Best of 2007: Calendar
Fashion shows took on a new prominence in Los Angeles, including a series in October at the former St. Vibiana’s Cathedral downtown. The show presented there by arts organization BOXeight included this design by Eduardo Lucero. Even Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa turned out -- though he had to settle for a seat in the second row. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Even when acting in big-studio fare, Crispin Glover gravitates toward the bizarre, as he did as the menacing monster Grendel in Robert Zemeckis’ “Beowulf.” Glover further added to his filmography this year by co-directing the outre “It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine,” an official entry at the Sundance Film Festival. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Christina Aguilera, on tour to promote her jazz- and blues-inflected album “Back to Basics,” performs at the Honda Center in Anaheim in March. She played the diva role to the hilt, with numerous costume changes to reflect her interest in, and respect for, cultural icons of the past. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Terry O’Quinn poses on the beach near his home on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, from which he occasionally treks by foot to his job -- as a star of ABC’s hit drama series “Lost.” The actor won an Emmy in September for his portrayal of the enigmatic John Locke, a character that executive producer Carlton Cuse described as “just the very heart of the show.” (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
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Photographer Alex Prager, 27, has been turning heads with her alluring images examining “female identity in a humorous and punchy way,” as one curator put it. The self-taught artist, on the other side of the lens here, had her first solo show, “Polyester,” in the spring at the Robert Berman Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Rap superstar 50 Cent released his highly anticipated third album, “Curtis,” in September. In a much-publicized showdown, he sold 691,000 copies of the disc in its first week, falling short of archrival Kanye West, whose “Graduation” sold 957,000. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Actors Ryan Gosling, left, and Anthony Hopkins starred this year in “Fractured,” a thriller in which they matched wits as, respectively, a prosecutor and a devious killer. “It’s so easy for Tony,” Gosling says. “I don’t really have a method.” Hopkins, offering encouragement, notes of his co-star: “He’s very loose and naturalistic, like James Dean.” (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Conductor Gustavo Dudamel, 26, spent 2007 captivating audiences and future collaborators on both coasts. Here, he leads the New York Philharmonic in November in his official debut as guest conductor. A few weeks earlier the Venezuelan’s appearance with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra produced near-hysteria at Disney Hall, where he’ll take over in 2009, succeeding Esa-Pekka Salonen as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Brandon Victor Dixon channels the spirit of a musical icon in “Ray Charles Live! A New Musical” at the Pasadena Playhouse. But not everyone was swaying to the beat. Our critic, Charles McNulty, said the show made Charles’ music seem “square, dull and suburban.” Several of Charles’ children complained about the production, which they said cast a negative light on his life. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Julie Shanahan of Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal performs in “Ten Chi,” presented by UCLA Live at Royce Hall in November. Our dance critic, Lewis Segal, wrote: “Maddening, fascinating, overextended yet also deliberately incomplete, this full-evening work turned the company’s trip to Japan into a quirky, rule-breaking collage of sensibilities.” (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
