In the wake of the latest news out of Missouri, we also talk to UCLA's Brenda Stevenson to discuss the history of violence involving black youth. We also examine how YouTube, Vine and other social media platforms may have supplanted Hollywood as avenues to stardom. We also have a weekly roundup of news and much more.
Missouri teen shooting also spotlights how media can factor into narrative
The news out of Ferguson, Missouri has dominated the media today. We talked to NPR's Eric Deggans, author of the book "Race Baiter - How The Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation," on the role of media when it comes to this case.
Analyzing the history of violence involving black youth
Police released the name of the officer who shot Missouri teen Michael Brown, an incident that sparked a storm of protests from Missouri to Los Angeles. Take Two spoke with UCLA history chair Brenda Stevenson about what happened in Ferguson and how it fits in with other historical instances of violence involving young black males.
The Flashback: unrest in Ferguson, police and the military, and the GOP and Rand Paul
For our weekly look back at the week in news we're joined by
, reporter for the LA Times and
a reporter for the Washington Post.
Unrest in Ferguson
Yesterday Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered state troopers to take over security from local law enforcement, placing Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol in control. That has seemed to ease a lot of the tension
Then this morning they identified the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown as Darren Wilson. And they also seem to be making a connection of Brown to a robbery that took place earlier that day.
Wesley Lowry, a reporter for the Washington Post Wesley became a big part of this story when he video taped his arrest ...
We talk to both James and Elahe about the events, and what happens when the police confront the press.
The police and military gear
Some of the most chilling images that have come out have been the images of the police themselves. Body armor, high powered rifles, tear gas grenades ... and many former military members have come out against the actions of the police - actually saying the police was intimidating the crowd, not controlling them.
Is Rand Paul turning liberal?
Many conservative political types have come out against the actions of the police, especially Rand Paul. He wrote a scathing op-ed in Time magazine. He not only criticized the police, but the idea that black and brown people are often punished much harsher than whites. Is this his way of challenging the GOP status quo?
Looking at DACA, two years later
The Obama Administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals began two years ago today. The program provides two years' worth of temporary legal status and work permits to qualifying young people who had arrived in the U.S. as minors.
Southern California Public Radio's Leslie Berestein Rojas and Josie Huang have more.
Discussing the latest in the Missouri teen shooting case
Take Two spoke to David Klinger, associate professor in the department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at University of Missouri-St. Louis, about the latest developments in the Michael Brown shooting case.
Have YouTube and Vine overtaken Hollywood stars?
Being a star in Hollywood used to require just a few things: A good agent, nice teeth, bankability and maybe some talent. Maybe. But to ink a deal in 2014, you just need a camera and a computer.
The top five celebrities with the most influence on teens are all self-made online. Just below them are mainstream movie stars like Jennifer Lawrence and the late Paul Walker.
"The stars of Youtube and Vine are interacting with audiences in ways that decades of Hollywood experience doesn't tell us to do," says Andrew Wallenstein, editor-in-chief of Variety which commissioned the survey.
(source: Variety)
What counts as popular: YouTuber PewDiePie, for example, who narrates himself playing video games. Or the Fine Brothers who will record kids reacting to things like typewriters or -- very meta -- PewDiePie.
"As a 41-year-old, I'm almost ill-equipped to explain it to you. It's almost like a cultural dog-whistle," says Wallenstein. "To anyone over 30, it's undetectable. Below 30, I think it's kind of a piercing scream."
But that popularity has a lot of power.
Take Logan Paul, 19, who's a star on Vine with more than five million followers. That's an audience that surpassed even Game of Thrones.
"My brother had 400 followers, and I had 200, and he taunted me one day because he had more followers," Paul said about his start. "The next day, I was like, I need to be more famous than my brother."
"Not even I can fathom how amazing this is and being so young and all the stuff I've gotten to do because of these stupid little six-second videos," Paul said.
Paul moved to Los Angeles from Ohio just a few months ago, and has parlayed his stardom into sponsorship deals with Hanes and Pepsi, and a role in the upcoming Fox series "Weird Loners."
His Hollywood appeal is pretty simple.
"My audience is almost the untouched demographic," said Paul. "The 18-24 year old is my main demographic, and as you know, that's an extremely hard demographic to reach."
He's reaching that demographic, but he also has his own designs on where he wants to go since his move to LA.
"I want to pursue entertainment beyond social media, because social media is great, Vine is great and it's my baby, that's how everyone knows who Logan Paul is," he said.
"But, social media, I think, can only take you so far. When I'm 40 years old, do I want to be telling my kids, if I have any, 'yeah, I'm a Vine star' still?
"I'm never going to let that digital side of me go, ever. That's my audience, that's who has grown up with me this past year. Whatever I do, I just hope they follow me and go along with me through this journey."
Senate committee approves expansion of film tax credits
Yesterday, the California legislature voted unanimously to combat runaway production. They plan on expanding the state's tax incentive program for films and television shows that shoot in the Golden State.
Southern California Public Radio's Business Reporter Brian Watt has been following the drama around this bill. And he joins us now.
Digging up T-rex and controversy in 'Dinosaur 13'
The new documentary "Dinosaur 13" chronicles the exciting discovery and ensuing controversy over the unearthing of the biggest, most fully intact Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton ever found, known as Sue.
A battle over the rights to the T-rex erupted when the federal government claimed it was found on federal lands and that the owner of the land didn't have the right to sell the specimen. A court case ensued and Peter Larson, who excavated the dinosaur, was sent to federal prison for two years.
The dinosaur ended up being sold at auction for millions of dollars and is now displayed in the Field Museum of Chicago.
Documentary subject Peter Larson and director Todd Douglas Miller join the show to discuss the film.
Should you continue to wash your car during the drought?
It's hard to resist having a shiny, clean car. That's why abstaining from washing your car during a time of a water shortage might be a difficult task.
Southern California's Public Radio's Molly Peterson looks at the conundrum of washing your car during a time of a water shortage.