Posts by Live Talks LA
Lin-Manuel Miranda
This event premieres on July 21, 2021 at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT
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The eagerly awaited follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Hamilton: The Revolution, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new book gives readers an extraordinary inside look at In the Heights, his breakout Broadway debut, written with Quiara Alegría Hudes, now a Hollywood blockbuster.
Quiara Alegría Hudes is the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright of Water by the Spoonful and the author of a memoir, My Broken Language. She wrote the book for the Tony-winning Broadway musical In the Heights and later adapted it for the screen. Her notable essays include “High Tide of Heartbreak” in American Theatre magazine and “Corey Couldn’t Take It Anymore” in The Cut. As a prison reform activist, Hudes and her cousin founded Emancipated Stories, a platform where people behind bars can share one page of their life story with the world. She lives with her family in New York but frequently returns to her native Philly.
Jeremy McCarter is the author of Young Radicals and co-author, with Lin-Manuel Miranda, of the #1 New York Times bestseller Hamilton: The Revolution. He is the founder and executive producer of Make-Believe Association, a Chicago-based production company. He spent five years on the artistic staff of the Public Theater and has served on the jury of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He has written about culture and politics for New York magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. He lives in Chicago with his family.
“For 20 years In The Heights—a show about a community—somehow manages to create camaraderie and community every time it is performed. This book is a collective diary looking back and shining a spotlight on the people and moments that have nurtured the journey and evolution of this show with paciencia y fe for *checks notes* LITERALLY half of my life. Quiara and I are so grateful that the hundreds of stories and recuerdosthat make up In The Heightsare collected here.” — Lin-Manuel Miranda
In the Heights: Finding Home reunites Miranda with Jeremy McCarter, co-author of Hamilton: The Revolution, and Quiara Alegría Hudes, the Pulitzer Prize–winning librettist of the Broadway musical and screenwriter of the film. They do more than trace the making of an unlikely Broadway smash and a major motion picture: They give readers an intimate look at the decades-long creative life of In the Heights.
Like Hamilton: The Revolution, the book offers untold stories, perceptive essays, and the lyrics to Miranda’s songs—complete with his funny, heartfelt annotations. It also features newly commissioned portraits and never-before-seen photos from backstage, the movie set, and productions around the world.
This is the story of characters who search for a home—and the artists who created one.
Richard Marx with Patton Oswalt
This event premieres on July 8, 2021 at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT
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Legendary musician Richard Marx offers an enlightening, entertaining look at his life and career.
Richard Marx has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide over the course of his career. He is the only male artist whose first seven singles reached the Top 5 on the Billboard charts, and he has written on a number one single in each of the last four decades—an accolade previously only reached by Michael Jackson. He won a 2004 Song of the Year Grammy and has scored fourteen number-one singles, both as a performer and as a songwriter/producer. He is also a committed philanthropist, supporting charitable causes such as the American Cancer Society and the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Mercy For Animals, ASPCA, Humane Society, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the charity closest to his heart, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He lives in Malibu, California, with his wife, Daisy Fuentes.
Richard Marx is one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters in the history of popular music. His self-titled 1987 album went triple platinum and made him the first male solo artist (and second solo artist overall after Whitney Houston) to have four singles from their debut crack the top three on the Billboard Hot 100. His follow-up, 1989’s Repeat Offender, was an even bigger smash, going quadruple platinum and landing two singles at number one. He has written fourteen number one songs in total, shared a Song of the Year Grammy with Luther Vandross, and collaborated with a variety of artists including NSYNC, Josh Groban, Natalie Cole, and Keith Urban. Lately, he’s also become a Twitter celebrity thanks to his outspokenness on social issues and his ability to out-troll his trolls.
Patton Oswalt is an actor, comedian and writer continues to find success in all areas of entertainment — from his award-winning comedy specials to his many memorable film roles and guest appearances on his favorite TV shows (including Parks and Recreation, for which he received a TV Critics Choice Award), Oswalt continues to choose work that inspires him and entertains audiences. He recently created M.O.D.O.K., the new Marvel stop-motion animated adult comedy series for Hulu as well as voices the titular character, and currently co-stars as Principal Durbin on the NBC Universal comedy A.P. Bio, produced by Seth Meyers, Mike O’Brien, and Lorne Michaels. In 2020, he received Emmy and Grammy nominations for his Netflix special I Love Everything. As a comedian, Oswalt has shot eight TV specials and released seven critically acclaimed albums, including his Emmy and Grammy-winning Talking for Clapping and Grammy-nominated Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time, Finest and My Weakness Is Strong.
In Stories to Tell, Marx uses this same engaging, straight-talking style to look back on his life and career. He writes of how Kenny Rogers changed a single line of a song he’d written for him then asked for a 50% cut—which inspired Marx to write one of his biggest hits. He tells the uncanny story of how he wound up curled up on the couch of Olivia Newton-John, his childhood crush, watching Xanadu. He shares the tribulations of working with the all-female hair metal band Vixen and appearing in their video. Yet amid these entertaining celebrity encounters, Marx offers a more sobering assessment of the music business as he’s experienced it over four decades—the challenges of navigating greedy executives and grueling tour schedules, and the rewards of connecting with thousands of fans at sold-out shows that make all the drama worthwhile. He also provides an illuminating look at his songwriting process and talks honestly about how his personal life has inspired his work, including finding love with wife Daisy Fuentes and the mystery illness that recently struck him—and that doctors haven’t been able to solve.
Stories to Tell is a remarkably candid, wildly entertaining memoir about the art and business of music.
Patti LaBelle with Tamar Braxton
This event premieres on July 6, 2021 at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT
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From beloved icon, musician, and “godmother of soul” (New York Times), Patti LaBelle, the celebratory anniversary edition of LaBelle Cuisine. First published more than twenty years ago, these comfort food favorites are back, along with a few new delicious delights that will bring joy and flavor to the family table.
Patti LaBelle’s illustrious career spans seven decades. She is a New York Times bestselling author, a two-time GRAMMY Award winning artist, an accomplished actress, and a three-time Emmy nominee. She is also the foundera of a successful food and lifestyle brand, Patti’s Good Life. Additionally, she is a humanitarian who devotes much of her time and talent to non-profit organizations and is the recipient of several honorary degrees.Patti is adored around the world by millions of fans of her music and her cooking.
Tamar Braxton has built her dedicated fanbase throughout the years as a multi–Grammy Award-nominated singer, and five-time Emmy nominated, co-creator and co-host of “The Real,” as well as creator and star of, We TV’s “Braxton Family Values.” She also was the winner of season 2 of CBS’ “Celebrity Big Brother,” and was a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and is the current host of her own podcat “Under Construction.” She is a devoted mother and mental health advocate who is candidly sharing her own experiences in an effort to destigmatize the conversation around mental health, especially within the Black community.
First published more than twenty years ago, LABELLE CUISINE: Recipes to Sing About by Patti LaBelle is back in an updated 20thAnniversary Edition with new recipes and an introductory letter from Patti. This New York Timesbestselling cookbook features comfort food favorites (including a recipe for Sweet Potato Pie!), along with a few new delicious delights that will bring joy and flavor to the family table.
For Patti, cooking is about love. Taught by the great cooks in her family—her mother, father, and aunts Hattie Mae and Joshia Mae—Patti LaBelle has kept these family heirlooms close to her heart. But now, she invites you into her kitchen and serves up more than 100 of her favorites—Say-My-Name Smothered Chicken and Gravy, Fierce Fried Corn, and Aunt Hattie’s Scrumptious Sweet Tate Bread—to good-enough-for-dinner-parties dishes—Shrimp Etouffee, Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary-Lemon Rub, and Aunt Mary’s Philadelphia Buttercake.
And this 20thanniversary edition has three new recipes you’ll want to prepare and eat ASAP – Patti’s Quarantine Lobster-Shrimp Cakes, Good Life Chicken, and Bangin’ Fish Deluxe. Yum.
LABELLE CUISINE has recipes you’ll want to cook, eat, and share with friends. Filled with the legendary entertainer’s favorite dishes and step-by-step instructions on how to prepare them, LABELLE CUISINE makes you feel like Patti’s in the kitchen with you, demonstrating the recipes and techniques that can help turn anybody into a fabulous cook.
Anita Diamant & Melissa Berton with Michaela Pereira
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New York Timesbestselling author Anita Diamant and Academy-Award winning producer and Executive Director of The Pad Project Melissa Berton in conversation with journalist and host of Fox 11’s “Good Day LA” Michaela Pereira discussing their new book “Period. End of Sentence.: A New Chapter in the Fight for Menstrual Justice.”
Anita Diamant is the bestselling author of the novels The Boston Girl, The Red Tent, Good Harbor, The Last Days of Dogtown, and Day After Night, and the collection of essays, Pitching My Tent. An award-winning journalist whose work appeared in The Boston Globe Magazine and Parenting, and many others, she is the author of six nonfiction guides to contemporary Jewish life. She lives in Massachusetts. Visit her website.
Melissa Berton is an Academy Award-winning producer for Best Documentary Short (2019) for PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE., available on Netflix, Melissa Berton is a Los Angeles-based teacher, writer, and speaker. She is the Founder & Executive Director of The Pad Project, a non- profit organization dedicated to the principle that “a period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” In recognition of her human rights work, Berton received the 2019 Eleanor Roosevelt Global Women’s Rights Award. Visit her website.
Michaela Pereira is an award-winning journalist and host of FOX 11’s daily flagship program “Good Day LA.” She is a well-known media personality having hosted her own daily national show on CNN’s sister station HLN, as a longtime member of the KTLA morning news team and host of CNN’s “New Day”. She is a community and human rights supporter, advocating for women and children as a member of the board of directors for the Long Beach Boys & Girls Club and the advisory board of Optimist Youth Home. She has received many awards for her work as a journalist and philanthropist. She is a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalists and a native of Canada. Visit her website.
“Period. End of Sentence. [is] filled with rich personal testimonies, details on political organizing strategy, and Diamant’s own wisdom on issues ranging from religious rituals surrounding menstruation to pop culture celebrations of periods to menstrual product marketing critiques… Diamant knowingly and lovingly represents it all—with the keen eye of a reporter, the soul of a storyteller, and the voice of a trusted narrator. Her commitment to social justice and dignity for all shines through.”—Marie Claire
From beloved New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist Anita Diamant comes a timely collection of essays to help inspire period positive activism around the globe, with foreword by Academy Award winning producer
When Period. End of Sentence. won an Oscar in 2019, the film’s co-producer and Executive Director of The Pad Project, Melissa Berton, told the audience: “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” Continuing in that revolutionary spirit and building on the momentum of the acclaimed documentary, this book outlines the challenges facing those who menstruate worldwide and the solutions championed by a new generation of body positive activists, innovators and public figures.
Including interviews from people on the frontlines—parents, teachers, medical professionals, and social-justice warriors—Period. End of Sentence. illuminates the many ways that menstrual injustice can limit opportunities, erode self-esteem, and even threaten lives. This powerful examination of the far-ranging and quickly evolving movement for menstrual justice introduces today’s leaders and shows us how we can be part of the change.
Fearless, revolutionary, and fascinating, Period. End of Sentence. is an essential read for anyone interested in empowering women, girls, and others around the world.
Bill Bratton with Connie Rice
This event premieres on June 16, 2021 at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT
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Bill Bratton served as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, chief of the New York City Transit Police, and commissioner of the Boston Police Department and the New York City Police Department (in both 1994 and 2014).
Connie Rice is a lawyer, author and public intellectual renown for fighting systemic injustice and advancing multiracial democracy. Through coalition cases and campaigns, her work has won over $10 billion in lawsuit damages and policy changes that expanded safety and opportunity for millions in poor neighborhoods. Rice’s advocacy has earned over 50 major awards and prompted Los Angeles Magazine to call her “the voice for LA’s oppressed.” She served for nine years as Western Regional Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., and co-founded both the Advancement Project and the Urban Peace Institute.
“Bill Bratton sounds a clarion call for racial truth. He takes us on a 50-year odyssey of transformation and redemption through the worlds of policing, community, and power politics. Bratton reveres the best in law enforcement, demands changes in the worst, and confronts racism in every police department along the way. As a civil rights lawyer and likely foe, I became Bratton’s unlikely ally to change LAPD, because, with moral clarity, he admitted policing’s role in racial unrest and its original sin on American slave ships. 20 million marched to protest racism in policing, The Profession is a voice police and community need to hear.” —Connie Rice, Civil Rights lawyer and author of Power Concedes Nothing
When Bill Bratton became a Boston street cop after his return from serving in Vietnam, he was dismayed by the corrupt old guard, and it is fair to say the old guard was dismayed by him, too. But his success fighting crime could not be denied. Propelled by extraordinary results, Bratton had a dazzling rise, and ultimately a dazzling career, becoming the most famous police commissioner of modern times. The Profession is the story of that career in full.
Everywhere he went, Bratton slashed crime rates and professionalized the vocation of the cop. He and his team created the revolutionary program CompStat, the Big Bang of modern data-driven policing. But his career has not been without controversy, and central to the reckoning of The Profession is the fundamental crisis of relations between the Black community and law enforcement; a crisis he now believes has been inflamed by the unforeseen consequences of some well-intentioned policies. Building trust between a police force and the community it is sworn to protect is in many ways, Bratton argues, the first task–without genuine trust in law enforcement to do what’s right, little else is possible.
The Profession is both a searching examination of the path of policing over the past fifty years, for good and also for ill, and a master class in transformative leadership. Bill Bratton was never brought into a police department to maintain the status quo; wherever he went–from Boston in the ’80s to the New York Police Department in the ’90s to Los Angeles after the beating of Rodney King to New York again in the era of unchecked stop-and-frisk–root-and-branch reinvention was the order of the day and he met the challenge. There are few other positions on Earth in which life-and-death stakes combine with intense public scrutiny and turbulent political crosswinds as they do for the police chief of a major American city, even more so after counterterrorism entered the mix in the twenty-first century. Now more than ever, when the role of the police in society is under a microscope like never before, Bill Bratton’s authority on the subject of improving law enforcement is profoundly useful. A riveting combination of cop stories and community involvement, The Profession presents not only a fascinating and colorful life at the heights of law-enforcement leadership, but the vision for the future of American policing that we sorely need.
Gina Yashere with Michelle Buteau
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The British comedian of Nigerian heritage and co-executive producer and writer of the CBS hit series Bob Hearts Abishola chronicles her odyssey to get to America and break into Hollywood in this lively and humorous memoir.
Gina Yashere has appeared on countless TV shows both in the UK and US. Here she was the first and only British comic to perform on Def Comedy Jam. She has performed on The Tonight Show, has been featured as the British correspondent on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, has three comedy specials currently streaming on Netflix, and is a co-executive producer, writer and series regular on the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, which she co-created with Chuck Lorre.
Michelle Buteau is an actress/comedian. She was born in New Jersey to Caribbean parents. She can currently be seen as the host of the new season of the popular Netflix series THE CIRCLE. She is also one of the stars of the TV remake of FIRST WIVES CLUB, the second season premieres on BET+ this June. Other film and TV credits include ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE, AWKWAFINA IS NORA FROM QUEENS, RUSSIAN DOLL, SOMEONE GREAT and the upcoming MARRY ME with Jennifer Lopez. Michelle’s one-hour comedy special WELCOME TO BUTEAUPIA is streaming on Netflix and recently won the Critics Choice Award for Best Comedy Special. Simon & Schuster published her autobiographical book of essays SURVIVAL OF THE THICKEST last December.
“Gina is one of those comedians you watch on tv and be like I want to meet her. I got the honor to meet Gina in the trenches of the LA comedy scene. Her story is funny, inspiring, and thought provoking. Her success is a testament to her crazy work ethic. This Book is a Must Read, Trust.” –Tiffany Haddish, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Black Unicorn
“Gina Yashere is always going up. Perhaps that’s because she began as an elevator repair person. After conquering the world of standup comedy, she ascended to successful standup, sitcom creator, showrunner and series costar. And now she’s an author. And like everything else she does, it’s wonderful. Hilarious. Irreverent. Insightful. Holy shit she really said that. Now of course, we all know elevators go up and down. But the smart money on Gina is up. Always up.” – Chuck Lorre
According to family superstition, Gina Yashere was born to fulfill the dreams of her grandmother Patience. The powerful first wife of a wealthy businessman, Patience was poisoned by her jealous sister-wives and marked with a spot on her neck. From birth, Gina carried a similar birthmark—a sign that she was her grandmother’s chosen heir, and would fulfill Patience’s dreams. Gina would learn to speak perfect English, live unfettered by men or children, work a man’s job, and travel the world with a free spirit.
Is she the reincarnation of her grandmother? Maybe. Gina isn’t ruling anything out. In Cack-Handed, she recalls her intergenerational journey to success foretold by her grandmother and fulfilled thousands of miles from home. This hilarious memoir tells the story of how from growing up as a child of Nigerian immigrants in working class London, running from skinheads, and her overprotective Mom, Gina went on to become the first female engineer with the UK branch of Otis, the largest elevator company in the world, where she went through a baptism of fire from her racist and sexist co-workers. Not believing her life was difficult enough, she later left engineering to become a stand up comic, appearing on numerous television shows and becoming one of the top comedians in the UK, before giving it all up to move to the US, a dream she’d had since she was six years old, watching American kids on television, riding cool bicycles, and solving crimes.
A collection of eccentric, addictive, and uproarious stories that combine family, race, gender, class, and country, Cack-Handed reveals how Gina’s unconventional upbringing became the foundation of her successful career as an international comedian.