Lifestyle
These muralists capture L.A. in their art. Now wrap your holiday gifts in their designs
Muralists living and working in Los Angeles often bring color and culture to the city’s concrete façades. Their work is a tribute to the life and times of the city. For our annual holiday wrapping paper feature, Times art directors commissioned eight L.A.-based muralists to illustrate intriguing designs, from a Dodgers tribute to sweet treats perfect for the season. (You can find all the designs in Sunday’s Weekend print section.)
Here, you can read about the artists and download your favorite designs to use on your desktop and phone. Or you can print them out at home and use them to wrap to your heart’s content.
Daniel Antelo
Daniel “Downtown Daniel” Antelo is a muralist and oil painter from Los Angeles who’s celebrated for his dynamic style that fuses hyper-realism with abstract elements. His art, which has showcased the Dodgers, Nike and Kobe Bryant’s family, among other clients, reflects a deep connection to L.A.’s culture and community.
You can see more of his work on Instagram @downtowndaniel and on his website, downtowndaniel.net.
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Marisabel Bazan
Marisabel Bazan is a Panamanian artist based in Los Angeles who’s known for her vibrant, multidisciplinary works spanning painting, sculpture and public art. Her art explores themes of metamorphosis, mental health and the human spirit, with notable commissions such as “Dance of the Butterflies” (West Hollywood) and “Il Cammino Della Farfalla” (Panama City, Panama). Exhibited internationally, including at the United Nations in Geneva, Bazan’s work is part of prominent collections worldwide. A vocal mental health advocate, she merges creativity and humanitarian efforts through powerful projects and collaborations with global brands.
You can see more of her work on Instagram @marisabelbazan and on her website, marisabelbazan.com.
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Parisa Parnian
Parisa Parnian is an Iranian American artist and cultural storyteller based in Los Angeles whose work bridges the worlds of food, design and art.
With a creative practice focused on celebrating immigrant and diasporic communities, Parnian uses her illustrations to reflect her passion for connecting cultures by using bold patterns, vibrant colors and meaningful narratives. Her work, deeply inspired by her experiences as a culinary creative and visual artist, aims to honor heritage while also reimagining it for a modern, multicultural audience.
You can see more of her work on Instagram @savage_taste and on her website, savagemuse.com.
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Cleon Peterson
Cleon Peterson’s is an L.A.-based artist whose chaotic and violent paintings depict the struggle between power and submission in the fluctuating architecture of contemporary society. His category-defying work has illustrated features in the New York Times, fiction by George Saunders in the New Yorker and Penguin Classics’ edition of Philip K. Dick’s “The Man in the High Castle.” In 2020, he released a series of instrumental political posters disseminated through his website.
You can see more of his work on Instagram @cleonpeterson and on his website, cleonpeterson.com.
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Brenda Cibrian
Brenda Cibrian is an artist and muralist based in Los Angeles whose work centers on nostalgic, dreamy and introspective themes. When collaborating with communities and clients, she uses her murals to show cultural elements, nature and diversity with the intention of beautifying spaces with uplifting art. As a multidisciplinary visual artist, Cibrian says her mediums include large-scale murals, original paintings, illustrations and graphic design.
You can see more of her work on Instagram @brendacibrian_art and on her website, brendacibrian.com.
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Mikolaj Wyszynski
Mikolaj Wyszynski is a painter and illustrator from downtown Los Angeles. He works mainly in acrylics mixed with spray paint and enamels for his paintings and murals. His new work is focused on portraits with technology and fictional landscapes that are riddled with cybertrash.
You can see more of his work on Instagram @mikolajone and his website, mikolajw.com.
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Nuria Ortiz
Ms. Yellow, a.k.a. Nuria Ortiz, is a self-taught Mexican American muralist and teaching artist from Carson. She has dedicated her time to the creative development and empowerment of communities, working closely with schools, galleries, organizations, museums and others to develop art workshops, murals and mentorships for youth. The focal themes of her artwork are culture, folklore, mental health, education, unity, love and social justice.
You can see more of her work on Instagram @MsYellowArt.
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Kim Gaeta
Kim Gaeta is a Mexican American artist and muralist who was born in Los Angeles. Her focus is on what unites the human condition with nature and the cycles of life and death. Working within a range of media including assemblage, drawing, printing and painting, she has explored floral, fauna, folklore and symbols. Her images are often surreal and focused on symbolism within nature.
The illustration below unites hope, prosperity and good luck in the new year. Kim uses lady bugs as berries to symbolize good fortune, the wreaths to symbolize eternal unity and the candles to symbolize light in darkness.
You can see more of her work on Instagram @tarantula_garden and on her website kimgaeta.com.
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Lifestyle
Woman who accuses Jay-Z of raping her at 13 shares new details about alleged assault
The woman who accused Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of raping her when she was 13 years old shared new details about her recollection of the night of the alleged assault.
In an interview with NBC News, the woman — now a 38-year-old mother who lives in Alabama — said she had stayed quiet for 24 years because she felt no one would have believed her.
“Even if somebody found out, who was gonna believe me? I mean, it was to the word of two celebrities against mine,” she said.
NBC said in the report the woman, who is referred to in court documents as “Jane Doe,” declined to be identified.
Among the new details, the Alabama woman claimed that during the alleged assault, Jay-Z — whose real name is Shawn Carter — placed his hand over her mouth and told her to stop when she resisted.
The woman told the outlet that she acknowledged there are some inconsistencies in her account but firmly maintained that she was attacked.
In a statement to NPR, Carter denied the allegations of assault, saying the complaint was filed in “pursuit of money and fame.” He added, “This incident didn’t happen and yet he filed it in court and doubled down in the press. True Justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”
Combs has denied all accusations against him. His legal team told NPR on Saturday that now, a plaintiff of Buzbee’s has been “exposed” of falsely claiming to be a victim. “This is the beginning of the end of this shameful money grab,” Combs’ attorneys said in a shared statement.
The lawsuit against Combs, filed by Texas attorney Tony Buzbee in October in New York, was refiled on Sunday to include Carter.
Several lawsuits alleging physical assault, rape and other misconduct have been filed against Combs since his arrest on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. But the Alabama woman’s decision to refile her lawsuit to include Carter was a major development — as he is the only other high-profile defendant named in the case alongside Combs.
The night of the assault, with new alleged details
The Alabama woman alleged the assault took place in 2000 at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party, according to the lawsuit and her interview with NBC.
At the time, she was 13 and living in Rochester, N.Y. She dreamed of attending the VMAs so she snuck out of her house and a friend agreed to drive her to Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the woman told NBC.
But without a ticket, she said she stayed outside where crowds watched the awards show on a jumbotron. The woman looked for a way to gain entry either to the VMAs or an after-party. That was how she met a limousine driver who claimed to work for Combs. According to the suit, the driver offered to take her to an “after-party.”
“The driver told her that Combs liked younger girls and said she ‘fit what Diddy was looking for,’ ” the suit said.
The driver picked up the 13-year-old later that night and dropped her off at a large white house, where she was met by two men who asked her to a sign a document before going inside, the suit alleges. According to the suit, the woman said she now believes that document was a non-disclosure agreement, adding that she never received a copy.
The lawsuit says the residence was filled with celebrities. “I’m talking to, like, Fred Durst, Benji Madden, about his tattoo, because, you know, about his tattoo that’s ‘The Last Supper,’ because I have a religious background, so it was just something to talk about,” she told NBC.
Durst’s and Madden’s teams did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment, but Madden’s representative told NBC News that the musician did not attend the VMAs because he was on tour with his band Good Charlotte in the Midwest at the time.
The woman told NBC News that later in the night, she took a drink that was being served by the waitresses. After a few sips, she began to feel lightheaded and looked for a room to lie down.
Soon after, the suit alleged that Combs, Carter and an unnamed woman entered the room. The suit accused Carter of raping her first, followed by Combs, while the woman watched.
“Jay-Z comes over, holds me down. I start trying to push away. He puts his hand over my mouth, tells me to stop it, to cut the s***, and then he rapes me like he had me overpowered,” she told NBC News.
According to the suit, the woman fought back and eventually fled the house. She later found a gas station and used their phone to call her father, who came to pick her up.
“I was upset, and the person at the gas station could tell that I was obviously upset, and she let me use the phone. I called my dad because he was the only person I trust at that time. I told him I messed up and I needed a ride home,” she said in the NBC interview.
NBC News identified some inconsistencies in her account of the night of the assault. In addition to the discrepancy about meeting Madden at the after-party, NBC said the woman’s father did not recall picking her up. NBC could also not determine whether an after-party occurred at any location matching her description.
When asked about the inconsistencies, the woman told NBC News, “ I have made some mistakes.” She added, “Honestly, what is the clearest is what happened to me.”
Her attorney, Tony Buzbee, said in a statement to NPR: “Our client remains fiercely adamant that what she has stated is true, to the best of her memory,” adding that she also agreed to submit to a polygraph.
Lifestyle
'Wait Wait' for December 14, 2024: Live at Carnegie Hall with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson
This week’s show was recorded at Carnegie Hall with host Peter Sagal, judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, Not My Job guest Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and panelists Mo Rocca, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, and Paula Poundstone. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.
Who’s Bill This Time
A Wanted Man; The Labor of Love; Unclaimed Presents
Panel Questions
Conceal and Carry On
Bluff The Listener
Our panelists tell three stories about Bruce Springsteen in the news this week, only one of which is true
Not My Job: Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson gets quizzed on the Supremes
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson plays our game called, “Supreme Court, Meet The Supremes” Three questions about Diana Ross.
Panel Questions
From Lunchables to Supperables; A Frosty Warning; Granny Versus The Scammers
Limericks
Bill Kurtis reads three news-related limericks: Matrimony Marathons; Suffering Succulents; Hello My Name is Princeton Yale Jr.
Lightning Fill In The Blank
All the news we couldn’t fit anywhere else
Predictions
Our panelists predict, after unclaimed mail, what will be the next innovation in gift giving
Lifestyle
Man who jumped a desk to attack a Nevada judge in the courtroom is sentenced
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A man who was captured on video attacking a judge in a Las Vegas courtroom after vaulting over her bench and desk has been sentenced to decades in prison.
Deobra Redden was ordered on Tuesday to serve between 26 and 65 years in a Nevada prison for the attack on Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus, KLAS-TV in Las Vegas reported.
Redden, 31, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in September to attempted murder and other charges, ending his trial shortly after Holthus had testified that she feared for her life when Redden vaulted over her 4-foot-high (1.2-meter-high) bench and landed on her.
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The attack happened Jan. 3 as Holthus was about to deliver Redden’s sentence in a separate felony battery case.
The violent scene was captured by courtroom video that showed the 62-year-old judge falling back from her seat against a wall as Redden flung himself over her bench and grabbed her hair, toppling an American flag onto them. Holthus suffered some injuries but was not hospitalized, courthouse officials said.
Redden’s defense lawyer Carl Arnold has said his client was not taking his prescribed medication to control his diagnosed schizophrenia at the time of the attack.
Arnold said in September when Redden entered his plea that it “reflects a delicate balance between accepting responsibility for a regrettable incident and recognizing the impact of Mr. Redden’s untreated mental illness at the time.”
The Associated Press sent an email Tuesday to a spokesperson for Arnold seeking comment on Redden’s sentence.
Redden said in court Tuesday that he did not intend to kill Holthus, KLAS-TV reported.
“I’m not making excuses for my actions, but I’m saying I’m not a bad person and I know that I did not intend to kill Mary Kay Holthus,” he said.
Redden will be eligible for parole sometime after 2050, KLAS-TV reported.
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