California Lawmakers Propose Tax On Beer And Goods; Senator Jack Scott Named Next Community College Chancellor; Socialism Is Great; Too Many Movies; Too Little Time?; Filmweek Reviews
California Lawmakers Propose Tax On Beer And Goods
Democratic lawmakers in California recently proposed a sales tax on beer, adult entertainment venues and goods, grocery bags, gas-guzzlers, iTunes downloads and other "conveniences" as a solution to balance the state budget. Currently, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger estimates the state deficit to be as high as $20 billion. Larry talks with Evan Halper from the L.A. Times and takes calls from listeners on what to tax.
Senator Jack Scott Named Next Community College Chancellor
Democratic State Senator Jack Scott has been selected as the next Chancellor of the California Community College system. Senator Scott will take over as Chancellor of the 109 campuses with 2.6 million students on January 1, 2009 after completing his senate term at the end of 2008. Larry talks with Senator Scott about becoming Chancellor.
Socialism Is Great
Larry talks with international journalist Lijia Zhang about her new memoir: "Socialism Is Great!" Zang chronicles the dramatic changes in her life that went from Communist Youth League member and Chinese missile factory worker to Tiananmen Square protest organizer.
Too Many Movies; Too Little Time?
Every week, nearly a dozen movies open in the U.S. Most are independent films that won't ever see more than two weeks in a theater. Some think there are too many independent movies, too many bad movies, too many festivals, too many critics, too many awards shows and too many multiplexes. Larry and our FilmWeek critics Wade Major and Andy Klein discuss if there are too many movies today and ask our listeners to weigh in as well.
Filmweek Reviews
Larry and critics Wade Major, of boxoffice.com and CityBeat, and Andy Klein, of CityBeat, and Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com review some of the week's new feature films including Speed Racer, The Fall, A Previous Engagement, Before the Rains, and the French film OSS 17 - Cairo, Nest of Spies.