“Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession” James Bridges Theater Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. In many ways, the Z Channel was HBO’s predecessor, as this documentary shows by interviewing many, many filmmakers about their love of the now-gone premium cable network. Read more...

A little less than a year ago, seven UCLA graduate film students were given the opportunity of a lifetime. Showtime Network, which has 35.9 million subscribers, offered to air and partially fund a film from each student in a joint project with UCLA titled “Images of War in the 21st Century,” which will air in prime time the night before the presidential election, on Nov. Read more...

Although probably not planned this way, the only things visible when the house lights dim at the beginning of “La Casa de Rigoberta Mira al Sur” (“The House of Rigoberta Looks South”) are the lit screen suspended above the stage on which English translations of the Nicaraguan play performed in Spanish will appear and the familiar green exit signs that line the interior of the Freud Playhouse. Read more...

Everyone knows of a garage band that eventually got out of the driveway. Now there is ProperGander Productions, a backyard theater group that has left the lawn for a real stage. Read more...

Frank Black Francis “Frank Black / Black Francis” SpinART Records Rock music is defined by it’s relativity. Call it six degrees of inspiration; you can trace any band back to their influences and judge them accordingly. Read more...

In part with its third International Theater Festival, UCLA Live presents world-renowned theater group El Teatro Justo Rufino Garay. Justo Rufino Garay, which comes from Nicaragua under the direction of Lucero Millan and Enrique Polo, has been incredibly successful. Read more...

Late-1980s indie rock prophets the Pixies might not be the most obvious band that comes to mind when describing legendary, crowd-pleasing, sold-out arena tours. The group, which is largely credited with having invented a unique blend of punk, surf and pop sounds which would later be taken up by the likes of Nirvana and Alice in Chains, tends to be more often associated with professional heights it never managed to achieve ““ thanks in large part to a well-publicized feud between bassist Kim Deal and lead singer/guitarist Black Francis (aka Frank Black, aka Charles Thompson) that eventually led to the band’s demise in 1992. Read more...