Susan G. Komen reverses decision on Planned Parenthood. Why has saber-rattling amplified against Iran? FilmWeek: Big Miracle, Chronicle, The Woman in Black, The Innkeepers and more. Ed Wood’s “Final Curtain.”
Komen Foundation folds under pressure from Planned Parenthood supporters
This morning, two of the biggest women's health organizations in the world are on friendly terms again. The renowned breast cancer charity, Susan G. Komen Foundation, has reversed it decision to halt funding to the major reproductive health provider, Planned Parenthood.
The Komen Foundation has been pummeled all week by bad press, scornful emails and even had their website hacked after it was revealed on Tuesday that they were pulling hundreds of thousands of dollars of annual funding to Planned Parenthood. Komen officials said they made the tough decision because of an inquiry by a Florida congressman into Planned Parenthood. It's been reported that inquiry stems from anti-abortion-rights activists.
Another catalyst could have been a new senior hire at Komen. Karen Handel joined the charity in April as vice president of public policy. Her politics are well known. In a 2010 blog, she wrote, "[S]ince I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood." A statement from Komen today said politics aren't part of the equation: "We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not." It went on to say that in the future it will only pull grants to organizations implicated in investigations "criminal and conclusive in nature and not political."
The clear winner in all of this is Planned Parenthood. It has been deluged with donations and support. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged $250,000 of his billions. A foundation in Dallas matched that. Individual supporters have kicked in at least $400,000.
WEIGH IN:
What do you think of the controversy? Is it short-lived or will there be bigger consequences for Komen or Planned Parenthood?
Guests:
Lisa Wolter, Executive Director, Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Celinda Vazquez, Vice president of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
Why has saber-rattling amplified against Iran?
It has been another week of intense exclamations over Iran's alleged nuclear weapon program. Yesterday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke after an Israeli strategy conference: "Today as opposed to in the past, there is a wide global understanding that Iran must be prevented from becoming nuclear and no option should be taken off the table... Today as opposed to in the past, there is wide world understanding that in the event that sanctions won't reach the intended result of stopping the military nuclear program, there will be need to consider action."
Barak's strongest comments come on the heels of unconfirmed reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta worries targeted attacks from Israel on Iran's possible nuclear instillations are imminent.
The Washington Post wrote, "Panetta believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June." Speaking in Brussels yesterday, Panetta said, "Israel has indicated they are considering this, and we have indicated our concerns."
Although President Barack Obama made strong pronouncements against Iran obtaining nuclear capability during his recent State of the Union address, it's said his administration is trying to deter an Israeli assault. The diplomacy is being characterized as a "persuasion initiative." The Associated Press spoke with officials on the condition of anonymity who said the U.S., Britain, France and others are making diplomatic appeals to Israel.
How real are these threats? Jerusalem Post writer Yaakov Katz writes, "The main question, though, is what has suddenly changed, and why Israel's entire top military and political leadership is speaking openly and publicly about Iran in the span of just 24 hours.
WEIGH IN:
For whom are their threats meant?.... There are no clear answers, but a strong possibility is that Israel is trying as hard as possible to get the world to believe that it is serious about using a military option so it will instead keep on escalating sanctions." How likely is it that Israel would strike preemptively? What do the latest reports from the International Atomic Energy Committee tell us about Iran’s nuclear aspirations? What would be the consequences of it? What has been the reaction from Iran?
Guests:
Mike Shuster, diplomatic correspondent and roving foreign correspondent for NPR News; he joins us from NPR West, in Culver City, where he’s based
Blake Hounshell, Managing Editor, Foreign Policy
FilmWeek: Big Miracle, Chronicle, The Woman in Black, The Innkeepers and more
KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan and Wade Major join Larry to review the week’s new film releases, including Big Miracle, Chronicle, The Woman in Black, The Innkeepers and more. Also, we’ll have our film critic Peter Rainer calling in to give us an update from the Santa Barbara Film Festival. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and boxoffice.com
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and Christian Science Monitor, currently at the Santa Barbara Film Festival
Ed Wood’s “Final Curtain”
Film historians and critics can spend their whole lives debating who the best director is, but there is a near total consensus on who is the worst. That honor belongs to the one, the only, Ed Wood.
While he achieved some mild success in the1950s with movies like “Glen or Glenda?” and “Bride of the Monster,” his popularity declined after his biggest star, Bela Lugosi, died. This happened while they were filming a movie together, and Wood managed to incorporate the Lugosi footage into what became “Plan 9 from Outerspace,” arguably the director’s most infamous film, replete with continuity errors, audio and video not syncing up and woefully poor special effects.
Perhaps the most perplexing thing about Ed Wood, beyond the fact that he was into cross-dressing, is that he is remembered at all instead of forgotten to history. Surely there were other terrible directors in Hollywood, right? Well, not any quite like Wood. He was a showman of the highest order, and his over-the-top theatrics matched with his pitiful budgets created something truly special.
It is for this reason why, two years after his death in 1978, Wood received a Golden Turkey Award for Worst Director of All Time, which spurred a renewed interest in the director and brought him his posthumous popularity. Just recently, a new work of Wood’s, “Final Curtain” was discovered and debuted at this year’s Slamdance Festival.
How was it received? Does it live up-er, down-to Wood’s standards? What was the technical process of restoring the film? And then the philosophical question: why bother preserving something so…terrible?
Guests:
Jonathan Harris, executive producer of the restoration for Final Curtain, which he premiered with Jason Insalaco at the Slamdance Film festival; director of video Operations for Sony's online video service Crackle
Jason Insalaco, executive producer for the restoration for Final Curtain, which he premiered with Jonathan Harris at the Slamdance Film festival; executive producer at KFI radio
Harry Medved, head of communications for the nation's leading movie ticketing destination, Fandango - and the co-author of “The Golden Turkey Awards,” the book that brought Ed Wood out of obscurity by naming him "The Worst Director of All Time"