Today on AirTalk we'll discuss the Boy Scouts of America's decision to lift the ban on openly gay members, we'll find out how Heal the Bay rated our favorite California beaches and Jonathan Gold talks about his picks for the top restaurants in L.A. Later, our critics will discuss The Hangover III, Fast and Furious 6 and we'll find out what listeners think of all of these sequels.
Boy Scouts of America votes to allow gay youth members
The Boy Scouts of America’s National Council voted Thursday to allow openly gay youth members into the scouts. The vote, which passed with 60% approval, overrules a previous policy banning openly gay youth members from the Boy Scouts. A ban on LGBT scout leaders still stands.
The decision to allow gay youth members into the BSA follows an aggressive lobbying campaign from LGBT rights advocates and slowly changing views from the Mormon Church, a major BSA supporter. The 1400 voting members of the National Council have been divided on the issue for months, with some representatives concerned about upholding conservative values and more liberal members upset over what they consider to be exclusionary practices.
What does the future hold for the Boy Scouts? Does the decision to allow gay members make room for LGBT leaders – is that an inevitability? Should the scouting organization’s values reflect changing social norms?
Guests:
Peter Sprigg, Senior Fellow with the Family Research Council (FRC), a non-profit organization that aims to advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview
Rabbi Sarah Hronsky, senior rabbi at Temple Beth Hillel in Valley Village, the temple is the charter organization of both a Boy Scout troop and a Cub Scout pack
California beaches get ratings before summer season
Heal the Bay has released its 2013 ratings for California beaches after extensively gathering information about bacteria in the water. The ratings reflect the likeliness of contracting an illness at various beaches on the California coast, and take into account three indicators: summer dry weather, yearly dry weather, and wet weather.
The beaches have received higher ratings this year than in previous years – Hermosa Beach, Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, and the Wedge in Newport Beach received A+ ratings. While the A-F grades are generally good indicators about how dangerous a certain beach might be to one’s health, the standards are the same no matter how susceptible a person is to disease.
What are your favorite SoCal beaches? Which ones are safest? How can you protect yourself against illness at the beach – would you take a small child or an elderly family member to a middle-rated beach?
Guests:
Kirsten James, Science and Policy Director, Water Quality at Heal the Bay
'The belly of the LA Times': Jonathan Gold’s top 101 LA restaurants
Because of its sheer size and the diversity of its cuisine, Southern California is a challenging place for a diner seeking to find the best of the best. This daunting task requires a skilled navigator, and that's where Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold comes in: He has been creating the ultimate list of where to eat in SoCal for years (formerly in the LA Weekly, now in the Los Angeles Times).
Gold's latest list — the 101 Best Restaurants in SoCal — came out Thursday in the Los Angeles Times. His top picks:
- Providence in Hancock Park
- Urasawa in Beverly Hills
- Spago in Beverly Hills
- Mozza in L.A.
- The Kogi BBQ truck
In last place? The Apple Pan in West L.A. was No. 101.
In the rest of the list, you can see that Gold's passion for everything from classic, five-star WeHo restaurants to Boyle Heights taco trucks to San Gabriel Valley xiao long bao soup dumpling joints has made him the foremost voice on Angeleno eateries.
We take a peek behind of scenes of how the list is compiled, which new restaurants made it this year, which eateries failed to make it, and how to decide who finishes No. 1.
View Jonathan Gold's 101 Best Restaurants on latimes.com
Did your favorite restaurant make Gold’s list? Do best-of lists inspire you to explore or is it all just white noise?
Guest:
Jonathan Gold, Restaurant Critic, Los Angeles Times
Filmweek: Fast & Furious 6, Before Midnight, Epic and more
Larry and KPCC critics Andy Klein, Henry Sheehan and Charles Solomon review this week’s releases, including Fast & Furious 6, Before Midnight, Epic and more. Also, Variety critic Justin Chang recaps Cannes. TGI-FilmWeek!
Fast & Furious 6
Before Midnight
Epic
The Hangover III
Guests:
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and dearhenrysheehan.com
Charles Solomon, film critic and animation historian for KPCC
Justin Chang, senior film critic at Variety
From 'The Hangover 3' to 'Fast & the Furious 6,' the summer of sequels begins
It's the beginning of another summer full of sequels. This week "The Hangover III," "Fast & Furious 6," and "Before Midnight" all open. But coming soon is another Superman movie, and Hugh Jackman is once again playing Wolverine. Meanwhile, "Pirates of the Caribbean" is working on its fifth installment.
When should a movie franchise just call it quits? Which movie sequels are your favorites? Which ones didn't work at all? What makes a good sequel?