LA Times -09 July 2023

C. K. Chau’s novel “Good Fortune” resets “Pride and Prejudice in New York’s Chinatown. T HERE HAVE been dozens, and probably even hundreds, of adaptations of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” From faithful BBC miniseries to jokey zombie mashups, from relatively obscure genre mystery sequels to blockbuster vampire romances, there is a “P&P” for every taste and subgenre. Do we really need more? C.K. Chau’s wonderful debut novel, “Good Fortune,” makes a strong case that we do. Chau airlifts Elizabeth and Darcy from early 19th century England and sets them down in New York’s Chinatown in the early 2000s. The venue change is fun. But what really makes the novel work is that it functions as both tribute and gentle critique of its blueprint. The novel implicitly questions “Pride and Prejudice’s” snobbery and highlights the ways Austen took part in the class prejudice she was, to some extent, questioning. Chau’s plot closely follows Austen’s. Elizabeth Chen (affectionately called LB in this version) has an older, sweet-tempered sister, Jane, three younger, sillier sisters and a chattering, socialclimbing mom (here named Jade). LB has few prospects — and certainly is not interested in pompous developer Darcy Wong, who is as supercilious as he is wealthy. The outlines are familiar, but the details are tweaked in important ways. Austen’s Bennet family is shabby uppermiddle-class gentility. They have a comfortable home and a life of comfort, though without an inheritance the sisters have little hope of a decent future if they don’t marry well. As such, the Bennets are determined to maintain their current status; the loquacious Mrs. Bennet is outraged when a guest suggests the meal they’re eating was cooked by her daughters rather than a servant. The Chens, in contrast, are barely holding on to lower middle class. Father Vincent is the manager of a takeout joint called Lulu’s because he couldn’t get together the capital to purchase his own restaurant; the sisters take shifts helping out. Mother Jade has almost but not quite gotten her Realtor license. The family lives “seven in a two-bedroom in a fourth-floor walk-up with leaking pipes, flaking paint, inconsistent heat, quarrelsome neighbors, and a landlord who remembered them only when the rent was due.” Austen loves to show up the poor manners of the Bennets; she lampoons Mrs. Bennet for her marital aspirations for her daughters and sister Mary for her grotesque efforts to appear knowledgeable and cultured. The Chens, buried much further down in the social heap, are correspondingly more desperate to scramble out. Jade has elaborate dreams, “And what burdens those dreams were! Money, success, happiness, and Chinese husbands, to name a few.” Mrs. Bennet never works a day in her life; Jade bathes in the grease fat of trade. The novel opens as she tries to convince the wealthy Hong Kong Wongs to invest in the dilapidated local community center — and to wheedle out of them a substantial finder’s fee to which she has, at best, a tenuous claim. Jade’s grasping feels more reasonable than the Bennets’ in light of the Chens’ proximity to poverty: What mother wouldn’t be concerned for their future? She badgers LB to get a job and despairs when her stubborn daughter holds out for meaningful work rather than going to Scranton, Pa., to work in collections. But when someone else — even the imposing Darcy! — criticizes Jade’s clan ... well. You can hear the “record scratch as Jade drew back in her seat,” Chau writes. “Any insult to home, husband, or her daughters was a declaration of war.” Jade has a right and a backbone — which makes you wonder whether Mrs. Bennet didn’t maybe have a right and a backbone too. Was she so silly and empty-headed after all? If Mrs. Bennet starts to look a little more heroic in light of Jade, Elizabeth looks somewhat less so in comparison with LB. It’s true that LB isn’t as scintillatingly witty as her predecessor. (Chau can’t compete there with Austen — but who can?) And yet, LB has a conscience and a passion that stand her in good stead. She’s fiercely committed to keeping the center as a community resource, rather than turning it into upscale housing or shopping. She’s got a calling for photography, which she works at seriously — unlike Elizabeth, who almost boasts of her indifferent attention to the piano. And LB relishes her role as big sister and surrogate mom. The modern version is embedded in her community and family; she’s proud of being “the next in a long line of people who worked to get by.” That’s a jolting contrast to Lizzie Bennet, who is distinguished not because she’s committed to her milieu but because manners and common sense set her apart. Austen (and Darcy) loves Elizabeth because she rises above her situation. Chau (and her Darcy) loves LB because she doesn’t want to rise unless she can take everyone with her. “They could keep their money, their attention, their pristine reputations,” LB muses acidly; “she’d take a greasy day at Lulu’s shooting the s—.” Chau isn’t the first to explore and question Austen’s class assumptions. The best-known example is probably Jo Baker’s 2013 novel, “Longbourn,” which chronicles the hard and often joyless life of Sarah, one of the Bennets’ housemaids. “Longbourn” is a bleak, painful novel about exploitation and drudgery, deliberately eschewing Austen’s light humor. But, as different as “Pride and Prejudice” and “Longbourn” are, they agree in finding little room for laughter and romance in stories of the lower class. In “Good Fortune,” however, working-class life is neither pure misery nor set dressing: It is companionship and solidarity, and it is a narrative engine. In re-classing the Bennets, Chau both uncovers new layers in the original and reveals some of what Austen left out. “Where we come from is as important as where we want to go,” a chastened Darcy admits to LB. That isn’t really the message of “Pride and Prejudice.” But it’s Chau’s good fortune, and ours, to see in this adaptation not just Jade’s foolishness, but also her courage and love. Berlatsky is a freelance writer in Chicago. ‘Pride and Prejudice’ in NYC’s Chinatown BY NOAH BERLATSKY Tony Tulathimutte C.K. CHAU makes an old premise fresh in debut book. HarperVia LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 E11 The Ever Part of Always: Keely Tucker’s First Adventure Toby K. Davis Toby K. Davis’s beautifully written and always engaging, THE EVER PART OF ALWAYS (Keely Tucker’s First Adventure) is a heartfelt tale for young and older readers alike who delight in the magic of friendship, self-discovery, and bravery. An adventure-packed magical tale that skillfully balances childlike whimsy with the vulnerable parts that make us human. The story draws on every child’s fantasies of flying, talking animals, mythical creatures, daring adventures, and standing up to bullies. However, this unicorn and star speckled tale also explores more serious topics such as death, abuse and self discovery. -Indie Reader Review ISBN-13: 979-8-88615-108-4 Price: $9.99 Dolly Duitt and the Improbable Tasks PamelaLewinM.D. Dolly Duitt is a procrastinator, but not by choice-she simply gets distracted, and forgets, making all her tasks Improbable. Dolly, like all of us at some point, realizes the important things in life that need to be taken care of right away. She discovers a quick and easy way to be able to remember all of these important things-and we can do it, too! 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ISBN-13: 979-8-88615-109-1 Price: $9.99 CurtisElliott Breakthrough in Golf ISBN-13: 978-1-99878-410-3 Price: $9.99 Breakthrough in Golf is based on Ben Hogan’s “secret” swing fundamental of turning your hips effectively in your backswing and downswing. Once you learn the method, you will see a steady, noticeable improvement in your golf swing. You will actually know how your swing fundamentally works. We guarantee it! www.TobyKDavisbooks.com

E12 SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR Subscription Services: (800) 252-9141 Calendar Section Phone: (213) 237-7770 E-mail: calendar.letters@ latimes.com Letters: Submissions are subject to editing for space and content considerations. HOW TO REACH US Fiction weeks on list 1. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Grove: $32) An epic novel follows three generations of a family in southern India from 1900 through 1977. 9 2. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Knopf: $28) Lifelong BFFs collaborate on a wildly successful video game. 52 3. Happy Place by Emily Henry (Berkley: $27) A couple who have split up pretend to be together while on vacation with friends. 10 4. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Doubleday: $29) In the 1960s, a female chemist goes on to be a single parent, then a celebrity chef. 62 5. Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See (Scribner: $28) An orphan raised by her wealthy grandparents during China’s Ming Dynasty trains to be a doctor, but is forced into marriage. 4 6. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper: $32) The story of a boy born into poverty to a teenage single mother in Appalachia. 37 7. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang (Morrow: $30) After a young and successful author dies in a freak accident, a struggling writer steals her just-finished manuscript. 7 8. The Guest by Emma Cline (Random House: $28) A woman spends a summer househopping covertly on Long Island. 7 9. I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore (Knopf: $27) The short-story writer’s first novel in 14 years explores grief over the course of a surreal road trip. 2 10. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled: $30) A young woman reluctantly enters a brutal dragon-riding war college in this YA fantasy. 1 Nonfiction weeks on list 1. The Wager by David Grann (Doubleday: $30) The story of the shipwreck of an 18th-century British warship and a mutiny among the survivors. 11 2. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Penguin: $32) The music producer’s guidance on how to be a creative person. 24 3. Pageboy by Elliot Page (Flatiron: $30) A personal memoir from the star of “Juno” and “The Umbrella Academy” explores his journey to self-realization. 4 4. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Knopf: $28) The true-crime tale of a genius art thief who kept all the spoils for himself. 1 5. Outlive by Peter Attia, Bill Gifford (Harmony: $32) A science-based self-help guide to living longer. 11 6. Atomic Habits by James Clear (Avery: $27) A guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones via tiny changes in behavior. 65 7. Our Migrant Souls by Héctor Tobar (MCD: $27) The Pulitzer Prize-winning author explores what it means to be Latino in the 21st century. 5 8. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (Simon & Schuster: $28) A memoir from the star of TV’s “iCarly” and “Sam & Cat.” 46 9. What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman (Penguin: $30) A natural and social history of the nocturnal raptors. 3 10. Burn It Down by Maureen Ryan (Mariner: $32) The entertainment journalist makes the case for fundamental change in Hollywood’s corrosive culture. 4 Paperback bestsellers lists and more at latimes.com/bestsellers. Southern California bestsellers from CALIBA BESTSELLERS “Morisaki Bookshop” is the slightest, checking in at less than 150 pages with minimal plot. (It was published in Japan more than a decade ago and was adapted into a movie there.) It’s also the weakest of the three. Takako, 25, has been coasting through life until she’s jilted by her boyfriend; depressed, she loses her job and becomes isolated until her quirky uncle Satoru invites her to live above his bookstore in Tokyo’s famous book district, Jimbocho, and help out in the shop. The early pages are bogged down with clunky exposition and clichéd writing (or translating), favoring phrases such as “It all began like a bolt of lightning out of the clear blue sky.” Takako also seems annoyingly immature, frequently overreacting to minor incidents. It doesn’t make her an unreliable narrator so much as an irksome one. Then she falls in love with Japanese literature and opens her mind to the more independent thinking of Satoru and his long-missing wife, Momoko. These two give the book its emotional hook, such as it is. Satoru is the kind of guy who explains his approach to life by quoting a novel called “Confessions of a Husband”: “My boat travels lightly, drifting aimlessly at the mercy of the current.” It’s ironic that Takako thinks she’s learning so much about life from literature when it’s really spending time with Satoru and Momoko that opens up her worldview. Still, the book’s vibe makes it pleasant company for an afternoon in the park with a snack, though it will still leave you feeling peckish. “The Librarianist,” the fifth novel from acclaimed Canadian author deWitt, is heartier fare, making decades of Bob Comet come alive — even if they’re relatively uneventful. We meet Bob in his dotage; retired from life as a librarian, he stumbles into a new sense of purpose as a senior-center volunteer. At first, he tries to read to the residents and visitors, but after striking out with Edgar Allan Poe and Nikolai Gogol, he’s asked to just spend time with folks as a pleasant and steadying presence. As with “Morisaki,” some translations in the early pages fall flat, and some exposition rings false. It is also relatively slim, but once the story finds its footing, its two main characters spring fully to life. Carl Kollhoff has dedicated his life to working in a bookstore and finding just the right book for each customer. For those in his “village of readers” who can’t make it to the shop, Carl makes house calls, strolling the city each night to visit “Mr. Darcy,” “Doctor Faustus” and others he has nicknamed after literary characters. When he’s talking about books, Carl’s shy, tentative persona slips away; his soliloquy on Alan Bennett’s “The Uncommon Reader” makes you want to head to your local bookstore. And when Mrs. Longstocking daily presents him with a typo she has found, Carl can instantly concoct a humorous definition. “Frogiveness, derived from frogI’ve-ness, denotes the path toward recognizing the innermost core of the self,” he opines, for example. “The concept references the fairy tale, ‘The Frog Prince.’ … Behind the concept of frogiveness lies the hypothesis that each person has an inner frog which they must transform with love — a kiss, in the fairy tale — into a handsome prince. The theory first appears in literature in 1923 in Sigmund Freud’s work, ‘The Id, the Frog and the SuperFrog.” One day, a precocious and assertive 9-year-old named Schascha joins Carl, over his protestations. She’s a nifty sidekick, winning over all Carl’s readers with her unconventional behavior, and she’s astute enough to challenge Carl to think differently about what kinds of books they really need. Carl starts taking more risks and connecting more with his readers. And when his own life falls apart, they rally together. The relationship between Carl and Schascha, who does her best thinking in bed at night but worries that “there are so many things that just won’t fit into my brain,” is warm and lively. The story is not always light — there’s a man who can’t admit to his illiteracy, a woman trapped by her abusive husband and an outburst of violence against one of the main characters — but it’s always clearly headed toward a happy ending. The meticulously constructed plot, while somewhat predictable, almost has the feel of a fable without ever becoming cloying. An avid reader will, of course, happily read books that have nothing to do with books and reading, but as beach reads go, these three — especially “The Doorto-Door Bookstore” — offer a specific kind of summer fun. A bumper crop of books about books THREE SUMMER RELEASES GIVE THE BEACH READ SOME EXTRA BOOKWORM APPEAL BY STUART MILLER Amanda Dahms Gustavo deWitt NEW novels by Carsten Henn, top, Patrick deWitt and Satoshi Yagisawa focus on the delights of reading and feature stereotypical avid readers. Harper Perennial Hanover Square; Ecco; Harper Perennial He is that for the reader as well. DeWitt wins us over with scenes including one in which Bob and a new friend, Linus, discuss schadenfreude, which Bob believes he has never felt. “This struck him as regretful; was it not a signal he hadn’t lived his life to its fuller potential?” But seeing Bob come of age as a young man, we learn that is not quite true. His one close friend, handsome womanizer Ethan, is always finding fun and then trouble. Bob gives him “Crime and Punishment” to read but Ethan remains unchanged, and soon after Bob marries Connie, the first woman he has loved, she runs off with Ethan. “The silence he left behind was a wretched creature,” deWitt writes. After tragedy befalls his friend and his ex-wife, Bob can’t help but feel it was deserved. After this poignant character study, deWitt sends us even further back. Bob, as a preteen, runs away from home. He is befriended by two aging actresses and their dogs. June and Ida are an idiosyncratic and entertaining duo, but since this adventure doesn’t seem to have shaped the Bob we know, and since he fades into the background as the women dominate their scenes, it feels like an odd digression before we return to the aged Bob. Books and reading fade completely from view here, but deWitt’s writing and endearing characters create a memorable world. The most completely satisfying experience is “The Door-to-Door Bookstore,” a hit when it was published in Germany three years ago. D IRECTORS LOVE MOVIEs about filmmaking; songwriters’ lyrics are often about music. So it’s only natural that authors often muse about books and the business of distributing them. (And that book distributors rightly expect readers to lap them up.) The Fourth of July adds three titles to bookshelves — “Days at the Morisaki Bookshop,” “The Librarianist” and “The Door-to-Door Bookstore” — that focus to varying degrees on the delights of books and reading, though all hold appeal for book lovers. ¶ In part, that appeal is in the atmosphere: Satoshi Yagisawa’s “Morisaki” is as steeped in the ambience of a used bookstore as it is in the culture of reading; Bob Comet in Patrick deWitt’s “Librarianist” seems to love the quiet and order of a library as much as any book that might be found there; and Carsten Henn’s “Door-to-Door” revels in the idea of finding the perfect match between reader and book. ¶ All three feature stereotypical bookworms — loners who enjoy walking the streets of their city. But these summer releases also share the paradoxical quality of being light on what you might call bookishness; they offer simple pleasures, minimal conflict and page after page of low-key charm. The Taper goes dark As a SoCal theater arts teacher for many years, the Mark Taper was my North Star [“Rationale behind Mark Taper pause,” June 26]. I found inspiration and even material support for my own productions, and a place to send my students to be moved in the way that only live theater can do. It was the place where the cutting edge of contemporary theater was to be found. This was the legacy of Gordon Davidson. Over the years, things changed. I protested when Michael Ritchie ended student tickets. Now under CEO Meghan Pressman they are temporarily shutting down. I would like to suggest that the Taper take a step back to its roots in the spirit of Grocorruption has no boundaries. The battle between good and evil, justice and injustice is constant. Rick Solomon Lake Balboa Farewell, Alan Arkin When a celebrity’s final departure causes an immense sadness and sense of national grief, the celebrity in question must be great. Alan Arkin was just that [“Beloved for gruffly supportive dads, Alan Arkin was more than ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ ” June 30]. His Lt. Rozanov in “The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming” was superb. Also his Mr. Singer in “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” was mesmerizing. Goodbye, Alan, you made a difference. Bill Spitalnick Newport Beach brilliant manager, the late Pat McQueeney, and the rest is history. Thomas Bliss Los Angeles Bliss was an executive producer of “Air Force One.” Not always very golden Jean Pfaelzer’s exposé on California’s “hidden” forays into forms of slavery was eye-opening [“A neglected history no more,” July 2]. No person or group should ever be denied their inalienable human rights. We certainly may not be the most “perfect“ state in the union. However, I don’t know if any other state with the opportunities that California presented in its past would have fared any better. The unflattering side of the human condition of greed and/or towski’s “poor theater,” an idea born about the time that the Taper was in the 1960s. Great theater is not contingent upon expansive sets, expensive costumes and special effects. It’s about the actor on a bare stage. Why not move toward a fine actor with a great script in a pool of light instead of going dark? Robert Huber Yorba Linda He’s our Indy and more Thank you for your lovely portrait [“Harrison Ford has no interest in retiring,” July 2]. When we were developing “Air Force One,” the moment I read Andrew Marlowe’s perfect screenplay it was obvious who must play the president. For once I talked my then-partner out of his preference, we called Ford’s longtime, FEEDBACK By Matt Cooper SUNDAY “See It Loud: The History of Black Television” (CNN, 6 and 9 p.m.): “The Jeffersons” and the miniseries “Roots” are among the shows celebrated in this new docuseries. “Grantchester” (KOCE, 9 p.m.): A vicar and a police detective walk into a fifth season of this mystery drama. “Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” (HBO, 9 p.m.): A dark chapter in LGBTQ+ history in the 1990s is illuminated in this new docuseries. “Running Wild With Bear Grylls” (Nat Geo, 9 p.m.): Bradley Cooper hangs out with Grylls in the season premiere. “D.I. Ray” (KOCE, 10 p.m.): “ER’s” Parminder Nagra stars in this new mystery drama. MONDAY “The Price Is Right at Night” (CBS, 8 p.m.): Drew Carey and company bid adieu to the game show’s longtime home at CBS Television City. “Secrets of Playboy” (A&E, 9 p.m.): Return with us now to the house Hugh Hefner built in Season 2 of this series. “POV” (KOCE, 10 p.m.): Korean American filmmaker So Yun Um explores the immigrant experience, the 1992 L.A. uprising and more in the potent 2022 documentary “Liquor Store Dreams.” “Secrets of Miss America” (A&E, 10 p.m.): This four-part exposé rummages around for skeletons in the closet of the storied beauty pageant. TUESDAY “MLB All-Star Game” (Fox, 5 p.m.): Pro baseball’s finest take the field in this year’s contest. “Frontline” (KOCE, 9 p.m.): The new episode “Putin’s Crisis” takes a long, hard look at recent challenges to the Russian leader’s hold on power. “Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories With David Rubenstein” (KOCE, 10 p.m.): The Statue of Liberty is up next on the history series. WEDNESDAY “The 2023 Espys” (ABC, 8 p.m.): The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is singled out for special honors at the ceremony. THURSDAY “Full Circle” (Max): An attempted kidnapping sets events in motion in this new miniseries from Steven Soderberg. With Claire Danes and Timothy Olyphant. “Survival of the Thickest” (Netflix): A plussized gal (Michelle Buteau) presses forward following a bad breakup in this new comedy series. “The Blacklist” (NBC, 8 and 9 p.m.): This drama starring James Spader as a reformed criminal mastermind ends its run. FRIDAY “Foundation” (Apple TV+): The future ain’t gonna save itself in Season 2 of this sci-fi drama starring Jared Harris and based on the novels by Isaac Asimov. “100 Days” (KOCE, 8 and 9 p.m.): The fall of the Berlin Wall and Operation Desert Storm are revisited in new episodes. SATURDAY “Take Me Back for Christmas” (Hallmark, 8 p.m.): An unhappily married woman gets a do-over in this TV movie. With Vanessa Lengies. “V.C. Andrews’ Dawn: Secrets of the Morning” (Lifetime, 8 p.m.): The saga continues in the second of four new TV movies based on the bestselling book series. With Brec Bassinger. JAMES SPADER in “The Blacklist.” Sandro NBC TV THIS WEEK

Christina House Los Angeles Times WSCE WEEKEND SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 GOLDEN AGE OF FURNITURE The 18 best L.A. stores to shop for Midcentury Modern furnishings. L6-7

L2 SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 LATIMES.COM H OW DO YOU create a convincing span of nature over one of the state’s busiest freeway corridors so that wildlife like L.A.’s famous, ill-fated cougar P-22 can cross unscathed? First you build a nursery and collect a million hyperlocal seeds. This is not hyperbole. After Katherine Pakradouni was hired in January 2022 to grow the plants for the coming Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills, she spent much of the year combing the hills within five miles of the crossing, collecting — yes — more than a million seeds from native plants. Before she went collecting, she had to build a special nursery near the north side of the crossing, where she and her team are planting those seeds to grow trays and trays of the native flora that will fill the crossing when the concrete superstructure is completed late next year. The center supporting beams are already visible on the 101 Freeway, just west of the Liberty Canyon Road exit at the western edge of L.A. County. Once the supports are in place, the crossing will be assembled from 84 precast concrete girders, which are being constructed in Perris, said Robert Rock, a landscape architect for Chicagobased Living Habitats and the project’s lead designer. Those girders are scheduled to be installed over several weeks, starting this fall, between midnight and 5 a.m. The freeway will never be closed completely, Rock said. Using precast girders means the span can be constructed first on one side of the freeway and then the other, so traffic can be diverted in the wee hours to other lanes. Once the drainage system is completed and the soil is brought in, planting can begin. The $92-million project — split 50/50 between public money and donations to the National Wildlife Federation and its Save L.A. Cougars fund, including $26 million from Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation, its largest contributor — is scheduled for completion at the end of 2025. The design team’s plant palette for the crossing includes 30 species — local sages such as black sage, white sage and purple sage; buckwheat varieties including California buckwheat, long-stem buckwheat and ashy leaf buckwheat; wild grape; narrow-leaf milkweed; California bush sunflower; deerweed; penstemon; and needle grass and other grasses. They’ll also include wildflowers and shrubs like toyon, laurel sumac and ceanothus. And Pakradouni’s not just growing hyperlocal native plants. In the project’s nursery, she and her small staff are cultivating microbes and mycorrhizal fungi collected from soil near the site, to help the plants absorb the water and nutrients they need from the soil. It’s not exactly Eden, but when it comes to re-creating nature, Rock and his team are literally leaving no stone unturned. “Whether you’re talking about a nursery or the creation of landscapes in general, so much emphasis is put on what exists above the ground surface ... but if you’re not also thinking about how those plants are connecting with the ecosystem below the ground, you’re only doing half your homework,” said Rock. “To have a self-sustaining landscape, we have to re-create the mycorrhizal fungi in the [local] soil and the beneficial microorganisms as well, the earthworms and little soil bugs. ... Katherine had the brilliant stroke to call it an ‘earth-based sourdough starter.’ ” Pakradouni was hired because of her experience building native plant nurseries from scratch for Grown in L.A. and the L.A. Parks Foundation at Griffith Park. And that was among her first tasks once again: setting up a nursery on a hillside near the site designed to grow plants for the crossing, finding a way to bring in reclaimed water for irrigation, setting up a trailer on the site powered by solar panels to keep the seeds safely stored and constructing about 50 metalmesh-topped tables to protect her future brood from disease. “This isn’t done by a lot of nurseries because of the expense involved, but it’s really critical for plant health and pathogen exclusion. Waterborne diseases spread from plant to plant, but all these plants will be elevated two to three feet off the ground so they will never sit in pooling water,” she said. “And the height keeps the bunnies from eating all the plants.” To further protect against disease, Pakradouni is sterilizing any recycled pots — the tiny seedlings at the nursery eventually will be transferred to gallon pots so they’re a good size for transplanting on the crossing. And she’s using airpruning pots with slits on the sides to encourage seedling roots to branch more inside the pot rather than circling the edges of a plastic wall. “Conventional pots are solid, so you end up with root-bound plants,” she said. “We’re trying to make the seedlings as vigorous and robust as possible before they’re bumped up to the larger pots.” The scope of the project is a little mind-boggling, because Pakradouni isn’t just raising plants to fill the 174-foot-wide structure — wider than a football field — that will span 10 lanes of the 101 freeway. Deep-rooted plants like trees can’t be planted on the structure itself, which will have soil depths of only one to four feet. But the nursery will eventually grow enough plants — including oaks and other trees — to fill about 12 acres on either side of the structure, so the crossing feels seamless — more like walking over a hill than crossing a bridge. The width of the crossing and the large variety of plants are important because of the many animals it will serve. Smaller animals need cover as they make the crossing to feel safe from predators in the sky and on the land, but deer want areas with a clear line of vision, Rock said, so they can watch for predators lurking in the scrub. The crossing isn’t meant to be a “funneling moment” that directs animals across a narrow bridge from one side of the freeway to the other, Rock said: “We’re trying to capture the scale of space, so we can accommodate the widest array of species.” The walls of the crossing will be planted with wild grape to help cover the structure and reduce traffic noise. Mesh galvanized-steel baskets filled with stones will create retaining walls along the freeway near the approaches to absorb more freeway noise. These gabion walls will support the berms of soil along the approaches and won’t be visible to the wildlife, who will only see what appears to be a continuation of the hill, Rock said. The project officially began with the groundbreaking ceremony on April 22, 2022, but design work began before the pandemic, Rock said, and the conception dates back more than 30 years. At that time, Fran Pavley, environmental policy director of the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, was the first mayor of Agoura Hills and had the foresight to work with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to ensure the land on either side of the crossing was kept free from development. Coordination is a huge part of Rock’s job since the project has five core partners in its Liberty Wildlife Corridor Partnership: the California Department of Transportation, the National Wildlife Federation, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority/Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains and the National Park Service. And the teams working on creating this corridor are diverse and extensive, Rock said. “Not mentioning the 100 people I communicate with at Caltrans who are preparing the final engineering drawings and overseeing the construction, we have folks on our design team covering everything from wildlife biology — large mammal, small mammal and herpetologists — to soil scientists, mycologists and stream specialists — limnologists — who study fresh water.” The crossing actually involves multiple projects, said Rock. Before the span itself can be erected, the designers are moving a huge hill of soil on the north side that was deposited there in the 1950s, when the 101 was realigned to become a “modern” freeway. That soil will move once again to create a berm on the south side of the crossing, to continue the hill effect over Agoura Road. A tunnel will be built through that south-side berm to allow traffic to flow on Agoura Road. And once the soil is gone on the north side and the area restored to its original grade, engineers will be re-creating the natural drainage corridor for Liberty Canyon Creek along the freeway. Wildlife like to follow stream corridors, said Rock, and this will help direct animals to the crossing as well as provide a channel for runoff. Excess moisture on the crossing will be directed to a small unnamed creek on the south side of the crossing, between the freeway and Agoura Road. “Water sitting on a bridge is bad for many reasons, so we want to make sure it drains off the bridge so it doesn’t cause problems in the long run,” Rock said — and a small creek “is a more ecologically sensitive and beneficial solution for runoff” than dumping water in a storm sewer. Ultimately, he said, the designers are “trying to restitch a fractured landscape” altered years ago with the construction of the freeway, which makes crossings deadly for roaming animals. The goal is to keep larger animals moving over the crossing, but there are small animals and insects that may live their whole lives on the bridge, creatures who rarely travel more than a few meters or kilometers from where they were born. For those, Rock said, “We’re just providing a new piece of tapestry for them to explore.” Humans will be the only animals not welcome on the crossing — although there will be trails and vista points nearby for hikers to look down on the newly “stitched” landscape. There’s a steep trail now off Agoura Road just west of the Liberty Canyon exit for hikers who want to climb up the hill to watch the project’s progress, but those who prefer a tamer option can always tune in to the project’s webcams to watch the construction proceed. JULIA Samaniego and Jose Campos tend to plants in the Wallis Annenberg Crossing’s nursery, top. The bridge in progress. Nursery manager Katherine Pakradouni, left. Photography by Ricardo DeAratanha Los Angeles Times BY JEANETTE MARANTOS PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR A WILDLIFE CROSSING PROTECTING THE NEXT P-22 STARTS WITH GROWING NATIVE PLANTS IN A NURSERY

LATIMES.COM WSCE SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 L3 L IVING IN A 1,400- square-foot home, Xiyin Tang and Paul Laskow wanted more space for their growing family. Now, they have it: A 320-squarefoot prefab accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, that extends their floor plan while preserving their historic 1936 Streamline Moderne home. The couple purchased the historic-cultural monument in the Fairfax District for $1.5 million in the summer of 2020 after it had sat on the market for several months. The three-bedroom, twobath home was designed by architect William Kesling as a Hollywood hideaway for actor Wallace Beery. It was problematic for several reasons, including that it was tenant-occupied and has historic status, which could prove challenging for future renovations. And to top it off, it was small. However, small-space living was not a deal breaker for the former New Yorkers, who had rented an 850-square-foot apartment in Dimes Square before moving to an apartment in West Hollywood. “It was big for two people by New York standards,” says Tang, 35, a professor at UCLA’s School of Law, about the house. When the couple and their 2-year-old daughter, Catherine, finally moved in, Tang was pregnant with the couple’s second child. Suddenly, with another baby on the way, the couple worried they couldn’t accommodate visits from their greatly missed parents who lived on the East Coast. “We felt like we needed more space,” says Tang. “We intended to build something in the back, but the timeline changed when I got pregnant. We needed to build something very quickly.” Because of the home’s historic status — it was designated a historic-cultural monument in 2018 after a developer purchased it and filed plans to build condos on the site — the couple was required to work with the Cultural Heritage Commission on exterior and interior alterations. They loved the home’s Streamline Moderne details and decided to preserve the house with minor changes, including a new roof and kitchen. They added the ADU behind their home on the spacious 7,000-square-foot lot. Working with Los Angelesbased Cover, which specializes in one-story prefabricated ADUs manufactured in L.A., the couple wanted to install a custom ADU (priced between $275,000 and $295,000, depending on site-specific conditions) before Tang delivered their second daughter, Maggie, in November 2021. For its part, Cover offers fixed pricing upfront and manages all aspects of the building process. But it could not control the issues that arose during the pandemic. “One of the advantages of a prefab ADU is that it can be built more quickly than a traditional ADU,” Tang says. “Unfortunately, we tried to build an ADU at the worst possible time because of COVID. There was a lumber shortage. Permitting took a year. Everything was back ordered.” After the permits were finally issued, the ADU was installed on site in 43 days using a panelized building system manufactured in Los Angeles. Seven months later, the permits for occupancy for the ADU were completed in time for Maggie’s first birthday party. “One thing that is different about our prefab system is that we ship flat-packed panels from our Gardena factory rather than shipping large room-sized parts that require a massive crane,” says Alexis Rivas, cofounder and chief executive of Cover. “Overhead power lines and trees can prevent you from building with a big crane.” The steel studio comprises an open-plan bedroom, kitchen and living area with a small desk between the kitchen and fullheight built-in storage. A bathroom with a walk-in shower faces a stacked washer and dryer that is a hit with guests. A floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door allows easy access to the backyard, and narrow floor-toceiling windows look onto the main house and the pool, connecting the two homes. There are also integrated wallmounted LED lights that add illumination and help keep lighting things simple. “The main house has a lot of windows, and you can see people coming and going to the back house,” Tang says. “It’s nice to talk to your friends and family through the doors and windows.” Tang, who loves to cook, was drawn to Cover because of its high-end kitchen appliances, including an under-counter Sub-Zero refrigerator and a Wolf induction cooktop, oven and hood. Sitting side by side, the austere square-box ADU, with its warm oak floors and white composite exterior, complements Kesling’s curved walls and ocean liner details. “The main house is so distinctive,” Rivas says. “I think it’s much better to contrast it than try to match it.” In an ideal world, one home would be able to accommodate multiple families, but that’s not always possible. Tang says one of the hardest things about moving to L.A. was leaving family. Now, the ADU allows everyone to stay close. “Our parents have come out to stay with us multiple times,” she says. “The ADU allows us to put them up in the back, and everyone can go their separate ways. Catherine loves going out back and waking up our guests. Recently she went outside early in the morning in her rain boots and umbrella and brought my mom an umbrella to ensure she didn’t get wet. It’s a wonderful image in my mind. It’s so nice to be able to share those moments.” “About a third of our customers have put them in for their family members to live in fulltime,” says Rivas, who lived in one of Cover’s 450-square-foot ADUs for a year. Tang and Laskow also have a lot of friends from New York who come to stay in the ADU, which is in use every month. “This past month, we’ve had one friend, their dog and 2-yearold stay for a week — and another couple stay for three weeks,” says Laskow, 35, who heads transportation at online resale site the RealReal. “Our friends from New York always say, ‘Wow, this is so big. This ADU would be a covetable apartment in New York.’ ” Despite the many challenges and delays because of COVID-19, the couple is happy with the outcome. Their modern ADU blends well in the historical context and allows them plenty of room to accommodate their family and workfrom-home needs. “It’s such a wonderful change,” Laskow says. “And not just the house. We love having outdoor space. We are so happy we could add the ADU and retain some patio space and grass for the kids.” THEY CAN WELCOME FAMILY TO STREAMLINE LANDMARK — WITHOUT RENOVATING BY LISA BOONE PREFAB ADU PRESERVES HISTORIC HOME MARRIED COUPLE Xiyin Tang and Paul Laskow preserved their Streamline Moderne home while adding more room for their family. Ricardo DeAratanha Los Angeles Times Visit our purpose-built showroom 13800 Crenshaw Blvd, Hawthorne 90249 vergola.com / vergolausa CONTRACTOR’S LICENSE #1022142

L4 SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 LATIMES.COM I T ISN’T ALWAYS EASY riding a bike around L.A. Streets weren’t designed with cyclists’ safety in mind and mountain biking trails can be intimidating for those not used to steep inclines. ¶ That’s part of the reason more people are heading to the dirt. They’re embracing gravel riding — sometimes known as grinding — which is something of a cross between road riding and mountain biking that takes place on unpaved roads and trails. ¶ “When I first got a mountain bike, I crashed so much on the trails,” recalled Isabel King, who took up gravel riding during the pandemic and is now a gravel racer in L.A. “A gravel bike ride is a great compromise where you can travel at a slower speed but still get a good workout. You are away from cars and can ride many of the roads you’d do on a trail run.” ¶ The activity has been around since the invention of bicycles, which date to the early 1800s when hardly any roads were paved, but its popularity has grown significantly in the last decade. In Southern California, there are thousands of miles of fire roads suitable for pedaling. ¶ Though just about any bike can ride on basic dirt paths, wider tires inflated to lower pressures are best for trickier terrain like unmaintained forest roads and loose sand. Sales of gravel bikes — which generally feature drop handlebars, lower gearing, more clearance, a longer wheel base and sturdier frames than road bikes — increased by more than 60% from February 2020 to February 2022, according to market research firm NPD Group. Zachary Rynew is a longtime L.A. cycling advocate who runs the website Gravel Bike California, which details gravel rides in the region. He has been pedaling two-wheelers since grade school and says riding on gravel roads takes him back to when he was a kid. It also makes navigating L.A. more efficient. “I was commuting from the San Fernando Valley to UCLA and cut my driving time in half by doing gravel and going through Fryman Canyon Park, then Franklin Canyon,” he said. Southern California has a ton of off-road opportunities, he says: “You can make your own adventure on gravel in the Santa Monica Mountains to the San Gabriels and in the hills above Redlands and Chino. I love the versatility.” Before you try gravel cycling, be prepared: Plan your route, carry a puncture kit and bring water, snacks and extra layers. “Even though gravel in L.A. seems close to civilization, you can still find yourself in some sticky situations,” said Cody Chouinard, a staff member at Luft bike shop in Venice. And start slow: Many people find gravel riding to be more challenging than road riding because of all the different muscle groups that it puts to work. Also, whether you’re just getting started with gravel cycling or you’ve been doing it for a while, it’s smart to ride with friends. Your local bike shop may be able to connect you with fellow gravel grinders. Ready to get off the road? Here are 11 gravel rides around L.A. (some of which include pavement), as suggested by Rynew of Gravel Bike California. They’re listed by difficulty level, from the easiest to the most challenging. Will Rogers State Park Will Rogers State Park offers a short but robust loop, starting at the preserved residence of the namesake American humorist. Circling around, you’ll find much of the sprawling ranch intact. (You can take a guided tour on Thursdays, Fridays and weekends, or catch a video in the visitors center that features Rogers’ remarkable roping skills from 1922 silent film “The Ropin’ Fool.”) From there, the route is lined with eucalyptus trees and peaks at Inspiration Point, where you’ll get a view of the Pacific Palisades along the ocean. l1501 Will Rogers State Park Road, Pacific Palisades Distance: 2 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation: 282 Sycamore Canyon, Point Mugu State Park Zachary Rynew says he always sends starters to Sycamore Canyon in the “gravel playground” that is Point Mugu State Park. The light grade, cooler temperatures and favorable conditions make it a great place to get a feel for dirt roads. Stop at the turnaround for the Boney Mountains to the east. Adding Wood Canyon turns it into a loop for those wanting to take the next step of undulations. There will be water crossings at certain times of the year. l 9000 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu Distance: 15.3 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation: 892 Malibu Creek State Park There’s a lot of eye candy here — oak woodlands, the Rock Pools swimming hole, Century Lake — making this loop feel shorter than the numbers. After crossing the creek, there’s a rocky but flat half-mile single track to negotiate before you land upon the famed “MASH” filming site as a reward. (Signs of the partially restored set include a medical jeep with a red cross painted on the side and the famed directional signpost with arrows pointing to destinations from Boston to Tokyo to Toledo.) l Malibu Creek State Park, 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas Distance: 14.1 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation: 992 Chino Hills State Park Chino Hills State Park offers a number of options for every ability. The mostly dirt route is a must-do during the spring and early summer to experience the most sought-out blooms in Southern California. Ride through a lovely wooded riparian area and stop at the Telegraph Canyon lookout at the turnaround for one of the trail’s better views. l Chino Hills State Park Discovery Entrance, 4500 Carbon Canyon Road, Brea Distance: 17.6 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation: 2,135 Wilacre and Franklin Canyon parks, Studio City A number of short, fun trails fall inside Wilacre and Franklin Canyon parks in the geographic center of L.A. County. For commuters, the dirt provides a much faster option for getting over the hill than driving in rush hour traffic. Don’t miss rolling by the Franklin Reservoir, where the opening to “The Andy Griffith Show” was filmed. l Wilacre Park, 3431 Fryman Road, Studio City Distance: 13.6 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation: 1,606 May Canyon, Angeles National Forest After a steep start, this closed road sees the pavement break down into rugged gravel conditions. At the top, stop at Fire Station Camp 9, a popular resting spot that was once one of 16 Nike missile sites during the Cold War. There, you can refill your water bottle, see an occasional helicopter landing and take in views of the Angeles National Forest. l San Fernando Brewing Company, 425 Park Ave., San Fernando Distance: 28.5 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation: 4,191 Dirt Mt. Baldy This road climb is well known for providing some of the most dynamic moments in the Tour of California, the now-defunct road cycling stage race. Before reaching the end of pavement, you can choose to extend your ride with a three-mile dirt climb on a fire road, which stops by San Antonio Falls and takes you up to Mt. Baldy Ski Lodge. There, have lunch (you could even take the chairlift to Top of the Notch restaurant) and enjoy the views. l San Antonio Dam, 5038 Mt. Baldy Road, Claremont Distance: 34.7 miles Difficulty: Strenuous Elevation: 7,095 Photo illustration by Susana Sanchez Los Angeles Times; Getty Images 11 GRAVEL BIKE TRAILS THAT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD KICK YOUR CYCLING UP A NOTCH WITH THE POPULAR PASTIME THAT TAKES YOU WAY OFF THE BEATEN PATH. BY BRIAN E. CLARK Topanga State Park Brian van der Brug Los Angeles Times Old Ridge Route, Angeles National Forest Zachary Rynew Gravel Bike California Chino Hills State Park Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times SCAN THIS QR CODE for links to customizable maps of these bike routes.

Old Ridge Route, Angeles National Forest This century-old road was the first to bring travelers from L.A. to the Central Valley — and the number of precarious curves shows the limits of engineering at the time. Only minimally maintained, the loop is best taken with skinnier tires. Don’t miss the iconic stone archway at the north end of State 138, a restored relic of the Tumble Inn, a lodge in the ’20s and ’30s. Distance: 68 miles Difficulty: Strenuous Elevation: 7,524 Topanga State Park With a start on the smooth, paved Marvin Braude Bike Trail, this route soon becomes rugged as you pedal through natural chaparral forests. Thanks to the versatility of gravel cycling, you can choose a number of routes around Topanga State Park and the Santa Monica Mountains. The Paseo Miramar Loop includes such staples as Eagle Rock, Dirt Mulholland and the Nike Missile Base, where there are water fountains and restrooms. l Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th St., Santa Monica Distance: 26.3 miles Difficulty: Strenuous Elevation: 3,513 Mt. Lowe, San Gabriel Mountains Not just a beautiful climb but a history lesson, with placards commemorating the former 19th century rail line to Alpine Tavern and over to Inspiration Point. Before approaching the Mt. Wilson Toll Road, a historic roadway, stop at the worldfamous observatory and snack at the Cosmic Cafe, which is open through November. l Loma Alta Park, 3330 N. Lincoln Ave., Altadena Distance: 26.4 miles Difficulty: Strenuous Elevation: 4,786 Pacifico Mountain This strenuous 39-mile loop shows that you can be so close to L.A. — the route is just a 40-minute drive from Pasadena — yet feel so far away. You’ll find pines, giant boulders, panoramic vistas and wildflowers in the spring. At the top, take a moment to gaze west to the Los Padres Forest above Santa Barbara and to the Eastern Sierra to the north by Mt. Whitney. You’ll need an Adventure Pass to park in the Angeles Natural Forest. l Monte Cristo Fire Station, 23681 Angeles Forest Highway, Palmdale Distance: 39.1 miles Difficulty: Strenuous Elevation: 5,134 LATIMES.COM SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 L5 read a few pages, like 10 pages of each, and just take what I want from them. I mostly read nonfiction. I got this book called “The Number Ones” [by Tom Breihan], which talks about different charttopping hits and the stories around them. Also, the Questlove books [“Music Is History” and “Creative Quest”]; there’s a Jimi Hendrix book that I’m reading right now; and a book by Andre Iguodala, who plays for the Warriors, called “The Sixth Man.” 11 A.M. HIT UP THE LEIMERT PARK PLAZA I would go to Leimert Park. I’d go get a jacket at one of those [stores] and buy a shirt or something. Maybe buy an old book from somebody. I would just walk around. I’ll usually grab something from somewhere with the shortest line. I ain’t about to stand in a long line for food ’cause there’s so many other places. The other places can’t be that bad. They can’t be that bad. 2 P.M. HIT THE ‘1-3 POCKET’ AT A BOWLING ALLEY I like Bowlero in Pasadena. They have a private section with a few lanes off to the side that’s nice. They let me play my music there, so that was nice to hear. I go to Shatto 39 Lanes sometimes. There used to be this 24-hour spot called Gage Bowl. It’s still open, it’s just not 24 hours, but before the pandemic, I would go there late at 3 a.m. That’s actually where I bowled my high score of 197, but it was solo play, which doesn’t really count. I’d go with friends and other musicians. We’d order a bunch of food: pizza, some wings, cauliflower, some tacos, some quesadillas. I have a pro bowler friend, GG Mason, who came through. She happened to be in town and she kind of brought the level up because she’s not f— around. [Laughs] I’m good at bowling, but I’m wildly inconsistent — just like my life. So I have great peaks and great valleys. So I’ll bowl a couple strikes, then gutter. That’s the thing ’cause I rap about it, people are like, “Am I going to get destroyed?” I’m like, “Maybe. But also, you might win. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I might bowl 170. I also might bowl 93. Who knows what’s going to happen right now?” 5 P.M. GO TO WISDOME L.A. I would like to go to Wisdome L.A. I haven’t been there in a minute, but they got what they do in there with the art and visuals and it’s a good spot to just get inspired. They might just have visuals going and different art, or I know they have themed stuff, or they might have some soundbath-type stuff. I went to a Hendrix thing there, like reimagining the music of Jimi Hendrix. 7 P.M. PLAY GAMES AT TWO BIT CIRCUS Since I’m in the area, I’d go to Two Bit Circus. I just like the different fun games. They OR THE LAST two decades, Hannibal Buress, who raps under the stage name Eshu Tune, has been a ubiquitous presence in the comedy world. At this point, he’s done all the things: Perform stand-up at venues around the world, write on “Saturday Night Live,” release five comedy specials, create his own TV series (“Why? With Hannibal Buress”), land recurring roles on Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and Adult Swim’s “The Eric Andre Show,” voice act for a film (“The Secret Life of Pets”) and perform at music festivals including the Adult Swim Festival and his own event, Isola Fest. But if you ask Buress what’s exciting him these days, he’ll rave about making music. “I don’t casually do standup anymore,” said Buress, who recently released a song called “I Lift Weights.” “That’s the difference right now. I’m not really going to the pop-up and stuff for fun like I used to do. I’m not looking to do comedy multiple times on a Tuesday. I’ll do an open mic and do music. If I’m doing comedy, it’s like I’m trying to sell some tickets to pay for this motherf— music.” Buress’ ideal Sunday in Los Angeles largely involves making music, but he also makes time for hitting the 1-3 pocket at his favorite bowling alleys and catching live music performances. Here’s how he’d spend the perfect day. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity. 7 A.M. EAT BREAKFAST AND WRITE RHYMES When I’m in a good mode, I’m waking up around 7 a.m. or so. I don’t like to order too much breakfast. Occasionally, I’ll pick up a breakfast wrap or breakfast burrito at this spot called Angry Egret. I don’t do it every day, but if I get some writing done before I take on any incoming communication or let any outside thoughts into my brain, it’s usually nice. Even if it’s just 30 minutes. I’ve written some of my better songs and stuff that’s not out, but I can tell the writing is different when it happens right away in the morning, like I can feel it. There’s three studio rooms in my home, so I’ll do it in the third room that has nothing in it. It’s just kind of soundproof and you have to focus on the writing. That’s one of the things I like about having it, you can really get into another world. Ain’t no street noise, no birds or nothing. It’s just the room and the music itself. Sometimes I’ll practice on the drums. I don’t drum as much as I’d like. But I want to get into it every day because drumming is all four limbs, it is really something that you have to be fully locked in, so that’s a nice activity for the brain. I noticed that my mood throughout the day if I drum early is pretty dope. 8 A.M. READ RANDOM PASSAGES FROM A HANDFUL OF BOOKS I took the pressure off myself to worry about finishing books, and I like to sometimes just get five books and then have VR stuff there. They got some basketball stuff. They got a bunch of games I haven’t seen anywhere else on the arcade side. It’s like another world there. 9 P.M. CATCH A LIVE SHOW AT THE MOROCCAN LOUNGE I went to the Moroccan Lounge for the first time [recently]. Carrtoons was performing and Rob Araujo, who’s an extremely dope musician and he plays some of my shows. He plays keys. So I was going to watch. He invited me to do a song. It felt good in there and sounded great, and it made me just want to see s— there. It’s super intimate, but it sounds good and had a good screen. 11:30 P.M. WORK OUT IN BETWEEN PLAYING ‘ROCKET LEAGUE’ I’d play “Rocket League” at home. It’s like race car [driving] and soccer mixed together. It’s a super exciting game. I haven’t really played other stuff that much since I started playing it. I used to play NBA2K some, but it’s been replaced. “Rocket League” is a better game. It’s more action-packed. So now I try to incorporate my workouts into “Rocket League” because when somebody scores a goal on either team, there’s about 15 seconds where there’s a replay. And so you can skip that, but I started just using that time to do a quick five push-ups or 10 jumping jacks or something real quick in that time. And the game is five minutes, so it’s fast. I’ll usually put on a mix or something while I’m playing. I’ll put on an Amapiano mix or the new JPEG and Danny Brown goes really good with playing “Rocket League.” 12:30 A.M. LISTEN TO A PODCAST UNTIL I FALL ASLEEP What would I do? Call all my exes. I’d chill out and watch a show, listen to a podcast. Right now, I listen to the “No Labels Necessary” podcast a lot with Sean “Brandman” Taylor and Jacorey “Kohrey” Barkley. On this type of day, I’d go to sleep around 1 or 2 a.m. I don’t try to get into nothing before 10 or 11 a.m. because I want to be able to write right away and read or play or make music. I want that to be, if possible, the first things I do because then it just starts a good momentum for the day. In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends. Samuel Rodriguez For The Times HANNIBAL BURESS GETS THE BALL ROLLING SUNDAYS ARE FOR DIVING INTO HIS CURRENT PURSUIT OF MUSIC, WITH SOME BOWLING ON THE SIDE BY KAILYN BROWN F Sunday Funday: In the July 2 Weekend section, a bracketed addition suggested Jaren Lewison lauded Daisy EdgarJones and Paul Mescal in “Daisy Jones & the Six,” which stars Riley Keough and Sam Claflin. He praised their work in “Normal People.” FOR THE RECORD Will Rogers State Park Cody Chouinard Luft Los Angeles Wilacre and Franklin Canyon parks, Studio City Charles Fleming Los Angeles Times May Canyon, Angeles National Forest Zachary Rynew Gravel Bike California

L6 SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 LATIMES.COM Although you can shop for Modernist furnishings online, via Facebook Marketplace, at local flea markets and on Instagram, there is nothing like being able to test out furniture in real life to see how it looks and feels. “People like to come in, see the items and try them out in person,” says Tricia Benitez Beanum, founder and creative director of Pop Up Home in East Hollywood. Here we offer a list of 18 stores in L.A. where you can bring your tape measure, inspect the goods and sample the seating. Before you head out, here are a few things to note: Don’t be put off by showrooms that are open by appointment only. Many of them are run by limited staff or one person. I found it easy to email businesses and arrange a showroom visit. Also, double-check store hours before you head out for the same reason. And finally, keep in mind that vintage furnishings aren’t cheap. Therefore, connecting with dealers in person may allow you to strike a deal. AMSTERDAM MODERN Expertly sourced by owner Ellen LeComte, who gets her vintage finds from the Netherlands, this jam-packed 10,000- square-foot warehouse can be overwhelming — in a good way — if you’re a fan of Midcentury Modern design. Shopping is surprisingly easy given that everything has a tag and is clearly marked with dimensions, designer and price. A set of four Arnold Merckx black leather dining chairs were priced at $2,750. A Poul Volther teak dresser was listed as $1,850, and a ribbed Ernst Luthy leather “Turf” love seat was tagged at $7,850. While the headliner here is vintage furnishings, there is also a wide variety of gift options wedged among the teak dining room tables and chairs, including a selection of gorgeous vintage ceramics. Despite the dizzying display of goods, the sales staff is incredibly adept in helping you find what you are looking for, whether it’s a Danish modern dining chair or a Modernist coat rack. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. ●134 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 221-7380, amsterdam modern.com ATOMIC THRESHOLD Tucked away in a sleepy Monrovia business district, Atomic Threshold is a notably warm showroom filled with Midcentury Modern and Danish modern pieces from Europe that owner Christian Boehr has refinished himself. Boehr has seating options covered, from dining room chairs to Plycraft lounge chairs ($6,495) and Brazilian leather sofas ($8,000 to $15,000) as well as refinished Danish modern credenzas and tables from coffee tables to dining and bedside options. Also, Boehr sells his custom footstools ($895 to $1,095) and lighting ($595) made from lathe-turned wood and ceramics. From the standpoint of resource stewardship, Boehr observed that his customers “feel good about keeping quality vintage stock in use and circulation as opposed to buying new, less soulful furnishings, which will continue to be more of a consideration moving forward into the future.” Open daily by appointment. Address provided upon request. ● (626) 244-7880, atomic threshold.com CC RETRO SHOP Founded in 2020 by husbandand-wife dealers Cindy Campos and Anthony Zarate, this Whittier storefront offers good deals on Midcentury estate sale finds and the Danish modern furnishings that Zarate refinishes on-site. Here, you will find tallboys and lowboys, a seven-piece modular sectional by Milo Baughman ($1,600) and lots of credenzas in teak and walnut. “We sell a lot of china cabinets for some reason,” Zarate shrugs, proving you never know what will resonate with buyers. Open noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. ●11513 E. Washington Blvd., Suite H, Whittier, (562) 367-1219, ccretroshop.net DEN LOS ANGELES Jason Potter’s East Hollywood showroom, which offers highend vintage goods from around the world, is a feast for the eyes, from the art and pottery-filled shelves to the enticing seating arrangements. “For me, Midcentury Modern is more of a catch-all term for intentional designs and quality made furniture that focuses on form and function,” says Potter. “I focus on vintage pieces as I love the sustainability factor. As long as I stick to the parameters, our inventory will stay timeless and will integrate well with any home.” On a recent visit, one-of-akind standouts included a two-piece sectional sofa in velvet by Edward Wormley ($48,000), a pair of leather Otto Zapf lounge chairs for Knoll ($8,000) and Architectural Pottery and David Cressy ceramic lamps. For those not prepared to drop $30,000 on a George Nakashima dining table, Potter also offers some smaller, lower price point items as well as occasional sales on surplus goods. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. ● 5102 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 522-3191, shopden-la .com/pages/about-den DESIGN UTOPIA HOLLYWOOD For Lynne Nash, who got her start selling furniture 23 years ago, shopping for vintage is all about the hunt. “I’m the last of the great treasure hunt stores,” Nash says. “I try to focus on unusual pieces you won’t find anywhere else including art, china, pottery and backgammon games and chess sets.” It’s fun to dig through her Melrose Avenue shop, with its colorful Joseph Magnin gift boxes from the 1960s, Paul McCobb china, a stunning Maria Kipp textile lampshade from the ’50s, patio furniture and Kai Kristiansen dining chairs. Prices are fair, ranging from the low to medium. Also, while Nash stocks custom pieces, the most interesting item during a recent visit wasn’t made by hand: It was a locking mechanism for a bank vault. Open weekends and by appointment. ● 6059 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 466-0048, instagram .com/designutopiahollywood HERNANDEZ FURNITURE For nearly three decades, this family-run storefront on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood has offered vintage Midcentury Modern and Danish modern dining sets, sleek credenzas and larger-than-life lamps. On a recent visit, owner Pedro Hernandez was on hand to point out Scandinavian ribbon-back dining chairs by Dux ($1,500 for four), a sculptural sofa outfitted in stunning green vintage fabric ($2,975) and a rosewood lounge chair by Ebanistería Caivinagua ($1,575). Like so many vintage showrooms, there are lamps stacked on coffee tables stacked on credenzas, but it’s not offputting. The staff is friendly and willing to pull down items for you to check out or offer further details about various items. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Sanford’s Vintage in Pico Rivera. 18 STORES THAT ARE RICH IN MIDCENTURY MODERN TREASURES THESE SOCAL SHOPS OFFER TOP-NOTCH VINTAGE FURNITURE BY LISA BOONE HETHER YOU’RE looking for an introductory Saarinen tulip chair or a $16,000 Mario Bellini modular sofa, there’s no better place to shop for Midcentury Modern furniture than Los Angeles. ¶ The golden age of furniture design (which spans the late 1940s through the early 1970s) is more popular today than ever thanks to its simplicity and adaptability, says Christian Boehr, owner of the vintage showroom Atomic Threshold in Monrovia. ¶ “The nicely proportioned scale, along with classic lines and great build quality, allows these pieces to be well integrated in current design schemes without being overpowering or too homogenized,” says Boehr. ¶ In other words, Midcentury Modern furnishings — many of which are still in production today because of their timelessness — are suitable for any type of decor. W Lisa Boone Los Angeles Times

Myung J. Chun Los Angeles Times LATIMES.COM SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 L7 ● 6208 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 819-1561, instagram.com/thepicker hernandez53 THE HUNT VINTAGE HOME FURNISHINGS Michael Glotzer got his start as a set decorator — no doubt influenced by his antiquesdealing mother — and his love for the dramatic shows in the furnishings he sells in his Arts District warehouse. “It’s my passion,” says Glotzer as he steers you past the vintage Knoll Pollock chairs ($800 apiece), Milo Baughman swivel chairs and a stunning ceramic-topped Danish modern coffee table ($1,950) to the architectural renderings at the back of the warehouse. Sometimes he likes to leave the vintage pieces in their original condition, such as the enormous “Miami Vice” meets “Scarface” Vladimir Kaganstyle curved sofa from the 1980s ($7,500). But other times, he says he prefers to wait to reupholster furnishings to his client’s requests. Glotzer also produces his own line of custom Midcenturystyle furnishings, spanning sofas to credenzas; all made in L.A., they can be built to any size and turned around quickly. Open Monday by appointment; noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. (Tip: Have a shopping and lunch date. The showroom is within walking distance of Guerrilla Tacos.) ● 812 Mateo St., Los Angeles, (323) 251-6453, thehuntvintage .com MERCHANT Walking into Merchant in Santa Monica is like walking into an artist’s enclave packed with vintage furniture, antiques, contemporary ceramics and art. “I wanted it to look like a house,” says co-owner Denise Portmans, who runs the store, along with an Atwater Village location, with her artist daughter Sara Marlowe. “I like things that are a little unusual.” The stores are a homage to Portmans’ mother, an artist and ceramicist, and they are stocked with Midcentury Modern furniture, vintage Moroccan rugs, contemporary ceramics from Paris and Italy, and goods by local artists such as Heather Rosenman and All Roads Studio. On a recent visit to the Santa Monica store, prices ranged from $120 for a wooden wine rack to $2,500 for a vintage leather safari chair. Portmans also is open to making deals. (The second showroom, Merchant Modern East, is at 3127 Glendale Blvd. in Atwater Village. The phone number is (310) 266-0572.) The Santa Monica showroom is open Monday to Wednesday by appointment; noon to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Atwater showroom hours are Monday and Tuesday by appointment; noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. ● 3002 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, (310) 663-8170, merchantmodern.com MIDCENTURYLA This 12,000-square-foot warehouse offers a surplus of postmodern furnishings with a Midcentury feel including 1970s lounge chairs, marble Italian dining tables, Michel Ducaroy Togo chairs and couches, and a showstopping seven-seat Roche Bobois Mah Jong sofa outfitted in Kenzo fabric ($35,000). The first two front rooms have the clean look of a highend designer showroom and offer an opportunity to sink into the many low-slung circular sofas and lounge chairs on display. I like to dig through the two less formal rooms in back, which are brimming with rugs, chairs and credenzas, and include many items on sale. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. ● 5333 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood, (818) 509-3050, midcenturyla.com POP UP HOME In May, Tricia Benitez Beanum relocated her luxury vintage showroom on Western Avenue to a three-story space across the street. Beanum’s new flagship offers goods from the ’50s through the ’80s, with new inventory arriving every week, largely from Europe. “I wanted it to feel like New York,” Beanum says of the airy third floor, which is filled with curvaceous furnishings in leather, velvet and corduroy. “Everyone is interested in postmodern furnishings right now.” In addition to furniture and accessories, including a wide variety of ceramics, artwork is mixed in with the furniture and decor as part of UNREPD, a gallery devoted to emerging and midcareer artists of color as well as women artists and LGBTQIA+ artists. Open noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. ● 642 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles, popuphome.com SAASAAN Wedged between Tijuana’s Produce and a wholesale spice mart, Saasaan Nabavi’s furniture warehouse in downtown L.A. is an unexpected find, filled with classic Midcentury Modern furnishings from both Denmark and Sweden as well as an excellent selection of antique and vintage Persian, Turkish Afghan and Moroccan rugs starting as low as $125. Nabavi sells a large selection of leather sofas from Scandinavia, including Stouby and Børge Mogensen designs starting at $595, as well as lounge chairs and dining tables and chairs. Some pieces, such as a Danish dining table in rosewood with three leaves ($2,500), have been refinished, while others, such as the teak sideboards and a quartet of teak dining chairs (on sale for $495), are in their original condition. Open by appointment. ● 735 S. Central Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 410-7141, saasaan.com SV MODERN Located next door to Sanford’s Vintage record shop, Vincent Gonzalez’s SV Modern offers a mix of Midcentury Modern furnishings, lighting and accessories for artists and musicians, says manager Joe Lopez. The small showroom is loaded with mostly small-scale stuff — think chairs, side tables, credenzas and a few sofas. But Lopez says they have found their niche by pairing some of the bigger furnishings with art, accessories and music. “Our clients enjoy walking back and forth between the record shop and the furniture showroom,” he says. “They all want beautiful, original furnishings so they can be in an environment where they can create.” Because the shop is small, don’t expect to see the same thing from month to month. That really won’t be an issue, Lopez says, because the store gets new things in to be sold every week. Open weekdays by appointment and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. ● 4950 Deland Ave., Pico Rivera, (562) 777-4134, instagram .com/s_v_modern SIMPLY MOD Michael Shaller’s elegant showroom in San Dimas features Scandinavian furnishings as well as some rare treasures, such as a Sam Maloof-designed side chair by Idaho-based Mike Raub ($2,680) and a teak-andoak Ikea cabinet from the 1940s ($740). Shaller has been dealing in Midcentury furniture since 1996 and goes to Denmark yearly in search of beautifully designed goods. “I like good design,” he says. “Danish quality is on another level — the types of wood that were used such as teak and rosewood.” The showroom is filled with sofas and chairs, credenzas, pendants from Norway and Denmark, and artworks and ceramics from all over the world. Many of his finds are not in the showroom itself, so if you have a special request, contact him directly. He just might have it, and if not, he likely can find it for you. Open by appointment and noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. ● 402 W. Arrow Hwy., #4, San Dimas, simplymod.com SUNBEAM VINTAGE Although the emphasis here is on vintage Midcentury Modern furniture, owner Iberia Martinez also offers the Modern Collection, Midcenturyinspired goods that are made today, and a Sunbeam Exclusive collection of wooden credenzas, benches and shelves that are handmade to order in Los Angeles. Many of the furnishings in the 6,500-square-foot former movie theater are displayed in period vignettes, including a baroque living room with chandelier and gold lamé walls, a Midcentury cabin with an Eames lounge chair, a velvet sofa and fireplace, and a cozy den with a velvet sofa and a Danish modern wall unit. A second space on Figueroa Street, which offered a large inventory of smaller goods including one-of-a-kind glassware, ceramics and artworks starting as low as $25, recently closed, but keep a look out for a new boutique a few blocks down the street in the future. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. ●106 S. Avenue 58, Los Angeles, (323) 908-9743, sunbeam vintage.com URBAN AMERICANA This 16,000-square-foot warehouse offers vintage items from 40-plus dealers, including Midcentury Modern furniture and a large selection of colorful glazed ceramic metal fireplaces. The finds on a recent visit included a leather and chrome Wasily chair ($495), a Westnofa dining table with four chairs ($6,995), a pair of rare sculpted Modeline of California lamps ($2,995) and bright-red Eames molded plastic chairs ($220 apiece). For your al fresco needs, a large outdoor area offers a wide assortment of vintage ceramic planters and outdoor patio furniture. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. ●1345 Coronado Ave., Long Beach, urbanamericana.com VINTAGE CONCEPT Jose and Ray Hernandez’s vintage showroom may be just a few doors down from their family’s longtime store, Hernandez Furniture, but it’s clearly their own vision. “They want to do things their own way,” said their father, Pedro, with a sense of pride. Like their father, the brothers specialize in 20th century design and Midcentury Modern and Danish modern furniture and accessories; they also offer restoration and upholstery services. The pair opened a second showroom right next door, which offers more Midcentury pieces along with artworks. You might find a Fritz Hansen leather and wood armchair ($1,200), a vintage Adrian Pearsall-style Cloud chaise ($1,800), a George Kasparian club chair reupholstered in soft gray sherpa fabric ($975) or a pair of fully restored Brasilia nightstands ($1,650). Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. ● 6174 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 819-2508, instagram.com/vintage conceptdesign WEST COAST MODERN L.A. Luis Ramirez’s vintage store on Fairfax Avenue is a mix of American and Danish Midcentury Modern furniture as well as his line of contemporary Midcentury-inspired sofas, lounge chairs and credenzas. You might find the perfect dining room chair, Sputnik pendant or Berber-covered Eames lounge chair, but you can also create something new. Ramirez has stacks of fabrics on hand if you are interested in ordering a custom sofa, sectional or chair to your specifications. The walnut Midcenturyinspired credenzas, which are made to order in custom sizes and finishes, have hand-carved sculptural doors. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. ●1248 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, westcoastmodernla.com VINTAGE ON POINT Vintage on Point’s warehouse in downtown L.A. offers a wide selection of furnishings spanning Midcentury Modern to postmodern, but that doesn’t mean Midcentury enthusiasts will leave disappointed. On a recent visit, the packed warehouse offered reasonably priced Danish modern credenzas, side tables and drawers in rosewood and teak (starting at $375), a Paul McCobb dining table with three extensions ($2,500) and some fun Mobler dining room chairs that were outfitted in herringbone fabric ($1,100 for a set of four). There’s a selection of newly upholstered sofas — the familyrun business specializes in restoration, fabrication and upholstery — that were extra appealing given that you could sit down and try them out in the showroom. A comfortable ’70s cantilevered chrome and tweed sofa was on sale for $1,275. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. ●1216 E. 18th St., Los Angeles, (562) 282-3659, vintageonpoint .com Mel Melcon Los Angeles Times Lisa Boone Los Angeles Times Lisa Boone Los Angeles Times SHOP AT Amsterdam Modern, clockwise from top left; Sunbeam Vintage; Den Los Angeles, where owner Jason Potter lies on a Roche Bobois Mahjong sofa; Design Utopia Hollywood; and SV Modern, which stands next-door to Sanford’s Vintage record store.

W HEN BHOOKHE’S narrow dining room in Artesia fills to capacity, which is most of the time during prime lunch and dinner hours, nearly every table has at least one person absorbed in navigating the restaurant’s maharaja thali. Its plates and bowls, covered in crinkly-smooth sal leaves, hold nearly two dozen components. Strategizing ideal bites demands focus. ¶ Many dishes on the thali are windows into the cuisine of Rajasthan. Its sweep of land, much of it lying across the northwestern subcontinent’s Thar Desert, makes it the largest state in India. Chef Pooja Dwivedi and her co-owner husband, Anshul, who primarily oversees service, grew up in or near Jaipur, its architecturally ornate capital. ¶ Half a dozen small breads ring the thali. Some are flat rotis made using varied flours, including cornmeal and pearl millet. Others, called bati, are formed into orbs: They arrive plain, for dunking in warm ghee or soupy dal, and also filled with potato masala. Garlicky chutney astringent with kachri, a tiny, wild melon, and green chile pickle ignite spice-freckled vegetables, plain rice and everything else they touch. To start somewhere deeply soothing, direct your spoon toward gatte ki sabji, soft squares of chickpea dumplings submerged in a yogurt sauce I want to pick up and drink. Turmeric adds its pale sunlight. Coriander, cumin and ginger complicate the yogurt’s tang. Raghavan Iyer, the prolific cookbook author who died in March, has a recipe for gatte ki sabji in his masterwork tome “660 Curries.” The headnote speaks to Rajasthan’s culinary character. “Reliance on dried legumes, flours, milk and dairy products is the norm, with vegetables being a scarcity, confined to a short growing season,” he writes. “Rajasthan’s cuisine, like its people’s love for the arts, colorful jewelry and clothing, reflects a culture that has triumphed … over the challenges of a difficult topography.” Part of the cooking’s great achievement, so vivid in the hands of the Dwivedis, is how the interplays of acid and nuanced sourness with spice and layered textures achieve delicacy with the region’s indigenous ingredients. How exhilarating for these distinctive flavors to appear on a restaurant menu in Los Angeles County. Bhookhe opened in February on a stretch of Pioneer Boulevard in Artesia already crowded with myriad expressions of Indian cuisines. An outpost of the Udupi Palace chain next door serves a dozenplus variations on dosas and other vegetarian specialties from across South India; two snack shops, K C Paan & Chaat House and Rasraj Artesia, and restaurant Ashoka the Great, with its survey of kormas, saags and other richer, northern-style curries, sit across the street. Half a block north is a favorite, Rajdhani, where Ranjan Patel composes her dailychanging Gujarati-style thalis on round metal trays (though cool, thick, saffron-scented shrikhand is always the choice for dessert). One u-shaped shopping center a little farther up houses Podi Dosa, another standout that specializes in dishes from Andhra Pradesh; look for its regional variation of dosa, sprinkled with powdered chiles and spices, made cracklyedged and plush from green moong batter, with smooth peanut chutney on the side. Pinning Rajasthani cuisine on Artesia’s map instantly established a sense of place for Bhookhe. Anshul and his family previously had a company that manufactured gemstone countertops, he told me in an interview. The business fell apart during the pandemic, and he and Pooja asked themselves what they might do next. “Both our families taught us how to cook, how to take care of ourselves, from an early age,” Anshul said. “We thought, ‘Let’s try a restaurant.’ ” He’s noted that diners from the local Indian American community, encompassing families with ties to every corner of the subcontinent, have shown up curious about the specificity of the couple’s food. The kitchen revolves some dishes on the maharaja thali, particularly sabzis (sauceless spiced vegetables), to keep return customers’ interest piqued. If I’m dining with at least one other person, a thali will be in the mix. It’s the fastest immersion into the Bhookhe ethos. It’s also a shortcut for combing through a nearly 80-item menu that veers through textured, chutney-spiked chaat and puri variations and other panregional snacks; curries, including a smattering of North Indian vegetarian classics like palak paneer, and an excellent take on malai kofta in densely rich tomato-cream sauce; appetizers, breads, sweets and beverages. I’m here to zero in on Rajasthani paragons. To start: mirchi vada, green chile fritters filled with spiced potatoes and fried in chickpea batter for a mellow, golden crispness. One curry centers around makhana, dried lotus seeds that are also known as fox nut. They bathe in a silky, sweetly spiced base of milk and cream; fish out the cashews at the bottom of the pan for a study in crunch alongside the makhana, and save the gravy for dunking the crusty bati. Sev tamatar ki sabji, which crosses over into Gujarati traditions as well (Gujarat is a neighbor along Rajasthan’s more fertile southwestern border), is a dish of tomatoes simmered down and thickened, and then garnished with squiggly sev. Pooja incorporates dried coconut, a less common addition, and with the chickpea noodles it gives the sabzi a pleasant, mulchy density. The staff number few and can be overwhelmed when they’re racing to serve a full room; patience is rewarded by food that usually arrives at an efficient pace. Whenever I flag someone down to order dessert and ask for a recommendation, I’m inevitably pointed to rabri ghevar. These small fried discs resemble doughnuts in shape, though rather than cakey they’re lacy and honeycombed, and finished with a cardamomscented milk glaze sprinkled with pistachios and edible rose petals. The thali does include a couple of tiny simple sweets, but rabri ghevar makes a far more charismatic, complexly flavored statement for closing a meal. Eat them fast, before they go soggy. And before you feel someone’s glare burrowing into your back. They’re ready for your table, and for their own rare-toL.A. Rajasthani feast. L8 SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 LATIMES.COM Susana Sanchez Los Angeles Times Dante’s peak > A century-old Italian restaurant with a globally lauded cocktail program just touched down in L.A., expanding beyond New York City for the first time. Dante, which opened in 1915 in Greenwich Village, is open atop Beverly Hills’ Maybourne Hotel with views of L.A., a wood-fired oven and pizza, crudo, martinis, pasta and house-made limoncello. The dining room seats about 120 spread across the main room, bar, a quasi-outdoor counter overlooking the oven, and a patio. In addition to iconic drinks from the New York location — including the Garibaldi, with “whipped” squeezed-to-order orange or pineapple juice, and a range of martinis and negronis — L.A.’s Dante offers more tequila-based drinks, such as a celery Paloma. About two-thirds of the food program’s dishes are unique to the Beverly Hills Dante, including light salads such as cannellini beans with shallots and feta, or octopus with fingerling potatoes and wild fennel. A poolside menu offers snackier fare. 225 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, dantebeverlyhills.com Cookie time > New York’s iconic Levain Bakery, known for its gooey, thick cookies and lines out the door, just opened its first location in L.A. The bakery’s signature chocolate chip walnut cookie is available in both a classic and a vegan, gluten-free form, with other flavors such as dark chocolate peanut butter chip, coconut caramel chocolate chip and a seasonal Rocky Road. Other items include chocolate chip brioche, blueberry muffins, sour cream coffee cake loaves, raisin sticky buns, lemon pound cake, and savory breads such as country boules and whole-grain loaves. A full coffee program features beans from local roastery and cafe Canyon Coffee. 227 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 576-5895, levainbakery.com Korean veggies > After years of running Perilla as a pandemicspurred pop-up, chef Jihee Kim recently debuted her concept for quick-service banchan, kimbap and other Korean specialties from within a new bungalow court in Chinatown. Perilla, along with a first storefront for coffee roaster Heavy Water, is among a handful of food concepts to open off Alpine and Centennial streets. Kim’s labor-intensive, hyper-seasonal dishes take the form of dosirak with chicken or cod; dupbap with spicy beef or galbimarinated mushrooms; a la carte banchan or rice combos; and kimbap filled with egg, pickles, garlic chives and more. The Rustic Canyon vet sees Perilla’s offerings as an extension of how she likes to eat: vegetableforward, with plenty of options to mix and match. 1027 Alpine St., Building E, Los Angeles, perillala.com Raising plants > Vegan celebrity chef Matthew Kenney closed his Venice flagship, Plant Food + Wine, in spring. It’s slated to reopen this month at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. The new Plant Food + Wine will be alongside the pool and will serve plant-based breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as an evening-only tasting menu. Expect smoked-tofu Benedict with tomatoes, spinach and turmeric hollandaise; Vadouvan taquitos with refried chickpeas, coconut-and-coriander salsa and tamarind; or raw lasagna with heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, pistachio pesto and macadamia ricotta. 300 Doheny Drive, Los Angeles, (310) 273-2222, matthewkenney cuisine.com/plant-food -wine — Stephanie Breijo Bhookhe 18633 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, (562) 523-0589, bhookhe.business.site Prices: Starters and snacks $6.50-$15.60, curries $14.30-$19.50, thalis $23.40-$29.90, sweets $14.30-$19.50 Details: Open 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Sunday. No alcohol. Street parking. Recommended dishes: Maharaja thali, mirchi vada, makhana curry, sev tamatar ki sabji, rabri ghevar CHEF Pooja Dwivedi and her husband, Anshul, opened Bhookhe in February in Artesia’s Little India neighborhood. Their nearly 80-item menu includes sev tamatar ki sabji, above left, and the Bhookhe special curry. Photographs by Mariah Tauger Los Angeles Times Bhookhe brings the flavors of Rajasthan to Little India THE REGION’S DISTINCTIVE DISHES SHINE IN AN EXQUISITE THALI FEAST BY BILL ADDISON RESTAURANT CRITIC RESTAURANT REVIEW

pineapple is not unlike choosing a ripe melon or avocado. You have to know what to look for (mostly yellow rind), pick at it a bit (the centermost leaves on top should pull away easily) and give it a sniff (at the stalk end, it should smell like, well, a sweet pineapple). And after all that, you have to let it sit for a few days to really ensure it’s ripe. This is the part where my impatience usually gets the best of me. But while talking to a grocery store worker in my neighborhood recently, I learned that the pineapple, mangoes and, well, mostly all the prepared fruit sold in plastic containers in the deli section of the store is from fruit that was for sale before but now was too ripe to sell whole. So, instead of picking and prodding and worrying and waiting to see if your pineapple or mango is ripe, you could just buy the prepackaged kind and know that it is. Now, I’ll admit, this doesn’t work across the board — I’ve had my fair share of rock-hard, awful mango from one of those containers — but by and large, the prepared pineapple is always great. And it’s more convenient if you’re someone who can’t get around to eating a whole one. And obviously, most people already know this: It’s the food snobs and recipe folks like me who feel obligated to insist you break down a whole pineapple yourself. While I have to espouse that belief to keep my job, I will relent on occasion, especially because I often have those containers of pineapple in my fridge from my partner’s shopping trips (he does not share my predilection for needing to cut up fruit “from scratch”). While I enjoy eating pineapple as is, after more than two pieces, it starts to feel as if the acids in the pineapple are eating away at the inside of my mouth (and well, they kind of are?), so I stick to mostly cooked preparations. One of the things that I’ve devised to make with all those prepared pineapple cubes sitting around is pineapple upside-down cake. Like most of you, I grew up with perfectly wonderful versions made with canned pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. I find nothing wrong with indulging in that nostalgia from time to time, but using fresh pineapple — especially when it’s already cut up — is ironically easier and obviously tastes more vibrant and acidic, all the better to cut through the rich cake batter. I’ve made enough pineapple upside-down cakes in my life to realize that the batter for such cakes — really all “upsidedown” fruit cakes — is intentionally made to be dry because the moisture from the fruit as it cooks will moisten the crumb of the batter above it. And while that does happen to a degree, it never happens enough for my liking, and many recipes result in a super-delicious, moist and sugary fruit topping sitting over a dry, crumbly cake that, unless eaten in equal proportion and chewed in harmonious synchronicity, needs to be chased by a gulp of water to get it down. My work-around is using an ingredient celebrated for giving plenty of tender texture and moisture to cakes without adding extra liquid: almond paste. Typically, whole cakes made with almond paste are baked and topped with more nuts in the form of flakes or slivered almonds, but I prefer it as a base for upside-down fruit cakes particularly because it’s like adding almond extract to a cake batter, and that pairs so well with many fruits. Stone fruits are the obvious match, but I find the perfumed almond flavor gives a great edge to tropical fruits like pineapple too, complementing the latter’s intense acidity. I slice up those prepared cubes of pineapple, cook them with a little brown sugar and then top them with the eggy, almond-y cake batter. Once flipped and cooled, the pineapple topping and cake batter fuse together harmoniously, and the cake stays moist for days. I return to it again and again, slicing off shims of tender but slightly chewy (in a good way) cake whenever I need a pick-me-up. And if serving it for a dinner party or to a guest, that’s where the cherries (you thought I forgot?) come back into the fold. Each slice gets a small spoonful of cherry jam — or Luxardo cherries, if you’ve got the spare cash — and a dollop of whipped cream. It’s the perfect summer cake because you’ll inevitably stop into your local grocery store, sweaty and blistered from a day at the beach, and grab those bowls of pineapple to wake and refresh you, so use what’s left to make this cake. It takes elements of convenience and transforms them into a treat that will keep that relaxed and beachy summer experience going while only requiring a brief foray into the fluorescent glow of the grocery store deli aisle to get started. PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE MADE EASIER PRECUT FRUIT AND A TUBE OF ALMOND PASTE UPDATES PERFECT SUMMERTIME TREAT. BY BEN MIMS LATIMES.COM WSCE SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 L9 Summertime Pineapple Upside-Down Cake 1hour 30 minutes. Serves 8 to 10. This recipe uses the convenient precut pineapple from your grocery store’s deli section and transforms it into an elegant summertime treat. Almond paste helps provide a dense moistness to a cake that’s typically dry, balancing the sweet fruit topping. It gets served with a dollop of whipped cream on the side and cherry jam on top to avoid having to meticulously place cherries in the pineapple. However, if it’s not a pineapple upside-down cake without the cherries studded in the mix, tuck a few under the cooled pineapple in the cake pan in Step 2, below, before chilling the fruit. 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes and chilled, divided, plus more for greasing 680 grams (1 1⁄2 pounds) peeled and cut pineapple chunks (like from the grocery deli section), cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices 108 grams (1⁄2 cup) packed light brown sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided 107 grams (3⁄4 cup) all-purpose flour 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 200 grams (7 ounces) almond paste 2 large eggs, room temperature 1⁄4 cup whole milk 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Whipped cream and cherry jam, for serving 1 Grease an 8-inch cake pan with butter. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and then grease the paper. 2 Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pineapple, brown sugar and 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, and cook, tossing occasionally, until the sugar dissolves in the pineapple juices and reduces to a thick sauce, about eight minutes. Scrape the pineapple and sugar syrup onto a plate, spread out in a single layer, and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Once the pineapple mixture is cool, transfer it to the bottom of the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer or arrange in concentric circles or tiled rows, whatever you like. Place the pan in the refrigerator to firm the syrup while you make the cake batter. 3 Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, the flour and baking powder. 4 Using your fingers, break apart the almond paste into small chunks and place them in the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons butter and mix on low speed until evenly combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat until pale and lightened in texture, about three minutes. 5 Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth before adding the next. Add the milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract, and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom and side of the bowl to make sure the batter is well mixed. 6 Remove the prepared pan with the pineapple from the refrigerator. Dollop the batter evenly over the fruit so it doesn’t disturb it in the bottom of the pan, then gently smooth the top of the batter. Bake until the cake is lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. 7 Transfer the cake pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, remove the pan, then carefully peel back and discard the parchment paper round, replacing any pineapple slices that may try to come off with the paper. Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving with whipped cream and a small dollop of cherry jam on top. Photographs by Ricardo DeAratanha Los Angeles Times O UR MODERN RELATIONSHIP with seasonality is a funny thing. While we often proselytize about eating local, in-season vegetables and fruit, we also love our bananas, mangoes and pineapples — all of which mostly do not grow on a large scale anywhere near us — for our morning smoothies or fruit bowls. We often think of tropical fruit as winter fruit (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere), swooping in to brighten dreary days with their beachy vibes and sun-gold glow. But fruit like mangoes and pineapples are in peak season during the summer (although, yes, they are also available year-round). ¶ Yes, here in Southern California stone fruit and berries abound right now, and I get my fill of them for sure, but my favorite fruit to go HAM on during summer is pineapple. I crave the tropical fruit that connotes lazy sunny days with every tart, refreshing bite. But if you’ve ever been shopping for one, you know that finding a great Outdoor All Weather Fabrics Exclusive Designs Largest Selection Anywhere! 10654 W. Pico Bl. West Los Angeles 310-441-2477 fsfabricslosangeles.com

L10 SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 LATIMES.COM SOUTHCOASTPLAZA.COM COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA Since its inception in 1994, French designer, Isabel Marant instantly became renowned for her pioneering and cosmopolitan spirit bringing self-affirmation and feel good effect to her collection. Orange County Exclusive LEVEL 1, BETWEEN JEWEL AND CAROUSEL COURTS 714.708.2690 M Y DIVORCE papers were signed, and I had just graduated from seven years of a grueling general surgery residency in New York City. I was finally headed back home to Southern California, but first there was a pit stop. My soon-to-be ex-husband helped me find an all-women surf and yoga camp in beautiful Costa Rica en route to L.A. Luckily, my ex and I were amicable enough, and he reminded me that I had always wanted to see Costa Rica. I was, at the time, anti-men. I lugged all my belongings from my life in New York with me, so when I landed in San José without any of my luggage, I was pissed off. I waited, complained, filled out papers with the airline and then finally headed to the van that was waiting to take me to the allwomen surf and yoga camp. Peter was at the van already, apparently going to the same camp. Annoyed, I got into the van without my luggage but instead with this man who was not supposed to be there. Once we arrived, I complained to the front desk that all my life belongings were not yet with me and that there was a man at the camp. The woman looked at me with smiling eyes and said, “Sometimes it is an all-women camp, and sometimes it is not. Your luggage will arrive. Welcome to Costa Rica.” Over the next week at the camp, our co-ed group went on nature walks, yoga sessions and surfing lessons. My luggage finally made it to me, and I learned that every other week the camp was all-women, alternating with co-ed weeks. I unknowingly picked a co-ed week. I also learned that Peter was also divorced, had a daughter as I did, and had won a Facebook raffle that brought him to Costa Rica. He was a freelance photographer and enjoyed traveling, especially when it was paid for by somebody else. In the meantime, we both were terrible at surfing and realized paddleboarding was more in line with our abilities. At some point, the beauty of Costa Rica brought out deep conversations between Peter and me, and I distinctly remember telling him, “I don’t believe in love between a man and a woman. I think true love can only exist between a parent and child.” Peter’s divorce had been years prior, and he was not as bitter as I was when he said to me, “That’s too bad. I do believe in love. I hope you change your mind someday.” He also told me that he loved to hike and camp, especially in Washington where he lived, and that he could “never” live in L.A. where there were no mountains or trees. Having grown up in L.A., I took offense at his lack of appreciation of the beauty and diversity that California has to offer. After all, depending on the time of year, we have the ability to snow ski on a mountain and surf in the ocean both in the same day. I told him I hoped he would change his mind someday and experience L.A. for himself. We exchanged email addresses at the end of our trip, and Peter asked to keep in touch. He also told me that he had a policy of not “Facebookfriending” new people because he wanted to get to know people through words and conversations rather than superficially through online posts. I thought this was very odd, and I was convinced he had some dark secret he did not want to share. I shrugged it off. Over the next several months, I settled into my new life as a single mom in L.A. I loved the weather and the change of pace from New York and spending more time with my parents and daughter. Peter and I exchanged several emails during this time. I described my surgical fellowship and new lifestyle, and he told me about his various travels around the world. Six months after my move to L.A., Peter let me know that he won a second raffle that would bring him from his home in Seattle via L.A. to get to Machu Picchu in Peru. He asked if I wanted to meet for coffee. We met, and this time I saw him with a fresh set of eyes and a more open heart. Peter wasn’t just a tall, handsome man with beautiful blue eyes. He had a kindness in his heart and a compassion for the world that I had never quite known in another person. He cared enough to donate blood regularly, volunteer at food drives and pick up other people’s trash along the beach. I found myself drawn to him in a way that was surprising and amazing all at once. Peter left for Peru the next day, and that’s when I noticed something within me starting to crack. I felt as if a wall was finally crumbling, and a glimmer of light was seeping in. It seemed I might have changed my mind about love. That night I sent an email to Peter, pouring out my heart and asking if he would consider a long-distance relationship. I didn’t realize he was in the rainforest without internet, so I waited for what felt like an eternity for his affirmative response days later. I thanked him for his leap of faith and finally had a peaceful night of sleep. A year later, we spent our honeymoon in Costa Rica, and this year will be our 10-year wedding anniversary. Peter moved to L.A. once his daughter went to college and he changed his mind about living here. For some reason, he keeps entering raffles for travel but has not won another one since we got married. I secretly hope he never wins one again. Oh, and he finally added me as a Facebook friend (no dark secrets after all!). > The author is a breast surgeon and an associate professor of surgery at UCLA. She lives in Woodland Hills. She’s online @DrNimmiKapoor. L.A. Affairs chronicles the search for romantic love in all its glorious expressions in the L.A. area, and we want to hear your true story. We pay $300 for a published essay. Email [email protected]. You can find past columns at latimes.com/laaffairs. Zifei Zhang Los Angeles Times The best raffle prize of all HE CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT LOVE; I CHANGED HIS ABOUT L.A. BY NIMMI KAPOOR L.A. AFFAIRS

SUNDAY COMICS H JULY 9, 2023 DOONESBURY By Garry Trudeau CRABGRASS By Tauhid Bondia PEARLS BEFORE SWINE By Stephan Pastis

H2 SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 LATIMES.COM MUTTS By Patrick McDonnell ZITS By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman BABY BLUES By Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott MACANUDO By Liniers BLONDIE By Dean Young & John Marshall MARMADUKE By Brad & Paul Anderson

LATIMES.COM SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 H3 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 or 2-by-3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 (or 1 to 6 for the smaller grid). For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk. Solution to last week's puzzle More Online For other brain-teasing challenges, go to latimes.com/games. Level: Impossible ©Amuse Labs ACROSS 1 Power couple? 5 Furniture board 9 Flow slowly 13 “Hasta —” 19 “Go away!” 20 Musical finale 21 Category 22 Like a sleeping snake 23 Abridged version of a Greek myth featuring a box full of troubles? 26 Current event in climate studies? 27 World record suffix 28 Rest area? 29 Baby’s 28-Across 30 Ecru kin 32 Parted partners 33 Work on hooves 35 Draw absentmindedly 37 Fox chaser? 39 Hot dog 41 Title of a “Jack and the Beanstalk” subreddit? 46 One of Adam’s sons 48 Rios on the road 50 “— Too Well”: Taylor Swift song 51 Flow forth 52 Verses-versus-verses competitors 55 “Show your cards” 57 Tendon 58 Cry from a reveler who wants the weekend party to keep going? 61 Cut short, perhaps 62 Slice of history 63 Party-planning site 64 Asian occasion 65 “Happy Birthday” writers, often 68 Smith of “The Karate Kid” 70 — Na Na 73 South African author Alan 75 Bridle attachment 76 Like some cheese 79 Desire of a greedy lord? 85 Stationery shade 86 Lincoln neighbor 87 Lunar surface 88 Garage capacity 90 Hush-hush maritime org. 91 See 66-Down 92 “You are something —” 93 Like a florist after Valentine’s Day? 96 Church instruments 99 Word from a baby doll 100 Start of the Marine Corps motto 102 “Wednesday” actress Jenna 105 Flaky layered mineral 108 — Dhabi 110 Munich article 111 Campaign funding org. 112 Hired ride 113 Writer/director Nora 115 Research scientist’s unique explanation? 119 Discipline featuring slow movements 120 Unit in the Monty Hall problem 121 Empire State canal 122 Terminates 123 Bronchial malady 124 “Even — speak ... ” 125 Small coin 126 Dedicated works DOWN 1 In accordance with 2 Action film climax, often 3 “Stop fretting” 4 Fish oil source 5 Use an X-ray, e.g. 6 Dishwasherful 7 Sports drink suffix 8 Mexico city known for silver jewelry 9 Walk confidently 10 Solution for something that can’t be unseen? 11 Mini-albums, for short 12 Unwelcome visitor 13 John who won Wimbledon three times in the 1980s 14 Yahoo! Inc. brand 15 Hours for a typical day shift 16 Hugo-winning writer — E. Harrow 17 Aloha State bird 18 Big fusses 24 Prominent instrument in “Swan Lake” 25 Many univ. employees 31 DOJ bureau 34 Former German chancellor Kohl 35 Pantheon member 36 Note in a C minor triad 38 Balance 40 Store with a Swedish food market 42 Far from sated 43 Diviner’s letter 44 App ad target 45 Kitten’s “I’m hungry” 46 Benefit 47 Grass unit 49 “Up” actor Ed 53 Opposite of post54 Unusual thing 55 Tennis player Swiatek 56 Totally adore 59 Form 1040 org. 60 Celebrate, as a new year 66 With 91-Across, Spanish “How’s it going?” 67 Captivate 68 Skippy rival 69 Proton carriers 70 Move closer to home? 71 Gives a hand 72 Price for a spot 73 Nonviolent protest 74 Spanish fleet 75 Lingerie piece 77 Hotel divs. 78 Upward climb 79 Inventor Rubik 80 Turn suddenly 81 Old iPods 82 “Ah, yes” 83 Wind turbine part 84 Winter coat? 85 Cookout discard 89 Black Sea country 91 “College Football Live” channel 94 “Super” 95 Expatriate 97 Pointed beard 98 Aqueduct element 101 Joined a conger line? 103 Avant-— 104 Bottomless gulf 105 Like crossword clues about crossword clues 106 Milkshake beers, for short 107 Gambler’s marker 109 Egg-grading org. 111 Straight-laced 114 Resistance unit 116 Memoji platform 117 The NFL’s Cardinals, on sports crawls 118 Dept. of Labor concern Last week’s solution: “Film Adaptations” Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis By John Andrew Agpalo And/Or Tribune Content Agency © 2023 SUDOKU Dear Amy: I had a 42-year career as a speech-language pathologist, working with young children. Early childhood development was my professional specialty. Imade sure to provide my own children with playbased preschool opportunities. Both children are now successful professionals. Our son and his wife have two children, ages 3 and 1. They let us know early on that they would accept NO input or support. I respected their wishes. I respond to texts, emails and rare phone calls with generic positive statements like, “It looks like he’s doing great!” Now, our daughter-in-law is sending photos and videos of our 3-year-old granddaughter in a pee-wee “cheer” program. She is on a “performance team,” with uniforms with short-shorts and bare midriffs. For competitions, she wears full-face makeup, including bright red lipstick. Her parents haven’t enrolled her in a regular preschool but apparently are fine with this environment. I am sick to my stomach that this child is not receiving child-focused, playbased learning opportunities — and worse, that she is in a program that appears to be sexualizing young girls. I feel I must advocate for her by trying to protect her childhood. What do I do? Horrified Gran Dear Horrified: Use your voice, or your pen, or your opposable thumbs. But prepare yourself for the likelihood that these parents will react badly, cut you off and exercise their judgment . I share your opinion regarding toddler “cheer” squads, “beauty” pageants, etc. But these parents obviously have (extremely) different values than you do, and are demonstrating their values with their choices. I think you should continue to be judicious in your reactions, and also force yourself to attend one of these competitions. You can say, “Whatever the kids are up to, I want to be there.” Email questions to Amy Dickinson at askamy@ amydickinson.com. ASK AMY I was recently at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Set just north of Miami outside Fort Lauderdale, it has some of the best poker in the country. I had the opportunity to play a tournament in its annual Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown festival. It was Event #56: $200 Big Stack No-Limit Hold’em, which started players with 20,000 in chips and played 20-minute levels. It was here where I was reminded that sometimes hands play themselves and all you can do is live with the results. Case in point, a hand I played in Level 5 with the blinds at 200/400/400 when I was sitting on about 12,000 in chips. I looked down at the Q♥ J♦ in middle position and min-raised to 800. Action folded around to the player in the big blind, who had been a bit of a luck box, getting rewarded for bad plays. As he was still stacking the chips he’d won the hand prior, he looked down at his cards and called the additional 400 to see a flop of Q♣ 6♥ 4♥. My opponent checked, and with top pair, I continued for 1,000. My opponent paused and then woke up with a big check-raise to 5,000. That was about half my remaining stack, so I had to determine what hand my opponent was holding. If he had a big hand that would be beating me like either pocket kings, aces or ace-queen, it’s logical to think he would’ve raised preflop, so I took those out of his range. Could he have two pair like queens and sixes? Absolutely. That said, he would likely checkraise big with any queen in his hand, meaning I beat hands like queen-10, queennine, etc. He might also do it with either a pair of fours, sixes, or a draw, like to a straight or flush. Calling off half my stack and giving him a chance to complete a draw seemed like a bad idea, and folding my hand against his perceived range would be a bad play. As such, I decided to target his potential one-pair hands and draws by moving all-in. He hesitated for a few moments but eventually called. I felt confident that I was ahead, but I was wrong as he tabled the K♦ Q♠. He, too, had a pair of queens, but his kicker was one better than mine. Neither the 8♣ turn nor 2♦ river helped me, and just like that, I was out with a fresh reminder that sometimes the luck box has it. Holloway is a 2013 World Series of Poker bracelet winner. POKER Chad Holloway Holloway’s hand Opponent’s hand Flop Turn River Aries (March 21-April 19): You can paint a mental picture and really put yourself there. As you dwell in the imaginative experience, you are building a pathway to it. This can be real. Taurus (April 20-May 20): Assume all is conspiring to delight you, even when it doesn’t seem that way. You really are getting just what you need. Gemini (May 21-June 21): You’ll experience the fullness of human nature today with interactions that are friendly, rushed, confusing, exhilarating, frustrating and more. Cancer (June 22-July 22): You’ll hold back your opinions, stories and advice because you sense there’s something you need to learn by listening more, speaking less. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22): You will now experience the result of something you did many years ago. You’ll follow intuitive nudges into something sweet. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): For someone to appreciate what you do, he or she will have to experience it. This is one reason to delegate a job to someone who is not really qualified to do it. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 23): You’ll save a lot of time by following strong leaders or becoming one. Seek clarity and you will find it. Scorpio(Oct. 24-Nov. 21): The message in your heart feels important, urgent and somewhat formless. Think of a way to convey it nonverbally. Its most potent communication will be wordless. Sagittarius (Nov. 22- Dec. 21): It is typical human nature to try and run from the very discomfort that offers the most benefit. Escape is an unhelpful habit. Stick with the feelings instead. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You want to know you’re liked for who you are, not for what you can do for people. Because of this, you may hold back a bit. You’ll learn all you need to know. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Comfort zones are magnetic. You’ll step away and still feel the pull. The trick to making a change is to keep going until you’re beyond the field. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): There’s a symmetry to the things you tackle today. If you start out well, you will likely end well too. Today’s birthday (July 9): You’ve been adaptable in the past, but this year is different. Instead of cleverly joining in, you’ll first become who you want to be and then let the world form to you — an approach that nets brilliant results. Others are fascinated by your dynamic and ever-changing nature, evident in your continuous improvements and transformations. Taurus and Scorpio adore you. Your lucky numbers: 6, 30, 12, 4 and 19. Mathis writes her column for Creators Syndicate Inc. The horoscope should be read for entertainment. HOROSCOPE Holiday Mathis

H4 SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2023 LATIMES.COM IN THE BLEACHERS By Steve Moore NON SEQUITUR By Wiley FRAZZ By Jef Mallett CANDORVILLE By Darrin Bell

Parade’s Daily CLICK

y

Personality WALTER SCOTT’S PARADE AND NUMBRIX ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF ATHLON SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.© 2023 THE ARENA MEDIA BRANDS, LLC FROM LEFT: DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR ANNABEL’S; PARAMOUNT PICTURES What was it li and a cast tha several films walk into a fralished already is just gettingstallment, the It’s not like an and we’re all s You’re walkin already feels Is it true that McQuarrie sa decided he w I met McQ ten he came to se End in Londo out to dinner to work with y can do on tha write it and I w movie, I just d one yet.” When the s about, I met w they said, “W script or a cha looking for th want to work to understan working, and creative envir they’re going from that plac and create a c It was really my character one thing, tha an archetype the ice queen the damsel in would have, li of qualities. F felt like I was aly commit to t that they wer saw the franc HAYLEY ATWELL The Captain America: The First Avenger and Howards End star, 41, joins the seventh � lm in the franchise, Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One. Atwell stars as Grace, a new character who gets caught up in Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the IMF team’s search for a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands.

J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 | 3 ke to join Tom Cruise at’s been together for now? I think when you anchise that’s so estaby, has worked so well and g better with each inere’s a feeling of safety. n experimental movie starting from scratch. g into something that very safe. director Christopher aw you in a play and anted to work with you? n years ago when ee me in the West n. He took me and said, “I want you. What you at stage, I want to want to put it in a don’t know which screen test came with Tom and We don’t have a aracter. We’re he actress we with, who comes d our process of thinks that it’s a ronment that g to thrive in. And then ce, we will collaborate character together.” y important to me that r was not going to be just at she wasn’t going to be e of the femme fatale, n, the maiden, the victim, n distress. That she ike we all do, a real range From that point of view, I able to come in and realthe new opportunity re offering, how they chise moving forward and progressing. For those reasons, it instantly felt like a collaborative process. What is it like to work on the fly without a script? Oh, it’s so liberating. Of course, the idea of it is terrifying, but I think when you’re working with people who lead with [the notion that] everything is just an offering, a choice, an idea, there are no good or bad ideas, there are no stupid questions or clever questions. We’re just going to play and explore, which for me is the root of creativity. They very much encourage an environment where you can try things. You try and create an objectivity where your ego is at the door and you work out: “Did that land, does that belong in the world of this movie? Do we love it but feel like we need something different in the sequence of what the story is in the greater context?” You’re coming at it from those more specific questions. So, I always knew that whatever ultimately didn’t work was not going to be in the movie. My background is in theater, where Love great interviews? Go to Parade.com/walterscot for more.

4 | J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 Personality WALTER SCOTT’S you’re in a rehearsal room for six weeks and you go left, you go right, you go up, you go down, you speed up, you slow down, you ask lots of questions and you think you’ve kind of understood the writer’s vision here, or you make a creative choice and then later on you might go, “It doesn’t really fit in with the final act.” It’s all about creative exploration. From that point of view, I didn’t see [not having a script] so much as a challenge but more very stimulating creatively. Tell us a little more aboutyour character, Grace. Before we started filming, we were watching lots of movies together to have a running commentary of filmic language and a tone we were trying to create. So, we watched things like Broadcast News, What’s Up, Doc?, The Sting, Paper Moon, heist movies, like the original Thomas Crown Affair. We liked the idea that Grace was really competent, but she didn’t realize the extent to which she was out of her depth. We loved the idea of Barbra Streisand’s character in What’s Up, Doc?, who is oblivious to the carnage she’s indirectly created behind her. She’s not calculating. We thought that for Grace that’s a great, dramatic place to be in because, if she is unintentionally exasperating Ethan, you can’t be angry at her for it. You’re like, Oh, my God. This is so frustrating, will she just stand still, will she just trust him, will she just for once do what he says because it’s going to be advantageous to her? We created this idea that she’s not an agent but in terms of her character she’s an agent of chaos. From those moments, you can see that this is not someone who’s deliberately trying to pull the rug from under his feet, but inadvertently does so. And therein lies some of the comedy, but also some of the stakes get higher for it. So, it creates more suspense. This is obviously a going to take two m we begin? There’s some brilliant new (Pom Klementieff) Davis) and Jasper B Whigham). And at ttroduces charactefore, without givin feels like it’s a stepally in potential new adversaries, but it’ connection to all th people have come it is so ambitious in the action sequenc that it had to fit in t the stakes to be as can, so we’re looki scale this story has became multiple lo that. I think because tters introduced, it’ their moment to sh arc of their charact when she arrives in what she goes thro how she’s changed she makes toward and then takes intoferent. It’s a huge a some of the other Tom is famous for How much did that suit? I do all my ow The audition part o for me to work with stunt choreograph for about two houring my natural tale coordination when combat. He was al my natural skills lay of a wrestler as a fi particular style of m thought would suit from page 3

big story because it’s movies to tell. How do an introduction to characters: Paris ), Degas (Greg Tarzan Briggs (Shea the same time, it reiners that we’ve seen beg away any spoilers. It p forward generationw team members or ’s still retaining the he characters that e to know and love. And n its scale in terms of ces and the stunts too. We’re looking for s high as they possibly ng at how on a global s conflict. And so that ocations to really span there are new charac’s giving everyone how a change in the ter. So, with Grace, n seven, the shift of ough, what she sees, d by it, decisions that s the end of the movie o eight, are hugely difarc. So is the case for characters, too. doing his own stunts. t inspire you to follow wn stunts in the movie. of the screen test was h Wade Eastwood, the her. I worked with him rs where he was testent, fitness levels and n it came to unarmed so working out where y, whether I was more ighter or if there was a martial arts that he t the way that I naturally wanted to move. At the end of the test, they came and watched me having learned and prepared a fight sequence. Then Wade went off with Tom and McQ and said in private, “This is what I’ve discovered about Hayley. This is how I see her abilities and the speed at which she can learn things and take direction physically.” And then he gave a realistic prediction of where he could get me up to with what amount of training. We tested lots of different things and what we found was when I’m given a prop, I fight faster. That comes from my theater background. You can relay so much in the way that you handle a prop about how you think about someone. The way that you’re twiddling a paperclip will determine if you’re hiding a secret or if you plan to use it as a weapon. All this stuff. So, using knives became a natural part of my fight sequences. The other things were doing a backflip off a bridge in Venice or moving backwards off a moving train. Tom is such a disciplined athlete. He’s very specific, he’s adamant about the health and safety protocols on set and making sure that there is a lot of communication and a lot of preparation that goes into these stunts so that they are done competently. And not only being able to do it once or twice, but multiple times from multiple angles, for multiple takes. And in different ways. He was very inspiring in that way and so it meant that I was with a team of world-class trainers and athletes, real experts in their fields, from kickboxing champions to Olympic winners. That meant that I had the same discipline and work ethic that I saw he had, which is to educate yourself on as much as you want. To look strong, you’ve got to make sure that you understand mobility and injury prevention, and how the body can rest and the nutrition it needs to be able

FROM TOP: MURRAY CLOSE/GETTY IMAGES; AJ PICS/ALAMY (2); TCD/PROD.DB/ALAMY; PICTORIAL PRESS LTD/ALAMY; TCD/PROD.DB/ALAMY to work and live like an athlete. So, that was five months of training. I would be taken on a [car] racecourse and learn how to drift. Drifting with Tom on the streets of Rome, you’ve got all these added pressures of you’re in this beautiful, ancient city that has cobbled streets, it’s slightly raining, and there were stunt cars around you, there’s crew around you, there are journalists, and fans out to see Tom. In the middle of that, you have to know how to calm your nervous system down so that you can drift competently, and donut-spin the car around while you’ve got three cameras rigged to the car—and that you can also take direction at the same time. I knew that I just had to be ready for anything because if I’d arrived on set and hadn’t given it 100 percent, then I knew because there was no script that I’d be writing myself out of the story because I’d reached my limit of what I was willing to do and try. So, the more I trained, the more I had to offer, the more then they were able to use in the actual film. Incredible, yeah. I worked really hard for it. Really, really hard. Loved it. You’re also part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Do you think there’s more to do as Agent Carter? It’s such an extraordinary franchise. In the first Captain America: The First Avenger, I would never in a million years think that you’d be asking me this question this many years later. Right? I think it’s a beloved character, but I wouldn’t want to go over any old ground and I wouldn’t want her to have remained the same. I think that if there was an opportunity to bring her into the world of it, she would have to have had a huge promotion. You’ve been working on Mission: Impossible for four years now. Do you miss getting your theater fix? There hasn’t been enough time to miss anything else because it’s such an inteence. We were in the A eight [Part Two], and a the press tour, we’re s the studio and then wetil probably early next asks all of me, it’s a deefaction. I think that’s ation to what my charac movie, Tom and McQ h the moviemaking proc inclusive about how to getting a master class commentary of movie then they’re in the edi me the difference bet did and take 10 that I d why they decided that story, Grace needed t than a right. That makes me feel of it for such a long timater deeply. It’s such a experience. And I do m with the audience thatly basis. It’s a dialogue tells you what’s landin love that. I learn as mu from the audiences as people’s performance more when the oppor As you’ve said, you ha now in filmmaking. Anthing with that? I’m in years. I’ve worked soli would just be natural t my understanding of o was an actual byprodu them and asking ques an exciting time becau many of my colleague companies, executive as well as starring in it right project came alo there was enough for teeth into in terms of e directing, then I would Want Go to Para for

nse, full-on experiArctic recently for as soon as we finish straight back into e’ll be doing this un year. And because it ep sense of satisalso because in addicter is doing in the have demystified cess by being very o make a movie. I’m s in their running emaking history, ting suite showing ween take one that I did. And showing t for the sake of the o take a left rather l like I’ve been part me. Yes, I love thean all-encompassing miss the connection t you feel on a nighte where the audience g and what’s not. I uch about acting s I do watching other es. So, I’ll for sure do tunity arises. ave this master class ny plans to do any the industry now 17 dly in that time. It that as time went on other departments uct of being around tions. Also, it’s such use I’m seeing so s start production e producing material . So, yeah, if the ong and I felt like me to really sink my either producing or d take it. t more Parade? ade.com/newsleters daily stories. IMPOSSIBLE MOVES

6 | J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 The Don’t Miss List Here’s what’s on our rad Go to Parade.com/enter TWO TICKETS TO GREE (IN LIMITED THEATERS JULY 14) Most recently, Kristin Scott Thomas made her TV series debut s the darkly humorous espionage drama series Slow Horses (Appl which is currently filming its third and fourth seasons. For a chan during her hiatus, Thomas, 63, returned to film in the lighthearte comedy, Two Tickets to Greece, about female camaraderie and nnings. Two Tickets to Greece is the story of childhood friends Magalie Calamy) and Blandine (Olivia Côte) who reconnect after many ye decide to take a G S Magalie’s free-s sive villa in Myko “I decided to c which Ithought career, as some compulsive liar,” scribes her past ing she was raise England, and I ha was perhaps not venting pastlive cert others. But off,the real Bijo who can no long a reality thatis m The vacation being everythin Blandine expect becomes appare alie’s very differ vacationing—an lead Blandine to point.

dar this week. rtainment for more. ECE starring in e TV+), nge of pace ed French new begin e (Laure ears and RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE FROM LEFT: AVENUE B PROD; DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR APPLE; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FOR DISNEY/JEFF ELLINGSON

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MAX; IFC FILMS; DIA DIPASUPIL/GETTY IMAGES FOR TRIBECA FESTIVAL; 20TH CENTURY-FOX/GETTY IMAGES; CBS PHOTO ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES Î Danes won a third the title character in FULL CIRCLE (JULY 13 ON MAX) After eight seasons on Homeland for which she won two Emmy Award Lead Actress in a Drama and a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Trouble, Claire Danes, 44, returns to television in the six-episode limit The crime drama follows an investigation into the botched kidnapping that uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cday New York City. Even though Danes has been on our radar since her Life when she was 15, here are some facts you may not know: Ï Her acting career began with a guest spot on Law & Order‘s third season premiere in 1992. Í She turned down the role of Rose in Titanic as she had just finished working with Leonardo DiCaprio on Romeo + Juliet. Romeo + Juliet director Baz Luhrmann called her “the Meryl Streep of her generation.” Î Î D exp thir hus Hug cy. T par Cyr and

LAKOTA NATION VS. UNITED STATES d Emmy for playing the HBO biopic s for Outstanding n Hulu’s Fleishman Is in ed series Full Circle. g of Sam’s (Danes) son cultures in presentr role in My So-Called

8 | J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 book, Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling. It’s an event. “The smell of asada is an invisible cloud of joy that forever lingers around the streets of Los Angeles,” says Lopez, co-owner of the legendary za. “In a city like L.A., where the taco is a way of life, backyard asada culture is as respected as church on Sundays.” Families pass down secret recipes or always shop at their favorfor marinated beef, pork and chicken. And, yes, seafood can be on the menu, too. For old-school Mexican grilling, Lopez favors a charcoal grill, which imparts smoky � avor. New-style electric and pellet smokers are other options. While gas grills aren’t her favorite, she says, it’s hard to beat their convenience. Whichever you use, these recipes are muy delicioso. —Alison Ashton Mexican Style

PHOTOS BY QUENTIN BACON; ADAPTED FROM THE NEW BOOK ASADA: THE ART OF MEXICAN-STYLE GRILLING BY BRICIA LOPEZ AND JAVIER CABRAL. COPYRIGHT © 2023 BY BRICIA LOPEZ AND JAVIER CABRAL. PHOTOS COPYRIGHT © 2023 BY QUENTIN BACON. PUBLISHED BY ABRAMS.

PEEL ‘N’ EAT GUAJILLO PRAWNS CITRUS AN This dish is Lopez’s upda uses Mexican oregano, w cousin, but the European with warm tortillas. In a cast-iron skillet over m ¼ tsp whole black pepper (Mexican mortar and pestl In a medium bowl, whisk garlic, cloves separated, pe Pat 3 lbs skin-on, bone-i plastic bag, combine chicke overnight. Remove chicken and mar Preheat grill to high. Remove chicken from ma Close lid; cook 15 minutes p thermometer. Transfer to a

J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 | 9 Head to Parade.com/grilled-corn for a zesty Mexican grilled corn-on-the-cob recipe. ND OREGANO POLLO ASADO ate on her mother’s traditional fried pollo en oregano. Lopez which has a more citrusy, pungent quality than its Italian n variety also works well here. Either way, serve the chicken medium, toast 1½ Tbsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp cumin seeds and rcorns (about 12) 3 minutes or until aromatic. Grind in a molcajete le) or spice grinder until � nely ground. toasted ground spices; 1½ Tbsp sea salt; 2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 head eeled and minced; and juice of 2 lemons (about ½ cup). n chicken thighs dry with paper towels. In a gallon-size zip-top en and marinade. Seal; refrigerate at least 30 minutes but preferably rinade from refrigerator; allow to come to room temperature. arinade (discard marinade). Place chicken skin side up on grill. per side, turning once, until chicken registers 175°F on a meat a cutting board; let rest 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

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KY SEDG

YRA GWICK

J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 | 1 1 uick quiz: What’s the irst thing that pops into your mind when thinking of Kyra Sedgwick? Her award-winning role on he Closer, maybe? One of her great ’90s movies? Or her 35-year marriage to Kevin Bacon? Sure, you know her, but to really understand Sedgwick is to hear her talk about her mother. “Oh my God, she’s amazing and unbelievable,” she raves of Patricia, who’s 91 and still works as a psychotherapist. Sedgwick then relays an anecdote about how the two recently had to dash into a New York City subway en route to a Midtown black-tie gala event because of bad traic. “She went downstairs in her sequined shoes and was going so fast and far ahead of me!” she says. “She’s still going strong. I can only try to keep up.” Surely this helps explain Sedgwick’s iercely headstrong, can-do attitude—not to mention her inability to stay put in a state of contentment. (In fact, she literally returned from a hike in Los Angeles before this Zoom interview.) he actress could have just leaned in to being the dreamy love interest (Singles, Phenomenon) or the supportive family member (Something to Talk About). But she decided to take the leap to television to star as ace detective Brenda Leigh Johnson in TNT’s he Closer in 2005 before many of her ilm peers switched mediums. After the last case was solved, she started to direct episodes of Grace and Frankie, Ray Donovan and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She recently directed the indie ilm, Space Oddity. Now she’s taking a new turn. A Gen Z one, to be exact. In the second season of the hit series he Summer I Turned Pretty (premiering July 14 on Prime Video), Sedgwick arrives at the sleepy ictional seaside town of Cousins Beach and “riles some stuf up,” she says. Speciically, her Aunt Julia character wants to sell the beloved estate that once belonged to her now-deceased sister—much to the chagrin of her teen nephews (Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno) and their childhood friend (Lola Tung). “Julia has some really bad memories of the house and it all comes to the forefront when she goes back there,” Sedgwick says. he series is based on the YA romance trilogy by Jenny Han. hat meant the actress was surrounded by talent a decade younger than her own children, Travis, 34, and Sosie, 31. “I had no idea what to expect with these kids,” she says. “But they were so good and professional and humble and not on their phones all the time! I couldn’t believe it. We’d actually talk to each other. It felt so wholesome.” As for her own summer, the New York City native, 57, is spending it at the family farm with Bacon—and their pigs, goats (often the star of videos with Bacon), alpacas and miniature horses. But irst she spoke to Parade. continued on page 12

12 | J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 Did you know anything about he Summer I Turned Pretty before signing on? You know, I really didn’t. I had to get educated in the world according to Jenny Han, and I was blown away. All the choices in the show, from the costumes to the director to the ad campaign, are her vision. hat’s very appealing to me. Were your new costars familiar with you at all? I don’t think so. hat didn’t freak you out? It didn’t freak me out at all. I don’t mind being the old-timer. I think that’s the reason to do something. Why not have a whole new generation know you? But I never think anyone knows me from anything. hat’s the world I live in. And I do feel incredibly young and like I’m at the beginning of my long and storied career. Maybe that’s a fantasy in my head. You grew up in New York City. What kind of kid were you? I spent a lot of time hanging outside playing handball with my friends until dinnertime on the stoops of the Upper West Side. By the time I was 12 or 13, I was going to movies and plays downtown in the Village and was a tot I’d listen to Janis Jop Airplane and Bob D parents would go aw and we’d party. I feel feral in Manhattan. I managed to stay aliv so funny because wh around that age, they the weeke New York was like, “ he famil side has a history th colonist M Robert Se Edie Sedg always aw We were v Sedgwicktant they know wha they were our proge Declaratio and another was a ge War. I think the grea is Judge heodore Se a lawyer, won the fre slave in North Amer Elizabeth Freeman a the Sedgwick family Massachusetts. How did you end up My mother was so tu and culture and spec She’d take my brothe theater and say, “Oh amazing when this m My stepfather was an were surrounded by b my dad [Henry, a ve loved to take us to w Flickerinos.” He too too early in our lives Exorcist when I was from page 11 In season two of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Sedgwick plays sister Julia to the beloved Susannah, who passed away. Her arrival in Cousins Beach shakes things up. Elsie Fisher (left) also joins the cast.

tal late-’70s hippie. plin and Jeferson Dylan. hen my way for the weekend l like we were It’s a wonder I ve, frankly. And it’s hen my kids were y’d want to spend end alone in our k apartment and I “Absolutely not!” ly on your dad’s an illustrious hat includes Major General edgwick and model gwick. Were you ware of your roots? very aware of the ks and how impor felt they were, if you at I mean. But yeah, e amazing. One of enitors signed the on of Independence eneral in he Civil atest claim to fame edgwick, who, as eedom of the irst rica. Her name was and she’s buried in y plot in Stockbridge, p in the arts? urned on by arts ciically by acting. ers and me to the my god, wasn’t that moment happened?” n art dealer, so we beautiful art. And nture capitalist] what he called “he k us to movies way . Like, I saw he ten. Your irst role was the soap opera Another World. Was that slightly anticlimactic? I was psyched. I only auditioned because we had a manager friend who thought it would be fun for me. I was just 16 but I was treated like a professional and expected to act like one. I mean, there is no shame in being on a soap opera. Julianne Moore started on a soap. Morgan Freeman was on my soap and we had a bit of an overlap! What was your real break? Born on the Fourth of July? Yeah, that’s the break. It’s an anti-Vietnam drama from 1989 starring Tom Cruise and directed by Oliver Stone. Does that still rank as your most intense experience? It didn’t scare me at all. I was like, of course I’m supposed to be here. I found Oliver to be a real straight shooter and I was a no-bulls—t New Yorker. Like if you just came right back at him, he wasn’t going to mess with you. But what I found extraordinary was how much Tom worked his ass of. He was an enormous star at the time, and you could tell that he knew this was such a unique and special opportunity for him. He went above and beyond and was lovely to me. You nailed the angst of dating in Singles, which remains a Gen-X classic. But you were married with two kids by the time you were 26! I didn’t experience the singles scene at all. FROM LEFT: AMAZON PRIME; UNIVERSAL PICTURES/SUNSET BOULEVARD/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES continued on page 14

ROLE PLAY

1 4 | J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 It’s so crazy to me to this day that I met Kevin at 21 or whenever the f—k it was and got married at 22. he only reason I made that choice was because I’d fallen for him. But had you told me that it would have happened, I would have thought you were out of your f—king mind. hat wasn’t me. I was iercely independent. I moved o of my family home at 17 and was inally self-suicient. But I met h and it was like, of course we have to get married. When I look back on it, it’s insane. When you make a movie like that, are you relieved that you never had to endure being single in your 20s? hat’s funny. I don’t know if I thought about it at the time. But [writer-director] Cameron Crowe deinitely did not portray dating like it was a fun thing. You could tell he really f—king hated it. And he was also married at the time! Kevin’s signature role is Ren in Footloose, whether he likes it or not. Do you think you have one? If I had a signature role, it’s Brenda Leigh Johnson for sure. Was it a big risk to take he Closer? Not a lot of movie actors were doing TV in 2005. Oh yeah, doing TV in general wasn’t cool. And I had to do the show in L.A. even though my kids were going to school in New York. And it was TNT, which wasn’t doing anything original. But it was an incredibl part. Like, it so wasn’t me. She’s this Southern belle and a f—king badass and smarter than anybody else in the room, and I just fell in love with this character. hen it became this extraordinary, phenomenal hit, which was a huge surprise to everybody—including me! Why did you walk away after seven seasons? It could have gone on forever and I was grateful for the ofer to do more. But I fulilled m contract and was ready to do other things. I wanted to explore othe roles and produce. And I just didn’t want to play her anymore. he r was too consuming. Out of a 46-page episodic script, she spoke 42 pages of it! hat’s a huge commitment. from page 12 Sedwick’s 91-year-old mom, Patricia, is her inspiration.

Favorite Time of Day The morning! Book on the Nightstand Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Favorite Current Music Artist Mac Miller out him n r s le n my er role KYRA 411 Favorite Childhood Movie Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) Last TV show Binge Beef (Netlix)

hey don cable. W procedura critics dis here is s After you I was 46. hen it w Did it als that way. parts are not many director i feelings a Your son directed h and very her perfo idea what Did you a I’m reallyversation no, no!” h up faster Do you tw No, Kevintors. Mos And you thing. “I h they’re gr area. hey don’t feed Kevin tol you feel t No, I don until my So, you fe optimist. how privi Go t

J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 | 1 5 n’t make shows like he Closer anymore, especially on basic What’s interesting to me is that now everybody is like, “Oh my god, als! hey’re so great! hey’re so homey, like an English muin!” he smissed us as a procedural. But everything comes around, right? something comforting about it. u wrapped, what did you set out to do? I think I inished when It wasn’t until four years later when I fell in love with directing. was, OK, all bets are of. so scare you that you were an actress nearing 50? No. I don’t think I’m really grateful that I’m a multi-hyphenate because I think that fewer and far between when you get older, period. here are just y great scripts out there. For anybody! To be able to get hired as a s fantastic because you get to take all these creative and intense and channel them into something. n Travis is a musician and daughter Sosie is an actress. Have you her yet? I did in my irst movie, Story of a Girl. She’s extraordinary special, and I hope to direct her more. When I sit down to watch rmances, it’s like I’m watching Joaquin Phoenix because I have no t I’m going to get. hat’s so exciting to me. and Kevin always plan on raising your kids in the city? Yes, and y glad we did. When I was doing he Closer, there was a family con of like, “Should we move to L.A.?” And the kids were like, “No, no, hey’re just dyed-in-the-wool New Yorkers. It’s hard but you grow and you see the world in a diferent way, and that’s a good thing. wo have a lot of showbiz friends? We only have normal friends! n and I don’t have a Rolodex of famous people. We don’t love acst of my friends I’ve had since I was a teenager. have the goats, of course. hey have lots of fans! Oh, it’s a whole haven’t seen you in any movies, but I love your Instagram!” But reat. hey run to greet you and say hello when you walk into their y’ve been so socialized. And they don’t even want food because we d them! I just pet them. ld Parade last year that he believes every role will be his last. Do the same way? Yeah, he does say that. Um, do I feel the same way? n’t. I don’t take things for granted, but I do feel like I’ll be working 90s like my mom. feel good about whatever comes next? I’m not a delusional I know what’s going on in the world. But I’m super-grateful about ileged I am. I’m a f—king lucky person. I get to be alive. to Parade.com/goat-songs to meet some of Sedgwick and Bacon’s farm friends.

Denise, adopted 17-year-old Amina YOU CAN’T IMAGINE THE REWARD LEARN ABOUT ADOPTING A TEEN

D N U S .ORG

Ask BY MARILYNMarilyn VOS SAVANT Numbrix® Complete 1 to 81 so the numbers follow a horizontal or vertical path—no diagonals. 3 1 5 CLAS MA MA Find solutions Your friend just isn water in question, (It would be easier the water itself de you, which makes Density is deter metal ship will hav If you compressed You probably kn about one-third w water? So the nex airhead. Call him a THE MI NUMBE JANUAR What are t in this ser —K. K 4 4

J U LY 9 , 2 0 2 3 | 1 7 Dear Marilyn, I’m 5’7” and weigh 130 pounds. My friend is 5’ and weighs 175 pounds. When we’re at the pool, I see that I must tread water to stay aloat, but she has trouble even keeping her feet on the bottom because she is so buoyant. Why are we so diferent? —Bob Collins, Fort Myers, Florida SSIC ASK ARILYN ARILYN s to Marilyn’s puzzles and this week’s Numbrix on the next page! n’t as dense as you are, Bob. If an object (or person) is denser than the it will tend to sink. If it’s less dense than the water, it will tend to loat. r for both of you to loat in saltwater because the dissolved salt makes nser.) Your friend likely has more fatty tissue and surface area than her body less dense, so it’s easier for her to loat in the pool. rmined by both the mass of the object and its volume. That’s why a ve multiple air-illed chambers—so it can have enough volume to loat. d that same ship into one enormous bowling ball, it would sink like one. now that our body weight is more than half water. Even our bones are water. But did you know that our brains may be more than 75 percent t time you want to criticize someone’s intelligence, don’t call him an waterhead. At least you’ll always be right. ISSING ERS PROBLEM RY 4, 2004 the missing numbers ies? Key, Moreno Valley, Calif. 1 2 1 1 2 2 3 ? ? ? THE VERB PUZZLE AUGUST 14, 20044 What do these words have in common? —Pete Hughes, Alexandria, Va. bring buy catch fight seek teach think wreak