Spring-summer Hollywood hits and misses

“Jackass” star Ryan Dunn was drunk, with a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit, when his car sped through a guardrail in June, crashed into a tree and went up in flames, killing him and his passenger, Zachary Hartwell, in Pennsylvania. News of his death sparked a war between “Jackass” costar Bam Margera, who downplayed his friend’s blood alcohol level as a cause of the crash, and noted film critic Roger Ebert. Ebert enraged many in the blogosphere with a tweet implying that Dunn was drinking and driving before official reports were released, and the backlash resulted in him issuing an apology for his words.   (Jorge Herrera / AP; Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Tracy Morgan apologized for a homophobic rant he launched into during a June 3 show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium after organizations including GLAAD and the Human Rights Commission called for an apology or explanation.

“I want to apologize to my fans and the gay and lesbian community for my choice of words at my recent stand-up act in Nashville. I’m not a hateful person and don’t condone any kind of violence against others,” Morgan said in a statement. “While I am an equal opportunity jokester, and my friends know what is in my heart, even in a comedy club this clearly went too far and was not funny in any context.”

However, the damage was still done, and the “30 Rock” star continued to make apologies at public appearances to mend the severely damaged fences.  (Paul Buck / EPA)

A hit in Sweden long before arriving on U.S. shores, music-streaming service Spotfiy was tied up securing licensing agreements with American labels for more than a year. The ad-supported service, which allows users to listen to music for free (with commercials) or pay a $4.99 or $9.99 monthly fee to avoid those pesky ads, boasts access to millions of songs, giving consumers an easy way to legitimately hear a mighty swath of music past and present. Facebook integration makes it easy to share playlists, and the dream of having access to a massive chunk of the world’s music library with the click of a button has become a reality.  (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

A DJ set by Kaskade at the premiere of the Electric Daisy Carnival documentary, “Electric Daisy Carnival Experience,” went south on a July evening in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre when masses of fans spilled into Hollywood after the artist announced a live performance via Twitter. As the police attempted to disperse what turned into a huge gathering, crowds turned on the authorities, throwing objects, jumping on cars and littering the boulevard with trash.

As for rapper the Game, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials investigated the rapper and a tweet that they said sparked a “telephone flash mob” in early August. Authorities say the rapper sent out a tweet containing a number for the Compton police station, urging people to call it if they wanted an internship with him.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

U.K. pop star Amy Winehouse was found dead in late July in her London home. Winehouse released her debut, “Frank,” in 2003, a collection of jazzy neo-soul tunes. Her 2006 album, “Back to Black,” saw Winehouse remade as a tough, no-nonsense R&B singer in a ‘60s-inspired vintage mode. Working with rising producer Mark Ronson and New York‘s acclaimed rhythm & blues crew the Dap Kings, “Back to Black” was heavy on noir imagery and recalled the early days of Motown, most notably in the hit singles “Rehab” and “You Know I’m No Good.”

She can be heard on Tony Bennett‘s “Duets II” in late September.   (Jennifer S. Altman / For the Times)

The superstar collaboration “Watch the Throne” saw Jay-Z and Kanye West offering a glimpse into the lifestyle of hip-hop’s rich and famous. The Times’ Randall Roberts was a fan. He wrote the pairing “is a cocksure, fiery, smart, if problematic, collaboration that showcases the pair’s distinct lyrical skills, their way around a metaphor and an ability to execute both a grand narrative and the details that turn it into truth.”  (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

After being found not guilty of the murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony, Casey Anthony stirred plenty of strong emotions, and she was booed as she walked out of a Florida jail. The media still haven’t moved on. TMZ, for instance, posted pictures of what the site said was Casey in Ohio, treating the woman as if she’s a celebrity rather than someone acquitted of a serious crime. In September, Dr. Phil will keep the story alive, as he recently sat down with Casey’s parents. Many were obsessed with the trial and unsatisfied with its answers, but the bigger question is why does this remain a story?  (Red Huber / Associated Press)

Foster the People‘s mix of Euro-chic electronics, snappy choruses and soulful beats have helped the band become the breakout Los Angeles act of 2011. Driven by the hit single “Pumped Up Kicks,” the band’s debut, “Torches,” debuted in the Top 10 on the U.S. pop charts. That was back in late May. At the end of August, the band was still in the Top 20.  (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

The Tony Awards are supposed to be about the Broadway nominees, but Neil Patrick Harris, right, stole the show this year as the host with the most. He kicked off the festivities with the crowd-pleaser “It’s Not Just for Gays Anymore,” got into a sing-off with Hugh Jackman to the theme of “Anything You Can Host I Can Host Better” and wrapped up the evening with a recap rap of the show. Competing for the spotlight was the big winner, “Book of Mormon.” The comedy, about two mismatched missionaries in Africa, won nine Tonys, including best musical. At left is co-creator Trey Parker.  (Jeff Christensen / Associated Press; Andrew H. Walker / Getty Images.)

Captain Jack Sparrow swaggered back onto the big screen this summer for a fourth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Sans Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), Sparrow teams up with Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) “on stranger tides” to find the fountain of youth, but they run into a little trouble from Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his daughter (Penelope Cruz) along the way. However, not even Depp’s charm and the all-star cast could save this stinker. The Times’ Betsy Sharkey didn’t think it was “seaworthy, nor Sparrow worthy” and slammed the 3-D saying, “The Ds in this instance stand for dark and dismal and disastrously claustrophobic.” Moviegoers didn’t seem to heed the warning though and the movie made more than $1 billion worldwide.   (Peter Mountain / Associated Press)

The local rap collective known as Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All has released an assortment of albums and mixtapes, but the biggest showcase so far has been from the controversial crew’s de facto leader, Tyler, the Creator. His XL debut, “Goblin,” grabbed the No. 1 spot on the R&B/hip-hop charts upon its release in May and has kept in the Top 40 since then. It’s also sold 108,000 copies, as well as 191,000 digital tracks. The group has found itself blasted for lyrics that test the lines between mordant provocation and plain old hate, but the controversy has served them well: At the Video Music Awards in August, Tyler, the Creator took home the best new artist statue, breathlessly telling the audience that he was on the verge of tears.   (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

“Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark” sounded like a good idea with Broadway veteran Julie Taymor (“Lion King”) overseeing the production and U2’s Bono and the Edge writing the music. But the over-budget musical was plagued with trouble from the get-go, suffering cast accidents, major delays and the loss of Taymor. And then there were the bad reviews. Adding insult to injury (literally), the show served as a Tonys punch line. Even the rockers got in on the skewering: “When I first saw the Tonys on our schedule, I just sort of assumed we had been nominated,” quipped Bono. “It appears we missed the deadline,” noted the Edge.  (Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images)

When Prince William and his new wife Catherine Middleton announced that they’d stop off in Los Angeles a few months after their royal wedding, Angelenos welcomed them with open arms. The official visit followed a visit to Canada and included sightseeing, a job fair, a British Academy of Film and Television Arts event, a charity polo match and a trip to Inner-City Arts in Skid Row. David and Victoria Beckham, who have become close friends with the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, welcomed the newest member of their brood that weekend: baby girl Harper Seven Beckham.   (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ ” Russell Armstrong, a venture capitalist who was going through a divorce with wife Taylor, committed suicide. The couple’s problems were a focal point last season and the family asked Bravo to edit out Russell and any other related characters when the show returns in September. The network did announce it would do some re-editing.  (Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

“Friends With Benefits” buddies Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake started a trend when they agreed to be the celebrity plus-ones to Marines at their annual ball thanks to YouTube. However, not all the celebs asked would agree. Keeping with Betty White‘s example, “Iron Man 2” actress Scarlett Johansson declined an invitation to the Marine Corps Ball in Albany, Ga., despite Sgt. Dustin L. Williams’ video that included various calisthenics and a picture of Johansson toasting with bubbly. Unlike her contemporaries, the actress did say she would send a case of champagne for the Marines to celebrate with in her absence.   (Patrik Stollarz / AFP / Getty Images)

We like Conan O’Brien. Many people do. We also like George Lopez, who consented to move his already-established late-night show on TBS to make room for Conan’s new show -- all in an effort to help out the network that gave him a chance and to be a team player. We don’t like that Lopez has now been cut from the team. The last episode, which included Arsenio Hall, Eva Longoria and a couple of Lakers, was a great farewell, and was a reminder of how refreshing TV can be with different (i.e., ethnically diverse) voices adding to the chorus of late-night chatter.  (Evan Agostini / Associated Press)

Website popularity comes and goes quickly, and the business of Web technology is a bytes-eat-bytes world. The sale of MySpace seemed inevitable -- most of us abandoned the site years ago as Facebook absorbed more and more of the social network. But Hulu, a scrappy video site that allowed hipsters and newbies who were boastfully happy to not have a TV (and the rest of us) and yet watch what they wanted, was still being discovered by many before it was snatched up by the monstrous Comcast. That “everything on the Web is free” belief seems less and less concrete.  (Vizio / Getty Images)

Tea party queen and fringe Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann took a lot of heat in August for blaming the European Renaissance for dragging humans out of the god-fearing Dark Ages and allowing the populace to think they can play God. In the Aug. 15 issue of the New Yorker magazine, Bachmann said the artistic work of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo led humans to ask blasphemous questions about the universe, pose naked and believe that we are the center of time and space. The Times’ art critic Christopher Knight had his own things to say about that.   (Steve Pope / Getty Images)

A massive Tim Burton retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art proved a hit with fans and museum-goers. The director of such films as “Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Ed Wood” and “Alice in Wonderland” displayed his macabre artwork and movie props in the exhibition, which drew tens of thousands of people, despite a separate ticket price on top of regular admission to LACMA and a savage review from The Times art critic, who called the show “a monotonous plod.” The show’s popularity wasn’t surprising; during its time at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where the exhibition debuted in 2009, it became one of the highest-attended shows in MoMA history. Plus, Burton’s special connection to Los Angeles (he spent his childhood in Burbank) was an extra draw for the local art crowd.  (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

The 25th anniversary tour at the Ahmanson Theatre between June 14 and July 31 saw an attendance total of 109,996, or 2,000 per performance, which was 97% of the Ahmanson’s capacity for the 55-show run. The show grossed $176,121 per performance, a house record. “Les Miz” worked because it is one of the top-grossing musicals of all time (its original Broadway run lasted 16 years, ending in 2003) and has a huge built-in fan base. Douglas Baker, producing director of Center Theatre Group, felt L.A. audiences were primed for the anniversary tour. Among the attractions were new production elements, including a set design adapted from paintings by Victor Hugo, author of the classic 19th century novel on which the musical is based. Helping to prime the pump: In March, PBS began airing the “Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert” taped at London’s O2 Arena.   (Deen van Meer / Associated Press)