The best science stories of 2009; The 25th anniversary of Cirque du Soleil; And FilmWeek on AirTalk. Larry and the critics discuss the week's new releases, including Princess & the Frog, The Road, Old Dogs and Ninja Assassin.
Best science stories of 2009
Michael Shermer joins Larry in studio to peer into the most interesting and important science stories of the year, including the theory of evolution on the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species"; paleoanthropology; the truth behind recent film releases 2012 and The Men Who Stare at Goats; Barbara Ehrenreich's argument that positive thinking has harmed society; and, the psychological consequences of feeling out of control.
Guest:
Michael Schermer, founding publisher, Skeptic magazine; Executive Director of the Skeptics Society; monthly columnist for Scientific American; host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech; and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Claremont Graduate University.
From stilt dancer to Cirque co-creator
Back in the 1970s in Montreal, Carmen Ruest was taking and giving dance classes during the winter and dancing on stilts as a street performer in the summer. During this time, she became proficient in various circus arts including acrobatics, trapeze and tight rope - and honed her skills as a stiltwalker. In the early 1980s, she met Gilles Ste-Croix and became his stiltwalking partner. Ste-Croix, teamed up with Ruest and others to create the Club des Talons Hauts (High Heels Club), which later become Cirque du Soleil in 1984 under founder Guy Laliberté’s leadership. Carmen Ruest joins Larry Mantle to talk about her career at Cirque de Soleil which is celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
Guest:
Carmen Ruest, director of creation at Cirques de Soleil. Since 2006, Carmen took on the position of director of creation for Saltimbanco.
FilmWeek
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com, Andy Klein of Brand X, and Charles Solomon of Amazon.com discuss the week’s new film releases including Old Dogs, The Princess And The Frog, Ninja Assassin, The Road, Red Cliff, The Missing Person, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, and The Sun.
Henry Sheehan, henrysheehan.com
Andy Klein, Brand X
Charles Solomon, animation critic and historian, Amazon.com