Derek Beres, 11/2/11

Words | Beats | Postures

It would be hard to turn Malian desert blues into a glitzy stratagem, though I'm sure with the genre's growing popularity some will try. Tinariwen does not partake in such foolishness.

Danny Groner, 11/2/11

Manager, Shutterstock

The Mountaintop does not aim to call Martin Luther King's life and legacy into question; rather, it hopes to make him a more relatable character -- he smokes, curses, and, yes, even goes to the bathroom.

Bill Bush, 11/1/11

Publisher of Artweek.LA, a leading online magazine dedicated to the Los Angeles art scene

Cecilia T. Capers, 11/1/11

Lawyer, Writer and Former Teacher

It takes a high level of brashness and brilliance to embark on a journey to create a play about the enigmatic rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur.

Daniel J. Kushner, 11/1/11

Arts Journalist and Music Critic

There is no doubt that cellist Maya Beiser is a dynamic performer. But her command is not limited to conventional concert stages.

Evelyne Politanoff, 11/1/11

Art and fashion enthusiast

Michael Bialas, 11/1/11

Entertainment and Sports Journalist

While the red carpet presentations at the 34th Starz Denver Film Festival feature Oscar-worthy films with box-office potential, there are enough under-the-radar temptations to please the most critical cinephile.

Jay Weston, 11/1/11

Publisher, Jay Weston's Restaurant Newsletter

When I heard that an actress named Susan Claussen was appearing in a one-woman drama about Edith Head, I immediately booked a ticket to her opening night performance at the Odyssey Theatre.

Mat Gleason, 11/1/11

Art critic, Coagula Art Journal

Could there be a crueler indictment of an art world that is convinced of its moral superiority to mainstream culture than to be subsidized by one of the criminal financial forces that has brought our culture to its very knees?

Ralph A. Miriello, 10/31/11

Jazz Journalist

For the last several years, the trumpeter Tim Hagans has been a ubiquitous force on the modern jazz scene, both as a powerful voice on his instrument and as a talented composer and arranger.

Fred Bernstein, 10/31/11

Writer on law and architecture

For every homeless person, at least four houses are sitting empty in America. In a more just world, anyone seeking to build a 30,000-square-foot house would also have to fund a homeless shelter -- and make it at least as big as their guest wing.

Edward Goldman, 10/31/11

Art Critic, KCRW 89.9 FM

Melody Godfred, 10/31/11

Author, screenwriter and writing consultant

After LACMA's Dead Man's Ball on Saturday night, we may want to consider renaming Halloween after Tim Burton.

Constantin Bjerke, 10/31/11

CEO, Crane.tv

It is a "space for production, reflection and today's challenging art, but with a structure that is pro-active and flexible."

Jeff Kelly Lowenstein, 10/31/11

Database and investigative editor, 'Hoy'

Unfortunately, the work's power is diluted by the characters' generally unappealing nature -- I found myself drawn to perhaps two of the actors in each act -- and the stiff way in which they carried themselves.

Judy Chang, 10/31/11

Fashion Designer-turned-Art Enthusiast

John Himmelfarb's studio is like a candy store, a visual onslaught of excitement, followed by a desire to have everything at once. The subject of new documentary, Himmelfarb's work is in more than 40 museums.

George Heymont, 10/31/11

San Francisco-based arts critic

I recently watched two people perform monologues at the San Francisco Fringe Festival. While the quality of writing and subject matter varied, the success of each was determined within its first 60 seconds by the artist's confidence and personal charisma.