With Halloween over and Thanksgiving quickly approaching, it’s time for typical holiday plays like “The Nutcracker” to run their course. Playwright Sandra Tsing Loh, however, prefers to tell the tale of trying out for “The Nutcracker.” “Sugar Plum Fairy” is an unconventional Christmas play about a clumsy, overweight girl who dreams of winning the lead role of Clara in her dance school’s production of “The Nutcracker.” Written and performed by Loh, this one-woman show, directed by David Schweizer, is currently running at the Geffen Playhouse. Read more...

It’s about race. One race, the human race. It’s about challenging stereotypes and assumptions. And it’s about de-powering the words. N*gger. Wetb*ck. Ch*nk. As the posters warn (or rather promise), the asterisks come off on Nov. Read more...

It’s not hard to bring to mind the stereotype of a metal head. Since heavy metal’s arrival on the music scene in the early 1970s, it’s been accused of everything from Satanism to plain old Beavis and Butthead idiocy. Read more...

Facing declining sales and an industry-wide slump, record companies seem ready to shrug off the corporate bubble-gum pop of the past few years and start supporting a genuine sound. Read more...

The only thing worse than a hipster is a person who, whether knowingly or not, dresses like one. I’m not talking about the trucker hats, or the aviators, or that shaggy unwashed hair. Read more...

“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” 20th Century Fox Peter Weir’s excellent new film, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” seems on the surface to be geared to far too small an audience to merit the overwhelming advertising campaign behind it. Read more...

Two years ago, pop rock band Eisley performed regularly at a small coffeehouse in Tyler, Texas. This past spring, after releasing only one EP, Eisley played in front of 12,000 fans at the Hollywood Bowl when they opened for Coldplay’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head” tour. Read more...