Meet Joey Covarrubias, prep guard to the stars

When Montebello Cantwell-Sacred Heart holds its basketball awards banquet, Coach George Zedan should award a hard hat and lunch pail to senior guard Joey Covarrubias for his toughness in surviving a series of defensive assignments against players who one day we'll be watching on television in college or the NBA.

"We ask him to do a lot," Zedan said. "We ask him to be our Swiss Army knife."

College recruiters might want to set up a one-on-one interview with Covarrubias to hear his personal scouting reports after guarding many of the top players in Southern California over the last four months.

Among the players he has guarded this season are Lonzo Ball of Chino Hills, Marcus LoVett Jr. of San Gabriel Academy, Chris Sandifer of Woodland Hills Taft, Khalil Bedart-Ghani of Los Angeles Loyola, Bennie Boatwright of Sun Valley Village Christian, Kendall Small of Lakewood Mayfair, Deontae North of Corona Centennial, Ron Freeman of Gardena Serra, Lucas Siewert of L.A. Cathedral, Michael Oguine of West Hills Chaminade and Stanley Johnson of Santa Ana Mater Dei.

That's 11 standout players who will be playing college basketball in the coming years.

"It's something that drives me," the 6-foot-2 Covarrubias said. "It excites me and gives me that push. It's not easy. I don't want it to be easy. I want it to be a challenge."

His next assignment will be guarding junior guard Stevie Thompson Jr. of Torrance Bishop Montgomery in Saturday's 4 p.m. Division IV Southern California Regional final at Ontario Colony.

"He's just a calming presence to our team," Zedan said. "He's a phenomenal thinker on the court."

Covarrubias said trying to stop Mater Dei's Johnson was his toughest assignment.

"Honestly, I didn't get any sleep," he said of his preparation for Johnson.

Johnson ended up scoring 17 points, and Mater Dei needed overtime to beat the Cardinals, 66-59.

"He was tough," Covarrubias said. "He can shoot, he can get to the basket. He was really strong. I figured out his tendencies and what he likes to do."

Except Covarrubias found out Johnson doesn't have any weaknesses.

"He's mostly a right-handed player, but going to the left, he's as good as going to the right," he said. "I'd force him left into our bigs."

Covarrubias devotes so much energy and focus to defense that sometimes he has to let others score on offense. And yet, he leads his team in scoring at 14.8 points.

Cantwell-Sacred Heart is 23-8 and has never reached this point in the state playoffs. One more win and the Cardinals will be playing for their first state championship in Sacramento.

"It's great to have this opportunity," Covarrubias said. "We keep making history. Every one of my teammates is really excited and the school is in a great mood."

One day, Covarrubias will look back on his defensive assignments and probably wonder how he pulled it off.

"I love it," he said. "It's something I take pride in."

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

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Malaysia plane: Australia calls off search for the night

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  -- Aircraft from Australia, New Zealand and the United States began to search the south Indian Ocean area Thursday for possible airplane debris spotted on satellite imagery, but they did not find anything amid poor weather and limited visibility.

The search for wreckage from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was called off at day's end, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority announced. It was expected to resume Friday morning.

Shortly after Australia announced it had detected two objects that could be from the missing jetliner, one of its air force planes scoured the area but returned to base in Perth without spotting anything.

"The weather conditions were such we were unable to see for very much of the flight today," Royal Australian Air Force Flight Lt. Chris Birrer told reporters, according to Reuters news service.

A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon later in the day reached the scene, about 1,500 miles southwest of the Australian city of Perth, but the Navy also reported that it did not detect debris from the Boeing 777 jetliner that disappeared on March 8.

By day's end, two more aircraft from Australia and New Zealand had joined the search, covering an area of nearly 9,000 square miles, the maritime authority said. A merchant ship had arrived in the area and another was en route, it said.

The satellite pictures were taken Sunday, the martime authority said, adding that because of the large volume of films and analysis required, the imagery showing the two objects, one measuring almost 80 feet, was not brought to the authority's attention until Thursday morning.

Malaysia's government on Thursday described the new sightings of possible airplane debris as "credible," even as officials sought to temper expectations and allay increasing anger from families of the passengers of that flight.

Asked why Australia's satellite detections were seen as more promising than earlier leads that proved false, Malaysia's acting transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, said the imagery was "corroborated to a certain extent by other satellites."

"We now have a credible lead," he said at a news conference here shortly after getting briefed by Australian officials.

Earlier in the day, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told his country's parliament that "new and credible information has come to light in relation to the search ... in the south Indian Ocean."

The news of the possible debris, after nearly two weeks of false leads and many rumors, has raised hopes of a breakthrough in the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The flight was on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 passengers and crew aboard.

But for the families and relatives of those on board, the latest news brought a much more complex mix of emotions, which have swung from highs and lows as well as displaying deep frustration and anger over the handling of the investigation and information disclosures by the Malaysian government.

Hishammuddin, in the daily news conference, said the families of passengers would be briefed separately Thursday night. Although he noted that search efforts were being stepped up in the area of the satellite sightings, he also said he did not want to give them false hope.

Malaysia Airlines said that if the debris detections were confirmed to be from the missing Boeing 777, the families would be flown to Australia.

Hishammuddin also expressed regret at what happened Wednesday when three Chinese women representing families of the passengers protested in the Sama-Sama Hotel next to Kuala Lumpur's international airport where Malaysian officials have been meeting and briefing media. The women were pushed by security officers into a room amid jostling and shoving by media crews.

Hishammuddin said that the matter was being investigated and that high-level Malaysian officials were being sent to Beijing on Thursday evening to meet with and to provide updates to the families of passengers.

Chinese citizens accounted for about two-thirds of the passengers on the flight.

At the Lido Hotel in Beijing, where Chinese families of the passengers are gathered, people were glued to the television throughout the day, watching in a nearly dark conference room. It was numbingly quiet inside.

A security check had been placed at the main entrance of the hotel to scan bags, perhaps in response to an incident last week when family members threw bottles of water at Malaysia Airlines staff.

Three women sat together on a curb outside the hotel, one crying inconsolably as the other two tried to comfort her.

A man paced back and forth, smoking.

"This is so meaningless. We can't take this anymore,'' said the man, who wouldn't give his name. "I just want this to be over.''

ALSO:

Navy SEALs seize tanker in illegal sale of Libyan oil

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Ukraine's surrounded soldiers in Crimea await their orders

don.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @dleelatimes

barbara.demick@latimes.com

Twitter: @barbarademick

Lee reported from Kuala Lumpur and Demick from Beijing.

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'Divergent': Ansel Elgort talks Caleb, 'The Fault in Our Stars'

"Divergent" is expected to be a blockbuster when it opens in theaters Friday, but for fans of the bestselling young adult book trilogy on which the film is based, it's a chance to see author Veronica Roth's dystopian future come to life on the big screen.

The film, directed by Neil Burger, is set in a future society where teenagers are tested and strictly divided into factions based on their personalities. Young heroine Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) discovers she is divergent, meaning she shows an aptitude for multiple factions, and she decides to join Dauntless, the faction based on bravery. But she's not the only one to leave Abnegation, the faction that values selflessness, behind. Her brother Caleb, portrayed in the film by Ansel Elgort, chooses to join Erudite, the faction that values knowledge, and the decision pits him against his sister and his parents in a political battle.

Ansel Elgort arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Divergent." (Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

Elgort, who began his acting career onstage, appeared as popular jock Tommy Ross opposite Chloe Moretz in last year's "Carrie" remake. He's also portraying Augustus Waters, the male lead in another young adult book-based movie "The Fault in Our Stars," based on the popular novel by John Green about two teenagers who meet in a cancer support group and fall in love. Woodley plays the female lead, Hazel Grace Lancaster.

Hero Complex sat down with Elgort to talk about "Divergent," "Fault" and what's next.

HC: What drew you to the role?

AE: Well, Caleb isn't a leading man, which is interesting, because it's easy to get pigeonholed in life, and that's sort of what "Divergent" is about. Everyone wants to be divergent — you don't want to just be stuck as one thing. So Caleb is not the leading man, and that's kind of interesting. He goes through an arc. He makes questionable decisions. The audience doesn't always love him.

HC: Were you apprehensive about playing somebody the audience wouldn't like?

AE: No, of course not. You want to play characters like that sometimes. For me, actors that I've always been inspired by are actors like Tom Hardy and Christian Bale, because they play leading men in movies, and they play characters in movies, and they play villains. Like Christian Bale playing Batman and then playing the role he just played in "American Hustle." That's really what being an actor is, and I guess you want to be the most divergent actor you can be.

Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley in "Divergent." (Summit Entertainment)

HC: There's a beautiful scene in the film where Caleb and Tris are in the kitchen with their parents the night before the Choosing Ceremony.

AE: Yeah, that was my favorite scene.

HC: It was a touching moment. Where do you find that emotional truth? Do you draw from your own experiences?

AE: When you have Shailene Woodley and Tony Goldwyn and Ashley Judd in a room, you don't need that much. They're just all gonna bring it. You just try to be as realistic as you can. You put yourself in that moment, in that kitchen. It's all real. We did it right after we did the scene at the dinner table where it's a little more tight. It's Abnegation, so you speak when spoken to when you're a kid, and you know, I don't think they show emotions that often. And there's a moment there where Tony, the father Andrew, says something like, "Your mother and I, we love you either way." And then it was like a great hug. It's real, you know? Tony has kids, and he talked a lot about how that inspired him with the role. I have parents. You totally draw from that.

Shailene Woodley, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn and Ansel Elgort in "Divergent." (Jaap Buitendijk / Summit Entertainment)

HC: This was your first action film, correct? Did you enjoy that experience? Was your combat training limited since you're playing a character in Erudite, not Dauntless?

AE: It was awesome, so much fun. I'm a kid, so it's a lot of fun. I didn't do any combat training. They'd give me a gun, and I'd get to hold the gun, but part of it was I didn't want any training with it. Because at first, I was holding it one way, and the guy tried to tell me, "Oh, you have to hold it this way." And I was like, "Would I know?" And he was like, "Oh, you're right. You wouldn't. Don't worry about it, just hold it however you think." So then we were always actually trying to make it look like I had no clue what I was doing.

Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in a scene from "The Fault in Our Stars." (James Bridges / 20th Century Fox)

HC: What's next for you?

AE: Well, I just did a film with Jason Reitman ["Men, Women & Children"], I'm super happy about. I'm still coming off the excitement of that. I'd like to do a lot of films like that. I played someone who I was very different from. I learned a lot. There was a lot of great emotional content and great scenes.

HC: You say that the character was very different from you. Is there a character you've played that's similar to you?

AE: You know, you just draw from yourself. So I've never played a character that's really different from myself because it's you at the end of the day who's on camera. I haven't played like a serial killer — that would probably be harder to draw from, for me at least. But for Tommy Ross, I pull out the jock in myself. I played varsity basketball. I throw away the artistic part of myself. You just take certain parts of yourself, and you say, "Oh this is the part I'm going to use, this is the part I'm going to throw away," and you make the character that way. Because you've lived your life. I've done a lot of things. I've lived a lot of different sort of personas in my life just because I've played basketball and I've been an artist and I've been a ballet dancer, and I've been an actor and I've been a singer. So you use everything. That's why you're lucky to have it all.

So for Caleb, I take the part of myself that I'm a pretty driven individual, and I want to be successful, and I want to do things right. And I take away the silliness. Caleb's not silly. Caleb doesn't joke around too much. He's pretty to the point, he's logical, he knows what he wants. So I use that part of myself, so I'm familiar with that. With Augustus Waters, I'm a little bit theatrical. Augustus is theatrical. He is also very loving, and I am a Pisces, and I easily fall in love, and that is the part for Augustus that I pulled from. And for this most recent character in the Jason Reitman film, he's obsessed with a video game, and he's pretty depressed. And I remember being in seventh grade, and I hated my life. I mean, everyone's been there at some point. No one's ever loved their life from start to finish. So I think back to a moment when I was in seventh grade and I was bullied and everything sucked, and my character's bullied in this movie, and you just have to pull that out of yourself. So yeah, I guess I can sort of relate to everyone I've played so far in different ways.

– Noelene Clark | @NoeleneClark | Google+

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‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ composer Bear McCreary scores with Calder Quartet

As a classical-music ensemble with a sterling critical reputation and a flair for the contemporary, the Los Angeles-based Calder Quartet is used to playing at some of  the most prestigious concert venues around the world.

On a recent winter morning, however, the musicians were in a modest studio in a not-so-glamorous stretch of Glendale dominated by shabby industrial warehouses. Passing freight trains emitted a repetitive ka-chink as they moved through the area on rusty tracks.

Inside, a rhythm of a different sort was at play. The quartet was recording (and re-recording… and re-recording) a staccato passage for the soundtrack of the Starz drama series "Da Vinci's Demons." Leading them from the podium was the series' Emmy-winning composer Bear McCreary.

The 35-year-old McCreary demanded the musicians repeat the passage several times, suggesting slight changes in their interpretation with each take.

"Maybe a little less vibrato on your end," McCreary told violinist Benjamin Jacobson. Later, he admonished the group for rushing: "We're definitely ahead. We're caffeinated. Focus on the click." (The players wore earpieces that provide a metronomic click to help them keep time.)

The musicians were scoring a scene from the second season of the historical drama series that follows a fictional Da Vinci (Tom Riley) on his exotic adventures. The season, which debuts Saturday on Starz, was shot in Wales, but much of the post-production, including the scoring, took place in the L.A. area.

Musicians of the Calder's caliber don't necessarily have to accept studio day jobs, but their connection to "Da Vinci" was somewhat personal. The musicians had first met McCreary when they were students at USC's Thornton School of Music.

"We all showed up for freshman year music theory," recalled violinist Andrew Bulbrook. "Bear showed up to theory wearing an Oingo Boingo T-shirt and talking about Danny Elfman."

The violinist said McCreary would practice his accordion "day and night in the dorm."

The composer recalled that Bulbrook played the first piece he composed for solo violin. "At the end, I wanted a low note so I told him to de-tune the G-string," said McCreary.

Earlier in the day, the Calder musicians scored other parts of the "Da Vinci" season with members of a larger studio orchestra. A typical episode of "Da Vinci" contains 30 to 35 minutes of music — which is a lot compared with McCreary's work on AMC's "The Walking Dead," which he said features about 10 minutes of music per episode.

The speed of television scoring – an episode can sometimes be completed in a matter of days – was something that the Calder Quartet had to adjust to when they first worked on "Da Vinci" last season.

"As a quartet, we could talk about a measure [of music] for an hour," said Bulbrook.

The series' title sequence, which won McCreary an Emmy Award, is a minute-long piece of music that can be played forward and backward and was inspired by the real-life Da Vinci's method of writing backward with the aid of a mirror.

Series creator David Goyer, left, and composer Bear McCreary  during a scoring session for "Da Vinci's Demons" at the Bridge Recording Studio on Jan. 29 in Glendale. (Chris Pizzello/Invision for Starz/AP Images)

David Goyer, who created the series, said that the title sequence was initially just 40 seconds long, but he decided to add 20 seconds because he liked McCreary's music so much. "I wanted a call to adventure for the theme," said Goyer.

McCreary hails from Seattle and lives with his wife in Culver City. Early in his career, he was mentored by the late Oscar-winning film composer Elmer Bernstein. At a recent concert of Bernstein's film music in L.A., McCreary performed music from "To Kill a Mockingbird" on the accordion.

McCreary tends to work at a breakneck pace, taking just a week to 10 days to compose the music for one episode of "Da Vinci's Demons." (The title sequence took him five days to compose, he said.)

In addition to his work for cable TV, he is also scoring the Marvel series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," which airs on ABC. He gained a great deal of attention for his work for Ronald D. Moore's landmark reboot of the science fiction series "Battlestar Galactica."

For network TV, "sometimes you score an episode and it airs 10 days later," the composer explained. "On cable, I have more time to focus on fewer episodes."

In actuality, it's a team effort. McCreary has a small group of musicians who assist him with the scoring process, from orchestrating his compositions to overseeing the recording sessions.

The Calder Quartet – whose members also include violist Jonathan Moerschel and cellist Eric Byers – have collaborated with McCreary outside of Hollywood. In 2012, the ensemble debuted a McCreary piece titled "A Hypocrite and Slandererer" at a performance at the Getty Center commemorating the work of sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt.

The quartet members said they hope to team up again with the composer in a concert setting.

In the near term, the quartet can be seen at Walt Disney Concert Hall on April 8 in a Green Umbrella concert featuring music by Steve Reich and other contemporary composers.

– David Ng | @LATHeroComplex

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Obama imposes new sanctions, warns Russia against further escalation

WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday announced new economic sanctions against Russian government officials, influential individuals and a Russian bank, threatening to come back with tougher penalties if Moscow does not deescalate the crisis in Ukraine.

"Further escalation will only isolate it further from the international community," Obama said in remarks on the South Lawn of the White House. The U.S. is concerned that "Russia has positioned its military" in a threatening way, he added.

The president said the new sanctions would target additional senior Russian government officials, other individuals with "substantial resources and influence," and a bank. He also signed an executive order that would allow him to slap broader sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy, a move that "is not our preferred outcome," Obama said, acknowledging that such sanctions could be "disruptive" to the global economy.

A short time after Obama's statement, Russia announced that it was imposing entry bans on nine U.S. lawmakers and officials in retaliation for Washington's sanctions over Crimea, the Associated Press reported.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's list included House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The new U.S. sanctions will hit 16 Russian government officials, members of Putin's inner circle and Bank Rossiya, the bank used by many senior officials of the Russian Federation.

The government officials who were targeted are high-ranking bureaucrats and lawmakers who publicly backed Putin's call to use Russian forced to occupy Crimea, according to the Treasury Department, which issued a statement identifying the individuals who were sanctioned. 

Those in Putin's inner circle include Yuri Kovalchuk, the largest shareholder of Bank Rossiya and Putin's personal banker; Gennady Timchenko, a founder of a commodity trading company involved in the oil and energy markets; and Arkady Rotenberg and Boris Rotenberg, brothers who made billions on Putin-awarded contracts with Gazprom, the state-controlled energy company, and the Sochi Winter Olympics. 

The new penalties build on sanctions the U.S. and European Union announced Monday in a last-ditch attempt to keep Russian President Vladimir Putin from formally annexing Crimea. Those penalties, targeting just a handful of Russian and Ukrainian officials, did nothing to shift Putin's course. Administration officials have since promised more would be coming.

Obama's options are limited. In a television interview on Wednesday, he argued that he doesn't want to do anything that would "trigger an actual war with Russia." The administration thus far has turned away the idea of sending military equipment to the new Ukrainian government.

Rather, the White House is focused on sending financial aid to the nascent government and tightening the economic pressure on Putin. The White House warned Wednesday that international sanctions will eventually target Russia's business oligarchs, who have extensive holdings around the world.

U.S. and European officials have tried to present a united front, though disagreements in Europe have made that difficult. Some European countries have been pushing for strong action, while those more dependent on Russia for energy and trade are more reluctant to back tough penalties that might also create economic trouble at home.

To date, the threats and sanctions seem to have had little effect on Putin's decision making. Western officials fear the former KGB operative may push further into Ukraine, while leaders of other neighboring countries have expressed anxiety over Russia's plans.

Vice President Joe Biden was deployed this week to Eastern Europe to reassure NATO allies that the U.S. will stand up against any aggressive acts. Ukraine is not a NATO member.

kathleen.hennessey@latimes.com

Twitter: @khennessey

christi.parsons@latimes.com

Twitter: @cparsons

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Russians reportedly attack two Ukrainian naval units in Crimea

MOSCOW -- Ukrainian forces at two naval facilities in Crimea reported Wednesday that they were attacked by gunmen linked to Russia in violation of an earlier agreement to give them until Friday to leave the breakaway region.

"So-called pro-Russian self-defense forces of Crimea aided by Russian gunmen in unmarked uniforms stormed and gained control of our navy chief's headquarters in Sevastopol," Alexei Mazepa, regional spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, said in a phone interview. The headquarters building was under Russian control by midday, he said.

Ukrainian forces on the peninsula have largely been surrounded and barricaded by Russian troops and pro-Russian militia who seized control of Crimea late last month. On Tuesday, following a controversial referendum among Crimeans, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the Ukrainian region would become part of Russia.

A Russian journalist who witnessed the assault on the headquarters said it was launched by about 200 armed pro-Russian militia in Russian army uniforms and masks and by Russian Cossacks. The attackers broke down the gates of the base and surrounded the main building.

Ukrainian naval officers barricaded themselves in the building and the assault subsided when Vice Adm. Alexander Vitko, commander of Russia's Crimean-based Black Sea fleet, arrive to negotiate, said journalist Oleg Klimov by telephone from the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

"As soon as Vitko was gone, the storm continued as the Cossacks and militiamen broke down the door and threw at least one stun grenade inside," he said.

The defenders were overwhelmed without a shot fired, Klimov said.

"When the entire base was in the hands of the attackers, Russian gunmen in unmarked uniforms arrived on the scene in great numbers and took positions everywhere inside the base," Klimov said. "As Ukrainian officers, looking demoralized, started leaving the base one captain … stopped for a minute, looking around the base as if saying goodbye." He carried framed photographs of naval vessels he had served on.

A similar scene unfolded miles away at Donuzlav Lake, where armed pro-Russian militia broke down the gate of a Ukrainian naval base with a tractor, according to Mazepa, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman.

"The unit's armed officers and sailors barricaded themselves inside the command building of the base, threatened to open fire on the attackers and those retreated," Mazepa said over the phone.

On Tuesday night one Ukrainian officer was killed and at least two were injured as Russian gunmen reportedly opened fire at a Ukrainian army cartographic unit in the center of Simferopol.

Russia is trying to rid the peninsula of Ukrainian servicemen as quickly as possible to gain full control over Crimea, Ukrainian defense expert Dmitry Tymchuk said.

"Our army and navy units in Crimea are the only element of Ukraine's presence in this region the Kremlin has annexed by force," Tymchuk, the head of the Kiev-based Center for Military and Political research, said in a phone interview. The Ukrainian troops "are in a very desperate situation now as the political and military leadership of Ukraine still refrains from issuing concrete instructions for their conduct in these dire circumstances."

Ukraine had managed to save at least half of its navy fleet, including its flag ship Hetman Sahaidachny, which relocated to the ports of Odessa and Mariupol. The seven vessels trapped at Donuzlav Lake may soon fall into Russian hands as the waterway's access to the Black Sea has been blockaded by the Black Sea Fleet. The Russians sank at least three old vessels there early this month to prevent the Ukrainian ships from leaving, Mazepa said.

Rear Adm. Sergei Gayduk, commander of the Ukrainian navy, was temporarily detained by Russian investigators in Sevastopol on suspicion that he ordered his forces "to open fire against peaceful civilians," Russian ITAR-TASS new agency reported.

Ukraine marine battalion stationed in Crimean port of Feodosia demanded instructions from Kiev, UNIAN news agency reported. The marines also demanded guarantees that they would be able to continue their military service in Ukraine proper and in the same unit.

"If this is not done, the consequences may be unpredictable," the battalion commander's statement said, suggesting their possible defection.

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sergei.loiko@latimes.com

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'Star Wars: Episode VII' to shoot in London in May, with R2D2 aboard

The new "Star Wars" will begin shooting in a time not long from now in a galaxy not really very far away.

The J.J. Abrams reboot of the classic space-opera franchise will begin production in London in May, Disney said Wednesday via the official "Star Wars" site. The events in the film will pick up — fittingly — 30 years after the last chronological film, "The Return of the Jedi," which came out three decades ago.

"'Star Wars: Episode VII' is set about 30 years after the events of 'Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi', and will star a trio of new young leads along with some very familiar faces," the company said in a statement.

ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll

Indeed, the production has been looking for up-and-coming actors to take the mantle from Luke Skywalker and Han Solo even as the new film is believed to include those familiar faces — namely, Mark Hamill as Luke, Harrison Ford as Han and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. George Lucas has said that producers were in negotiations with all three some time ago.

A host of actors have read for a variety of the fresh-faced parts, with Adam Driver, Jesse Plemons, Lupita Nyong'o and Michael B. Jordan among the actors who have reportedly been considered by filmmakers.

Other tidbits gleaned recently include the return of R2D2, whom Disney chief Robert Iger (re)-confirmed in a call with analysts Tuesday will be returning to the series.

The movie is the first of a trilogy that Disney is planning since it acquired Lucasfilm; Abrams is directing from a script he and Lawrence Kasdan wrote and that Michael Arndt initially contributed to.

The terse statement Wednesday offers some clues but not a lot of new insight; it comes after a steady trickle of news (or at least rumor, scuttlebutt and speculation) moving the needle forward (or at least filling fans' Wiki pages.)

"Star Wars: Episode VII" will hit theaters Dec. 18, 2015.

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Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

 

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'American Vampire': Rafael Albuquerque talks monstrous 'Second Cycle'

Skinner Sweet is hell on wheels, and "American Vampire" co-creator Rafael Albuquerque says the visual engine is "Easy Rider."

The original Abominus americana rides in the sunlight again Wednesday as Brazilian artist Albuquerque and writer Scott Snyder's Eisner Award-winning Vertigo series begins its "Second Cycle" after a planned hiatus that lasted more than a year.

Set in the 1960s, the new arc finds the deadly outlaw Sweet, first of a new breed that walks in daylight and is felled by gold, up to no good in Mexico. Meanwhile, the woman he turned, former aspiring actress Pearl Jones, has returned home to Kansas from Los Angeles, an ever-young widow who outlived her beloved musician husband Henry. And, as teased in the last regular issue before the break, a mysterious threat called the Gray Trader is on the horizon.

"AV" readers' blood thirst hasn't gone unnoticed: Albuquerque scripted and illustrated June's "The Long Road to Hell" one-shot, featuring the greaser vampire hunter Travis Kidd and a young orphan called Jasper, with story input from Snyder, and the team curated and had work in August's "American Vampire Anthology." (Both are collected in the hardcover "American Vampire Volume Six," also out Wednesday.)

And the creators have missed their fanged friends too: Though Snyder writes the bestselling "Batman" and other series and Albuquerque drew "Animal Man," both have talked about a hunger to get back to the series that made vampires scary again.

In an email interview, Albuquerque discusses the visual elements of "American Vampire: Second Cycle" and his changing approach.

Hero Complex: As "Second Cycle" opens in 1965, Skinner is in Mexico and Pearl is back at her old family home in Kansas. You've already drawn evocative settings in the Old West, 1920s and 1950s Los Angeles, the Pacific theater in World War II and elsewhere for "American Vampire." What are the keys to these new environments in the late 1960s? Any particular references that have been especially helpful?

Rafael Albuquerque: We're really taking some time to immerse in this time period, through movies, and even music. Some are more apparent than others, of course, but everything is important to make the setting believable. For Skinner's sequences, for example, I've had a lot of influence from the movie "Easy Rider." It was my main source of references.

Skinner and Pearl are seen in 1950s Hollywood in "American Vampire" No. 28, which kicked off the last arc before the Vertigo series' hiatus. (Rafael Albuquerque / DC Entertainment)

HC: Pearl and Skinner have been seen across decades, and their looks have evolved. What do you see as most important to their visual presentations for continuity of character?

RA: Yeah, it's a tricky thing when characters' looks change all the time, and since the beginning we've been struggling to make sure that they are recognizable, no matter how they are dressed. I used to think that Pearl's short hair and Skinner's unshaved beard were what made them iconic, but the more we do it, the more we realize that it's their personality. The way they move, talk, their expressions. That's what makes them recognizable.

HC: Readers have been told that the mysterious Gray Trader will be a major player in "Second Cycle." There was a brief look at him – assuming he was the shadowy figure in the bowler hat – in No. 34, the last issue before the break. I realize you'll want to avoid spoilers, but can you give readers an early feel for what you're going for in his overall design?

RA: Yeah, it's hard to talk about him and avoid spoilers, but, the Gray Trader will be, visually, very surprising. We gave a hint on No. 34, but he is definitely more than what's there, and visually is something we have never done before. 

HC: Your co-creator has said that some as-yet-unseen creatures in "Second Cycle" will be scarier than anything readers have seen before in "American Vampire." Now, your vampire and other designs seen so far in the series have not lacked in horror. How are you approaching the challenge of upping the fright factor – and what, for you, makes for truly scary monster design/presentation?

RA: I appreciate that. We are definitely bringing our A game to this. Scott and I are on Skype all the time, discussing new ideas for sequences and what's the best visual for the new vamp species. We're really trying to bring something unique to the book, and the new monsters will be awesome.

HC: It's been over a year since the last regular issue of "AV" – though you did write and illustrate last June's "The Long Road to Hell" one-shot and write in August's "Anthology." You did a run on "Animal Man" with Jeff Lemire and, in a recent interview, Scott said you're "switching up [your] style" for "Second Cycle." What differences from earlier "AV" issues do you see in your art in looking at your "Second Cycle" pages? What are your goals for the series' latter half?

RA: Yeah, I'm back to the ink washes again. It fits with the tone of the story, in the same way it worked out on the "Ghost War" arc. The differences between this, and the first part are laid on the storytelling, more than the art style, I think. It's more cinematic than ever. My editor, Mark [Doyle], said it looks like "Robert Altman directing 'Nashville.'" I took it as a big compliment.

Rafael Albuquerque scripted and illustrated last summer's "American Vampire: The Long Road to Hell." He worked on the story with series co-creator / writer Scott Snyder. (DC Entertainment)

HC: Speaking of your writing, do you see more "AV" stories ahead that you'd like to script?

RA: I'd love to write more "AV" stories. "Long Road" was a really nice experience, and I think there is a lot of room to continue Jasper's story. We have no plans for it soon, but definitely talk about it as a possibility in the future.

HC: Pearl and Skinner are back, with lots of familiar faces from the Vassals of the Morning Star alive and available to appear. And certainly you have new characters you and Scott are creating. But don't you miss Henry? Anything you'd like to say about the late Mr. Preston?

RA: I do miss Henry. He was a great character, and, even dead, he plays a major role in this new story.

HC: Is there anything else you'd like readers to know about "American Vampire: Second Cycle"? There may be some new ones drawn in by your work on "Animal Man" and Scott's work on "Batman."

RA: I'd like to thank our fans for all their patience. We've heard how much they missed the book and we know how much they care about these characters, and we also understand that they are so devoted to the book, because they know we work hard to deliver the very best we can. That's why we needed to take this break. To keep the ideas fresh and original, as much as possible. There is a lot of heart on this new cycle, and it's definitely made for all our readers.

– Blake Hennon | @BlakeHennon | @LATHeroComplex

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Stocks edge up ahead of Fed decision; Oracle falls

Stocks were mixed in morning trading Wednesday as investors awaited the results of the Federal Reserve's first policy meeting under its new chair, Janet Yellen. Technology stocks struggled after Oracle reported earnings and revenue that fell short of what investors were expecting. 

KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average rose 14 points, or 0.1 percent, to 16,350 as of 11:15 a.m. Eastern. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was essentially unchanged at 1,872 and the Nasdaq composite was down eight points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,325. 

ORACLE LAGS: Technology giant Oracle fell $1.02, or 3 percent, to $37.82. The database software maker reported a slight rise in revenue and profits from a year ago, but the results came in short of analysts' predictions. Oracle's results also dragged down IBM, SAP and Microsoft. Oracle and Microsoft carry a lot of weight in the Nasdaq composite and helped pull the index lower. 

YELLEN'S DEBUT: Investors will be watching closely for any hints of how Yellen will differ from her predecessor, Ben Bernanke. The central bank is expected to announce a further reduction of its economic stimulus program, reducing its monthly bond purchases from $65 billion a month to $55 billion. Yellen also will preside over her first news conference as Fed chair this afternoon. 

HOMEBUILDERS: KB Homes, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, jumped $1.40, or 8 percent, to $19.08 after the company reported much higher profits than investors were expecting. KB earned 12 cents a share, four cents more than analysts had forecast. The company also said the average selling price of a new home rose 12 percent from last year. Other homebuilders also rose. D.R. Horton, PulteGroup and Toll Brothers gained 2 percent or more. 

WEATHER HITS FEDEX: Shipping company FedEx was up 63 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $139.19. FedEx earnings missed analysts' estimates, but the company said it mostly had to do with the winter storms in January and February, which cut into the company's shipping volumes for several weeks. 

BONDS AND COMMODITIES: Bond prices fell slightly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.69 percent from 2.67 percent late Tuesday. The price of oil edged down 17 cents to $98.72 a barrel. Gold fell $19.70 to $1,339.50 an ounce. 

 

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Eminem and Rihanna to co-headline three-stop stadium tour

The rapper Eminem will co-headline an stadium tour with Rihanna this summer. (Pierre Andrieu / AFP/Getty Images / August 22, 2013)

By August Brown

March 19, 2014, 9:10 a.m.

Eminem and Rihanna have collaborated on a few of the biggest pop-rap singles of recent years. Now they're teaming up again for a brief series of stadium shows.

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