Friends Of AirTalk Justin Chang, Ken Doctor Win Pulitzer Prizes

FilmWeek critic Justin Chang clinched a Pulitzer for his criticism work during his time at the L.A. Times, which he left earlier this year for The New Yorker. He was judged on works including an essay defending storytelling decisions made in Oppenheimer and a negative review of The Holdovers, which had been embraced by most of his colleagues. The Pulitzer Prize Board praised Chang for his “richly evocative and genre-spanning film criticism that reflects on the contemporary moviegoing experience.” Chang, a former chief film critic at Variety, was twice named film critic of the year by the Los Angeles Press Club. In 2014, he won the very first Roger Ebert award for diversity in film journalism from the African American Film Critics Associations. Chang chairs the National Society of Film Critics and serves as the secretary of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. He’s also a member of the New York Film Festival selection committee. Once a regular on LAist’s FilmWeek, Chang has taken a step back from regular appearances on the program in recent years due to the demands of his work for The New Yorker and Fresh Air, but he still makes the occasional appearance as his schedule allows and joins his fellow FilmWeek critics on stage at the annual Oscar Preview. And Justin wasn't the only friend of the show to take home a Pulitzer — former newspaper industry analyst Ken Doctor and his team at Lookout Santa Cruz also won for their breaking news coverage of catastrophic mudslides and flooding in the area.

Today on AirTalk, Justin and Ken joined Larry to talk about receiving the award.

With files from Josie Huang at LAist.com.

What’s On Tap This Summer At The Hollywood Bowl?

Whether you’re taking in fireworks, a movie showing with the L.A. Philharmonic providing a live score, or a performance from a world-renowned artist (maybe also accompanied by the L.A. Phil), few things announce the official arrival of summer like the summer season at the Hollywood Bowl. Single show tickets go on sale today, and among the highlights this summer are nine performances with Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Phil, Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival featuring artists like Jodeci, Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington and more, the return of Maestro of the Movies with John Williams and the L.A. Phil, performances from artists like Beck, Gary Clark, Jr., Trombone Shorty, Patti LaBelle and India.Arie, just to name a few, a celebration of the best of 80s and 90s Disney music and even a showing of the Oscar-nominated film Barbie with the score performed live by The Barbie Land Sinfonietta, an all-women orchestra.

Today on AirTalk, Larry previews the 2024 Hollywood Bowl Summer Season with L.A. Phil Chief Content Officer Meghan Umber and L.A. Phil Vice President of Presentations Johanna Rees.

For a full list of events and information on how to purchase tickets, click here.

Navigating The Complexities Of Relationships With Ex In-Laws

Relationships aren’t always meant to last–but that can always become more complicated when the connections around one relationship are required to change. This, of course, happens a lot following a divorce; ex-in-laws might want to visit an ex-partner more, to visit a child and spend quality time. Not all ex-in-laws will have the same look at the relationship as their closely associated loved ones… so what’s a reasonable boundary for everyone involved in this divorced family tree?

Joining us to make sense of the broader concept, and common scenarios, is Carol Hirshfield, a psychologist who works with divorced couples on co-parenting and collaborative divorcing.

State Supreme Court To Decide If Sweeping Tax Proposal Can Stay On Ballot

On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether a new proposal known as the Taxpayer Protection Act can stay on the ballot for this November. The ballot initiative would require voter approval on all new tax increases, would reclassify many government fees as taxes, and would apply retroactively to any tax increase put in place since 2022. Opponents of the initiative are expected to argue before the court that its provisions are an overreach and amount to a constitutional revision versus a constitutional amendment, and also that the bill would impair the government’s ability to perform the essential function of collecting taxes. Joining us to discuss are Nicole Nixon, reporter covering California politics for The Sacramento Bee and Brandon V. Stracener, attorney in private practice and Senior Research Fellow at the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law.

Legendary Trumpeter Herb Alpert On Recipients Of The 2024 Herb Alpert In The Arts Award

In addition to being a virtuosic jazz trumpeter, Herb Alpert is also an active philanthropist and is particularly interested in supporting the future of the arts here in Southern California. He and his wife have donated tens of millions to places like CalArts and UCLA, where the music school bears his name, and every year the Herb Alpert Foundation, which he founded with his wife and Grammy Award-winning vocalist Lani Hall Alpert, awards grants to a handful of “risk-taking mid-career artists” in a number of artistic disciplines including music, film, dance, theatre and visual arts. This year, the Alpert Awards turn 30 and welcome 10 new honorees to the ranks of award winners, each of whom will receive $75,000 and residency at CalArts. At age 89, Alpert is not only active in his philanthropy but also continues to tour -- he’s gearing up for a swing along the East Coast later this month.

Today on AirTalk, Herb Alpert joins Larry to talk about the 2024 recipients of the award bearing his name and to share what he’s been up to musically.

You can see the full list of the 2024 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts recipients here.

Latinos Are The Fastest Growing Minority In The US – Are They Also The Least Understood?

It's predicted that by 2050, over 30% of the U.S. population will have some Latino heritage. Despite a growing population, a lot is still unknown about the diverse fabric of this demographic. Author Marie Arana takes up this topic in her new book LatinoLand: A Portrait of America's Largest and Least Understood Minority. The product of extensive research and personal experience, Arana attempts to understand and celebrate Latinos in America and their rich and varied contributions to the foundation of this country. She joins us today on AirTalk to discuss her new book.