logo
Letters to the Editor: Neither wildfires nor ICE can take Los Angeles' joy for good

Letters to the Editor: Neither wildfires nor ICE can take Los Angeles' joy for good

To the editor: I can only imagine the ongoing pain of those who lost a home in Los Angeles' fires or contact with a loved one to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. As deputy managing editor Shelby Grad writes, there can be no escape from that grief ('The aftershocks of L.A.'s summer of ICE keep coming, even as some of us move on,' Aug. 2).
But I want to share that a scenario of resilience, unity and, above all, pure, unbridled joy spread across the outdoor plaza at downtown L.A.'s Music Center on Aug. 1 for the organization's free disco night. As City Hall towered across the street and a sparkling mirror ball spun, a couple thousand of us — all ages, shapes, sizes and ethnicities — pumped and gyrated to '70s favorites including 'YMCA,' a song embraced by the LGTBQ+ community that President Trump so oddly seems to like, and Gloria Gaynor's victorious 'I Will Survive.'
No one has been able to deport all the joy from our beloved city. No person or thing ever will.
Zan Dubin, Santa Monica
..
To the editor: It hasn't been an easy year for Los Angeles. Yet sitting at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, the temperature perfect, no biting insects to bother me, the Hollywood sign peeking through, surrounded by people of every race and walk of life gathered to watch a performance of a musical about the most radically loving figure, led by an otherworldly talented, multiracial, largely queer cast, reminded me why we so often say 'only in L.A.' and why my hometown is the greatest city on Earth ('Why 'Jesus Christ Superstar' at the Hollywood Bowl is 'the musical theater version of the Avengers,'' July 29).
Alexis Rodriguez, North Hollywood
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Donald Trump's newest CBS foe is 'no talent' Gayle King
Donald Trump's newest CBS foe is 'no talent' Gayle King

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Donald Trump's newest CBS foe is 'no talent' Gayle King

Weeks after CBS announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's "Late Show," Donald Trump has ideas for the next program to axe. Responding to a New York Post article claiming Gayle King's "CBS Mornings" faces an uncertain future amid parent company Paramount's merger with Skydance Media, the president claimed the news host had "no talent." King, 70, has been with CBS for over a decade, after leaving longtime friend Oprah's OWN network. "Gayle King's career is over. She should have stayed with her belief in TRUMP," he wrote in a post to Truth Social. "She never had the courage to do so. No talent, no ratings, no strength!!!" The president's comments follow a major win for his administration. In late July, Paramount settled a lawsuit with Trump over a claim of deceptive editing he brought following a "60 Minutes" interview with his then-political rival Kamala Harris. In the settlement, the entertainment giant agreed to pay $16 million toward Trump's future presidential library. The settlement came as Paramount eagerly awaited a green light on an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media, which required approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. The merger has since been approved, a move some critics characterized as a quid pro quo. Gayle King dishes on her SI Swimsuit cover, how bestie Oprah accommodates her needs Gayle King on 'disrespectful' space flight backlash, celebrity friends 'throwing shade' Now the president, seemingly emboldened by the settlement, is taking aim at one of CBS's most storied journalists. King is a staple on morning television, bringing both hard news acumen and a light-hearted flair to the day's first headlines. Rumors of a new vein of news judgment post-merger have also begun to swirl following the cancellation of Colbert's show, where the host frequently critiques Trump. While Paramount said the decision to pull the plug on the "Late Show" was purely financial, voices from in and outside the industry argued it was a sign of political acquiescence as the White House cracks down on dissenting voices.

Paramount Skydance board to include David Ellison, Sherry Lansing, Oracle's Safra Catz
Paramount Skydance board to include David Ellison, Sherry Lansing, Oracle's Safra Catz

Los Angeles Times

time2 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Paramount Skydance board to include David Ellison, Sherry Lansing, Oracle's Safra Catz

Paramount Skydance has named its 10-member board of directors, which includes tech scion David Ellison, Oracle Chief Executive Safra A. Catz and former Paramount Pictures chairwoman Sherry Lansing. Ellison will serve as chairman of the board. The board is scheduled to reconstitute Thursday with the close of Skydance Media's $8.4-billion acquisition of Paramount Global. Only one current Paramount board member — Barbara Byrne — will remain. Paramount's current chairwoman, Shari Redstone, and others are set to exit, handing over the legendary entertainment company that includes CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Showtime and Melrose Avenue's century-old movie studio, Paramount Pictures, to the new group of owners. The board tilts heavily toward firms that have a financial stake: The Larry Ellison family and RedBird Capital Partners, backers of Skydance Media that have helped finance the Paramount transaction. The incoming panel also represents a power-sharing arrangement. The Ellisons have five designates on the board, including David Ellison and Catz, a longtime Oracle executive who has served as its CEO since 2019. (She also is a previous Walt Disney Co. director.) The private equity firm has two representatives: RedBird founder and managing partner Gerry Cardinale and John L. Thornton, the firm's chairman. In addition, two executives with RedBird ties — Jeff Shell and Andy Gordon — will take board seats. Both are joining Paramount from RedBird as senior executives. Shell, a former NBCUniversal chief executive, is becoming Paramount's president, while Gordon, a longtime Goldman Sachs banker, has been named Paramount's chief operating and chief strategy officer. Paul Marinelli, president of Larry Ellison-backed Lawrence Investments, will join the board. There will be three independent board members, including Byrne, Justin G. Hamill, a managing director of Silver Lake, and Lansing, who was a groundbreaking executive in Hollywood and popular steward of Paramount more than two decades ago. 'We are thrilled and honored to welcome this truly outstanding group of director-designees to our board,' David Ellison said in a statement. The Federal Communications Commission, led by President Trump-appointed Chairman Brendan Carr, approved the Skydance-Paramount merger two weeks ago after months of turmoil. The FCC's 2-1 vote came after Paramount agreed last month to pay Trump $16 million to settle the president's lawsuit over edits to a '60 Minutes' broadcast. The FCC approval removed the last hurdle, allowing the Skydance purchase to move forward. Redstone, the daughter of entertainment titan Sumner Redstone, and Paramount's board agreed to the Skydance takeover in July 2024. As part of the transaction, the Redstone family investment firm National Amusements will receive $2.4 billion for its controlling shares in the company. The family will come away with $1.75 billion after National Amusements' considerable debts are paid. The Redstone shares will pass to Larry Ellison and RedBird, which will hold a minority stake in National Amusements. The deal is expected to inject $1.5 billion into Paramount's balance sheet to help the firm pay down debt. More than $4 billion was set aside to buy back shares of current Paramount shareholders. Santa Monica-based Skydance will eventually be folded into Paramount.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store