Panelists

LA JOLLA - The controversy over the casting of a new musical set in China with mostly non-Asians provoked a series of heated exchanges at a public forum arranged by the La Jolla Playhouse. The casting of “The Nightingale,” written by Tony-winning “Spring Awakening” collaborators Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, has drawn sharp criticism. The musical, adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen story and set in ancient China, features a multicultural cast of 12, with two actors of Asian descent in supporting roles.

SACRAMENTO - Members of the panel that sets salaries for California officials said Thursday that raises are unlikely this year for Gov. Jerry Brown, legislators and other officeholders. The California Citizens Compensation Commission delayed a vote on the matter until June, after the state announces whether it has the budget surplus required before salaries could be increased. The economy is still volatile, said commission Chairman Thomas Dalzell, and the seven-member panel is unlikely to approve raises so soon after the state's budget crisis had abated.

The six panelists interviewed by The Times for their views on a possible future for baseball: Ken Burns is an Academy Award-nominated director whose documentary films include "Brooklyn Bridge" and "The Civil War. " He loves baseball because it is the only sport with irregular fields, the only sport where the defense has the ball and "it's not on ice. " Ron Shelton has written and directed a number of sports-related films, including...

Tickets are on sale for "Simply Stylist ," a day of discount shopping, learning and networking with style experts scheduled for March 23 in Los Angeles. Panelists Brad Goreski  of “It's a Brad, Brad World,” designer Whitney Port, Louise Roe of “Fashion Star,” fashion journalist Melissa Magsaysay and blogger Aimee Song are scheduled to discuss  fashion. Members of a beauty panel are to include stylist Scotty Cunha, beauty expert Tracy O'Connor, editor Susan Yara, entrepreneur Suzie Kim and blogger Natalie Alcala.

One judge noted with surprise that President Obama "didn't look particularly happy" at being named the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Another marveled at how critics could be so patronizing. Four of the Nobel jury's five judges spoke out Tuesday about a selection they said was both merited and unanimous. To those who say a Nobel is too much too soon in Obama's young presidency, "We simply disagree. . . . He got the prize for what he has done," said committee Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland.

Thank you for Mathews' dispassionate article concerning racism in Hollywood. As one who attended the workshop on "Blacks in the Entertainment Industry" at the NAACP convention, I was stunned by the charges of anti-Semitism hurled at panelists Legrand H. Clegg II and Marla Gibbs. Both speakers devoted the bulk of their presentations to urging African-Americans in the film industry to become more self-sufficient and responsible to the needs of the black community. The remarks made by both panelists about Jewish people were altogether moderate in tone and appropriate in the context of discussing the entertainment industry.

For a book on television and radio game, quiz and audience participation shows broadcast during the last 50 years, I am interested in hearing from program hosts, panelists, directors and production staff, as well as big jackpot winners and major contestants. THOMAS A. DELONG P.O. Box 335 Southport, Conn. 06490

Panel: Who Says? Habits, Fear and Why We Think the Way We Do When: April 21, 3 p.m. Where: Andrus Gerontology Center on the USC campus Who: Panelists are Charles Duhigg, Patricia Cohen and Barry Glassner, moderated by Nick Owchar Information: http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/

Panel: Food Writing: American Potluck When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday Where: Ronald Tutor Campus Center on the USC Campus Who: Panelists are Gustavo Arellano, Aaron Bobrow-Strain, Jennifer 8. Lee, moderated by Jonathan Gold. Information: http://events.latime.scom/festivalofbooks/

On Dec. 14, you published an article by Dade Hayes concerning the Van Nuys Airport's FAA [funded] Part 150 [Steering Committee] ("Airport Committee's Makeup Criticized.") In that article you clearly reflected the concerns of Sen. Barbara Boxer and State Sen. Tom Hayden, but made no effort to help clarify the issue for your readers. It is my feeling that your article only served to lend fuel to the already volatile issue. I believe that responsible reporting demands that one examine more than who was the appointing authority for each of the Part 150 panelists.

After nearly five days of deliberations, jurors in the Bell corruption trial were ordered Thursday to begin anew after a member of the panel was dismissed for misconduct and replaced by an alternate. The original juror, a white-haired woman identified only as Juror No. 3, told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy she had gone onto a legal website to look up jury instructions and then asked her daughter to help find a definition for the word "coercion. " Although all but one defense attorney requested that the woman stay, Kennedy said the juror needed to be removed.

Wearing a thick, black and white checkered shirt and dark green tam cap, Snoop Dogg strutted to the stage smoking a blunt. As the rapper took his seat at the end of the stage for the Broadcast Music Inc.'s “How I Wrote That Song” panel, an annual event, he puffed thick smoke rings into the air. The rapper, who now goes by Snoop Lion, passed the blunt to two of his fellow panelists -- rapper Busta Rhymes and rapper/musician B.o.B. -- while songwriters Luke Laird and Evan Bogart generously declined.

LA JOLLA - The controversy over the casting of a new musical set in China with mostly non-Asians provoked a series of heated exchanges at a public forum arranged by the La Jolla Playhouse. The casting of “The Nightingale,” written by Tony-winning “Spring Awakening” collaborators Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, has drawn sharp criticism. The musical, adapted from the Hans Christian Andersen story and set in ancient China, features a multicultural cast of 12, with two actors of Asian descent in supporting roles.

Panel: Fiction: The Big Picture When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday Where: Taper Hall Who: Panelists are Jonathan Evison, Anthony Giardina, Lauren Groff and Chad Harbach, moderated by Laurie Muchnick Information: http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/

Travel is broadening, we are told. The experience of new customs and foods and landscapes  is sure to make us better citizens of the planet. And while we have no quarrel with this worldview, for some of us, travel is about shopping - not to the exclusion of all that other spirit-enhancing stuff, but rather, as a soul-affirming enhancement. It's the thrill of a great find - a secret designer outlet store, an antique bracelet, or a great pair of shoes. Most of us deserve only an “amateur” rating when it comes to shopping while traveling, but a series of experts will gather at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Los Angeles Times Travel Show for a panel  titled “In the Bag: A Shopper's Guide to the World.”  The event is in the L.A. Convention Center's West Hall.

If, as is often said, trials are won or lost in the selection of jurors, the fate of Michael Jackson's doctor may be sealed Friday when a pool of prospective jurors is narrowed to a dozen. That jury is expected to spend about five weeks hearing testimony about the music icon's final days and the culpability of Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's $150,000-a-month personal physician who gave him the surgical anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid. The approximately 145 potential jurors are already well-known to both sides, thanks to what the judge in the case has called "the most complete questionnaire ever" — 32 pages of questions about their background, job history, views of Jackson and exposure to the media coverage of his 2009 overdose.

Regarding "Arts Panel Lauds Pacific Symphony" by Chris Pasles (Calendar, May 28): If the California Arts Council is made up of such panelists as Yoko Matsuda making statements about Keith Clark--"He is not a musician"--we would be far better off not having their comments. Orange County, at least, should send the report back to the California Arts Council rejecting the radical statements, and expect an apology. ROBERT C. DICK Costa Mesa