AirTalk

Kim Jong Il dies. Fewer Americans with a ring on it. From deal to debacle? The Payroll Tax cut. You shouldn’t have, really (worst gifts ever).

Start your engines – GOP race to the White House begins January 3rd. California High speed rail. Hitchens obit. KPCC film critics Andy Klein, Wade Major and Charles Solomon join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Carnage and more. TGI-FilmWeek! Screenwriter, novelist, commentator John Ridley on upcoming film "Red Tails."

Are Democrats abandoning a plan to tax the wealthy? OC News Update: Larry and our talented trio of Orange County journalists dig into these stories and other latest news from Orange County. LA city officials approve ordinance to limit vending on Venice boardwalk Survey: 1 in 4 women violently attacked by a partner.

The numbers are out, the cuts have been triggered, now come the lawsuits. Nativity displays in Santa Monica cause quite a scene. Shifting sands in Iraq. Nurturing your child’s developing brain.

Should there be a national ban on using cell phones while driving? Lowe’s under fire for pulling ads from TLC’s All-American Muslim. Axis of confusion on Iran developments. How does particle physics play a role in our lives? Gov. Brown announces triggered budget cuts.

Protesters #occupy ports from Long Beach to Seattle. Budget shortfalls will trigger major cuts, but who will be feeling the most pain? Murals to flower on L.A. walls once again. Supreme Court to take up Arizona’s immigration law, SB 1070. What words should be banned from the English language?

California's underground economy is costing the state billions. Paycheck protection or paycheck deception? KPCC film critics Peter Rainer and Claudia Puig join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Young Adult, We Need to Talk About Kevin, W.E., In Darkness and more. TGI-FilmWeek! Olympia Dukakis’ silent ‘Vigil.’

Big day for the Angels. Are smart phone games are taking over our lives? GOP to Israel: We're BFFs. Anonymous subgroup puts LAPD info online. Newt: The man, the myth, the presidential candidate. The breakthrough inventions of a Hollywood beauty.

Will Obama’s new populist message resonate with voters? Congress scolds navy for controversial ship naming. Blagojevich gets 14 years in prison for corruption. Mayor Villaraigosa touts advertising in L.A. parks. The challenges of diagnosing and treating pedophilia.

Governor’s open letter to California voters – hike taxes on sales, wealthy. Gates opening to allow domestic horse slaughter. Bigger, badder black holes, alien planets, habitable zones 600 light years away and other “out of this world” discoveries. The branding of America.