What you need to know about the final GOP debate, the pros & cons of new LAUSD sup's single-sex schools recommendation & TGI-FilmWeek! KPCC film critics on #OscarsSoWhite remedies
And now there are 7: Analyzing the main stage GOP presidential debate
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio were the ones to watch during last night’s GOP presidential debate.
The field of hopefuls have thinned considerably, and the pecking order has evolved since the first debate in August 2015.
Perhaps to the surprise of many, Trump is still the man to beat, but Carly Fiorina’s momentum has subsided significantly, and Ben Carson’s campaign is all but disintegrating right in front of our eyes.
With a little more than two weeks away from the Iowa Caucuses, how did the candidates do in last night’s debate?
Guests:
Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and adjunct faculty at USC Annenberg School
Louis Desipio, a professor of political science and Chicano / Latino studies at UC Irvine
New Superintendent floats controversial idea to attract students to LAUSD
LAUSD’s new superintendent Michelle King has kept her plans for the district fairly close to the vest, so it made headlines this week when she announced in her first interview her belief single-sex campuses could be a way to attract families to the district.
It’s a controversial topic, and one that’s currently being disputed in a lawsuit in Austin, TX. Superintendent King says single-sex schools are one of several ways to potentially improve academic achievement and make the nation's second-largest school system more attractive to parents.
But opponents say there’s no definitive research supporting improved academic achievement and that it can have unintended consequences, such as perpetuating gender stereotypes and creating educational inequalities.
Have you experienced single sex schooling? Did it work for you? Do you think it’s a good option for LAUSD to attract more students?
Guests:
Kathy Piechura-Couture, a professor of education at Stetson University in Central Florida
Juliet Williams, Professor of Gender Studies and Associate Dean of Social Sciences at UCLA, and author of “The Separation Solution? Single-Sex Education and the New Politics of Gender Equality”
Wal-Mart folds "Express" experiment, plus what holiday sales numbers say about our shopping
Now that the holiday season has wound down, sales have mostly ended, and customers have spent the majority of their gift card money from Christmas, it’s time to see how retailers did.
The National Retail Federation has released its report on holiday retail sales numbers, and while the increase was 3 percent instead of the 3.7 percent that NRF predicted, the group says the growth is still solid, especially when considering weather events that deterred many shoppers from going out.
The report from the NRF comes the same day Wal-Mart announced it will close 269 of its stores.
Guests:
Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach, where a Wal-Mart store is closing
Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for NPD Group, a retail analysis firm, and author of “Buy Me! How to Get Customers to Choose Your Products and Ignore the Rest
Dale Achabal, L.J. Skaggs Distinguished Professor, co-chair of the Department of Marketing and executive director of the Retail Management Institute in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University
FilmWeek: ‘Ride Along 2,’ ‘Norm of the North’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Charles Solomon, Andy Klein, and Amy Nicholson review this weekend’s new movie releases including Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in “Ride Along 2,” the animated feature “Norm of the North,” the dramatic thriller “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” and more.
Plus we’ll remember beloved actor, Alan Rickman, who died yesterday, but left us with a lifetime of unforgettable film and theater performances. TGI-FilmWeek!
Larry Mantle and KPCC FilmWeek critics will congregate to campaign for and criticize the 88th Academy Awards nominees in front of a live audience at the historic Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. For information about how you can attend this event, click here.
Guests:
Amy Nicholson, Film Critic for KPCC and Chief Film Critic, MTV News; Amy tweets from
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and L.A. Times Community Paper Chain
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC and Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Debating solutions for #OscarsStillSoWhite
Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs says adding more diversity to Oscar nominees is a process that has to sped up.
Speaking with Deadline.com yesterday about the all-white cast of performance nominees, Isaacs said, “Of course I am disappointed, but this is not to take away the greatness (of the films nominated).
This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it."
Some solutions bandied about in Hollywood include: adding a couple of thousand new, young, diverse members to the Academy; removing lifetime memberships to the Academy; adding new media voices to the mix of nomination selections.
Possible solutions might exist on the studio side, including: expanding how film-making decisions are made; creating influential committees focused on campaigning for Oscar-worthy nominees of color; pressing for more diversity throughout studio-system hires.
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, Film Critic for KPCC and Alt-Film Guide; Tim tweets from @CinemaInMind
Amy Nicholson, Film Critic for KPCC and Chief Film Critic, MTV News; Amy tweets from @TheAmyNicholson
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and L.A. Times Community Paper Chain