Comcast's quest to merge with Time Warner is off, what a trip to Ikea can reveal about your relationship, LA rapper Nazo Bravo and 'Armenian American.'
Only true love survives IKEA
To some people, IKEA represents a maze of household kitsch as overwhelming as it is unnavigable; to others, it’s a veritable dreamland where someday sanctuaries become weekend projects. To clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula, IKEA provides a window to the inner workings of a relationship.
“A piece of IKEA furniture is like a lightning rod,” she tells Take Two. “[It’s] a great way to create a little bit of a relationship pressure-cooker. … When you really think about it, if you put a large piece of furniture together, it requires communication, collaboration and respect, which are the essential ingredients of a good relationship.”
Dr. Durvasula discovered a simple way to tell which couples will go the distance, and which ones won’t be back for the Swedish meatballs: ask them to assemble a piece of IKEA furniture and have them report back about how it went. “Most people behave well,” she says, “but when the stress is on, that’s when we snap, we insult, we attack, and that’s the stuff thats unacceptable, because it can really hurt a relationship over time.”
It’s not just the assembly that can be aggravating, however. Dr. Durvasula says that life circumstances must also be considered. Home furnishings can be very personal to people. She tells Take Two, “I always say it’s like walking through a marriage; there’s a bedroom, there’s a kitchen, there’s a children’s room, it’s all the minefields of a marriage laid out in a very interesting warehouse.”
A clinical psychologist for over two decades, Dr. Durvasula got the idea to use IKEA during a trip to the store in Burbank: “I was watching these couples going through these little imaginary rooms and imagining their lives in them, and then fighting. ‘Who wants a red couch?’ Or, “I don’t like that,” or “don’t put your mother’s picture on that.’ And that’s what led me to want to use this with my patients.”
The stress experienced by a couple often depends on what is being assembled. A simple Falster side table? Not too bad. A Liatorp storage and entertainment setup? Dr. Durvasula calls them a “Divorcemaker.”
Tensions may boil over during the remodeling process, but Dr. Durvasula contends that a little stress can also be a good thing: “It’s where a relationship learns what it’s made of,” she says.
The whole concept of doing an “IKEA test” may seem ludicrous to some, but Dr. Durvasula says the furniture giant has been a boon: “I owe a lot of thanks to IKEA. … It’s made my life a lot easier in terms of my professional work.”
We asked our followers on Facebook and
Tomorrow on @taketwo, we chat with @DoctorRamani, who gauges the health of relationships with a trip to Ikea. Tweet us your experiences.
— 89.3 KPCC (@KPCC) April 23, 2015
to share their stories. Here are some of the gems:
Press the play button above to hear more clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula’s conversation with Ben Bergman on Take Two.
Aurora movie theater shooting trial: what to expect
Three years after a grisly massacre in an Aurora, Colorado movie theatre, accused gunman James Homes will face trial. Opening statements start Monday. The shooting left 12 dead and 70 injured. If convicted, Holmes could face the death penalty. He’s pleading not guilty, by reason of insanity.
Take Two spoke with Santa Monica defense attorney Steve Cron about what to expect during the trial.
Press the play button above to hear Steve Cron talk to Take Two’s A. Martinez.
New film chronicles an LA-based Armenian rapper's return to his homeland
Today marks 100 years since the beginning of the Armenian genocide, where more than a million people died in mass killings in the Ottoman Empire, which gave rise to modern day Turkey. But all these years later, the impact of the massacre can be found in art, literature and music.
https://soundcloud.com/search?q=power%20of%20the%20hye
A Martinez spoke with Los Angeles rapper Nazo Bravo, who recently took a life-changing trip back to his motherland for the documentary "Armenian American," the first episode of which has been posted above.
https://soundcloud.com/nazobravo/armenian-american-the-anthem
Bravo grew up in L.A. and hadn't visited Armenia until recently. He told Martinez that he still felt a connection to the homeland.
"Well, my house felt like Armenia, because it was a lot of people," he said. "It was my parents, and their parents came from Armenia, so a lot of loud talking in the house. ... And that's just how Armenians get down."
The topic of his family's history and the history of the Armenian people was always on the minds of the people Bravo lived with and the community he grew up in.
"As you develop as a teen, ... you start questioning things, ... and then you learn about the genocide, and then you start hearing all of these stories ... of people that were killed in your family. ... I believe it was my great-grandfather. They chopped his head off and dragged his body throughout the city because he was a leader in his community. Which they did to all of the leaders."
In the conversation with Martinez, Bravo talked about his trip to Armenia, how he thinks music can bring different cultures together and why it's important for the United States to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
If you'd like to hear the entire thing, check out the audio at the top of the post.
Comcast-Time Warner deal off: What it means for Dodger fans
When it was announced Friday that the massive merger between Comcast and Time Warner was dead, approval of the deal seemed a near-certainty.
Instead, Comcast said it was "moving on."
The end of the engagement between the nation's two largest cable companies could have big consequences for people in Southern California, especially if they happen to be Dodgers fans.
Telecom analyst Steve Effross, who is the former head of the Cable Telecommunications Association, tells more.
CinemaCon: Sequels, reboots, and raunchy comedies galore
Movie theater owners took over Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for the 5th Annual CinemaCon this week.
For the uninitiated, that's the convention where big film studios highlight and debut upcoming films. If a theater owner is particularly excited by what they see, they may play a film in a bigger auditorium or give it more promotional space in the theater's lobby.
Southern California Public Radio's arts and entertainment host John Horn was at CinemaCon. He told Take Two that it's basically a "back-slap convention."
"The studios and the theater owners come together and talk about how great they all are," said Horn.
To be sure, there were some great moments this week.
HIGHLIGHTS
Sony grabbed headlines earlier in the week when new Chairman Tom Rothman brought up the infamous hack and subsequent pull of "The Interview" from theatrical release. They also previewed some slated films, including "The Walk," directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Pixar stole the show at Disney's presentation with a screening of the forthcoming animated feature, "Inside Out."
"Inside Out" was one of three films screened in their entirety at CinemaCon. Fun, raunchy female-driven comedies "Pitch Perfect 2," from Universal, and "Spy," from Fox, were screened as well.
CinemaCon also highlighted the film industry's current love affair with sequels and reboots. The convention featured previews of "Jurassic World," "Mad Max: Fury Road," "Ted 2," and "Magic Mike XXL," among many others.
For more highlights from the week, check out The Frame's CinemaCon coverage.
Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 25th anniversary
Today marks the 25th anniversary since the Hubble Space Telescope went live. It has made more than 1 million observations about planets, stars, galaxies and has even revealed parts of the universe we didn’t know existed.
Bruce Betts, the Director of Science and Technology at the Planetary Society, joined the show to talk about the telescope's legacy.
Marijuana farmers seek access to a legitimate market
California's marijuana farmers have around for many years, but those in the industry operate in a legal gray area. And with a possible vote next year to legalize marijuana for recreational use, farmers are emerging from the shadows to have their voices heard.
They're hiring lobbyists and even taking elected officials on fact-finding tours. Casey O'Neill, who grows vegetables and marijuana out in Mendocino County and serves as secretary of the Emerald Growers Association, joined the show to talk more about this move.
How wearable tech could make distracted drivers
There has been a lot of effort to change the way we interact with technology when we’re driving.
Laws are in place to discourage talking directly into your cell phone, or texting while driving.
But with the new Apple watch arriving in select stores today, a lot of people are thinking about how to enforce these kids of laws when your phone is on your wrist?
With more is
senior electronics editor for Consumer Reports. He wrote an article about smart watches and driving.
'Now En Espanol' director, actress talk Latina progress in entertainment
Most everyone is familiar the TV drama, "Desperate Housewives." But, not everyone has seen it in Spanish.
The new PBS documentary "Now En Espanol" follows Marcela Bordes, Ivette Gonzalez, Gabriela Del Carmen Lopetegui, Natasha Perez and Marabina Jaimes -- the five Latina actresses behind the "Desperate Housewives" voices who entertain America's Spanish audiences.
"Now En Espanol" director Andrea Meller and Marabina Jaimes, who is the voice of Mary Alice, sat down with host A Martinez to talk about the progress Latina actresses have made, and explain that not all was glitz and glamour along the way.