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What does the World Cup mean to you? Dream concerts, cookies and more
Julian Quinones #16 of Mexico celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City.
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Today's show: AirTalk host Larry Mantle discusses what the World Cup means to you, dream concerts, Food Friday, FilmWeek and best documentaries.
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What does the World Cup mean to you?
The topic:
Tonight in Southern California, the world's largest sporting event returns to the U.S. for the first time in more than three decades as the U.S. men's national soccer team kicks off its first group-stage match against Paraguay.
The context: The heavyweight talent and strong soccer tradition of European and South American teams have long proven elusive for the U.S. to match, despite decades of investment in the sport.
Where things stand: The furthest the U.S. team has finished in a modern World Cup was a run to the quarterfinals in 2002; since then, the U.S. has managed just three total wins across all the World Cups.
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What's different this time: The chance to host the tournament at home has coincided with the development of perhaps the most talented generation of players that American soccer has ever produced.
With files from LAist — read all of LAist' World Cup coverage here.
Guests:
- Kevin Baxter, staff writer for the LA Times, covering soccer
- Manny Valladares, AirTalk producer
Tell us about that dream concert you went to, or wish you did
What is your dream concert?
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The topic:
Every now and then there’s a concert that’s not just great, but downright perfect. Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from listeners who had the pleasure of experiencing one of these iconic concerts (or, had the displeasure of missing it).
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The question: Why was that concert in particular so memorable? We want to hear your answer! Was it the raw musical talent of the act? The stage presence? The lighting? The dancing? What made it not just a concert for you, but the concert for you?
Join the conversation: Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com, and when you do that be sure to include your first name and what neighborhood you live in.
Guest:
- Dave Brooks, music journalist writing about music for Puck Media and the host of the Decibel and Docket podcast
Lei’d Cookies: a sweet spot in Culver City
The topic:
A cookie business with more than a dozen flavors ranging from Mexican hot chocolate to mango sticky rice? How very L.A. Lei’d Cookies has started as a pop-up but nowadays you can find their shop in Culver City.
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Origins: Lei’d Cookies started as a pandemic project but ended up branching out as a pop-up that eventually gained more popularity after joining Smorgasburg L.A.’s vendor roster. They eventually opened their brick-and-mortar location in 2023.
About the owners: Co-owner Leilani Terris has a background as a physical therapist, with baking being more of a passion project. Her partner and co-owner, James, has a more conventional background in the food industry, having worked in restaurant management for over a decade.
How to visit:
Address: 8588 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA
Hours: Tuesday-Friday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 5-9 p.m.
Guest:
- Leilani Terris, baker and owner of Lei’d Cookies in Culver City, they also have a pop-up at Smorgasburg LA
FilmWeek: ‘Disclosure Day,’ ‘Jinsei,’ ‘The Furious,’ and more!
Emily Blunt in Disclosure Day
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The topic:
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Charles Solomon, Christy Lemire, and Maureen Lee Lenker review this weekend’s latest movie releases in theaters and on streaming platforms.
The films:
- Disclosure Day, Wide Release
- Jinsei, In Select Theaters
- The Furious, In Select Theaters
- The Little Sister, Laemmle Glendale & Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica]
- I am Frankelda, Laemmle Glendale & Streaming on Netflix
- Stop! That! Train!, Wide Release
- Boy George & Culture Club, Available on Digital & VOD
- Underland, Laemmle Glendale
- This Tempting Madness, Available on Digital & VOD
The critics:
- Charles Solomon, film critic for LAist, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
- Christy Lemire, film critic for LAist, and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ YouTube and podcast series
- Maureen Lee Lenker, film critic for LAist. She’s written for the LA Times and Gold Derby and co-hosts the podcast Hollywood-ography. She is also the author of three novels set in the Golden Age of Hollywood
Feature: Documentary Magazine’s list of the 25 Greatest Docs from the 21st Century
What are your favorite documentaries?
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The topic:
Documentary Magazine, published by the International Documentary Association (IDA), released a list of what it determined to be the 25 greatest documentaries of the 21st Century.
How the list was made: Documentary polled 300 documentary filmmakers and producers, critics, programmers, and academics, asking them to name three documentaries they deemed the “greatest.” Each documentary had to be released after January 1, 2000.
Notable picks: Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing (2012) has garnered the most votes. Other films that made the list include No Other Land (2024), the most recent release on the list, and The Gleaners and I (2000), the oldest release.
Check out Documentary’s full list here.
Guest:
- Manuel Betancourt, film critic for LAist and assistant editor of Documentary Magazine. He also contributes regularly to Variety and The AV Club.
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Today on AirTalk: the 2026 World Cup, the latest on the Eaton and Palisades fires, a new biography of Roddy McDowall, waiting in lines and TV Talk. -
Downtown Los Angeles hosts an array of historic theaters that are screening classic films this month. -
Today on AirTalk: Governor's race, new data on CA teaching programs, golf's popularity, mosquito sterilization, AI in healthcare and last day of school memories.
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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