AirTalk interviews the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Cheryl Boone Isaacs will not only be the first African American president, she will also face some challenges like finding the next host of the Oscars. Will she broaden the Academy's diversity? Also, should movie tickets be priced on a sliding scale, what will Snowden do now that he's been granted temporary asylum in Russia, and is the word "Caucasian" outdated and inaccurate? Then, Janet Yellen is being considered as the next Federal Reserve chair-woman, but despite her credentials, her gender may actually help her chances of getting the job. Later, UCSD paleo-biologist Richard Norris talks about how greenhouse gases can alter the ocean ecosystems, the NFL Pro Bowl may undergo some major changes, and author Lew Irwin talks about bombings in U.S. history.
New Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs on who will host the next Oscars
Tuesday night at a meeting of the leadership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the governing body that runs the Oscars, the group of 48 board members selected Cheryl Boone Isaacs to be the organizations next president. Isaacs will be the first-ever African American leader, and the first woman to lead the organization in more than 30 years.
A historical appointment for sure, but the honeymoon will end quickly, as Isaacs will immediately need to dive into the Academy’s many challenges, including heavy criticism of recent Oscar nights, the opening of a museum, the diversification of the Academy’s voting membership...oh yeah, and signing a host for the 2014 Oscars would be a good idea.
How will she tackle these challenges? What can she do to broaden the mostly white, male Academy?
Guest:
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, newly elected president of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Should movie tickets be priced on a sliding scale?
Steven Speilberg isn’t too optimistic about the future of the film industry. At least he wasn’t last month when he predicted a Hollywood implosion—mega-budget films failing to bring in the expected audience. Last year researchers noted that 99 percent of theater seats go unfilled Monday through Thursday.
In the interest of preventing an implosion of the film industry, some have suggested using variable pricing for movie tickets—charging more for movies that are more popular and less for those that already aren’t expected to make much at the box office. That would be good for consumers, but theater owners and studios worry about the negative perceptions charging less for certain films would have for those movies.
Is variable pricing for movies a good idea? Would you be willing to see a bad movie because the ticket costs less?
Guest:
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Snowden gets out of the airport, but where does he go from here?
NSA leaker Edward Snowden has been granted a one year temporary asylum in Russia, and on Thursday he finally left the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. His lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, told the news agency Russia Today that Snowden has been granted permission to live, work and travel inside of Russia -- a status can be renewed annually -- and that Snowden has no intention to leave for another country.
Snowden is reported to have left the airport in a taxi to an undisclosed location and is not yet ready to talk to the press, and his in the interview his lawyer said that Snowden will need to deal with his own security and lodging. But his lawyers also noted that Snowden has been learning the Russian language and reading classic Russian literature.
Is this going to be the exciting adventure that Snowden must have contemplated when he first thought to leak the NSA documents? Will he be able to get a job and eat and play like a Russian? Or will his life continue to move in slow, measured steps, with a host of people and responsibilities to attend to?
Guest:
Robert English, Associate Professor of International Relations at USC
Gender politics at the Federal Reserve?
Replacing Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is arguably the most important economic decision President Barack Obama is facing this year. Who can shape and shepherd a fragile recovery? And give jittery markets continuity of leadership?
One favored contender is Janet Yellen, currently the Fed's vice chairwoman. Her brilliance and likeability are major reasons. Her keen predictions were recently noted in analysis by The Wall Street Journal (Of the 14 Fed policy makers, Yellen proved to be most accurate forecaster).
Despite her laurels, recently a fellow Fed chair suggested the choice of Yellen may be driven by gender above all else. It's also been reported that a "whisper campaign" is focusing on her so-called female attributes of being "soft-spoken" and "passive." Those attributes are non-existent in Larry Summers, the other top contender for the position - known for his aggressive temperament. President Obama is said to favor Summers because he'll be able to keep inflation low and employment high and is said to have credibility across political aisles. As is the case with any job opening, top candidates will have pluses and minuses.
So what role should candidates' gender play? Is it high time to include more female leadership in the old boys' club of finance? Or is injecting gender a distraction, and, moreover, a disservice to Yellen's CV?
Guest:
Heidi Moore, Finance and Economics Editor for The Guardian
Is the term 'Caucasian' outdated?
How we talk about race has changed over the years. The same thing goes for how we talk about ourselves and other people. Instead of “Negroid,” the term we now use is black or African-American. Instead of “Mongoloid,” the political correct term to use is now Asian.
As we strive for accuracy and cultural sensitivity, one group of people have kind of been left out in the cold: Caucasians. The word has become a favorite to describe people who are white. The problem is, it’s not at all accurate. Caucasian, literally, refers to people who are from Caucasus, a region at the border of Europe and Asia. The term “white” also isn’t the most ideal, as some Hispanics consider themselves white.
How do you talk about race in your everyday life? Do you say black or do you use African American? Do you say white or Caucasian? Does it depend on the situation?
Guests:
Nell Painter, Edwards Professor of American History, Emeritus at Princeton University. She is the author of the book, “The History of White People.” (W. W. Norton & Company, 2010)
Jennifer Hochschild, Professor of Government and African and African American Studies at Harvard University
Increasing greenhouse gases may significantly alter ocean ecosystems
In a new article in the journal "Science," UC San Diego paleo-biologist Richard Norris and his colleagues report on findings that suggest our current ocean ecosystems may soon resemble the oceans of 50 million years ago. Norris, a researcher at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, studies fossils from deep sea sediment to help reconstruct a picture of an “ancient greenhouse world”. He says that world might be history’s closest analog to an environment that we should soon anticipate if humans continue to burn fossil fuels at their current pace.
In that ancient world, CO2 concentrations reached 800 to 1000 parts per million, and polar oceans reached 2°C (53°F) -- similar to current ocean temperatures offshore San Francisco. Subsequently, those ancient oceans contained very few coral reefs, the tropical surface waters were like a hot tub, and food webs could not sustain nearly as many large sea animals as we have now.
For the past million years the earth hadn’t seen CO2 levels in the atmosphere anything like those of 50 million years ago, but the report says that human activities have pushed CO2 levels back to alarming measures, higher than ever in human history. According to the research, at its current pace Earth could recreate the CO2 content of the ancient world in just the next 80 years. But Norris also says that if humans curb their fossil fuel activities now, it could significantly curb the amount of environmental instability expected in the coming years.
What’s new in this research that focuses on the state of oceans? What kinds of things does the world stand to lose if coral reefs and large marine animals drop out of the oceans? How does this intense climate warming compare to other climate changes in the planet’s history?
Guest:
Dr. Richard Norris, Paleo-biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego
California’s dark history chronicled in ‘Deadly Times’
Lew Irwin’s “Deadly Times” chronicles a dark period of American history that many know little about. Between the years of 1907-1911 more than 200 bombings were carried out in the United States.
On October 1, 1910, the Los Angeles Times building was bombed killing at least 20 employees, a crime Irwin calls the worst ever committed in California. In “Deadly Times,” Irwin examines the reasons for the bombings and the history of this violent era as he reports on this little-known piece of California history.
Guest:
Lew Irwin, author, “Deadly Times”
The NFL’s Pro Bowl gets more than just a facelift
Professional football’s all-star game, the Pro Bowl, got a shot in the arm Wednesday when the NFL announced changes to the contest. The AFC vs. NFC format that has been around since 1970 is out and a new fantasy football type draft will be in place. This year two Hall of Famers, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders, will choose teams based on a a pool of players chosen by the fans. Conference affiliation will no longer be a factor. The actual game will also undergo some pretty big changes.
Game within the Game -- A two-minute warning will be added to the first and third quarters and the ball will change hands after each quarter. This will increase the opportunities for quarterbacks to direct "two-minute drills," which are especially exciting for fans.
No Kickoffs -- The coin toss will determine which team is awarded possession first. The ball will be placed on the 25-yard line at the start of each quarter and after scoring plays.
Rosters -- The rosters will continue to consist of 43 players per squad. The kick return specialist will be replaced by an additional defensive back.
Cover Two and Press Coverage -- The defense will be permitted to play "cover two" and "press" coverage. In previous years, only "man" coverage was permitted, except for goal line situations.
Stopping of the Game Clock -- Beginning at the two-minute mark of every quarter, if the offense does not gain at least one yard, the clock will stop as if the play were an incomplete pass. This rule will make the team with the ball attempt to gain yardage toward the end of each quarter.
Game Timing -- The game clock will start after an incomplete pass on the signal of the referee, except inside the last two minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the second half.
Play Clock -- A 35-second/25-second play clock will be adopted instead of the typical 40-second/25-second clock.
Sacks -- The game clock will not stop on quarterback sacks outside of the final two minutes of the game. Currently, the game clock stops in these situations outside of two- minutes of the second and fourth quarters.
While the NFL itself continues to grow and draw record television audiences, the Pro Bowl has been criticized by fans and even the players themselves. Do you think these changes will make the game more interesting to watch? Do you tune in for the Pro Bowl each year, or does a game with no actual consequences not interest you? How would you change the Pro Bowl to make it more relevant?
Guest:
Mike Pesca, national correspondent for NPR who frequently reports on sports