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In the wake of the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, the music community has stepped up with financial aid from MusiCares and other forms of monetary and emotional support. There is also a growing list of benefit concerts, both in California and around the U.S., with proceeds going toward those impacted by the catastrophe. Here’s a running list.

Tunes for Tomorrow: A Musical Fundraiser

When & Where: Jan. 14 — Los Angeles @ The Hotel Café

Lineup: Zen Thomas, Sacha Carlson, Stela Cole, Return to Dust, Gonzalo Martin, Kate Grahn, Tin Angel, and...

There's been a keen interest in the best Nikki Rodriguez movies and TV shows since the young actor led the cast of Netflix's 2023 teen romance My Life With The Walter Boys. Born in 2002 in Los Angeles, Nikki Rodriguez had been acting for several years prior to making some one-off appearances in sitcoms like Speechless and Adam Ruins Everything. Her acting career started as far back as 2018, when she appeared in the short This Land Is Your Land.

Her short film appearances would continue until 2020 with her role as Mackenzie in Bunny Run. However, the following year found Nikki Rodriguez landing a recurring role in the Netflix series On My Block, and from there her career has picked up no shortage of momentum. On My Block helped gain the actor some solid experience, but it was 2023's My Life With The Walter Boys that put her name on the map,...

We’ve reached the end of a very long road. Sean and Daniel’s journey is over in its entirety. Over this past year and three months of watching their story, it’s warmed and broke my heart so often. Their relationship has made everything very worthwhile. I’ve never seen a game that so accurately captures what it’s like to be a sibling and the love and sacrifices that can come with it. As Daniel asks, “How does the story of the Wolf Brothers end?”. Depending on how choices, it’s either very bittersweet or tragic but in any case, each ending is incredibly satisfying for your choices and how you’ve shaped Sean and Daniel.

Taking place seven weeks after the events of ‘Faith’, Sean and Daniel have been peacefully living in a desert commune with their mother (Karen) and a whole bunch of people who left society behind them.

Warning: The following review spoils the Life is Strange 2, Episode 3 ending.

Let’s have a little recap on Episode 3: Wastelands ending. Daniel had a freak telekinetic outburst which injured multiple people. Once the dust had settled, the episode ended on a shot with Sean unconscious and bleeding. There was a glass shard embedded in his eye and Daniel had gone missing.

Faith picks up two months after that incident. Sean has recovered from being in a coma for a few weeks but is half-blind. He’s at his lowest point yet clouded in mental anguish and physically broken, under arrest in the hospital and desperately wanting to find his little brother. Upon breaking out and finding a lead as to where Daniel is, it’s a journey to find Daniel and that’s all I can say without spoiling many of the twists and turns along the way.

If...

Despite coming in the wake of a popular release, Life Is Strange 2 has struggled to reach a wide audience. However, even as a sequel, it’s also a very different game than its predecessor. Bleaker and more frustrating, the journey of Sean and Daniel has been harsher than just about anything Max had to deal with at the same point. And yet, there is hope. The latest episode, Wastelands, introduces a new home and allies for the duo, but their situation still remains tenuous.

Picking up several months after the events of Rules, Wastelands has the brothers crashing with a new group of friends. Introduced in the last chapter, vagabond Finn has cobbled together a group of like-minded individuals to work at a nearby marijuana farm. When not working for the menacing Merrill, though, the group passes the time at a local campground. While not every relationship is strong, Sean...

It’s been a long wait for Episode 2. After the amazing debut, the expectations were running high so did ‘Rules’ deliver and prove to be worth the wait or did the momentum come to a halt?

Life is Strange 2 – Episode 2: Rules takes place one month after the events of Roads. Sean and Daniel have been living in this cabin in the woods while Daniel is being trained how to use his powers. All things considered, it’s not too bad for them even if they’re living on a ravioli diet and don’t have a working bathroom. However, winter has come and it is making Daniel sick. This drives Sean to bite the bullet and go to their grandparent’s residence to get help.

The theme of this episode is rules and what I call walking the fine line. For Sean, it’s the fine line between sibling and parent.

For the first time since the death of his sister, Zach (Martin) returns to his childhood home to get it ready for sale. While there, he uncovers an old toy phone he once used to “talk” to his dead sister. Years of counseling convinced him it was all in his head until an unexpected call comes through the plastic phone, setting off a series of terrifying events, and making him question what, and who, is real.

When It Rings features action movie vet Mel Novak, whose many credits also include Game of Death, Holy Terror and the upcoming Steve McQueen: American Icon; who joins Golden Globe Winner Sally Kirkland, Amy Ellenberger, Mann Alfonso, Sophia Monti and newcomer Gonzalo Martin in the film – which is directed by Ty Haisten and David Rivers – whose short film “Chatter,” inspired this movie.

Kirkland stars as the neighbor-turned-caretaker for the unstable mother and Novak portrays...

Action movie vet Mel Novak (Samurai Cop 2, An Eye For an Eye) has completed work on his latest film, the supernatural thriller When It Rings.

For the first time since the death of his sister, Zach (Martin) returns to his childhood home to get it ready for sale. While there, he uncovers an old toy phone he once used to “talk” to his dead sister. Years of counseling convinced him it was all in his head until an unexpected call comes through the plastic phone, setting off a series of terrifying events, and making him question what, and who, is real.

Novak, whose many credits also include Game of Death, Holy Terror and the upcoming Steve McQueen: American Icon, joins Golden Globe Winner Sally Kirkland and newcomer Gonzalo Martin in the film – which is directed by Ty Haisten and David Rivers – whose short film “Chatter,” inspired this movie.

Kirkland...