From the outside, The Astaire Building, the early-‘90s structure on the Sony lot where Michael De Luca Productions is housed, is about as rock ‘n’ roll as the dancer which lends the edifice its name.But De Luca’s office – which includes the usual neat stacks of scripts on the desk, scattering of books, and LCD television – shows that something a little more personal is at work here. The … [Read more...]
Indie Rocking with Smith Westerns
EVERY year or so I find a newish band that excites me, that brings back memories of the music I fell in love with as a teenager but that puts its own stamp on a tradition. A bit more than a year ago, I feel hard for the xx, with their moody, intimate take on trip-hop and British gloom. This year, the young band I’m most excited about is Smith Westerns, a trio of Chicago kids in thrall to glam and … [Read more...]
Black Eyes Peas Memoir
Most of America knows that L.A, hip hop band The Black Eyed Peas will perform at the Super Bowl’s halftime show on Sunday. As it happens, one of the group’s rappers, Taboo, will publish his memoir, Fallin' Up: My Story, next week.The book is ghosted by Angeleno Steve Dennis, a Yorkshire native who’s made much of his living ghosting books including a footballer and Lady Diana’s butler. (Not the … [Read more...]
New Novel by Robert Crais
LOS Angeles thriller/detective novelist Robert Crais will probably always be known for his detective hero Elvis Cole, a rock n roll fan with a taste for loud shirts. His latest novel is the third to focus on Cole's sidekick Joe Pike, a laconic, unknowable badass: I've only just started The Sentry, which kicks off in New Orleans before moving to LA, but the damn thing takes off like a rocket. (The … [Read more...]
Brad Mehldau’s LA Years
ACCLAIMED jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, who has become, probably, the most celebrated jazz instrumentalist of his generation, was in town this weekend, performing at Disney Hall. (Quite a good concert - Chris Barton's review here -- with both a chamber orchestra and a percussion-heavy combo, though I think he's best in a club in a trio format.) He made a brief mention, in between songs, to his years … [Read more...]
The Return of Franz Liszt
I STILL remember the elementary school assembly in which a local musician in a long white wig came in to play piano and talk to us about classical music and the 19th century craze Liszt-omania.And while it's true that Franz Liszt inspired all kinds of insane behavior, especially from swooning young women, there's more to the composer than that.In today's LA Times I speak to Louis Lortie, HERE, a … [Read more...]
"James Ellroy’s LA: City of Demons"
CRIME novelist James Ellroy is hosting a new television show that goes up Wednesday night. He's both perfect for this -- who's written about crime in the Southland better than Ellroy? (All due respect to Ross Macdonald, Robert Crais, and a few others.) But his manic intensity also makes him a strange fit for television -- he can be a bit too much onscreen.The show looks at both classic LA murders … [Read more...]
The Long Career of Michael Medavoy
NOT long ago, Mike Medavoy was hanging out with a bunch of other producers – most of them guys who had been too young to work in the business in the ‘70s but looked back with longing at its maverick glory. Medavoy, by contrast, had played a small but important role as a studio exec who’d helped Rocky, Apocalypse Now and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest see the light of day.“They all said, almost in … [Read more...]
The Failure of AT&T
THE other night, during the relentless stretch of rains that hit Los Angeles around Christmas, I was awoken just after 1 a.m. by pounding on my front door. Stumbling to the door in my bathrobe, I was greeted by two uniformed members of the local police department, one of whom shined his flashlight into my eyes. The reason for this unexpected visit? In large part this was caused by the … [Read more...]
New View of General Lee
OKAY, get ready for a deluge of coverage of the Civil War, whose 150th anniversary begins in the new year. One of the first shots fired will be a new documentary on Gen. Robert E. Lee, who emerges as a complex, brilliant, at times tormented, and deeply human character. The doc, which goes up Monday on PBS, avoids the hero-worship of neo-Confederates and a debunking approach that might have been … [Read more...]