Artemis II comes to a close today — has it changed your opinion of space exploration?

Artemis II comes to a close today — has it changed your opinion of space exploration?

Their dramatic grand finale fast approaching, Artemis II’s astronauts aim for a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first voyage to the moon in more than half a century.

The tension in Mission Control mounts as the miles melt away between the four returning astronauts and Earth. All eyes are on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the only other test flight of the spacecraft — in 2022, with no one on board — the shield’s charred exterior came back looking as pockmarked as the moon. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were on track to hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 32 — or 32 times the speed of sound — a blistering blur not seen since NASA’s Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s. Today on AirTalk, we get the latest from Micah Maidenberg, space reporter for the Wall Street Journal. We also want to hear from you! What’s your opinion on space exploration? Do you think it's worthwhile? Has your opinion shifted during this ongoing Artemis mission? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.

With files from the Associated Press.

What’s your favorite videogame soundtrack?

A good video game soundtrack needs to somehow straddle the line of being memorable, but not front-of-mind. Say you’re stuck on a particularly hard boss — you may end up hearing the same song on loop for hours. It needs to strike the right tone, while also not absorbing too much of the player’s attention. Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you! What’s your favorite video game soundtrack? What makes it stand out, even when it’s playing in the background? What’s your take on the evolution of video game music from the chiptune days of old to full orchestral arrangements? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com. Joining Austin this morning for the professional take is Jennifer Miller Hammel, Classical California Host and Arcade Stream Host with the Classical California radio station out of the University of Southern California.

Ubefest vendors Cyclops Coffee and the Burger Ghoul stop by to share what’s in store

Last week on Food Friday, our team had the opportunity to speak with Ubefest founder James Oreste and Long Beach Lumpia owner Emerson Baja, speaking to them about their work in highlighting Filipino food culture. Along with traditional Filipino food, Ubefest also includes other members of the community, selling food and drinks that are more or less inspired by their heritage. In the case of vendors like Cyclops Coffee, who have a brick-and-mortar in Long Beach, their standard cafe drinks are also paired with seasonal and specialty drinks. The coffee shop even has two specialty drinks for the event, both of which include ube. In the case of pop-ups like The Burger Ghoul, they’ve done specialty items like their ube burger, as well as their traditional Shanghai lumpia. Today on AirTalk’s Food Friday, Austin talks to Cyclops Coffee owner, Steven Than, and Geoffrey Manila, owner of the pop-up The Burger Ghoul.

Ubefest comes to Cerritos for two days, from April 11-12. Learn more about the event by clicking here.

FilmWeek: ‘You, Me, & Tuscany,’ ‘Exit 8,’ ‘The Christophers,’ and more!

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell, Beandrea July, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.

Films:

You, Me & Tuscany Wide Release                                     
Exit 8  In Select Theaters                                                           
The Christophers AMC Century City|Expands to Select Theaters April 17 [Next Fri]                                         
Hamlet In Select Theaters                                                     
Faces of Death Wide Release                                              
The Stranger In Select Laemmle Theaters                                                 
ChaO  In Select Theaters                                                               
The Blue Trail Lumiere Cinema Hall [West LA] Apr. 10-12                                               
Birth of the Black Underworld Laemmle NoHo                 
Outcome Alamo Drafthouse [DTLA]|IPIC Theaters [Westwood]|Available to Stream on Apple TV+             

Feature: A new book tells the story behind Hitler’s efforts to infiltrate Hollywood

During World War II, Hitler recognized the power that Hollywood held as a tool for propaganda. So much so that he sent Nazi agents to L.A. to infiltrate the studios. In his new book, “Hollywood vs. Nazis: How the Movie Studios Took on Nazis Infiltrating Los Angeles”, author Michael Benson, tells the story of how one entertainment lawyer spearheaded the defense against Hitler’s pro-Nazi propaganda in Hollywood. Today on FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with Benson about his book and this interesting intersection in movie history.