Erin Maxwell

In their latest piece for the LA Weekly Unbinged series, writer Erin Maxwell reviews the newest vampire-inspired entertainment to hit our screens this fall TV season. From the latest Interview with the Vampire (AMC) and Let The Right One In (Showtime) to Vampire Academy (Peacock), Maxwell explores whether making vampires the “it” monster of the season was the right call by networks and streaming services.

“AMC’s Interview with the Vampire might have die-hard fans on edge with its deviations from the original text, but please, do not fear,” writes Maxwell in her review. “The changes might be somewhat drastic, they are necessary to revamp the problematic vamp tale for the modern age. The adjustments also add a surprising amount of depth to both the story and its players.”

Read more on LA Weekly here.

The Drac Pack: Reviews of Vampire Academy, the new Interview and more

 

In their latest piece for the Village Voice, writer Rhoda Feng reviews the off-Broadway debut of peerless, a play by Jiehae Park that could be loosely defined as an adaption of Macbeth (though Feng argues that the term “adaption” doesn’t quite fit what this piece is).

“For a certain type of high achiever in thrall to perfect GPAs and hordes of extracurriculars, getting into an Ivy can feel as monumental as, say, ascending to the throne of a kingdom,” writes Feng. “In place of Macbeth and his scheming wife, we have M and L, two Asian American high schoolers played with spooky synchronicity by Sasha Diamond and Shannon Tyo, respectively. They’re identical twins, but academically separated by a year: M is on the cusp of graduation while L is a junior who chose to stay back a year to better her odds of being accepted into ‘The College,’ which has historically accepted only one early-decision student from their high school in ‘Nowheresville’ each year. (The College is never explicitly named, but the “Veritas” logo on acceptance envelopes is a huge crimson clue.) On paper, the sisters are “shoo-ins”: M has a 4.8 GPA , perfect SATs, and a roster of AP courses, and L is also comfortably ensconced in the top 10 of her year. To most people (including their teachers), they are indistinguishable: They wear matching black-and-white outfits in school and are only differentiated by the color of their hairbands and backpacks (costumes by Amanda Gladu), which they wear strapped to their backs like jet packs. The velocity of their words, if only there were a way of bottling their logorrhea, could easily propel them to outer space and back. Slowly, though, you get the sense that they’d have no scruples about shedding other things, like morals, along the way, as if they were trifling ballast.”

Read more on the Village Voice here.

In their latest piece for the Village Voice, writer Elizabeth Zimmer reviews Last Gasp: A Recalibration, the latest work from Split Britches. Who are Split Britches? As Zimmer describes them, a team of aging lesbians who’ve been making and showing theatrical pieces, together and separately, for more than 40 years. This team, also known as Lois Weaver (73) and Peggy Shaw (78), took the time to chat with Zimmer in an interview that is surely to interest. 

“Weaver, a white woman originally from Roanoke, Virginia, finds herself grappling with recent crises in race relations, particularly the murder of George Floyd, and with the earth’s fragile ecology,” writes Zimmer. “‘Fifty-thousand bumblebees died all at once on one day in Oregon,’ she tells us live from the stage, while costumed rather like a bumblebee in a yellow rain jacket over a black dress with tall yellow rainboots on her previously bare feet. ‘They couldn’t recalibrate,” she says thoughtfully.’”

Read more on the Village Voice here. 

In their latest piece for the Village Voice, writer James Cutler reports on the intersection of politics and professional sports, and how the empowerment of Black athletes “has been a major source of contention in modern sports” in recent years. From quarterback Colin Kaepernick taking a stand by taking a knee, to Laura Ingraham dismissing Lebron James’ political views on Fox News with a condescending command that he “shut up and dribble,” Cutler takes an insightful look into how leagues like the NBA are embracing their new political power. 

“Over the past 40 years, the NBA has been a trailblazer in fighting for social justice,” writes Cutler. “Even in its infancy, during the 1940s and ’50s, the NBA sought to be a sporting nirvana when it came to racial issues, and, more recently, gender equality. Before LeBron James, Chris Paul, Jaylen Brown, and others led the charge against social injustice during the summer of 2020, after Geroge Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin, some of the greatest players in NBA history had already built a foundation in social activism. In the ’60s, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and countless others fought for African Americans during that volatile decade.”

Read more on the Village Voice here. 

In their latest piece for L.A. Weekly, Food Editor Michele Stueven discusses the future of restaurants with Los Angeles’ brightest chefs, pondering on the question: is the dining room dead? Meeting at the LA Chef Conference, an event that brings together around 630 of L.A.’s top chefs, restaurateurs and vendors, Stueven, along with Wolfgang Puck, Suzanne Goin, Mary Sue Milliken, Tim Hollingsworth and others, took a hard look at the sustainable future of restaurants. 

“The consensus was clear that there’s no such thing as going back to the pre-pandemic model of dining,” writes Stueven. “With a challenging labor shortage and supply chain issues, there’s no more barking at employees or projectiles in the kitchen. Conversations from the conference suggest that keys to a sustainable restaurant future are smaller dining spaces and menus, hybrid retail and dine-in concepts, mental health and lots of delivery. With many people still working at home, the coffee table is the new dining table.”

Read more on LA Weekly here. 

In their latest piece for L.A. Weekly, Music Editor Brett Callwood interviews Dan Stuart, the frontman with Green On Red, an Arizona band that became popular in Los Angeles between 1983 and 1992. Since then, Stuart has continued his creative journey, collaboration with various musicians and even publishing his first book, The Deliverance of Marlowe Billings, in 2014, with a solo album of the same name accompanying it.

“He put out an album called Marlowe’s Revenge in 2016, but no book this time,” writes Callwood. “Then in 2018, he had his second book published – The Unfortunate Demise of Marlowe Billings – again alongside an album of the same name. For his new, third book, he’s had to go back to that Marlowe’s Revenge album for inspiration. It’s all a bit confusing, but untangling the knots is part of the fun. That applies to the plot, too.”

Read more on LA Weekly here.

In this week’s edition of Meet The Artist Monday, L.A. Weekly Arts Editor Shana Nys Dambrot introduces readers to painter Ireland Wisdom. Known for her life-size oil portraits and use of live models, Dambrot describes Wisdom as an artist that creates a rich pageant of modern Bohemia. Wisdom’s first solo show in Los Angeles, Best of Bone and Blood, opens October 22nd at Carlye Packer. 

“Painter Ireland Wisdom’s life and art both merge a love of history with an immersion in the new and now,” writes Dambrot. “Growing up in a Los Angeles scene anchored by an eclectic community of artists, poets, and the famous free-thinkers of Altadena’s Zorthian Ranch, she has continued to explore this intentional family both at the ranch and in her Historic Core studio. But her training as an artist happened in an even deeper historical core — the Renaissance-steeped academies of Florence, Italy where she learned a classical technique and a Romantic language of symbolism, dress, and pose.”

Read more on LA Weekly here. 

In their latest piece for Irvine Weekly, staff writer Evan J. Lancaster reports on that Orange County Great Park has finalized its plans for an amphitheater in partnership with LiveNation. With plans made for a 2025 opening, both the Irvine City Council and the Great Park Board of Directors have agreed to deal terms with will allow for the creation of the LiveNation Amphitheater. The venue, which will draw design inspiration from iconic venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and Millennium Park Amphitheater in Chicago, will bring a permanent 14,000 seat amphitheater into the Great Park.

“What the agreement contemplates is the city and LiveNation would engage together on a design process,” said Irvine City Manager Oliver Chi in an interview with Lancaster. “After the design we’d asses whether or not the facility can be constructed for an amount commensurate with the economic value that LiveNation will be contributing and paying to the city to operate the facility,” he said. “The city will then construct the facility with the goal of turning it over to LiveNation for them to operate, starting with the 2025 concert season.”

Read more on Irvine Weekly here.

In their latest piece for Irvine Weekly, staff writer Evan J. Lancaster reports on the demands of climate activists and environmental experts in Orange County who begrudge a perceived lack of progress Irvine has made on its climate goals. Over two dozen OC-based organizations have presented a co-signed document titled, “Irvine Must Act Now to Meet Its 2030 Carbon Zero Commitment,” which outlines their fear that unless Irvine takes significant steps some climate milestones may already be out of reach

“Every home built in Irvine with gas pipes and appliances puts Irvine families at risk,” a portion of the letter read. “In order to be the climate leader that Orange County needs and protect Irvine families, Irvine must stop allowing the construction of buildings that use gas as a fuel, and help existing homes replace gas appliances with electric appliances. 60 California cities and counties have now committed to phasing out gas in new buildings, including the other two Cool City Challenge winners – Los Angeles and Petaluma. Irvine’s absence is notable.”

Read more on Irvine Weekly here.

Within its 30 year legacy, Wu-Tang Clan has undoubtedly made a lasting impact on the global Hip-Hop community. Now, a new documentary aims to showcase how Wu-Tang’s presence in Web3 might help secure the Staten Island-based Hip-Hop dynasty’s musical immortality — with the help of the blockchain.

A new meaning to Wu-Tang Forever may be on the horizon as Evan Lancaster reports “in a not-so-metaphorical saga that began in 2015, which involves the American federal government, securities fraud, cryptocurrency, and the sale of the most expensive album ever –  Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin – Wu-Tang Clan may now be closer to forever, than ever before.”

Read more on Irvine Weekly here.