Cynthia Erivo on the Capricorn-ness of it all

Best season by any L.A. athlete ... ever?

Usually I’m a little allergic to that kind of hyperbole, but it’s hard to argue against Shohei Ohtani’s 2024 season. My opinion may have been a little colored by the fact that I was just looking at that bobblehead, the one with Ohtani holding his cute little dog, Decoy, and, somehow, the $216 price tag didn’t strike me as completely unreasonable. Compared to Freddie Freeman’s home run ball, it’s a bargain!

I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope’s Monday newsletter. How much would you pay for an Ohtani bobblehead?

Cynthia Erivo defies more than gravity

It’s an autumn day in New York, which prompts Cynthia Erivo to start singing the opening lines of the jazz standard of that name because, as I learn through our hour together, it does not take much prodding to get Erivo to break out in song. She serenades me with Marvin Gaye, Kate Bush and — wait, what’s that? Mike and the Mechanics?

“I did not picture you as a Mike and the Mechanics girl,” I tell her. But then she reminds me of the ’80s ballad “The Living Years,” and soon we’re diving into its message about regret and unresolved conflict.

These musical interludes aren’t surprising. Erivo does, after all, have the lead role in the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical “Wicked,” playing Elphaba, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West. In the first entry of a two-movie telling, Elphaba is a reserved, gifted young woman trying to hone her skills and maybe someday partner with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It’s also a story of female bonding when, after a rough start, Elphaba forms a friendship with Glinda (Ariana Grande).

If, like millions of people, you’ve seen the stage musical, you know the rest. If not, you might be surprised where it takes you.

You can read my conversation with Erivo here, where we touched on “Wicked,” the courage it takes to walk along Laurel Canyon and how being a Capricorn shapes her personality. My pal Mark Olsen also spoke with Erivo for the Envelope’s podcast. Take a listen.

Cynthia Erivo stars in “Wicked.”

(Victoria Will / For The Times)

Kathy Bates is not retiring

And that’s news to me because when her reboot of “Matlock” premiered a few weeks ago, I read quotes saying that it was the last role of her career.

“Well, phooey, I’m just really f—ing lucky. What a wonderful career I’ve had the opportunity to play. I can’t believe it’s almost over — and I hope it’s not,” Bates told Max Gao, clarifying that recent rumors of her retirement were greatly exaggerated. “I hope ‘Matlock’ goes for a long time, and if there are other projects that I can find to do during the hiatus that turn me on, I’ll see what they’re like and if I can bring anything new to that.”

I get the need for clarification. If you’re of a certain age and have some means, you’ve probably contemplated life on the other side. No, not the afterlife! Retirement. Though to some, one leads to the other.

I still haven’t had the chance to watch Bates in “Matlock,” of which my old friend, Times television critic Robert Lloyd, wrote: “The series trends cozy and comical, but the cases they argue bring up serious issues and give Bates plenty of opportunity to go dramatically deep as she convinces reluctant witnesses to come forward or imparts the wisdom her years have earned her.”

As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read. Hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving.

The great Kathy Bates, starring now in “Matlock.”

(Richard Shotwell / Invision / AP)