Maxwell

Obscured behind the sheer white fabric panels that draped the Universal Amphitheatre stage, R&B crooner Maxwell started his three-night stand Tuesday as a mysterious, distant stranger, someone not quite approachable in his white cap and dark glasses. But by show's end, the charming singer-songwriter had shed those trappings and solidly bonded with his audience. Bubbling with lava lamps and abstract backdrops, the elaborate set evoked the womb-like feel of the New Yorker's current album, "Embrya," from which much of the 90-minute performance was drawn.

A Pennsylvania man on Friday sued the Boy Scouts of America, alleging that the youth organization failed to protect him from sexual abuse by a Scoutmaster nearly 37 ago and then covered it up. Carl Maxwell Jr. was one of five boys, ages 13 and 14, who came forward in July 1976 to accuse Rodger L. Beatty of repeatedly molesting them at the man's home and on camping trips, according to records in the Scouts' confidential files on alleged sexual abuse....

For the cast of the new production "Maxwell--The Musical Review," the show won't go on. The attorney general won an injunction to prevent the show about the late media tycoon from opening Friday. He claims it may prejudice a fraud trial of Maxwell's two sons and four others. The order prevents millionaire Evan Steadman from "promoting, producing and presenting the musical" until after the trial, the date of which is yet unset.

Two of New York's most prominent experimental troupes, the Wooster Group and Richard Maxwell's New York City Players, have joined forces to tackle a trio of early one-act dramas written by Eugene O'Neill about seafaring men and that vast expanse of briny rootlessness that is their existential home. There are, in short, three contrasting sensibilities at work in this production of "Early Plays," which opened Thursday at REDCAT, where it runs through Sunday. But they are united in their desire to cleanse the palate of theatergoers accustomed to a menu of stale and flavorless familiarity.

The soul singer known simply as Maxwell made a lot of demands on his audience Friday night at the Hollywood Bowl. At one point, during a long, improvised bit at the end of his version of "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush, he declared, "God made us to love," and therefore, "I don't care what you believe as long as you believe in something bigger than yourself." Later, he had the crowd sing an entire verse of his song "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" as he conducted happily from center stage.

It's funny how much a little bit of love from the right people can change a person's whole demeanor. Once notoriously shy and almost always reserved in person, Maxwell--whose sexy soul-singing style has been compared to that of such masters as Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye--said in early interviews last year that the reason he became a performer was to find a bridge of communication to the world at large.

Though the 1971 Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical "Follies" puts male-female relationships under a microscope with its probing exploration of unhappy showbiz marriages and broken dreams, most would agree that this show belongs to the women. "If you think of all the specialty numbers throughout, it really is female-oriented," says Eric Schaeffer, director of the Broadway production opening Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre, which was nominated last week for eight Tony Awards, including revival of a musical.

After Jessica Simpson seemed to confirm her second pregnancy Christmas Day on Twitter, via a photo of baby girl Maxwell on the beach with "big sis" written in the sand, the Weight Watchers spokeswoman made it extra official Wednesday in a new ad that confirmed there's a little one on the way. "I'm having another baby," she says outright in the ad. "I feel like I'm on top of the world. " Also news, though not mentioned in the commercial: She won't be following the Weight Watchers program during her pregnancy.

Michael (Spider) Maxwell of Penn State was named winner of the Nissen Award as the best amateur gymnast in the nation.

Wow! An article on Jeff Gordon and stock car racing on the front page of the sports section [Nov. 3]. The Times is changing. About time. DON MAXWELL Duarte

A man accused of being the notorious "Skid Row Stabber," linked to a series of killings in Los Angeles during the 1970s, has been indicted on murder charges involving the slayings of three men, according to court records unsealed Tuesday. Bobby Joe Maxwell, who has spent more than 30 years behind bars, was convicted of two murders in a 1984 trial involving 10 slayings. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the two convictions in 2010, finding that a jailhouse informant who was a key prosecution witness was a habitual liar with "a long and public history of dishonesty.

After Jessica Simpson seemed to confirm her second pregnancy Christmas Day on Twitter, via a photo of baby girl Maxwell on the beach with "big sis" written in the sand, the Weight Watchers spokeswoman made it extra official Wednesday in a new ad that confirmed there's a little one on the way. "I'm having another baby," she says outright in the ad. "I feel like I'm on top of the world. " Also news, though not mentioned in the commercial: She won't be following the Weight Watchers program during her pregnancy.

Greg Heffley, Big Nate, Nikki Maxwell and other tween book characters are back. Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers By Dav Pilkey Scholastic, 304 pp.: $9.99, for ages 7 and up Elementary school mischief makers travel back in time to kindergarten to confront a sixth-grade bully in the ninth installment of this series following the exploits of George and Harold and their principal-turned-superhero Captain...

Though the 1971 Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical "Follies" puts male-female relationships under a microscope with its probing exploration of unhappy showbiz marriages and broken dreams, most would agree that this show belongs to the women. "If you think of all the specialty numbers throughout, it really is female-oriented," says Eric Schaeffer, director of the Broadway production opening Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre, which was nominated last week for eight Tony Awards, including revival of a musical.

Jessica Simpson's baby girl has finally arrived, meeting her mom and daddy Eric Johnson for the first time Tuesday morning in L.A. Maxwell Drew Johnson weighed in at 9 pounds, 13 ounces, and measured 21¾ inches, according to the announcement on Simpson's official website , which pronounced the couple “elated” to share the baby news. "We are so grateful for all of the love, support and prayers we have received," the couple said. "This has been the greatest experience of our lives!

The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand a ruling that overturned murder convictions in two slayings tied to the so-called "Skid Row Stabber," who was thought to be responsible for the killing of as many as 10 homeless men in downtown Los Angeles in the late 1970s. After a lengthy trial in 1984, Bobby Joe Maxwell was convicted of two murders and sentenced to life in prison. Last year, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals set aside his convictions because a key witness for the prosecution, a jailhouse informant named Sidney Storch, had been exposed as a "habitual liar.

A rebuttal to Bill Maxwell's Aug. 6 letter asserting Batman "wasn't meant to be judge and executioner": Judge and executioner is indeed the way he started out in 1939 (in one issue pushing a villain off a roof to his death) and the way he has been the past two decades. Which leads me to ask, "Where has Maxwell been for the past 15 years?" Not reading the comics, I gather. ALEX FLOYD Burbank

"Entertaining Mr. Sloane" could be retitled "Exiting Jan Maxwell." The actress left the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of the Joe Orton comedy Sunday after complaining about the behavior of her costar, Alec Baldwin. She was replaced by her understudy, Barbara Sims, for the remainder of the play's run, which ends May 21 at the Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre.

When: 7:30. Where: Honda Center. On the air: TV: Prime Ticket. Radio: 830. Records: Ducks 5-7-3; Canucks 8-7-1. Update: The Ducks did a little pre-holiday shopping, claiming center Ben Maxwell off the waiver wire on Thursday. Maxwell, a center, had been put on waivers this week by the Winnipeg Jets. He started the season on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and had no points in four games with Winnipeg. He had been expected to arrive in Anaheim on Friday, assuming issues with his visa are completed.

The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim A Novel Jonathan Coe Alfred A. Knopf: 314 pps.,$26.95