Google doodle: An interactive Alexander Calder mobile

Leave it to the folks at Google to use the latest technology to update the artwork of Alexander Calder. Today's Google homepage celebrates the American artist's 113th birthday by using a Calder mobile in place of the company logo. The mobile swings on your computer -- and even tilts if you have the right kind of laptop.

Before we get technical, a little bit about the artist:

"Even people who don't know art know Alexander Calder's art," Times art critic Christopher Knight wrote of Calder earlier this year. "Forever identified with the mobile, Calder gave sculptural form to currents of air."

Of Calder's talent, Knight wrote:

"He of course did much more in a long art-life that was encouraged from childhood by a sculptor-father and a painter-mother. But, formally schooled as a mechanical engineer, Calder had the tools, after he decided to become an artist, to bring seemingly effortless elements of balance and poise to bits of broken glass and plastic, chunks of wood and, most often, curved and painted metal plates suspended from a hanging system of interconnected rods."

Southern Californians can check out Calder's work at the show "Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy" at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach through Sept. 4.

And now about how Google created the doodle:

Magic tricks with Neil Patrick Harris [Video]

As if Neil Patrick Harris doesn't have enough on his plate, the multifaceted performer is using some sleight of hand to add in some stage work this month in Santa Monica. Starting Friday, Harris directs British magician Guy Hollingworth in a new staging and U.S. debut of his popular one-man show "The Expert at the Card Table."

Harris spoke with Times reporter T.L. Stanley about his busy career, saying he sometimes felt like “a vaudevillian plate spinner.” And the actor, a magician himself and a member of L.A.'s Magic Castle, told how he ended up working with Hollingworth. First read the interview and then read all about "The Expert at the Card Table."

The duo took time to give a sample of their magic in the video above. Nothing up his sleeve?

-- Sherry Stern

Video: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times

 

President Obama to use 'Sister Act' for fundraiser

(Updated 2:12 p.m.)

President Obama has been an avid supporter of theater and the arts, but on Thursday night, theater will be supporting him with a special performance of Broadway's "Sister Act" that will be a fundraiser for his 2012 reelection campaign.

Ticket prices range from $100 to $10,000.

Security is in place at the Broadway Theatre, home to "Sister Act," the musical based on the popular film that starred Whoopi Goldberg. On hand will be Goldberg, a supporter of Obama and a producer of the musical, which took a long journey from Pasadena via Atlanta and London before arriving on Broadway this spring.

Obama will show up for at least part of the performance, according to an official with the Democratic National Committee.

This wouldn't be the first time the president has seen a Broadway play since his election -- in 2009 he and First Lady Michelle Obama caught the revival of August Wilson's "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone" at Lincoln Center, drawing criticism from Republicans about the expense of his trip. The government will be covering a part of the travel expenses for this trip because it includes an address and visit with the troops at Ft. Drum in upstate New York. A DNC official said the Obama Victory Fund will reimburse travel to the fundraisers per federal regulations.

Obama's visit to New York is also scheduled to include a fundraising dinner that will court the gay, lesbian and transgender community, with Neil Patrick Harris and Jane Lynch on hand. Obama has not always been popular with that group given his history on gay marriage and "don't ask, don't tell." Ticket prices start at $1,250.

A third NYC fundraiser will be a dinner with Wall Street executives at a posh restaurant where ticket prices are set at $35,800 per person.

Matthew Broderick, George and Ira Gershwin heading back to Broadway

In 1992, "Crazy for You" was billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy." Now a newer one is on the way, called "Nice Work If You Can Get It."

So far we know that Matthew Broderick will return to Broadway to star, and that the director and choreographer will be Kathleen Marshall, who won a Tony Award on Sunday for her work on the revival of "Anything Goes." That play was classic Cole Porter but this one will be new Gershwin, with a book by Joe DiPietro (who won Tonys last season for his book and score of "Memphis.")

The musical will include familiar songs as well as some little-known selections from the Gershwin catalog.  The screwball romantic comedy  is set in the 1920s. Broderick will play a rich playboy who gets mixed up with bootleggers.

"Crazy for You," which won a Tony for best musical, featured more than 20 Gershwin tunes,  including, yes,  "Nice Work If You Can Get It."

The new new Gershwin musical comedy is scheduled to open next spring.

RELATED:

12 things you didn't know about the Tony Awards

Tony Awards: 'Book of Mormon' wins nine awards, including top musical

Dueling Tonys hosts: Watch the video of Hugh Jackman and Neil Patrick Harris

-- Sherry Stern

Photo: Matthew Broderick at the Tony Awards on Sunday. Credit: Reuters

 

 

 

Tony Awards: Watch Neil Patrick Harris' impressive wrap-up rap [Video]

If your DVR setting for the Tony Awards ended at 11 p.m. Sunday, you missed one of the highlights of Neil Patrick Harris' second stint as host for Broadway's 65th annual celebration.

Harris wrapped up the three-hour show with a two-minute hip-hop rap that was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda right up until the last few minutes of the broadcast. Check it out above.

Our sister blog Awards Tracker reported the full lyrics here.

Harris' performance brought to mind two previous musical highlights of the Tony Awards. Two years ago, he summed up the 2009 Tonys to the tune of "West Side Story's" "Tonight" and "Guys and Dolls' "Luck Be a Lady" (lyrics by "Hairspray's" Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman). And in 2008, Miranda accepted his Tony for the score of "In the Heights" with an acceptance rap.

Watch both below.

Dueling Tonys hosts: Watch the video of Hugh Jackman and Neil Patrick Harris

Current and former Tony hosts Neil Patrick Harris and Hugh Jackman pulled out all the stops at Sunday night's 65th annual awards with this original musical number that played on their friendly rivalry as favorite award hosts, Tonys and otherwise.

The clever number included the music of "Annie Get Your Gun," "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," among other classic musicals as well as dancing to "A Chorus Line."

Watch and enjoy.

RELATED:

Tony Awards: 'The Book of Mormon' wins best musical; 'War Horse' named best play

Best and Worst of the 2011 Tony Awards

-- Sherry Stern

 

MOCA's 'Art in the Streets' exhibition brings unwanted neighborhood effect: graffiti vandalism

While museum director Jeffrey Deitch was unveiling his "Art in the Streets" exhibition Thursday at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in a preview for invited guests, the Los Angeles Police Department reported a spike in graffiti and vandalism in the museum's Little Toyko neighborhood.

Deitch addressed the media and a crowd that included Shepard Fairey, Fab 5 Freddy and other graffiti and street artists whose works are on display in the expansive survey, which opens to the public Sunday. The press event took place in front of a Metro bus newly painted by RISK, a Los Angeles graffiti artist.

As our sister blog LA Now reports here, the LAPD has noted dozens of tags, including monikers and larger so-called bombs showing up in the last two days on several commercial buildings behind 1st Street as well dumpsters and light poles within a stone's throw of the museum entrance.

LAPD Officer Jack Richter told LA Now, "We respect the rights to have an art exhibition, but we demand the security of other people's property."

Deitch told Culture Monster that MOCA anticipated that what's being billed as the first major U.S. museum exhibition on graffiti and street art could bring unwanted and unauthorized ancillary activity from "some of the young taggers who are anarchic. ... It's a language of youth culture, and we can't stop it. It goes with the territory."

But in hopes of minimizing the impact on neighbors, he said, "we're making an extra effort" by instructing security guards patrolling outside the museum to keep an eye on the surrounding neighborhood as well. Deitch declined to give specifics on what that would entail.

The USC Trojan Marching Band shares the Super Bowl spotlight on 'Glee'

The USC Trojan Marching Band will make its second appearance on "Glee" on the Fox show's much-hyped post-Super Bowl episode, airing Sunday about 7 p.m. The band will be dressed as zombies for a "Glee"-ful take on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" mashed up with Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Heads Will Roll."

On "Glee's" Madonna episode last year, band members joined in a performance of "4 Minutes" (watch the video above). Both times the show's co-producer Zach Woodlee worked with band members on marching maneuvers and dance moves.

Filming for the "Thriller" episode took place during USC's winter break and the 30 band members were on the "Glee" set for nearly 17 hours for less than three minutes of screen time.

“Being on the set of Glee was so much fun. The cast members were joking around constantly and interacting with us, but when we started recording, everyone performed with intensity," senior bass drummer Kelsey Anderson said in a press release. "Zach Woodlee was amazing. During rehearsal he learned each of our names and was able to keep the long hours entertaining for us.”

The band, also known as the Spirit of Troy, has a longtime track record in pop culture that includes a performance on Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" in 1979, plus appearances in movies, the Grammy Awards and at the Hollywood Bowl.

And "Glee" is not all this weekend for the band: On Saturday, the band will be part of  ”A Concert for America – A Tribute to Ronald Reagan” at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in commemoration of the president's 100 birthday. The sold-out concert, with the Beach Boys and Lee Greenwood, will be streamed live at ReaganFoundation.org from 7 to 9 p.m. Pacific time.

-- Sherry Stern

Dispatch from London: On tour with Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic

With Friday night's performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony at London's Barbican Center, the Los Angeles Philharmonic will pass the halfway mark of its seven-city, 13-concert tour across Europe.

During Gustavo Dudamel’s first overseas trip with the orchestra since he took over as musical director, the Phil has been met (not surprisingly) by mixed reviews from the critics but enthusiastic audiences. Not so different from its U.S. tour last year.

Times London bureau chief Henry Chu caught up with the tour Thursday night and then on Friday watched at a concert hall near the Barbican, as Dudamel and the Phil worked with young British musicians.

Click here to read Chu's full report.

And continue reading for excerpts from the London critics:

Video: Fun lesson about baritones from Seth Rudetsky and Marc Kudisch

Broadway musical lovers know they can rely on theater maven Seth Rudetsky for enteraining insight via his Sirius radio show and his countless blogs, videos and podcasts. We found Friday's video entry on Playbill.com especially enlightening. 

Rudetsky, who never met a belting diva he wasn't obsessed with, goes head to head with baritone and bari-defender Marc Kudisch, a Broadway regular whose credits include "9 to 5: The Musical,"  first seen at the Ahmanson Theatre.

Watch and we bet you'll learn a little something.

— Sherry Stern

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