Greater LA

Now that both the SAG and WGA strikes are over, how are below-the-line workers in Hollywood faring? 

Following big wins for SAG-AFTRA and WGA, members of IATSE — the union representing below-the-line workers — are preparing for their own negotiations.

A new exhibit at LACMA is displaying more than 150 creations of textile art and modern abstraction that span over a century.

A book club that started at a Venice library in the 1990s spent almost three decades reading “Finnegans Wake.” Singer Engelbert Humperdinck’s new documentary premieres tonight in Hollywood, focusing on his career spanning more than 70 years. For 17 years, LA Skins Fest has been offering a platform for Indigenous filmmakers from around the world to showcase their stories.

Metro is doubling the number of public bathrooms on train lines from three to six. Despite the urgent need, some commuters are complaining that they require a phone to use. The fire in Tustin’s WWII Navy blimp hangar is still smoldering a week after it ignited. Schools and parks are closed due to asbestos in the ash and smoke. In “Keys to the Kingdom,” an eight-part audio documentary, co-hosts Matt Gourley and Amanda Lund highlight the lives of people who work as theme park characters.

Weeks after the end of cash bail for non-violent and non-serious crimes, reformers and LA Superior Court say the system is working. But the change has its critics. For the past year, researchers at UCLA have been working to understand hate — one of our most complex emotions — by way of neuroscience, sociology, social media, music studies, and more. Comedian Alex Edelman has brought his one-man show, Just For Us, to LA for a limited run. It explores antisemitism, microaggressions, and so much more.

After 118 days, the Screen Actors Guild negotiators have unanimously approved an agreement with the studios. In “If You Would Have Told Me,” John Stamos talks about his Orange County childhood, Hollywood career, and fame's ups and downs.

Since July, the state of Texas has sent nearly 1,000 asylum seekers to Los Angeles by bus. Local faith-based and non-religious groups are welcoming them. In 2016, Highland Park’s Judson Studios took on a years-long effort to create the world’s largest stained glass window. It’s chronicled in the new documentary Holy Frit. You often can’t tell cats what to do, much less put leashes on them and take them on walks. But that’s just what LA Times writer Lila Seidman did, and continues to do.

Almost a year after forming a union, performers at Medieval Times have been unable to win a contract. Such delays are common — new unions can go years without progress. The Florentine Codex contains over 2,500 pages of text and images detailing Nahua civilization from the Indigenous perspective. It’s available digitally thanks to UCLA and the Getty. In Santa Ana, a recall election to oust progressive Jesse Lopez is moving forward, despite being flagged for legal issues and a possible lawsuit from the councilmember should she lose.

One in four cars sold in California is now electric. EV drivers say switching saves money and the planet. Gas drivers are worried about running out of power. John Densmore, known as the Doors’ drummer, is out with a new book called The Doors: Unhinged Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial. Amateur perfumers and nature lovers Jack Kelly and Natalie Coffen lead “scent saunters” through Griffith Park and Franklin Canyon Park. Enjoy the wild smells of LA!

Hollywood Forever Cemetery is home to dozens of feral cats, peacocks, turtles, and fowl that provide visitors with an “antidote to death.” Where did they all come from? Rick Castro has been photographing since 1986. A new show at Hollywood Forever Cemetery highlights decades of his queer, fetish, and fashion images. LA bakeries are preparing “pan de muerto,” a traditional Mexican “bread of the dead” that’s eaten to celebrate Día de los Muertos.

Elmer McCurdy had a troubled life and died in a shoot-out. His body got embalmed, became part of a traveling crime museum, then was bought by an amusement ride operator. LA’s Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country, and urban legend claims that it wouldn’t exist without a twisted 18th-century curse.  Sometimes called the “Pagan version of Halloween,” Samhain is a time to soothe and be soothed by the “unquiet spirits” of ancestors past.