Events
Dan Aykroyd with Matt Dinniman
Live Talks Los Angeles event:
Dan Aykroyd
in conversation with Matt Dinniman
discussing his debut novel,
Soulhider
.
Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts
at Cross Roads School
1736 22nd Street,
Santa Monica, CA 90404
.
PLEASE NOTE: Event postponed. The publisher has delayed the release of Dan Akroyd’s book until May, 2027. Tickets purchased for this event will be honored for the rescheduled date, to be announced as soon as possible.
.
PURCHASE IN-PERSON EVENT TICKETS
Tuesday, October 27, 8pm
$55 General Admission ticket + signed book
$65 Reserved Section Ticket + signed book
.
PURCHASE VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS (US Orders Only)
Tuesday, November 3, 6pm PT/9pm ET
$50 Virtual Admission + signed book (includes shipping to US addresses only). Includes access to watch the event on November 3 at 6pm PT/9pm ET and on video-on-demand for five days.
.
Dan Aykroyd makes his literary debut with this mind-bending, page-turning speculative adventure about a regular guy caught up in a battle between warring aliens, told with equal doses of humor, suspense, and cosmic intrigue.
Dan Aykroyd is an Emmy winning, Oscar and Grammy nominated actor best known for his roles in Ghostbusters, Coneheads, Trading Places, and Driving Miss Daisy, among many others. He currently hosts The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd for The History Channel for which he also serves as Executive Producer.
.
Matt Dinniman is the #1 NYTs bestselling author of the Dungeon Crawler Carl book series.
“A sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartwarming, and always clever, fast-paced, charming, and tense firecracker of a novel that could only have been written by someone who embraces the idea that we are not alone. I had a great time.” – Matt Dinniman, New York Times bestselling author of Dungeon Crawler Carl
“Soulhider is thrilling and haunting. Dan Aykroyd raises questions about who we are, and why we’re here, all of it fantastically and beautifully told.” – Patricia Cornwell
Doug Beeston is an ordinary insurance adjustor in his mid-thirties, living an unremarkable life with his wife and kids in central New York State. Until one day, out of the clear blue sky, Doug is tapped by alien lifeforms to take on an extraordinary mission. The assignment? Hide the human souls they’ve harvested for mysterious reasons of their own in various locations across Earth—using his prowess as a risk assessor to assure their precious commodities will not go missing.
Doug embraces his responsibility with pride, believing he’s playing a crucial role in something far bigger than himself and enjoying the lucrative side of his new vocation. But as he soon discovers, he’s not just a courier—he’s a pawn. Multiple alien species are locked in a silent interdimensional rivalry, using Doug as an unwitting middleman in their cosmic chess game. The more he understands his role, the more Doug realizes that the fate of Earth itself may hang in the balance.
Channeling Dan Aykroyd’s signature hilarious wit and deep fascination with the supernatural, Soulhider is a high-stakes, hilarious ride that only he could write, exploring the unseen forces shaping our world—both terrestrial and otherwise.
Adam Grant with Jennifer Garner
Live Talks Los Angeles event:
Adam Grant
in conversation with Jennifer Garner
discussing his book,
Vibe: The Secrets of Strong Connections in a Lonely World
.
.
Robert Frost Auditorium
4401 Elenda St,
Culver City, CA 90230
.
PURCHASE IN-PERSON EVENT TICKETS
Thursday, October 22, 8pm
$55 General Admission ticket + signed book
$75 Reserved Section ticket + signed book and tote bag
.
PURCHASE VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS (US Orders Only)
Thursday, October 29, 6pm PT/9pm ET
$50 Virtual Admission + signed book (includes shipping to US addresses only). Includes access to watch the event on October 29 at 6pm PT/9pm ET and on video-on-demand for five days.
.
New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant illuminates the surprising science of chemistry and closeness.
Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. His books have sold millions of copies, he is one of TED’s most popular speakers, and his podcasts have over 100 million downloads; he hosts Re:Thinking and cohosts The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown. Adam has been recognized as the one of the world’s most influential management thinkers. Grant received his BA from Harvard University and his PhD from the University of Michigan, and he is a former Junior Olympic springboard diver and magician.
Award-winning actress Jennifer Garner has starred in a wide range of films including Alias, Dallas Buyers Club, Love Simon and Juno. Most recently, she’s appearing in Apple TV’s The Last Thing He Told Me, for which she also serves as executive producer. Previous credits include Family Switch and Yes Day. She will next star in and executive produce Mrs. Claus, the Yes Day sequel, as well as the upcoming Netflix comedy One Attempt Remaining. Garner is co-founder and chief brand officer of the childhood nutrition company, Once Upon a Farm. She also serves as a trustee with Save the Children
“Vibe is an indispensable guide for enriching your interactions with loved ones, extended family, coworkers, difficult people, and even strangers. It’s so potent, it might even work for your first encounter with a space alien.” —Neil deGrasse Tyson
When we vibe with other people, it fuels our happiness and success. Yet building meaningful ties is one of the most pressing problems of our time. As face-to-face interaction gives way to digital screens, communication gets outsourced to AI, and the world becomes more polarized, our loneliness crisis shows no signs of slowing.
To reveal how we can forge faster, stronger, and longer bonds, Adam Grant offers groundbreaking studies, expert insights, and myth-busting stories. Filled with the eye-opening takeaways that have brought millions of readers to his books, Vibe teaches us that similarity is not necessary for solidarity, chemistry doesn’t always happen quickly, and closeness doesn’t always take time.
Along the way, Grant introduces us to a crew of astronauts who learned to trust people they don’t like, a comedy troupe that swears by taking time apart as a key to staying together, a band that grew closer by learning to fight more, and a journalist who designed a gathering that led to seventy-eight marriages. He also opens up about his personal struggles to find his place as a shy introvert and the lessons that propelled his transformation into an enthusiastic convener. Through these examples and more, Grant uncovers the keys to creating deeper relationships and tighter communities.
Vibe will change how you interact with people. No matter how good you are at connecting, you can always get better—and help others get better too.
David Byrne
Live Talks Los Angeles event:
An Evening with
David Byrne
discussing his book,
Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up
.
Robert Frost Auditorium
4401 Elenda St,
Culver City, CA 90230
.
PURCHASE IN-PERSON EVENT TICKETS
Tickets on sale on September 2 at 9am PT
Event on Tuesday, October 13, 8pm
$40 General Admission ticket (book available for purchase at check-out)
.
PURCHASE VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS
Tickets on sale on September 2 at 9am PT
Event on Tuesday, October 20, 6pm PT/9pm ET
$20 Virtual Admission (international orders welcome)
$50 Virtual Admission + book (includes shipping to US addresses only). Includes access to watch the event on October 20 at 6pm PT/9pm ET and on video-on-demand for five days.
.
From incomparable creative force David Byrne, a brilliant and inspiring reckoning with how breakthroughs across the arts and sciences get forgotten, and how they get rediscovered.
,
David Byrne is a musician, performer, writer, and multidisciplinary artist who has captivated audiences since 1975, when he co-founded Talking Heads. Over the course of his career he has released 20 studio albums, scored films — most notably The Last Emperor, for which he received Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy wins — and brought his singular vision to the stage, from the Broadway production American Utopia, which received a Special Tony Award and was adapted into a film directed by Spike Lee, to Here Lies Love, his disco musical that received four Tony Award nominations including Best Original Score, to Theater of the Mind, an immersive theatrical journey co-created with writer Mala Gaonkar. His visual art — including photography and installation works — has been exhibited internationally, and he is the founder of Reasons to Be Cheerful, an online publication devoted to solutions-based journalism. Byrne has published multiple books, including Bicycle Diaries, How Music Works, and Arboretum.
It’s nice to believe in a meritocracy of ideas—genius is always recognized, innovation always seized upon and rewarded. In fact, so many of the people we now acknowledge as the world’s great creators initially got little traction for their work. It faded out, and only later—often much later—did it somehow came roaring back to life.
.
Discoveries as diverse as dark matter, lichen, and continental drift . . . technologies from solar panels to the steam engine . . . artists from Bach to Bruegel, Vermeer to Melville . . . all, David Byrne shows us, were sleeping beauties. Why did they fall asleep? How did they wake back up? Ranging across centuries and the full scope of human endeavor, Byrne arrives at important conclusions that serve as a lens for bringing to light new seeds for our future breakthroughs.
.
Sleeping Beauties is a master class in how not to be blind to the next great thing. Several times throughout history, the shock of the new landed like a blow on vested interests and entrenched views, putting innovation on hold. Suppression emerged from pushback, the absence of key supporters, or simply a lack of complementary economic conditions.
.
But more important even than why ideas go dormant is why they reawaken. Again and again, Byrne shows, someone from a different discipline breaks into the silo. Frequently it’s someone open to metaphorical thinking, to the counterintuitive. Hierarchies and taxonomies have their place, but they can reward insiders and punish outsiders. Oftentimes, it is the winds of change that blow away the sand that has buried momentous ideas.
.
Sleeping Beauties is humbling but it is also remarkably hopeful. These stories add up to a compass that leads us to the courage to try new things and the wisdom to embrace them. In a time that can seem all too dark, it’s a powerful source of freely available light, delightful in itself and fit for all our human endeavors.
Olivia Harrison with Cameron Crowe
Live Talks Los Angeles event:
Olivia Harrison
in conversation with Cameron Crowe
discussing George Harrison’s book,
The Third Eye: Early Photographs
.
.
Robert Frost Auditorium
4401 Elenda St,
Culver City, CA 90230
.
PURCHASE IN-PERSON EVENT TICKETS
Sunday, October 11, 4pm
$95 General Admission ticket + book
$130 Reserved Section ticket + 2 books*
*The Third Eye & Cameron Crowe’s memoir, The Uncool
.
PURCHASE VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS (US Orders Only)
Sunday, October 18, 4pm PT/7pm ET
$80 Virtual Admission + book (includes shipping to US addresses only). Includes access to watch the event on October 18 at 6pm PT/9pm ET and on video-on-demand for five days.
.
An intimate, beautiful collection of more than two hundred never-before-collected photos of the Beatles at work and at play—many published for the first time—taken by their lead guitarist, George Harrison
Join us for an event to celebrate THE THIRD EYE, an extraordinary collection of more than two hundred photographs by George Harrison, capturing the Beatles at work and at play—many published for the first time. Olivia Harrison, George Harrison’s widow and the curator of THE THIRD EYE, will join Cameron Crowe for a conversation illustrated with George’s photographs, exploring his unique artistic vision and the extraordinary moments they capture.
THE THIRD EYE opens a window into the world of the Beatles—and the transformative cultural moment that they sparked—through the singular artistic vision of George Harrison. From 1963 to 1969, Harrison traveled the world with his bandmates, Pentax in hand, chronicling their impossible path from Liverpool to Ed Sullivan, Adelaide to Rishikesh, the Eiffel Tower to the beaches of Tahiti and beyond. This extraordinary collection of George’s personal photos and 8mm film stills includes singular images of Paul, John, Ringo, and George and the band’s friends and entourage as they rocketed to stardom and fostered the joyful madness that came to be known as Beatlemania. The candid, unguarded photos, brimming with Harrison’s wit, intelligence and penchant for experimentation (he was enamored of selfies, long before the iPhone), and snapped in those rare moments out of the spotlight offer a remarkable, inside look at the human beings behind the Beatles.
George Harrison became known to millions of fans in the 1960s as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. His solo album, All Things Must Pass, topped the US and UK charts for weeks and remains the highest-selling solo album by any of the Beatles. He was the recipient of many awards, including twelve Grammys, appointment as an MBE by the Queen, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame both as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist.
After meeting her husband George when she worked at A & M Records, Olivia Harrison went on to help run his Dark Horse record label. In 1990, she founded the Romanian Angel Appeal to support orphans. Since George’s death in 2001, she has continued their international aid partnership with UNICEF and is the curator of his legacy. With Martin Scorcese directing, she produced the HBO documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World. In 2021, along with surviving members of the Beatles and Yoko Ono, she shared an Emmy as producer of The Beatles: Get Back.
Cameron Crowe has chronicled music and culture for decades. His best-selling books include Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Almost Famous, Conversations with Wilder and his 2025 memoir, The Uncool. He wrote the screenplay for the smash hit Jerry Maguire, has produced acclaimed documentaries including David Crosby: Remember My Name and is currently at work on a feature-film based on the life and music of the legendary Joni Mitchell. Crowe has won an Oscar, a Grammy, the PEN Literary Award and been nominated for a Tony and a DGA award.
Michael Douglas
Live Talks Los Angeles event:
An Evening with
Michael Douglas
discussing his memoir,
One Helluva Ride
.
.
Robert Frost Auditorium
4401 Elenda St,
Culver City, CA 90230
.
PURCHASE IN-PERSON EVENT TICKETS
Saturday, October 10, 3pm
$65 General Admission ticket + signed book
.
PURCHASE VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS (US Orders Only)
Saturday, October 17, 3pm PT/6pm ET
$50 Virtual Admission + signed book (includes shipping to US addresses only). Includes access to watch the event on October 17 at 6pm PT/9pm ET and on video-on-demand for five days.
.
Hollywood icon Michael Douglas tells the unfiltered story of his life for the first time in his new memoir, One Helluva Ride. At long last, a full and uncensored account of a remarkable life—real, raw, deeply honest and vulnerable.
Michael Douglas is an international movie star with a list of classic films that have not only captured the cultural zeitgeist but often defined it while grossing billions of dollars (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The China Syndrome, Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, War of the Roses, Basic Instinct, Falling Down, The American President, Traffic and Behind the Candelabra.) He is a father, son, husband, actor, producer, brother and friend who has won multiple awards. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.
A boy lost in the shadow of his father’s legacy. A gifted artist dismissed as just a “TV actor.” A first-time film producer who stunned the world by winning an Oscar at 31. A maverick who changed Hollywood and became a global movie star. With 50 celebrated years in the entertainment business, Michael Douglas is a legend. His list of accolades is long and includes two Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, a Primetime Emmy and two SAG awards. Also a steadfast public servant, activist and philanthropist, Douglas’ commitment to disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and demoracy have been heralded by the United Nations.Beginning with his fractured childhood and a complex relationship with his superstar father, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas finally reveals, with unflinching honesty, the story of his life.
Malcolm Gladwell with Larry Wilmore
Live Talks Los Angeles event:
Malcolm Gladwell
in conversation with Larry Wilmore
discussing his book,
The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic
.
.
Robert Frost Auditorium
4401 Elenda St,
Culver City, CA 90230
.
PURCHASE IN-PERSON EVENT TICKETS
Thursday, October 1, 8pm
$55 General Admission ticket + signed book
$85 Reserved Section Ticket + 2 signed books*
*The American Way of Killing & Revenge of the Tipping Point
.
PURCHASE VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS (US Orders Only)
Thursday, October 8, 6pm PT/9pm ET
$50 Virtual Admission + signed book (includes shipping to US addresses only). Includes access to watch the event on September 29 at 6pm PT/9pm ET and on video-on-demand for five days.
.
Malcolm Gladwell returns with his most urgent book yet: a provocative investigation of America’s epidemic of gun violence.
Malcolm Gladwell is the author of eight New York Times bestsellers: The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, David and Goliath*, Talking to Strangers*, The Bomber Mafia*, and Revenge of the Tipping Point*. He is also the cofounder of Pushkin Industries, an audio-content company that produces Revisionist History, among other podcasts and audiobooks. He was born in England, raised in Canada, and lives outside New York with his family and a cat named Biggie Smalls. (* Gladwell appeared on the Live Talks Los Angeles stage for these titles and also has interviewed Michael Lewis, Ziggy Marley and David Goldhill for us)
Larry Wilmore has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. For several years, he hosted Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air on The Ringer Podcast Network. Film and TV credit include: Jerry and Margo Go Large, Reasonable Doubt, Amend: The Fight for America, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on Comedy Central; Insecure, Black-ish, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, In Living Color, The Office and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He also served as creator, writer, and executive producer of The Bernie Mac Show, which earned him a 2002 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and a 2001 Peabody Award.
The United States has far more homicides than any of its peers around the world. Why?
In this groundbreaking book, Malcolm Gladwell explores the American “peculiarity”―how the world’s wealthiest country came to suffer from a problem typically only seen in the world’s poorest countries.
Drawing on original interviews, archival and social science research, and his trademark insight, Gladwell approaches the American paradox through a series of stories. What can we learn from the miracle of a young gunshot victim in Washington, D.C.? How have the legal troubles of a seventeenth-century English knight influenced American attempts at gun control? Why would a European police chief be baffled by the graduation ceremony at any American police academy?
In a sweeping narrative, Gladwell travels from a shooting range in North Carolina, to the South Side of Chicago, to an old plantation house in Alabama, painting a picture of a country that does not understand its most pressing social problem, and as result, does not understand how to fix it.