Music

Why can't Hollywood get pop stardom right?

Hazel Cills

The singer at the center of HBO's new melodrama The Idol is awfully familiar. Why do so many film and TV depictions of pop stars fail the same way?
National

Reuben Wilson, organist who helped usher in soul jazz, has died at 88

Matt Rogers

The funk-ridden grooves of Wilson's music could feel larger than life, particularly those he created for Blue Note Records in the late 1960s and early '70s.
Arts & Culture

After years of ever-shrinking orchestras, some Broadway musicals are going big

Jeff Lunden

Producers have been saying for years that large Broadway orchestras are not financially feasible. In fact, the issue led to a strike 20 years ago. So why are some shows bringing them back?
National

Kaija Saariaho, the composer who explored color and light, has died at age 70

Tom Huizenga

Saariaho, who battled a male-dominated educational system in her native Finland, forged a strong and singular voice in contemporary music.
Health

A lullaby really can work magic. Science tells us why and how

Selena Simmons-Duffin

Sometimes the right lullaby sends my kids off to dreamland so fast it makes me feel like I have a parenting superpower. Turns out the wonder of lullabies is confirmed by scientific research.
Foo Fighters' 'But Here We Are' is heavy, in every sense of the word

Stephen Thompson

These songs ache with loss, even as they explode in full-bore rock mayhem, and that loss extends beyond the deaths of loved ones.
Incarcerated teens find escape in music and poems composed with artists

Olivia Hampton

Teens in jail in Virginia collaborate with musicians to compose songs, write poetry and find their voices after run-ins with the law.
Little Richard Documentary celebrates the talent — and mystery — of a legend

David Bianculli

A new PBS American Masters documentary showcases the influence of Little Richard, a dynamo performer who never let himself be defined for long by any one musical category or sexual identity.
Arts & Culture

San Diego weekend arts events: Bilingual theater, a North County book fair and more

Julia Dixon Evans

This weekend in the arts: Tijuana Hace Teatro at The Old Globe; a book fair in Escondido; alt rock from Arts Fishing Club at Soda Bar; BODYTRAFFIC contemporary dance at The Conrad; a pianoforte and Bach Collegium in Pt. Loma and more.
National

Our 5 favorite exhibits from 'This Is New York' — a gritty, stylish city celebration

Jennifer Vanasco

The Museum of the City of New York is marking its centennial with an exhibition of NYC-inspired film, TV, music and fashion. But this is real New York, "not a love letter," says one of the curators.