanes.
The waterpark will reopen in time for the bank holidayCredit: Cliff LAKESAqualand is located in Tamworth and is around 25 minutes from BirminghamCredit: CLIFF LAKES
Opening later this summer, it’s one of two new attractions to join the beloved waterpark this year.
A spokesperson for Cliff Lakes said: “We’re taking Aqualand to a whole new level…
“Standing at a HUGE 12 metres tall X Tower is officially the UK’s first tower of its kind.
“Six epic slides featuring dual racing lanes, high-speed drop slides with kicker exits and a sliding mat, built for adrenaline junkies aged 12 year or over.
“This is not for the faint-hearted. This is next level!
“Are you brave enough to take it on?”
The latest addition to the adrenaline-packed waterpark will open slightly later in the month than the rest of the Cliff Lakes site.
While the rest of the waterpark will reopen on May 2, thrill-seekers will have to wait until May 23 to try out the X Tower.
The new slide will be open in time for the May half-term holiday and the second bank holiday weekend of the month.
Visitors should note that for a trip down the tower, you’ll need to upgrade a general admission ticket by £5 per person.
Adventure seekers are buzzing with exicitment on social media, and are ready to take on the “epic” looking attraction.
Alongside the X Tower, another new slide will also be on offer this summer season.
The Wibit Wave is a 15 metre long and five metre high slide which has a double-wave for swimmers to enjoy.
Aqualand is located at Cliff Lakes in Tamworth, and is around 25 minutes outside Birmingham.
The park features eight inflatable obstacle courses which visitors can explore for up to 80 minutes.
Visitors must be six years or older and at least 1.10 metres tall, and children aged seven and under must be accompanied by an adult on the course.
As well as families, the park also caters for large group bookings, birthday parties, corporate events and hen and stag dos.
Admission costs include wetsuits and buoyancy aids.
At the peak of the crackdown, carloads of masked immigration officers were a common sight in the streets of Minneapolis, while thousands of people were being arrested every week in Texas, Florida and California.
“Turn and burn,” top Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino called the strategy, with relentless displays of force and teams of agents descending on restaurant kitchens, bus stops and Home Depot parking lots.
In December, arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents peaked at nearly 40,000 nationwide and were nearly as high the next month, according to data provided to UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the Associated Press.
In late January, the killings in Minneapolis of two American citizens by immigration officers and growing concerns over the government’s heavy-handed tactics led to a shake-up of top immigration officials. In the weeks that followed, ICE arrests across the country dropped on average by nearly 12%.
Polling has found the public felt the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota went too far, a factor that may have contributed to the abrupt firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in early March.
The numbers don’t follow the same pattern everywhere
Bovino, who swaggered through raid scenes in tactical gear and was the public face of the Trump administration crackdown, was pushed aside following the killings in Minneapolis of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Border advisor Tom Homan was then sent to the Twin Cities to chart a new course for immigration enforcement, and he announced the drawdown of immigration agents in the state on Feb. 4.
An AP analysis of ICE arrest records show the department averaged 7,369 weekly arrests nationwide in the five weeks after Homan’s drawdown announcement, , the most recent period for which data is available, down from 8,347 per week in the previous five weeks. Those arrest numbers were still higher on average than during much of the first year of President Trump’s second term, and were dramatically higher than during the Biden administration.
The numbers were not, however, uniform across the country.
ICE arrests rose significantly in Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina and Florida during those five weeks, in some cases hitting their highest weekly count since the start of Trump’s second term.. In Kentucky alone, weekly arrests more than doubled, reaching 86 by early March.
Those increases were offset by steep drops in a handful of large states, including Minnesota and Texas.
Many arrested were not Trump’s ‘worst of the worst’
The Trump administration insists it is targeting the most vicious criminals living illegally in the U.S., and the president has referred to them as “ the worst of the worst.”
In some cases the description is accurate, but the reality is complicated.
Many of the toughest criminals taken into ICE custody were already in prison, but many others who were arrested have no criminal history.
Nationally, some 46% of the people ICE arrested in the five weeks before Feb. 4 had no criminal charges or convictions, dropping to 41% in the five weeks that followed.
Yet that’s still above the 35% weekly average for the time since Trump returned to office. And in a number of states, even after Feb. 4, the share of noncriminals being arrested went up, not down.
Has there been a change in approach?
Across the country, thousands of federal court filings offer an imperfect window into how the Trump administration’s deportation tactics remain in high gear, even if activity has waned.
Like the 21-year-old Honduran man with no criminal record who has filed a petition for release after being arrested Feb. 22 in a suburban San Diego traffic stop. The father of three U.S. citizen children — ages 5, 3 and 10 months — had been under ICE surveillance, the petition says, before officers in tactical gear pulled him over.
Or the 33-year-old Venezuelan woman, a well-known south Texas doctor who worked in a region designated as medically underserved, who was arrested earlier this month with her 5-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen, on her way to her husband’s asylum hearing.
She was arrested, officials said, for overstaying her visa.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the research and advocacy group the American Immigration Council, says he sees signs of change in lower arrest and detention numbers but warns it’s too early to know if those shifts are permanent.
“The Trump administration says: ‘We’re not slowing down,’ ‘Nothing has changed,’” in immigration enforcement, he said. “But it’s very clear that they have pulled back from some of the tactics of Operation Metro Surge,” the crackdown that swept Minneapolis.
Kessler and Sullivan write for the Associated Press. Kessler reported from Washington and Sullivan from Minneapolis. AP reporters Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed to this report.
Hilsea was formerly an unheated saltwater pool, designed to fit 2,000 visitors.
Serving as a Team GB Olympic diving training venue for the 1936 and 1952 games, it also featured as a filming location for The Who’s 1975 film Tommy.
A combination of neglect, structural decay and poor infrastructure saw its closure four years ago.
The lido’s facilities also include an ice cream parlour and food van on siteCredit: Portsmouth City Council
Harry Smith, director of Sea Lanes, the new operators of the lido, said: “It’s an honour to be trusted with such an iconic and much-loved local landmark, and we can’t wait to bring the site back to life for the community.
“We’re excited to open the doors, welcome everyone back, and start a brand‑new chapter for Hilsea Lido.”
The multi-million pound development was further financed by a Levelling Up fund, meaning any outdated equipment and facilities have been replaced, such as the pool base and walls.
Fit for purpose, the lido now has brand-new toilets and changing room facilities, with a sauna installed.
For families visiting, there is now also an ice cream parlour and food van based on site.
Saunas will also be part of the new designCredit: Alamy
Duncan Anderson, CEO of South Downs Leisure, which assisted the project said: “It’s hugely exciting and a new chapter for the whole of the Portsmouth.
“When you talk to people in the local area, they’ve all got memories of Hilsea Lido and I think they can’t wait to get back and splash in this pool again.”
The Hilsea Lido will officially reopen to the public on May 2.
