Alabaster

Its sand-colored concrete walls loom over Temple Street like an urban butte, and tons of marble, bronze and limestone gleam within. Yet, in the end, there's no earthly element in the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels that matters more than the alabaster. Its job, basically, is to suggest the presence of God. When the cathedral's first rank-and-file visitors step in on Sept.

The white alabaster figures draped in cloaks show their grief in different ways: from a bent head, the face shrouded by a hood, to a hand swathed in cloth reaching up to wipe a tear. The nearly 40 "mourners" commissioned in the 15th century to adorn the tomb of John the Fearless, the second Duke of Burgundy, will be seen together for the first time outside of France when they begin a tour of seven U.S. cities this spring. Los Angeles will see the exhibition in 2011. "There's something quiet and very powerful about them," said Heather MacDonald, associate curator of European art at the Dallas Museum of Art, which is organizing the tour along with the Dijon Museum of Fine Arts under the auspices of the French Regional and American Museum Exchange.

Elizabeth Taylor, the glamorous queen of American movie stardom, whose achievements as an actress were often overshadowed by her rapturous looks and real-life dramas, has died. She was 79. Hospitalized six weeks ago for congestive heart failure, Taylor died early Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with her four children at her side, publicist Sally Morrison said. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this article said Mickey Rooney played Elizabeth Taylor's trainer in "Lassie Come Home.

Re "Alabaster Gleams in Cathedral," Aug. 6: It is comforting to know that the L.A. Archdiocese has spent so much money, time and labor to install the alabaster panels in the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and to provide them with such a protective environment that would ensure that they last 300 years. So how long will a poor, homeless, hungry and abused soul survive unprotected in the shadow of the cathedral? Edward Duarte Los Angeles For all the stories about the new cathedral and its "inner beauty," let's get real and mention that to the majority of Angelenos who will see it only from the outside, it looks like a prison.

Re "Alabaster Gleams in Cathedral," Aug. 6: It is comforting to know that the L.A. Archdiocese has spent so much money, time and labor to install the alabaster panels in the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, and to provide them with such a protective environment that would ensure that they last 300 years. So how long will a poor, homeless, hungry and abused soul survive unprotected in the shadow of the cathedral? Edward Duarte Los Angeles For all the stories about the new cathedral and its "inner beauty," let's get real and mention that to the majority of Angelenos who will see it only from the outside, it looks like a prison.

When the NAACP's conference ended here last week, civil rights leaders left behind a portrait of black men in crisis. Too many young black men, said the civil rights group, are underemployed, alternately feared and reviled, and living at risk. Now come the men of Sigma Pi Phi, a once-secret black fraternity that celebrates the professional and material success of black men.

The white alabaster figures draped in cloaks show their grief in different ways: from a bent head, the face shrouded by a hood, to a hand swathed in cloth reaching up to wipe a tear. The nearly 40 "mourners" commissioned in the 15th century to adorn the tomb of John the Fearless, the second Duke of Burgundy, will be seen together for the first time outside of France when they begin a tour of seven U.S. cities this spring. Los Angeles will see the exhibition in 2011. "There's something quiet and very powerful about them," said Heather MacDonald, associate curator of European art at the Dallas Museum of Art, which is organizing the tour along with the Dijon Museum of Fine Arts under the auspices of the French Regional and American Museum Exchange.

The mechanical shovels are chewing loudly into the earth, creating a big hole for an underground parking garage. Dump trucks rumble through the dusty lot and construction workers yell directions over the din. The scene in downtown Los Angeles is hardly one of contemplative peace, and the property on the south side of the Hollywood Freeway appears to be an unlikely candidate for religious devotion. But that doesn't bother Cardinal Roger M. Mahony.

Not long ago, a construction worker approached Cardinal Roger M. Mahony at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral with a fervent plea. Would the clergyman offer a prayer for his son, who was battling a life-threatening illness? The cardinal immediately placed his hands on the man's shoulders, right there amid the dusty scaffolding that enshrouds the colossal downtown work-in-progress. When they'd finished, the laborer thanked Mahony and told him, "The cathedral is already working." Msgr.

Just beneath the pale softness of her Botticelli face some vague hint of trepidation shows as Suzanne Farrell floats into the lobby of the Chateau Marmont. Her uneasiness, masked perhaps by the calm and quietude that surrounds the hotel, is almost palpable. But nothing is different. Farrell has always made her aura palpable.

Its sand-colored concrete walls loom over Temple Street like an urban butte, and tons of marble, bronze and limestone gleam within. Yet, in the end, there's no earthly element in the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels that matters more than the alabaster. Its job, basically, is to suggest the presence of God. When the cathedral's first rank-and-file visitors step in on Sept.

Not long ago, a construction worker approached Cardinal Roger M. Mahony at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral with a fervent plea. Would the clergyman offer a prayer for his son, who was battling a life-threatening illness? The cardinal immediately placed his hands on the man's shoulders, right there amid the dusty scaffolding that enshrouds the colossal downtown work-in-progress. When they'd finished, the laborer thanked Mahony and told him, "The cathedral is already working." Msgr.

The mechanical shovels are chewing loudly into the earth, creating a big hole for an underground parking garage. Dump trucks rumble through the dusty lot and construction workers yell directions over the din. The scene in downtown Los Angeles is hardly one of contemplative peace, and the property on the south side of the Hollywood Freeway appears to be an unlikely candidate for religious devotion. But that doesn't bother Cardinal Roger M. Mahony.

Redheads hold an iconic place in American pop culture. There's the voluptuous come-hither trappings of Rita Hayworth and cartoon sex bomb Jessica Rabbit; the comedic zaniness of Lucille Ball, Debra Messing, Carrot Top and Conan O'Brien; and the girl-next-door sweetness of '80s film princess Molly Ringwald. There's even a template for the icy redhead a la Marcia Cross and Julianne Moore. For all of these famous folks, it could be said that red hair is part of their brand. Naturally red hair is a rare commodity.

For the generations of men who have wondered what it is women want, this year has made it fairly obvious. We want a man of devastating intelligence, cerebrally and physically nimble, whose vast store of arcane knowledge is foundation for a super-human ability to solve problems and the fascinating, frustrating wall that protects a tender heart. We want Sherlock Holmes. FOR THE RECORD: "Sherlock": A Notes on the Year column about television in the Dec. 16 Calendar section said that the series "Sherlock" airs on BBC America.