LAist Investigation: OC Supervisor Andrew Do Funded Millions To Daughter’s Org

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, one of the county’s most powerful elected officials, has voted to fund millions of dollars to an organization led by his daughter without publicly disclosing his close family connection, an LAist investigation has found.

Do voted twice to award contracts that, according to county agenda records, included subcontracts to Warner Wellness Center, his daughter Rhiannon Do’s group. Warner Wellness is the DBA of the nonprofit Viet America Society. (A DBA is the name an organization uses to operate that’s different from its legal name.) We get into the details with LAist Senior Reporter Nick Gerda.

With files from LAist. Read Nick Gerda’s full story here

Sixty Years After JFK’s Assassination, We Look At His Life And Legacy

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas. The seismic national event that predates most American lives but remains an inflection point in the country’s history — as a wellspring of modern conspiracy theories, as a debate over what JFK might have achieved. In 2023, retrospective approval of Kennedy has risen to at 90% – and that’s across all party groups. The 46-year-old JFK is still today celebrated for contributions related to civil rights, medicare, and labor reform, among other policy issues. But the late president also gets his fair share of criticism – from his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, to escalation in Vietnam. Sixty years later, what do Americans get right – and wrong – about JFK’s political and cultural influence? How did his assassination shake the nation, and what lasting impacts do we still feel today? Joining us today is Fredrik Logevall, professor of history and international affairs at Harvard University and author of “JFK: Volume 1: 1917-1956,” and Sharron Wilkins Conrad, associate professor of history at Tarrant County College and senior fellow at the Southern Methodist University’s Center for Presidential History.

With files from the Associated Press

When The Turkey Is…A Turkey: What’s Your Biggest Thanksgiving Flop?

Let’s face it: there are a million ways to mess up a turkey. It’s too dry, or it’s undercooked. The skin is soggy or charred to bits. In a meal with as many dishes, traditions, and cooks in the kitchen as Thanksgiving, failure is not just likely, it’s inevitable. So we want to hear from you: when’s a time you flopped, failed, or fell flat on your face prepping Thanksgiving? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com. Joining us to discuss common Thanksgiving pitfalls and ways to (as Samuel Beckett said) “fail better” is Clémence de Lutz, co-owner of the Gourmandise School in Santa Monica. Check out their Thanksgiving prep timeline here.

TV-Talk: 4 Shows To Watch Including ‘Squid Game: The Challenge,’ ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ & More

Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network tv and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we’re going to try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching with Roxana Hadadi, TV critic for Vulture, and Kristen Baldwin, TV critic for Entertainment Weekly.

This week’s shows include:

• Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)
• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+)
• The Golden Bachelor (ABC & Hulu next day)
• Faraway Downs (Hulu)

FilmWeek: ‘Napoleon,’ ‘The Boy and the Heron,’ ‘American Symphony” And More

Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Peter Rainer, Amy Nicholson, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases in theaters, streaming, and on-demand platforms:

• “Napoleon” Wide Release
• “Wish” Wide Release
• “Maestro” The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood + The Landmark Westwood
• “American Symphony” Laemmle Monica Film Center [Santa Monica] Nov. 24th
• “Leave The World Behind” In Select Theaters
• “The Boy and the Heron” Multiple AMC Locations | Wide Release Dec. 8th
• “Fallen Leaves” Laemmle Royal [West LA]
• “They Shot The Piano Player” Laemmle Royal [West LA] On Nov. 24th
• “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” Laemmle Royal [West LA]

FilmWeek Feature: Larry Mantle Interviews Jeff Yang About His New Book “The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America”

In his new book “The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America” (Black Dog & Leventhal, October 2023), journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Yang takes an in-depth look at the films that paved the way for Asian American representation in Hollywood. Featuring original artwork from nine esteemed Asian illustrators, a foreword from Michelle Yeoh, and conversations with some of Hollywood’s most visible entertainers, the book examines the importance of the Asian American film canon. Today, Larry sits down with Jeff Yang to talk about the new book, the significance of the film The Joy Luck Club, and the ever-influential Anna May Wong.