Stars come out for 'Dark Night of the Soul'

A critical mass of beautiful people and film stars at Los Angeles' Michael Kohn Gallery Friday night set the stage for a quintessentially Hollywood culture clash. The scene looked more a movie premiere than an art opening. But then, the exhibition -- a photo-sound installation titled "Dark Night of the Soul" -- arrives as the result of a collaboration between individuals who aren't, strictly speaking, fine artists.

Danger Mouse, the Grammy-winning producer/Gnarls Barkley member (real name Brian Burton) and Sparklehorse (a.k.a. the retiring Gothic balladeer Mark Linkous) are responsible for the show's music. And art-house auteur David Lynch created photographs for the exhibition and its accompanying limited-edition book. Read The Times' earlier coverage to find out how the project came about.

But their involvement attracted no shortage of boldfaced names to the private opening Friday. In addition to Burton, Lynch and Linkous, on-hand were Ben Stiller, who could be seen chatting with Laura Dern, and Justin Theroux. How's this for one degree of separation? Theroux co-wrote Stiller's summer movie hit "Tropic Thunder" but also appears in two of Lynch's movies, "Inland Empire" and "Mulholland Drive."

Also taking in the work at Kohn's recently expanded gallery: Heather Graham, Crispin Glover, Zachary Quinto, writer-directors Stephen Gaghan and Werner Herzog, musicians Suzanne Vega and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and hit-making music producer Rick Rubin.

LACMA chief executive Michael Govan and MOCA's deputy director Ari Wiseman were in attendance as well, although unlike the others, they went unphotographed by paparazzi. Click below to see photos

-- Chris Lee

KAWS opening causes a commotion in Culver City

Saturday night's opening for the pop artist KAWS at Honor Fraser Gallery in Culver City was a mob scene: more like a rock concert than any cultural gathering La Cienega's gallery row has ever seen.

The line to get in to see new works by KAWS -- the Brooklyn-based graffiti artist turned subcultural celebrity who was profiled in The Times last week -- began forming around 5 p.m., an hour before the gallery opened. By early evening, it was hundreds of people deep, thronged with young people in backwards baseball caps and high-end streetwear -- the sneakerheads and street couture fanatics who are KAWS' primary constituents. The queue for the artist's first West Coast show stretched down La Cienega and around the corner onto Venice Boulevard, some 700 yards at its longest.

"I showed up half an hour before opening and the distended line had already snaked its way around the entire block," reads a posting on the online magazine thehundreds.com. "The sidewalk was buzzing with anxiety, honking horns, swelling chaos.... I’ve never seen a commotion like this for an art exhibit."

On display were new works by KAWS (government name Brian Donnelly): his riffs on SpongeBob SquarePants and the Smurfs ("Kawsbob" and "Kurfs," respectively, painted with the artist's signature Xs for eyes). And there were sculptures as well, notably a 7-foot-tall "Chum," Kaws' reworking of the Michelin Man, rendered in bronze.

Among those who managed to skip the line and make it inside the gallery: rappers Everlast and Lupe Fiasco, actor-screenwriter Justin Theroux, pop artist Kenny Scharf, and Shepard Fairey, the street artist turned graphic designer behind the iconic Barack Obama "HOPE" election poster. And taking a break from cycling in the Tour of California, Lance Armstrong bought the largest painting in the show.

Tim Blum, co-owner of neighboring Blum & Poe gallery, has hosted his share of chock-a-block art openings -- notably, one for the Japanese pop art painter Yoshitomo Nara in 2003 and another for the Tokyo-born leader of the "Superflat" art movement, Takashi Murakami, in 2004. But Blum said he couldn't remember a bigger turnout for an opening on La Cienega than what greeted KAWS on Saturday.

"They were as packed as any gallery shows I've ever seen," he recalled of the Nara and Murakami exhibitions. "But those crowds were a little older than this one. And there was no line like this."

Kim Light, owner of Lightbox Gallery, located just a few storefronts down from Honor Fraser, gave KAWS props for bringing new energy to the scene.

"I think this is fabulous," Light said, standing amid KAWS' exhibition Saturday. "He's doing something that bridges the street with the art world. And it's bringing people into the galleries at a time when there's a lot of doom and gloom. "

-- Chris Lee

Photo: KAWS in the gallery. Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times

Criss Angel: He wants to make you 'Believe'

You either love Criss Angel or you hate him.

The illusionist -- born Christopher Sarantakos -- has come a long way from doing children's parties in New Jersey. He found success with his 2001 off-Broadway hit "Mindfreak" and his A&E television series of the same name.

Now, read Times Staff Writer Chris Lee's story about Angel's decision to team up with Cirque du Soleil for "Criss Angel: Believe," a Las Vegas spectacle that Angel has predicted will redefine "what magic is and can be."

Well, we'll have to see about that.

One thing is certain: The costumes in "Criss Angel: Believe," and the level of detail contained therein, are jaw-dropping, even by Vegas' over-the-top standards. The official premiere of "Believe" is on Halloween at Las Vegas' Luxor.

In the meantime, take a spin through this photo gallery offering a behind-the-scenes look at the production's lavish gowns and costumes, intricate beading of the headdresses, and the magical makeup.

--Rene Lynch

Photo caption: "I'm not the most talented person in the world," Criss Angel says. "But what I pride myself on is being creative. I'm pretty good at coming up with new concepts. Just dreaming. Trying to think like a kid with no boundaries." Photo by Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.

Criss Angel's hocus-pocus ticks off Vegas fans

Last Friday in Las Vegas, at the debut preview performance of “Criss Angel: Believe” –- the Luxor Hotel & Casino’s new Cirque du Soleil-produced multimedia magic extravaganza -- rock star illusionist and celebrity-dating tabloid mainstay Criss Angel made a strong impression with his first trick. The star of A&E’s popular street magic series “Mindfreak” enraged many audience members at the Luxor by making their cameras and cellphones disappear.

And that’s before the curtain even went up!

Upon entering the lobby, ticket holders (your humble correspondent included), some of whom paid up to $150 for their seats, had to walk through a bank of metal detectors, endure the once-over by a security guard wielding a hand-held metal detector and surrender any electronic device capable of recording the show. The producers’ primary fear: leaked footage before “Believe” gets in “final shape” for the production’s grand opening on Halloween.

Now, it should be noted that the show arrives with a reported price tag of $85 million to $100 million and sky-high expectations on the Vegas strip. Early preview performances have already suffered withering buzz –- things that will be explored in greater depth in a Criss Angel profile scheduled to appear in Oct. 12’s Arts & Books section.

But back to the Luxor fracas. While that kind of park-your-camera thing may be par for the course at movie premieres, it's almost unheard of in theater -- doubly so in Vegas, where everything that happens, stays, as the city's increasingly hackneyed tourism slogan goes. Nonetheless, everyone handed over their hardware and got a claim ticket to pick up the stuff after the show –- which is when things got ugly.

Attendee John Michalak of Los Angeles complained to the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Everybody said the biggest ‘Mindfreak’ is you’re gonna get your phone back.”

On TripAdvisor, another audience member groused that the ticket contained no warning about the confiscation of recording devices: “I would have left them in the room if that had been the case. I did not appreciate waiting 20 minutes at the end of the show to pick my cell phone and camera back up.”

On Tuesday, however, the Luxor amended its no-recording-device policy. So now “Believe” is cellphone-friendly (although cameras are still not welcome). And as evidenced by the show’s comedic leitmotif, rabbits in hats are most definitely encouraged.

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Trae Patton / NBC