One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Unusual sea creatures, controversial parenting choices, The Little Sugarplum, FilmWeek and more
Two Orange County beaches have sections blocked from the public after a rare species of sea turtle was spotted laying and burying eggs.
(
Allen J. Schaben
/
Getty Images
)
Jump to
- Unusual sea animals are gracing California's coastline for a bummer reason
- The controversial parenting decision your mom or dad made
- The Little Sugarplum: The sisterhood of the traveling cinnamon roll
- FilmWeek: ‘Primetime,’ ‘Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother,’ ‘Forgotten Island,’ and more!
- Documentarian John Wilson talks about ‘The History of Concrete’
Today's show: AirTalk Friday host Austin Cross discusses sea creature spottings on California's coast, controversial parenting choices, The Little Sugarplum, FilmWeek and more. Cross is also LAist's local Morning Edition host.
Have a question or comment about a segment? Want to pitch us a story?
Fill out the form below, and please include an email address so we're able to follow up if necessary! We're not able to respond to every inquiry, but all submissions are read and reviewed by our production team.
Unusual sea animals are gracing California's coastline for a bummer reason
The topic:
Unusual creatures are visiting Southern California’s coastal waters. One of them, a sea turtle, nested near Seal Beach recently for the first time in California history, according to scientists. And they’re here because of El Niño.
The weather: Forecasters say there is more than a 90% chance that this year’s El Niño is going to be very strong, and Southern Californians are bracing for record-high surf and heavy rains that usually come with the climate pattern.
Sea critters abound: But the region is also starting to see a lesser-known effect of El Niño: sea creatures that don’t normally live here showing up in our waters. A whale shark was spotted near the Channel Islands. There have also been reports of hammerhead sharks and other large fish like mahi mahi and bullet tuna. Sea snakes are also likely to move into our waters.
Sponsored message
Join the conversation: Honestly, the turtle is very cute and likely an unforgettable experience for those who witnessed her lay her clutch. So today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you: What’s a nature experience you’ve witnessed and you’ll never forget? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.
With files from LAist
Guest:
- Lucas Brady Woods, reporter for LAist who covers the weather, disasters and other topics related to climate and science
The controversial parenting decision your mom or dad made
What’s a controversial parenting decision your parents made?
(
kieferpix
/
iStockphoto
)
The topic:
Raising kids is tough, especially when it seems like everyone has an opinion on not just how they feel kids should be raised, but also how you need to raise them. But some parenting decisions do deserve some level of scrutiny, and today on AirTalk we want to hear about the off-the-beaten-path parenting decisions your parents made.
Sponsored message
The quirky: Dessert before dinner, go outside and get covered in mud, fall off your bike and cry it off — there are a lot of different ways to “free range” raise kids.
The old: It’s fallen out of fashion, but in some circles hitting or spanking your kids for misbehaving is still seen as an appropriate way to set kids straight.
Join the conversation: What’s a controversial parenting decision your parents made? Or what’s one you are making for your kids that’s getting some flak from friends and family? How do you feel about the choices now that you’re an adult? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Guest:
- Erlanger 'Earl' Turner, associate professor of psychology and director of the Race and Cultural Experiences Research Lab at Pepperdine University
The Little Sugarplum: The sisterhood of the traveling cinnamon roll
The topic:
The Little Sugarplum is a local vendor — started by three sisters — selling sweets throughout Southern California. You may have seen them at places like Ubefest and 626 Night Market, and their cinnamon rolls have become the main attraction.
Sponsored message
Vendor details:
- The sisters have made career changes. There’s the medical student turned baker, a hospitality worker turned marketer, and a blackjack dealer turned accountant.
- The Little Sugar Plum’s inception came from the baker in the family, who had shared a recipe that went viral — a traditional Amish cinnamon roll — which they learned from a neighbor growing up.
How to visit: They release their vending schedule on their website and Instagram.
Guest:
- Jenna Agpaoa, one of the owners of The Little Sugarplum, a baked goods pop-up
FilmWeek: ‘Primetime,’ ‘Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother,’ ‘Forgotten Island,’ and more!
Mahershala Ali in "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother," written and directed by Bassam Tariq.
(
Jaclyn Martinez
/
Courtesy MGM studios
)
The topic:
Larry Mantle and FilmWeek critics review Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson as NBC Dateline's Chris Hansen, best known for his series To Catch a Predator. And they talk about the documentary You Had to Be There that attempts to capture the magical 1972 Toronto production of Godspell that launched many famous comedians. The events are told through animation and interviews with the original cast.
Sponsored message
The films:
- Primetime, Wide Release
- Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother, In Select Theaters
- Forgotten Island, Wide Release
- The History of Concrete, In Select Theaters
- Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, In Select Theaters
- The Stunt Driver, In Select Theaters
- Never After Dark, In Select Theaters
- You Had to Be There, In Select Theaters
- Unabomber, Streaming on Netflix
Guests:
- Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the "Breakfast All Day" YouTube and podcast series
- Maureen Lee Lenker, LAist film critic and freelance journalist (formerly at Entertainment Weekly) who's written for Gold Derby, the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and Turner Classic Movies. She is also the author of three novels set in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Documentarian John Wilson talks about ‘The History of Concrete’
John Wilson in "The History of Concrete."
(
Courtesy Magnolia Pictures
)
The topic:
Finding humor and fascination in the mundane is John Wilson’s signature. After closing out his acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson, the documentarian picks up right where he left off, but this time with a feature film examining one of New York’s most foundational materials: concrete. Wilson joins FilmWeek’s Larry Mantle to talk about his first feature documentary The History of Concrete, his directorial influences, and how he sees the world.
Guest:
- John Wilson, documentarian best known for his acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson and director of the new documentary The History of Concrete
-
Today on AirTalk: The latest predictions for Senate races, political influencers, Tesla safety, local housing, CD-3 candidate Barri Worth Girvan and TV Talk. -
Today on AirTalk: Republican candidate Steve Hilton, Meta's new AI assistant, federal prosecutor Bill Essayli, Berkeley IGS polls and David Benoit on new cello concerto piece. -
Today on AirTalk: Lucas Museum, O.C. Supervisor candidate Tim Shaw, nontraditional museums, data center laws, superintendent candidate Sonja Shaw and CA fisheries.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
