A rundown of all the surprises and snubs at last night's Oscars. Then, the latest on the tense standoff in Ukraine--and open carry vs. concealed weapons: what's right for California gun law? Later, what's the cost of luring or losing film & TV production in LA?
Surprises, snubs and slam dunks: Who won big at the Oscars?
Hollywood’s biggest night delivered plenty of glamor, eloquent speeches and the
, thanks to host Ellen Degeneres.
While Degeneres’ star-studded selfie broke a re-tweeting record, her hosting performance earned mixed reviews. Even with some lukewarm reviews overnight ratings estimates for the Oscars are up seven percent from last year’s show making it the highest rated Academy Awards since 2005.
The biggest winner of the evening was Gravity, which garnered 7 Oscars, including Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron.
The coveted Best Picture Oscar went to 12 Years a Slave. The drama also won two additional awards, Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o and Best Adapted Screenplay to John Ridley.
With 10 Oscar nods American Hustle tied Gravity for most nominations but went winless at last night’s ceremony.
How did Degeneres compare to previous hosts? Could the Academy improve the Oscar’s entertainment value? Were there any award snubs? What were your Oscar highlights?
Guests:
Tom O'Neil, Editor and CEO of GoldDerby.com
Mary McNamara, TV Critic, Los Angeles Times
Washington weighs response to Russia’s invasion of Crimea
Washington is facing a tough foreign policy challenge now that Russia has escalated the conflict in Ukraine by seizing control of the country's strategic Crimean peninsula.
There are concerns that Russian president Vladimir Putin might go even further and send Russian troops to Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine, sparking even more hostilities.
Ukraine has been struggling with a violent conflict that overthrew the president, Viktor Yanukovych, and killed at least 88 people. Washington is now faced with how to respond to the escalation. Neither Washington or other world leaders are considering a military response but Secretary of State John Kerry called Putin’s move into Ukraine "an incredible act of aggression."
Yesterday, Kerry outlined some possible international repercussions for Russia that included possible visa bans and economic sanctions. Kerry is scheduled to leave tonight for a trip to Ukraine to meet with the transitional government and the Ukrainian people.
What should the American response be to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine? How can the US make it clear to Russia that there will be global consequences? Should the response be purely economic?
Guests:
Matt Rojansky, Kennan Institute Director at the Wilson Center and former Deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Christian Caryl, Washington-based senior fellow at the Legatum Institute, described as an independent public policy organisation advancing ideas and policies in support of free and prosperous societies and contributing editor of Foreign Policy magazine.
Would an open-carry gun law be better than more concealed weapons in California?
Orange County Sheriff's Department has seen a huge influx of applications for concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits.
This follows the department's announcement that it would ease permitting in response to last month's federal appeals court ruling that found San Diego's restrictions on CCW permits - similar to many in California - were unconstitutional.
Adam Winkler, California-based 2nd amendment scholar, says gun control advocates are left wondering how to minimize the number of guns on California streets. He wrote in an LA Times opinion piece, "Lawmakers who support gun control might want to consider another option [to appealing]: Rewrite state law to allow people to carry guns openly."
Open carry is the norm in many states, and until three years ago, that included California. Winkler argues allowing open carry would mean lawmakers legally could ban people from carrying concealed weapons.
Guest:
Adam Winkler, Constitutional law professor at UCLA; author of “Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America” (2011); writer for The Huffington Post & Daily Beast
What's the cost of luring or losing film & TV production in LA?
For the past decade and a half, California has seen its position as the center of the global entertainment industry come under siege.
California is losing film and TV jobs as its workers are lent out to states like New York and Louisiana that subsidize production and post-production. New technology is making the relocation trend easier than ever.
A new bill has been introduced by California state lawmakers earlier this year that would expand the state’s film and TV tax credit program. Currently, California provides about $100 million in tax credits a year to film and TV productions.
No monetary figure is attached to the new bill sponsored by Assemblymen Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles), but entertainment industry-types want to see a sizable increase that could rival New York’s $420-million program.
Guests:
Fred Baron, Executive Vice President of Feature Production, 20th Century Fox
Rajiv Dalal, Director, Office of Motion Picture & Television Production Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
Kathy Garmezy, Associate Executive Director, Government & International Affairs, Directors Guild of America
Joseph Henchman, Vice President, Legal & State Projects, The Tax Foundation
Kevin Klowden, Managing Economist & Director of the California Center at the Milken Institute; co-author of “A Hollywood Exit: What California Must Do to Remain Competitive in Entertainment – and Keep Jobs.”