Southern California Wildfire Update; Writers Guild Strike; Trash Strike; AFI FEST 2007; Middle East International Film Festival; FilmWeek Reviews
Southern California Wildfire Update
Larry discusses updates on the Southern California wildfires with KPCC reporter Julie Small, Public Information Officer for the fires in San Bernardino County, Adrienne Freeman, and Public Information Officer for the Orange County Fire, Captain Steve Miller.
Writers Guild Strike
The Writers Guild of America voted 90% in favor of granting a strike authorization last Friday. The dispute is largely over compensation for content distributed online, as well as royalties for DVD sales, and compensation for the writers of "reality" TV shows. Larry talks about the issue and what a strike would mean for the film and television industries with Alex Ben Block of Hollywood Today.
Trash Strike
Trash haulers for Waste Management Inc. went on strike last Friday, affecting many Los Angeles area residents and businesses. Larry discusses the details of the labor dispute with Jay Phillips, President of the union representing the workers, and Spokeswoman for Waste Management Inc. Kit Cole.
AFI FEST 2007
The 21st AFI FEST will be held in Los Angeles from November 1st through 11th. It features international competitions of new films from emerging filmmakers, the latest works from great film masters, and premieres. Larry talks with the festival's Artistic Director, Rose Kuo, as well as festival programmer Shaz Bennett.
Middle East International Film Festival
Larry talks with FilmWeek and Christian Science Monitor critic, Peter Rainer, about the Middle East International Film Festival which was held earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. The festival is dedicated to bringing a diverse slate of international films to their community and to introducing filmmakers from around the world to the resources of the region.
FilmWeek Reviews
Larry and critics Henry Sheehan, of henrysheehan.com, and Andy Klein, of CityBeat, discuss the week's new releases including the feature films Dan in Real Life, Music Within, Slipstream, If I Didn't Care, Wristcutters: A Love Story, Finishing the Game, Black Irish, 56 Drops of Blood, and the documentaries Jimmy Carter Man From Plains, and Mr. Untouchable.