To Robert Berkman, a piano-like instrument wrongly believed to play itself was the perfect challenge to his creativity.

Second-year political science student Raquel Saxe had flown to New Orleans this past fall for a Jewish convention when a chance encounter led her to meet several people connected to Jewish hip-hop artists Y-Love and Diwon.

As if on cue to the wave of passion and revolution that has swept Egypt in the past month with the overthrow of a regime, comes a collaboration between the Long Beach Opera and UCLA Egyptology examining the controversial and revolutionary ancient pharaoh Akhnaten.

Seldom does a band name tell you anything about the sound the band’s instruments produce.

At a school like UCLA, it’s easy to find oneself jaded by having some of the most prestigious and influential researchers as professors. But when two-time Grammy-winning cellist Lynn Harrell ““ a man whose list of achievements includes playing for Pope John Paul II”“ comes to teach a class, students are likely to be starry-eyed.

As if taking cue from Lady Gaga’s wardrobe, Hooligan Theatre Company presents “Dames at Sea,” a musical whose outlandish characters and over-the-top plot have kept it afloat in the hearts of audiences for more than four decades.

While popular dance shows such as “Dancing with the Stars” have helped revive the feisty and flirtatious salsa dance to a hot dance floor genre, few of us actually know the first thing about the Latin art form.

It seems as if vampires have devoured virtually every corner of the entertainment world, including this year’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

In a town like Westwood, one might expect a pretty girl with shining black curls and a flair for fashion to be headed out to a fraternity on a Thursday night.

The city of Santa Monica is many things to many people: To some, it is a playground for the super wealthy; Jack’s Mannequin deemed it home to a freak show.