Today on AirTalk, we take a look at the long, lurid history of the Hollywood casting couch. We also discuss Apple's new streaming service as well as who and what will be on it; debate a potential ban on gene-edited babies; and more.
Following accusations that Warner Bros. CEO traded film roles for sex, a look at the long, lurid history of the Hollywood casting couch
Long the elephant in the room that everyone knew existed but few would willingly acknowledge, the Hollywood casting couch has been an unfortunate yet undeniable part of moviemaking for almost as long as the film industry as we know it has existed in Los Angeles.
From the organization of the major studios in the 1920s on, the blueprint has been more or less the same: men in powerful positions in a male-dominated industry offering the role of a lifetime to a young actress who maybe just moved to L.A. or has been grinding for years to make it as an actress part time. All she had to do was sleep with him in return.
The latest instance of this comes after The Hollywood Reporter’s story that broke earlier this month detailing text messages between Warner Brothers CEO Kevin Tsujihara and a young actress who he said he’d push for roles for amid a sexual relationship the two were apparently having. On Monday, Warner Bros. announced that Tsujihara would be stepping down from his role. They did not name a successor.
Tsujihara told Warner staffers in a memo that he had spent the past week and a half “reflecting on how the attention on my past actions might impact the company’s future” and that it had “become clear that my continued leadership could be a distraction and obstacle to the company’s success.” He did not deny the allegations in his memo, but his personal attorney told THR that Mr. Tsujihara “had no direct role in the hiring of this actress.” She did land roles in the 2016 WB film “How To Be Single” and 2018’s “Ocean’s 8.”
What is the history of the “casting couch” in Hollywood? Can it be traced back to a single person or studio, or is it more a product of a different time in Hollywood history? How prevalent is the “casting couch” in the industry today, more than a year after Harvey Weinstein and #MeToo?
Guest:
Cari Beauchamp, Hollywood historian, documentary filmmaker and and author of several books, including “Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Powerful Women of Early Hollywood” (UC Press, 1998); she tweets
The best pro baseball player is staying in Los Angeles, apparently
According to reports, the Angels are close to signing a whopping 12-year deal worth more than $430 million with center fielder Mike Trout, the largest contract in professional sports history. The extension, which has yet to be confirmed by the Angels, solidifies that the 27-year-old as the cornerstone of the Angels’s rebuilding efforts. Trout was to become a free agent after 2020.
Trout, a two-time American League MVP, had 39 homers in 140 games last season. He is a seven-time All-Star.
Guests:
A Martinez, host of Take Two on KPCC
Nick Roman, host of All Things Considered on KPCC
Apple is finally launching its own streaming video service -- who and what will be on it, and how will it survive in the crowded VOD landscape?
Since its founding in 1976, Apple has been all about its devices -- from the Apple II computer to the hand-held “Newton” PDA to the iPhone, iPod and Apple TV more recently.
But next week, consumers will get a first look at Apple’s biggest foray into the world of services when it finally pulls the tarp off of its rumored streaming video service at a special event at their Cupertino, California headquarters on Monday. And now, we’re starting to get a sense of exactly what kind of content we can expect on the service, and who’s making it.
So far, there have been several big names that are confirmed to be working with Apple on content, including Reese Witherspoon, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey (check out CNET’s running list of all the announced shows here), and they’ve also inked a first-look deal with up-and-coming film studio A24, which has made waves in recent years with films like “Room,” “Moonlight,” “Ex Machina,” and “Hereditary.” They’ve also purchased films from festivals like Sundance, where they bought the rights to a coming-of-age drama called “Hala,” executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Among those questions still to be answered are how widely available Apple’s new streaming service will be when it launches and how much of the announced content will be available at launch. Apple is known in the tech community for preferring its users operate completely within their ecosystem, but it’s hard to ignore the potential share of the market they’d be foregoing if they chose to only make the service available to Apple device users.
They’ll also have to compete with the massive content catalogs of streaming giants like Netflix and Hulu, who have carved out their own niches in the streaming landscape, and handle the transition from being a tech-focused company to focusing on both tech and the entertainment business, and learning how to navigate the complex environment of Hollywood and the film studios.
Guest:
Joan E. Solsman, senior reporter for CNET covering digital media who has been following the story; she tweets
After MySpace accidentally loses 12 years of music uploads, we look back at the former giant’s significance
The last time many of us thought about MySpace was the first time we logged into Facebook. But yesterday, the former social networking giant made headlines for losing over a decade’s worth of music uploads during a server migration.
For many, MySpace was just a precursor to the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. But if you were coming of age in the mid-aughts, then the platform likely played a big role in your formative years -- whether it was how you discovered your favorite band, the feeling of being selected as a friend’s “top eight” or learning basic HTML to deck out your profile.
As MySpace continues to go out with a whimper, we look back on its rise, fall and former cultural significance. What did Tom’s benign smile represent to the tweens and teens for whom MySpace was the first taste of social networking? What kind of role did MySpace play in your life?
Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Katie Notopoulos, senior reporter for BuzzFeed News, where she writes about tech and internet culture; she tweets
Should there be a ban on gene-edited babies?
An international group of scientists and ethicists last week called for a temporary global ban on making babies with edited genes.
Mainstream scientists generally oppose making babies with altered DNA now, citing safety and ethical issues that must be addressed first. Such genetic changes may be passed to future generations, unlike gene editing done in parts of the body not involved in reproduction.
Some scientists had called for a moratorium before the latest proposal, which carries no legal authority. It came from 18 researchers from seven countries who published a commentary in the journal Nature. They included prominent gene-editing experts Feng Zhang and David Liu of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The researchers want a temporary ban on research designed to produce a baby from sperm, eggs or embryos that bear altered DNA. Roughly 30 nations already prohibit making babies from such “germline” gene editing, the authors said. It’s essentially banned in the U.S.
This “will place major speed bumps in front of the most adventurous plans to re-engineer the human species,” they wrote. “But the risks of the alternative ... are much worse.”
The moratorium would allow time for discussion of technical, scientific, societal and ethical issues that must be considered, they said.
Among the proposals: Individual nations should pledge to block such research for a specific period, perhaps five years. After that, each country could decide on its own about what to allow, but only after taking steps like providing public notice, joining international discussions about the pros and cons, and determining whether its citizens support proceeding with such gene editing. The proposal does not cover gene-editing experiments that don’t involve trying to establish a pregnancy.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Ben Hurlbut, bioethicist and associate professor at Arizona State University; his research focuses on the intersection of science and technology studies, bioethics and political theory
Helen O’Neill, lecturer in reproductive and molecular genetics, and program director of reproductive science and women’s health, University College London; she tweets
LA County DA launches investigation into horse deaths in Santa Anita
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has launched an investigation into the spate of horse deaths at Santa Anita Park, less than a week after Santa Anita Park announced that it will take historic steps to tighten their use on horse whips and medication.
The move was announced in an open letter last Thursday by Stronach Group’s chairman and president, Belinda Stronach, after the death of a 22nd horse at Santa Anita since its opening day on Dec. 26.
“We have arrived at a watershed moment,” said Stronach in her statement. “The Stronach Group has long been a strong advocate for the abolishment of race-day medication, but we will wait no longer for the industry to come together as one to institute these changes. Nor will we wait for the legislation required to undertake this paradigm shift. We are taking a stand and fully recognize just how disruptive this might be.”
According to the Pasadena Star-News, roughly 50 horses die per year at the “Great Race Place,” making the Arcadia racetrack one of the deadliest in the state. Both the Southern and Northern California Thoroughbred racetracks will be the first in North America to follow strict International Federation of Horseracing Authorities(IFHA) standards.
What’s caused the unusual spate in horse deaths, and what does this mean for the horse racing community? Call us with your questions and reactions at 866-893-5722 or comment below.
Guest:
John Cherwa, special contributor to the Los Angeles Times who’s been covering the story; he tweets