LA Observed

LA Observed

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4 min

The week's top stories in LA media, politics and culture.

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Warner Music just moved its employees to a new home in an old factory building in the Arts District.

Friends, family and fans continue to mourn the loss of rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was shot and killed over the weekend outside his clothing store in South Los Angeles.

The L.A. County Coroner’s Office has concluded that a man who died at the home of a prominent Democratic donor in West Hollywood overdosed on crystal meth.

Before former Governor Jerry Brown left office, last year, he put his pen to a couple, new transparency laws.  Both have to do with public access to internal police investigations and…

Think of Santa Monica and there are a number of things that come to mind: an idyllic, beachside setting; a tech-saturated economy; a bastion of liberal politics.

Those who cast their ballot in the LA Unified School Board election at a local school or church likely did so for the last time.

It’s the team that’s had to deal with a geography and identity crisis for years, with some of the most supportive fans in Major League Baseball. The L.A.

A landmark bill signed by then-Governor Brown last year is intended to make records of police misconduct available to the public.

More from KCRW

Food scholar Darra Goldstein traces the lineage of early fermented beverages, which were offered to deities and used in rituals.

from Good Food

Film critic Alonso Duralde recommends holiday movies: “See You Next Christmas,” “Better Watch Out, “1985,” and “Christmas, Again.”

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Through their writings, Eve Babitz and Joan Didion cemented LA in our collective imagination as a sultry hotbed.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

The Latest

Gifting a holiday cookie box to loved ones? Consider adding spice, vibrant colors, and a bit of booze to your selection of treats.

Putting together the ultimate holiday cookie box? Here’s your guide

Gifting a holiday cookie box to loved ones? Consider adding spice, vibrant colors, and a bit of booze to your selection of treats.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Date: Friday, January 10, 2025 Timing: 7 PM - midnight Location: Clifton's Republic, 648 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014

Portal to 2025, a KCRW Members-Only Experience

Date: Friday, January 10, 2025 Timing: 7 PM - midnight Location: Clifton's Republic, 648 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014

from Special Programming

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s latest film is “The Room Next Door” — a former war correspondent has terminal cancer, makes a plan to kill herself, and asks her old friend to help.

Pedro Almodovar on why he focuses his films on women

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s latest film is “The Room Next Door” — a former war correspondent has terminal cancer, makes a plan to kill herself, and asks her old friend to help.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

The band Pixies and The Breeders helped shape the alternative rock sound of the early ‘90s.

Kim Deal on solo album, losing her mom, and collaborator Steve Albini

The band Pixies and The Breeders helped shape the alternative rock sound of the early ‘90s.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Films are baked into the fabric of Press Play, so we’re going to pass the microphone around the staff.

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’ ‘Die Hard’: Press Play staff holiday film picks

Films are baked into the fabric of Press Play, so we’re going to pass the microphone around the staff.

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Author Brad Stulberg shares hopeful observations from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, while also reflecting on the growing masculinity crisis.

Tragic optimism and the male identity crisis with Brad Stulberg

Author Brad Stulberg shares hopeful observations from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, while also reflecting on the growing masculinity crisis.

from Life Examined

The risks are rising, and state and government officials are not taking this seriously.

The risk of a bird flu epidemic

The risks are rising, and state and government officials are not taking this seriously.

from Second Opinion

John David Washington talks starring in his brother Malcolm’s adaptation of “The Piano Lesson” and how playing college football continues to shape his acting.

John David Washington talks parallels between college football and acting

John David Washington talks starring in his brother Malcolm’s adaptation of “The Piano Lesson” and how playing college football continues to shape his acting.

from The Treatment