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Super Bowl Sunday dip and chili recipes that score

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 31 Januari 2015 | 23.50

Theoretically, you can serve almost anything on Super Bowl Sunday. We once even ran a story proposing a game-day wine tasting with selected charcuterie. But let's face it, that's probably not going to happen at our houses.

What you really need for Super Bowl Sunday is two great dishes: a dip and a chili. Stock a bucket full of chips and make sure there are sweets for afterward, and you've got all you need for an afternoon of football.

We've got tons of dips and chilis in our California Cookbook, but here are two favorites. The spinach-bacon dip updates an old favorite just enough to seem fresh, but it's still just as cheesy as ever. And the turkey chili from Gelson's grocery store is one of our most downloaded recipes.

The menu might be as traditional as the single-wing, but it will still get the job done.

Recipe: Gelson's turkey chili

Serves 8

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 pound ground turkey

1 small bay leaf

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes in purée

1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, not drained

1 1/2 cups tomato puree

1 cup chicken broth, more as needed

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1. In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in the turkey and cook until the turkey is browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Stir in the bay leaf, chili powder, crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes to marry the flavors. Stir in the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato purée and 1 cup chicken broth. Add the vinegar and Tabasco sauce. Cover loosely and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

3. Continue to cook for 30 to 40 minutes to develop the flavors, adjusting the consistency of the chili if needed with additional broth. Taste, adjusting the spices and seasonings if desired. Remove from heat and chill if not using immediately; reheat before serving. The flavors will continue to develop and mature as the chili sits. This makes about 2 quarts chili, which will keep, covered and refrigerated, up to 1 week.

EACH SERVING

Calories 194

Protein 16 grams

Carbohydrates 19 grams

Fiber 6 grams

Fat 7 grams

Saturated fat 2 grams

Cholesterol 39 mg

Sugar 6 grams

Sodium 1,158 mg

NOTE: Adapted from Gelson's Markets. For more heat, add a touch of cayenne pepper with the spices in Step 2.

Recipe: Spinach-bacon dip

food@latimes.com

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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'Ode to My Father' stirs the box office and debate in South Korea

South Korea's path from postwar poverty to modern wealth is a rags-to-riches tale well suited to cinema, and it's intimately presented through one family in "Ode to My Father," the country's latest box office smash.

Amid its success, "Ode" has sparked criticism from some in South Korea who argue that in attempting to honor the hard work of the postwar generation, the film glosses over the human costs of the country's speedy development.

Korea was decimated by the 1950-53 civil war, in which more than a million people died. Over the next several decades, South Koreans built one of the world's 15 largest economies from the rubble. The speed and extent of the development were exceptional, with South Korea rising from being a recipient of foreign aid to a donor.

This story is at the heart of "Ode", which opens in present-day Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, where the main character, Duk-soo (Hwang Jeong-min), is an ailing grandfather.

It flashes back to Duk-soo's early childhood, when he loses his younger sister and father in a rush to flee south at the outset of the Korean War. In his father's absence, Duk-soo becomes de facto head of the family, the beginning of a lifelong sense of responsibility to provide for his loved ones.

Distributed by South Korean giant CJ Entertainment, "Ode" opened Dec. 17 and took in $11 million in its first weekend. In just two weeks it became South Korea's sixth highest-grossing movie of 2014; as of Jan. 27, it had brought in more than $87.5 million at the box office. As of Jan. 25, "Ode" had grossed more than $1.5 million, playing on 38 screens in the U.S., high numbers for a Korean film.

"Ode" follows South Korea's biggest film of last year, "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" (directed by Kim Han-min), another historical drama. "Roaring Currents" grossed more than $130 million at the domestic box office, nearly double the next closest film, with a swashbuckling tale of a 16th century Korean naval victory over Japan.

"Ode" is playing in Los Angeles and in major markets across North America. American viewers might find some of "Ode's" scenes a bit sappy or awkward, with characters who don't always come across as authentic. For example, elderly Duk-soo throws a number of tantrums that seem like overstated caricatures of a cranky Korean grandfather.

For director JK Youn, best known for the 2009 disaster flick "Tidal Wave," the film is a literal ode to his father, who passed away when the director was in college. "I never had the chance to thank him for how hard he worked to provide for our family, so I've always wanted to make a film to honor him," Youn said at his Seoul office.

Throughout the film, Duk-soo spends his life toiling to earn money for his mother and younger siblings. He takes dirty and dangerous jobs in a German mine in the 1960s and in war-era Vietnam. "Ode" has a sentimental flavor that has reminded some viewers of "Forrest Gump," with straightforward filmmaking that seems deliberately emotive.

Youn complains that South Korean youths aren't properly educated about their country's history and all the work that went into building the national economy and infrastructure. "Nowadays young people aren't aware of just how poor this country was and how much older people sacrificed for our development," Youn said.

The most tear-jerking scenes in "Ode" center on Duk-soo's search for the sister he lost during the war. He joins countless other South Koreans separated from their loved ones who participated in a program on KBS, a major national broadcaster, where people were given the chance to state on air the names and details of their lost relatives, with the hope that those they lost were living elsewhere in the country and would see them on TV. An estimated 1.2 million Koreans died in the war, and an unknown number were displaced. More than 36,000 U.S. soldiers also died in the conflict.

The scenes are lent added emotional weight by the use of real footage from the KBS program, a marathon broadcast that riveted the nation over summer 1983. Live on air, relatives questioned each other on details of their origins and families to determine if they were related. Many tearful reunions took place.

"When that was going on, I watched it on TV and cried every day. Seeing the movie really brought back all those emotions," said Baek Ji-min, 42, a teacher in Seoul.

In addition to tugging at moviegoers' heartstrings, "Ode" has tapped into an often antagonistic discussion over how South Korea's history should be interpreted, whether as a triumph or the outcome of brutal violation of human rights. The film has been accused by those on the political left of being a whitewashed version of history and going easy on the governments that ruled, generally with iron fists. "Ode" makes no mention of human rights abuses by military governments, nor of the bloody student protests of the late 1980s, both still somewhat touchy subjects.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye has said that "Ode" illustrates the diligent struggle that went into building the country and embodies the South Korean national anthem's exhortation to "love the country, whether in suffering or joy." However, Park admitted to not having seen the film, only reading about it in a newspaper.

Lee Taek-kwang, a professor at Kyunghee University in Seoul, told the Kyunghyang newspaper that "Ode" reflects the conservative ideology that for many years exhorted South Koreans to forego individual rights in the name of national development. Referring to one scene in "Ode" where Duk-soo shuns a discussion with his wife to stand at attention for the national anthem, Lee told the Kyunghyang that "Ode" "effectively endorses the idea that the state can exploit its people."

Youn says he had no political agenda in making the film and is dismayed at the polarized discussion that has ensued. "I believe that our modern history is something to be proud of," he said.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Reader recommendation: Pink Jeep Tours in Sedona, Ariz.

Forget the vortex tour. The best activity in Sedona is the Pink Jeep off-road tour at sunset. And the best restaurants are Elote Cafe for dinner (line forms before opening time) and the Coffee Pot for breakfast (gluten-free waffle).

Pink Jeep Tours, (800) 873-3662, www.pinkjeeptourssedona.com; Elote Cafe, 771 State Route 179; (928) 203-0105, elotecafe.com; Coffee Pot, 2050 W. Highway 89A; (928) 282-6626, coffeepotsedona.com.

Cheryl Kohr

Palos Verdes Estates

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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When she opens the kitchen cabinets, memories spill forth

It's the end of January, and I've already broken or never picked up most of my New Year's resolutions. There is one, though, that I'm actually kind of enjoying. I was giving the kitchen a bit more than the usual once-over at the beginning of the year, giving the painted cupboards a rubdown with beeswax and making a halfhearted effort to organize the contents when it just came to me: I promised myself I'd either use the neglected kitchen tools and equipment I've collected over the years by this time next year — or give them away.

When I first got into cooking in my 20s, I'd haunt the kitchen stores wherever I traveled and carry home some treasure or other — a yellow ceramic mortar and pestle splashed with green, a cataplana (the hinged copper vessel the Portuguese use to steam shellfish), a hand-carved wooden corzetti stamp for pasta. At home, I picked up some fantastic finds at garage sales and flea markets. I patrolled the shelves of Williams-Sonoma in the days when it was great. I must have melon ballers in every shape and size ever made. Whenever I got an extra freelance check, I'd spend it on pots and pans and specialized tools.

I have a lot of cookware stuffed into a very small kitchen (at least by today's standards) — all useful, but not all used.

And so this year I resolved to get rid of redundant pots and pans, keeping only what's most useful and/or beautiful. I plan on retiring, at least, the giant, restaurant-sized All-Clad aluminum pots I bought at an irresistibly deep discount at least 20 years ago and break out only when I'm cooking for a huge crowd. Which isn't often.

Some things I don't use are just too beautiful to discard. I'm not giving up the gorgeous hand-hammered copper couscousière that, sadly, gets put to use only about once a year, or the cheerful blue his-and-hers Le Creuset moules pots for steamed mussels I once received as a gift. Or the giant white-glazed clay donabe steamer that sits proudly on a shelf, made by the Nagatani family of Japan, who have been making donabe from the special clay of their region for more than six generations.

So maybe I won't be giving away all that much stuff. But I will make the resolution to use the treasures I've stuffed into my very small kitchen.

It's funny how coming across the zigzagged pastry cutter that the late Lidia Alciati of Guido restaurant in Italy's Piedmont gave me inspires me to make tajarin or agnolotti again. And look, here's that metal blade with a wooden handle that I used to use to scrape away the flour and dough from the countertop when I made bread all the time. Here's the crooked wooden spoon a friend brought me from Pátzcuaro, Mexico, perfect for stirring a pot of beans. These tools bring back memories of friends and rollicking late-night dinners.

I admit I have too many coffee makers (not one of them electric). There's all my stove-top espresso pots with names like Principessa or Conehead. There's the Japanese glass siphon brewer that makes fabulous coffee but that I hardly ever use. It's a piece of theater for a dinner party — except, by the time my dinner parties end close to midnight, nobody wants coffee and I just don't stock decaf beans on principle. But here's a solution: I'll break that particular coffee performance out at brunch or lunch.

And that hand-cranked tomato press? I see a brilliant tomato season coming on: I'll keep it.

I haven't even been through all the drawers and cupboards yet. But just writing this list has shaken me out of habits, and my daydreams are filled with couscous, blinis, rustic terrines and even coddled eggs.

Irene.virbila@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter at @sirenevirbila

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Ideas sparked by tools rediscovered in the kitchen cabinet

On a first go-through of my kitchen, I found these orphans languishing at the back of the cupboard:

Madeleine pans of various sizes and provenance. Resolved: Make lavender madeleines and have a tea party.

Hand-crank pasta machine. This guy was once practically my best friend, but as I got more and more into pasta asciutta (dried pasta), I stopped making fresh. I'd love to use it to make agnolotti and tortellini. The only thing stopping me: lack of a table edge thin enough to clamp the machine on. Resolved: Find one.

Chocolate double-boiler in porcelain and copper. I lusted over this one at Déhillerin in Paris for years, finally got one but rarely use it. Resolved: Make hot fudge sauce.

Blini pans. Carried home from Paris and used for several successive New Year's Eves. What's missing: some good caviar, or even salmon roe, which I actually love almost as much. Resolved: To re-create the time I sat with the Russian émigrés at Caviar Kaspia in Paris sipping icy vodka and eating blinis with caviar. A real splurge at the time (or any time).

Tall-sided lasagna pan purchased at a steep discount at the Williams-Sonoma outlet on the way to Vegas. It's a Mario Batali pan, quite heavy, and large enough to make lasagna for the entire neighborhood. Resolved: Throw a lasagna party and make Gino Angelini's lasagna verde with a veal and beef ragù.

Terrine form, the classic, with a flat lid that slides over to keep the terrine nice and square. The same kind that bistros like La Régalade in Paris put out on the table with a knife so you can serve yourself a thick slab. Resolved: Make a classic country pâté to serve as a first course or part of a charcuterie platter.

Soba knife and huge stainless steel bowl for making soba. I bought them when I took a soba class from Sonoko Sakai. I loved the process, but to make good soba takes practice, practice, practice. Resolved: Lay in some buckwheat flour and try making soba. I may need to take a refresher course to get better at it.

A pair of glass egg coddlers. They're a classic Bauhaus style, with clamps to hold the lid on tight, designed by Wilhelm Wagenfeld in 1934. You get something similar to a soft-boiled egg without the mess. And you can add a splash of cream or some scissored chives to dress up your breakfast egg. Resolved: Have coddled eggs with toast and jam for breakfast more often.

A mezzaluna, the half-moon-shaped blade with a wooden handle at either end that Italians use to chops herbs and vegetables with a rocking motion, carried from Florence by a friend who took a cooking class there. Resolved: Next time a recipe calls for soffritto (the chopped onions, celery, carrots, garlic and parsley that are the base of so many Italian dishes), I'm breaking it out.

Irene.virbila@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter at @sirenevirbila

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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EDM nightclubs in L.A.

Written By kolimtiga on Kamis, 29 Januari 2015 | 23.50

EDM nightclubs

Sound

1642 N. Las Palmas Ave., L.A.

soundnightclub.com

Create

6021 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.

sbe.com

Lure

1439 Ivar Ave., L.A.

lurehollywood.com

Avalon

1735 N. Vine Ave., L.A.

avalonhollywood.com

Exchange

618 S. Spring St., L.A.

exchangela.com

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Time Warner Cable misses estimates as programming costs rise

Time Warner Cable Inc., which is awaiting regulatory approval to merge with Comcast Corp., missed analysts' profit estimates as TV programming costs rose and the company offered more promotions to lure subscribers.

Fourth-quarter earnings, excluding some items, rose to $2.03 a share, falling short of the $2.09 average of analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales gained 3.8 percent to $5.79 billion, the New York-based company said in a statement. Analysts projected revenue of $5.81 billion.

As the total number of Americans paying for TV declines, Time Warner Cable has focused on offering cheaper bundles of cable, Internet and phone service to keep subscribers and lure new ones. The company has faced rising costs for sports and broadcast channels, while investing in improving its broadband network as younger viewers increasingly watch shows on the Web instead of paying for traditional cable.

"The big drag remains the rate of programming rate increases," Craig Moffett, an analyst at MoffettNathanson LLC, said in a phone interview. Efforts to draw new customers also reduced profit, he said.

"They're focusing more on bringing customers into double and triple play packages, and those often have promotional prices up front," Moffett said.

Programming and content expenses climbed 7.1 percent to $1.3 billion in the quarter, as companies demand higher fees for the right to air their sports and broadcast channels.

Time Warner Cable shares fell 0.4 percent to $138.58 at 10:01 a.m. New York time. The stock was down 8.5 percent this month through yesterday.

The falling number of Americans paying for TV partly inspired Comcast's proposed $45.2 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable. The deal could give the combined companies scale to help invest in their network and combat rising expenses.

While Time Warner Cable reiterated that it expects the deal to close soon, the companies extended the expiration date of their merger agreement by six months to August, according to a regulatory filing Thursday.

The extension is "no surprise" and "purely procedural," according to James Ratcliffe, an analyst at Buckingham Research Group. He said it's very likely that the deal will be completed.

The merger is still under regulatory review. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department have been vetting the deal since it was announced almost a year ago and delayed their decisions several times.

Time Warner Cable said it had its best quarter for subscriber numbers in at least seven years. The company lost 38,000 residential cable customers, while gaining 295,000 residential voice customers and 168,000 residential high-speed Internet clients.

The subscriber performance was better than analysts expected, according to Philip Cusick, an analyst with JPMorgan Chase & Co. In a research note, he said analysts were anticipating a loss of 103,000 cable customers with additions of 30,000 for voice and 93,000 for broadband.

The tradeoff for stronger subscriber growth and retention was that monthly bills didn't rise as much as some analysts expected, partly because of more promotions. The average monthly broadband bill rose to $47.30 a month, while Cusick expected $47.49, and voice revenue of $30.58 was short of Cusick's $31.63 estimate.

"This is actually the first real sign of a turnaround at Time Warner Cable," Moffett said. "The company has been much too reliant on price increases as of late. And now for the first time they're showing real signs of fixing the basic problems and it's showing up in much better subscriber results than in the past."

Moffett said video subscribers may even rise this year.

Time Warner Cable's net income rose to $554 million, or $1.95 a share, from $540 million, or $1.89, a year earlier.

The company said the costs of airing football, basketball and other games are driving its rising expenses. Customers this year have a $2.75 monthly charge added to their bills for sports programming.

Other providers have made similar moves. The charge for broadcast networks on Comcast's monthly bills has gone up to $3.25 from $1.50 in most markets.

The price increases have further pushed viewers online, where there are increasingly cheaper options to access content. In 2013, the number of Americans with cable or satellite subscriptions fell for the first time.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Ford beats estimates despite declines in earnings, revenue

Ford's net income tumbled in the fourth quarter as the company took an expected charge to deal with its struggling Venezuelan operations.

But without the charge and other one-time items, Ford came out ahead of Wall Street's expectations for the fourth quarter and the full year.

Its shares rose 2 percent in premarket trading about an hour before the market open.

Ford's net income fell to $52 million in the fourth quarter, largely due to an $800 million charge because of Venezuelan currency controls and constraints on what in can build and sell in the country. Ford announced last week that it would remove its Venezuelan operations from its financial reporting in future quarters.

Ford's earnings of a penny per share compared to earnings of 75 cents per share in the fourth quarter a year ago.

Without one-time items, including the Venezuela charge and separation payments due to plant closures in Europe and Australia, Ford earned $1.1 billion in the quarter, down 15 percent from a year ago.

But its adjusted earnings of 26 cents per share beat Wall Street's forecast of 22 cents per share, according to FactSet.

Fourth-quarter revenue fell 4.5 percent to $35.9 billion, but also beat analysts' expectations.

For the full year, Ford's earnings fell 56 percent to $3.2 billion, or 80 cents per share. On a pretax basis, the company earned $6.3 billion, down from a near-record of $8.6 billion a year ago.

Worldwide sales fell less than 1 percent to 6.3 million cars and trucks. Sales were down in North America, South America and the Middle East but rose in Europe and Asia.

Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford had repeatedly warned that its profits would be down in 2014. Last fall, the company cut its full-year pretax earnings forecast to $6 billion from $7 billion to $8 billion.

Ford spent heavily to introduce a record 24 vehicles worldwide, including a redesigned Mustang and the new aluminum-bodied F-150 pickup truck. Ford is spending more than $1 billion to retrofit its two U.S. plants to make the new truck; while shipments have already begun, the Dearborn and Kansas City plants that make the lucrative trucks won't be fully operational until the second quarter of this year.

Ford struggled with higher warranty costs, including a $500 million charge for the recall of 850,000 vehicles with defective air bags. The company is also rapidly expanding in Asia, where it's building five plants and launching the Lincoln brand.

The losses were offset by Ford Credit, the company's finance arm, which earned a pretax profit of $1.9 billion. That was the unit's best result since 2011. Ford also earned a record full-year profit of $589 million in Asia.

In North America, Ford's full-year profit fell 22 percent to $6.9 billion, largely the result of a slowdown in pickup truck sales as the company prepared to launch the new F-150. Ford said profit-sharing checks for its 50,000 U.S. hourly workers, which are based on North American profits, will total around $6,900 when paid in March. That's down from a record $8,800 per worker last year.

In Europe, Ford narrowed its full-year loss to $1.1 billion. Ford's European sales improved thanks to new vehicles, but results were hurt by the economic slowdown in Russia. In South America, Ford's losses ballooned to $1.2 billion as the company was hit by import restrictions in Argentina and a weaker economy in Brazil.

Profit-sharing payments to each of Ford's 50,000 U.S. hourly workers will be about $6,900 when paid in March. That's $1,900 less than last year, which was a record.

Things are expected to improve this year. Ford expects a pretax profit of $8.5 billion to $9.5 billion in 2015. The company is launching just 15 vehicles and it expects warranty costs to fall.

Ford shares rose 25 cents to $14.71 in premarket trading about an hour ahead of the market open.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Vaccine skeptics are in denial

To the editor: My child is a student at Waldorf School of Orange County, and it's unbelievable that 41% of kindergartners started the school year unvaccinated. Just recently a Waldorf parent told me that no one is talking about the measles epidemic — not one conversation. ("Once easily recognized, signs of measles now elude young doctors," Jan. 26)

Maybe as a society we value a dog's life more than a human life.

All dogs in California that are 4 months or older are legally required to be vaccinated for rabies. A law enacted in 2011 allows an exemption for the rabies shot if the dog has existing medical conditions that would further deteriorate its health but requires that the animal be confined to the owner's home or be kept on a short leash when away from home.

In contrast, a parent of a human child may sign a paper claiming a belief exemption from all vaccinations. Wow.

Gina Piazza, Costa Mesa

..

To the editor: I do not dispute the value of vaccines, and all my children were inoculated on schedule. However, I sympathize with the so-called deniers.

For generations, many members of the medical establishment have over-promised their ability to prevent and cure disease, told us to take medications that were later determined to have terrible side effects, and more recently failed to protect us from extortionary medical billing practices by their hospitals and insurance companies.

It is both rational and reasonable for some people to no longer trust their doctors.

Rather than ridiculing them, members of the medical community should ask first: What part do we have in this? Once they answer that question, they can begin to rebuild the public's faith in them.

David Fleck, Granada Hills

..

To the editor: Well-meaning but misguided parents must realize that measles shots are not lethal injections.

Quite the opposite: Failure to protect their (and other people's) children is a rash decision that could sicken, disable or even kill innocents.

Chris Ungar, Los Osos, Calif.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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EDM nightclubs in L.A.

EDM nightclubs

Sound

1642 N. Las Palmas Ave., L.A.

soundnightclub.com

Create

6021 Hollywood Blvd., L.A.

sbe.com

Lure

1439 Ivar Ave., L.A.

lurehollywood.com

Avalon

1735 N. Vine Ave., L.A.

avalonhollywood.com

Exchange

618 S. Spring St., L.A.

exchangela.com

cComments
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Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Buy a Thrill: Catch Steely Dan at Palms Casino

Written By kolimtiga on Rabu, 28 Januari 2015 | 23.50

The Internet practically imploded when Steely Dan, a less-than-obvious-choice, was announced as part of the lineup for Coachella, the spring music festival in Indio, Calif.

If you missed out on tickets to the sold-out shows, head to the Pearl at the Palms Casino on Apr. 11, when the brainy kings of '70s jazz rock stop by on their Rockabye Gollie Angel tour with eight supporting musicians and three backing vocalists.

Guitarist Walter Becker and frontman and pianist Donald Fagen have been together since day one, compiling a four-decade catalog of hits, including "Reelin' in the Years," "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," "F.M.," "Peg," "Hey Nineteen," "Deacon Blues," and "Babylon Sisters." Their seven platinum albums, including the groundbreaking "Aja," sold more than 40 million copies.

After breaking up 1981, citing exhaustion, Becker and Fagen reunited in the early '90s and released multi-Grammy winner (including "Album Of The Year") Two Against Nature in 2000. Their latest album, Everything Must Go, came out in 2003.

Tickets start at $93.50 and go on sale Friday, Jan. 30, at noon.

Info: Pearl Box Office, (702) 944-3200

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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NBA D-League teammates ejected after getting into fight on bench

It appears at least a couple of NBA Development League players need to work on camaraderie just as much as their basketball skills.

Two players on the Iowa Energy were ejected during a game against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Tuesday after getting into a fight during a timeout. According to the Des Moines Register, Kailin Lucas and Jarnell Stokes started brawling in front of the Energy bench in the third quarter.

Video of the incident makes it difficult to see how the fight started or what exactly happened, but in-arena broadcasters covering the game did fill in some of the unknowns.

One of them tells the crowd, "… Some unfortunate happenings. Not sure what happened on the Iowa bench, but teammates kind of got into it."

Later, they described Lucas as being "bloodied up a bit" by the fight.

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the fight is how the referees appear to be oblivious to what's going on until the scuffle is well underway.

Before they were ejected, Lucas had 18 points and Stokes netted 16. Iowa went on to win the game, 124-120.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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Travel, trouble, traffic: State Department numbers on deaths abroad

In just an average week, Americans safely make more than 1 million trips abroad. But over the course of a year, hundreds of U.S. citizens do die abroad -- and traffic is the leading killer.

Statistics from the U.S. State Department show 803 deaths abroad from "non-natural" causes among U.S. citizen deaths from July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. Of those deaths, 213 were listed as vehicular accidents (including autos, buses, motorcycles, pedestrians and trains).

Another 184 deaths were classified as homicides; 134 were suicides; 108 were drownings; 99 were listed as "other accident"; 20 were "drug-related"; 18 were air accidents; 13 were "terrorist action" in Afghanistan; and 10 were maritime accidents.

The country with the most reported deaths was also the country Americans visit most often: Mexico, which received 20.8 million American visitors in 2013, was the site of 244 "non-natural" American deaths in the 12 months ending June 30.

The State Department itself warns travelers against reading too much into these numbers. As officials point out, most American citizens who die abroad are residents in those countries, not tourists. (The State Department has estimated than 1 million U.S. citizens live in Mexico. The Commerce Department, meanwhile, is tracking where American travelers go.)

Also, some deaths go unreported to U.S. officials; and military deaths may be excluded. Moreover, names and details in all of these cases are withheld to preserve families' privacy.

Still, the numbers do offer a reminder that trips come with some risks, especially if there's driving or swimming involved.

In Mexico, where drug-war violence has plagued many states for several years, the State Department's American-death figures have dropped as low as 194 (in 2006), rising as high as 278 (in 2010).  In 2013, consular officials counted 216 American deaths in Mexico.

Of the 244 deaths tallied in the 12 months ending June 30, 92 were by homicide, 71 were by vehicular accidents and 33 were by drowning. There were 25 other kinds of accidents, 21 suicides and one death listed only as "drug-related."  

Beyond Mexico, Thailand counted 30 American deaths during the year ending June 30; the Philippines, 28; Costa Rica, 22; Germany, 19. Canada, which runs second to Mexico in U.S. visitors, reported just 15 U.S. non-natural deaths.

As for traffic deaths -- in Mexico and worldwide -- the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has gathered country-by-country figures showing relative risks. The numbers are sobering, especially for anyone traveling to Africa. (Of the 20 countries with the highest estimated traffic-death rates worldwide, 15 are in Africa.)

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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'Reborning': Creepy, yes, but undeniably powerful

"Reborning" is the phenomenon in which customers purchase extravagantly expensive infant dolls – sometimes facsimiles of lost loved ones – that are amazingly lifelike in every particular.

Fascinated by this "beautiful, grotesque and odd" fetish/fad, playwright Zayd Dohrn was inspired to write "Reborning," his superb comedy-drama, now in its Los Angeles premiere at the Fountain Theatre.

The action centers around Kelly (Joanna Strapp), a prickly young woman who lives with her goofily "normal" boyfriend, Daizy (Ryan Doucette). The much in-demand creator of "reborn" babies, Kelly encounters a particularly exacting customer in Emily (Kristin Carey), a successful older woman who has ordered an exact replica of her dead baby girl. But when Kelly begins to suspect that Emily is the woman who gruesomely abandoned her at birth, she arrives at the brink of madness.

It's an admittedly creepy concept, but there's nothing cheap about Dohrn's play, which builds to a shattering denouement.

Director Simon Levy has assembled an extraordinary cast in his exquisitely well-realized production, which also features impressive design elements, particularly Jeff McLaughlin's scruffy apartment set.

All the actors are rock-solid, but Strapp's is a slow-motion train crash of a performance – a real heart-stopper that leaves us emotionally wrecked in its aftermath.

"Reborning," Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Ends March 15. $15-$34.96. (323) 663-1525. www.FountainTheatre.com. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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'Anna Christie' habors but a spark of greatness

There's no shortage of acting in the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie." Accents are adorned like fake noses, illnesses resemble those found in 19th century operas and bits of melodramatic business might as well be underscored with the clashing of cymbals.

What's missing from the production — which stars Jeff Perry (a Steppenwolf Theatre Company veteran and cast member of the hit television series "Scandal") and his daughter, rising actress Zoe Perry, as the play's long-estranged father and daughter — is the kind of directorial guidance that could infuse all this sound and fury with some resonant stillness.

The old-fashioned acting heaves in one direction; Kim Rubinstein's superficially modern staging tugs in another. Emotional combustion fortunately arrives with the introduction of Mat Burke (played by Kevin McKidd of "Grey's Anatomy"), the Irish shipman who washes up from the sea and falls madly in love with Anna, a sickly young woman with a checkered past who has sought sanctuary on her captain father's coal barge.

The plot belongs to another era, revolving around Anna's redemption from her life as a former prostitute after the neglect and exploitation of her childhood. But in trying to stylistically update O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1921 drama, this mismanaged revival makes the work seem irretrievably outdated.

Wilson Chin's semi-abstract set design — a raised platform that functions as barroom and boat, surrounded by a border of water standing in for "dat ole davil sea" — is treated by Rubinstein without much concern for common-sense logistics. Absent entirely is a sense of proportion. When the fog rolls in midway through the first act, the effect is so overdone that it's hard to make out what's happening on stage through stinging, watering eyes.

In O'Neill's drama, the fog is, of course, symbolic of the blindness with which the characters muddle their way into the future. Here, it's indicative of a production that is unable to effectively marshal its resources in the intimate space.

In the role of the Swedish captain Chris Christopherson, Jeff Perry gives a broad sketch of this weather-beaten seaman who has turned his back on long ocean voyages and the loneliness and drunken misery he associates with such a life. It's a characterization that stops short of being comic but has some of the same bluster and blunder one finds in the characters of Synge and O'Casey. The production, however, doesn't establish an assured tone for Perry's performance.

O'Neill, who was never known for his acute ear, had a bad habit of writing out speech patterns phonetically. Perry seems straitjacketed by Chris' pidgin English, his mouth forming around his lines as though he were swallowing Swedish meatballs.

The oddness of the portrayal is thrown into relief in the opening scene by Tait Ruppert's nonchalant bartender, who could pass for a waiter at a chain restaurant in Santa Monica. This character may not have a cumbersome accent, but surely he ought to inhabit the same time period as Mary Mara's Marthy Owen, a Dickensian barfly and Chris' bedmate who offers Anna a look into her own future if she doesn't straighten out her ways.

Zoe Perry's accent screams Minnesota, which is where Anna went to live as a young girl with her mother, who died during the voyage. This isn't the only dimension of her performance that is pitched too strenuously.

Pauline Lord, who originated the role of Anna on Broadway, was renowned for the hushed quality of her tragic realism. Perry makes intelligent choices with her interpretation of a woman whose cruel, exploited life hasn't sullied her innermost being, but the gap between character and actress is far too visible. O'Neill invites overacting, but he needs sacrificial immersion.

There are a few clarifying moments of blasting anger between Anna and Chris, but the cathartic fires really only ignite in the scenes between Anna and McKidd's Mat, who doesn't want to love her after she reveals the truth about her past, yet cannot stop. This is an O'Neill play that ends on a hopeful note, though naturally it takes several near catastrophes and a quasi-exorcism to get there.

The production, shot through with the plaintive jazz of sound designer Martin Gutfeldt's saxophone (another of Rubinstein's empty gestures), never finds a coherent rhythm. But a spark of what made O'Neill the great American dramatist (despite his myriad flaws as a writer) comes through. When the fog lifts (glory be to God), a haunted happy ending is the reward.

-----------------------

'Anna Christie'

Where: Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A.

When: 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays (call for exceptions). Ends March 8.

Tickets: $34.99

Info: (310) 477-2055, Ext. 2; http://www.OdysseyTheatre.com

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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USAID formally suspends contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan

Written By kolimtiga on Selasa, 27 Januari 2015 | 23.50

The United States Agency for International Development has formally suspended the work of one of its contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan following accusations of mismanagement.

A USAID statement issued Monday said the decision was the result of investigations into "serious misconduct" by Arlington, Va.-based International Relief and Development.

Since it began operations in 2006, IRD -- which describes itself on its website as a nonprofit humanitarian and development organization -- has been awarded projects worth more than $1 billion in Afghanistan and $85.57 million in Iraq.

The ban, effective immediately, comes after a USAID review "revealed serious misconduct in IRD's performance, management, internal controls and present responsibility," the statement read.

IRD, which last year was USAID's 25th largest contractor, said it was "cooperating fully" with the investigation.

"We are working on a response to USAID that will directly address the agency's concerns, and reestablish confidence that federal taxpayer funds are being prudently managed by IRD," said Roger Ervin, the group's chief executive.

IRD is also under investigation for alleged mismanagement by the U.S. government's special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction.

The USAID's own inspector general found that 34% of the group's projects in Iraq failed to match any needs identified by the communities.

The USAID decision comes more than a week after Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on the Obama administration to sever ties with IRD and another contractor.

In a Jan. 16 letter to Rajiv Shah, the head of USAID, Corker called the agency's "continued reliance on such organizations … questionable at best."

Corker cited a case in which a former procurement director at IRD was indicted for "allegedly soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for influencing the award of USAID-funded contracts in Afghanistan."

Latifi is a special correspondent.

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Obama pays respects to late Saudi king, meets with country's new ruler

Greeted by a crowd of royalty and a band playing the U.S. national anthem, President Obama landed in Riyadh on Tuesday for a hastily planned visit to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally.

Obama cut short a trip to India in order to pay his respects during the mourning period for King Abdullah, but the visit is also intended to start the reign of the late monarch's successor and 'half-brother, King Salman, on a positive note for the U.S.

Advisors to the president said the trip was intended to pay respects to the legacy of Abdullah, whom Obama said in a statement was "candid" and "had the courage of his convictions." 

Obama also wants to "touch base on some of the issues where we're working together with the Saudis," said deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia consult on a number of delicate issues in the Middle East, including the fight against Islamic State, nuclear negotiations with Iran and the unfolding crisis in Yemen, where the American-backed government collapsed last week.

The White House put together a bipartisan delegation for the trip, with veterans of both Bush administrations and members of Congress, including Sen. John McCain and House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco.

The president and First Lady Michelle Obama were greeted on the tarmac in Riyadh by King Salman and Crown Prince Muqrin. With an interpreter at their side, Obama chatted for a moment with Salman as a sword-bearing honor guard stood by.

The Obamas shook hands with several members of the Saudi delegation before a motorcade took them to Erga Palace for a closed-door meeting.

For news about President Obama and the Obama administration, follow me on Twitter: @cparsons

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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USAID formally suspends contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan

The United States Agency for International Development has formally suspended the work of one of its contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan following accusations of mismanagement.

A USAID statement issued Monday said the decision was the result of investigations into "serious misconduct" by Arlington, Va.-based International Relief and Development.

Since it began operations in 2006, IRD -- which describes itself on its website as a nonprofit humanitarian and development organization -- has been awarded projects worth more than $1 billion in Afghanistan and $85.57 million in Iraq.

The ban, effective immediately, comes after a USAID review "revealed serious misconduct in IRD's performance, management, internal controls and present responsibility," the statement read.

IRD, which last year was USAID's 25th largest contractor, said it was "cooperating fully" with the investigation.

"We are working on a response to USAID that will directly address the agency's concerns, and reestablish confidence that federal taxpayer funds are being prudently managed by IRD," said Roger Ervin, the group's chief executive.

IRD is also under investigation for alleged mismanagement by the U.S. government's special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction.

The USAID's own inspector general found that 34% of the group's projects in Iraq failed to match any needs identified by the communities.

The USAID decision comes more than a week after Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on the Obama administration to sever ties with IRD and another contractor.

In a Jan. 16 letter to Rajiv Shah, the head of USAID, Corker called the agency's "continued reliance on such organizations … questionable at best."

Corker cited a case in which a former procurement director at IRD was indicted for "allegedly soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for influencing the award of USAID-funded contracts in Afghanistan."

Latifi is a special correspondent.

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Obama pays respects to late Saudi king, meets with country's new ruler

Greeted by a crowd of royalty and a band playing the U.S. national anthem, President Obama landed in Riyadh on Tuesday for a hastily planned visit to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally.

Obama cut short a trip to India in order to pay his respects during the mourning period for King Abdullah, but the visit is also intended to start the reign of the late monarch's successor and 'half-brother, King Salman, on a positive note for the U.S.

Advisors to the president said the trip was intended to pay respects to the legacy of Abdullah, whom Obama said in a statement was "candid" and "had the courage of his convictions." 

Obama also wants to "touch base on some of the issues where we're working together with the Saudis," said deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia consult on a number of delicate issues in the Middle East, including the fight against Islamic State, nuclear negotiations with Iran and the unfolding crisis in Yemen, where the American-backed government collapsed last week.

The White House put together a bipartisan delegation for the trip, with veterans of both Bush administrations and members of Congress, including Sen. John McCain and House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco.

The president and First Lady Michelle Obama were greeted on the tarmac in Riyadh by King Salman and Crown Prince Muqrin. With an interpreter at their side, Obama chatted for a moment with Salman as a sword-bearing honor guard stood by.

The Obamas shook hands with several members of the Saudi delegation before a motorcade took them to Erga Palace for a closed-door meeting.

For news about President Obama and the Obama administration, follow me on Twitter: @cparsons

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Kobe Bryant uses Super Bowl analogy to describe frustration, injury

Kobe Bryant will go back under the knife on Wednesday for season-ending surgery to repair his torn right rotator cuff.

The 36-year old veteran's season will presumably end after 35 games played, an improvement over last year that saw Achilles' and knee injuries limit Bryant to just six appearances.

On Tuesday morning, Bryant released a brief statement via "The Players' Tribune":

I feel like I just returned a 100 yard kickoff in the last two minutes of the Super Bowl to win it all only to have my run called back by a flag on the play.

The Lakers All-Star guard was injured on Wednesday in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Bryant is under contract for another season at $25 million.

Despite his injuries, Bryant is likely to push his way back to the court for a 20th season once he gets through rehabbing a repaired rotator cuff.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

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Six-alarm fire in steep canyons spurs evacuations in Pacifica

Written By kolimtiga on Senin, 26 Januari 2015 | 23.50

A fast-moving fire in Pacifica south of San Francisco triggered a six-alarm response from local firefighters and local evacuations, authorities said Monday.

About 90 homes were evacuated as the flames crept toward canyon homes, said North County Fire Authority spokesman Clyde Preston. The blaze was challenging because of the steep canyons, thick brush and 15 mph winds that pushed it toward residents, Preston said.

The fire broke out in vegetation on the edge of a state game refuge in Pacifica about 3:30 a.m.

The San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services initiated a reverse-911 call to about 500 homes about 6:30 a.m. and told them that there were voluntary evacuations and a shelter had been set up, said EOS district coordinator Steve Mahaley.

Residents of about 90 homes heeded the warning and were holed up in the county's shelter, he said.

Meanwhile, crews fought to extinguish the flames. The fire was ultimately contained before 8 a.m. and was limited to about five acres, he said. The cause is under investigation.

County firefighters were going to spend most of the day "mopping up" the blaze, Mahaley said. There were no reported injuries and a cause for the blaze was being investigated.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection sent crews to assist in the fight, the agency said in a tweet.

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.

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Home of the Day: South Pasadena Craftsman with Batchelder tile

High-pitched gables and a hipped roof lend a distinguished touch to this transitional Craftsman residence in South Pasadena. Built in the early 1920s, the home retains its period charm with such details as delicate crown molding, large picture windows and an original Batchelder tile fireplace. Modern upgrades include an updated kitchen and a master bathroom lined in Calacatta Gold marble.

Location: 1705 Wayne Ave., South Pasadena, 91030

Price: $1.695 million

Year built: 1921

House size: 2,744 square feet, four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms

Lot size: 0.25 acres

Features: Batchelder tile fireplace, crown molding, hardwood flooring, picture windows, formal dining room, living room, kitchen, breakfast room, family room with fireplace, study, master suite with Calacatta Gold marble, brick-lined patio, pool, spa, garden

About the area: There were 15 single-family homes sold in the 91030 ZIP Code last month at a median sales price of $1.193 million, according to DataQuick. That was a 53.3% increase in median price year-over-year.

Agents: Joy Majich, (626) 773-3449, deasy/penner&partners

To submit a candidate for Home of the Day, send high-resolution color photos via Dropbox.com, permission from the photographer to publish the images and a description of the house to neal.leitereg@latimes.com.

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Good bets for Super Bowl partying in Las Vegas

As the clock ticks toward the Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, fans who will be spending the weekend in Las Vegas have a tantalizing decision to make: Will a humble hot dog be enough when dishes such as chili shrimp skewers and Grandma's meatballs are available?

It will be a big weekend for sure: Last year, bettors in Nevada wagered a record $119.4 million on the Super Bowl. The Nevada Gaming Control Board said the combined earnings for sports books statewide totaled more than $19.6 million.

Because this is the big game, you'll want to get the eating/drinking options right if you're in Las Vegas. Here are some good bets. I've even tossed in an option for the kids who obviously can't sit next to Mom or Dad at an adults-only party.

—PBR Rock Bar & Grill is one of the scads of spots luring potential patrons with food and drink packages. It will be nearly impossible to miss a play since this venue inside the Miracle Mile Shops will have 105 HDTVs tuned to the Super Bowl. Open bar packages start at $100.

—Citizens Kitchen and Bar at Mandalay Bay will keep things simple on Sunday. Enjoy a bucket of wings for $20 or a bucket of beer for $25. The regular menu will also be available.

—Tacos & Tequila at Luxor will spice up the on-the-field action with habañero hot wings. Wash them down with the "Spicy Lover," a cocktail made from Jose Cuervo Tradicional Plata Tequila, English cucumber, Mexican cilantro, lime juice, sweet agave nectar and a dash of Tabasco sauce.

—The Pub at Monte Carlo, with one of the biggest beer selections around, will tempt guests with either an "All-You-Can-Eat" package ($75) or "All-You-Can-Eat & Drink" package ($175). The latter includes both a "tailgate buffet" and premium cocktails.

—Buddy V's Ristorante at the Grand Canal Shoppes may have one of the biggest bargains during the game. From 1 p.m. until the last whistle blows, the restaurant created by "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro will offer an Italian-style tailgate party for $35. The all-you-can-eat menu includes dishes such as Grandma's meatballs, Hoboken Italian subs and mini cannoli. Buckets of six bottles of beer cost $20. Because the party's in the bar, guests must be 21 or older.

—The Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (200 S. 3rd St.) will welcome hundreds of fans to a tent being touted as a giant man cave. There's no charge to attend and multiple cash bars will be available along with stadium-style food. VIP packages with private seating and an open bar are also offered.

—Shake Shack at New York-New York can help fans who feel the need for some serious comfort food (think ice cream) with its "two pint conversion." Sunday's special is two pints of frozen custard for the price of one. Don't worry, there are plenty of TVs on which to watch the game.

—Vinyl, an intimate live entertainment venue at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, will offer the clash plus a concert. For $150, guests can enjoy pub grub and an open bar. Admission includes a concert by local band Smashing Alice after the game. The fun begins at 1:30 p.m. and it's first-come, first-served for tables.

—At the House of Blues Foundation Room on the 63rd floor of Mandalay Bay you can enjoy the view and the game. A single-day member pass ($40) includes two beers. The special game-day menu offers items such as chili shrimp skewers with pineapple sauce and French fries with truffle oil, rosemary and shaved Parmesan.

—Splash Studios (9700 W. Tropicana Ave.) is a place where the kids can make their own fun on Sunday. This paint-your-own pottery studio is open from 1 to 8 p.m. on game day. The "parent-free zone" will welcome kids 5 and older to create their own works of art. The price is $65 per child in advance or $75 at the door. Info: (702) 868-1606.

—Of course, sports books throughout Vegas will be accepting wagers and catering to their clients. The race and sports lounge at Caesars Palace is selling $300 tickets for premium seats with an open bar. The liquors to be poured include Absolut, Crown Royal and Patron. The price also includes two hot dogs and unlimited chips and pretzels.

Follow us on Twitter at @latimestravel

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Easy dinner recipes: Rich and comforting soups for Meatless Monday

Sometimes it doesn't get better than a comforting bowl of soup. Check out these ideas for rich and hearty vegetarian one-dish meals:

Creamy mushroom and roasted onion soup: If you're craving a bowl of rich mushroom soup, this recipe delivers. No less than a pound of cremini mushrooms are simmered with garlic, shallots, onion and buttery Chardonnay for an aromatic base. Purée the mushrooms with heavy cream for a smooth, velvety finish, then stir in finely chopped roasted onion (the onion can be roasted ahead of time) at the end. A thin slice of Parmigiano-Reggiano completes each serving.

Sally Lunn's carrot, lentil and cumin soup: Rich and full of deep flavor, you might never guess this soup is vegetarian. Or that it comes together so quickly and easily. Sally Lunn's in Bath, England, was happy to share its recipe so you can have a little taste of Bath here at home.

Coral Tree Cafe's vegetable soup: Craving a hearty vegetable soup? Fresh vegetables simmered with barley in a hearty broth make for a perfect one-dish meal. What's more, your guests might not even notice it's vegetarian.

CORAL TREE CAFE'S VEGETABLE SOUP

Total time: 1 hour | Serves 8 to 10

Note: Adapted from Coral Tree Cafe in Los Angeles.

    2 tablespoons oil
    2 cups diced carrots
    2 cups diced onions
    1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
    1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
    3/4 cup pearl barley
    1 quart vegetable broth
    1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce
    2 cups quartered mushrooms
    2 cups diced zucchini
    Salt and pepper

1. Heat a medium, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat until hot. Add the oil, then add the carrots, onions, bell pepper, thyme and barley. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are golden-brown, about 18 minutes, taking care that the barley does not burn.

2. Stir in the vegetable broth and marinara. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

3. Cook until the barley is al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and zucchini, and season to taste with salt and pepper (the amount of seasoning needed will vary depending on the vegetable broth and marinara used). Cover and continue to simmer until the mushrooms and zucchini are just tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, thin if desired, and season again to taste, and serve. This makes about 2 1/2 quarts of soup.

Each of 10 servings: 155 calories; 4 grams protein; 26 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 mg cholesterol; 8 grams sugar; 365 mg sodium.

Love cooking as much as I do? Follow me @noellecarter

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SAG Awards 2015: The duds, thuds and wows on the red carpet

We saw dull (Felicity Jones in a blush-pink, off-the-shoulder Balenciaga column), dowdy (Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a subdued black Monique Lhuillier gown with long black lace sleeves) and disappointing (Julianne Moore in an emerald-green beaded Givenchy that lacked that extra oomph).

And we saw more plunge fronts than a water park in high summer.

We also saw a lot of just plain dark outfits, a veritable blackout on an 80-degree day. Lorelei Linklater looked as if she were auditioning for the role of Morticia Addams in a black velvet Honor gown with bell sleeves. Why so serious? It's January in L.A., not New York.

And poor Rosamund Pike, pilloried for her side-scooped white Vera Wang gown at the Golden Globes, didn't even stop to talk to the TV cameras about her ruffled blue high-low Dior gown.

But the SAG Awards red carpet wasn't a total dud.

Reese Witherspoon looked modern and confident in a one-shoulder white Giorgio Armani gown with matte sequin detailing and a deep scoop back. The gown was fitted to perfection, and her sleek ponytail was the right accompaniment. Another white light? Maggie Gyllenhaal in a slinky crepe gown with a sheer bodice panel by Thakoon Panichgul.

Pregnant or not, Keira Knightley was one of the best-dressed in a deep-plum gown by British designer Erdem Moralioglu. The dramatic hue offset the gown's delicate lace tiers.

If you were looking for unusual, Emma Stone wore a Dior design that was one part tuxedo dress, one part sheer ball skirt — altogether sassy and different.

Another cool customer, Claire Danes, chose a Marc Jacobs gown that was anything but standard issue. In olive-drab green, the column dress was embellished with sparkly cabochons. It was a riff on Jacobs' spring 2015 runway collection, which riffed on uniforms of every stripe. And it was the first time I'd seen a Jacobs design on a major awards show red carpet, maybe ever. (Jacobs left his job as creative director of Louis Vuitton after 16 years in 2013 to focus on his own label in New York, and this has to be a feather in his cap.)

When it came to stripes, always a joyful choice for the red carpet when it's nice and warm, Tatiana Maslany wore a side-flounced gown with all-over stripes that recalled beach umbrellas in St. Tropez. The gown was an Oscar de la Renta from 2013. Lupita Nyong'o was thinking along the same lines; she wore a cheery striped and watercolor floral, long sleeve Elie Saab gown.

The biggest fashion risk taker of the night was probably Jennifer Aniston, who chose a vintage gold gown by John Galliano for the simple reason that she'd fallen in love with it, as she told E! Vintage was a big trend on the red carpet in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but lesser so now that luxury labels pay stars big bucks to be walking billboards. Aniston also took a gamble on Galliano, the designer who lost his job at Dior after being caught making racist comments on a camera phone and who recently restarted his career at Maison Martin Margiela.

The dress itself wasn't tremendous, but at least Aniston proved that when it comes to fashion, she's her own woman.

booth.moore@latimes.com

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Boys' basketball: Cantwell-Sacred Heart defeats Price

Written By kolimtiga on Minggu, 25 Januari 2015 | 23.50

After losing to Cathedral and Bishop Montgomery in the Del Rey League earlier this week, Cantwell-Sacred Heart knocked off Price, 72-56, in a game from the East L.A. Invitational.

Gligorije Rakocevic scored 19 points and had nine rebounds.

Antonio Cortez added 14 points and Jacob Davison 12 points.

Twitter:@LATSondheimer

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Sundance 2015: Melissa Rauch goes from 'Big Bang Theory' to angry gymnast

On the surface, Melissa Rauch, a New Jersey-raised ‎actress who in recent years has found success as a pint-sized scientist on "The Big Bang Theory," would have little in common with a washed-up Olympic gymnast intent on milking every last drop of her receding fame.

But when Rauch and husband/writing partner Winston Rauch set out to pen their first feature--"The Bronze," about that very subject -- the actress' background came in surprisingly handy.

‎"When Winston and I would go back to visit my parents when I was just having a little bit of success on TV [years ago], and we'd go to the food court and get a free Wetzel's Pretzel or some garlic knots," Rauch said. "And I was so excited and maybe a little cocky about it And then the show would be canceled and I would go back and there would be a total cut-off on the free pretzels or garlic knots."

FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival

She added that "the whole idea of putting celebrity up on a pedestal‎ and then chewing them up and spitting them out was really fascinating to us."

Hope Annabelle Gregory -- the tracksuit-wearing, vitriol-spewing former bronze medalist played by Rauch -- isn't on too many pedestals in the new film.

Still living with her postman father (Gary Cole, in mustachioed glory) a decade after her 2004 moment of Olympic triumph, she has all the qualities of an angry old man as she pushes around her father, demands respect from anyone she meets in her small Ohio town and generally demonstrates as much patience as a toddler at a curling competition.

But when a former ‎coach dies and leaves instructions in her will for Hope to coach a rising prodigy--with a massive cash prize as compensation--she sets out to help the young talent as only Hope can.

The Rauches say they‎ were fascinated by the idea of a bronze medal as a symbol of mediocrity.

"The bronze medal to Hope Gregory means everything. She was going for the gold and she ended up with this trophy and she is incredibly proud of it," said Winston Rauch--despite it not meaning nearly as much to everyone else. [You can see the full video of the interview with the Rauches above.]

The movie--directed by Bryan Buckley and seeking distribution in Park City--‎has plenty of Easter eggs for Olympic fans (including cameos by the likes of Dominique Moceanu). There's also some stellar supporting work from Thomas Middleditch, who proves he can go from comically overwhelmed Silicon Valley entrepreneur to comically anxious gym operator as cleanly as a Mary Lou Retton dismount.

But it's Rauch who steals the show, morphing her lovable network-TV shrillness into something more unrecognizably dark, and more along the lines of her theater and Upright Citizens Brigade forays.

The actress said she knew what a switch it was from the four-eyed truth bombs of her CBS work (though voice and accent are again a factor).

"I hope they're on board for it," she said of her TV fans. "It was definitely a departure," noting the joys of "stepping into someone else's shoes for a little bit and getting to say thing I wouldn't dream of saying [on the show]."

The film's piece de resistance is a very un-"Big Bang"-like sex scene in which two gymnasts act out an R-rated version of the horizontal bar and pommel horse. There's a Borat-like quality to it--just when the naked antics couldn't go any further, they go further than that.

It was catnip to the Rauches, who note their own foot-plus height disparity gave them some experience with bedroom calisthenics--maybe.

"We like to joke around that it's writing what we know," Melissa Rauch said. "But it's all lies‎."

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT

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Female terrorists finding their place in Islamic militants' ranks

From bikini-clad beachgoer to veiled jihadist fugitive, the partner of Paris gunman Amedy Coulibaly underwent a startling metamorphosis that illuminates the dangerous potential behind militant groups' efforts to increase their recruiting of female terrorists.

Although French police initially questioned Hayat Boumeddiene, 26, five years ago, they acknowledge that she was subsequently able to make hundreds of phone calls and arrange meetings for Coulibaly through the wives of fellow assailants. She is then believed to have fled to Turkey just before the rash of killings in Paris this month, and is believed to have crossed into Syria.

"Hayat's case is just the latest example of how governments overlook and understate women's involvement in terrorist groups," said Jayne Huckerby, an associate professor at Duke University law school who studies the groups and advises governments in counter-terrorism strategies.

Female terrorists have a long history of exploiting gender stereotypes to avoid detection, and though counter-terrorism measures have become more effective, experts said the Paris attacks show that more needs to be done to curb the growing number of women like Boumeddiene joining militants in Syria.

Women account for about 10% of those joining Islamic State from Europe and about 20% of those joining from France, Huckerby said.

"What's very striking is that she's not an exception; she's an example of a trend," Huckerby said of Boumeddiene. "There tends to be an assumption with women that they're doing it under influence, they're being forced or tricked. But I think there's a more complicated story here, feelings of alienation."

A childhood friend of Boumeddiene, speaking on condition of anonymity to the newspaper Le Parisien, described her as "impulsive," emotionally fragile, childlike, quick to cry, with little self-confidence, prone to sending religious text messages and venting about her growing sense of alienation as a Muslim.

Like Cherif and Said Kouachi, the brothers who carried out the attack against the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo, Boumeddiene spent for years was a ward of the state. One of seven children born in Paris to Algerian parents, she was placed in foster care at 12 after her mother died and her father remarried.

Expelled from foster homes for assaulting social workers, she moved in with a friend in the suburbs, the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche reported, but failed to finish high school.

She met Coulibaly in 2007, soon after he finished serving time for armed robbery at Fleury-Merogis Prison, a breeding ground for extremists, where he converted to Islam and met Cherif Kouachi.

Police monitoring Coulibaly may have assumed that Boumeddiene would have a "taming effect" on him, but more often such couples do the opposite, radicalizing each other, said Erin Marie Saltman, an expert on the role of women in extremism at the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

The couple did not initially act like extremists, vacationing in Malaysia and the Dominican Republic, where Boumeddiene wore a bikini and posed for photos in the arms of her shirtless boyfriend.

They married in 2009 in a religious ceremony not recognized by the French government, French police union spokesman Christophe Crepin said. Boumeddiene worked as a cashier at a butcher shop but was fired when she started wearing a veil, according to Le Journal du Dimanche.

She and Coulibaly began visiting a Muslim extremist in central France, according to Le Parisien. While there in 2010, she posed for photos that were a far cry from her glamour shots on the beach. Wearing a veil, she aimed a crossbow at the camera in a menacing pose.

When counter-terrorism investigators brought her in for questioning later that year, Boumeddiene spoke of "innocents killed by the Americans," but insisted that Coulibaly was not a fanatic, telling police, "Amedy isn't really very religious. He likes having fun," according to the French newspaper Le Monde.

Crepin said investigators didn't have enough to charge or monitor Boumeddiene, since she denied having knowledge of criminal activity.

"Until we had proof to the contrary, we had to accept that she felt that way," he said.

Three years later, Coulibaly was convicted of aiding a terrorist's foiled prison break and sentenced to five years in prison. No charges were filed against Boumeddiene, who became friends with Cherif Kouachi's wife, trading more than 500 cellphone calls with her last year, said Crepin.

"They used the women, it's clear," Crepin said of the attackers.

At the same time, he said, it's hard to believe that Kouachi's wife and Boumeddiene were unaware of the men's plans.

"When there's 500 calls going back and forth, they clearly had an idea of what was going on," Crepin said. "We were dealing with people who knew they were being watched and knew how to avoid it. The women were not ignorant."

Still, there may be a difference between Boumeddiene and the other attackers' wives who were probably "being used to keep the veil of a normal life" so their husbands could avoid detection, Saltman said.

"Boumeddiene was obviously very active, wanting to train, wanting to be a part of the violent nature of the jihadist ideology," she said.

It's not clear whether Coulibaly coordinated his attack on a kosher market, where he killed four shoppers and took others hostage, with the Kouachis' assault on Charlie Hebdo. The three men died within minutes of one another in simultaneous raids on the market and on a printing plant where the Kouachis were hiding.

It also appears that they may have had different loyalties: Coulibaly appeared in a video swearing allegiance to Islamic State, while Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the Kouachis' attack. Both groups have carved out roles for women, in subordinate, rather than leadership, positions.

"There is hardly any terrorist group at the moment that does not include women in some capacity," said Mia Bloom, a professor of security studies at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Women in Al Qaeda have historically played a supportive role, but they have also increasingly become suicide bombers in the Middle East for Al Qaeda affiliates, Bloom said.

In online posts, some female Islamic State volunteers have expressed a willingness to fight, Saltman said. "Many of them would be willing to participate in violence. But once they reach Islamic State territory, they take on a much more passive role" as wives, mothers and recruiters.

Samia Maktouf, a Paris lawyer who represents the worried families of other female Muslim extremists in France, faulted the government for not tracking and arresting Boumeddiene.

"They were aware of the dangerousness of this girl. She was in the hands of the police in 2010. Why didn't they stop her or put her under surveillance? My answer is they were not aware of her Muslim fundamentalism," Maktouf said.

French legislators are considering whether to change laws that may have prevented police from monitoring Boumeddiene and other members of the suspects' entourage.

"It was too difficult to monitor the women before. Now, maybe we will be able," Crepin said.

But it will take more than stepped-up surveillance to stop women like Boumeddiene, experts said.

One Tunisian Muslim mother who asked not to be identified told Maktouf that her daughter became engaged to an extremist in Syria over the Internet.

The mother did the only thing she could think of: She took two days off work to try to reason with her daughter, who has two master's degrees, arguing that she would be unable to use her education. The daughter initially agreed to call off the engagement, but the following day she disappeared.

She sent a text message. "I have to go. I'm sorry. Be happy for me."

Before passing new laws to stop women like her and Boumeddiene, police should cultivate ties to French Muslim families, Maktouf said.

"We should use what we have," she said. "The best tool is human."

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

Special correspondent Aviva Cashmira in Paris contributed to this report.

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Sundance 2015: Melissa Rauch goes from 'Big Bang Theory' to angry gymnast

On the surface, Melissa Rauch, a New Jersey-raised ‎actress who in recent years has found success as a pint-sized scientist on "The Big Bang Theory," would have little in common with a washed-up Olympic gymnast intent on milking every last drop of her receding fame.

But when Rauch and husband/writing partner Winston Rauch set out to pen their first feature--"The Bronze," about that very subject -- the actress' background came in surprisingly handy.

‎"When Winston and I would go back to visit my parents when I was just having a little bit of success on TV [years ago], and we'd go to the food court and get a free Wetzel's Pretzel or some garlic knots," Rauch said. "And I was so excited and maybe a little cocky about it And then the show would be canceled and I would go back and there would be a total cut-off on the free pretzels or garlic knots."

FULL COVERAGE: Sundance Film Festival

She added that "the whole idea of putting celebrity up on a pedestal‎ and then chewing them up and spitting them out was really fascinating to us."

Hope Annabelle Gregory -- the tracksuit-wearing, vitriol-spewing former bronze medalist played by Rauch -- isn't on too many pedestals in the new film.

Still living with her postman father (Gary Cole, in mustachioed glory) a decade after her 2004 moment of Olympic triumph, she has all the qualities of an angry old man as she pushes around her father, demands respect from anyone she meets in her small Ohio town and generally demonstrates as much patience as a toddler at a curling competition.

But when a former ‎coach dies and leaves instructions in her will for Hope to coach a rising prodigy--with a massive cash prize as compensation--she sets out to help the young talent as only Hope can.

The Rauches say they‎ were fascinated by the idea of a bronze medal as a symbol of mediocrity.

"The bronze medal to Hope Gregory means everything. She was going for the gold and she ended up with this trophy and she is incredibly proud of it," said Winston Rauch--despite it not meaning nearly as much to everyone else. [You can see the full video of the interview with the Rauches above.]

The movie--directed by Bryan Buckley and seeking distribution in Park City--‎has plenty of Easter eggs for Olympic fans (including cameos by the likes of Dominique Moceanu). There's also some stellar supporting work from Thomas Middleditch, who proves he can go from comically overwhelmed Silicon Valley entrepreneur to comically anxious gym operator as cleanly as a Mary Lou Retton dismount.

But it's Rauch who steals the show, morphing her lovable network-TV shrillness into something more unrecognizably dark, and more along the lines of her theater and Upright Citizens Brigade forays.

The actress said she knew what a switch it was from the four-eyed truth bombs of her CBS work (though voice and accent are again a factor).

"I hope they're on board for it," she said of her TV fans. "It was definitely a departure," noting the joys of "stepping into someone else's shoes for a little bit and getting to say thing I wouldn't dream of saying [on the show]."

The film's piece de resistance is a very un-"Big Bang"-like sex scene in which two gymnasts act out an R-rated version of the horizontal bar and pommel horse. There's a Borat-like quality to it--just when the naked antics couldn't go any further, they go further than that.

It was catnip to the Rauches, who note their own foot-plus height disparity gave them some experience with bedroom calisthenics--maybe.

"We like to joke around that it's writing what we know," Melissa Rauch said. "But it's all lies‎."

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT

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Boys' basketball: Cantwell-Sacred Heart defeats Price

After losing to Cathedral and Bishop Montgomery in the Del Rey League earlier this week, Cantwell-Sacred Heart knocked off Price, 72-56, in a game from the East L.A. Invitational.

Gligorije Rakocevic scored 19 points and had nine rebounds.

Antonio Cortez added 14 points and Jacob Davison 12 points.

Twitter:@LATSondheimer

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Chicken in a sauce: Easy dishes that won't put you in a stew

Written By kolimtiga on Sabtu, 24 Januari 2015 | 23.50

My slogan for 2015? "A chicken in every pot." Somebody's already used that? Well, mine comes with recipes to get you started. Take that, Herbert Hoover, and you too, Henry IV!

It's about as basic as cooking can get: chicken cooked slowly in a sauce. Really, this is one of those dishes that is more technique than actual recipe. Once you've run through it a couple of times, you'll find that you can adapt it quite easily to almost anything you have in your refrigerator or pantry.

This is a dish that usually takes about an hour to make, most of it spent daydreaming while the pot bubbles on the stove — just enough work to make you feel like you're actually cooking. The recipe scales up quite nicely, so you can make a double or triple batch for a weekend dinner party and still have enough left over for an after-work survival meal. And, yes, like most stews and soups, it'll actually be better the second (and third) time around.

Go Italian with a spin on chicken cacciatore from the Emilia-Romagna, flavored with pancetta, red wine and tomatoes. Or you can go Cal-Med and make it with fennel, mushrooms and green olives. Or maybe just finish the chickenwith some prepared mole from Grand Central Market.

And, of course, you can make up your own dishes. Here are a few guidelines to follow:

First, use dark meat. There are tricks to cooking breasts this way — arrange the dark meat on the bottom of the pan and stack the breasts on top, out of the sauce so they get less heat — but even with these workarounds, the white meat seems inevitably to dry out. Better to start with thighs and legs, which will stay moist and tender when braised.

Brown the chicken well. This means making sure the skin is completely dry beforehand and getting the pan hot enough to sear — dip a corner of the chicken into the oil; if it sizzles immediately, the temperature is right. Don't crowd the pan. Just face that you're going to have to cook two batches and don't be tempted by shortcuts.

After you've browned the chicken, pour off most of the fat before starting to build the sauce. You don't want the dish to be greasy. But do leave behind all those browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Lots of flavor there.

Build the sauce in stages and take your time. Onions first, until they soften. Then carrots and celery if you're using them. Cook the garlic just briefly; it should still be fragrant. Scrape the bottom of the pan while you're cooking; the moisture the vegetables give off will be enough to loosen those flavorful browned bits.

If you're using wine to finish the sauce, add it first and let it cook before adding other liquids. This will evaporate the harsh alcohol flavor. Add the other ingredients and continue cooking until you get the consistency you want (remember that the chicken will release some liquid during cooking, so start with the sauce slightly thicker than you want the final product to be).

Finish cooking the chicken in the sauce. You'll know it's done when the meat plumps and firms, the skin begins to pull away from the joints and there are no pink juices when the meat is pricked with a knife.

I'm not sure exactly what to call this kind of dish. Some folks refer to it as a sauté, but technically that's a different thing — very little sauce that is added just at the last minute. This is kind of a fricassee, but these days that infers a white sauce, which is too limiting. Cookbook author and cooking teacher Anne Willan, who knows more about traditional French cooking than anyone around, suggests that classically this would probably be a ragoût.

Maybe I'll just stick with "chicken in a pot."

Recipe: Chicken braised with fennel, mushrooms and olives

Recipe: Chicken braised with pancetta and tomatoes

russ.parsons@latimes.com

Follow me @russ_parsons1

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Reader recommendation: Hotel Dauphine St. Germain in Paris

Our family has stayed at Hotel Dauphine St. Germain in Paris repeatedly during the last 12 years. We consider the St. Germain area, situated in the 6th arrondissement, the best, known for its shops, galleries and famous restaurants such as Café de Flore. The lovely boutique hotel is two blocks from the Seine river on one side and two blocks from Boulevard St. Germain on the other. It is walking distance to many landmark sites, including Notre-Dame, the Louvre and Orsay museums and the Luxembourg and Tuileries gardens. The hotel staff is warm and helpful; for a nominal cost, a great breakfast is served daily. Room rates vary depending on the season and are reasonable.

Hotel Dauphine St. Germain, 36 Rue Dauphine, Paris; 011-33-1-43-26-74-34, www.dauphine-st-germain.com

Stephanie Ladsous

by email

travel@latimes.com

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Sundance 2015: As war escalates at home, two Ukrainians take on Putin

As movie executives arrived at the Sundance Film Festival this week from places like Beverly Hills and the Upper West Side, Artem Ryzhykov took a more perilous route.

The cinematographer and star of a new documentary titled "The Russian Woodpecker" had flown in to Park City from Ukraine, where as recently as last week he had been at the country's eastern battleground of the Donetsk airport, snapping photos while dodging sniper fire from pro-Russia separatists.

Ryzhykov had come to the festival with Fedor Alexandrovich, a wild-eyed Kiev artist who seems to have stepped straight out of a Dostoevsky novel. The pair was unveiling its new documentary, whose cartoonish-sounding title belies its intensity of purpose.

Directed by the first-timer Chad Gracia, the serious and surreal "Woodpecker" seeks to make a connection between an elaborate Cold War-era communications weapon and the massive Chernobyl disaster.

But almost as important as the film's investigation into that dark chapter is its political message -- that a desperate and militant Vladimir Putin could well wreak havoc in Ukraine and a number of other former Soviet states.

Though a decidedly entertaining effort, overflowing with conspiracy theories and secret cameras, "Woodpecker" also is a deadly dramatic work, a wild tale by way of historical injustice.

"I don't care about the danger to me," said Ryzhykov via a translator as he described his recent activities in the war-torn Donbass region of Ukraine. "I care that a country and a people are losing their freedom because of Russian nationalism."

As he and Alexandrovich sat, somewhat incongruously, in a Sundance lounge Friday afternoon, events thousands of miles away were unfolding that bore out their warning. Military conflict in eastern Ukraine was exploding, shattering a tenuous cease-fire, as indications mounted that the Russian military was vastly increasingly its activity in the region.

And so "The Russian Woodpecker," which debuts at the festival Saturday, had almost overnight become a Sundance rarity -- less another piece in the festival's broad tapestry of issues that can be gazed upon safely amid fashionable parties and beautiful mountain scenery and more an eerie prophecy, told via a movie screen, of global aggression and suffering.

"As I got further into the movie, it became clear it was extremely serious and timely, because it said something not only about Chernobyl but about what's happening right now," said Gracia.

First, the subject of the movie itself. (Hang on, it's a strange one.)

For decades, an odd woodpecker-like sound, at 10 beats per second, would jam Western frequencies in what experts believed was a Cold War communications weapon used by Moscow. As a piece of ammunition, the woodpecker wound up falling short of expectations — the Northern Lights degraded its ability to reach the U.S. effectively — but its origin was a source of great speculation and mystery.

The woodpecker came at Western channels via the Duga, a massive, otherworldly structure the Soviet Union placed suspiciously right near the Chernobyl reactor outside of Kiev years before it melted down.

The Ukrainian duo's argument, assembled as they investigate, is that the increasingly apparent failure of the Duga led to officials' decision to provoke the Chernobyl disaster.

The pair argue that George Kopchinski, a top Russian nuclear regulator, made a call to workers at the plant to carry out a dangerous action that led to the meltdown. That call, the stars of the film say, was made at the behest of the late communications minister Vasily Shamshin, one of the chief architects of the Duga and a man who might have had a lot to lose when the station was discovered not to be working properly.

It is an allegation that, if true, would have incendiary consequences, suggesting that one of the worst disasters of the Cold War was caused by a self-protective Kremlin official.

"If true," though, is a key phrase. Many experts believe Kopchinski placed the call, but they are far from agreed on the reasons for it. The Shamshin theory is considered even further afield, with few scholars subscribing to it. (Much of the documentation from that time is sealed, and other papers are thought falsified.)

But in many ways the truth of the theory is secondary to the story and the political urgency the characters embody — as well as the film's portrayal of a Russia going to disturbing lengths to protect its interests.

As the pair seek information from ex-KGB and Russian military officers, the reticence of the officials, especially when an American like Gracia was present (the director would later come to hide in the closet during interviews, feeding the Ukrainians questions), bolsters the case of a Russian establishment far from ready to make amends.

A similar impression is left by the film's graphic footage, familiar but still compelling, of protesters beaten in Kiev's Independence Square a year ago by forces loyal to the pro-Russian former leader Viktor Yanukovich. As Alexandrovich says in the film, with his characteristic mix of poetic hyperbole, "The undead Soviet ghoul is pushing us toward World War III."‎ Like many in Ukraine, he and Ryzhykov see in events like the Ukrainian Revolution and the Chernobyl disaster not discrete tragedies but a continuum of Russia-led aggression and Ukrainian victimization that stretches back hundreds of years.

The moral turning point of "The Russian Woodpecker" comes about two-thirds of the way through, when Alexandrovich recounts to Ryzhykov that secret police officers working on behalf of Russia have paid him a visit because of the all the poking around they're doing for the film. Alexandrovich, who is animated by a desire to uncover the truth about Chernobyl because the disaster left him with radiation poisoning as a child, suddenly has a change of heart. He recants all his theories and tells his friend the movie must be stopped. (Ryzhykov is filming all this, unbeknown to Alexandrovich.)

"I can't say too much about it, because I still am worried for the safety of me and my family," Alexandrovich said on Friday.  

But it's clear there were threats, and he made a choice that, as he said in the interview, "make me the hero and the antihero." (Gracia later gives Alexandrovich a moment of redemption when the latter is seen standing up in front of huge crowds during the Ukrainian revolution and declaring his theories on Chernobyl, slamming the Russian government, an act that was hugely risky at the time.)

Friends and longtime collaborators, the Ukrainian pair hooked up with Gracia when Alexandrovich began talking — fittingly — about the woodpecker with an incessant clamor as the two prepared a play in Ukraine. Gracia, a theater director who improbably helped CIA officers after Sept. 11 with information he had gathered as an English tutor in Saudi Arabia (no one involved with this film, apparently, is just an ordinary citizen), had his own moments of mistrust. He wondered if Ryzhykov and Alexandrovich were secretly Russian officers spying on him, even as they had similar anxieties about the director.

"But then thought he looked so much like Central Casting version of CIA," said Alexandrovich about the middle-aged filmmaker with a fine layer of stubble, "that I knew he couldn't be CIA."

Rhyzkhov's life has followed its own dramatic arc.

An activist and filmmaker during the revolution that ousted Yanukovich a year ago, he was shot at by pro-Yanukovich police officers, saved only by bullets hitting his camera. Though bleeding badly, he couldn't go to the hospital because of reports that demonstrators taken there were later being disappeared in forests by pro-Yanukovich forces.

Fears of that kind persist, especially with the film complete. Gracia said that "even though I think Putin has bigger problems right now, this new climate is worrisome, and I certainly wouldn't feel safe in Russia, or even in a London sushi shop. Things can happen anywhere."

Ryzhykov, who like Alexandrovich will return to Ukraine after the festival, said he still aims to travel to Russia, where he has family, as well as Donetsk. "I know what can happen to me," he said. "But I make films and take photos. Am I going to spend my life worrying about a sniper?"

Twitter: @ZeitchikLAT

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Albert Brooks has taken a dramatic turn

On a recent balmy day in Santa Monica, Albert Brooks chuckled about the lengths to which he's gone to reboot his acting career, moving away from the belligerent neurotic of "Broadcast News" fame into playing a believable psychopath in "Drive" and more serious fare in "A Most Violent Year."

So in your 20s, you trained as a dramatic actor and tried to pursue those roles but got detoured.

I was funny, naturally, and when I left college around 19-20, it was very difficult to get any acting parts at that age, but I was able to get on national television shows just making up comedy in my bathroom. I had an agent who said, "Just do that and you'll get all the acting roles you want." … It really didn't happen that way. I just got further and further into comedy.

Then you started writing your own stuff and for a long time your real focus was making your own films.

When I was making my own movies regularly … that's sort of all you could do. Because once you started writing and once you raised the money you couldn't tell the people, "I'm going to stop for two years and go act in this movie." I still have another idea for a movie I might make, but I have to say, I've been enjoying playing different kinds of characters than I've played in the past.

And they're different kinds of roles than you write for yourself.

Absolutely. I wouldn't write a character in "Drive" for myself. Nor even "A Most Violent Year." I just finished a movie that'll be out this year with Will Smith.

The NFL concussion drama.

Yeah. It's a very interesting part. It's a guy that's still living. … I would only do this if I was an actor in it. I wouldn't write it. I certainly wouldn't put myself in it, if I did write it.

And yet you're so effective in these darker roles.

I think people get surprised that someone who's known for comedy can be serious. But my comedy's always been serious. I've never been a zany kind of person. And, you know, I played football in high school. People didn't fool around with me. It looked like I could punch you back. … And when you look at the real people in the world that are the scariest, they're not the overt kind of scary. Those people would get caught. You look at these people that give you the chills and they're smooth and they're quiet. It's just when pushed comes to shove, they can —

Put a fork in an eye.

That's right. The character [lawyer Andrew Walsh] in "A Most Violent Year," he wasn't killing people but he was certainly a guy who was almost suggesting it, who was almost saying, "If you don't play the game, this is how the game is played." That's a kind of seriousness in my gut that I've always had. Even as a kid.

There's always been, in your comedy, and most good comedy, this aggressive bite to it.

Yes, I was most aggressive to my own characters. I beat up my own characters in my comedy, as opposed to beating up society. I put my own characters through the mill. Making them fools.

What is it about comedy that is so hard for the performer, that makes drama less of a challenge?

I think there's some kind of trust that the audience needs if they're going to laugh, that they don't need in a drama. They don't need to trust you as an actor if you're going to scare them. But they need to trust you in some way, if you're going to make them laugh, because that's when people are most vulnerable. …I think my comedy's always been closer to the bone and closer to drama than the average movie comic. I look at a movie like "Modern Romance." It's almost a tragedy, that movie. It's a guy who can't connect and starts acting like an insane, jealous man. That movie, minus a few scenes, could be a very scary stalker movie. That kind of behavior, minus the laughs, is prison behavior!

I heard about your audition for "Drive." Did you really get physically aggressive?

We sat in [director Nicolas Winding Refn's] living room and talked. … I could see there was a doubt because I hadn't done [this kind of role] before. I knew it was going to be one meeting and that was it. He's funny, Nicolas Refn. He makes these extremely violent movies. But he's extremely pale. He looks like he's never been in a fight. Never. So before I left his house, we were standing in the doorway and I pinned him up against the wall. Like this. [Raises his right hand in a pincer-like, grip-to-the-throat gesture.] And I said very quietly, "You should have no doubt in your mind that if I wanted to, I could kill you right now. I'm strong enough to kill you right now." He said, "No, no, no! I have no doubt!"

It was totally spontaneous?

I thought of that as I stood up to leave. I thought, "What can I do?"

Bold choice!

It would have been stupid if, in his mind, he had given me the part and then [laughs] that would have changed his mind — "I don't want him anywhere near me!"

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