'Larger than life' proves too small for Metallica

SAN DIEGO — Singer and guitarist James Hetfield wore a familiar trickster grin and a pair of 3D glasses as he bobbed his head to the thundering riffs of "Enter Sandman," but it was a different sort of arena that was playing host to the world's bestselling hard-rock band.

Metallica had come to Comic-Con International in July to premiere the trailer for its movie "Metallica Through the Never," and the charismatic frontman had turned his chair to watch the clip unspool along with the 6,500 fans in the San Diego Convention Center's main hall. Towering likenesses of the musicians strode across a massive stage outfitted with electric charges, laser lights and fire pots, while a young roadie encountered an angry mob led by a mysterious figure on horseback known as the Death Dealer.

"It's our 'Apocalypse Now,'" drummer Lars Ulrich said.

PHOTOS: Movie Sneaks 2013

Opening Friday on more than 250 Imax theaters across North America, "Metallica Through the Never" is part genre fable, part concert movie, channeling the band's predilection for apocalyptic imagery through a cinematic lens.

The film, directed by Nimrod Antal ("Predators," "Vacancy"), stars actor Dane DeHaan as a runner named Trip who sets out on an errand for the group just as it's taking the stage for a show. Hetfield and his bandmates — drummer Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo — roll through a greatest-hits set list as Trip is drawn into the chaos that's consumed the surrounding streets. As he fights his way back, things begin to go awry on stage, possibly a result of dark forces at work in the city.

The idea for a Metallica Imax movie dates to 1997 when the band's management team first approached the musicians about shooting a concert film, then conceived as a conventional 30-minute short. But the massive cameras that the format required at the time turned out to be too unwieldy to be arranged on a stage, and the project was shelved until three years ago, when the group was on tour in Belfast.

"There was a realization that a lot of our fans were so young that the theatrical elements of Metallica's stage presentations from the '80s, a lot of them hadn't seen — statues and crosses and all this crazy stuff," said Ulrich, 49, seated beside Hetfield, Hammett and Trujillo under the fluorescent lights of a hotel ballroom. "You could do so much more with the technology of that now, so to revisit that carefully without going too far and being stuck in the past [seemed appealing]."

PHOTOS: Hollywood backlot moments

In the four decades since Ulrich and Hetfield met and formed the band in 1981, Metallica has sold more than 110 million albums, forging a reputation as a powerhouse live act whose muscular, masculine energy on stage magnified the sonic force of songs about violence and death and Old Testament-style retribution.

The band has an extensive history with film too — it was Dalton Trumbo's 1971 anti-war screed "Johnny Got His Gun" that inspired the group's 1989 single "One," a nightmarish first-person account of a soldier who loses his arms and legs, his sight, hearing and speech to a land mine. The long-form version of the groundbreaking video for the song intercut between scenes from the movie and shots of Metallica performing.

It was the 2004 warts-and-all documentary "Some Kind of Monster," however, that might have had the most profound influence on the direction of "Metallica Through the Never." Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's chronicle of the band during the recording of its "St. Anger" album charted artistic and personal clashes, as Hetfield returned to the group after a stay in rehab to treat alcohol addiction and Trujillo was tapped to replace longtime bass player Jason Newsted.

"What we learned from the 'Some Kind of Monster' experience is if you have a dramatic arc in your film, it puts a whole different spin on it," Ulrich said. "There were a lot of music-world people that thought the movie was way too transparent and there was too much stuff that you shouldn't see, but the film world received it warmly. It's not really a movie about a rock 'n' roll band, it's a movie about relationships."

For "Metallica Through the Never," the group selected 16 tracks stretching back to its 1983 debut album, "Kill 'Em All," and tapped British architect Mark Fisher (who provided concert designs for Pink Floyd's "The Wall") to construct a massive stage, 200 feet long and 60 feet wide, with various trap doors and risers to allow for some outsize theatrical elements, and a floor made entirely of LED screens.

PHOTOS: Iconic rock guitars and their owners

To develop the narrative, the band turned to Antal, a lifelong Metallica fan who earned early acclaim for his Hungarian-language subterranean thriller "Kontroll." He invented the Trip character, whose largely wordless journey was informed, in part, by the circular structure of Paulo Coelho's novel "The Alchemist."

"He totally understands Metallica and what we're about," said Hammett, 50. "He understands our audience, and he understands how passionate our audience is and how intense our audience is."

The band played a string of concerts in Mexico City last year to familiarize itself with Fisher's stage before traveling to Canada to shoot the film. Performing on the set, which takes up the entire ice floor of a standard hockey arena, required great care, and the musicians were amused and somewhat alarmed by the precautions that were necessary.

"You're playing a song, and by the way, don't go in this little area — there's a Tesla coil that shoots off 10,000 volts and you could get killed," said Hetfield, 50.

"Don't pass this little piece of masking tape with a little X on it or you'll get fried," Hammett added.

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tom Sherak tapped as film czar. More cuts at Tribune papers.

After the coffee. Before making sure all my expense reports are filed.

The Skinny: A lot going on this weekend. I'm hoping to catch either "Don Jon" or "Enough Said" and then Sunday is football, "Breaking Bad," "Homeland" and "The Good Wife." Oh, and a Redskins game too. Friday's headlines include the box-office preview and movie executive Tom Sherak has been named Los Angeles film czar.

Daily Dose: Bloomberg TV scored a big win against cable operator Comcast Corp. The Federal Communications Commission said Comcast must move the Bloomberg business channel to the same group of channels occupied by similar networks including CNBC. Comcast has been fighting Bloomberg on this for years and said it is reviewing its options.

PHOTOS: Hollywood backlot moments

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs or porn. There's something for everyone this at the multiplex this weekend. For families and kids, there is the animated "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2," the sequel to the surprise 2009 hit. For adults with a dark side (i.e. me) there's "Don Jon" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt whose affinity for Internet porn threatens his real-life romantic life. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" is expected to take in north of $40 million. "Don Jon" is projected to have a softer (no pun intended) opening of around $10 million. Also opening is the romantic comedy "Baggage Claim" and going wide is the Ron Howard-directed racing movie "Rush." Box-office previews from the Los Angeles Times and Hollywood Reporter.

Tough times. Tribune Co., parent of the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, is planning big cuts at its publishing unit, which is supposed to be spun off or sold if a buyer can be found. Chicago media columnist Robert Feder said Tribune is looking to trim $100 million, which the company has denied. Additional coverage from the Los Angeles Times.

Garcetti's guy. Tom Sherak, a former 20th Century Fox chairman and ex-president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has been tapped my Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the city's senior film advisor or "film czar." In that role, Sherak will attempt to stop or at least slow the exodus of movie and television production from the area. Sherak won't get rich(er) in the job. He's taking a salary of one dollar a year. That's only a little more than what I'm making. More on Sherak's appointment from Variety, Deadline Hollywood and the Los Angeles Times.

PHOTOS: Movie Sneaks 2013

Big man to replace big man. HBO has snagged Robert De Niro to take a role in the upcoming limited series "Criminal Justice" that was to be played by James Gandolfini, the star of the pay-TV channel's "The Sopranos," who died earlier this year. De Niro was the only actor HBO sought and if he'd said no the network would have likely scrapped the series. Details from the New York Times.

No happy ending. However "Breaking Bad" concludes this Sunday, there will be sniping about it on Twitter (imagine if Twitter was around when Tony Soprano's world went dark or the cast of "Seinfeld" ended up in jail) and other social networks. For every show credited with getting its ending right, another five are accused of blowing it. The Wall Street Journal looks at the challenges of ending on the right note.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Betsy Sharkey on "Don Jon." Gamechanger Films is a new entity looking to back female directors.

Follow me on Twitter and maybe one day you can be a reference for me. @JBFlint.

PHOTOS: Highest-paid media executives of 2012

ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen

PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Consumers' mood dims with budget policy uncertainty

WASHINGTON -- It's become a familiar chapter in this sluggish economic recovery: Dysfunction in Washington drags down consumer confidence.

After rising to a six-year high this summer, the University of Michigan reported Friday that its gauge of consumer sentiment fell sharply in September to 77.5 from 82.1 in the prior month. That's the lowest reading since April.

"While few consumers expected a federal shutdown, complaints about the economic policies of the government have risen," said Richard Curtin, director of the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan survey.

So far, consumers' worries haven't been nearly as bad as they were in December of last year when Congress took the nation to the edge of the so-called fiscal cliff of tax hikes and federal spending cuts.

Nor has it come close to the mayhem in the summer of 2011 when consumer confidence plunged amid the budget debacle in Washington that brought a downgrade in the U.S. credit rating.

"Although the shock and dismay expressed in 2011 has thus far been absent, the data indicate that consumers are headed back down this negative path," Curtin said in a statement. "Consumer confidence is fragile enough without this added source of economic uncertainty."

Indeed, half of the households surveyed last month by the University of Michigan said they expected no income increase in the next year. But two-thirds see higher interest rates in the coming year.

Taken together, that doesn't bode well for consumer spending, most immediately for the holiday season.

Personal spending ticked up in August but has been modest this year, growing at close to 2% at an annual rate. And income gains have been weak, held down by high unemployment, the slow pace of hiring and federal spending cuts.

Rising stock and housing prices have been bright spots, as has the easing of the debt troubles in Europe. But consumer sentiment -- and possibly spending -- are likely to fall sharply if the fight over the federal budget and debt ceiling drags on.

ALSO:

Senate faces key votes to avoid government shutdown

Personal income, consumer spending climb in September

Income gap between rich and poor at its widest in a century

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

After big summer, Silver Lake Picture Show plans bonus screening

What speaks to the population of Los Angeles' Silver Lake neighborhood more than free outdoor movie screenings, local grub and music?

Not much, as Silver Lake Picture Show co-founder Nicholas Robbins has learned.  

In its second summer, the Silver Lake Picture Show, which shows independent films and feature-length movies at a hipster-friendly spot known as Sunset Triangle Plaza, drew a total of nearly 4,000 attendees over the course of its seven screenings.

PHOTOS: Fall movie sneaks 2013

Not bad for a neighborhood event that Robbins and his associates started last year as a way to get people to come and watch short projects from local filmmakers. 

"I had no idea that this was going to be anything," Robbins said. "We were just trying to do our thing, but it ended up being this scene."

Residents flocked to showings of "Wet Hot American Summer," "The Sandlot," "Zoot Suit," "Empire Records," "To Wong Foo" and "The Princess Bride." That last one, the mother of all nostalgic crowd-pleaser fantasies, brought out the most visitors, with 700. 

The screenings also featured 14 shorts, including efforts by filmmakers from the nearby Echo Park Film Center.  

FULL COVERAGE: Indie Focus

This year's series also included live music performances and local restaurants giving out free food samples. Robbins and his crew got financial support from clothing brand Topshop Topman, Los Angeles City Council District 13 and Silver Lake Neighborhood Council.  

With cash left over, Robbins and his team will show a bonus movie, Tim Burton's 1988 comedy "Beetlejuice," on Oct. 17. 

Robbins said he wants people to experience an alternative to seeing films at traditional movie theaters, where people sit in the dark and aren't supposed to talk. He said the event will be back for a third season next year.

"What I hope people get out of it," Robbins said, "is a rediscovery of a community movie-going experience, where they're seeing a movie with their neighbors and experiencing it as neighbors."

ALSO:

Mayor Eric Garcetti appoints Tom Sherak as L.A. film czar

TV ratings: 'Modern Family' slips, 'Revolution' moves time slots

'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2' set for clear box office win

Follow on Twitter: @rfaughnder

ryan.faughnder@latimes.com

PHOTOS: Highest-paid media executives of 2012

ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen

PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hope for avoiding government shutdown dwindles as Senate votes

WASHINGTON -- Most Senate Republicans joined with the chamber's Democratic majority Friday to overcome a filibuster on a bill to keep the government running past Monday, turning back a persistent stand by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to use the vote to kill President Obama's healthcare law. 

The Senate is now expected to pass a Democratic amendment to strip a provision in the bill that cuts money for the Affordable Care Act. A simple majority is all that's required for that vote.

A final vote will return the bill to the House, putting pressure on the Republican-controlled chamber to act with just three days left to avoid a government shutdown before the end of the federal fiscal year.

If Congress fails to settle on a plan to keep the government funded by midnight Monday, the federal government will see its first shutdown in nearly two decades.

Republicans who lined up against Cruz's strategy explained that they were simply voting to move forward on a budget measure they supported. "I don't understand how I can otherwise vote on a matter that I want to see passed," said Sen. John Cornyn, the chamber's No. 2 Republican and Cruz's Texas colleague.

"There are some people across America that are so upset with Obamacare -- and I understand their frustration -- that say we ought to shut down the federal government," Cornyn said. "It won't work."

Furthermore, those Republicans also said acting quickly to return the bill to the House served the cause of undermining the law, commonly called Obamacare, because the GOP majority there would have time to attach alternative amendments that might have a greater chance of being passed in the Senate.

House Republicans have considered amendments to eliminate the law's new tax on medical devices or to postpone its requirement that Americans have health insurance by 2014 or pay a fine.

In a final floor speech before the vote, Cruz all but conceded defeat, acknowledging "Republican division on this issue." But the fight wasn't over, he said.

"I very much hope the next time this issue's before this body in a few days, that all 46 Republicans are united against Obamacare and standing with the American people, that we listen to the American people the way Senate Democrats are not," he said.

Cruz, in a more than 21-hour filibuster-like speech, interviews and more floor speeches, had insisted that the vote to move ahead on the bill was tantamount to a vote to sustain Obama's landmark healthcare law. If Republicans were united, he argued, the onus would be on Democrats to choose between the unpopular law and a government shutdown.

In an email sent Friday to supporters,  Obama said the economy was being put at risk by "a group of far-right Republicans in Congress."

"They refuse to pass a budget unless I let them sabotage Obamacare, something they know is not going to happen. Now, we're left with only four days before a government shutdown," he wrote. "This is reckless and irresponsible. Republicans are not focused on what's best for you. They're playing political games."

The GOP's divisions over Cruz's strategy have largely played out behind closed doors, but they spilled into the open Thursday during a rare intraparty debate on the Senate floor. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Cruz and his conservative ally, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, were more interested in generating publicity for themselves than supporting an effort to quickly send the bill back to the House.

On Friday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the battle is "very dysfunctional."

"We are dividing the Republican Party," he said in an interview on CBS' "This Morning." "Rather than attacking Democrats and maybe trying to persuade those five or six Democrats who are in states that are leaning Republican, we are now launching attacks against Republicans funded by commercials that Senator Lee and Senator Cruz appear in."

House GOP leaders have not yet indicated how they will respond to the Senate action. On Thursday, they presented to their colleagues a plan for the next fiscal battle -- over whether to raise the nation's debt limit -- but by day's end, it appeared short of the support it would need to pass in the chamber.

Follow Politics Now on Twitter and Facebook

michael.memoli@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeMemoli

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stocks rise on encouraging reports on the economy

Encouraging news about the economy lifted the stock market in late-morning trading Thursday. 

Unemployment claims fell close to their lowest level in six years and new data showed that economic growth accelerated in the second quarter. 

The positive reports were welcome news for investors worried about budget gridlock in Washington, which has led the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index to five straight days of losses through Wednesday, its longest losing streak this year. The potential for a government shutdown looms in the next few days as the White House and Republican-led Congress square off in a budget fight. 

The S&P 500 index rose four points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,696 as of 10:54 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The Dow Jones industrial average advanced 43 points, or 0.3 percent, to 15,317. The Nasdaq composite gained 21, or 0.6 percent, to 3,781. 

"There's a little bit of a bounce here," said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Banyan Partners. "It may be a little bit of bargain hunting." 

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell 5,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 305,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Steady declines in applications indicate that fewer companies are laying off workers. 

Economic growth accelerated to a 2.5 percent annual rate from April through June, the Commerce Department reported. The economy grew 1.1 percent in the January-March quarter. 

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year note climbed to 2.66 percent from 2.63 percent late Wednesday. 

The price of oil rose 16 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $102.85 a barrel. Gold fell $3.60, or 0.3 percent, to $1,322.50 an ounce. 

Among stocks making big moves: 

— Bed Bath & Beyond rose $3.95, or 5.3 percent, to $78.16 after the company said Wednesday its quarterly profit increased 11 percent on stronger sales. That figure beat expectations of Wall Street analysts. 

— Hertz fell $2.81, or 11 percent, to $22.97 after the company cut its earnings and revenue forecasts because of weaker-than-expected volume for U.S. airport car rentals. 

— Caesars Entertainment fell $1.08, or 5 percent, to $19.90 after the company said late Wednesday that it plans to sell up to 11.5 million of its shares in a public offering. 

 

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

CBS lands Vince Gilligan show. FCC proposes removing UHF discount.

After the coffee. Before figuring out what shows to drop from my DVR.

The Skinny: Last season, I got hooked on ABC's "Nashville." Unfortunately, the rest of the country didn't follow my lead, and ABC started to turn the show about country music artists into another guilty-pleasure soap. I watched last night's season premiere and it was as if NFL RedZone had produced the show. It was nothing but quick cuts from silly plot line to sillier plot line. Bummer. Thursday's headlines include an important FCC proceeding on TV ownership rules and reviews of new sitcoms from Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams.

Daily Dose: The FCC is planning on removing its so-called UHF discount from its TV ownership rules. More on that below, but one of the big worries of the FCC action was that it could derail some potential deals. However, the FCC has proposed grandfathering deals already announced before the plans to relax the regulations.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

A whole new U. The Federal Communications Commission is considering tweaking its TV ownership rules. At its monthly meeting Thursday, the FCC is expected to propose changing the value it puts on a UHF signal compared with a VHF signal when determining whether a broadcaster is in compliance with the TV ownership rules. I know what you're thinking. Does anyone even care about UHF versus VHF anymore? Probably not, but this is a big deal for the industry. If a UHF is given the same value as a VHF instead of the current 50% discount, a lot of broadcasters may have to put the brakes on gobbling up TV stations. Details from the Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg. Also, some good background on the issue in this recent story from TVNewsCheck.

Bet on 'Bad.' CBS has struck a deal for a new detective series from "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan. David Shore, creator of "House," is on board to serve as a writer and a show runner on the as-yet unnamed series. Interestingly, the script has been kicking around the industry for about a decade and CBS initially passed on it, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Shocking! DirecTV said it would raise its rates by almost 5% this year and laid the blame on rising programming costs, particularly distribution fees for carrying local broadcasters. Sports programming is also driving up programming costs. Coverage from Multichannel News.

PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times

Because there just aren't enough NFL highlights out there. The National Football League has struck a deal with Twitter to offer game highlights on the social networking platform. The folks who have TV rights to the NFL can't do that. According to the Wall Street Journal, the pairing of Twitter and the NFL has already sold millions of dollars in advertising.

Cup runneth over. The exciting finish in the America's Cup race was a boost to NBC and NBC Sports Network, which was carrying the event. Last year, America's Cup was only available online. This year the folks behind the race bought time on NBC and NBCSN. The numbers for NBCSN were better than what its heavily hyped soccer coverage has averaged. Still, the audience was relatively small compared with the late 1980s. More from the New York Times.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: Robert Lloyd on new sitcoms starring Michael J. Fox and Robin Williams.

Follow me on Twitter and maybe the Redskins will start winning. @JBFlint.

PHOTOS: Highest-paid media executives of 2012

ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen

PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man stabbed to death after Dodgers-Giants game is ID'd

 

By Joseph Serna

September 26, 2013, 8:58 a.m.

Authorities have identified the man who was stabbed to death near AT&T Park in San Francisco on Wednesday after a Dodgers-Giants game as 24-year-old Jonathan Denver.

Denver was fatally stabbed during a fight reportedly between Dodgers and Giants fans after the game four blocks away from the ballpark.

San Francisco police gave few details, but said the attack happened at 3^rd and Harrison streets about 11:40 p.m., about 90 minutes after the conclusion of the game in which the Giants beat the Dodgers, 6-4.

Denver's brother and father were wearing Dodger blue when he was stabbed, NBC-Bay Area reported. The argument began after a comment about Dodgers apparel, KGO-TV reported.

It could not immediately be confirmed whether Denver was wearing Dodger colors, or if others in the fight were wearing Giants gear.

Police declined to comment on a possible motive for the fight.

Three suspects have been detained, said San Francisco police Sgt. Danielle Newman. Denver was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives are interviewing witnesses as the investigation continues, Newman said. One of the suspects had blood on his shirt, according to KGO-TV.

The Dodgers and Giants have a rivalry going back generations. In 2011, it turned violent when Giants fan Bryan Stow was severely beaten in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium. Two suspects are in custody, charged with the beating.

Stow suffered brain damage and is still recovering.

ALSO:

Michael Jackson wrongful death case nearly in jury's hands

Crews gain upper hand in brush fires near Azusa and in Cajon Pass

Safe Surrender program for unwanted newborns gives moms an option

Joseph.serna@latimes.com

@josephserna

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greenpeace activists, Moscow photographer placed under arrest

MOSCOW -- A Russian court ordered a photographer and five Greenpeace activists to be held under arrest for two months Thursday pending investigation into an attempt to board an oil drilling platform in the Arctic Sea.

Prominent Russian photographer Denis Sinyakov, American ship's captain Pete Willcox and Greenpeace spokesman Roman Dolgov were among those ordered held by a court in the northern Russia port of Murmansk.

The court had yet to rule on the fate of the other 24 people on board the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise, though proceedings were continuing late Thursday. The ship was seized by Russian commandos Sept. 19, the day after activists tried unsuccessfully to board the Prirazlomnaya platform to hang a banner protesting oil exploration of the Arctic.

Authorities at one point accused the activists of piracy. Prosecutors are seeking time to build a case against those on board.

[Updated at 9:08 a.m. Sept. 26: By late Thursday, four more people were ordered held for two months pending investigation and three others for three days. More judges were called in to speed up the process for the remaining 17 people who were aboard the Arctic Sunrise, said Vladimir Chuprov, head of the Greenpeace Arctic program.

"What we see is a fierce intimidation campaign against our activists based on the absurd accusation of piracy," Chuprov said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. He said Greenpeace lawyers will appeal the rulings.]

Sinyakov, who has been covering the recent actions of Greenpeace activists in the Barents Sea, is a freelance journalist who has nothing to do with the group's agenda, said Alexei Simonov, head of Glasnost Defense Foundation, a Moscow-based rights group.

"The authorities violated all norms and laws by keeping Sinyakov in prison," Simonov said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "I must say it again and again that Russian justice system is designed by the Kremlin not to look for real culprits to be punished but to punish and scare those who don't suit the authorities."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the detained activists were not pirates but argued they appeared to be trying to seize the drilling platform. "They created a threat for the life and health of people," Putin said.

Prirazlomaya is one of the major projects of Gazpromneft, a subsidiary of the Russian gas giant Gazprom. Its spokesman, Sergei Kupriyanov, told the radio station Echo of Moscow that during the Greenpeace raid last week, divers were working under the platform.

"There were people working underwater and any accident could have led to a catastrophe," he said.

Last week, Sinyakov posted on his Facebook account an image of a hooded Russian coast guardsman pointing a handgun at the photographer's boat.

On that day, the first two activists were detained, and Sinyakov wrote in his account: "I call upon you to join the struggle for freeing these activists, who sincerely see Arctic exploration as malignant." He was subsequently detained.

On Thursday, photographers gathered at the Russian Investigative Committee office in downtown Moscow to protest Sinyakov's arrest.

ALSO:

U.S. signs treaty to restrict arms trade

Battle drags on between Philippine troops and Muslim rebels

The nuclear question likely to be key issue in Iran-U.S. talks

sergei.loiko@latimes.com

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More

Transfers are a key to success in marquee high school sports

For decades, high school sports programs in Southern California relied on a simple formula: teenagers in the neighborhood would show up as freshmen or sophomores, try out for a team and stick together through graduation, succeeding or failing with lifelong friends at their side.

Times have changed. To win a championship at the highest level in the high-profile sports — football and basketball — you clearly need a transfer student or two.

Every team that won a football or basketball championship last season in the top division of the Southern Section or City Section had transfer students playing important roles. It's a trend that began in the last decade and has accelerated.

From Long Beach Poly winning the Pac-5 Division in football to Harbor City Narbonne winning the City Division I title, to Westchester winning the City Division I title in basketball to Etiwanda taking the 1AA title, transfers were prominent. At the state basketball championships, Santa Ana Mater Dei (Open), Santa Monica (Division I), Redondo (Division 3) and Pacific Hills (Division 4) all relied on students who showed up sometime after their freshman year.

Bellflower St. John Bosco won the Division 3A basketball championship with a starting lineup of transfer students. And it's not just in football and basketball that transfers are making a huge impact. Gardena Serra won its first Division 3 baseball championship with the help of six transfer students.

Last school year was the first in which a new state transfer rule reduced the sit-out period from one year to one month for students who switch schools without moving. There were 14,918 transfers statewide, according to statistics compiled by the CIF, and there's no sign that number is going to decrease in 2013-14 now that everyone knows how the rule works.

Player movement is being fueled by a lack of loyalty and changes to NCAA recruiting rules that increase the importance of travel ball competition.. At some private schools, presidents and principals have become sports-team general managers, deciding who gets in and who receives financial aid. Parents have been empowered to shop around for the best deal.

Private schools have an option whether to accept or reject any student, and many have adopted the philosophy that welcoming athletes looking to transfer can be a boon. Exposure generated by the sports teams fills classroom seats, the thinking goes. Public schools, which receive state funds based on their enrollment, are equally eager to add students.

The summer has become, as described by one basketball coach, "the wild, wild West," where rosters are in constant flux and coaches, athletes and fans wait to see who's coming, who's going and what's the latest rumor.

It's a remarkable change from the days when coaches knew in June who would be arriving in September just by visiting their local junior high schools or parish schools or by learning about a younger sibling from a brother or sister.

Now, there are no guarantees. Summer is a time when deals are made, relationships can change and the wooing and selling of programs enters high gear.

There's at least one private school — Los Angeles Loyola — that continues to rely mostly on the old formula, where students arrive as freshmen and stay for four years.

The all-boys school has won five consecutive Commissioner's Cups recognizing it as the top athletic program in the Southern Section.

"I rely on our freshman class every year," said volleyball Coach Michael Boehle, who has won five section titles and had one transfer student in 15 years. "We're blessed to get the kind of kids who want to come here for the academics and extracurricular activities."

But Loyola has not won a championship in football since 2005 and has never won a 1AA championship in basketball. Because transfers have become a key ingredient in success at the highest levels in those marquee sports, it will be interesting to see whether the Cubs begin to participate in a transfer game that opponents have embraced.

What do transfers offer? They help programs avoid rebuilding years. They fill holes left by graduating seniors. They add immediate depth, especially when a senior shows up with previous varsity experience.

What's wrong with transfers? They help schools form virtual all-star teams, which goes against what high school sports is supposed to be about. They take away spots from players who sometimes have spent two years waiting for the chance to start. They sometimes arrive with promises and expectations that can lead to internal conflicts.

In convincing Southern Section schools to support the new transfer rule, Commissioner Rob Wigod promised to intervene when schools became the destination for an unusual amount of transfers. Last month, Upland's football team had three players declared ineligible after a joint Southern Section and district investigation into 13 transfer students.

Of course, the Southern Section doesn't have the resources to conduct complicated investigations. And the new transfer rule was designed to manage transfers rather than to discourage them, Wigod said.

It seems clear the increasing number of transfers is disruptive, creates an environment of distrust and is leading to disillusionment with the ideals and aspirations of the high school sports experience.

This month, a group of Orange County basketball coaches met to kick around ideas about dealing with the transfer issue. Among the suggestions: Limit the number of assistant coaches; bar high school coaches from coaching travel ball; reinstate the Association rule that prevented coaches from coaching players in the off season; educate administrators better on what constitutes undue influence; lengthen the sit-out period.

The debate isn't going away, but the facts are facts. Transfers are helping teams win championships, and top neighborhood teams are a blast from the past.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

23.50 | 0 komentar | Read More