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IS RICK CARUSO THE LAST BEST HOPE FOR SAVING LA?
Rick Caruso may not be the last best hope for saving Los Angeles, as some of his faithful followers insist, but he does offer a hope and a vision — and you can trust that you won’t read about him skirting politica, ethics laws and being carted off to prison or thereabouts like too many…
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LETTERS FROM L.A.: BATHING WITH JOAN
Separated by 50 years but united by Hollywood, wildfires, and the endless hum of ‘the deal,’ two writers share a bath in Los Angeles. On Monday I took a bath with Joan Didion. She was gracious, took the faucet end. She didn’t mind my nudity, carried on talking as if nothing unusual was going on,…
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HOW FERNANDO WON THE HEARTS OF LA
Fernandomania became a cultural phenomenon in 1980s Los Angeles as a young Mexican left-hander became the toast of the city and ultimately an icon as big as any matinee Idol.
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Flip-Flop or Flip-Forward?
What Kamala Harris needs to do to win and possibly win Pennsylvania, which is the Mecca of fracking.
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GAME, SET, MATCH, CHAMPIONSHIP, MR. TRUMP
Maybe it’s because I’d been vegging out watching every single moment of the previous fortnite of Wimbledon, that the instant I saw a bleeding, wounded Donald Trump rise up defiantly, waving a clenched fist and chanting “Fight! Fight!” that my first instinct was to say, “Game, Set & Championship. Mr. Trump.”
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If Marilyn Had Been the Ultimate Ferrari…
If Marilyn Had Been a Ferrari… Is the LA monthly.org story that one the 2024 Southern California Journalism prize for best entertainment feature writing for author Tony Castro.
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The Santa Anas
More than half a century after publishing the work that established her reputation as a gimlet-eyed cultural critic — Slouching Towards Bethlehem — Joan Didion continues to be an outsize influence and figure of fascination in the literary world and among Angelenos.
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ALEJANDRA CAMPOVERDI’S ‘FIRST GEN’: A TALE OF STRIFE AND SUCCESS
NOW OUT IN PAPERBACK! Alejandra Campoverdi explores many things familiar to first-generation kids: the invisible inheritances passed onto us from our family, being a “parentified child,” imposter syndrome, balancing two cultural identities, and guilt for breaking away from our families in some way. ALEJANDRA CAMPOVERDI HAS BEEN A CHILD on welfare, a White House aide to…
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Alatorre: ‘I Am Not The Apostle’
The Richard Alatorre I knew, the Richard Alatorre who said he had to change the world — and to a great degree, he did just that… that Richard Alatorre dramatically altered the political landscape for Latinos in California and ultimately became The Godfather of Latino Politics. By TONY CASTRO September 14, 2023 IT IS MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY IN…
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Living in the Shadow of Ruben Salazar
On Aug. 29, 1970, the National Chicano Moratorium in East Los Angeles protested the disproportionately high casualties among Latinos in Vietnam — but led to the tragic police shooting death of acclaimed Los Angeles Times columnist Ruben Salazar.
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‘PRESIDENT’ HARRIS… THE ULTIMATE POSSIBILITY
If He Wins, Joe Biden Will Soon Turn 82 Not long after leaving office, the 38th president of the United States imagined a scenario in which a future president might tragically die in office, creating the opportunity for his vice president — possibly a woman — to make history. Almost a decade after he had left…
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A SHEPHERD FOR THE WORLD: REMEMBERING POPE FRANCIS
I find myself back in Vatican Square, where not that long ago, I stood among thousands, watching Pope Francis extend his hands in blessing. Today, as the world mourns, I return to that moment and reflect on the legacy of a man who reshaped the papacy and, perhaps, the very heart of the Roman Catholic…
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Joe DiMaggio, Baseball Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You
Baseball used to be about “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” peanuts, Cracker Jack, and strategy you could chew on for nine innings. I
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LARRY MCMURTRY: THE ‘MINOR REGIONAL NOVELIST’ WORTHY OF THE NOBEL PRIZE
‘Terms of Endearment’ followed ‘The Last Picture Show’ with great fanfare, but it was his Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Lonesome Dove’ that cemented his legacy as one of America’s best writers The list of Texans that have spent their writing lives chronicling their roots is rather long and impressive, and includes names like Dobie, Webb and Graves.…
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MY FABULOUS LIFE AT THE BARN
One of Hollywood’s Most Significant Landmarks Still Stands In a city where they think nothing of knocking down Pickfair, bulldozing the Garden of Allah and destroying the streamline moderne Pan Pacific Auditorium, it’s almost quaint that the most significant building in Hollywood history is a nondescript barn. I gave tours at the Barn for a…
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MY LIFE AS MARILYN, MY DEAD OLDER SISTER
The LA Monthly interview with actress Catherine Hicks, who portrayed Marilyn Monroe in the 1980 TV feature Marilyn: The Untold Story as well as in the Arthur Miller play After The Fall and also Bus Stop on the stage By Justin Bozung ACTRESS CATHERINE HICKS made a solid career for herself in Hollywood but it was her unforgettable Emmy nominated role…
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Hunter S. Thompson: A Remembrance
By HUCK THOMAS Hunter S. Thompson was a juvenile delinquent and stayed that way, suspended in the amber of drink and drugs, the rest of his days. He could be a squall of anti-social behavior, yes, but also a brilliant writer of live-wire prose that flagellated the rich, powerful and stupid. Plus he was funny…
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Bored on a Wednesday Morning?
How about Attending the Goofiest Breakfasts You’ll Ever Have Who does anything interesting on Hump Day? How about singing, exercising, telling silly jokes, having a hearty breakfast, and learning some fascinating facts to start your day and get you through the rest of the week? Hello, Ham!” “Hello, Egg!” You might not be a morning…
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Leaving L.A., Will the Last Person Here Turn Out the Lights?
Any new LA Metro security forces are overwhelmed. There is a literal scourge of drugs, crime, homelessness, filthy, stinking people, one of those filthy long-term homeless ladies with a reeking cat in a cage and a huge pile of basically trash, and it’s horrifying.
LA Monthly
The National Magazine of Los Angeles