Month: December 2019

A homeless shelter at the Newport Beach public works yard could feature room for couples and indoor and outdoor space for pets. The shelter, in what is now a partially enclosed equipment garage, would house, feed and offer hygiene and other services to up to 40 people in a cluster of four or five double-wide…

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, Dec. 19, and I’m writing from Los Angeles. Newsletter Get our Essential California newsletter On Wednesday, a sharply divided House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in a condemnation that only two other American presidents…

Jellicle cats unite! The long-awaited, and much maligned, feature film adaptation of the blockbuster musical “Cats” finally arrives in theaters beginning tomorrow night. And despite Universal’s attempt to keep the project as under wraps as it could, the studio had to screen it for critics at some point. Following a world premiere in New York…

There is a strange scene — OK, there are many strange scenes — near the end of “Cats,” the flailing feline phantasmagoria coming soon to a movie theater and/or shroom party near you. A bright new morning has dawned in London, and Old Deuteronomy, the wisest of the city’s scruffy tribe of jellicle cats, leans…

For the better part of a year, the historic Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax has been slowly transforming into its new identity as the Fairfax Cinema. On Wednesday morning, a story in the Hollywood Reporter announced the new theater would open on Dec. 25 with the exclusive 35-mm engagement for “Uncut Gems,” starring Adam Sandler,…

SERIES Whale Wars: Watson’s Last Stand Capt. Paul Watson is forced to step down, leaving four rookie captains to continue his mission in the first of two new episodes of this documentary series. 8 and 10 p.m. Animal Planet The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition The bakers create sweet and savory creations using spices,…

After a screening of “The Two Popes” in New York recently, screenwriter Anthony McCarten recalls being approached by an audience member with a surprising take on the film. “He said, ‘You do know this is a Jewish movie, right?’” recalls McCarten. The man went on to say, “‘It’s a foundational aspect of Judaism to debate…

Out of desperation, I ended up on a private jet. Driving from L.A. to San Francisco the day before Thanksgiving is never enticing. This year, the forecast called for heavy rain and snow in the mountains, which meant the 5 Freeway could close anytime at the Grapevine. Also, a fire above Santa Barbara meant potential…

Quickly, now: When does your passport expire? Your kids’ passports? Maybe you don’t remember, but even if you do, who really wants to deal with the process? Mobile Passport, which Customs and Border Protection says “does not require preapproval and is free to use,” can help. You may know this app because it’s helping travelers…

As Boeing Co. prepares to shut much of a huge factory near Seattle that builds the grounded 737 Max jet, the economic hit is reverberating in Southern California and across the United States. When the company announced this week that it will temporarily halt production of the 737 Max — the nation’s largest manufactured export,…