LOS ANGELES — As people around the world stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic, many turn to online resources to stay occupied.
The SoCal Scene team, including Christy Lemire and Tara Lynn Wagner, put together a list of ways you can be entertained during your self-quarantine.
With movie theaters temporarily closed, Universal is making several movies available in your home that you might have planned to see in the theater. They include the update of The Invisible Man, starring Elisabeth Moss, Jane Austen's Emma, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, and the upcoming Trolls World Tour, the sequel to the 2016 animated hit Trolls, with an all-star voice cast including Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, and James Corden.
You can watch any of these films for a 48-hour rental window for $19.99.
MORE FROM THE SOCAL SCENE | Fun Things for Kids to Do During Isolation
Along those lines, Warner Bros has released the rollicking DC Comics action comedy Birds of Prey early on Video on Demand. You can hang out with Harley Quinn and the gals on platforms like Amazon and iTunes starting now.
CONCERTS AT HOME
So many musicians are using their artistic talents for good during this stressful time. Check out YouTube and you'll find some of your favorites like John Legend doing what they're calling the #TogetherAtHome series -- intimate, stripped-down performances to provide some comfort. Legend's wife, Chrissy Tiegen, even shows up in a towel to join in the comfy, at-home vibe.
Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin sits down with his piano and guitar to play some tunes, including "A Sky Full of Stars" and "Trouble," and takes requests from fans in real time and tell stories.
Over on Instagram, you can find Keith Urban performing a mini concert with Nicole Kidman serving as both his audience and backup dancer. Richard Marx does nighttime acoustic sets, tequila tasting with his wife, Daisy Fuentes, and interviews with his friends who are also cooped up at home.
SOCAL MOVIES
If you're stuck at home but longing to get outside and explore, there are lots of movies you can watch that will whisk you away to fantastic Los Angeles locations. The Art Deco grandeur of Griffith Observatory has provided the backdrop for so many films over the years, from the 1955 James Dean classic Rebel Without a Cause, to more recent movies like La La Land, where it was the site of one of the most fanciful and romantic dance numbers in the film.
(500) Days of Summer is a walking, talking guide to the richness of downtown L.A. with several gorgeous locations. If it's a retro beach vibe you're longing for, check out the innocent fun of the original 1959 Gidget, shot at Leo Carrillo Beach in Malibu.
If you grew up here in the '80s and miss mall culture, you can revisit it in all its big-haired glory through Valley Girl which was actually shot at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, shot at the old Sherman Oaks Galleria among many other L.A. spots.
All of these movies are available on a variety of streaming services including Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Google Play.
ANNENBERG SPACE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
Let’s start with the Annenberg Space for Photography and their current exhibit, Vanity Fair: Hollywood Calling.
Like everything else, the space is temporarily closed but while you can’t roam the halls, for now, you can still enjoy the images complete with the full audio tour narrated by David Friend, the magazine's creative development director and co-curator of the collection.
Next, swing by Los Angeles County Museum of Art, their website that is, which is offering up a feast for the senses. They’ve put together content you can watch, listen to, and read. One highlight: a delightful short film on artist John Baldessari.
If you have kids at home, LACMA also has curriculum material available for all grade levels.
Been thinking of taking a spin through the Vault at the Petersen Automotive Museum? These tours will give virtual visitors a glimpse under the hoods of some of the Vaults 250 vehicles. Check their website for dates, times, and themes of the tours.
Missing the music of the LA Phil? They’ve canceled all performances through May 10, but you can still enjoy highlights from past seasons, episodes of the podcast Upbeat LIVE, and a library of video clips and interviews including one where maestro Gustavo Dudamel explains what a conductor actually does. Check them out on their website.
From classical musical to the world of opera, you can still catch all the high notes right in your own living room. Every night, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City releases a different title from the LIVE in HD series. You can stream it for free for 23 hours – only slightly longer than Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle (which by the way they are streaming all this week).
Finally, if the play’s the thing for you, well, we’ve got you covered there. Over the past few decades, L.A. Theatre Works has recorded audio versions of roughly 500 plays, complete with foley artists and sometimes a live audience. Many of their titles are available for free through their podcast or a special collection called their Relativity Series. They’ve done it all from Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde to Tom Stoppard and Wasserstein.