Roommates.com can't Discriminate; MySpace takes on iTunes; Where have all the Print Film Critics Gone?; Filmweek Reviews
Roommates.com can't Discriminate
In an 8-3 ruling The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Thursday that Roommates.com may be found liable for violating fair housing laws by matching roommates according to gender, sexual orientation and parenthood. The judges said that the website may be brought to trial for possibly violating anti-discrimination laws because it requires users to provide information about gender, sexual orientation and whether they have children, and then uses the information to screen people for matches. Larry Mantle and guests discuss the case.
MySpace takes on iTunes
Social networking giant MySpace is partnering with major record labels to form a digital music business: MySpace Music. The deal gives MySpace users--all 110 million of them--one stop shopping for their favorite songs, merchandise and concert tickets. Many experts say the deal is a direct challenge to Apple's iTunes--the leading music retailer. But is there room for both on the Internet? Larry talks to some music insiders to find out what this means for consumers, artists and the struggling music industry. He also talks to Dawn Chmielewski, who helped cover the story for the Los Angeles Times.
Where have all the Print Film Critics Gone?
News of staff cuts at newspapers around the country has become fairly common lately. Among those who have been laid off or have taken buy-outs are film critics at dozens of dailies and weeklies. Though a plethora of movie blogs exist on the Web, critics whose work appears in print seem to be a dying breed. Larry and three of our FilmWeek critics discuss the trend.
Filmweek Reviews
Larry and critics Jean Oppenheimer of "Village Voice Media," and Claudia Puig of "USA Today," review some of the week's new feature films including "Leatherheads," "Nim's Island," "My Blueberry Nights," "Chapter 27," and "Sex and Death 101," as well as the documentaries "Shine A Light" and "Imaginary Witness." The critics will also discuss the career of director Jules Dassin, who passed away this week at the age of 96.