Los Angeles, Ca
ENJOY IT! Comics give back in honor of one-of-a-kind performer
Comedian Brody Stevens was known for loudly and proudly representing the San Fernando Valley to the point that “818 ’til I die!” became a catchphrase of his.
But Stevens, who died by suicide in 2019 after nearly a decade of publicly dealing with bipolar disorder and depression, was wrong.
His love of the Valley continues to live on through his friends in the comedy community, as his death beget Brodyfest — aka the Brody Stevens Festival of Friendship — which will celebrate the “Hangover” actor on Aug. 17 and 18.
Those days were chosen in homage the 818 area code cherished by Stevens, a relentless optimist known for his outsized personality on stage and kindness off it.
Not only will there be a walk in the Valley, but comedians like Jay Mohr, Byron Bowers, Eleanor Kerrigan and Doug Benson will perform at the Comedy Store, a regular haunt of Stevens, and a softball game will nod to Stevens’ baseball-playing days in the Valley and at Arizona State.
This weekend marks the fourth annual edition of the event, which is raising money Comedy Gives Back, a nonprofit that helps comics with mental health, chemical dependency, health care and financial issues.
In a statement, Comedy Gives Back said that “losing Brody pushed us even further to get our services and support out to every comic.”
“We are the safety net of the comedy community, and we want to ensure that continues by helping put on Brodyfest, by attending all of the comedy festivals around the country, by showing up to comedy clubs,” the statement said. “Being alone onstage is part of the job. Feeling alone off stage is unacceptable.”
While Stevens may not have been a household name, he was a favorite of fellow comedians, punctuating his jokes with relentless positivity for himself and others, including the crowds at his shows. His unorthodox act included motivational asides for himself (“YES! POSITIVE PUSH!”) and instructions for his audience (“Come on, you gotta give me a chuckle based on cadence alone!”).
“Brody’s material was not as important as his presence onstage,” friend and collaborator Zach Galifianakis told The Hollywood Reporter. “He would challenge the audience. He would turn on them and judge them. He would ask for laughs when he was not doing well, and it confused some people because, well, who does that?”
Stevens did, using his ability to “read people’s energy very quick” to identify crowd members who he felt were displaying negative body language or not laughing hard enough at his jokes, said his friend and fellow comedian Bowers.
“He loved entertaining people, but at a different level,” Bowers said. “His show was crazy. It was inclusive and it was about getting your energy up, where you want to be.”
Off stage, Stevens, Bowers and other “Comedy Store guys” would motivate each other and provide moral support while trying to ascend in a challenging industry with no union protections, “crazy” living situations and sometimes spending more to perform than the performance itself pays, Bowers said.
That said, there’s a therapeutic aspect to talking about your struggles in front of an audience and with those going through similar situations.
“Fortunately for Brody and myself and the other comedians, we have a place where we can go talk about whatever we’re going through and make it in a way that people support it,” he said.
Brodyfest begins Saturday with a check-in at 1 p.m., followed by the walk at 2 p.m. and softball game at 5 p.m., among other events. For information and tickets for Saturday’s events, click here.
On Sunday, the 818 Comedy show begins at 8 p.m.For tickets, click here.
Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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