New Dodgers boss Tom Schieffer talks about the future of the team management. Bill to dissolve city of Vernon is approved by state assembly. The Royal Wedding royal update. Jazz legends provide a preview of the Playboy Jazz Festival. FilmWeek: KPCC film critics Peter Rainer, Henry Sheehan and Charles Solomon join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including Fast Five, 13 Assassins, Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil, Cave of Forgotten Dreams and more. TGI-FilmWeek! Richard Shickel's Conversations with Scorsese.
Batter up – a new inning for the Dodgers?
Last week Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig stunned Dodgers fans – and the team’s owner, Frank McCourt – when he seized control of the team, citing “deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers.” He followed up by naming former Texas Rangers owner Tom Schieffer to oversee Dodger business until a full ownership change can be effected. Schieffer arrived in Los Angeles Wednesday, vowing to stay until the Dodgers are back on their feet. McCourt is expected to take legal action to hold onto the franchise, but with a protracted divorce battle on his hands and the $30 million loan he took out to meet the Dodgers’ last payroll, his chances look slim. How does Schieffer plan to shine up this diamond? How bad are the finances for the franchise? What’s ahead for the Dodgers?
Guest:
Tom Schieffer, Monitor, LA Dodgers
Bill to dissolve city of Vernon is approved by state assembly
For over 100 years, the tiny city of Vernon, tucked away in a pocket below the 10 freeway, has served as a small, business-friendly enclave. Founded by Basque merchant John Leonis and run almost continually by the Leonis family since then, Vernon’s low utility, insurance and tax rates have attracted many of California’s family-owned businesses, including Simply Fresh Fruit, Tapatio Hot Sauce and the city’s largest employer, Farmer John Meat Co. In just over 5 square miles, Vernon generates $343 million annually in state and local tax revenues. But in recent years, the criminal indictments of three of the city’s top officials have brought to light decades of corruption, insider dealings and lavish spending by Vernon’s ruling class. Now, in an unprecedented move, California’s state Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a bill to dissolve the city charter of any city of less than 150 residents – and guess what? Vernon, with a resident population of 96, is the only one. Assembly Speaker John Perez, the bill’s author, contends that in a city with so few voters, there is no real accountability for government activity and thus ample opportunity for corruption. Business owners in Vernon are up in arms, saying the move would damage the city’s unique business climate -- and perhaps drive them out of the state altogether. Are these idle threats? Can we afford to lose the businesses that call Vernon home? Should the state intervene when city government goes awry?
Guests:
John Perez, Assembly Speaker (D-Los Angeles), author of AB 46
Marisa Olguin, President and CEO of the Vernon Chamber of Commerce
John Van de Kamp, Independent Ethics Advisor for the City of Vernon
The Royal Romance!
Prince William and, now the Duchess, Kate Middleton were married today in the grandest affair the British monarchy has seen in 30 years. Westminster Abbey was surrounded by crowds of well-wishers – all vying for a look at the dress, which we’ve all seen now. We know the details of the vows. And who did and did not shed happy tears. Patt Morrison, KPCC's resident royal wedding expert, joins Larry to guide us through the momentous event that took place this morning starting at 2:00 am.
Guest:
Patt Morrison, host of Patt Morrison on KPCC
Jazz legends provide a preview of the Playboy Jazz Festival
Acclaimed jazz musicians Justo Almario and Tamir Hendelman talked to Larry about the uniting influence of jazz and their upcoming appearance at the Playboy Jazz Festival’s free community concert at the Beverly Hills Civic Center on May 1st. Cuban-born Almario incorporates a musical melting pot of styles into his distinctive saxophone playing and has performed with such marquee acts as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Linda Ronstadt and Charles Mingus. Tamir Hendelman started at the piano at the tender age of 6 in Israel and had moved to the US and won Yamaha’s National Keyboard competition by age 14. His fluid piano playing can be heard accompanying Barbara Streisand and Natalie Cole as well as with his own trio. Almario’s Afro-Cuban ensemble will share the stage with Hendelman’s trio at 3pm on Sunday in a preview of the upcoming 33rd Playboy Jazz Festival in June. What role does jazz play in modern music? Is jazz America’s finest musical export?
Guests:
Justo Almario, master saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, and arranger; his style is a fusion of Jazz, South American, and other world rhythms; Mr. Almario’s sounds have been heard in Grammy Award winning works such as Linda Ronstadt’s “Frenesi,” Placido Domingo’s “A Mi Alma Latina,” Luis Miguel’s “Romance,” Andrae Crouch’s “Mercy,” and Isreal Lopez Cachao’s “Master Sessions” & “Ahora Si,” as well as the Oscar winning soundtracks from Happy Feet, Sideways and the recently released 3D animated film Rio
Tamir Hendelman, Award-winning jazz pianist who has performed with the Jeff Hamilton Trio, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Harry Allen, Teddy Edwards, Warren Vache, Houston Person, Jeff Clayton, Nick Brignola, Phil Upchurch, Rickey Woodard, John Clayton and Barbara Morrison; he also leads his own trio and his debut CD "Playground" features him in this trio setting
FilmWeek: Fast Five, 13 Assassins, Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil, Cave of Forgotten Dreams and more
KPCC film critics Peter Rainer, Henry Sheehan, Charles Solomon and Claudia Puig join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including Fast Five, 13 Assassins, Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil, Cave of Forgotten Dreams and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC and amazon.com
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA Today
Live tweeting this week's reviews:
Schickel on Scorsese
Martin Scorsese has forever enriched American cinema with films like Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun, The Departed, The Aviator and Shutter Island. Film critic Richard Schickel sat down with Scorsese for a series of conversations that illuminate his phenomenal film-making career, from his first movie Who’s That Knocking at My Door in 1967 to last year’s Shutter Island. Schickel’s interviews guide us through Scorsese’s life and work, how he escaped the realities of Little Italy in the 1950s and became the man whose encyclopedic knowledge of film shaped his artistic ambition. Scorsese reveals which films have been forays into unknown territory and which films are the most autobiographical. He talks about his documentaries, his influences and his lesser-known movies, and those already considered to be classics. And he discusses what being a lifelong student of film has taught him about all aspects of film-making. Which of Scorsese's iconic films are your favorite?
Guest:
Richard Schickel, author of Conversations with Scorcese; a film critic, filmmaker, and movie historian who has written more than thirty-five books, including Clint Eastwood: A Biography and The Disney Version; he now reviews movies at Truthdig.com