Is violence bubbling up in the Southland? A new DVR could make commercials a thing of the past…but what’s the alternative? Should film studios exercise more control over actor/activists? Citizens United, the sequel: The battle continues over campaign contributions. Buddy Guy: the greatest blues guitarist alive! Plus, the latest news.
Is violence bubbling up in the Southland?
This weekend, after a minor traffic altercation at Dodger Stadium, four men beat another man while his pregnant companion looked on.
On Mother’s Day, a family of three was returning from a party to their home in El Sereno. As they parked, a man walked up to the car with a shotgun and shot Damien Frausto while his wife and 5-year-old daughter huddled in the backseat. Frausto’s wife said the man appeared angry while homicide detectives say the only explanation they have is that this was an incident of road rage.
Whether there's been an increase in violent or near violent incidents related to the average stresses of everyday life is impossible to measure or study. However, anecdotally speaking, have you noticed an increase in violent or aggressive behavior in your own life? Because of our intensive car culture, is this a uniquely Southern California experience? Do you have any triggers that set you off? Do the little things tend to escalate? Are some of us more poorly equipped to handle stress than we used to be? What do you think causes this and how do you handle it in your life?
GUEST
David Rizzo, known as Dr. Roadmap; Author of "Survive the Drive! How to Beat Freeway Traffic in Southern California"
A new DVR could make commercials a thing of the past, but what’s the alternative?
A new feature has just been added to Dish network’s digital video recorders. It’s called Auto Hop and once it’s turned on it completely deletes commercials from any content recorded on your DVR.
Predictably TV executives and advertisers are none too pleased with this innovation. According to Ted Harbert, the chairman of NBC, just because you have a technology exists doesn’t mean you should use it. Les Moonves, the CEO of CBS, wanted to know how Charlie Ergan, the co-founder and CEO of Dish Network, expected him to keep on making “CSI” without advertisers.
The fact is, Charlie Ergan might not care. He’s described as daring and at one time was a professional gambler. Industry watchers say if anyone can bear up under the unbelievable pressure that networks will bring, it’s Ergan. Some of that pressure has already manifested itself.
Some networks have been refusing to air Dish Network’s commercials among other punishments. Dish Network will also likely be forging ahead all alone in their ad-free endeavor. Most other companies that provide DVR technology are going in the opposite direction and making it less easy for consumers to skip over commercials.
So how will this play out in the industry? What does a world without commercials look like? And will Dish Network cave to pressure?
GUEST
John Lafayette, Business Editor, Broadcasting and Cable Magazine
Should film studios exercise more control over actor/activists?
Last Tuesday Time Warner held its annual meeting for shareholders. During the meeting, a proxy for one of their shareholders stood up and asked Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes whether Warner Brothers Studios had any plans to muzzle actor Morgan Freeman during the press tour for this summer’s blockbuster “The Dark Knight Rises.”
The question stemmed from an incident last year when Freeman, at the time promoting the film “Dolphin Tale,” told CNN’s Piers Morgan that the push from the Tea Party to ensure that Barack Obama is a one-term president is racially motivated.
According to the shareholder, Freeman’s statements turned off a significant portion of the audience for the film and therefore hurt its bottom line. They wanted to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen again.
The concerned shareholder just happened to be David Ridenour, the president of a conservative think tank called The National Center for Public Policy Research. The group makes a habit of buying shares in companies and working from the inside to influence business and policy decisions.
Recently it asked JCPenney to stop sustainability practices that may drive up prices and questioned Coca Cola’s CEO about that company’s withdrawal from ALEC, a group that creates policy with a free-market, limited government bent. Bewkes's response was fairly predictable: He said there’s not a lot the studio can do to limit Freeman’s right to free speech, and he pointed out that an outspoken actor rarely impacts the commercial success of the film.
Whether or not that’s the case may be up for debate, but are there limits to what actors should say while they’re ostensibly on the studio’s clock? As Freeman was getting paid to promote a film, does he have a responsibility to cool it with the political rhetoric? Do politically charged statements from actors make you more or less likely to see a film starring them?
GUESTS
David Almasi, Executive Director, The National Center for Public Policy Research
Tim Cogshell, Film critic for KPCC and Box Office Magazine
Citizens United, the sequel
The battle over political campaign contributions and financing looks set to take center stage in the U.S. Supreme Court once again.
The battle this time is over a 1906 anti-corruption law in Montana. The Corrupt Practices Act prohibits corporate contributions to political campaigns in the Treasure State, a ban upheld by the Montana Supreme Court last year.
However, opponents, led by the American Tradition Partnership, say the ruling is in conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 “Citizens United” decision, which struck down bans on campaign spending by corporations and unions under the First Amendment.
On Friday, Montana's Attorney General, Steve Bullock, supported by U.S. Senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse, hit back at the opposition, filing their own brief in the U.S. Supreme Court asking for Montana's 1906 ban to stay in place for fear of election corruption returning to the state. The case is expected to reopen the row over election financing and have repercussions for campaign contributions across the United States.
Will the Supreme Court agree to hear a case that could reverse “Citizens United”? Should states have the right to limit campaign financing, even if federal law prohibits it? If the Montana law stands, could other states in the union enact similar laws to limit “Citizens United”? How do you see campaign contributions changing the political landscape? Should limits be placed on how much corporations give to political campaigns? Are big cash contributions just a part of today’s democratic process?
GUESTS
James Bopp, Jr., Lead Counsel representing American Tradition Partnership in their legal petition to the U.S. Supreme Court challenging Montana's ban on corporate election spending; Bopp was also the legal advisor for Citizens United, which led to the historic Supreme Court decision in 2010
Adam Skaggs, Senior Counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy program, New York University School of Law; Skaggs, on behalf of the Brennan Center, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Montana’s ban on corporate election spending
Buddy Guy: the greatest blues guitarist alive!
From a very early age, Buddy Guy knew he wanted to play music. His parents were sharecroppers in rural Louisiana and when they got electricity and bought a record player, his life-long passion was ignited.
The inspiration came in 1949 when he heard John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen.” He constructed all sorts of gadgets that resembled guitars until his father got him a weathered model with two strings for $4.35. It changed his life forever.
In his new book, “When I Left Home” Guy recounts his journey from rural poverty in Louisiana to the blues scene in Chicago. His career included gigs with the greats including B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan. His memoir chronicles his life lived through music, his hard-earned success and the proliferation of blues music throughout the world.
GUESTS
Buddy Guy, author (with David Ritz) of “When I Left Home: My Story” (Da Capo Press)