KRYSTA FAURIA

Krysta covers film, TV and music in Los Angeles.

Renee Rapp poses for a portrait on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Los Angeles. Rapp has been named one of The Associated Press' Breakthrough Entertainers of 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

AP Breakthrough Entertainer: Reneé Rapp has always known what she wants — and isn’t afraid to say no

For a 23-year-old, Reneé Rapp has had a lot of practice telling powerful people no. Her first time came at 19, when Tina Fey and Lorne Michaels offered her one of the lead roles in the national touring production of the “Mean Girls” musical.

Charles Melton poses for a portrait on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Los Angeles. Melton has been named one of The Associated Press' Breakthrough Entertainers of 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

AP Breakthrough Entertainer: Charles Melton thinks it’s good it took years to make it in Hollywood

Fame didn’t come overnight for Charles Melton. The 32-year-old “May December” star is currently reaping praise for his scene-stealing performances alongside acclaimed Hollywood veterans Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore.

This cover image released by Abrams Books shows "Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars" by Kliph Nesteroff. (Abrams Books via AP)

Book Review: ‘Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars’ argues history repeats itself

“There is nothing new under the sun.” So goes the adage which conveys the tendency for history to repeat itself.

Striking SAG-AFTRA member Karen Brown participates in a picket line outside Netflix studios, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Hollywood’s strikes are both now over as actors reach deal with studios and return to work with writers

Hollywood’s actors union has reached a deal with studios to end its strike. The contract agreement reached Wednesday must still be approved by the union’s board and its members, but the leadership said actors will be allowed to return to work starting Thursday.

Singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy of the band Wilco poses for a portrait, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles to promote his book "World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music."r (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Jeff Tweedy is a prolific songwriter and poignant lyricist. So why does writing scare him?

Jeff Tweedy is known to fans as a prolific songwriter and poignant lyricist. So it may come as a surprise that the front man of the Grammy-winning band, Wilco, has long found the act of writing intimidating.

FILE - SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher poses for a portrait, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, at the SAG-AFTRA offices in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Q&A: SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher reacts to Hollywood studios breaking off negotiations

Fran Drescher said Thursday that she is baffled and disappointed that Hollywood studios abruptly broke off talks this week with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Director John Carpenter poses for a portrait at his office, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Horror icon John Carpenter on being a college dropout, ‘Barbie’ and telling true scary stories

While John Carpenter has become synonymous with fictional horror storytelling, the 75-year-old director is dipping his toe into true life terrors with his new show, “John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams.”

This cover image released by Knopf shows "Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties: The Collapse of the Studio System, the Thrill of Cinerama, and the Invasion of the Ultimate Body Snatcher - Television" by Foster Hirsch. (Knopf via AP)

Book Review: Film historian exploits tumult, gossip in gripping account of Hollywood in the ‘50s

When film historian Foster Hirsch began research for his latest book about the changing and turbulent movie landscape of the 1950s, he could not have known the timeliness of his subject matter upon the release of “Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties: The Collapse of the Studio System, the Thrill

Bob Odenkirk and Erin Odenkirk pose for a portrait to promote their book "Zilot & Other Important Rhymes" on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP)

Bob Odenkirk used to make up zany poems. He and his daughter Erin have turned them into a kids’ book

Bob Odenkirk has known he wanted to immortalize the playful poems he created with his kids since they were first scribbled down years ago.

This cover image released by Putnam shows "Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession" by Laurence Leamer. (Putnam via AP)

‘Hitchcock’s Blondes’ wants to see old Hollywood stars not through the director’s gaze

Though often lauded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock was also known for having a dark side, including his authoritarian tendencies and sexually inappropriate behavior toward women.

Cast and writers from "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" Juan Carlos Cantu, from left, Javier Grajeda, Aaron Paul, Charles Baker, Norma Maldonad, Jesse Plemons, Peter Gould, Bryan Cranston and Matt Jones, pose on a picket line outside Sony Pictures studios on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023, in Culver City, Calif. The film and television industries remain paralyzed by Hollywood's dual actors and screenwriters strikes. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

‘Breaking Bad’ stars reunite on picket line to call for studios to resume negotiations with actors

The cast of “Breaking Bad” has reunited to call upon Hollywood studios to resume negotiations with striking screen actors.

Shon LeBlanc, co-owner of costume rental service Valentino's Costume Group, poses for a portrait at his warehouse, Friday, May 26, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

When it comes to the Hollywood strikes, it’s not just the entertainment industry that’s being hurt

It’s been more than 100 days since members of the Writers Guild of America stopped working and more than a month since the actors union joined them.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher poses for a portrait, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, at the SAG-AFTRA offices in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Fran Drescher says actors strike she’s leading is an ‘inflection point’ that goes beyond Hollywood

Fran Drescher says the strike she’s leading as head of the actors union is a huge moment for both Hollywood and the world of work beyond it.

This image released by Variance Films shows Hannah Gross, from left, Sophia Lillis and Michael Cera in a scene from "The Adults." (Variance Films via AP)

Michael Cera grapples with isolation and sibling strife in ‘The Adults’

When director Dustin Guy Defa set out to make a movie about isolation, grief and familial strife, he wasn’t quite cognizant of the unmistakable ways in which the effects of the coronavirus pandemic were informing his script.

Singer/songwriter Kelsea Ballerini poses for a portrait, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Q&A: Kelsea Ballerini on her divorce EP and people throwing things at concerts

Back in February, recording artist Kelsea Ballerini quietly released an EP of strikingly intimate and vulnerable songs about her recent divorce, with no expectation of performing them live or promoting them in the way she would a full album.

This image released by Max shows John Wilson in a scene from the series “How To With John Wilson.” (Max via AP)

Q&A: John Wilson exploits what other filmmakers try to hide in final season of ‘How To’

As John Wilson gears up to premiere the third and final season of his cult documentary series, “How To With John Wilson,” the filmmaker reflected on how a video camera changes people’s behavior — and how he exploits that for his show.

Marc Maron, right, Hannah Einbinder, from second left, and Debby Ryan walk on a picket line outside Netflix studios on Friday, July 21, 2023, in Los Angeles. The actors strike comes more than two months after screenwriters began striking in their bid to get better pay and working conditions. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Comedians energize the picket lines as Hollywood actors and writers strikes enter second week

The combined strike by Hollywood actors and screenwriters is entering its second week with no sign of a swift ending.

Luke DePalatis, right, gets a cooling spritz of water from Michael Abel during a rally by striking writers and actors outside Warner Bros. studios Friday, July 14, 2023, in Burbank, Calif. Both are with the WGA. This marks the first day actors formally joined the picket lines, more than two months after screenwriters began striking in their bid to get better pay and working conditions and have clear guidelines around the use of AI in film and television productions. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

On the picket lines with Hollywood’s actors and writers, from LA to New York

The sidewalks of Hollywood and midtown Manhattan teemed with actors joining Hollywood’s writers in protest outside the corporate offices of studios, streamers, and production companies.

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss in a scene from "Oppenheimer." (Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via AP)

Q&A: Robert Downey Jr. on how ‘Oppenheimer’ represents the Manhattan Project with nuance

Robert Downey Jr. says he came away from Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” thinking about how “context is so critical” to understand significant moments in history.

Johnny Knoxville poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on June 15, 2023, to promote his series "The Prank Panel,” premiering Sunday on ABC. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)

Johnny Knoxville on the art of pranking and adjusting to life after stunts

Johnny Knoxville is no stranger to head injuries. In the decades since he rose to fame as the daredevil ringleader of “Jackass,” he has had more than a dozen concussions that he knows of.

This cover image released by Knopf shows "The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession" by Michael Finkel. (Knopf via AP)

Book Review: ‘The Art Thief’ is an astonishing story that capitalizes on our love of true crime

What is it about stories of transgression that keep us wanting more of them? Tales of heists, con-artists and even murders permeate all corners of society, from Dostoevsky to “Tiger King.”

Jennifer Lawrence poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'No Hard Feelings' in London, Monday, June 12, 2023. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

In ‘No Hard Feelings,’ Jennifer Lawrence relishes playing a ‘messy and chaotic’ character

It’s a beloved trope of the romantic comedy — an irresponsible, irreverent and seemingly irredeemable man falls in love with a woman, setting him on the path to finally gets his act together.

FILE -Picketers pass near a studio entrance during a Writers Guild rally outside Warner Bros. Studios, Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in Burbank, Calif. As a strike drags on, about 1,000 Hollywood writers and their supporters have marched and rallied in Los Angeles for a new contract with studios that includes the payment guarantees and job security they say they deserve. Speakers at Wednesday's event on June 21, emphasized the solidarity the Writers Guild of America has received from other unions. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Hollywood writers at rally say they’ll win as strike reaches 50 days

Fifty days into a strike, and about 1,000 Hollywood writers and their supporters have marched across Los Angeles for a new contract with studios that includes payment guarantees and job security.

This image released by Max shows Robert Downey Jr., left, in a scene from the series "Downey's Dream Cars," streaming June 22. (Max via AP)

Robert Downey Jr. weaves introspection and vulnerability into a show about cars

Robert Downey Jr. knows he has amassed an impressive collection of classic cars — one he self-deprecatingly refers to as artifacts of his success.

Singer/songwriter Caroline Rose poses for a portrait in Los Angeles on May 19, 2023, to promote her album “The Art of Forgetting." (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Indie artist Caroline Rose is proud of new album’s vulnerability, despite moments of regret

During a recent performance at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, indie musician Caroline Rose disappeared from the stage and emerged moments later atop a table in the back of the room.

This cover image released by FSG shows "Mozart in Motion: His Work and His World in Pieces" by Patrick Mackie. (FSG via AP)

Book Review: ‘Mozart in Motion’ by Patrick Mackie seeks to bring composer to life in new ways

“Mozart in Motion: His Work and His World in Pieces” by Patrick Mackie (Macmillan Publishers).

Writing a biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart nowadays is no easy task.

This image released by Adult Swim shows Eric Andre in a scene from “The Eric Andre Show," premiering its sixth season on Sunday. (Tyler Golden/ Adult Swim via AP)

How the most ‘incompetent talk show host of all time’ keeps getting guests

“The Eric Andre Show” is ostensibly not a series that lends itself to longevity. Its titular star, who plays a version of himself and satirizes talk shows by putting unsuspecting celebrity guests through hellish interviews, has become considerably more famous since the series first aired over a deca

Armenian-Americans march in LA for genocide recognition

Thousands of Armenian-Americans marched in Los Angeles on Tuesday to commemorate the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire a century ago.

Mudslide brings economic shock to area built on tourism

In the wake of a deadly California mudslide, the Santa Barbara area’s economy is reeling. Tourists are staying away.

Mudslide brings economic shock to area built on tourism

In the wake of a deadly California mudslide, the Santa Barbara area’s economy is reeling. Tourists are staying away.