The grand finale of awards season is finally here! The 90th Academy Awards will kick off at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second year in a row, will be broadcast live on ABC. Nine films are vying for the top prize of the night in what...

The 90th Academy Awards ceremony is nearly upon us, which means it's time to indulge your inner Frances McGourmand and Foodie Harrelson and host a very special Oscar-themed banquet. Starved for inspiration? Feel free to try any of the dishes below. (Special thanks to my wife for her contributio..

Continuity of tradition dominates the ballet world — and so does the new ways tradition can be embodied, reinterpreted and sometimes undermined year after year. Last performed in 2014, the Los Angeles Ballet “Swan Lake” returned to the company repertory Saturday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale,...

¡Ay! Eva Yerbabuena The international flamenco star performs solo dance pieces, with live accompaniment. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. Sun., 4 p.m. $50-$100. (949) 854-4646. Breathless Luminario Ballet performs the climate change-themed work “Trials,” set to music by Philip...

Aviara Piano Trio Works by Mendelssohn and Faure. Bradford House, 136 Palm Circle, Placentia. Sun., 3 p.m. Free; seating is limited. (714) 993-2470. Ax • Kavakos • Ma Pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Leonidas Kavakos and cellist Leonidas Kavakos perform Brahms’ piano trios. Walt Disney Concert Hall,....

Capsule reviews are by Philip Brandes (P.B.), F. Kathleen Foley (F.K.F.), Margaret Gray (M.G.), Charles McNulty (C.M.) and Daryl H. Miller (D.H.M.). Openings The Graduate Melanie Griffith portrays Mrs. Robinson in this stage adaptation of Mike Nichols’ 1967 comedy about a recent college grad who’s..

Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. This edition of the newsletter is coming out on the morning of the Academy Awards. Every year, it seems the buildup to the ceremony will never end, and yet it is still a surprise when the....

Over the past two years, most everyone has applauded the motion picture academy’s decision to add nearly 1,500 new industry professionals as a long-needed step toward diversifying the group’s ranks. But the ever-increasing enrollment has created one small problem: It’s almost impossible to get...