Webb Acquitted; New Tribal Gaming Compacts; iPhone Released Today; Anime Expo; FilmWeek
Webb Acquitted
San Bernardino County ex-deputy Ivory John Webb Jr. was acquitted Thursday of attempted voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm. The charges were brought against Webb after a videotaped shooting on January 29, 2006, in which Webb opened fire on off-duty Air Force police officer Elio Carrion. Larry talks with Michael Schwartz, attorney for Webb, and Joe Domanick, of USC's Annenberg Institute for Justice and Journalism, about the details of the case and verdict.
New Tribal Gaming Compacts
The California Legislature passed compacts on Thursday that allow the expansion of tribal casinos as long as the tribes contribute between 15% and 25% of gambling revenues to the state government. The move marked a defeat for labor groups, who wanted to include provisions that would protect the rights of casino employees, and allow unions to organize. Larry talks to Jack Gribbon, California Political Director of Unite Here, the hotel-casino workers' union, and Alberto Torrico, Democratic State Assemblyman from the 20th district, about what these compacts mean for casinos and casino employees in California.
iPhone Released Today
Apple's much anticipated iPhone goes on sale to the public today. The iPhone is a combination cell phone/music player/camera/video player and internet device. Larry talks with Steven Levy, Technology Columnist for Newsweek, Mike McClusky, Products Editor for Wired, and KPCC reporter Jordan Davis, about whether or not the new gadget is worth its five-to-six hundred dollar price tag.
Anime Expo
Anime Expo is an anime convention hosted by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). SPJA has also held Anime Expo conventions in New York and Tokyo, which took place in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Many of the convention attendees cosplay (costume role-play) while attending the convention, and popular events (in addition to guest and industry panels) include the Masquerade, Karaoke Contest, Anime Music Video Contest, and "AX Idol" Contest. The Expo is a 24-hour convention, offering late-night dances, all night video and gaming rooms, and open-mic Karaoke at night. Larry discusses the event with Chase Wang of the SPJA, and Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com.
FilmWeek
Larry and critics Jean Oppenheimer of Village Voice Media, Peter Rainer, of the Christian Science Monitor, and Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com, discuss this week's new releases, including Ratatouille, Live Free or Die Hard, Evening, Sicko, Gypsy Caravan, and Strike.