I know I'm not alone when I say that I've wiled away many a lonely night wondering why nobody has turned Tupac Shakur's life into a musical. It would be just like "West Side Story," I always imagine, only fewer leather jackets. Well, I'm pleased to report that someone with some authority has finally taken action on this pressing concern more ›

If you're in town this weekend and hungry for some fun, there are two days left in the four-day bonanza food and drink event called The Taste. Merging two of last year's big food events, the long weekend of chefs, eat, drink, demos, panels, and live music is actually several events taking place in three locations around town. more ›

One was the singing spouse of a country legend, and a legend in her own right. The other kept Broadway on their toes with his dance, choreography, and directorial skills. Born this day, in 1929 and 1927, respectively, were June Carter Cash and Bob Fosse. Your video lunch is a little look back at a few moments in their storied careers. more ›

Academy Award-winning costume designer Theoni V. Aldrege has died, according to ABC7. She was 88. Aldrege, who won the Oscar in 1975 for the film adaptation of The Great Gatsby, designed costumes for hundreds of movie and stage endeavors. Among her film credits are Addams Family Values, Ghostbusters, Annie, The Rose, and Moonstruck. She began her career designing for the stage, and she continued to do work in theatre; "In 1984 more than 1,000 of her costumes could be seen in five musicals running simultaneously on Broadway," notes the NY Times. more ›

Downtown's historic Broadway corridor was once a retail shopping mecca, a magnet for tourists, a major force for city business and commerce and home to twelve theatres. These days, although still a busy artery, the heyday is obviously gone. The theatres are mostly shuttered, there's a 15 to 20% vacancy rate for ground floor retail and more than one million square feet of commercial space in the upper floors remains unused. more ›

Tonight at 7:30 pm, Rosanne Cash presents and signs her book Composed at the Saban Theate in Beverly Hills. In her memoir, Cash writes about her upbringing in Southern California as the child of country legend Johnny Cash and of her relationships with her mother and her famous stepmother, June Carter Cash. Tickets: $20 without book / $35 with book. Tomorrow, she’ll be appearing at Borders in Torrance at 7pm (free). more ›

Hillsman Wright calls this one of L.A.'s best kept secrets. He and his L.A. Historic Theatre Foundation recently got a sneak preview of the beautiful United Artists theatre at 9th & Broadway, which is currently for sale along with the 12-story office building in front. Wright believes the theatre can flourish with film and live performance programming, but his organization needs an "angel" to come forward and help with the purchase. more ›

A sassy amalgamation of New York street smarts and Latin soul with a little Spanglish thrown in for authenticity, In the Heights makes its Los Angeles premiere at the Pantages with a recently extended run through July 25. A Broadway favorite and winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best New Musical, In the Heights is a light-hearted examination of the hopes and dreams of a mostly Dominican Republic and Puerto Rican community in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. more ›

The 48th Annual Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Fest starts this afternoon at 5 pm. On tap for the fest: a watermelon carving display, watermelon eating contest, watermelon seed spitting contest, watermelon recipe contest and the royal coronation of the Watermelon Festival Queen! There’s also a food court, wine and beer garden, artisan exhibits, carnival rides, arcade games, pony rides, petting zoo and more. The festival lasts through the weekend. Admission is $1 and will enter you in a nightly prize drawing. more ›

It's been a rough few years for the Clinton family, who remain the owners and operators of the last of their once-booming set of cafeteria eateries in Los Angeles, Clifton's Cafeteria. It was just three years ago that the death of Jean Clinton Roeschlaub, described as the cafeteria family's heiress, was ruled homicide; the 83-year-old who was thought to be the heart and soul of the restaurant was found dead inside her penthouse apartment. more ›

On Monday, following the taping of their rousing performance on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, cast members from the Broadway revival of Hair stopped by Here Lounge in West Hollywood for a "Be In" aimed at promoting marriage equality. more ›

The Phantom of the Opera has taken over the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood until Feb. 21. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about love, longing and a guy in a mask who plays the organ outlasted even Cats to become the longest-running show in Broadway history in 2006. The show runs Tuesday through Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 1 and 6:30 pm. Tickets will set you back $95-126.50. But if that's too pricey and you have to get your Phantom fix to hear tunes like "Music of the Night" or "All I Ask of You," then plan to call-in sick on Thursday, Feb. 19, for the 2 pm matinee. For this one show, tickets are only $19.50-54.50. more ›

The Official Recession has been upon us for thirteen official months. It’s still not a reason we can’t enjoy life on the cheap. This is LA -- we’ve got options! We last feasted on Thai Town for just a few bucks, and stopped to smell the daisies for even less. more ›

If you loved, loved, loved Cats, then you might want think twice before seeing Spring Awakening, which opened last week at the Ahmanson. But for those who can relate to any one of the following themes: teen angst, love, lust, parental oppression, child abuse, sex, masturbation, yearning for enlightenment, then head straight for the Music Center. Pronto. more ›

George Furth, a Tony-award winning playwright and the man behind the books for "Company," the 1970 Broadway musical as well as "Merrily We Roll Along," died yesterday in Santa Monica for reasons yet to be announced. Furth worked with Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the music and lyrics for the two musicals, on the short lived murder mystery "Getting Away With Murder" in 1996. He also wrote the play "Twigs." As an actor, Furth worked on mostly TV shows from the 60s through the 90s and is most notably remembered for his railroad clerk role in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." more ›

First brought to the boards of Broadway in 1975, Michael Bennett's stark, blunt, and brilliant musical about being in musicals became one of the longest-running musicals of all-time. Now in revival after over a decade's absence on the Great White Way, the national touring company of A Chorus Line has landed in LA's Ahmanson Theatre for a limited engagement. more ›

Jesus Sanchez at the LA Times reports that the 150,000 estimated turn out (based on LAPD numbers) to Sunday's Fiesta Broadway celebration downtown was still was lower than previous celebrations and projections for this year. However, the fire department determined 400,000 people came out, still lower than the expected 500,000. Whatever the exact number may be, one things was for sure... it was hot and looked like a great time. LAist Featured Photographer Tom Andrews shares some photos from the event. more ›

Full disclosure: my expectations for shows that are put up on “theater row” in Hollywood are low. For every one good play on that stretch of Santa Monica between Highland and Vine, there are ten painful renditions of “Proof,” five embarrassing actor showcases, and at least three productions by students taking classes in the Complex. more ›

more ›

more ›

FREE DAYS @ LACMA more ›

Just in time for the release one of the most anticipated titles for the Wii this year, the folks over at Nintendo are staging a regional tournament for fans of Super Smash Brothers Brawl, the game that just recently shattered Wii sales records in Japan. According to our sources, the first 256 people who show up at the Orpheum theater downtown will have a chance to fight to the finish in an attempt to claim the regional championship title. All regional winners will face off in a championship tournament in New York wherein the finalists will battle for a crystal-coated Wii and a home theater system from Best Buy. So if you've ever wanted to chance to see Pikachu kick the simultaneous asses of Mario and Luigi, head downtown this Saturday. Doors open at 3pm. more ›

Come celebrate at LA's annual Lunar New Year Festival! Today the Golden Dragon Parade featuring lion and dragon dancers will thrill over 100,000 spectators along North Broadway. The festival continues until 8pm tonight, and runs from 10am to 3pm tomorrow at Broadway and Cesar Chavez. more ›

The Lunar New Year has officially started, and pigs are like soooo last year. To usher in the Year of the Mouse and Rat, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles is hosting the 109th Annual Golden Dragon Parade and festival on February 9th and 10th. Performers from Beijing will lead the parade, followed by assorted city officials (Villaraigosa et al.), Mickey Mouse as grand Marshall, flower drum dances, a plethora of beauty queens, and lots of floats, costumes, and dragons. more ›

DINE more ›

As revitalization takes place throughout LA's downtown area, many are seeking to extend the developments and improvements to the Broadway area, which is home to many majestic and historic theaters, once the crown jewels of our city's movie palaces. "Among the most prized treasures of the area are Broadway's twelve historic movie palaces, which in their heyday evoked - and often surpassed - the magic of stage and screen," explains Historic Downtown LA. more ›

Will it be pouring buckets tonight? If you aren't already planning on holing up with some popcorn and Netflix picks, you may want to get out and get your art & culture on. Let us help! more ›