Mars Launch. Catholics get a new Mass: On Sunday, November 27th, Catholic worshippers will experience the biggest change in the Catholic liturgy since Vatican II in the 1960’s. Filmweek: The Muppets, Arthur Christmas, Hugo and more. Movie Legend Steve McQueen.
Mars Launch
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft with the Curiosity rover is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Saturday, Nov. 26.
The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in August 2012.
Curiosity has 10 science instruments to search for evidence of environments favorable to microbial life on Mars. The rover’s instruments will also search the Martian environment for the chemical ingredients that constitute life.
In addition, the unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release their gasses so that a spectrometer can analyze them and send the data back to Earth. The launch period extends through Dec. 18.
Guests:
Rob Manning, Mars Science Laboratory Project Chief Engineer
Bill Nye, the Science Guy and host of “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” an educational television program that originally aired from 1993 to 1998. Executive Director of the The Planetary Society, an organization that advocates space science research and the exploration of other planets, particularly Mars.
Catholics get a new Mass
On Sunday, November 27th, Catholic worshippers will experience the biggest change in the Catholic liturgy since Vatican II in the 1960’s. They will start using an updated Mass which comes from a new translation to the Roman Missal, the book that contains all the texts and prayers used during Mass.
Monsignor Richard Hynes, one of those in charge of implementing the changes within the Archdiocese of Chicago, says the current translation “didn't capture the depth of spirit of the original Latin. The new texts are more biblical. They strengthen their connection to the bible. There's a greater poetry in them, rather than just factual."
But changes in liturgy take some getting used to, especially when they involve spoken responses that worshippers repeat during the service. Some churchgoers are even annoyed by the changes.
The biggest changes, though, are found in the texts read by priests. Monsignor Hynes says he's sure that even he will trip over the new words. Other priests echo similar sentiments and fear reciting incoherent prayers that will render the service meaningless.
WEIGH IN:
Will this new Mass prove to be a better experience for the faithful? How will worshippers respond to the new texts?
Guests:
Tod Tamberg, Director of Media Relations for the Los Angeles Archdiocese
Thomas P. Rausch, J.S.(Societas Jesu) Father Rausch is the T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University
Filmweek: The Muppets, Arthur Christmas, Hugo, and a holiday gift guide
KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan, Wade Major and Charles Solomon join Larry to review the week’s new film releases, including The Muppets, Arthur Christmas, Hugo, and wrap up the show with their gift suggestions for the holidays. What will you be trotting out to see this weekend?
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com. His holiday gift suggestion: "Meet me in St. Louis" Package.
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and boxoffice.com. His holiday gift suggestion: Krzysztof Kieslowski's "The Three Colors" Trilogy from The Criterion Collection, DVD or Blu-ray.
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC and animation critic, author and historian for amazon.com. His two holiday gift suggestions are: "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" Parts 1 through 5 [Blu-ray] and "The Looney Tunes" Platinum Collection Volume One [Blu-ray]
Movie Legend Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen was one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 70s. Known for his anti-hero persona in now-classics such as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Bullitt, McQueen remains a silver screen legend.
His good looks, soft-spoken manner, and his tough but tender ruggedness made women swoon and men want to be like him. Although he was well-known to be combative with directors and producers, his popularity put him in high demand in Hollywood and enabled him to command exorbitant salaries. In 1974 McQueen was the highest-paid film star in the world.
A new biography by Marc Eliot provides a portrait of the “King of Cool.” Eliot explores McQueen’s life, as well as the world and business of making movies that McQueen toiled in until his untimely death at age 50.
WEIGH IN:
How did McQueen’s tumultuous life both on and off the screen shape his acting career? Why was he so obsessed with Paul Newman? How did McQueen’s search for his real father and his uneasy relationship with his mother influence his personal and professional life? Would Steve McQueen have been able to achieve stardom in Hollywood today? What bubbled beneath his cool exterior?
Guest:
Marc Eliot, author of "Steve McQueen: A Biography" (Crown Publishing Group). Elliot is a New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books on pop culture, including biographies about Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, and Walt Disney.