California Republicans meet for their state convention. Why is Rahm Emanuel getting so much attention? Then, it's FilmWeek on AirTalk. Larry and the critics review the week's new movies, including The Green Zone, Remember Me, She's Out of My League, and Our Family Wedding. Later, George Lucas' guide to timeless films.
California GOP convention
California Republicans are gathering this weekend in Santa Clara for their state convention. Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts and presidential in 2012 and new media publisher Andrew Breitbart will address the convention. During the three-day event, the Republicans will showcase the party's slate of statewide candidates and on Saturday afternoon, the Tea Party Express will literally drive into the convention center in its Big Red Bus. Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman will not be giving a press conference though her Republican rival Steve Poizner, will be holding a conference just an hour before Whitman and Mitt Romney address the convention Friday night. KPCC reporter Frank Stoltze joins Larry to preview the convention.
Guests:
Frank Stoltze, KPCC reporter
Mark Standriff, spokesman for the State GOP
ICANN weighs spicy new domains
The body that regulates internet domains meets this week in Nairobi, Kenya to take up controversial new suffixes that go far beyond .com and .org. Some under consideration are benign, such as .cat. Others, including .god and .catholic are stirring up much more controversy. Also proposed, a .XXX Internet suffix where porn sites can voluntarily set up shop away from the wandering eyes of children and teenagers. Backers say it would help the online porn industry clean up its act. Anti-porn groups worry it would legitimize porn sites. After an outside panel questioned the grounds for rejecting the suffix in 2007, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is taking another look—but not for another 70 days. Dedicated porn domains—yes, ICANN? Or, no we won’t?
Guest:
Declan McCullagh, Chief Political Correspondent, CNET News.com and Senior Correspondent, CBS News.com
Understanding Rahm Emanuel
When President Obama took office, he enlisted Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff because he wanted a Washington insider who could get things done. But with little getting done, Emanuel is taking blame from all sides. Conservatives charge that he is forcing through unpopular policies, while liberals complain that he is compromising Obama's agenda. What is Rahm Emanuel's influence in the White House, and why is he getting so much attention?
Guest:
Peter Baker, White House correspondent, The New York Times. His cover story on Rahm Emanuel appears in The New York Times Magazine this Sunday.
Breaking: Orange County DA to sue Toyota
Larry Mantle talks with the Orange County District Attorney about the lawsuit he filed this morning against Toyota Motor Corporation on behalf of OC consumers, claiming the company knowingly sold vehicles with acceleration problems.
Guest:
Tony Rackauckas, Orange County District Attorney
FilmWeek
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Jean Oppenheimer and Claudia Puig of USA Today review the week’s new film releases, including Green Zone, Remember Me, She's Out of My League, Our Family Wedding, Toe to Toe, American Radical, The Art of the Steal, Children of Invention, Mother, and Brooklyn's Finest. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Jean Oppenheimer, KPCC critic Claudia Puig, USA Today
Blockbusting: George Lucas' guide to timeless films
George Lucas' latest project isn't a movie- it's a 976 page book. In "Blockbusting," Lucas surveys over 100 years of moviemaking to pick 300 films that stand the test of time. Of interest to film buffs are the shooting schedules, financial figures and trivia behind the making of each movie. The production costs and box office numbers are also listed in present-day dollars to allow for insightful comparison between decades of film. What's the highest-grossing film ever made? Adjusted for inflation, it's still Gone with the Wind. Larry Mantle discusses fun facts from the book with editor Alex Ben Block.
Guest:
Alex Ben Block, editor, with Lucy Autrey Wilson, of George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success (It Books). He is Editor-at-Large for 'The Hollywood Reporter' and Show Business Historian for 'Hollywood Today.'