Jobless rate up in California. What will life be like when China rules the world? Then, it's FilmWeek on AirTalk. KPCC film critics review the week's theatrical and DVD releases, including Twilight sequel New Moon, The Blind Side, Bad Lieutenant, and Planet 51.
California jobless rate hits 12.5%
California's unemployment rate rose to 12.5% in October, the fourth-highest in the country and the highest in the state since World War II. Across the nation, the jobless rate increased in 29 states. But there were positive trends as well- California gained 25,700 jobs last month. It's the first time the state has added jobs since April 2008, and suggests that the rate of job loss is slowing. What do the numbers mean for an economic recovery?
Guests:
Jack Kyser, founding economist of the Kyser Center of Economic Research
Steven Levy, Director, Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy
Jon Haveman, Principal with Beacon Economics
World domination, China style
We've heard it before, "power corrupts…absolute power corrupts, absolutely." So too does global dominance, British author Martin Jacques writes. Not only will China rise and eclipse the United States, the transition will be a traumatic one for Western powers. With a spotlight on President Obama's trip to Asia, we talk with Jacques about his book, "When China Rules the World."
Guest:
Martin Jacques, author of "When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order." He is a columnist for the UK's Guardian and research fellow at the London School of Economics.
FilmWeek
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Jean Oppenheimer, Claudia Puig, Wade Major, and Charles Solomon discuss the week’s new releases, including New Moon, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, The Blind Side, Planet 51, Defamation, That Evening Sun, and La Danse, among others.
Guests:
Jean Oppenheimer, Village Voice Media film critic
Claudia Puig, USA Today film critic
Wade Major, BoxOffice.com
Charles Solomon, animation critics and historian, Amazon.com
The life of Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly had a fairy-tale life, leaving a childhood in Philadelphia to become an iconic Hollywood actress and later the Princess of Monaco. In film, Kelly is remembered for her appearances in Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, and her Academy Award-winning role in The Country Girl. In the biography "High Society," Grace Kelly's close friend Donald Spoto draws from his personal interviews with the star to share details about Kelly's life, her impact on Hollywood, and her years as a princess.
Guest:
Donald Spoto, author of "High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly" (Harmony Books). He is the author of twenty-five books, including biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Tennessee Williams, Ingrid Bergman, and Audrey Hepburn.