Live Talks Los Angeles
Brings Gregg Allman, Garry Marshall, John Irving & Others
To the Aero Theatre, the Fowler Museum & Track 16
In May & June 2012

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 11, 2012 – 
Live Talks Los Angeles, which produces talks with great speakers, will once again bring a roster of A-list personalities to the Aero Theatre, Track 16, and UCLA’s Fowler Museum in the coming months.  The schedule includes Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Allman, of the Allman Brothers Band, who will speak about the highs and lows of his legendary life (5/15, Aero), Hollywood Creative Force Garry Marshall, who will discuss My Happy Days in Hollywood (5/23, Aero), and National Book Award and Oscar-Winning Writer John Irving, who will talk about his upcoming novel, In One Person (6/21, Aero).  Most events start at 8:00pm with receptions preceding the talks.  Ticket prices range from $20 to $95.  Please visit Live Talks LA’s website for additional details, updates and tickets at livetalksla.org.

Live Talks LA hosts events at various venues throughout Los Angeles.  The May and June 2012 events will take place at The Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403; 310-260-1528; www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/aero_theatre_events), The Fowler Museum on the UCLA Campus (308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Los Angeles, CA 90025; 310-825-4361; www.fowler.ucla.edu) and Track 16 in Bergamot Station (2525 Michigan Avenue, Bldg C-1, Santa Monica, CA 90404; 310-264-4678; www.track16.com).

“Live Talks Los Angeles was launched in 2010 to showcase great speakers – artists, authors, humorists, musicians, scientists, and business thought leaders,” says Live Talks Los Angeles Founder/Producer Ted Habte-Gabr, “The idea is to just let them talk, in conversation with a provocative interviewer.”

Gregg Allman (Credit: Danny Clinch)

May 2012 Live Talks LA–



Tue. 5/15, 8:00pm
Reception 6:30-7:30pm
An Evening with Gregg Allman
In Conversation with Alan Light
Discussing his forthcoming memoir My Cross to Bear

The Aero Theatre, Santa Monica
Tickets: $25-95
Founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman is a gifted natural interpreter of the blues, his soulful and distinctive voice one of the defining sounds in the history of American music. He will discuss his upcoming memoir, chronicling the highs and lows of his legendary life and music, My Cross to Bear. Like any genuine bluesman, his life has been colored by myriad triumphs and tragedies including a long battle with Hepatitis C.  His 2011 Low Country Blues, one of the defining albums of his recording career, received a nomination for “Best Blues Album” and the Allman Brothers Band was honored with the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” at this year’s Grammy Awards. Alan Light is one of America’s leading music journalists, a frequent contributor to the New York Times and Rolling Stone; a columnist for msn.com; and the Director of Programming for “Live from the Artists Den,” a concert series now in its fourth season on PBS. Light is the co-author of Allman’s memoir. Additional event details and ticketing here.

Pico Iyer (Credit: Derek Shapton)

Thu. 5/17, 7:30pm
Pico Iyer In Conversation with Lisa Napoli

The Joy of Quiet: Desperate to Unplug
(or Coping with the Age of Always-On)

The UCLA Fowler Museum, Los Angeles
Tickets: $20
Join us for a lively discussion about the impact of modern era connectedness on our ability to think, create, and participate in the world. Pico Iyer (who has yet to own a cell phone) extols the virtues of peace and quiet. Iyer was born in Oxford, England, to parents from India, and educated at Eton, Oxford and Harvard, while officially growing up in Southern California. He is the author of eight works of non-fiction, including Video Night in Kathmandu (cited on many lists of the best travel books ever), The Lady and the Monk (finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award in the category of Current Interest) and The Global Soul (subject of websites and theatrical productions around the world). He wrote the novels Cuba and the Night and Abandon. He has also written for Time Magazine, The New York Review of Books, Harper’s, and National Geographic. Iyer’s 2008 book, The Open Road, describes more than 30 years of talking and traveling with the 14th Dalai Lama. His most recent book, on Graham Greene, hauntedness and fathers―The Man Within My Head―came out earlier this year.  Journalist Lisa Napoli has worked for public radio, the New York Times’ CyberTimes, MSNBC, and CNN. She is also the local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on KCRW. Additional event details and ticketing here.

Wed. 5/23, 8:00pm
Reception 6:30-7:30pm
An Evening with Garry Marshall
In Conversation with Sam Rubin
My Happy Days in Hollywood
The Aero Theatre, Santa Monica
Tickets: $25-95
A groundbreaking creative force in Hollywood for more than fifty years, Garry Marshall excels as a writer, producer, director, and actor, earning him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, numerous prestigious awards, and acclaim from critics and fans alike.  He wrote for hit television programs The Tonight Show, The Lucy Show, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. When Marshall ventured into producing with fellow writer Jerry Belson, they struck gold with The Odd Couple in 1970. Marshall’s career skyrocketed with his creation of some of the best-loved television series of all time including Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, and Laverne & Shirley. As a director, he gave life to star-studded films Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Beaches, The Other Sister, and The Princess Diaries. Throughout his career, he has been praised for his commitment to the advancement of women in Hollywood. New Year’s Eve, Marshall’s latest feature film, stars Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, and Sarah Jessica Parker, among others.  Live Talks Los Angeles is excited to host him on the occasion of his forthcoming memoir, My Happy Days in Hollywood.  Sam Rubin is the entertainment reporter for KTLA Morning News. He hosts the Emmy-nominated “Live from the Academy Awards,” syndicated nationally by Tribune Entertainment, “Sneaks,” a series of movie preview shows produced in conjunction with the Los Angeles Times, as well as a celebrity talk  show for the Reelz Channel.  He is also the co-author of two biographies, one on the former first lady Jacqueline Onassis and the other on actress Mia Farrow.  Additional event details and ticketing here.

Garry Marshall (Credit: Ron Batzdorf)

June 2012 Live Talks LA–

Thu. 6/7, 8:00pm
An Evening with Oscar Hijuelos
Track 16, Santa Monica
Pulitzer Prize-winning Latino author Oscar Hijuelos is the international bestselling author of eight novels, including The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.  He’ll discuss his memoir, Thoughts Without Cigarettes, which explores the people and places that have influenced his life and, in turn, his literature. livetalksla.org/blog/2012/01/16/an-evening-with-oscar-hijuelos/

Tue. 6/12, 8:00pm
Frank DeFord in Conversation with John Salley
Track 16, Santa Monica
Voted by his peers “US Sportswriter of the Year” six times, Frank DeFord discusses his career via his memoir, Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter. John Salley is a sports commentator and NBA veteran of 11 seasons with stints at the Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and LA Lakers.
livetalksla.org/blog/2012/05/07/june-12-frank-deford-in-conversation-with-john-salley-thejohnsalley/ 


Thu. 6/14, 8:00pm
An Evening with Christopher Buckley
Track 16, Santa Monica
Prize-winning author of 15 books, Christopher Buckley was managing editor of Esquire Magazine, chief speechwriter to Vice President George H.W. Bush, and founding editor of Forbes FYI Magazine (now ForbesLife), where he is now editor-at-large.  He will discuss his latest novel, They Eat Puppies, Don’t They?
 livetalksla.org/blog/2012/01/17/an-evening-with-christopher-buckley/

John Irving (Credit: Jane Sobel Klonsky)

Thu. 6/21, 8:00pm
An Evening with John Irving
The Aero Theatre, Santa Monica

John Irving won the National Book Award for his novel, The World According to Garp, and an O. Henry Award for the short story, “Interior Space.” He also won an Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay” for The Cider House Rules – a film with seven Academy Award nominations. He will discuss his upcoming book, In One Person, his 13th novel. livetalksla.org/blog/2012/01/17/an-evening-with-john-irving/

Live Talks Los Angeles–
Live Talks Los Angeles, produced by Ted Habte-Gabr, brings great speakers to Los Angeles. Authors, artists, humorists, musicians, scientists, and business thought leaders are presented in the series in some of the city’s most amazing venues. The series has seen powerhouses Robert Reich, Ken Follet, Michael Caine, Hal Holbrook, Dave Barry, Jane Lynch, Steve Martin, Tina Fey, John Lithgow, Anne Rice, and many others. Proceeds from ticket sales support various literacy, arts and educational causes that benefit the lives of Angelenos. Live Talks Los Angeles hopes to raise awareness and support for the great work these organizations do in the community. For the 2011-12 season, funds from events support First Book, The Actor’s Gang, American Cinematheque, KCET, and Los Angeles Review of Books. Major sponsors are Bio.com and City National Bank. Media sponsors are 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio and KCET. livetalksla.org

For more information, press passes, photos, to interview Live Talks LA producer Ted Habte-Gabr and/or an upcoming guest speaker, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.