Movie review: ‘A Star Is Born’ elevates a cliche story through sparkling performances, music

The musician with alcoholism. The struggling waitress. The downsides of fame and victories of love. All of Hollywood’s washed-up tropes, and yet Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut shines. Starring Lady Gaga in her premiere film role, “A Star Is Born” follows two musicians and lovers as they contend with stardom and its side effects. Though both […]

After Dark: Horror fans’ nightmares come true with cult classic screening at Nuart Theatre

Los Angeles’ blend of midnight movies, cult screenings and historic theaters offers late-night scares and childhood nostalgia back in the theater. Join columnist Nina Young as she attends different cult screenings each week to find out why audiences stay out so late after dark. Letters reading “MIDNIGHT HEAD CHEESE” glowed above the Nuart Theatre for […]

Renowned jazz artists to hold workshop, bring new perspective to music education

McCoy Mrubata learned to play music on the streets because he wasn’t allowed in formal music institutions. Growing up during apartheid as a black male, Mrubata said he was systematically excluded from higher education. He and Paul Hanmer, who have worked together for 30 years, will draw on their experiences in the South African music […]

Conference to shed light on experiences of African migrants in Italy

Organizers of a conference about migration issues in Italy ran into a potential problem: They were afraid one of the speakers would be denied entry by American border patrol agents for visiting Iran years prior. The conference, “Italy and the Geopolitics of Migration: Aesthetic Approaches,” will take place Thursday in Melnitz Hall for the first […]

Spook City: Ghost stories elevate otherwise unremarkable experience at Bullocks Wilshire

Los Angeles is supposed to be the City of Stars, but once those stars fade, where do they go? Do they stay behind, forever attached to their final location, spooking guests who dare to enter their domain? Or do they just simply disappear? Each week, Daily Bruin columnist Eli Countryman will set out to discover […]

Q&A: Alumna reflects on being a mother and woman of color on Broadway

Nicolette Robinson spends her days serving up lobster rolls on stage. The UCLA alumna recently made her Broadway debut, starring as Jenna in “Waitress.” The show, currently running at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York, focuses on a waitress who escapes the struggles of an abusive relationship in the kitchen. The first mother and […]

Second Take: Pete Davidson’s facetious jokes about Ariana Grande downplay offensive behavior

Jokes about replacing birth control pills with Tic Tacs are jokes about rape. Pete Davidson’s comedy on this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live came off as anything but a lighthearted comment about his romantic relationship with Ariana Grande. As the latest jab in a long line of offensive comments surrounding his fiancee, Davidson’s joke […]