The White House has announced that Syria crossed the "red line" by using chemical weapons in its civil war. In what ways should the U.S. intervene in Syria? Then, should members of Congress be accountable when their children tweet racist language? Later, Jonathan Alter discusses his new book on President Obama's campaigns and presidency, and our critics join us to review the new Superman movie and more on Filmweek. Also, director Morgan Neville and singer Judith Hill tell the stories of back-up singers.
Military aid to Syria: Defense of democracy, slippery slope, or the tail wagging the dog?
The White House has announced plans to send military weapons to rebels in Syria after confirming that a "red line" has been crossed. The US says it has confirmed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons in the civil war. There is strong support in Congress for arming the rebels but the American public is less enthusiastic. A recent poll showed that only 11 percent of the public supports sending weapons to Syria's rebels. President Obama has acknowledged that Americans aren't eager to get drawn into another war so soon after Iraq and Afghanistan but maintains that some intervention is necessary after the "red line" was crossed.
What does ‘arming the rebels’ really mean? Have we learned from past mistakes the US has made when arming rebels in a foreign war? Should we be so heavily involved in another foreign conflict when we’re still dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan?
Guest:
Josh Rogin, senior correspondent for national security and politics for Newsweek and The Daily Beast
Politicians’ kids take to Twitter with racist, homophobic rants
If a teenager uses offensive or racist language online, is it the parents fault? That's the question plaguing high profile members of Congress after their children used a string of racist and homophobic language on Twitter.
Tanner Flake, the teenage son of Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake used some severely homophobic statements and splashed around the N-word on Twitter and YouTube. Nevada Congressman Joe Heck's son was also caught making racist comments on Twitter including some that say President Barack Obama is only good at "spear chucking and rock skipping." Both politicians have apologized for the behavior of their kids.
If this type of language wasn't coming from a politicians child, would it be as offensive? Should we hold the children of public figures to a higher standard? How do you think this reflects on the character of the politicians themselves? How common is such behavior among teens?
Guest:
Karen North, Ph.D., Director, Annenberg Program on Online Communities, University of Southern California
Jonathan Alter's new volume on Obama, 'The Center Holds'
Something happened to Jonathan Alter's "The Center Holds" on the way to the bookshelves - the center began to shake. The renowned journalist's latest profile of President Barack Obama chronicles his presidency and campaign over 2011 and 2012. Alter details the sophisticated campaign machine that used corporate-style analytics to up donations and get out the vote.
We learn about the "geek gap" that separated the Obama and Romney campaigns. (The Obama campaign's "cave" housed young data scientists, financial analysts even professional poker players using "propensity models" and apps to re-elect Obama). Alter also lends insight to the president's personality, saying Obama's "detached and self-contained nature had hampered his presidency" and that he "had been humbled by the opposition's intransigence."
Alter's latest volume ends on the wave of glory following November 6, 2012. However, in recent weeks, the White House has gone from proving its mettle to facing some of its toughest legacy tests: the leaks revealing secret surveillance by the NSA; the IRS admitting to targeting conservative groups for exceptional scrutiny; the Justice Department hunting a whistleblower by tracking calls of journalists.
Alter has long followed Barack Obama - how does he think the president will handle this onslaught? How protective of his legacy is Obama? Do these new revelations change Obama's mantle as a centrist?
Guest:
Jonathan Alter, Author, “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies” (Simon & Schuster June 2013), Previous bestseller “The Promise: President Obama, Year One,” Analyst and Contributor for NBC News and MSNBC; former senior editor, Newsweek
Filmweek: Man of Steel, Twenty Feet from Stardom, The Bling Ring and more
KPCC critics Lael Loewenstein and Peter Rainer join guest host Patt Morrison to review this week’s releases, including Man of Steel, Twenty Feet from Stardom, The Bling Ring and more. TGI-Filmweek!
Man of Steel
Twenty Feet from Stardom
The Bling Ring
This is the End
Guests:
Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and Variety
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and Christian Science Monitor
'20 Feet From Stardom' puts back-up singers in the spotlight
Award-winning documentary producer and director Morgan Neville wanted to give the limelight to an often unnoticed voice that has filled millions of American homes - the backup singer. In his new documentary, "Twenty Feet from Stardom," Neville featured the stories and voices of Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, and Judith Hill.
You might not recognize their names, but you probably have heard their voices, singing on chart topping songs with Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Elton John and Stevie Wonder. "Twenty Feet from Stardom" explores the power of their voices and their stories of lost record deals as they worked to make ends meet.
Gil Friesen, prolific music and film executive and former chairman of A&M Records, realized there was an untold story about the profession and the lives of backup singers. For the next two years, the producer and director interviewed about 70 backup singers, exhausted resources for footage and discovered that the core of this untold story was about community and family.
"Backup singing does go way back through all kinds of music history and beyond, but I really wanted to tell the story of these largely African American voices that came into pop music and the revolution they brought with them," said Neville on AirTalk.
For most of these singers, the beginning of their careers began in church choirs. Neville cited how that gospel background enhanced songs like "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones, which was originally sung by Merry Clayton and later by Lisa Fischer.
Singer Judith Hill said the difference for backup singers is caring for the group sound versus owning the stage as a soloist. Although she enjoys both roles, she said, "When I know that I’m going into a background singing situation, I find joy in the fact that these women are like sisters and we can create this moment"
One of the featured singers in "Twenty Feet from Stardom" is Darlene Love. Under her producer, Phil Spector, Love’s vocals powered "He’s a Rebel" and "Today I Met The Boy I’m Gonna Marry," but throughout her career, she remained largely nameless and sang song after song credited under someone else’s name. Love shares how she felt hearing her voice on the radio as she worked as a housekeeper to pay the bills.
"Darlene just never got the hits under her name. Somebody said, ‘What’s the difference between a lead singer and a backup singer?’ And I said, ‘A hit,’" said Neville. "In Darlene’s case she actually had the hit, but she was in such a unique situation with Phil Spector, her producer at the time, that she just never got the proper credit; and she spent the rest of her life trying to get that credit."
Hill said about watching the completed film, "I was just like 'Oh my gosh' because I never knew the stories about Darlene and the things she went through, and it’s just really mind-blowing."
Morgan Neville says this documentary really changed how he listens to music.
"If you just say to somebody, 'Name some songs with great backing vocals,' you can maybe come up with a couple, but you’re not trained to think about it that way," said Neville. "So the entire time I made the film, I had the radio on, and I would constantly discover amazing backing vocals in songs I heard a thousand times."
Perhaps "Twenty Feet from Stardom" even reminisces a different time in music, when background vocals subtlety brought a broader dimension to the songs. Hill said that artists now often overdub their own voices on tracks instead of using background singers.
Many critics have given this documentary quite a bit of attention because it’s smartly chosen topic. Neville said many people reacted to the movie asking, "Why hasn’t this happened before?"
"Nobody had done anything about backup singers — no documentaries, no books, hardly a website. It was really an invisible art, and I’m just so happy to finally give these people the glory they deserve," said Neville.
He hopes that this documentary will make audiences want to see these singers perform live on a tour of their own.
Also on AirTalk, Patt asked Judith Hill about her experience stepping into a more solo role. Hill teased listeners with an a capella snippet of "Desperation" and talked about singing Michael Jackson’s "The Way You Make Me Feel" on NBC’s "The Voice."
Hill said about her newfound fame, "In every chapter of your life, you enjoy it … so never take any of it for granted. And I’m just blessed to be in this position, and I know it’s also feast or famine because tomorrow I could be back in another place. So you just take it one day at a time and work hard."
Guests:
Morgan Neville, director of “Twenty Feet from Stardom”; founder of documentary company Tremolo Productions; producer, director and writer for Grammy-nominated “Johnny Cash’s America” (2008).
Judith Hill, singer and featured performer in “Twenty Feet from Stardom”; Hill was going to be part of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It Tour” and was a recent contestant on NBC’s “The Voice.”