NOVEMBER Radar Screen
At the start of each month, I feature highlights from the LA cultural landscape as filtered through my lens: museums, books and movies, adventures, and more. These posts are free for all subscribers.
Starting the month with a Dodgers World Series parade is as good as it gets, so even if you’re not a super fan, I hope you caught Freddie Freeman’s MVP performance in the Series, including his epic walk-off grand slam in Game One against the Yankees.
The most important thing happening this month is the election on November 5. I hope you exercise (and protect) your rights by VOTING. The Hammer’s Presidential Election Vote Center is open starting on Saturday.
Early Voting Period: Saturday, Nov 2–Monday, Nov 4, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov 5, 7 a.m.–8 p.m.
Parking is free for voters in the lot underneath the museum (entrance on Westwood Boulevard).
GALLERIES, MUSEUMS + MUSIC AROUND TOWN
I made it to Hauser & Wirth’s West Hollywood location and cruised around the LA Story exhibit, a collection of art curated by Steve Martin as an homage to the 1991 film LA Story (with it’s still spot-on skewering of LA tropes). Dip in for a quick visit to lunch at nearby Great White, a popular all-day dining spot which Steve Martin might film at today if he were satirizing our California lifestyle. I heard that Great White will open in the space behind Brentwood’s A.O.C.
I enjoyed the Hammer’s “Sum of the Parts: Serial Imagery in Printmaking, 1500 to Now” which closes on November 24. Lunch at Lulu is delicious lately, the best since the restaurant debuted three years ago. Lulu is associated with Alice Waters and features David Tanis as chef; reservations are recommended.
Two new shows open at David Zwirner on November 9, including new photographs from the legendary William Eggleston. If you haven’t checked out the surge of new businesses in the vicinity of Western and Melrose, now referred to as Melrose Hill, I wrote about exploring it here.
A project between the LA Phil, the LA Master Chorale and multimedia artist Doug Aitkin looks promising. Lightscape, a feature-length film of landscapes and encounters along the West Coast, is at the center of the unusual project. The premiere takes place at Walt Disney Concert Hall on November 16, after which a version without live music will be installed at The Marciano Art Foundation from December 17 to March 15, 2025. Tickets for that show go on sale this month. Also, I just learned you can see a Yayoi Kusama room of red polka dots at the Marciano Art Foundation.
The composer John Williams is 92 and one of our city’s greatest treasures. The LA Phil’s schedule includes a spotlight on John Williams with four nights of Star Wars (as well as lots of great holiday programming). A documentary Music by John Williams premieres on the Disney channel this month.
The WestEdge Design Fair takes place at Barker Hanger on November 14-16.
If you appreciate the work of Tree People, here are a few ways to support the nonprofit: attend an outdoor country music fundraiser on November 15 with Emily Rose and the Rounders; or consider a Tree Dedication, either as a birthday or holiday gift, or in memory of a loved one.
BOOKS, SCREENS and PODS
A new book from Doris Kearns Goodwin is always an occasion and her latest, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal Tale of the 1960s, tells the story of her relationship with her late husband, who led a remarkable life and served as an aide and speechwriter for John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. I am listening to it on Audible, which is charming because she tells her story and Brian Cranston reads from Dick Goodwin’s diaries. DKG always makes history personal, through her details and wise storytelling, and the tale of her idealist husband’s journey in the halls of power reminds us of the good that government can do.
I’m looking forward to two new titles this month. The first is Haruki Murakami’s The City and Its Uncertainties. And the second is from Niall Williams, Time of the Child, billed as a companion to the magnificent This is Happiness… which, if you haven’t read, should move to the top of your list.
If you love Stevie Wonder (and who doesn’t?), you’ll want to listen to The Wonder of Stevie, a seven-episode podcast offering a detailed jaunt through his amazing career, narrated by Pulitzer-Prize winning critic Wesley Morris.
I heard raves about Laufey, a 25-year-old Icelandic-Chinese musician, after her amazing performance at the Hollywood Bowl show in August. Luckily, the show was filmed and we can all get to know her by watching A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl on IMAX.
New York’s MOMA has announced the 2024 Contenders line-up, films that the museum curators have deemed the most important of the year. The series will screen at The Hammer starting in December; dates haven’t been announced yet, but you can review the NY list and get a sense of what awards season might hold in store.
Appointment TV is back with The Diplomat (Keri Russell on Netflix), Slow Horses (Gary Oldman on Apple TV+), and Shrinking (Jason Siegel, Harrison Ford on Apple TV+).
RESTAURANTS + HOLIDAY GIFTING
The Helms Bakery has a grand reopening this month, and Travis Lett, formerly of Gjelina, has just opened a Japanese izakaya called RVR (pronounced like River). And meet the new owners of the recently-reopened Sweet Lady Jane here.
Holiday shopping is nigh and I’ve got to start crossing some things off my list! I have my eye on gift boxes from LA Home Farm, Heirloom grains and beans from Rancho Gordo, books about LA from Angel City Press, and Championship Dodger Gear. When possible, we should support local businesses and charitable organizations. In fact, I’m participating in this Shopping Day Party with my friends at Ya Living tomorrow - take a look here.