We look back at the most surprising moments of the RNC; experts tell you what's next for Fox News after Chairman Roger Ailes departed amid sexual harassment allegations & KPCC film critics Wade Major, Claudia Puig, and Charles Solomon review this week's new releases, including the latest "Star Trek" installment. TGI-FilmWeek!
AirTalk listeners look back on a wild week in Cleveland
Donald Trump closed out the Republican National Convention last night with the longest acceptance speech since 1972.
According to his strategists, the speech was intended to bring in a cross-section of Americans, including those who aren't yet on Trump's side.
AirTalk listeners from across the Southland offered their thoughts about Trump’s remarks.
Did his depiction of the country and his pitch that he's the one to fix it connect with Southern Californians?
As an undecided voter, did Trump pull you closer with his speech last night?
JP in Redondo Beach: Before last night, I was an avid Trump hater. He really did pull me in closer with what he was saying...Hearing what Obama was saying this morning, it kind of made me second guess what [Trump] had to say. In the midst of hearing of what he was saying, it really pulled me in and didn’t let me go.
Was part of that that you felt that the country Trump was describing was what you see?
JP: A little bit. It really felt like he was playing on the fact that we have these anxieties and these fears of what’s going on and what the news is portraying the world as.
Did Trump’s speech make inroads with women in Southern California?
Laura in West LA: I’ve been a Bernie supporter the entire primary season. Not only did Trump’s speech repel me from him, it made me not only [want to] vote for Hillary Clinton, but campaign for her. I find Donald Trump repugnant. I think he is a psychopath and needs to be kept out of the White House by any means necessary.
Lisa in Mar Vista: I think Trump did a great job, but I think it is in part due to his daughter Ivanka. I think she did a great job of representing the female voice and what he stands for. I think a lot of women resonate with the whole protector and provider role that Trump portrays: wanting to be able to protect our citizens, protect our children, and protect women. As a former Democrat who is now thinking about voting for a Republican, I think he did a great job. I think his family did an amazing job representing him. What they say is your children are a reflection of you.
Amy in West LA: I was very surprised by Trump’s gesture last night towards his daughter [Ivanka] when he took the stage from her. He patted her on the rear, in the way that one does a house pet, or some furry animal. It’s not a gesture that one makes among equals. It reminded me that the night before he had gestured toward his wife’s figure in a way that in that moment I thought was merely coincidental. But the pat really knocked me for a loop. I wonder what other professional women think of this, young and old.
If it didn’t bother his daughter or his wife, is that okay?
Amy: Well, no, because some women will put up with that. But if that’s a gesture he’s accustomed to making in public in front of lots of people, I suspect he would make it [in] the workplace as well...I’m not a prude, but that’s a gesture I don’t care for even from my husband, whom I adore.
It sounds like it didn’t just offend you, it revealed something about his view of women.
Amy: Absolutely.
These interviews have been edited for clarity. You can listen to the full segment by clicking the blue play button above.
Guests:
Louis Desipio, Director, Center for the Study of Democracy at University of California, Irvine
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former staffer in the George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan White Houses
The loudest voice in the room, silenced: What Roger Ailes’ departure means for the future of Fox News
After complaints of sexual harassment from top talent like Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly, is out as head of Fox News.
The influential media executive is credited with changing the cable news media landscape by focusing providing both news and entertainment, as well as drawing and locking in white, conservative viewers rather than trying to have mass appeal to many demographics. The result? Sky-high ratings and massive appeal among its target audience. No matter what your political affiliation, Fox News changed the way most people saw cable news networks and created a niche market for conservatives who felt the mainstream media was overly-liberal and needed some balance.
Ailes’ departure leaves a gaping hole at Fox News that will, at least for now, be filled by Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch’s sons, Lachlan and James, are expected to take the network over after their father calls it quits.
It remains to be seen whether the Murdochs, who are reported to not have a great relationship with Ailes, will continue his work and vision for Fox News or whether they’ll make some major changes at the network.
Guests:
Ed Lee, managing editor at Recode; he tweets
Jeff Jarvis, professor and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York’s (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism; he blogs about the media and news at BuzzMachine.com
Ben Howe, contributing editor at RedState and founder of the video content production firm Ben Howe Creative Group; he tweets
FilmWeek: ‘Ice Age: Collision Course,’ ‘Lights Out,’ ‘Star Trek Beyond’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Claudia Puig, Charles Solomon, and Wade Major review this week’s new movie releases including the latest “Ice Age” animated feature; the latest “Star Trek” with Chris Pine as Captain Kirk; a horror in wide release called “LightsOut;” plus “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie,” and more.
TGI-FilmWeek!
Wade's Hits
Claudia's Hits
Charles' Hits
Mixed Reviews
- Claudia: "Lights Out"
- Charles: "Indian Point"
This Week's Misses
- Claudia and Wade: "Star Trek Beyond"
- Wade, Claudia and Charles: "Ice Age: Collision Course"
- Claudia: "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie"
Guests:
Wade Major, Film Critic for KPCC and host for IGN’s DigiGods.com
Claudia Puig, Film Critic for KPCC and "The Wrap;" she tweets from
Charles Solomon, Film Critic for KPCC and Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Horror immersion tours featured in new documentary 'The Blackout Experiments'
Opening at select cinemas this weekend, "The Blackout Experiments" follows several extreme thrill seekers who participate in an "immersive horror" experience called Blackout.
The events happen sporadically in Los Angeles and New York. Participants are subjected to scary, intense, and disorienting activities. There has even been waterboarding, forced nudity, and enough violence that some participants later called it torture instead of a thrill.
Some tours similar to Blackout are less sadistic but will "kidnap" participants who have to meet a series of challenges in the city.
So why would people want to immerse themselves in a found-footage film?
Margee Kerr is a sociologist who studies human response to fear. She says some thrill seekers may feel a self-esteem boost because they’ve confronted their fear and survived. Others may have had highly stimulating experiences, such as former soldiers who have to acclimate back to civilian life.
They may feel the need to do these excursions simply because normality bores them. There are also genetic factors that come into play, such as dopamine deficiency. This can make people more comfortable with uncertainty and motivate them to thrill seek. Thrill seeking is also culturally defined. People in the U.S. are more motivated to be scared than someone in a third-world country, but not without a controlled environment.
What are your thoughts on this phenomenon?
Guests:
Rich Fox, Filmmaker, “The Blackout Experiments”
Margee Kerr, sociologist specializing in the science of fear and author of “Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear” (Public Affairs, 2015)