Top picks: 'Coming Back: New Orleans Resurgent' photos, 'Toy Story 3,' new album '...Featuring Norah Jones,' and more
Resilience photographed
Photojournalists usually aren't allowed to tarry, but Mario Tama lingered in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina to document the city once the waters receded. "Coming Back: New Orleans Resurgent" (Umbrage Editions) is a testament to resilience. Though several photos are immediately recognizable, it is the portraits of residents made five years after the event that exhilarate – or frustrate, when little seems to have changed. Proceeds from the book go to the nonprofit New Schools for New Orleans.
Blues legends live
Twenty-seven years ago, legendary bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan joined his mentor, king of blues guitarist Albert "The Velvet Bulldozer" King for a jam session at a small Canadian TV station. The performance was awe-inspiring, and in retrospect, bittersweet: It was the first and last time the two would ever play together on stage. Nov. 9, Stax Records released the DVD "In Session," video footage of the night with three previously unavailable tracks.
Pixar's toy box
The best children's films aren't only for children, and Pixar's "Toy Story 3," now out on DVD, is Exhibit A. In this third and final installment, Andy is college-bound and packs his toys for the attic. But his mother mistakes the bag for trash and sets in motion a series of events that lands the lot, including Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and Jessie, inside the suspiciously cheery Sunnyside Day-care Center. Woody rides to the rescue, as the story turns into a jailbreak escapade.
Lost masterpieces
Viktor Ullmann's "The Broken Jug," Alexander Zemlinsky's "The Dwarf," Walter Braunfels's "The Birds" – these rare works performed by the Los Angeles Opera in 2008 and 2009 are now out on DVD and Blu-ray by Naxos. Recorded live at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, they are part of LA Opera's renowned "Recovered Voices" series, a groundbreaking program that presents the works of composers whose careers were cut short by the rise of the Third Reich.
What's happenin'
For travelers or homebodies, goby.com offers an easy route to entertainment – creating your own adventure, as the site puts it. Just plug in your coordinates using an interactive US map and type your interests (live music, etc.) and up pops a list of events in the neighborhood. It's free and surprisingly comprehensive.
More Norah
"... Featuring Norah Jones" (Blue Note) is a star-studded collection of the Grammy Award-winner's collaborations from the past decade. It includes duets with such legends as Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton, along with 21st-century icons OutKast and the Foo Fighters.
