Today on AirTalk, we break down the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we talk with listeners on how they properly end conversations; review the latest movie releases with our KPCC film critics; and more.
COVID-19 AMA: CA Launches Lottery For Vaccinated Residents, South Africa Prepares For A Potential Surge And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Shruti Gohil at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine.
Today’s topics include:
CA launches lotto for vaccinated residents
South Africa prepares for potential virus surge
Vaccinated people won’t need booster shots any time soon, research shows
Experts believe COVID-19 deaths have been undercounted
China’s two Sinopharm vaccines are 73% and 78% effective, study shows
CDC predicts national COVID-19 cases and deaths will fall over next 4 weeks
EU approves Pfizer vaccine for adolescents ages 12-15
Can vaccinated people still spread COVID-19?
Guest:
Shruti Gohil, M.D., professor of medicine and associate medical director for epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine
Listeners Weigh In On How They Properly End Conversations
For folks who've stayed inside throughout the year, going out and socializing again may feel foreign.
Health experts agree that the long period of isolation exacerbated by the pandemic can heighten anxiety when returning to pre-COVID normalcy.
One study released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last March found that conversations typically don't end when either party wants them to. Out of the people surveyed, two-thirds of them preferred it end sooner, co-author Adam Mastoianni told the New York Times.
Today on AirTalk, we ask listeners about how they ended conversations and how the pandemic affected the way they'd normally communicate.
Guest:
A. Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets
FilmWeek: ‘A Quiet Place Part II,’ ‘Cruella,’ ‘Moby Doc’ And More
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Christy Lemire and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.
"A Quiet Place Part II," in wide release
"Cruella," in wide release & Disney+
"Dog Gone Trouble," on Netflix
"Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal The Movie," on Netflix June 3
"Moby Doc," In Select Theaters (check your local listings); VOD (including FandangoNow, iTunes, Vudu); Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema June 4
"Changing The Game," on Hulu June 1
"Port Authority," Cinelounge Sunset Hollywood; Laemmle’s Virtual Cinema; Digital/VOD (including Vudu, Google Play, FandangoNow) June 1
"Plan B," on Hulu
"Borat Supplemental Reportings," on Amazon Prime Video
Our FilmWeek critics have been curating personal lists of their favorite TV shows and movies to binge-watch during self-quarantine. You can see recommendations from each of the critics and where you can watch them here.
Guests:
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ podcast; she tweets
Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and film columnist for the Santa Monica Daily Press; she tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Asian and Pacific Islanders Remain Largely Invisible In Popular Film, Study Shows
When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson debuted his Hollywood persona in World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003, he was two years removed from his first successful protagonist role in "The Scorpion King" and on the heels of more film success with roles in "The Rundown" and "Walking Tall."
Little did anyone foresee that "Hollywood" Rock would buoy the overall representation for Asian and Pacific Islanders in popular film for the next 20 years.
Last week, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a report documenting the prevalence of Asian and Pacific Islanders both on-and off-screen across the top-grossing films each year from 2007 to 2019. Of the 1,300 films examined, only 44 featured API actors playing lead roles, nearly a third of which were played by Johnson.
The report offers more staggering statistics:
In 2019, over a quarter of API characters in the top-grossing films died. Most died by drowning, explosions, stabbing or suicides
Of the over 51,000 speaking characters in the 1,300 films examined, only 6% were Asian, Asian American or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders
Only 50 of the 1,447 directors in the 1,300 films examined were of API heritage.
In 2019, 67% of API characters played stereotyped roles
The release of this report comes at a time of rising anti-Asian hate crimes nationally, and the authors of the report believe the portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders in mass media contributes to that. Today on FilmWeek, we delve into the study's findings and discuss the history of API filmmakers and actors in Hollywood.
Guests:
Nancy Wang Yuen, professor of sociology at Biola University in La Mirada; she is co-author of “The Prevalence and Portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders Across 1,300 Popular Films”; she tweets @
Justin Chang, film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR’s Fresh Air; he tweets