TODAY’S ESSENTIAL NEWS
» 1 Dead, 3 Seriously Wounded In Shooting Outside L.A. Trader Joe’s A drug-related shootout outside a Trader Joe’s on Saturday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley left one dead and three others hospitalized in critical condition. According to LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton, the shooting was related to a drug transaction in the area. Three suspects have been taken into custody, and police will investigate the involvement of those hospitalized. [NBC]
» Ridley-Thomas’ Conviction Brings Public Tributes, Not Scorn Despite the fact that former City Councilmen Mark Ridley-Thomas has just been convicted of multiple felonies including bribery, conspiracy, and fraud, many L.A. City leaders have responded with praise for the former politician’s successes. According to the Times, Mayor Karen Bass publicly called Ridley-Thomas a friend and ally who had made a huge impact on the city. State Sen. Steven Bradford even posted a list of Ridley-Thomas’ accomplishments in office. And former City Councilmember Mike Bonin wrote that Ridley-Thomas “is the tireless champion, the relentless advocate, the unstoppable force.” [L.A. Times]
» Police Searching For Suspect After Double Homicide In Hollywood The LAPD is on the lookout for one suspect who allegedly murdered two men near the intersection of La Brea and Sunset early Sunday morning. Both the suspect and the victims are believed to have been in the same group in which an argument erupted, leading to the suspect opening fire and killing both victims. [ABC]
» “Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure” Exhibition Debuts in Los Angeles A new exhibition that aims to tell the true story of the prodigious painter’s enigmatic persona and rise to fame debuted Friday at the Grand L.A. and will run through July 31. The “King Pleasure” exhibition has been curated and executive produced by Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, the late artist’s younger sisters, and features some 200 artworks and ephemera that have been privately maintained by the family for decades. [THR]
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TOP STORIES FROM L.A. MAG
The long-gone Tulare Lake is re-filling with water as recent storms take their toll and a record snowpack looms in the Sierras
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ONE MORE THING
Why Has the Superhero Genre Become So Toxic?
Like those Kang the Conqueror variants in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel’s latest underperformer, the hits just keep on multiplying for Hollywood’s increasingly beleaguered superhero industrial complex.
This past weekend saw the arrest of Jonathan Majors, who portrays villain Kang in Quantumania, following what police labeled a “domestic dispute” in New York. His lawyer says it’s just a matter of time before the claim is disproven, but nevertheless.
Majors was charged with assault and aggravated harassment of a woman and his team has yet to produce exonerating video evidence it claims to have, nor have the reps produced any proof to their claim that his victim “redacted” her allegations. More damning: two former colleagues came forward with accounts claiming Majors’ abusiveness has been an “open secret” in the entertainment industry.
