You Want The Arts? Well, The Arts Cost

Debbie Allen on the Hard Work, Persistence, Creativity, Education, Joy—and Yes, Sweat—That The Arts Require

Debbie Allen’s career has spanned film, television, and theater; acting, choreographing, directing, and producing; and serving as an ambassador and teacher of the arts in Los Angeles and around the world.

She was similarly capacious in talking with UC Irvine English professor and former L.A. Times national correspondent Erika Hayasaki, at an event sponsored by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. The conversation was “bouncing,” said Allen, “all over like a microwave,” in front of a large, often laughing crowd at the Petersen Automotive Museum.

Hayasaki opened by inviting …

Why We Keep Coming Back to Gatsby

The Book Changes Every Time You Read It. (Confession: I Even Rooted For Daisy At One Time.)

One of the enduring qualities of The Great Gatsby, just released in yet another filmed adaptation over the weekend, is that it’s a perfect book to read as a teenager, …

The Irrational Exuberance of the Snark Market

Copping an Attitude Is Still Profitable. But Signs Of Froth Are Everywhere.

Remember when snark was subversive, like the kid blowing spitballs in the back of the classroom, before it became the social norm? I look back to 1986 as a key …

How Lethal Weapon and RoboCop Raised Me

Growing Up Was Hard; Without Movies, Would I Have Made It This Far?

On Christmas Day 1989, I was living with my mother and father at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, where my father was stationed. I was only three, but I …

Indian Cricket Fans, Prepare To Get Crushed

Football Has Come To the Subcontinent. And People Like It.

Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone, we can all now turn our attention to India’s Elite Football League (EFLI). That’s right: Football, the most quintessential of American …

Getting Heated About Django In L.A.’s Leimert Park

The Black Panel Didn’t Like the Movie. The Black Moviegoers Loved It.

One recent night, the storied Eso Won Bookstore in Los Angeles’ Leimert Park was packed beyond capacity for a panel discussion of director Quentin Tarantino’s controversial new film Django Unchained. …