On Today's Air Talk we'll discuss the impending power down of the San Onofre Nuclear Plant, Mayor Villaraigosa and Jerry Brown's pension reform, Belmont Stakes hopeful I'll Have Another's injury, The Car Talk guys are closing the garage, our critics curate another round of Film week and the return of the L.A. film festival. Plus, the latest news.
San Onofre nuclear power plant takes the summer off
Yesterday, Edison International announced that the San Onofre nuclear power plant will be offline throughout the summer, if not longer. The plant has been shut down since January 31, after tubing which carried radioactive water began to show signs of wear. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) mandated the plant stay dark until the cause of, and solution to, the wear can be determined.
Edison says the earliest they could start up one of the reactors would be the end of summer, and that’s taking the best possible conditions into effect. Ultimately, the NRC has the final word, and the group will be holding a public meeting in San Juan Capistrano on June 18th to discuss its special inspection team’s recent findings.
When running at peak performance, the plant comprised 19 percent of Edison’s power in Southern California. To make up for this loss, Edison will reactivate two dormant generating units in Huntington Beach, while simultaneously relying on alerts and incentives to get customers to conserve energy.
Are you feeling the hit from San Onofre’s closure? What environmental impact will come from turning on the Huntington Beach units? What caused the wear and tear at San Onofre in the first place? When this is all said and done, how much will the repairs cost?
GUESTS
Ed Joyce, KPCC’s Orange County Reporter
Jennifer Manfre, Senior Manager of Media Relations, Southern California Edison
Mark Chediak, Reporter for Bloomberg News
Pension reform fever is sweeping the state
This week, voters in two California cities approved separate but equally drastic reductions in public employees’ pension plans designed to reign in city budgets. In San Diego, city worker’s salaries are to be frozen for six years and new hires will be switched to a 401(k) plan. San Jose’s current employees are being asked to increase their pension contributions or accept reduced benefits.
Spurred on by their success, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has stepped up his call to city officials to speed up his own pension reduction plan. Key elements include raising the retirement age by 12 years – from 55 to 67 – and increasing employee contributions. Pension costs make up a large part of the city’s $7.2 billion budget, and Villaraigosa sees those costs increasing in future.
Meanwhile, Governor Jerry Brown, who included pension reform for state employees in his 12-point budget proposal, has said he sees the votes as a powerful signal that Californians see pension reform as “an imperative.”
Guests:
Pierluigi Oliverio , San Jose City Councilman who supported Mayor Chuck Reed's pension reform
Joe Simitian - (D), State Senator, California's 11th District which spans three counties -- Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz;
I’ll Have Another won’t have another
I'll Have Another was scratched from the Belmont Stakes today, with trainer Doug O'Neill citing a "little problem" in the horse's left hind leg. O'Neill went on to insinuate that the horse has run its last race. What implications does this have for the Belmont Stakes? How can a "little problem" be so devastating for a horse's career? Will you still be watching this weekend?
GUEST
Steve Andersen, Southern California Correspondent, Daily Racing Form
The beloved Tappet brothers, Click and Clack, hang up their wrenches
Tom and Ray Magliozzi have hosted ‘Car Talk’ on NPR for 25 years, solving listeners’ car woes and cracking each other up on a weekly basis. Today, they announced they’ll be retiring – at least from the live show.
In an NPR release, Ray Magliozzi said, "We’ve managed to avoid getting thrown off NPR for 25 years, given out tens of thousands of wrong answers, generated lawsuit threats from innumerable car companies, and had a hell of a lot of fun talking to you guys." KPCC and other stations will continue to run repeats of the program for the coming months.
GUEST
Doug Berman, executive producer of Car Talk and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
FilmWeek: Prometheus, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie and more
Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Andy Klein, Claudia Puig and Charles Solomon to discuss this week’s new films, including Prometheus, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie and more.
Guests:
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC, Glendale News-Press and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and USA Today
Charles Solomon, animation critic and historian for KPCC and author for amazon.com
Trailer for "Prometheus":
Trailer for "Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted":
Trailer for "OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar":
Trailer for "Belle Ami":
Trailer for "Wallander the Revenge":
Films Reviewed:
Prometheus (in 3-D)
Space explorers battle to save the human race.
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green
Written by: Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof
Directed by: Ridley Scott
R
20th Century Fox
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (in 3-D)
A group of animals on the run join a traveling circus in Europe.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith
Written by: Noah Baumbach and Eric Darnell
Directed by: Darnell, Conrad Vernon and Tom McGrath
PG
Paramount Pictures
Peace, Love and Misunderstanding
An uptight mother takes her son and daughter to meet their hippie grandmother.
Starring: Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Elizabeth Olsen and Chace Crawford
Written by: Christina Mengert and Joseph Muszynski
Directed by: Bruce Beresford
R
IFC Films
Safety Not Guaranteed
An eccentric man claims to have solved the mystery of time travel.
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson and Karan Soni
Written by: Derek Connolly
Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
R
Film District
Lola Versus
A woman gets dumped three weeks before her wedding.
Starring: Greta Gerwig, Zoe Lister-Jones and Joel Kinnaman
Written by: Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein
Directed by: Wein
R
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Bel Ami
A poor young man seduces his way to the top in 1890s Paris.
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Christina Ricci
Written by: Rachel Bennette
Directed by: Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod
R
Magnolia Pictures
Wallander: The Revenge
A detective investigates explosions taking place in a small town.
Starring: Krister Henriksson, Lena Endre and Fredrik Gunnarsson
Written by: Hans Rosenfeldt
Directed by: Charlotte Brandstrom
Not rated
Music Box Films
Nobody Else But You
A French crime novelist, visiting a small town, investigates a local suicide.
Starring: Jean-Paul Rouve, Sophie Quinton and Guillaume Gouix
Written and directed by: Gerald Hustache-Mathieu
Not rated
First Run Features
In French with English subtitles
Cartas a Elena
A young boy is adopted by the local mailman.
Starring: Carmen Salinas, Irma Dorantes and Javier Lopez
Written and directed by: Martin Barajas Llorent
PG
Freestyle Releasing
Double Trouble
A security guard teams up with a goofy tourist to recover a stolen treasure.
Starring: Jaycee Chan and Jessica C
Written by: Zhang Hongyi, Yeh Sho-heng
Directed by: David Hsun-wei Chang
Not rated
China Lion
As One
The first united North and South Korean sports team compete in table tennis.
Starring: Ha Ji-won and Bae Doo-na
Written by: Yoo Young-ah and Kwon Sung-hwee
Directed by: Moon Hyun-sung
Not rated
CJ Entertainment
OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie
An autobiographical look at mental illness through the lens of the subject and filmmaker.
Starring: Bud Clayman, Dan Fisher and Maurice Benard
Directed by: Clayman, Glenn Holsten and Scott Johnston
Not rated
Fisher Klingenstein Films
For the Love of Money
An Israeli immigrant with a sleazy background seeks a new life in the U.S.
Starring: Yehuda Levi, James Caan and Jonathan Lipnicki
Written by: Jenna Mattison
Directed by: Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman
R
Archstone Distribution
The Color Wheel
An aspiring news anchor takes her younger brother on a road trip.
Starring: Carlen Altman, Bob Byington and Kate Lyn Sheil
Written by: Carlen Altman and Alex Ross Perry
Directed by: Perry
Not rated
Cinema Conservancy
Celine and Julie Go Boating
A pair of women engage in a hallucinatory parallel reality.
Starring: Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier
Written by: Juliet Berto, Eduardo de Gregorio, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier, Marie-France Pisier and Jacques Rivette
Directed by: Jacques Rivette
Not rated
1974 – Playing at the Cinefamily through Thursday the 14th
Cinephiles rejoice, the L.A. Film Festival returns
The North American premiere of Woody Allen's "To Rome with Love" will kick off the Los Angeles Film Festival next Thursday. The other gala presentations are just as exciting, from the new Steve Carell, Keira Knightley flick to a dramatic indie set in Compton and a slew of documentaries.
On top of all the movies, a long list of industry talks and panels will feature the brightest in the business. Movie lovers and movie makers will talk about the craft of cinematography, directing, shooting shorts, using sound and everything that goes into a project.
It's all happening downtown again at and around L.A. Live. What's on your list of festival must-sees?
Guest:
Stephanie Allain, Director, Los Angeles Film Festival; accomplished film producer whose credits include "Hustle & Flow," "Boyz n the Hood," and the forthcoming "We the Peeples;" former executive at Columbia Pictures and Jim Henson Pictures