Seymour

Sen. John Seymour (R-Calif.) said Sunday that he will work in the Senate to see that "not one penny" of federal aid goes to anyone convicted of looting or arson in the Los Angeles riots. But unlike his two opponents for the Republican nomination for the two-year Senate seat, Seymour supports the aid bill. Seymour made the comment during a half-hour debate, shown statewide on public television, with his two major opponents: Rep. William E. Dannemeyer of Fullerton and U. S.

The death of Philip Seymour Hoffman last week, apparently of a heroin overdose, says a lot about the epidemic of opiate abuse gripping the United States. That epidemic, which I've spent the last year researching for a forthcoming book, is rooted in a 20-year revolution in medicine that has resulted in far wider prescribing of opiates. Narcotic painkillers are now prescribed for chronic back and knee pain, fibromyalgia, headaches, arthritis and other ailments. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consumption of these opioids has risen 300% since 1999, making them the most prescribed class of medicines in America.

My acquaintance with Ruth Seymour over the years had been fleeting. But inevitably when I saw the KCRW radio general manager, it would provoke reminiscences about the days long ago when I worked with her daughter, Celia, on the newspaper at Santa Monica High School. Maybe that obscure connection gave Seymour license to heap extra incredulity on me a couple of months ago. It was the last time I interviewed her, and I had deigned to ask whether, based on the latest Arbitron ratings, KCRW-FM (89.9)

BERLIN -- Organizers of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival announced on its opening day Thursday that they would honor the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman by mounting a special screening of "Capote. "  Hoffman won the Oscar for best actor in 2006 for his portrayal of the diminutive, quirky author Truman Capote. That same year, the film was screened in competition at the Berlinale. PHOTOS: Philip Seymour Hoffman | 1967-2014 Festival officials said they would screen "Capote" next Tuesday in memory of an "outstanding artist.

Seymour's opposition to S-21 is yet another example of California's ineffective special interest legislators. Your editorial dramatically points out the folly of Seymour's stand on such an important issue. JOAN RICHARDSON San Clemente

I want to praise Whitney North Seymour Jr. for his courage in boldly speaking out against the unethical practices that have proliferated in Washington (Part I, Dec. 18) . I praise him for saying that he was disappointed to hear that the President was saddened by the perjury conviction of his dear friend, Deaver. I praise Seymour for criticizing the Secretary of State George Shultz for vouching for Deaver's honesty. So here's three hurrahs for Whitney North Seymour Jr., a man (and, I think, a rare Republican)

State Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim) is again seeking legislative passage of a bill to help parents save for their children's college tuition. Seymour said his new bill is similar to one passed by the 1988 Legislature but vetoed by Gov. George Deukmejian. Seymour said he believes that the new bill has enough differences, however, to "avoid another veto by the governor." The current bill, which on Wednesday was approved by the Senate Education Committee, calls for creating a California Tuition Finance Authority.

In an effort to crack down on habitual truants, state Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim) is pushing a bill that would allow teachers to reduce a student's grade for excessive absences, even those excused by parents. "Since some parents are all too willing to simply write notes over and over again for their children, rather than insist they attend class, this measure was necessary so that our school system can complete the mission the people of California insist it do," Seymour said.

State Sen. Marian Bergeson (R--Newport Beach) is expected this week to enter the Republican primary for lieutenant governor. Another Orange County Republican, State Sen. John Seymour of Anaheim, has already announced that he will seek the nomination.

The ad for "Tamara" last week warned: "Final Six Weeks!" It was reminiscent of a similar countdown-to-closing in 1989, which was halted shortly before a blast-off. "Tamara," an extravaganza in which audiences witness intrigues as they walk through a fascist-era Italian villa, is still with us today. This time could be for real, said producer Barrie Wexler. It isn't a "gratuitous" warning; "we're seriously analyzing the situation," which has been bleak in recent weeks, he said.

Philip Seymour Hoffman died Sunday from an apparent drug overdose, but the wait for an official cause of death isn't over: The autopsy conducted on his body didn't tell the tale clearly, and toxicology tests are still pending. A spokeswoman from the New York City medical examiner's office explained it Wednesday to Nation Now . "Our examination has been concluded but the results are inconclusive," Julie Bolcer told The Times. "We are awaiting results and additional studies. " The screen and stage actor was found dead in his New York City apartment with a syringe in his left forearm and drug paraphernalia nearby.

One of the defining collaborations of Philip Seymour Hoffman's career was his long association with New York's Labyrinth Theater Company, which he helped to found and where he served as an artistic director for many years. A new fundraising campaign, organized in part by actor Edward Norton, was launched earlier this week in Hoffman's memory that is intended to benefit the Labyrinth. The Crowdrise campaign has so far raised nearly $12,000 for the company. "All donations made here by admirers or friends will go to support the Labyrinth in celebration of Phil's great talent, his enormous contributions and his spirit," says the campaign.

Four people have been arrested on drug charges after the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman in an apparent heroin overdose, although whether the suspects were involved with the actor remained unclear on Wednesday. “The four have been arrested for drug charges, that's all we can tell you,” a New York Police Department spokesman told the Los Angeles Times. Robert Vineberg, 57, and Thomas Cushman, 48, were both charged with felony criminal possession of a controlled substance. Vineberg was also charged with criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

Six years ago, Philip Seymour Hoffman was nominated for a supporting actor Academy Award for "Charlie Wilson's War. " He attended the nominees luncheon, a swank gathering at the Beverly Hilton, whose dress code is just one notch below that of the attire seen on the red carpet for the actual Oscars. But Hoffman, a consummate actor known for an unkempt look off-screen, wore a suit so rumpled it looked like he had slept in it. And smack in the middle of his dress shirt was a giant stain - and that was before he took a bite to eat. Fast-forward to last month's Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, where Hoffman was promoting two of his new films, "A Most Wanted Man" and "God's Pocket.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead Sunday of an apparent heroin overdose, will be laid to rest in a private funeral in New York City, with a memorial service to be held later, according to reports out Tuesday. The funeral will be only for "the family and close friends," a rep told People in a statement. It will be held Friday, according to the Daily Mail . The memorial, also to be held in New York, is still being planned. In lieu of flowers, the family said through the rep, people could donate to the DreamYard Project or the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, both of which Hoffman supported.

Given the depth and breadth of the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman's body of work, it's difficult to even narrow down his top performances , let alone single out the best one. Would it be his Oscar-winning turn as "In Cold Blood" author Truman Capote in "Capote"? His mesmerizing portrayal of the charismatic cult leader Lancaster Dodd in "The Master"? His tragicomic role as a neurotic college professor reuniting with his estranged sister and ailing father in "The Savages"? His surprisingly tender turn as a nurse caring for a cancer-stricken TV producer in "Magnolia?"

The Resident Theatre Company doesn't do anything especially original with "Little Shop of Horrors"--it's all infused with the usual doo-wop pep, and the characters--from nerdy Seymour to sweet, weak Audrey--are all in place. But the familiar is performed with colorful confidence. Director Mary Bettini has brought a spoofy show featuring a lively cast and one hungry mother of a house plant--Audrey II--to the Muckenthaler Cultural Center's outdoor stage in Fullerton. Audrey II bellows just as it is supposed to, and everybody else keeps pace with its appetite for misadventure.

The crowd-pleasing aspects of "Little Shop of Horrors" at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center gradually bloom, despite some deforestation and weeds along the way. Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman's evergreen 1982 musical about an extraterrestrial plant with a man-eating appetite closes Musical Theatre West's 56th season in agreeable fashion. Adapted from Roger Corman's 1960 B-movie, the original "Little Shop" ran 2,209 performances off-Broadway, spawning Frank Oz's 1986 movie version and so many regional editions that its 2003 Broadway premiere was deemed a revival by the Tony Awards committee.