science & art.

This past week was pretty wonderful. Let's take a look.

Last Tuesday, I attended a lecture at LACMA called "The Intersection of Science and Art" with LACMA CEO Michael Govan and the Director of the Griffith Park Observatory, Dr. E.C. Krupp.

Much of the talk centered on the James Turrell Retrospective that I'm hoping to see before it closes, and the Alexander Calder exhibit. It was exciting seeing two of L.A.'s greatest intellectuals (and no, that is not a joke or an oxymoron) bantering about the relationship between science and art, jumping through history, from the time of the ancient pyramids to Turrell's modern-day installations.

I also had the chance to see a preview of Tartuffe at A Noise Within in Pasadena. I have loved Moliére ever since I rocked The School for Wives in high school. He is like the grand daddy of the sitcom--it's non-stop hilarity, hijinx and it all rhymes! If Moliére were alive today, he would be one of the top dudes in Hollywood.

Photos via A Noise Within

The production was fantastic and lots of fun. A Noise Within never fails. Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott lead an outstanding company and consistently perform some of the best classical theater in the Los Angeles area.

I was also excited to discover that Tartuffe is a 1925 F.W. Murnau film.

But, alas I missed an exhibit of never-before-seen photos of a very young Prince at the Mr. Musichead gallery in Hollywood. Actually, I missed it because I wasn't invited to the private opening. However, the photos are on display until (around) March 20th.

I came across a Hollywood Babylon-esque and beautifully written blog called The Chiseler, "Forgotten Authors, Neglected Stars and Lost Languages Rediscovered." The latest entry is a somewhat disturbing article that touches on Shirley Temple, Gravity's Rainbow, Lolita, Graham Greene and Woody Allen, plus a less-disturbing piece on Mexican film noir.

I was thrilled to see that Ricky's Fish Tacos has returned to Virgil Avenue. I had heard he was booted from the neighborhood a while back and now stationed in Chinatown. I was so glad he was back. You can see where he's serving on Twitter: @RickysFishTacos (and I highly recommend you do).

The finest fish tacos in town--and that's saying something.

I also read this wonderful Buzzfeed piece on the literature of True Detective. So many intriguing books here--a few I've read and many I've never heard of. I love the idea of "Southern Gothic film noir with a touch of the occult." In fact, I think it's my new middle name. That is a rabbit hole I can dive into.

One book of note on this list is Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor. You can also check out the stunning 1979 film adaptation of it, too, by John Huston and starring the delightfully creepy Brad Dourif. Before there was Steve Buscemi, there was Brad Dourif.

Like so many, I was saddened by the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, and in his honor, I watched Synedoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut. It's a film that works and doesn't work, is compulsively watchable and completely inscrutable--all in the most over-the-top kind of way and anchored in every scene by Hoffman.

For the record, two of my most memorable PSH performances are a couple of his early cameos: one as a feral teenager in a vintage Law&Order episode, The Violence of Summer, and one scene from a little-known indie movie called My New Gun, starring James LeGros and Diane Lane.

I have some mixed feelings about the unseasonably warm winter this year. Sad that I only wore a sweater for maybe two days in the last two months. Sad that we are experiencing one of the worst droughts in the last hundred years. Happy because the beautiful flowers are already in bloom...

...and the rain is coming!

That's all for now. TTandCF will be on hiatus for a week or so, but I'll see you soon.