The fusion of musical styles has always come easy for Simon Shaheen. The Arabic multi-instrumentalist started his musical career at the age of five, when he picked up both the oud and the violin. Read more...

Chuck D never seems to run out of things to say. Born Carlton Ridenhour, the political activist and front man for the rap group Public Enemy will speak today at 7 p.m. Read more...

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“It’s just a harmonica,” some people might say. “It doesn’t belong in the venerated ranks of the strings and winds, nor does it have any business leading a band. Read more...

You may think there’s nothing to it, but director Rob Marshall simply cannot do it alone. Fresh off of this weekend’s $100 million box office milestone and wins at the Director’s Guild Awards and the Producer’s Guild Awards, this year’s Oscar favorite, “Chicago,”Â rouged its knees for a nostalgic red carpet fete through the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater on Tuesday. Read more...

Imagine the awkwardness of scarfing down a cheese quesadilla without fiesta music blaring in the background, or the eeriness of eating beef ravioli in dead silence. Read more...

There was no word of it on Los Angeles’ KDOC-TV Channel 38, which I had on the tube for most of the week. I found out when Christy (my common-law wife) went online to check out the recaps of ABC’s “All My Children” and “General Hospital.” Sure, she was going to join my public crusade against the Big 4 networks, but she still needed her regular soap fix. Read more...