Kcrw

MUSIC KCRW helps ease audiences into 2012 with a double-bill of indie rock, featuring Jenny & Johnny's fast, ultra-melodic pop and New York City's joyous pop duo Cults. Standard Hotel West Hollywood, 8300 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. Sat. $75-$125. (323) 822-3111. http://www.kcrw.com.

Long before he began voicing Mr. Burns, Smithers and numerous other characters on “The Simpsons,” Harry Shearer was host of “Le Show,” a Sunday morning satirical program on KCRW-FM (89.9). Now, after 30 years, he's been dropped from the lineup at the Santa Monica-based public radio station. It's part of a shake-up of the weekend programming that includes cutting “Weekend All Things Considered” and a long-running music show hosted by Tom Schnabel, and replacing “Le Show” with NPR's “TED Radio Hour.” “Program changes are something I've wrestled with for the three years I've held this position and, inevitably, as we grow, we will and must change,” KCRW General Manager Jennifer Ferro said in a statement issued Monday.

KCRW-FM (89.9) will resurrect its electronic dance music show “Metropolis” starting Saturday night. Jason Bentley will return to the helm of a show he hosted every night of the week before stepping into the music director position he's held since 2008. This time, "Metropolis" will return on a weekly basis in the 10 p.m. to midnight time slot on Saturdays. “People always tell me they miss 'Metropolis,' so we decided to bring it back in the perfect time slot --  Saturday night,” Bentley said in a statement.

ART Frances Anderton, the host of KCRW's "DnA: Design and Architecture," hosts two conversations with figures from L.A.'s top museums and culinary scene, including LACMA Director Michael Govan and famed pastry chef Sherry Yard. A pop-up gallery housing cutting-edge designs will also be featured as well as music by KCRW's Liza Richardson. Ticket holders get a complimentary Father's Office beer or a Helms Bakery cookie. Helms Bakery, 8758 Venice Blvd. #100, L.A. Noon. Sun. $10 to $15. (310)

Gusto makes lunch: Chef Vic Casanova, inspired by what he refers to as “free-range Italian,” debuts his lunch menu. Items include red wine-braised baby octopus, figs with whipped sheep's milk ricotta and saba; crostino with duck liver; various house-made pizzas and pastas; and toasted coconut gelato pie, chocolate fonduta and crepes for dessert. Lunch is Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 8432 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood, (323) 782-1778. Thursday night family dinner: Santa Monica cafe and bakery Huckleberry continues its Thursday Night Family Dinner series, offering a three-course menu.

Los Lobos dropped into the studios of KCRW-FM (89.9) in Santa Monica on Wednesday to revisit the veteran East L.A. roots-rock band's watershed 1992 album, “Kiko,” by playing it nearly in its entirety for a live radio and Web broadcast. The performance will be streamable on the public station's website . The album was recently reissued in expanded form, along with a video release of a 2006 live performance by the band. Speaking with KCRW music director Jason Bentley during his "Morning Becomes Eclectic" show, guitarist, singer, songwriter and accordionist David Hidalgo said the album helped the group reconnect with its central musical vision following the runaway commercial success it  experienced  from its participation in the Richie Valens biopic “La Bamba” in 1987.

To attack KCRW's decision not to continue one of its 23 regularly scheduled music programmers (Deirdre O'Donoghue) as an effort to stifle free speech and musical diversity on the airwaves is ludicrous (Pop Eye, by Patrick Goldstein, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9; Calendar Letters, Nov. 9). All an unbiased listener has to do is listen to the biting wit of political and media satirist Harry Shearer, the informed opinions of historian Harvey Stromberg, the spectrum of articles chosen daily for "Newsstand," the range of music heard on "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and "Evening Becomes Eclectic," the daring dramatic artistry of Joe Frank--all programs produced for KCRW.

Radio theater is a medium that, while no longer practiced as it was during the golden age of radio, remains rich with potential. Like books, drama over the airwaves requires an active mind's eye for both its creators and its audience. But unlike the written word, sound adds another dimension for artists curious about experimentation. Enter Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, an artist with an oft-glowing mind's eye whose life has been devoted to sonic experimentation.  Throughout  the Lips' career, the group has commissioned parking garage symphonies, Walkman concerts, boombox orchestras and multi-disc sonic experiments, all in service of sound.

Radio personality and chef Evan Kleiman closed her beloved Melrose Avenue restaurant, Angeli Caffe, last year after 27 years in business. The Hollywood trattoria opened in 1984 and was a pioneer of stripped-down Italian cuisine. It was a neighborhood fan favorite from the start, even when Kleiman's fans weren't from the neighborhood. Now Kleiman, the host of KCRW's "Good Food," is bringing back some of her hit Angeli dishes at a pop-up this month at Tiago. She's crowd-sourcing the menu and will tally up the requests she has been receiving on Facebook and Twitter.

Nic Harcourt, the music director of Santa Monica-based public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9), will step down Nov. 30, the station said Monday. Harcourt has presided over KCRW's nationally known "Morning Becomes Eclectic" music program for 10 years. Harcourt won't be completely splitting from the station: He will continue to host a three-hour music program on Sunday evenings. "As a parent of two young children, I believe it's time for me to explore new career opportunities and expand upon my other activities in movie, television, voice-over work, advertising and the Internet," Harcourt said in a statement.

Radio personality and chef Evan Kleiman closed her beloved Melrose Avenue restaurant, Angeli Caffe, last year after 27 years in business. The Hollywood trattoria opened in 1984 and was a pioneer of stripped-down Italian cuisine. It was a neighborhood fan favorite from the start, even when Kleiman's fans weren't from the neighborhood. Now Kleiman, the host of KCRW's "Good Food," is bringing back some of her hit Angeli dishes at a pop-up this month at Tiago. She's crowd-sourcing the menu and will tally up the requests she has been receiving on Facebook and Twitter.

KCRW-FM (89.9) will resurrect its electronic dance music show “Metropolis” starting Saturday night. Jason Bentley will return to the helm of a show he hosted every night of the week before stepping into the music director position he's held since 2008. This time, "Metropolis" will return on a weekly basis in the 10 p.m. to midnight time slot on Saturdays. “People always tell me they miss 'Metropolis,' so we decided to bring it back in the perfect time slot --  Saturday night,” Bentley said in a statement.

Santa Monica's KCRW-FM (89.9) has already made it clear that the station would like to welcome former  KPCC-FM (89.3) morning host Madeleine Brand to its team. But would the station be willing to move its signature show to do so? Maybe. The latest look at Brand's sudden departure from KPCC comes courtesy of Los Angeles Magazine . The very last graph of Gabriel Kahn's story notes that the popular public radio personality is currently in discussions with KCRW for a morning show, one that would air at 9 a.m. That's a slot Brand knows well, but also the current home of Morning Becomes Eclectic, KCRW's nationally recognized three-hour music show hosted by Jason Bentley.

Radio theater is a medium that, while no longer practiced as it was during the golden age of radio, remains rich with potential. Like books, drama over the airwaves requires an active mind's eye for both its creators and its audience. But unlike the written word, sound adds another dimension for artists curious about experimentation. Enter Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, an artist with an oft-glowing mind's eye whose life has been devoted to sonic experimentation.  Throughout  the Lips' career, the group has commissioned parking garage symphonies, Walkman concerts, boombox orchestras and multi-disc sonic experiments, all in service of sound.

Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena presents an evening with Ina Garten of Food Network's television show " Barefoot Contessa " on Thursday. The event will be held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre at 8 p.m. The cookbook author and TV show host once worked in the White House Office of Management and Budget before purchasing a specialty food store for sale in the Hamptons, the beginning of Barefoot Contessa. Garten will be interviewed by KCRW Good Food host Evan Kleiman. General admission is $42 (plus tax)

Navigating the waters of traditional radio these days might appear as dangerous as taking on a Nor'easter in a paddle boat, but that isn't stopping former "Morning Becomes Eclectic" host Nic Harcourt from heading back into that unpredictable front known as morning radio. On Friday he'll take over the morning-drive slot at Cal State Northridge-based KCSN-FM (88.5), the scrappy, college-based operation that's continuing its campaign to become L.A.'s little rock radio station that could.

Jennifer Ferro, assistant general manager of public radio station KCRW-FM (89.9), is expected to be named the influential station's new general manager Saturday, succeeding Ruth Seymour, who is retiring after 32 years in the position. The board of trustees of Santa Monica College, which owns KCRW's license, was expected to approve the appointment of Ferro, who will begin her new job March 1. FOR THE RECORD: An article in Saturday's Calendar section about the expected succession of Jennifer Ferro as general manager of public radio station KCRW incorrectly identified another public radio station, KPCC, as KPPC.

Los Lobos dropped into the studios of KCRW-FM (89.9) in Santa Monica on Wednesday to revisit the veteran East L.A. roots-rock band's watershed 1992 album, “Kiko,” by playing it nearly in its entirety for a live radio and Web broadcast. The performance will be streamable on the public station's website . The album was recently reissued in expanded form, along with a video release of a 2006 live performance by the band. Speaking with KCRW music director Jason Bentley during his "Morning Becomes Eclectic" show, guitarist, singer, songwriter and accordionist David Hidalgo said the album helped the group reconnect with its central musical vision following the runaway commercial success it  experienced  from its participation in the Richie Valens biopic “La Bamba” in 1987.

Tough question time: Just how much do you like pie? If you like it a lot -- we're talking a lot , like upper fractional percentiles -- you almost certainly already have a date to be at KCRW-FM's fourth annual Good Food Pie Contest , presided over by the pie queen herself, Evan Kleiman. The rest of you still have time to make your plans. The contest will be held Saturday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, starting at 2 p.m. Finalists will be announced at 3:30 p.m., and after a little stage business, the winners will be called forth at 3:45 p.m. Be sure to get there early enough so you can head to the welcome table just north of the Ahmanson Building to collect a pie ticket, which will allow you to sample the entries.