Brass

"An unmakeable, even embarrassing last gasp." That's the assessment of Orson Welles' screenplay "The Big Brass Ring" that Steve Hochman grandly attributes to "Welles scholars and Hollywood power brokers alike" ("Down to Brass Tacks," Jan. 24). Here is another opinion, from the best of the many good reviews the screenplay received when it was published in book form: "The screenplay . . . is purest Welles. He is clearly at the top of his glittering form, which was as deeply literary as it was visual."

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers from both major parties rebuked the Pentagon on Tuesday for failing to curtail sexual assaults in the military, arguing that the inability of commanders to solve the problem may mean they need to be stripped of the power to decide on prosecuting and punishing offenders. With an estimated 26,000 service members experiencing "unwanted sexual contact" last year - and evidence that many fear retaliation if they report an assault to a superior - Congress is preparing to take up a bill by Sens.

Even a decade ago, a brass festival at San Diego State University would have meant a conclave of marching bands. For next week's gathering of brass players, however, those spiffy uniforms and majorette batons will be conspicuous by their absence. Instead, a wide range of music, from jazz to esoteric chamber music for tuba quartet, will be offered in both concerts and workshops.

What does Brooklyn sound like? While the fashionably clad, underemployed youth of Lena Dunham's "Girls" may spring to mind given the New York City borough's pop cultural footprint, bandleader Darcy James Argue paints a broader picture of a time and place than any TV series could hope. Conceived as a collaboration with Croatian-born artist Danijel Zezelj (whose drawings backed this music in its live debut), "Brooklyn Babylon" finds Argue and his 18-piece big band again drawing from the broad palette that made their 2009 debut "Infernal Machines" so invigorating.

What does Brooklyn sound like? While the fashionably clad, underemployed youth of Lena Dunham's "Girls" may spring to mind given the New York City borough's pop cultural footprint, bandleader Darcy James Argue paints a broader picture of a time and place than any TV series could hope. Conceived as a collaboration with Croatian-born artist Danijel Zezelj (whose drawings backed this music in its live debut), "Brooklyn Babylon" finds Argue and his 18-piece big band again drawing from the broad palette that made their 2009 debut "Infernal Machines" so invigorating.

The musical instruments kids play in school bands and orchestras are traveling denizens of bacteria and fungi, say the authors of a new study. Music education is great for kids, they note, but please, please wash the instruments! Researchers at Oklahoma State University bravely examined 13 instruments that belonged to a high school band. Six of the instruments had been played the previous week and seven hadn't been played in a month. Swabs were taken of 117 different sites on the instruments, including the mouthpieces, internal chambers and even the carrying cases.

Were Brass' journalistic abilities gained at the National Enquirer? MICHELE LANE San Diego

QUESTION: I want to replace a corroded bathtub spout, but it won't unscrew. The spout is connected to copper tubing, so I'm concerned about applying too much force and possibly twisting the copper pipe. How can I safely remove the spout? Merle Henkenius, a plumber and author in Lincoln, Neb., answers: ANSWER: The spout is connected one of three ways. It could be a simple slip fitting held in place by a hex-screw fastener on the underside of the spout; this is an easy thing to miss.

So the Supreme Court says it's OK to inundate kiddie cyberspace with porn--and the Los Angeles Police Department brass denies the vice squad the privilege of ogling pinups (July 2). Said brass, if it has nothing better to do, should be promoted to three-wheelers to paper felonious criminals whose parking meters have expired. ANTHONY J. BRADISSE Los Angeles

Jacob Garchik "The Heavens: The Atheist Gospel Trombone Album" (Yestereve Records) Three and a half stars There's a lot about Jacob Garchik's solo brass album that probably shouldn't work. First comes that subtitle, a vivid contradiction that reads a little like a Stephen Wright joke. But then there's its execution, where a musician of little faith deigns to reconcile his love for gospel by building a nine-part brass suite in his home studio. And yet against all odds, it works.

The beauty of a well-told fable is typically in its airy brevity, with a moral sharp and bittersweet. Ramaa Mosley's feature debut, "The Brass Teapot," has Aesopian pretensions with its supernatural-themed story about the titular vessel's darkly magical effect on the lives of a young, financially strapped married couple, played by Juno Temple and Michael Angarano. But the conceit - the teapot fills with money when harm is inflicted in its presence - is treated less like a starting-off point for something wise to say about societal masochism than an opportunity to indulge in weakly cynical jokes and aggressively ouch-y humor.

Graham Elliot pops up at Son of a Gun: Graham Elliot of Graham Elliot restaurant in Chicago will be coming to the West Coast to guest chef at Son of A Gun on April 8 and 9. Chef Elliot, along with Graham Elliot restaurant sous chef John Slack and sommelier Jamie Kluz, will prepare a five course tasting menu priced at $100 per person with wine pairings available for an additional $40. Call (323) 782-9033 for reservations and menu details. 8370 W. 3rd St., L.A., (323) 782-9033, www.sonofagunrestaurant.com . This Is Not a Pop-Up: Barbara Brass of Wolfgang Puck Catering will be cooking through Sunday at This Is Not a Pop-Up.

Beyonce kept her top on during the halftime show but Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco's excitement over winning the Super Bowl included dropping some swear words on national TV. At the end of a long game that included a power outage that stopped play for about 30 minutes, a happy Flacco screamed some expletives. He was close enough to some microphones to be heard quite clearly by viewers at home. Flacco's enthusiasm would probably be classified as a fleeting expletive.

More than a week before deciding where he would pitch next season, Zack Greinke visited Dodger Stadium. In his three decades as a baseball executive, General Manager Ned Colletti had been in countless meetings with prospective players. But this one was unique. Greinke was there without his agent. "I can't remember one that didn't bring an agent or friends with them or representatives with them," Colletti said. "To have somebody with enough confidence in themselves to stand on their own, it was impressive.

TAMPA, Fla. - When Tampa radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge said he would "deep-fat fry a Koran" in response to deadly protests against U.S. troops for the accidental burning of the Muslim holy book in Afghanistan, Jill Kelley was on it. "I just got off the phone with Gen. Allen and Adm. Harward," the Tampa socialite emailed the mayor of Tampa in March, referring to Gen. John R. Allen, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, and Vice Adm....

Jacob Garchik "The Heavens: The Atheist Gospel Trombone Album" (Yestereve Records) Three and a half stars There's a lot about Jacob Garchik's solo brass album that probably shouldn't work. First comes that subtitle, a vivid contradiction that reads a little like a Stephen Wright joke. But then there's its execution, where a musician of little faith deigns to reconcile his love for gospel by building a nine-part brass suite in his home studio. And yet against all odds, it works.

Phil Jackson was blindsided, and so were we. We were told on Saturday it's a 95% chance the ring master is coming back to coach, no one mentioning the 5% in the minority were apparently Jerry Buss, Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak. The Lakers now tell us Buss, Buss and Kupchak were unanimous in opting to hire Mike D'Antoni but never say why the Unanimous Three steered away from Jackson. We know D'Antoni was atop the Lakers' wish list on Friday morning after the firing of Mike Brown, but with the understanding that Jackson had no interest in coaching again.

Wilhelm Brasse, 95, a former Auschwitz prisoner who survived the camp after the Nazis discovered he was a professional photographer and put him to work taking pictures of other prisoners, has died. A spokesman at the Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum, Jaroslaw Mensfelt, said Brasse died Tuesday in Zywiec, a town in southern Poland. Brasse, who was born in 1917 and was not Jewish, was sent to Auschwitz at 22 as a political prisoner for trying to sneak out of German-occupied Poland in the spring of 1940.