Concert hall turns on the lights for Gustavo Dudamel

Walt Disney Concert Hall was bathed in colorful lights Wednesday evening on the eve of new Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Director Gustavo Dudamel's first concert at the venue. 

The 28-year-old conductor, who recently arrived in town, led his orchestra Saturday during a night of music at the Hollywood Bowl.  Tomorrow's concert is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

--Robert J. Lopez

Photos: Walt Disney Concert Hall bathed in bright lights. Credit: Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times.

Michael Jackson is finally interred

Michael Jackson was finally interred in a crypt in Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale shortly before 10 tonight -- exactly 10 weeks after he was found dead. The outdoor service, which was scheduled for sunset but crept into the night, was attended by about 200 family members and close friends. 

Jackson’s five brothers, who served as pallbearers, filed past a portrait of a smiling Michael as they arrived at the service. A bespectacled Paris, the singer's young daughter, wearing a dark dress and her long hair pulled back in a ponytail, watched soberly. 

Jackson’s three children placed a crown on their father’s coffin, a nod to the King of Pop, as the service began. Gladys Knight sang the gospel hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” and songwriter Clifton Davis crooned a song that he wrote for the Jackson 5 that became one of their signature tunes -- “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

The guests gathered in a tree-lined clearing near the Great Mausoleum where Jackson was interred. A stage was adorned with white lilies, white roses and green topiaries.

Among the mourners were many of the touchstones of his life: music producer Quincy Jones, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and music executive Suzanne de Passe.

Also attending were Elizabeth Taylor; former child star Macaulay Culkin; lawyer Thomas A. Mesereau Jr., who successfully defended Jackson from child molestation charges; and choreographer-director Kenny Ortega, who was working on Jackson’s planned London shows. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, former child actor Corey Feldman, Lisa Marie Presley -- Jackson’s former wife -- Marlon Brando’s son Miko and comic Chris Tucker were among the guests.

-- Chris Lee and Carla Hall

Jackson burial service begins as night falls

What had been scheduled to be a sunset service for Michael Jackson at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale became a nighttime gathering when Jackson's family got off to a late start leaving their Encino compound this evening.

As about 200 friends waited, the Jackson family, ferried into the park in a fleet of 26 vehicles, took their places in the front rows of white folding chairs set up outside in the tree-dappled, verdant cemetery park.

The Jackson brothers in black suits and red ties filed past a portrait of Michael, a confident smile on his face. His children took their places as well.  A bespectacled Paris Jackson, his young daughter, in a dark dress, her long hair pulled back in a pony tail, watched as other family members took their seats.

Under a tight cordon of security, they had all gathered for the final leg of the pop singer's odyssey from death to interment on a hot night exactly 10 weeks after he was found dead.

Among the mourners were many of the touchstones of his life: Elizabeth Taylor — who arrived in a Maybach; former child star actor Macaulay Culkin; lawyer Thomas A. Mesereau, who successfully defended Jackson from sexual abuse charges; and choreographer Kenny Ortega, who was working on Jackson’s final tour show. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, former child actor Corey Haim, baseball player Barry Bonds, Marlon Brando’s son Miko and comic Chris Tucker also were there.

As dusk turned to night, a Halloween-orange moon hung in the sky, appropriate for the pop singer whose spooky “Thriller” song and video is legendary in the annals of pop music.

Glendale police blocked off streets around the 300-acre cemetery, and the sprinkling of fans who showed up were relegated to standing behind barricades blocks away. A dozen fans held up a banner reading “King of Pop Michael Jackson Gone Too Soon.”

Jackson is to be interred in a crypt in Holly Terrace, one of 11 halls in the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn’s vast granite-and-marble-filled palazzo that serves as the star-studded resting place of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and other screen legends.

The outdoor service will move into Holly Terrace for a cryptside finale.

The Jackson estate is footing the bill for the service, which has been called by a lawyer for the estate “extraordinary” but worth paying. At least $125,000 will go to cover the Glendale Police Department’s and  Glendale city’s expenses — and that’s just a fraction of the costs associated with the service. The bulk of the expenses will go to Forest Lawn.

—Chris Lee and Carla Hall

Photo: Michael Jackson's brothers wore sunglasses and matching red ties to the pop singer's burial service at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale.

Credit: Pool photo

Full coverage: Michael Jackson's Life and Death

Interactive timeline: Michael Jackson | 1958-2009

Video Q&A: Times reporters on Michael Jackson's death

Mourners begin arriving for Jackson burial service

Under a tight cordon of security, a steady stream of luxury cars ferried guests to Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale this evening for the final leg of pop singer Michael Jackson’s odyssey from death to burial.

Longtime Jackson friend Elizabeth Taylor, who was whisked through the 25-foot-high cemetery gates in a Maybach, was among an expected 200 guests at Jackson’s sunset burial service on a hot night exactly 10 weeks after he was found dead.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, actor Macaulay Culkin, baseball player Barry Bonds, comic Chris Tucker and lawyer Thomas A. Mesereau, who successfully defended Jackson on charges of sexual molestation four years ago, arrived to take their places on white chairs lined up for the outdoor service in the tree-dappled, verdant park.

Glendale police blocked off streets around the 300-acre cemetery, and the sprinkling of fans who showed up were relegated to standing behind barricades blocks away.  A dozen fans held up a banner reading “King of Pop Michael Jackson Gone Too Soon.”

Jackson is to be interred in a crypt in Holly Terrace, one of 11 halls in the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn’s vast granite-and-marble-filled palazzo that serves as the star-studded resting place of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and other screen legends.

The outdoor service will move into Holly Terrace for a cryptside finale. 

The Jackson estate is footing the bill for the service, which has been called by a lawyer for the estate “extraordinary” but worth paying.  At least $120,000 will go to cover the Glendale Police Department’s expenses — and that’s just a fraction of the costs.  The bulk of the expenses will go to Forest Lawn.

—Chris Lee and Carla Hall

Chris Brown’s sentencing delayed; judge wants to make sure his community labor is hard enough

A judge delayed sentencing R&B singer Chris Brown for his assault on pop star Rihanna today, citing questions about the specifics of a community service requirement.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg said she needed more information from Brown's home state of Virginia, where he is to serve five years' probation, about what type of work the singer was likely to perform in order to complete a "community labor" portion of his sentence.

When Brown struck a plea deal with prosecutors in June, the judge was adamant that the six months of community service include physically difficult and unglamorous work such as picking up trash along roadways.

Brown, dressed in a black, trim-fitting suit, attended the hearing with his mother and several supporters, but did not speak. He is scheduled to return to court Aug. 27.

The sentence for the singer of hits including "Run It" and "Forever" also includes a yearlong domestic violence prevention class. Schnegg has also ordered him to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna, 21, for the next five years.

-- Harriet Ryan

Photo: Singer Chris Brown leaves the court with attorney Mark J. Geragos. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

Jackson asked for powerful sedative, nurse says

More questions about Michael Jackson’s medications arose Tuesday when a nurse came forward to say that Jackson had asked her in April for a power sedative.

Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who operates a Los Angeles-based nutritional counseling business, told CNN that Jackson was complaining of insomnia and pleaded for her to get him some Diprivan (propofol), a drug usually used to start or maintain anesthesia during surgeries.

Lee said she told Jackson “the medication is not safe.”

Four days before Jackson’s death, Lee said, a Jackson staffer called and said the pop star was complaining that one side of his body was hot and the other side was cold .

“You need to go to hospital,” she told the staffer, with Jackson apparently in earshot.

An injection of Diprivan can induce hypnosis within 40 seconds from the start of injection, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The drug’s product label says that propofol should only be administered by people “trained in the administration of general anesthesia.” Sedated patients should be continuously monitored, the product label says, and equipment to provide artificial ventilation, administration of oxygen and instituting CPR “must be immediately available.”

The product label warns that use of propofol for sedating adult and pediatric intensive care unit patients has  been associated with organ system failures that have resulted in death.

--Richard Winton, Rong-Gong Lin II and Kimi Yoshino

Authorities worry about road safety if Michael Jackson memorial is held at Neverland Ranch

Authorities have safety concerns over apparent plans for a memorial for Michael Jackson at the Neverland Ranch, saying that the narrow hillside road could be overtaxed by thousands of vehicles.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Lt. Butch Arnoldi said two-lane Figueroa Mountain Road is not designed for a crush of cars and that his department is discussing how to make the route to Neverland as safe as possible.

There have been reports that the Jackson family would like to have some sort of ceremony for Jackson at the ranch, located north of Santa Barbara in Los Olivos, perhaps after a public ceremony at Staples Center. Although the plans remain unclear, sheriff's officials have been planning for such a contingency for a few days.

 “We have not been approached by any family members of the Jackson family about an event that’s to occur in our county,” Arnoldi said. “We don’t want to be caught behind the eight-ball here.”

News vans and media vehicles have started to line up along the road outside Neverland Ranch. Notes, balloons and flowers for Jackson have also been left at the gate.

On a piece of cardboard, someone wrote “Thank you for being such a ‘Thriller.’ ”

On a lined piece of white paper, a fan wrote “ Michael, you will never be forgotten! We love you! You are an idol and will always be the king of pop!”

The gates have opened for some vehicles, including a fire vehicle. Only a few fans waited outside the ranch. Many people drove up, took pictures and left.

--Ruben Vives, and Ari B. Bloomekatz in Los Olivos, Calif.

Michael Jackson: Mourning at Jackson family compound

About a dozen people are gathered outside a large black wrought-iron gate of the Jackson family home in Encino, anxiously waiting for Michael Jackson's family to emerge.

Cars drive down the two-lane small street, some slowing down to see what the commotion is about. A man in a black Jaguar drives by and yells "Is Michael home?" Other drivers honk their horns and  another driver rolls by blasting Jackson's music.

Cameras are positioned and ready on tripods and a TV reporter stands waiting under a black umbrella for shade.

Two 13-year-old boys are walking down the street to get dinner. Shayan Missaghi, who lives about a block away, said that although he's lived in the neighborhood all his life, he's never had contact with the family. After hearing about Jackson's death, the two boys looked at each other in surprise.

"It's sad," said Kevin Mehdizadeh. Missaghi said the same.

Diana Michelson who's lived in the neighborhood for 33 years, and has waved to Jackson's family in passing, said Jackson's death is a shock.

"I'm just stunned," she said. "I didn't think he was sick because he was getting ready to perform." She walked down to the house about a block to see if the media had gathered outside, as they have in the past. "This street's going to be bumper to bumper," she said.

Helene Arthur had to dodge people while trying to enter the gate to her house, right next door to the Jackson residence, where she has lived since 1965. She burst into tears at the news of Jackson's death.

"He used to play over here in my house," she said.

She said her children would invite fans into her house to get a better glimpse of the Jackson residence.

"They'd come tromping through," she said.

Five police officers were blocking the gate to the Jackson house this afternoon.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz in Encino

Michael Jackson: Recent medical screening 'declared him healthy'

Those close to Michael Jackson say he had been working diligently to get back in shape for his planned comeback next month in London.

A year ago, he was gaunt and using a wheelchair, but in preparation for a 50-show run in London, he was exercising with a trainer in addition to daylong rehearsals with dancers half his age. He also was a strict vegetarian.

“He’s working out. He’s in great shape,” his manager, Frank Dileo, said last month.

In order for concert promoters to get insurance for the concerts, which were scheduled to begin July 13, Jackson underwent a four-hour physical in Los Angele this spring with an independent doctor flown in from New York.

Rand Phillips, the chief executive officer of promoter AEG Live, said in an interview last month that the medical screening uncovered “no issues whatsoever.”

“He declared him healthy,” Phillips said. “His cholesterol level is better than mine.”

But a physical may not have revealed a looming heart attack, Dr. John Harold, a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center cardiologist, said.

“This is the type of patient who could have a stress test the day before and it could be completely normal and the next day could have a plaque rupture and a fatal heart attack,” said Harold, who did not treat Jackson.

-- Harriet Ryan

Michael Jackson: Fans gather outside pop singer's home [Updated]

About a dozen reporters and photographers were gathered outside Michael Jackson’s rented Bel-Air home this afternoon as a news helicopter hovered above. Several tourist vans also stopped by the house just off Sunset Boulevard as tourists snapped photos of the large, black wrought-iron gates adorned with two large wreaths decorated with red ribbons.

Tourist Sue Mossell, 46, and her two sons, Ryan, 7, and Jimmy, 12, who were visiting from Georgia, were among those milling outside the house, which was blocked from view by trees and shrubbery. Mossell said the family was on a star tour the day before that included the Jackson house and decided to drive back this afternoon after hearing the news.

“I was in shock,” she said. “I mean, who hasn’t heard of Michael Jackson? I think we’re going to hear a lot more of his songs.”

Another tourist, Angelina Winkvist, 28, who was visiting from Sweden, said she also took a tour a day earlier that stopped by the Jackson house and rushed back today after hearing that Jackson had been taken to the hospital.

“It’s huge,” Winkvist said of Jackson’s death. “He’s one of the biggest stars in the world.”

A neighbor, Roxana Radnia, 21, said she had no idea the pop star was living at the house. She said she always saw cars parked out front and had worried about possible drug activity. Radnia said she was walking her dog, Maddie, about 1 p.m. today and saw three ambulances outside the house and a lot of commotion.

“I didn’t know what was going on,” she said. She said she was a big fan of Jackson and his music and had been looking forward to his comeback tour.

“He’s amazing,” she said. “I can’t believe this happened.”

[Updated at 4:35 p.m.: Karina LeBlanc, 29, a member of the Los Angeles soccer team Sol, who lives a block from Jackson’s Bel-Air house, said she drives by every day on her way to practice.

She said she saw Jackson once as he and his entourage were arriving at the house. LeBlanc said she heard helicopters hovering above the neighborhood this afternoon and turned on her TV to find out what was going on.

She said she was deeply saddened by the news. She said her soccer team always listened to his music before a game, particularly the song “Man in the Mirror.”

“He’s got the beat,” she said. “His music is so riveting and inspiring.”

She said the news was especially distressing because Jackson had gone through such a tough time in recent years. Still, it was hard to believe that he was dead, she said.]

-- Anna Gorman in Bel-Air

Britney Spears' hairdresser takes witness stand

Britney Spears’ personal hairdresser probably has a lot of tales to tell, but she covered just one area in Superior Court this morning: Alleged attempts by the pop star’s much-maligned former confidant to reinsert himself in her life.

Stylist Roberta Romero told a judge deciding whether to extend a temporary restraining order against Osama “Sam” Lutfi that he repeatedly called and text-messaged her in an attempt to get messages to Spears. The 27-year-old performer was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship more than a year ago, with her father overseeing her personal affairs and sharing control of her career and finances with an attorney.

Jurors tour Phil Spector's home

The jury at Phil Spector's second murder trial spent an hour this morning touring the music producer's Alhambra mansion, the site of an actress' fatal shooting. The 12 panelists and six alternates inspected areas of the home connected to the 2003 death, including the foyer where Lana Clarkson died.

The blood-stained chair in which Clarkson was sitting was brought from the courtroom to Spector's residence for the jury visit. Jurors paid special attention to the white brocade chair, with one panelist closely inspecting it for two minutes. At the conclusion of the tour, the panelists conferred out of earshot of the attorneys and then submitted nine questions to the judge.

Several questions focused on lighting conditions at the time of the shooting. They also asked if they could sit in a car brought to the scene to replicate Spector's chauffeured Mercedes. That request was denied by Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler. Spector, dressed in a pinstriped brown suit, moved between the foyer and an adjoining living room during the jury's visit, wearing an impassive expression.

The 69-year-old music icon faces a minimum of 18 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. He claims Clarkson's death was suicide; prosecutors say he shot her when she tried to curtail a romantic evening. His 2007 trial ended in a hung jury, which voted 10-2 in favor of conviction.

-- Harriet Ryan

Spector jury to tour music producer's mansion

Twelve citizens charged with deciding whether Phil Spector murdered an actress are set to tour the legendary music producer’s mansion Thursday morning. Jurors will inspect several areas of the 30-room Alhambra residence, including the foyer where Lana Clarkson suffered a fatal gunshot wound six years ago.

With the judge, lawyers, the defendant and journalists looking on, the panelists will also view the motor court where a chauffeur claims he heard Spector admit shooting the 40-year-old Clarkson. Spector’s defense contends that Clarkson committed suicide at the turreted hillside home known as the Pyrenees Castle. Prosecutors maintain that he shot her when she tried to curtail what he hoped would be a romantic evening. A 2007 trial ended in a hung jury, with panelists split 10 to 2 in favor of conviction.

Men at Work guitarist threatened to kill singer, police say [UPDATED]

Aussie band Men at Work hit it big in the 1980s with such songs as "Who Can It Be Now?" and "It's a Mistake." Now the lead guitarist for the band may want to call on those titles for his defense.

Ronald Strykert, 51, one of the founders of the band, was arrested Feb. 13 by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies on an outstanding bench warrant on a charge of making criminal threats.

Strykert threatened to kill the band's lead singer, Colin Hay, in December 2007 in an incident that was handled by the Sheriff Department's Lost Hills-Malibu station, according to Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Singer Chris Brown apologizes for allegedly assaulting girlfriend Rihanna

Singer Chris Brown issued an apology today for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna, just hours before last week’s Grammy Awards.

"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," Brown said in a statement issued through a public relations firm. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God’s help, to emerging a better person."

Brown, 19, also complained that bloggers and others were disseminating faulty information about him.

"Much of what has been speculated or reported on blogs and/or reported in the media is wrong," he said.

"While I would like to be able to talk about this more, until the legal issues are resolved, this is all I can say except that I have not written any messages or made any posts to Facebook, on blogs or anyplace else. Those posts or writings under my name are frauds."

Swedish hip-hop artist denied lower bail

Brushing aside character references from an array of Swedish pop musicians, a Superior Court judge refused today to lower the $1-million bail for a hip-hop artist accused of killing a jazz pianist in a Hollywood crosswalk.

Judge Monica Bachner said she had reviewed 21 letters submitted on behalf of David Jassy, including a dozen from friends in the recording industry, but found no “unusual circumstances” to change his bail status. She said Jassy’s Swedish citizenship made him a flight risk as did his foreign family ties, which include an 11-year-old son in Sweden, a brother in Italy and other relatives in Gambia.

An attorney for Jassy, 34, had asked the judge to reduce his bail to at least $250,000, an amount he said his client’s brother could cover.

Photo: Jassy faces a future behind bars. Credit: Ric Francis / AP

Gang intervention worker charged with robbing rapper

A gang intervention worker once held up as model of reform was charged today with robbing a well-known rapper at the Universal City Hilton earlier this month.

Marlo Jones, aka "Bow Wow," is charged with one felony count each of robbery and first-degree burglary with the special allegation that the crime was to further a street gang, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Paul Nunez with the Hardcore Crime Division.

Jones, 30, was a contract employee with the Unity One gang-intervention program and had worked with USC football coach Pete Carroll in his gang-violence-reduction efforts. But prosecutors allege he committed the crime to further the Grape Street Crips, one of South L.A.’s most notorious gangs.

Musician who helped take down suspect recounts airplane bomb scare

More details are emerging on the bomb threat and scuffle that happened aboard the Atlanta-to-LAX flight this morning. Apparently, the suspect who claimed that he had a bomb was tackled by a member of a hip-hop band from Atlanta, as well as half a dozen other passengers.

Chris Llewellyn, who plays bass and guitar in Asher Roth's band, said the incident unfolded as the plane carrying 230 passengers was making its final descent into LAX. Seated with his bandmates in row 43F, the guitarist heard a male flight attendant in the rear galley yell, "Help me, help me!"

"We were all sitting in our seats," Llewellyn said. "My boys had their headphones on. I turned around and got up and ran to the back of the plane."

He said six other passengers also ran to help.

"The suspect was yelling, 'Don't come near me, I have a bomb, I have a bomb!'" Llewellyn said. The suspect had his hands in his shirt. Cornered in the rear of the plane, the suspect lunged for the rear emergency exit door.

"We all jumped him," the guitarist said. "He was struggling hard-core. I was holding down his arm. Somebody had a foot on his head. Everyone was holding down a different body part. He was going nuts. I was telling him to chill because he's not going anyplace."

At that point, the plane was on the ground and a flight attendant had retrieved a restraining kit. From the ground the suspect asked, "What am I being charged with?"

Someone answered, "Assaulting a flight attendant."

"He flipped out over that," Llewellyn said. "Then they rolled him over and put the cuffs on him"

The band was flying to Los Angeles to perform on Carson Daly's late-night TV show.

-- Andrew Blankstein and Nathan Olivarez-Giles

Follow this link to read full coverage of the incident.

Photo: Inside the cabin of the plane following the altercation. Credit: Brian Cohen, Asher Roth keyboardist

Dude! That concert rocked

It looks like that AC/DC and Metallica concert in Inglewood was fun. Maybe too fun.

From City News Service: More than 60 people were cited for possession of marijuana, underage possession of alcohol, supplying alcohol to minors or drinking off premises before and during recent concerts at the Forum, police said today. Inglewood police and California Alcoholic Beverage Control investigators stepped up enforcement and issued the citations during AC/DC and Metallica concerts held at the Forum on Dec. 6 and last Wednesday and Thursday. “The Inglewood Police Department is committed to providing the community and Forum patrons with a safe and family-like environment,” said Inglewood police Sgt. Robert B. Pessis.

Investigation into death of Kanye West's mother looks at her nephew, source says

More than a year after the death of rapper Kanye West's mother, state officials are conducting an investigation of her nephew, a registered nurse who oversaw her recuperation after her plastic surgery, according to a person with knowledge of the probe.

Stephan Scoggins, a registered nurse with an advanced degree in public health, was in charge of caring for Donda West when she returned home after a 5 1/2 hour operation at a Brentwood-area clinic.

Scoggins declined to comment on the investigation by the California Board of Registered Nursing, which was first reported by People.com last week. The board is responsible for regulating and disciplining the state's registered nurses. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

According to a report by the Los Angeles County coroner, Donda West had arranged for her nephew to take care of her at her home after the operation, even though she had been advised to recover at a postoperative-care facility.

Prince crashes into the gay marriage debate

First, Elton John raised questions about the fight for gay marriage. Now, Prince has entered the gay marriage debate. In the New Yorker, Prince is quoted as by writer Claire Hoffman as sounds perhaps less than supportive of gay marriage:

Recently, Prince hosted an executive who works for Philip Anschutz, the Christian businessman whose company owns the Staples Center. “We started talking red and blue,” Prince said. “People with money -- money like that -- are not affected by the stock market, and they’re not freaking out over anything. They’re just watching. So here’s how it is: you’ve got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this.” He pointed to a Bible. “But there’s the problem of interpretation, and you’ve got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn’t. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you’ve got blue, you’ve got the Democrats, and they’re, like, ‘You can do whatever you want.’ Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.”

So began the damage control. Elizabeth Snead at the Daily Dish reports the aftermath:

According to Perez Hilton, the New Yorker piece is dead wrong. He quotes a source close to Prince as saying that the New Yorker piece is "grossly misquoted" and all wrong. .... But the New Yorker stands by its story. Prince's anti-gay statement is already reverberating around Los Angeles' gay community. At Train, a popular West Hollywood gym, openly gay spin instructor Tevia Celli told her packed Sunday morning class that she had removed all Prince songs from her playlists.

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Gustavo Dudamel: Made for L.A.?

The new global poster boy for classical music and his wife are salsa-stepping across the ballroom of the Alba Hotel. Calm, precise and seemingly always sure of their next move, Gustavo Dudamel and Eloisa Maturen grin at each other and the dozens of other couples around them as they execute perfect copas and "spot turns."

Barely two hours earlier, Dudamel, the 27-year-old conducting prodigy who will take over as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in September, was beaming and waving to a packed auditorium after leading the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra through a thunderous performance of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. The concert last summer, marking the orchestra's 30th anniversary, was a rousingly nostalgic occasion, with Dudamel's elderly artistic mentor, Jose Antonio Abreu, joining his protege on stage amid a fusillade of flashing cellphone cameras, air kisses and lusty cheers.

Dudamel's seamless transition from virtuoso black-suited maestro to good-time party guy speaks volumes about why many in the classical music world believe the L.A. Phil has scored the coup of the decade by signing him to a five-year contract. When the charismatic South American takes over from Esa-Pekka Salonen, who is stepping down after 17 years at the podium to further his composing career, he will bring a rare combination of youth and experience, gravitas and exuberance, old-school European repertory knowledge and a New World willingness to break with fusty practices when necessary.

Read the rest of the story here.

--Reed Johnson

Photo: LAT file

Southern California students raise voices in Disney Hall

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