KUCI: Get the Funk Out!

    "Kalifornia Karl" went from Star Search winner to playing a singer in the movie Duets with Gwyneth Paltrow to marketing executive at Pioneer Electronics who's DJ division went on to become a half billion dollar a year division. Now, he sings to the elderly for a fraction of what corporate exec life used to pay but he is 1000% more fulfilled professionally and personally from the joy that it brings the people that need it most.

Since 1975, Kalifornia Karl has performed over 10,400 shows and is one of the most sought after music providers for health care facilities.

Kris Evans is an award-winning makeup artist and designer whose distinguished career began in New York City. She quickly rose to prominence, traveling the world alongside Barbara Walters working with presidents, world leaders, A-list celebrities, and top-tier entertainers. 

HOLLYWOOD’S ULTIMATE SOUND WAREHOUSE EXPANDS WITH NEW IN-HOUSE RECORDING STUDIO

LOS ANGELES, CA — LA Percussion Rentals & Recording (LAPR), a leading source of elite instruments for the entertainment industry, has launched new in-house recording studio services designed specifically for film, television, video game, and professional media composers.

LAPR offers composers the opportunity to explore and record in one location, providing a fully equipped live-tracking space for solo multi-tracking and intimate ensemble sessions. The service offers an agile, budget-friendly alternative to traditional Hollywood scoring stages.

“We wanted to remove the barriers between a composer’s imagination and the final recording,” says Abby Savell, Founder and CEO of LA Percussion Rentals. “Instead of waiting for a truck to arrive, creators can walk directly onto our warehouse floor. It is a massive sonic playground!”

LAPR houses thousands of orchestral percussion instruments, rare world instruments, sound effects, and the historic Emil Richards collection of legendary sound artifacts, many of which have been heard on iconic Hollywood soundtracks.

Most recently, award-winning writer and composer Daniel Pemberton used LAPR resources while creating the score for the summer blockbuster Project Hail Mary, incorporating an eclectic variety of wooden and metal instruments.

LAPR In-House Recording Features:

Zero Cartage Fees: No instrument transport, trucking, packing, or related logistics.

The World’s Instrument Depot: Immediate access to thousands of professional symphonic percussion instruments, sound effects, and rare cultural instruments.

Sonic Exploration: Composers can audition, swap, and experiment with rare timbres before and during tracking.

Professional Percussionists: LAPR staff can assist with instrument selection, logistics, and creative exploration.

Founded in 2004 by professional percussionists Abby Savell and her late husband, Dan, LA Percussion Rentals & Recording is a cornerstone of the Southern California music and film industry. Its extensive collection of world, orchestral, and custom sound-effects instruments serves major scoring stages, world tours, and premium recording sessions around the globe.

With its new in-house recording studio, LAPR continues to provide one-stop tracking solutions for today’s media composers.

More: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

Chaya Segelman

Program Director 

www.obkla.org

@obklosangeles

Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles 

OBKLA  |  September 2026 

Our Big Kitchen Los Angeles (OBKLA) is a community-run, non-denominational nonprofit that brings people together to prepare fresh, nutritious kosher meals for people experiencing food insecurity across Los Angeles. Through hands-on volunteering, OBKLA nourishes people and strengthens community connections. 

Our history 

Established in 2020 and inspired by Our Big Kitchen in Sydney, Australia, OBKLA began as a grassroots response to hunger during the pandemic. In June 2022, with support from the Feder family, it moved into the 4,600-square-foot Margaret Feder Our Big Kitchen on Pico Boulevard. During the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, OBKLA also mobilized volunteers to provide meals for evacuees and first responders. 

Our impact 

In 2025, OBKLA prepared 190,534 fresh meals and 315,243 baked goods, with 24,437 volunteers contributing 46,292 hours. The kitchen welcomed 477 groups and worked with 69 charity partners. 

Growth continued in 2026. July production reached 30,030 fresh meals and 37,400 baked goods. In August, almost 2,900 volunteers participated across 56 groups. 

Volunteers and charity partners 

Individuals, families, schools, faith groups and corporate teams prepare and package meals under professional guidance. Charity partners distribute the food to individuals and families in need throughout Los Angeles. 

Partners include Union Rescue Mission, The People Concern, Safe Place for Youth, Jewish Family Services, Tomchei Shabbos, Chai Lifeline, Pico Union Project and A Place Called Home. 

Our vision for 2030 

OBKLA aims to produce one million fresh meals and distribute one million pounds of pantry supplies annually, while engaging tens of thousands of volunteers each year. A permanent home with greater capacity will support this next stage of service. 

Volunteer, bring a group or support our work at obkla.org. 

Sources: OBKLA organizational figures and updates for 2025–2026; obkla.org/about; Aish wildfire coverage, January 14, 2025. Statistics refer to the periods shown. 

www.obkla.org

@obklosangeles

 Zibby's Most Anticipated List: Fall 2026

A 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist

"An engaging and accessible approach to living a happier, less stressful life."  

Twenty years ago, Beth Ricanati, MD, felt overwhelmed as a physician, wife, and mother of three children under the age of six devoted to doing her best at everything. When she started to suffer intermittent chest pain, she attributed her symptoms to heart disease. Then, her physician diagnosed the real culprit: stress. Struck by the toll on her health, Dr. Ricanati sought out a way to manage her stress for the long haul and found the answer in a bowl of dough in her kitchen.   

In THE BRAIDED PRESCRIPTION: Seven Practices for Living Well from the Ancient Ritual of Making Challah (She Writes Press; September 1, 2026), Beth Ricanati expands on the story, which she began in her memoir Braided, of how she experienced solace and a newfound centeredness in making the traditional braided bread served in Jewish households on Shabbat each Friday. Eager to share how her weekly commitment to this hands-on activity transformed her health and her life, she launched a unique stress management practice. Since then, she has conducted more than one hundred challah-making workshops with thousands of attendees all over North America and beyond. In her new book, Dr. Ricanati distills and codifies the seven practices that have most resonated with her workshop participants, beginning with Act with Intention, and shows how to apply them to everyday life outside of the kitchen. She also offers doses of medical knowledge and plenty of food for thought. 

To bring each of these powerful practices to life, Dr. Ricanati tells the uplifting stories of various people who have embraced her challah ritual, both Jews and non-Jews, including rabbis and a Presbyterian pastor in Texas, sisters and daughters, husbands and wives, medical and high school students, and a judge in her nineties. “In a world where we cannot control so many things,” the author reflects, “the realization that I can modify my stress and therefore impact my health with lifestyle, and that I can teach others to do the same thing, is phenomenal.” 

BETH RICANATI, MD, is a board-certified internist, expert on women’s health, and author of the multi-award-winning memoir Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs (2018). She has spent her career focused on improving the well-being and lives of her patients in traditional medical clinics and wellness programs, and now also as an author and speaker. She lives in Southern California with her family.  

As research shows, lifestyle modifications—including stress management—can reduce the incidence and progression of chronic diseases by as much as 80 percent. Reinforcing this vital fact, THE BRAIDED PRESCRIPTION integrates medical findings with self-help, revered spiritual traditions, and engaging storytelling. I look forward to exploring interview and feature possibilities.  

more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org    

RISING UP FROM THE ASHES….

NewRuleFX has been an industry leader in special effects fabrication since 1991, creating work for clients including Netflix, Disney, Marvel, and MrBeast. The company's products have appeared in acclaimed film, television, live entertainment, and music productions, including Captain America: Brave New World, Only Murders in the Building, Everybody's Live with John Mulaney, The Bear, MJ The Musical, Conan Must Go (Conan O'Brien), Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa's High School Reunion Tour, Game of Thrones, and hundreds of other high-profile projects.

On November 13, 2025, NewRuleFX's workshop was devastated by a major fire that destroyed much of its facility, equipment, materials, and an extensive collection of custom molds built over decades. While no one was injured, the loss was catastrophic.

Today, NewRuleFX is writing its next chapter. The company has relocated to a new facility and, even while rebuilding its workshop, continues to deliver large-scale projects for clients. It's a testament to the resilience, creativity, and determination that have defined NewRuleFX for more than three decades. 

https://www.newrulefx.com/pages/fire-recovery-page

About Ryan Johnson / President, Founder, & Head Fabricator

For more than three decades, Ryan Johnson has been turning impossible ideas into practical reality.

As the Founder and President of NewRuleFX, Johnson leads one of Hollywood’s premier practical effects fabrication studios, creating screen-ready props and special effects for film, television, streaming productions, live entertainment, haunted attractions, and immersive experiences. His work spans everything from breakaway glass and stunt-safe weapons to hero props, creature effects, custom fabrication, and specialty casting, - always with an emphasis on realism, safety, and craftsmanship.

Johnson’s career began behind the camera as a producer, director, and cinematographer, where he developed an instinct for visual storytelling that continues to shape every project his shop produces. Rather than simply building props, Johnson approaches every fabrication as part of the story itself—understanding how an object must look under studio lighting, perform in

the hands of an actor, survive the demands of production, and ultimately convince an audience that what they’re seeing is real.

Known throughout the industry for taking on projects that others consider impossible, Johnson has earned a reputation for engineering practical solutions to extraordinary creative challenges. Whether reproducing historic artifacts, developing stunt-safe versions of dangerous objects, or inventing entirely new fabrication techniques, his team is frequently called upon when productions need results that cannot be purchased off the shelf.

Under Johnson’s leadership, NewRuleFX has grown into a trusted resource for production designers, art directors, prop masters, special effects coordinators, museums, military trainers, themed entertainment companies, and independent creators around the world. The company’s extensive catalog of production-ready props is complemented by a custom fabrication department capable of developing one-of-a-kind solutions under demanding schedules and tight production deadlines.

Beyond fabrication, Johnson is a lifelong maker and innovator. He continually explores emerging technologies, including advanced molding and casting systems, CNC machining, laser fabrication, additive manufacturing, and digital design, to expand the possibilities of practical effects while preserving the craftsmanship that has defined Hollywood for generations.

Johnson believes the best practical effects are the ones audiences never notice. When a prop disappears into the story, an actor performs with confidence, and a director captures the perfect shot without relying on visual effects, the craftsmanship has done its job.

Today, Ryan continues to push the boundaries of practical effects through NewRuleFX, combining old-school artistry with modern manufacturing to help filmmakers and creators bring extraordinary worlds to life, one prop at a time.

NewRuleFX.com - Special Effects Props Supply & Breakaways

LADY FREETHINKER’S EXPLOSIVE DOCUMENTARY “CRUELTY FOR CLICKS” TO WORLD PREMIERE AT INDIEWOOD FILM FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 12th

LOS ANGELES — CRUELTY FOR CLICKS, an explosive new documentary from animal protection nonprofit Lady Freethinker (LFT), will make its world premiere at the Indiewood Film Festival on September 12th. The provocative film exposes a disturbing global phenomenon: animal cruelty created, staged and shared for clicks across some of the world’s largest social media platforms.

Produced by Lady Freethinker Founder and President Nina Jackel and directed by Kirk Murray, CRUELTY FOR CLICKS brings together true-crime investigation and animal advocacy to uncover the disturbing industry behind viral animal content. From staged puppy “rescues” to sadistic abuse of baby monkeys, the film reveals how cruelty can be disguised as entertainment — and how social media has enabled abusive content to reach audiences around the world.

“This documentary was born from a deep urgency to expose the dark reality behind viral animal videos and to confront the systems that allow exploitation — and even torture — to run rampant on social media,” said Jackel. “In more than a decade of investigating animal abuse, I can say beyond a shadow of doubt that this is the worst cruelty I’ve ever witnessed.”

Lady Freethinker is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending animal cruelty worldwide through investigations, news reporting and citizen action, while also providing food, veterinary care and shelter to rescued animals in dire need. Known for its fearless advocacy, LFT works to create a more compassionate world for all sentient beings. 

In a significant recent development, Jackel and Lady Freethinker have also worked with Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to address abusive animal content appearing on its platforms and strengthen efforts to prevent such material from being permitted or circulated.

“As someone who believes deeply in compassion and coexistence, this film became one of the most important projects I’ve ever undertaken,” said director Kirk Murray. “If this documentary encourages even a few people to think differently, ask difficult questions, or act with greater compassion, then it has achieved exactly what I set out to do.”

Directed by Murray and co-written by Murray and Russell Lichter, CRUELTY FOR CLICKS is produced by Jackel and Murray. Cinematographers include Matt Fore, Ian Albert, Ryan Gibson, Ed Koziarski, Zach Levenson and Gene Sung.

The documentary also features compelling interviews with scientists, experts and animal advocates, including Emma Alleyne, Melissa Amarello, Madeline Bernstein, Nedim C. Buyukmihci and Edward Casmere, who provide insight into the psychology, proliferation and real-world consequences of online animal cruelty.

Murray is a filmmaker driven by the belief that emotion can be a catalyst for change. His work has been recognized at more than 40 film festivals worldwide, including the Orlando Film Festival, Las Vegas Film Festival, Utah Film Festival, San Diego International Film Awards and Atlanta ShortsFest. A visually driven director, Murray approaches each project with cinematic precision, creating films designed to be both immersive and emotionally resonant.

 The Trailer - CRUELTY FOR CLICKS

ABOUT LADY FREETHINKER

Lady Freethinker is a nonprofit organization working to expose and stop animal cruelty around the world. Through undercover investigations, news reporting, petitions and other citizen actions, LFT campaigns against animal abuse while supporting the rescue and care of animals in urgent need.

more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

About Lisa Kenner Grissom

Lisa also shared a recent article about the Jewish partisan forts in Rūdninkai Forest, Lithuania — a place deeply connected to Fania’s story and the history of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. The historic site has deteriorated over the years and now faces growing concerns about preservation and access.