Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and “Lincoln” leads with 12 nominations, including Best Picture and Steven Spielberg for Best Director. Which other films, actors, and filmmakers made the cut and which were left on the cutting room floor? Also, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck stops by to talk with KPCC's Patt Morrison about gun law proposals and more. Plus, Governor Jerry Brown released the new state budget today, but not everyone is happy with the consequences. All that and more on today's AirTalk
Oscar nominations: What made the cut and what got cut
The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and “Lincoln” leads with 12 nominations, including Best Picture and Steven Spielberg for Best Director. Following closely behind is “Life of Pi” at 11 nominations. A few surprises this year are “Beasts of the Southern Wild” being nominated for Best Picture and Benh Zeitlin for Best Director. Also, although “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Les Misterables,” and Django Unchained” are up for Best Picture, their directors Kathyrn Bigelow, Tom Hooper, and Quentin Tarantino have not received nods in the Best Director category.
Listen in as Los Angeles Times Film Writer Nicole Sperling joins Larry to discuss which films, actors, and filmmakers made the cut and which were left on the cutting room floor. Do you agree with the Oscar nominations for 2013? Which movies should have been recognized?
FilmWeek Oscar Preview at the Egyptian Theatre
Guest:
Nicole Sperling, Los Angeles Times Film Writer
Share your opinion about the Oscar nominations on KPCC's Facebook page.
RELATED: (POLL) Oscars: Who got snubbed? And who would you have picked?
Ask the Chief
The LAPD just nudged over the magic 10,000, the number of sworn police officers, but did it happen by moving officers around, rather than adding them? Police chief Charlie Beck is here talking to Patt Morrison and taking your questions about policing in the City of Angels.
We’ll also find out what the chief thinks of even tougher California gun law proposals in the wake of the Newtown massacre.
Guest:
Charlie Beck, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department
Governor Brown releases the state budget
Earlier today, Governor Jerry Brown released the California state budget. After years of being in debt, California’s budget deficit is gone for the first time since the recession. In fact, he even predicts a surplus by the end of the year. Brown’s fiscal optimism is paired with increases to education funding to the tune of $2.7 billion for K-12 and community colleges, while a $97.7 billion general fund will see modest gains. Of course, that also comes with specific policy changes to the education system, including how schools receive funding and a cap on classes for college students.
Concerning the federal expansion of Medicaid, Brown proposed two different routes California could take to embrace what will be known in the state as Medi-Cal. Due to increased enrollment from now through next year, this process will end up costing an estimated $350 million on top of the 2013-2014 budget.
While the numbers seem to check out, how can Governor Brown assure Californians that they won’t be stuck with another deficit this time next year? How are the groups and local governments affected by the budget reacting? And what do Republicans think? What do these changes mean to you?
Guests:
H.D. Palmer, Deputy Director of External Affairs for Governor Jerry Brown
State Senator Mimi Walters, Republican representing California’s 37th District, including Irvine and central Orange County, Vice Chair of Appropriations, Judiciary and Public Employment Retirement System committees, member of Banking & Finance and Joint Legislative Budget committees
Astrid Campos, representative and organizer for California Partnership, a statewide coalition of community-based groups advocating to reduce and end poverty; California Partnership is also a leading member of Health Care for America Now, a national movement uniting consumers, labor and community organizations for health care reform
David Magee on Life of Pi's journey from novel to film
When screenwriter David Magee set out to transform the book "Life of Pi" into a screenplay, he faced a monumental task. The novel, by Yann Martel, is fantastical, outlandish, even hallucinatory.
RELATED: Author Yann Martel and how 'Life of Pi' became a Hollywood film
On the page, it's far easier to damn a young man to a lifeboat with a hungry tiger. Making it believable for a movie audience is a much more daunting exercise. The book is also beloved for conveying a deeply touching spiritual journey. Magee and director Ang Lee needed to capture that, too. They succeeded, judging by critical and commercial success.
How did Magee stay faithful to the original story? Was he worried about how Martel and his fans would receive it? What was it like working with Lee?
Guests:
David Magee, Oscar-nominated Writer (for Best Adapted Screenplay category), “Life of Pi;” based on the novel by Yann Martel; Magee is nominated for a Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
Fool’s Golden Globes? Debating the integrity of award shows
While the entertainment industry is abuzz with news of the Academy Award nominations, there’s another awards show prepping the red carpet right now. This Sunday, the Golden Globes will be handed out to the winners chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. While no one can argue that the Globes are the biggest party in Hollywood — most everyone there is drunk, after all — there is a debate over the integrity and reputation of the event.
It has long been accused of serving as a means to drive up ratings and viewerships for NBC, which exclusively airs the awards show. Furthermore, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s conditions for membership have been called dubious, as film critics from such high-profile media outfits like the Times of London have been turned away. And in the past, the Globes have handed out awards that were unanimously considered to be the result of bribes.
On the other hand, there are viewers who enjoy the lively--i.e. drunk--atmosphere of the Globes over the more stoic Academy Awards. Some critics even stress that the Globes have made the right choices for certain categories when the Oscars faltered. Plus, almost everyone agrees that the jokes are better at the Globes, probably thanks to using funnier hosts.
Do you watch both the Globes and the Oscars? Do the Globes deserve to be seen as little brother to the Oscars? Are they a sham? Is it ridiculous to try and compare awards shows? What do you think?
Guest:
Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian for “Entertainment Tonight,” host of “Maltin on Movies” on Reelz