The collapse of the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger means more uncertainty for Dodgers fans. Also, should large law firms be more open to the idea of representing same-sex marriages? Then, we talk with Laemmle Theatre chain president about how the indie community is navigating the shifting distribution landscape.
Dodgers deal dead, devotees devastated
The collapse of the $454 billion Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger means more uncertainty for Dodgers fans.
It would have created a cable and internet powerhouse with coast to coast reach. As part of the merger, and a side deal with Charter Communications, the merged company would have taken over almost all Southern California cable households. Most Angelenos haven’t been to watch the games ever since the Dodgers sold exclusive marketing rights for their team-owned channel, SportsNet LA, to TWC in a 25-year deal. DirectTV and every other cable carrier rejected TWC’s proposed rate of almost $5 per-month-per-subscriber for the game channel. The Comcast deal was seen as a way to write down that cost but now that it’s no longer an option, even sports business analysts are scratching their heads over what comes next.
Does TWC cut its losses of more than $100 million a year? Take themselves off the market? Attract another carrier? Dodgers fans want to know.
Guests:
Ed Desser, President, Desser Sports Media
Bill Shaikin, Baseball Writer, Los Angeles Times
Student accused of rape by ‘mattress girl’ files king-sized lawsuit against Columbia
Emma Sulkowicz has been carrying a mattress around Columbia University’s campus, calling artistic expression and using the project as her senior thesis.
It began as a protest of the way Columbia handled her sexual assault claim against a fellow student and one-time friend. Now, that former friend has filed a lawsuit against Columbia, arguing that the school didn’t do enough to protect him from the harassment that came along with Sulkowicz public display of protest.
The federal discrimination lawsuit states that Columbia was a “silent bystander” and turned into a supporter of Sulkowicz’s rape claim “by institutionalizing it and heralding it.” It also alleges that a professor, Jon Kessler, essentially supported the harassment by approving the project as Sulkowicz’s senior thesis. Paul Nungesser, the student she accused of raping her, is a German citizen and says that the accusations have made his daily life “unbearably stressful” and that he has been threatened by fellow students and is having difficulty finding a job for after graduation.
Nungesser says he and his one-time friend Sulkowicz had consensual sex, but she claims that he hit her, pinned her down, and raped her in August 2012.
Does Nungesser have a case against Columbia under Title IX for failing to protect him from harassment?
Guests:
Matthew Kaiser, partner at the law firm Kaiser, LeGrand (LA-grand) & Dillon PLLC. The firm has filed several lawsuits on behalf of men accused of sexual assaults on college campuses.
Erin Buzuvis, Professor at Western New England University School of Law and director of the school’s Center for Gender & Sexuality Studies
Why some lawyers call gay marriage unprecedented third rail of justice system
The Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate next week, but we won’t be seeing any major law firms stepping up to defend traditional marriage.
In a recent article, New York Times Supreme Court correspondent Adam Liptak explains how, unlike in the past where large law firms have jumped at the chance to represent factories accused of heavy pollution or tobacco companies who allegedly lied about how dangerous their products are, no leading firm seems to want anything to do with arguing against same-sex marriage. The speculation is that these large law firms feel they might lose clients or the ability to attract new talent if they are known as a firm that fought against same-sex marriage. Liptak also argues there’s a strong feeling that opposing same-sex marriage in today’s world is almost the same kind of bigotry as racism.
Is same-sex marriage becoming the third rail of the American justice system? Should large law firms be more open to the idea of representing the unpopular side in a landmark case like this?
Guests:
Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at the New York University School of Law. He’s also the author of “SPEAK NOW: Marriage Equality on Trial” (Crown Publishing, April 2015), which came out Tuesday.
John Eastman, Professor of Law and Founding Director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence at Chapman University School of Law.
Filmweek: 'The Age of Adaline,' 'Little Boy,' 'The Water Diviner,' and more:
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Andy Klein and Amy Nicholson review this week’s releases, including Blake Lively in "The Age of Adaline," the family film "Little Boy," Russell Crowe in "The Water Diviner," and more.
Guests:
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC and chief film critic for LA Weekly
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the LA Times Community Papers chain
How independent film can thrive alongside VOD marketplace, movie piracy
Audience options for seeing the new documentary "Misery Loves Comedy:" paying about $13 to see it at a small theater soon, paying about $7 to stream it on Amazon or iTunes now, or paying zero dollars to stream one of the myriad pirated copies on YouTube.
While the film itself is about the comedy business, the business of the film illustrates the fractured, frightening distribution models facing art house theater, indie filmmakers, their distributors, and their audiences. A relatively new juggernaut on the indie distribution scene is A24. Its string of critical hits includes "Locke," "Enemy," "Spring Breakers," "Ex Machina," and "The Spectacular Now" which was also a big commercial hit.
How are they navigating early on-demand releases but still getting moviegoers into seats?
Guest:
Dominic Patten, Legal Editor at the entertainment industry news website, Deadline
Greg Laemmle, President, Laemmle Theatre chain