Among the inventors of the tribute album, UCLA artist-in-residence Hal Willner knew what to expect from a live equivalent. “Before any goddamn critic says it ““ yes, the best thing is the original, which was last night “¦ AND WE KNOW THAT! Read more...

“Summertime,” now playing at Macgowan Little Theatre through Feb. 7, is the quintessential Charles Mee concoction. One part piña colada and two parts bordering-psychotic fever dream, the maverick playwright’s kinky-sexy tribute to love and the power of passion is unapologetic and relentless in the way it peels away at each layer of the mystery of what it is to feel and live with an utmost fullness of being. Read more...

After a half-hour sandwiched between strangers in the crowded Viper Room, Rich Robinson and his band finally took the stage. With the Black Crowes on hiatus, Robinson has begun a solo project ““ a guitar-driven quartet with a keyboardist that plays familiar-sounding classic rock. Read more...

When life handed him lemons, Arnold Mesches did one better than make lemonade ““ he made “contemporary illuminated manuscripts.” The octogenarian artist, who was the subject of extensive surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 27 years, managed to acquire the secret files of his life and transform them into art. Read more...

“Giselle” has got a brand new bag. On Sunday, UCLA’s Theater Underground, an independent, student-run organization that provides the means to stage student productions, presents a modernized rendition of the 163-year-old ballet “Giselle,” infusing the classical with contemporary dance styles and music. Read more...

Before every screening at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which concluded last Sunday, a series of “Sundance Myths,” performed by Muppet-style versions of artsy independent filmmakers, introduced each film. Read more...

Take My Breath Away” was one of the quintessential songs of the ’80s, but Berlin, the band that wrote the song, faded from memory quicker than Chia Pets. Read more...