ENTERTAINMENT
December 5, 2010 | By Reed Johnson, Los Angeles Times
A few days ago at Hollywood & Highland, a smooth-scalped man in a black leather jacket, jeans and sneakers got a red-carpet treatment that royalty might envy. Not one, but two, L.A. City Council members took turns gushing over him. His fellow countryman, the director James Cameron, praised the honoree as a theatrical magus who conjures "living dreams," populated with aerialists, acrobats and clowns that are actually amusing. Then, as a beaming Hollywood Chamber of Commerce representative looked on, Guy Laliberté, the press-shy billionaire founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, stepped forward to unveil his and Cirque's shiny new star, the 2,424th on the Walk of Fame.
ENTERTAINMENT
September 16, 2010
Crustacean connoisseurs have a full weekend to consider the lobster — as well as live music, dancing, street performers, pirates and shopping — at the annual Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival. A meal with fresh lobster flown in from Maine and all the fixings runs $18. Featured musical acts include Saint Motel, Dengue Fever, plus John Doe and Exene Cervenka of the band X. Ports O' Call Village, 1190 Nagoya Way, San Pedro. 5-11 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun. $9 for adults, free for children younger than 12. (310)
ENTERTAINMENT
August 22, 2009 | Associated Press
A city in England said Friday that two buskers, or street performers, who plagued a suburb by repeating the same two songs have been banned from performing for two years. The Birmingham City Council said the men angered residents with late-night and out-of-tune renditions of two tracks: "Wonderwall" by Oasis and "Faith" by George Michael.
NATIONAL
June 25, 2009 | Carol J. Williams
Just in time for the summer tourist throngs, mimes, musicians and balloon-animal shapers have been newly empowered to bring their entertainments and tip jars to public parks. In a ruling with potentially wide implications for street artists throughout the West, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday struck down curbs imposed by Seattle on those performing at the popular Seattle Center, home of the landmark Space Needle.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
February 11, 2009 | Bob Pool
Holy Hollywood ending, Batman! Maybe this is a job for Superman! That's what Robin was probably thinking after the superhero sidekick was attacked and pummeled as he strolled in his mask, cape and tights among tourists on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. A series of assaults near Grauman's Chinese Theatre has led to a plea for a city licensing system that costumed characters who pose for visitors' photos hope will protect them.
ENTERTAINMENT
November 26, 2007 | Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press
NEW YORK -- He's an urban curiosity -- a poet of passersby, a vendor of verse. With his manual typewriter outside a downtown Manhattan supermarket, William Chrome creates poems on the spot from bystanders' requests, sentiments and dares. He does it for the creative challenge, plus the donations. In his carbon-copied pages is a mental panorama of New York, or anywhere. Write me a poem to honor Jesus. Eulogize my dog. Celebrate my grandmother's birthday. Win back my girlfriend.