Saturday, April 26, 2025

The Hollywood Palladium

6pm: Cocktail Hour

7pm: Dinner and program

Followed by the Gala Dance Party with JT & Friends

Honoring:

Larry Mantle, on the occasion of AirTalk's 40th anniversary

Legendary comedian Cheech Marin

And heroes from the recent wildfires:

Nikki High

Edgar McGregor

L.A. County Fire Department's Community Brigade

Featuring:

JT & Friends

Special guest José James

Master of Ceremonies John C. Reilly

We hope you'll join us!

Click here to view options for sponsorships, tickets, and donations

All proceeds support Southern California Public Radio and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Questions? scprgala@scpr.org

Meet the Honorees

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LAist

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Larry Mantle

Larry Mantle has been the host of AirTalk on LAist since April 1st, 1985. It is now the longest continuously running daily talk program in the Los Angeles radio market. He also hosts the weekly movie review and interview program FilmWeek.

Throughout AirTalk’s 40-year run, Larry has covered a wide array of topics and interviewed thousands of prominent guests ranging from politicians like Barack Obama and John McCain, to Laker great Jerry West and filmmaker extraordinaire Martin Scorsese. He is the calm voice that has gotten us through pivotal moments in history such as the Northridge earthquake, Woolsey wildfire, Covid pandemic, and January 6th attack on the capital.

Larry has received many journalistic awards, including six Golden Mikes, the Associated Press’s Mark Twain award, and Society of Professional Journalists’ Radio Journalist of the Year in 2010. Larry is a proud fourth-generation Angeleno and grew up in southwest Los Angeles, Inglewood, and Hollywood.

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David Fouts

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Cheech Marin

Cheech Marin was born and raised in South Central L.A., and is known for his work as an actor, director, writer, musician, and art collector. He is famously half of the comedy duo "Cheech and Chong," with whom he achieved significant success, including six gold albums and a Grammy.

Beyond his comedic career, Cheech is a prominent advocate for Chicano art. His personal collection includes over 700 pieces of art and has been featured in over a dozen exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe. His collection is now the core of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, opened in June 2022 in Riverside, California, in partnership with the City of Riverside and the Riverside Art Museum. This center aims to celebrate and expand the representation of Chicano art, with Marin stating, "Chicano art is American art. My goal is to bring the term ‘Chicano’ to the forefront of the art world."

About the Guests

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Kirk MacKoy

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Getty Images

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Master of Ceremonies: John C. Reilly

For more than three decades, John C. Reilly has been one of the most beloved and versatile actors of his generation, effortlessly navigating the worlds of comedy, drama, and musical theater with a rare blend of skill and charm. From his breakout roles in quirky comedies to his more nuanced dramatic performances, Reilly has consistently proven himself a master of range, bringing equal parts warmth and depth to every character he inhabits.

A testament to his extraordinary versatility is his one-man vaudeville show, Mister Romantic—perhaps the most personal project of his career. Already receiving critical acclaim, Mister Romantic has been described by Vanity Fair as “fiercely funny,” while Theaterly hailed it as one of the best performances of 2024. After two years of sold-out shows in Los Angeles, Reilly will take the show on the road in 2025, further expanding his creative horizons.

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Janette Beckman

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Special guest: José James

A jazz artist for the hip-hop generation, José James artfully blurs the lines between traditional and contemporary jazz, hip-hop, soul, funk, pop and rock. He has released 12 critically-acclaimed albums in as many years for labels such as Brownswood, Impulse, Blue Note and his own co-founded Rainbow Blonde Records, and is the recipient of both the Edison Award and L'Académie du Jazz Grand Prix. James has collaborated with many notable artists such as Flying Lotus, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway, Ledisi, Aloe Blacc and Jason Moran.

A celebrated international performer, James has presented his work at venues such as The Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl, Ancienne Belgique and Billboard Live Tokyo, and has performed as a guest artist with McCoy Tyner, Laura Mvula and the Jazz at Lincoln Center, Melbourne Symphony and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras.