Slake's John Albert remembers when Van Halen was groundbreaking and good ... Riding the Blue Line ... Poison or Pleasant - what is the plant in Kevin's backyard ... Bike Advocate ... Seth MacFarlane ticket winners singing with spoons ... Simon Cowell previews The X Factor ...
Here Comes the Judge: Auditions this weekend for Simon Cowell's The X Factor
Simon Cowell, the man tv audiences loved to hate on American Idol, launches his new show, The X Factor, this fall. Actually, it's not so new. It's wildly successful in countries around the world, but is just now coming to America. Auditions for the US version are Sunday in Los Angeles. (CLICK THROUGH FOR INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUDITIONING.)
Cowell told Off-Ramp host John Rabe how the new show will be better than the old one.
"The difference," Cowell says, in describing how The X-Factor will work, "is that you can be 12 years old, you can be 70, or you can be in any type of vocal harmony group. I always like the idea that the final could be a 14-year old guy versus a 45-year old woman." That certainly would be a switch from the young-skewing Idol.
And, something like Tim Gunn helps along the fashion designers in Project Runway, each group of contestants will be assigned a judge to mentor them, just as, Cowell says, smart record companies develop stars and don't let them sink or swim on their own.
He's announced record company exec L.A. Reid as one of the judges, but the other two have yet to be named. "The truth is, we can't make our mind up at the moment. I know who I'd want, but the producers have got their own opinion, the network's got their own opinion. But ... I'm sure I'm going to get my own way."
If you want to audition for The X Factor, here's the info from the publicist:
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WHO: Singers and vocal groups 12 years of age or older as of March 1, 2011, who are legal U.S. citizens or eligible to work in the U.S. and do not currently have a music recording contract. Some restrictions apply; please visit www.fox.com/theXfactor for specific information.
WHEN: Sunday, March 27, 2011
WHERE: The L.A. Sports Arena, 3939 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90037
HOW: Wristbands will be distributed from approximately 6:00 AM on Saturday, March 26 until approximately 6:00 AM on Sunday, March 27. Auditioners will not be permitted to camp out. Once auditioners obtain their wristbands, they will be asked to return to the L.A. Sports Arena by 8:00 AM on Sunday, March 27. Please bring legal photo identification. Any auditioner under 18 years old must be accompanied by his/her parent or legal guardian.
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Good luck!
Slake: John Albert's "Running with the Devil"
LISTENER WARNING: This interview -- Off-Ramp host John Rabe's conversation with writer John Albert about his piece in Issue 2 of Slake magazine -- includes frank and non-judgemental descriptions of drug use, teenage sex, unsupervised partying, and the groundbreaking nature of early Van Halen.
Kevin Ferguson asks: what's in my backyard?
And who better to answer than botanical mastermind, Lili Singer?
Lili works with the Theodore Payne Foundation, a native plant nursery in Sun Valley. Sadly, much of Kevin's treasured black sage succumbed to the elements after last Sunday's blustery rain storm:
At least the feijoa tree made it.
Safety on the Blue Line from the pedestrian's perspective
Earlier last month you heard Off-Ramp's Kevin Ferguson report on the Blue Line's embattled safety record: the line has been tied to 103 deaths so far. While the line has gone to great lengths to reduce fatalities along the line, pedestrian deaths have yet to decline. But what is it like to walk along one of the busiest (and deadliest) light rail lines in the country?
Kevin talked with Fred Camino, who blogs for The Source, Metro's official blog, about safety issues along the train.
Disaster Prep Pt 2 - Upstairs Dwellers
After last week's talk about disaster prep, a listener wrote, "What about me? And the thousands like me?" CLICK THROUGH for her question, our expert's answer, and some of the latest disaster prep gear.
(Just one of the myriad disaster prep products available. From the collection of Christal Smith.)
Last weekend, John Rabe and KPCC producer/disaster preparedness expert Christal Smith went to Scott Sanger's Southland home to talk about how homeowners can be better prepared for a catastrophic earthquake. But if and when a quake like that hits, homes won't be the only structures affected. That thought made listener Elizabeth Conde ask:
My family's condo is entirely on the second floor, so any supplies I stockpile would most likely not be accessible if we have to evacuate, or if the building is red tagged. Is there a plan for all us condo / apartment dwellers? What do the experts think?
Christal responds:
Yet another deterrent to disaster preparation is the tricky question of where it makes the most sense to stow supplies. One solution is to keep everything in your car with the idea that you will always have that nearby. Ideally you would have two kits, a car kit (with car specific items such as heavy duty booster cables, w/vinyl coated clamps an air compressor with gauge, cable ties, and a utility tool in addition to standard kit contents such as food, water, blanket, poncho, flashlight and radio) and a "go bag" that you can keep near the main door of your home with the basic supplies. Personally I have a kit in my car, one on the ground floor of my apartment near the rear door, and a small kit in my desk at work along with an extra pair of walking shoes.
Wherever you decide to keep it, make sure everyone in your household knows where it is and that you have a family evacuation plan in place as well.
Listen for John's follow-up with Christal to find out more!
Eat-LA/Off-Ramp Collaboration: Best Hot Dogs in LA County, and some not so hot
Eat-LA's Colleen Bates tells Off-Ramp's John Rabe and Kevin Ferguson where to go for the best hot dogs -- like Pasadena's messy "Slaw Dog," above.
CyberFrequencies on the human cost of Apple's magic gadgets
3/16/2012 NOTE FROM JOHN RABE: After an investigation by Marketplace reporter Rob Schmitz, Daisey has admitted that he lied about many of the details in this story, so we're retracting this episode of CyberFrequencies. Daisey also duped This American Life, which aired a much longer segment about the supposed story. This American Life is spending all of this weekend's show on the issue, and Marketplace is also reporting in-depth on the story.
As tech geeks drool over the iPad 2, Tanya Jo Miller and Queena Kim look into allegations of poor working conditions – not to mention high suicide rates – for workers at Foxconn, Apple’s Chinese factory.