Posts by Live Talks LA
Barry Eisler with Xeni Jardin
in conversation with Xeni Jardin
The God’s Eye View
William Turner Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90404
PURCHASE TICKETS
$40 Reserved Section seating + Book
$20 General Admission
* A book signing follows the event. Books also available for purchase at event.
— Interview with Barry Eisler at The Big Thrill
Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center along the way. Eisler lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and, when he’s not writing novels, blogs about torture, civil liberties, and the rule of law.
He is the New York Times bestselling author of ten thrillers. His two series, the first featuring anti-hero John Rain, a half-Japanese, half-American freelance assassin specializing in “natural causes,” and the second featuring black-ops soldier Ben Treven, have received rave reviews, won numerous literary awards, hit various “Best of” lists, and have been translated into nearly twenty languages. The Matrix star Keanu Reeves is set to produce and star in Rain, a globe-trotting television series based on Eisler’s books and being developed by HBO/Cinemax. More on Eisler at his website.
Xeni Jardin is journalist, hypertexter, adventurer, founding partner & co-editor of award winning blog Boing Boing, and host of Webby-honored “Boing Boing Video,” in-flight on Virgin America. She is a contributor, present or past, to NPR, Wired, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, CNN, MSNBC, and others; tech expert in broadcast news. She is founding board member, of Freedom of the Press Foundation. She loves music, Zero-G, named a plane and is multilingual.
Jardin is a fan of Eisler’s fiction…and Eisler gets his story ideas from publications like Jardin’s Boing Boing and Freedom of the Press Foundation. So this should be an interesting conversation—not just about the nature of our metastasizing national surveillance state, but also about the complicity of the establishment media and the role of fiction and television in shaping the public’s understanding of what the government is doing in our name.
The God’s Eye View is CIA veteran Eisler’s 11th novel, a story of mass surveillance, whistleblowers, and an intrepid Intercept reporter. Enthusiastic reception includes a boxed review in Publishers Weekly (“Eisler’s expert knowledge of spy craft and hand-to-hand combat combine with his ultra-deep distrust of government intelligence to propel this suspenseful yarn into the front ranks of paranoid thrillers”); a starred review in Booklist (“When Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove was having its run, service people left the theater muttering, ‘That wasn’t a satire. That’s what they’re like.’ So it is with Eisler’s fine thriller…”); and some kind words from Barrett Brown, Chelsea Manning, Jesslyn Radack, and other journalists and whistleblowers.
Knowledge is power…and they know everything.
NSA director Theodore Anders has a simple goal: collect every phone call, email, and keystroke tapped on the Internet. He knows unlimited surveillance is the only way to keep America safe.
Evelyn Gallagher doesn’t much care about any of that. She just wants to keep her head down and manage the NSA’s camera network and facial recognition program so she can afford private school for her deaf son, Dash.
But when Evelyn discovers the existence of an NSA program code-named God’s Eye, and connects it with the mysterious deaths of a string of journalists and whistleblowers, her doubts put her and Dash in the crosshairs of a pair of government assassins: Delgado, a sadistic bomb maker and hacker; and Manus, a damaged giant of a man who until now has cared for nothing beyond protecting the director.
L.A. Reid with Real 92.3 FM’s, Big Boy
8:00pm (Reception, 6:30-7:30pm)
in conversation with
Real 92.3 Morning Show Host, Big Boy
discussing his memoir
Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School
Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404
PURCHASE TICKETS
$20 General Admission
$45 Includes Reserved Section Seat, Reid’s memoir
$95 Includes Reserved Section seat, Pre-Reception and LA Reid’s memoir
Over the last twenty-five years, legendary music producer Antonio “L.A.” Reid—the man behind artists such as Toni Braxton, Kanye West, Rihanna, TLC, Outkast, Mariah Carey, Pink, Justin Bieber, and Usher—has changed the music business forever. In addition to discovering some of the biggest pop stars on the planet, he has shaped some of the most memorable and unforgettable hits of the last two generations, creating an impressive legacy of talent discovery and hit records. After leaving high school to pursue a career in music, he found success with his R&B group, Deele. After the group disbanded, Reid and his ex-bandmate Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Arista Records. As the head of LaFace, Reid broke ground for African American pop artists and helped establish the now-famous music scene in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2004, he became the chairman and CEO of The Island Def Jam Group, and in 2011, Reid signed on as CEO and Chairman of Epic Records and as a judge on The X Factor.
At Epic, Reid has led the rebirth of one of the record industry’s most storied labels, whose history of world changing albums includes artists as varied as Sly Stone and Michael Jackson, Rage Against the Machine, Fiona Apple and Sade, to name a few.
Since taking over at Epic, Reid has continued to change the lives of music fans worldwide. He oversaw the release of XSCAPE, the first Michael Jackson studio album to hit #1 in over a decade, and has introduced the world to such new artists as Meghan Trainor, Travis Scott, A Great Big World, Future, KONGOS, Tink, and Fifth Harmony. In 2014, Trainor’s breakout song “All About That Bass” became one of the biggest-selling singles in pop history (at 7-times RIAA platinum and counting, over 15 million downloads and over 300 million streams worldwide, and a half-billion YouTube views). Trainor’s debut album, Title (released January 13, 2015) marked the biggest-selling debut for a female artist’s first full-length album in more than five years. 2015 also marked the year for new releases from Mariah Carey (“#1 To Infinity”); Ciara (“Jackie”); Future (“DS2” – which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s album chart) and Lamb of God (“VII: Sturm Und Drang”).
As Chairman of the former Island Def Jam Music Group from 2004 to 2011, he oversaw the revitalization of Mariah Carey’s career with The Emancipation of Mimi (the best-selling album of 2005 and triple Grammy winner); he helped Kanye West transform himself into a global superstar with Late Registration and Graduation; he nurtured multi-platinum releases from artists as diverse as JAY-Z, Bon Jovi, Ne-Yo, Nas, Young Jeezy, the Killers, Ludacris, and Fall Out Boy; and he had the distinction of introducing new artists who continue to define current popular music, from Rihanna and Rick Ross to Big Sean and Justin Bieber.
Prior to Island Def Jam, as President and CEO of Arista from 2000 to 2004, Reid discovered and introduced the world to multi-platinum artists including Pink and Avril Lavigne; oversaw OutKast’s masterpiece and best-selling record (and Album of the Year Grammy winner) Speakerboxxx/The Love Below; and executive produced the best-selling album of 2004, Usher’s Confessions.
Reid’s excellence in the music world is not limited to his work as an executive. Winner of 18 BMI Awards, he’s also a talent in his own right. With partner Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Reid produced and/or co-wrote an historic 33 #1 singles, and shared three Grammy Awards. In early 2011, Reid was selected to be one of the four judges on the U.S. version of The X Factor with Simon Cowell.
Outside of the entertainment industry, Reid has been presented with numerous acknowledgements, namely UNICEF’s Spirit of Compassion Award given to exceptional individuals that by example and deed demonstrate visionary and transformative leadership on behalf of children worldwide. Reid is also on the Leadership Council of The Robin Hood Foundation which invests hundreds of millions per year to fight poverty in NYC. In February 2013, at Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy salute to music icons, Reid was honored with the Recording Academy’s President’s Merit Award. In October 2014, Reid received the prestigious Harvard University Alumni Award for Excellence in Media and Entertainment.
Big Boy is the host of Big Boy’s Neighborhood on Real 923 in Los Angeles. He has held top spots in the ratings in all of the time slots he has aired in ever since he first started his career in radio — from nights, afternoons, and now mornings. His radio show and brand has continued to grow and is now airing in nationwide syndication on Big Boy Radio Network. Big Boy was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2015. He has been named Personality of the Year four times from the Radio Music Awards, and the same honor eight times from Radio and Records magazine. The National Association of Broadcasters has also recognized Big Boy with the Marconi Award, a very rare three times.
Big Boy has made numerous cameos in movies such as Adam Sandler’s The Longest Yard, Charlie’s Angels 2, and co-starred in Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo. He has been featured on several television shows – a recurring role on CBS’s The Talk, Punk’d on BET, Kevin Hart’s Real Husbands of Hollywood, and HBO’s Entourage. He has debuted his own radio station in the wildly successful Grand Theft Auto 5 video game, as well as his YouTube channel, Big Boy TV, where viewers can watch all of his full interview videos and hilarious bonus content that he creates with his guests. His memoir, An XL Life: Staying Big at Half the Size was released in 2011.
Do you have a question for Marie Kondo?
Do you have a great question for Marie Kondo? Here’s your chance to win a signed copy of her new book. We will pick 10 questions, and if yours is selected, we ship you a signed copy of Spark Joy to anywhere in the US.On Monday, January 25, we host Marie Kondo in conversation with Lisa Napoli at Live Talks Los Angeles at a sold out event at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, CA. Here’s your chance to win a signed copy of Marie Kondo’s new book, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, the follow up to the runaway bestseller, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
Questions must be received by n0on on Monday, January 25.
Please email your question to info@livetalksla.org with “Kondo Question” in the subject line. If we pick your question, we will email you and ask for your address.
Mary-Louise Parker with Mary Karr
8:00pm (Reception, 6:30-7:30pm)
in conversation with Mary Karr
discussing her memoir in letters
Dear Mr. You
Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School
Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404
PURCHASE TICKETS
$20 General Admission
$43 Includes Reserved Section Seating, Parker’s memoir
$65 Includes Reserved Section seats for two, Parker’s memoir
$95 Includes Reserved Section seats, Pre-Reception
and 2 books (Parker’s and Karr’s)
Mary Louise Parker is a Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe award-winning actress, starring in Weeds, Angels in America, and Showtime’s forthcoming series Lit, in which she plays Mary Karr. Her writing has appeared in Esquire, The Riveter, Bust, and The Bullet.
Written as a series of letters to the men — real and hypothetical — who have made significant impact on her life, Dear Mr. You, is as unconventional in its form as in its telling. Beginning with the grandfather she never knew, the letters range from a missive to the beloved priest from her childhood to remembrances of former lovers to an homage to a firefighter she encountered to a heartfelt communication with the uncle of the infant daughter she adopted, and the future man who will love that daughter. Parker, among others, also writes to a coworker in a loincloth at her co-op; to a taxi driver she screamed at during a dark period and to the orderly assigned to her after the birth of her son.
Mary Karr is the author of the upcoming, The Art of Memoir, and three award-winning, bestselling memoirs: The Liars’ Club, Cherry, and Lit. A Guggenheim Fellow in poetry, Karr has won Pushcart Prizes for both verse and essays. Other grants include the Whiting Writer’s Award, PEN’s Martha Albrand Award, and Radcliffe’s Bunting Fellowship. The Peck Professor of Literature at Syracuse University, she is currently adapting her books for a Showtime series based on her life.
In The Art of Memoir, she synthesizes her expertise as professor and therapy patient, writer and spiritual seeker, recovered alcoholic and “black belt sinner,” providing a unique window into the mechanics and art of the form that is as irreverent, insightful, and entertaining as her own work in the genre.
Anchored by excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers’ experience, The Art of Memoir lays bare Karr’s own process. (Plus all those inside stories about how she dealt with family and friends get told— and the dark spaces in her own skull probed in depth.) As she breaks down the key elements of great literary memoir, she breaks open our concepts of memory and identity, and illuminates the cathartic power of reflecting on the past; anybody with an inner life or complicated history, whether writer or reader, will relate.
Bill Nye with Bill Prady
in conversation with Bill Prady
Unstoppable:
Harnessing Science to Change the World
Crest Theatre, Westwood
1262 Westwood Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90024
SOLD OUT.
VIDEO WILL BE POSTED ON THURSDAY!
$45 General Section seating + Book*
$50 Reserved Section Seating + Book*
$95 Pre-Reception(6:30-7:30pm)*+ Reserved Section seating + Book
$20 General Admission tickets on sale November 6
* Books will be picked up at the event when you check in, and signed immediately after the talk
Bill Nye is a scientist, engineer, comedian, and inventor, as well as the New York Times bestselling author of Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, where he studied under Carl Sagan, and worked as an engineer at Boeing on the 747, before creating and hosting his much-loved Emmy award-winning PBS/Discovery Channel show “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
“Unstoppable is what you get when you melt down Bill Nye the Science Guy and turn him into a book. Containing rich scientific insights on ourselves, our society, and our world, the book is a must-read for anybody who needs to be scientifically literate in the 21st century. And, of course, that’s everybody.” —Neil deGrasse Tyson
In Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World, Bill Nye sheds light on today’s climate change crisis, demonstrates why we need to act immediately and shows what we need to do to create a better future.
With a scientist’s thirst for knowledge and an engineer’s vision of what can be, Nye sees today’s environmental issues not as insurmountable, depressing problems but as chances for our society to rise to the challenge and create a cleaner, healthier, smarter world. Further, as Nye shares his vision, he debunks some of the most persistent myths and misunderstandings about global warming.
Nye issues a new challenge to today’s generation: to make a cleaner, more efficient, and happier world. Throughout, he crystallizes and expands upon the message for which he is best known and beloved: that with a combination of optimism and scientific curiosity, all obstacles become opportunities, and the possibilities of our world become limitless.
We need not accept that transportation consumes half our energy, and that two-thirds of the energy you put into your car is immediately thrown away out the tailpipe. We need not accept that dangerous emissions are the price we must pay for a vibrant economy and a comfortable life. Above all, we need not accept that we will leave our children a planet that is dirty, overheated, and depleted of resources.
Bill Prady is a television writer & producer, and a co-creator and executive producer of The Big Bang Theory. He worked as a computer programmer and a RadioShack salesman before becoming a writer on shows including Dharma & Greg and The Gilmore Girls. In 2007, Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre created The Big Bang Theory.
Madhur Jaffrey
Vegetarian India:
A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking
William Turner Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90404
PURCHASE TICKETS
$47 Reserved Section seating + Book
$95 Pre-Reception(6:30-7:30pm)* + Reserved Section seating + Book
$20 General Admission
* Reception includes selections prepared from the book, California wine
Madhur Jaffrey is the author of many previous cookbooks—seven of which have won James Beard Awards—and was named to the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America by the James Beard Foundation. She is the recipient of an honorary CBE from Queen Elizabeth II for her services to drama and promoting the appreciation of Indian food and culture. She is also an award-winning actress, having won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival, with numerous major motion pictures to her credit.
No one knows Indian food like Madhur Jaffrey. For more than forty years, the “godmother of Indian cooking” (The Independent on Sunday) has introduced Western home cooks to the vibrant cuisines of her homeland. Now, in Vegetarian India: A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking, the seven-time James Beard Award–winning author shares the delectable, healthful, vegetable- and grain-based foods enjoyed around the Indian subcontinent.
Vegetarian cooking is a way of life for more than 300 million Indians. Jaffrey travels from north to south, and from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, collecting recipes for the very tastiest dishes along the way. She visits the homes and businesses of shopkeepers, writers, designers, farmers, doctors, weavers, and more, gathering their stories and uncovering the secrets of their most delicious family specialties. From a sweet, sour, hot, salty Kodava Mushroom Curry with Coconut originating in the forested regions of South Karnataka to simple, crisp Okra Fries dusted with chili powder, turmeric, and chickpea flour; and from Stir-Fried Spinach, Andhra Style (with ginger, coriander, and cumin) to the mung bean pancakes she snacks on at a roadside stand, here Jaffrey brings together the very best of vegetable-centric Indian cuisine and explains how home cooks can easily replicate these dishes—and many more for beans, grains, and breads—in their own kitchens.
With more than two hundred recipes, beautifully illustrated throughout, and including personal photographs from Jaffrey’s own travels, Vegetarian India is a kitchen essential for vegetable enthusiasts and home cooks everywhere.