COVID-19 AMA: LA Prepares To Vaccinate Children, LA And California Positivity Rates Rise, And More

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Shruti Gohil, professor of medicine and associate medical director for epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine.

Topics today include:

• LA County prepares hundreds of sites to vaccinate 5-11 year-olds 
• Children benefit from vaccinations even if they had COVID-19, experts say
• Childhood vaccinations lag globally due to the pandemic
• LA and California positivity rates rise after months of decline.

SoCal Dia De Los Muertos 2021: Outdoor Festivities To Observe This Year And Honor Those Who’ve Passed

Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, serves as a time where folks can commemorate loved ones who have passed. Although the holiday is predominantly celebrated in Mexico, many other areas also observe the festivities as well--including folks in California. Yet with the pandemic having affected the event for two years, it forced many communities indoors and mourning loved ones at home.

As things begin to reopen, many are using this year’s festivities to join together with their unique communities and also honor their recently deceased family at one of the many events found around SoCal.

Today on AirTalk, Larry talks to event organizers Gabriel Avila, Cosme Cordova and Jessica Arambula about some of the Dia de los Muertos events happening this year in Southern California.

To find nearby events to observe, click here for Los Angeles & Orange County, and here for Riverside & San Bernardino

Are You Ready To Be Scared? This Halloween Weekend, KPCC Brings You A “Spooked” Marathon

Have you ever felt an icy chill suddenly come over a room? Have you seen doors slam unexpectedly, heard footsteps creeping down the hall when you’re by yourself, or felt the pull of something supernatural? If so, you’re not alone. Real stories of unexplained phenomena and unknown occurrences, told by the people they happened to, are the basis of “Spooked,” the brainchild of Glynn Washington, host of “Snap Judgement.” Today on AirTalk, we hear from Washington about what inspired his love of the supernatural.

The “Spooked” marathon runs from six to midnight this Saturday and Sunday night, on 89.3 KPCC. 

FilmWeek: ‘Last Night In Soho,’ ‘Attica,’ ‘My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission’ And More

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on-demand platforms.

• “Last Night in Soho,” Wide Release
• "Attica,” Laemmle’s Monica Film Center (Santa Monica); Showtime on November 6
• "My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission," Wide Release
• "Gorbachev. Heaven,” Laemmle’s Royal (West LA); VOD on Vimeo
• "Violet," Arena Cinelounge Sunset (Hollywood); VOD on November 9 (including VUDU)
• “Only the Animals,” Landmark’s Nuart Theater (West LA)
• “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin,” VOD on Paramount+
• “Finding Kendrick Johnson,” Laemmle’s NoHo7 (North Hollywood); VOD (including Amazon Prime Video, VUDU, and AppleTV)
• “Army of Thieves,” VOD on Netflix
• “13 Minutes,” In Select theaters (including the Lumiere Music Hall in Beverly Hills and AMC The Americana at Brand 18 in Glendale); VOD on November 19 (including Amazon Prime Video and VUDU)

Jorge R. Gutiérrez’s Mission To Bring More Latinos To The Screen In Adventure Series ‘Maya And The Three’

The new Netflix miniseries “Maya and the Three” is set in a Mesoamerican kingdom known as Teca and follows 15-year-old Maya, a Latin American warrior-princess. Maya undertakes a daunting mission to fulfill an ancient prophecy and save humanity. She’s not the only one with an important pursuit. Director Jorge R. Gutiérrez, known for his work on other animated projects like “El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera” and “The Book of Life,” wants to bring more Latino representation to the screen. And he wants to do it in a way that allows kids to see themselves as heroes in tales of grand adventure, like “Maya and the Three.” Today on FilmWeek, Larry talks with Gutiérrez along with animation critic Charles Solomon about the series and various visual styles.