FilmWeek

Today marks the opening of India Splendor, a six-day festival of Indian film, fashion and Art in Los Angeles. As India prepares to mark its 60th anniversary of independence, the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television, along with communications giant MGlobalTrust, have embarked on an ambitious presentation of Indian Culture to the United States. Larry talks with Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Modi of MGlobalTrust and actor and director Rishi Kapoor about the upcoming events and the growing Bollywood presence in American film and culture.

Women have certainly made gains in the film and television industry over the past decades, but how do female writers, directors, and producers affect the content we see? Larry talks about how women's voices have changed the dynamics of the entertainment industry with Jane Fleming of Women In Film, and writer and producer Jill Soloway, whose credits include Grey's Anatomy and Six Feet Under.

Larry talks with documentarian David Stenn about his new film, Girl 27, which uncovers a long-forgotten Hollywood scandal in 1937. The film opens today.

Larry Mantle and critics Lael Loewenstein of Variety, and Andy Klein, film editor and chief critic for CityBeat, discuss this week's new releases, including Hairspray, Goya's Ghosts, Sunshine, Cashback, David & Layla, and Ten Canoes.

It's a time of desperation for Internet radio fans, as broadcasters will soon be faced with heightened fees after a federal appeals court refused to block a decision by Congress earlier this year to increase music royalties. The rates will steadily hike through 2010, with more than 20 percent increases per year. Patt discusses the devastating effects this may have for smaller, independent broadcasters. * Eliot Van Buskirk, columnist and blogger for Wired.com * Jake Ward, spokesperson for SaveNetRadio.org, coalition of artists, labels, listeners and webcasters

Los Angeles' groundbreaking gay and lesbian film festival, Outfest, turns 25 this year, and the party has just begun. Outfest will screen 235 films from 26 countries across Los Angeles in the next 10 days. Larry Mantle talks with Outfest's Executive Director Stephen Gutwillig about this year's offerings, and to producer/director Mike Roth about his film Saving the Marriage, a documentary about the quest to legalize gay marriage in Massachusetts.

Wildfires in the Southwest have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in California, Utah, Nevada and Arizona, most of them beginning as a result of lightning. In California, thousands of firefighters are battling flames in several parts of the state, the worst being the Inyo and Antelope Complex fires and the Zaca fire in Santa Barbara County. Lightning has also sparked wildfires near Reno, Nevada, threatened a national observatory in Arizona, and created Utah's largest inferno in the state's history, consuming over 300,000 acres. Patt gets an update on how firefighters across the west are handling the blazes. * Daniel Berlant, Spokesman, California Department of Forestry and Fire * Jim Wilkins, Fire Informational Officer with the California Interagency Incident Management Team, U.S. Forest Service in Inyo National Forest * Don Smurthwaite, Chief of External Affairs for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho

The documentary, "I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal" takes a comprehensive look at the life of Holocaust survivor and humanitarian Simon Wiesenthal. Larry talks to filmmakers Rick Trank and Rabbi Marvin Hier about the film.

Anime Expo is an anime convention hosted by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). SPJA has also held Anime Expo conventions in New York and Tokyo, which took place in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Many of the convention attendees cosplay (costume role-play) while attending the convention, and popular events (in addition to guest and industry panels) include the Masquerade, Karaoke Contest, Anime Music Video Contest, and "AX Idol" Contest. The Expo is a 24-hour convention, offering late-night dances, all night video and gaming rooms, and open-mic Karaoke at night. Larry discusses the event with Chase Wang of the SPJA, and Charles Solomon, animation critic for amazon.com.

The end is near for Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital, as state regulators move to revoke the hospital's license in the wake of an incident in which a woman was left to bleed to death in the emergency room. While the move itself is unlikely to shutter the beleaguered hospital, it ratchets up pressure on the county to vote for a coup de grace. Patt talks to officials about the future, or lack of, for King-Harbor. * Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District