Barbenstrikeheimer: Cinema Returns In Full Force With ‘Barbie’ And ‘Oppenheimer’ As Industry Workers Continue To Strike
“Barbenheimer” didn’t just work – it spun box office gold. The social media-fueled fusion of Greta Gerwig’s “ Barbie ” and Christopher Nolan’s “ Oppenheimer ” brought moviegoers back to the theaters in record numbers this weekend, vastly outperforming projections and giving a glimmer of hope to the lagging exhibition business, amid the sobering backdrop of strikes. It’s also the first time that one movie opened to more than $100 million and another movie opened to more than $80 million in the same weekend. When all is settled, it will likely turn out to be the fourth biggest box office weekend of all time with over $300 million industry wide. This however, comes at a time where both actors and writers continue to seek more of the profit gained from this level of success in cinemas and on streaming services. Today on AirTalk, we checked in on the latest WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and asked the question: is cinema back? Anousha Sakoui, entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times, and Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at ComScore, join to discuss.
With files from the Associated Press
A New Study Suggests A Genetic Reason For Why Some People With COVID Never Displayed Symptoms
A new study published in the scientific journal Nature, attempts to answer the question as to why some people who had COVID-19 remained asymptomatic, with many never even knowing they had contracted the virus. Previous research has shown that about 20 percent of people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus we know as COVID-19, remain asymptomatic. A recent study conducted by researchers at UC San Francisco looked into a set of genes known as the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and found that individuals with a specific variant of HLA were more than two times as likely to remain asymptomatic. That likelihood increased to more than eight times if the individual had two copies of the gene, one from each parent. HLAs are used to match donors to transplant patients and are integral to our bodies’ immunity. Joining us on AirTalk today to discuss the study's findings and what it may mean for how we combat other viruses in the future is Jill Hollenbach, professor of Neurology at UCSF and lead author of the study.
What Do You Consider When Making Later-In-Life Career Changes?
The pandemic has affected the job market in a multitude of ways, for some it manifested in being let go by longtime employers, and for others, it meant finding more opportunities that seem worth pursuing. Regardless of the circumstances, it creates a unique predicament for older individuals with established careers–how do you go about changing careers if you think now is the time to transition to that next opportunity?
Larry talks later-in-life career changes are Marty Nemko, career coach, and Tawny Rusch, local resident who’s going through a later-in-life career change herself. Listeners also share their experiences of changing careers.
Federal Scrutiny Of SoCal Organ Recovery Org Could Lead To Shutdown
A recent LA Times investigation by Emily Alpert Reyes takes a look at OneLegacy, the nonprofit organ procurement organization contracted by the federal government to operate in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. According to federal reports, OneLegacy recovers organs at lower rates than most of its peers across the country. If the organization doesn’t improve its numbers, it’s at risk of being stripped of its mandate and replaced by other contractors as soon as 2026. OneLegacy disputes the federal numbers, and claims that, by their own metrics, they are performing well. Also under fire is OneLegacy’s procurement rates among communities of color, as well as the organization’s executive compensation. Joining us to discuss this complicated issue are Emily Alpert Reyes, staff writer at the LA Times covering public health, Prasad Garimella, chief executive officer of OneLegacy, and Jennifer Erickson, senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists where she studies organ donation policy.
Lending Money To Family? Here’s How To Navigate The Tricky Dynamics
The pandemic has put many families in difficult financial situations. When you are low on cash, who do you turn to for help? Asking your parents or siblings would be the easiest and safest option, right? Most financial experts would beg to differ. In a 2019 survey from the US Federal Reserve, 60 percent of Americans said they had loaned money to close family and friends. However, four out of 10 people never saw it back and it has caused harm to their relationships. A family member asking for money can create a tricky situation -- you might want to help the person out, but maybe you, yourself, don’t have anything extra to lend, or maybe it’s not the first time this family member has asked for a loan? How do you decide whether to help them out, and if you can’t, is there a way to let them down easily?
Joining us to talk about the risk in family loans are Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at creditcards.com and Megan McCoy, assistant professor at Kansas State University’s Department of Personal Financial Planning.
