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 So Cheech Marin lends some of his collection of paintings to a LACMA exhibit about Chicano art in L.A. and Christopher Knight, our art critic, says the museum really shouldn't have bothered:
I'm no fan of public art museums exhibiting private collections. The negatives so far outweigh the positives that such shows hurt, rather than help, a museum's mission.
The latest example is "Los Angelenos/Chicano Painters of L.A.: Selections From the Cheech Marin Collection," which opened recently at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The clumsy title is the least of its problems.
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Most tellingly, the show doesn't even have a curator. Someone on LACMA's staff was, of course, responsible for overseeing the exhibition, but it's the only outside show -- meaning not drawn from LACMA's permanent collection -- listed on the museum's website that doesn't have a living, breathing human being's name attached, except the private collector's. No curator claims it.
Ouch. Read the rest of the Christopher's essay about how and why the LACMA exhibit falls short right here.
-- Veronique de Turenne
Photo: Reed Saxon / Associated Press
What is L.A.? Better to ask, who is L.A. Some answers in "This Side of Paradise," a remarkable show of photographs now at The Huntington. A review from our art critic, Christopher Knight, here.
--Veronique de Turenne
Photo: The Huntington
Hate her or love her, Yoko Ono's post-Beatles-era career continues to flourish, and a piece of her art is headed to Pasadena this summer, the Star-News reports.
Ono, renowned for her off-beat artistic
sensibilities, will choose living trees connected to the environment or
history of California for her "Wish Trees" work, according to Robin
Faulks, a One Colorado spokesman.
Faulks said they were "most definitely working with her" to come to the city for the installation.
"She's
very excited about this installation," he said Wednesday. "It's a
matter of her travel schedule. We'll arrange a reception at some time
during the three months that will be timed for her arrival."
As part of the participatory art event, also sponsored by
the Armory Center for the Arts in Old Pasadena, visitors will be
invited to write their wishes on paper and hang them on the tree
branches.
The wishes from Pasadena will later be placed with others
from all over the world and buried in specially constructed capsules at
the Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island off the coast of Iceland, Ono's
tribute to her late husband.
The tower, a column of light emanating from a base with a
radius of about 22 feet is lit for two months each year starting on
Oct. 9, John Lennon's birthday, and ending on Dec. 9, the anniversary
of his death.
You can see the Ono exhibit (a variation on the one in the photo) at One Colorado in Old Pasadena from Aug. 2 through Nov. 9.
—Veronique de Turenne
Photo: Getty Images
 Payouts in Santa Monica Farmers' Market crash reach $21 million. LAT
A mountain lion is spotted in Woodland Hills. LADN
At least 10% of Pasadena is covered by historical designation. Star-News
An ex-cop is accused of on-duty rape. LAT
A U.S. Marine is shot in Baja at a highway checkpoint. Union Tribune
Boeing will lay off 750 workers. Daily Breeze
Summer desserts from our Food section.
Pretty planning: new design guidelines for Venice & Westchester. Curbed LA
--Veronique de Turenne
Photos: LA Times
 Fourteen people were injured, five of them critically, after a massive gas explosion at a waterfront San Diego hotel that is under construction. Richard Marosi and Tony Perry explain what happened.
Rehab services and community jails for low-risk offenders -- that's the gist of a proposal to settle the federal lawsuit brought against California's overcrowded prisons. It took six months of talks to get here, and still needs the OK of lots of different groups and agencies before it's a done deal. The upside -- no early release. But where's the money going to come from? Michael Rothfeld has the details.
Snooping into celeb medical files is a decades-old cottage industry, says Andrew Blankstein.
Ex-LAPD officer gets a 102-year sentence for his role in a robbery ring. Scott Glover was there.
Police and witnesses continue to argue over the events leading up to the shooting of an unarmed man in Long Beach on Sunday. The latest news -- the city's mental health team wasn't called to the scene. Deborah Schoch has the story.
Turns out even luxury home prices are heading south -- one Newport Beach enclave sees a drop of 34%. Peter Y. Hong runs the numbers.
It'll be the San Antonio Spurs against the Lakers tomorrow night in Game One of the Western Conference finals. AP via LAT.
 Film directing -- still a man's world, says Patrick Goldstein. (And a white man's world, at that.)
Now that the state Supreme Court has ruled to make same-sex marriage legal in California, religious congregations are wrestling with the issue.
James Frey, "the most notorious writer in America", talks to Scott Timberg.
-- Veronique de Turenne
Photos: Associated Press
 The largest-ever display of the terra cotta warriors from Xian, China, opens today at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, Diane Haithman reports.
"...an army of ancient Chinese soldiers who were buried for 2,000 years will march into Santa Ana's Bowers Museum, the result of the largest loan of terra cotta figures and artifacts to visit the United States since their astonishing 1974 discovery."
Actually, the 14 life-size human figures were already in town, having landed May 4 at Ontario International Airport and been transported, complete with police and helicopter escort, to the museum. The warriors -- not only fighters but also court officials, acrobats and generals, though no females -- will be on display through Oct. 12 in "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor," a sample of the contents of the vast tomb complex of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
The warriors came toting plenty of "luggage" that would never fit in the overhead compartment: about 100 sets of objects including weapons and armor. Also on board: a life-sized terra cotta cavalry horse, as well as a bronze crane and swan.
More about the exhibit in Diane's full story. Great photo gallery here. Want tickets? Here's how.
--Veronique de Turenne
Photo: Wang Da-Gang
California's highest court gave the green light to more than same-sex marriage Thursday. It fired up opponents, who already had a ballot proposition in the works, and forced the divisive issue back into the presidential race. Phil Willon and Patrick McGreevy take a look at the political fallout.
 The Missouri mom, who pretended to be a 16-year-old boy on MySpace and bullied a girl who later killed herself, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles. Scott Glover and P.J. Huffstutter have the details.
And in case you missed it, Anthony Pellicano -- guilty.
Three people are dead and the morning commute is snarled after a wrong-way driver on I-5 downtown causes a catastrophic crash. AP via LAT
How did three girls wind up unconscious in a Chatsworth park? Howard Blume says police have a both a theory and a suspect.
Whittier Boulevard in East L.A. gets a face-lift. Scott Gold looks at its history and future.
Can it be? Good housing news: April starts are the best since January '06. Reuters via LAT.
(Fake) diamonds fit for a (real) diva: the jewelry that Maria Callas wore when she debuted in "Tosca" at the Met in New York City in 1956 will shine on stage in the L.A. Opera's production. David Ng has details about the $85K worth of Swarovski crystals.
-- Veronique de Turenne
Photos: Los Angeles Times
 Did you miss the great taco blowout last night? Not to worry -- another event next week. Zocalo
How to fall in love with an orchid cactus. LAT
A teensy step forward for cab drivers who want to stop when people try to flag them down. Angelenic
KCRW launches a guest DJ project. Los Anjealous
Are you reading Chris Erskine's hilarious columns?
Editors at the Daily Bruin win $275k. LAO
Want to get away this weekend? Gas prices around the city are here.
A Hollywood movie premiere ... in Ventura? Ventura County Star
Mission Viejo considers holding parents responsible for out-of-control teen parties. O.C. Register
Less parking but more park at Santa Monica beach. Argonaut
Idaho university president is named the new chancellor of UC Riverside. UC Riverside
-- Veronique de Turenne & Jesus Sanchez
Photo: Los Angeles Times
 Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct his last program at the Hollywood Bowl this fall and he's got big plans. David Ng took Salonen to the beach for a little chat.
Having just trod ankle-deep into the chilly Pacific Ocean for our cover shoot, Salonen is eager to dry off and talk about his summer plans, which include his final Hollywood Bowl season as music director.
"Of course, I am feeling a little nostalgic. But I'm still doing business as usual," he says. "There's a lot going on, a lot of big programs to rehearse."
Salonen's upcoming appearances provide convenient bookends to the L.A. summer arts season. This month, he conducts the much-anticipated West Coast premiere of his Piano Concerto at Walt Disney Concert Hall, with pianist Yefim Bronfman as soloist.
"It's a very, very difficult piece to play," Salonen explains. "I've tweaked the score and made little changes here and there. It will be great to have it played by my hometown band."
In September, Salonen will conduct his final Bowl program, Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8. The gargantuan piece features a full orchestra, eight soloists and two choruses.
"It has a scale that cannot be dwarfed by anything," says the conductor. "I thought instead of doing some kind of gala type of thing, I'd rather do something I haven't done before in L.A. I've only conducted the piece twice before, and it's not something you want to conduct too many times in a lifetime."
More about Salonen in David's full story.
Photo: Jay L. Clendenin
 The California Supreme Court will rule on gay marriage tomorrow. LAT
A greyhound adoption diary is on Unleashed.
Check out the lovely redesign at California Authors.
L.A.'s coldest crime cases of the century. Mean Streets
Reaction to fabulist James Frey's shot at redemption. Jacket Copy
LOVE the jacaranda photo from Just Above Sunset. (It's the bottom photo on the page. And thanks to LAO for the link.)
San Bernardino County supes say no to letting sex offenders drive ice cream trucks. LAT
Fox TV report on L.A. Councilwoman Janice Hahn and gangs is flawed, says the Daily Breeze .
A developer proposes a huge housing project on the site of a former munitions plant. Daily News The Signal
Are they grains of sand or works of art? Both -- and we found them thanks to Funny Pages 2.0.
A new chancellor is to be named at UC Riverside. Press Enterprise
A stable place: Norco named as the No. 1 hometown for horses. Daily Bulletin
-- Veronique de Turenne & Jesus Sanchez
Illustration: Tribune Media Services
Talk about printing money. Five guys who used an ink-jet printer to make millions of dollars of fake money were nabbed yesterday, one of the biggest SoCal counterfeiting operations ever, authorities say. Seized at the homes -- more than $7 million in $20s, paper, printers, and Aqua Net. That's right -- when you coat money with hairspray, those counterfeit-detecting pens don't work. Scott Glover has the real details on the counterfeit money story.
The Getty Trust cuts 114 jobs to pump up the budget of the core arts program by 25 percent. Anne-Marie O'Connor explains how the museum might change.
Want to make $100k a year? Consider a job in law enforcement in the OC where, thanks to overtime, two-thirds of sworn deputies in the Sheriff's Department made six figures last year. Stuart Pfeifer and Christine Hanley have the details.
No more training new recruits at L.A. Sheriff's Department, where one instructor was giving his students tests and the answers to the questions. Yeah, state investigators caught that, and some other no-nos, so Sheriff Lee Baca has put an end to new recruit training for now. Details from Richard Winton.
Malibu becomes the latest city to ban plastic bags, Tami Abdollah reports.
We're a bunch of pessimists -- 81% of Americans think the economy is in the toilet for the long haul. Tom Petruno runs the numbers.
Leonardo DiCaprio as James Bond creator Ian Fleming? Jay A. Fernandez says it could be in the works.
--Veronique de Turenne
Photos: Los Angeles Times
 Don't mess with moms - they lead a protest against The Governator's planned education cuts. LAT
Teens and Mother's Day in The Homeroom.
Train quarantined in Canada due to deadly mystery illness. AP via Daily Breeze
The New York Times, which seems to be under the impression the longboard is dead, says the sport of soul surfers is making a comeback. NYT
How about some soothing 15th century music for Mother's Day? Jouyassance
Worldwide protests against Scientology tomorrow by Anonymous. LAist
Just fyi, Saturday's also National Train Day. Not sure what that means, but their graphic sure is great.
 Lindsay Lohan's too high-maintenance to play a Manson girl in an indie film, says Nikki Finke.
Coldplay tours the U.S., plays San Jose twice, but skips L.A.? Los Anjealous
Keeping up with the greens. LALATimes
--Veronique de Turenne
Photo: Los Angeles Times
Peregrine falcons in California cities have more flame retardants in their bodies than any living organism anywhere on the planet. The chemicals come from the pigeons the falcons eat, more proof of how these chemicals, which damage developing nervous systems, are working their way up the food chain. Marla Cone explains.
The city's struggling to balance the budget and one plan on the table
is to give -- yes, that means free -- a three-acre site in North
Hollywood worth almost $15 million to a developer. David Zahniser
and Steve Hymon follow the trail of red ink that led to the proposal.
Five more claims of sexual abuse by Santa Monica teacher Thomas Arthur Beltran have surfaced. One goes back to 2004, and others could reach back to 1998. And how do school officials explain all the years that Beltran remained in the classroom? Communication breakdown. Tami Abdollah has more details on the growing scandal.
Neighbors listened to 70-year-old Katan Khaimov beg for help for an hour after he was stabbed in his West Hollywood neighborhood, and no one called the police. He died in the street. Scott Gold visits Poinsettia Park and looks for answers.
At last -- some good mortgage news. The House passed a rescue bill to make $300 billion in new loans available, enough to keep about half a million homeowners out of foreclosure. (The only California Republican to vote for the bill? Rep. Gary G. Miller of Diamond Bar.) The details -- and the bill's chance of becoming law -- from Maura Reynolds.
A look at all the Kobe Bryant worship out there from Bill Dwyre.
Forget Riverdance. L.A. native Victor Quijada comes home from Canada with his ballet-based, hip-hop infused fusion troupe, Rubberdance. Victoria Looseleaf is betting you'll like it.
You're a very vocal bunch of readers, not always polite, but invariably impassioned. A sampling of the reaction to the Montrose flag controversy here. And if you're new to it, here's the story and the video.
-- Veronique de Turenne
Photos: Los Angeles Times
A big fight over the flag in the little town of Montrose. Scott Gold gets to the heart of things.
An airline passengers rights measure gets the nod from the state assembly. As one legislator said, "This is a time when we need to spank the airlines." The line forms to the right. Nancy Vogel has the full story.
Another Cal State teacher gets the boot for refusing to sign the state's loyalty oath, which dates back to 1952, the era of the Red Scare. Today, the oath keeps some religious faiths, like Quakers (ooo, scary!) from working in the schools. Richard C. Paddock has the details.
So Bill Plaschke answers his phone and hears this: "Hello Bill? This is Vin Scully." OMG. It's about the retirement talk, of course, which seeped into a Scully speech this week. There is mulling, but there's also good news. Check out Plaschke's column, where he tells all. (And btw, Dodgers won their sixth in a row.)
May Day -- smaller and more peaceful than last year. Check our coverage -- pix and stories and one-the-street videos here and here.
Measles cases have doubled this year and health officials -- and parents -- are getting worried. Rong-Gong Lin II explains what's happening.
The hunt is on for the tiger shark that killed a California surfer in Mexico, and environmentalists say the long, long lines of baited hooks will end in indiscriminate slaughter. AP via LAT.
Bob Dylan's teenage flame tells all in a new book. Josh Getlin reviews it.
--Veronique de Turenne
Photo: Los Angeles Times
It got hotter here in Indio during Coachella, all the way through the closing strains of Prince.
One of the hottest new performers is Yelle, a French import who raps exclusively en Francais. August Brown blogged that although MGMT did nothing for him, Yelle won him over: the crowd had a huge contingent of really young teenagers losing their minds every time she flipped her bangs or jump-kicked or whacked a floor tom. I forgot how much fun it is to see a concert next to kids who can’t buy cigarettes yet.
It was so, uh, hot, in the Hot Chip tent that people passed out and even someone got arrested. Kevin Bronson witnessed it all: Some fans climbed the scaffolding of the tent; another tried crashing the up-front area, and after a WWF-worthy tussle with a security guard that saw the perpetrator crash through the side of the tent, order was restored. The over-exuberant fan was carted off in handcuffs.
Things were a little more wild at the M.I.A. tent where the singer's crazed vocals seemed to have inspired some in the crowd to go over the line, reports Chris Lee: “People were crying and fainting, a bunch of people were trying to rush the stage,” said Krystle Ramos, 21, of Los Angeles, who was among those caught up in the throng.
“I was trying to leave and I lost my shoes, someone pulled down my dress,” said Eva Mata, 20, of Santa Cruz. “Every one was so amped, they were trying to crash the performance.”
Who knew the dance tents would provide so much drama?
Photo by Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times
-- Tony Pierce
Unlike most of the performers here at Coachella, Prince Roger Nelson has nothing to prove. He's recorded dozens of classic records, won all the important awards, and most importantly raised the bar of what it means to be sexy. Just the announcement of his appearance at Coachella made him arguably the biggest star to rock the main Coachella stage (which is saying something when you consider the likes of Radiohead, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails and Morrissey have all performed on that stage).
Last night Prince laid it out, put it down, smoothed it out, and rocked the desert with attitude, soul, and funk as he rifled through one hit after another. On a day where scores of fantastic acts put on wild and grooving performances, the Minneapolis superstar, who will turn 50 this summer, took the stage by telling the crowd with all the (earned) arrogance and cockiness one could imagine, "Coachella, I am here." Completely aware of what this festival means and what he was there to do, the Artist addressed the sold-out, throbbing crowd dozens of times, but he got his loudest reaction when he declared, "You are the coolest place on Earth right now."
Morris Day of the Time opened the Prince show with his two hits backed with the Purple One on guitar. Sheila E. was introduced and led the huge band into her only big hit, "The Glamorous Life," and then for over two hours Prince re-established his legend, mostly with his unbelievable ability to shred on his Fender Telecaster guitar.
Read on »
INDIO -- The first day of Coachella has come and gone, and thanks to the mild weather (for Palm Springs) it was a fashion show of ironic T-shirts by the men, short skirts and hippie wear by the women and a collage of diverse sounds from the dozens of bands (from the wild Les Savy Fav, above, to the soulful Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings).
Day One featured some long-awaited reunions, most notably the UK pop group The Verve, best known for its bittersweet No. 1 hit and controversial legal battle with the Rolling Stones. Kevin Bronson wrote: "Bathing the healthy crowd in bright colors and psychedelia, Richard Ashcroft and crew played a set of old favorites such as 'The Drugs Don’t Work,' 'This Is Music' and 'Bittersweet Symphony' (the latter dirtied up nicely) and a couple of enticing new songs.
The other main stage reunion was delivered by The Breeders, led by former Pixies bassist Kim Deal, who doled out the old faves ("Divine Hammer," "Cannonball") as well as several cuts from their new CD.
More pictures and notes from Day One after the jump...
Read on »
 Big, big, BIG plans from Frank McCourt to renovate Dodger Stadium (for a guesstimated $500 million) by adding restaurants and shops, club offices and parking, and even a Dodger museum. The upgrades could "give the stadium a chance to remain viable and perhaps see its 100th birthday," a letter to season ticket holders read. Anyone else get a bad feeling from that word, "even"? Bill Shaikin and David Zahniser have all the details.
A sensational killing, a single fingerprint and two Gypsy families at war -- it's a story of murder, traditions and revenge. Hector Becerra and Richard Winton have the story.
Anthony Pellicano says he won't rat out his clients. Trial coverage from Carla Hall.
Pay to ride in the carpool lane? The Feds are dangling $213 million in front of L.A. officials to get them to say yes. Steve Hymon explains.
Cops in Laguna Beach try something new -- making friends with the homeless to get them off the streets, Susannah Rosenblatt reports.
 Don't kill the grizzly! That's the word from friends and colleagues of the animal trainer killed by the bear in what they call a freak accident. Details from David Kelly.
It's all about Kobe as the Lakers take a 2-0 lead over the Nuggets. And the Times' Mike Bresnahan? Still happy.
More record-breaking news from that singer who dethroned Elvis from Randy Lewis.
More music: a hilarious review of Ashlee Simpson's latest, from Richard Cromelin.
-- Veronique de Turenne
Photos: Los Angeles Times
A little mid-week lunchtime concert for your listening pleasure, from the High School Choir Festival -- hundreds of kids with amazing voices -- that took over Disney Hall last week.
-- Veronique de Turenne
Video: John Vande Wege / Los Angeles Times
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So Cheech Marin lends some of his collection of paintings to a LACMA exhibit about Chicano art in L.A. and Christopher Knight, our art critic, says the museum really shouldn't have bothered:
