The tough decisions TV creators make when deciding to kill off your favorite characters, could there be water on Mars, Tuesday Reviewsday and much more.
With climate change, could focus on self-interest lead to action?
This week nations are meeting in Lima, Peru to try to hammer out an international plan on climate change action.
So far these meetings have come up short on measures scientists say are needed to avert the most serious effects of climate change.
"This is not going to be easy," said US Special Envoy on climate Todd Stern in Lima on Monday. "It's never easy."
Stern said that while he felt delegates were working well together, there remained "significant divisions."
But amid these divisions on how to move forward, some are pointing to a different strategy: rather than push for an elusive international treaty, appeal instead to national self-interest. Supporters are calling it Plan B.
"The idea of Plan B is to get away from the idea that meeting targets to cut our emissions of the warming gasses is a real problem for national economies, because the emerging truth is that it's not, it's quite cheap," said Fred Pearce, journalist for Yale Environment 360, a publication from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
"Many countries, including the US, are stabilized or reducing emissions just as a natural way of progressing, in moving towards cleaner technologies, [such as] solar power and wind power," said Pearce.
LAUSD part of President Obama's educational plan for computer science
Though technology is increasingly becoming an everyday part of life, it’s uncommon to hear about technology being an academic subject. But the White House hopes to change that.
The Obama Administration has announced that seven of the nation’s largest school districts, including the Los Angeles Unified School District, would begin offering introductory computer science classes to all of their students. President Obama is the first sitting president to implement such a pilot program.
But Patricia Burch of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California says that there is a larger picture in play.
"We know that this is where the jobs are now and in the future. We know that minorities, women are underrepresented in technology jobs, we know the kids are asking for this," said Burch
With LAUSD's botched iPad program still fresh, it raises the question of how well-prepared the district is to implement this new curriculum.
"A curriculum like this takes an infrastructure," said Burch. "It involves hardware, but it’s really about curriculum, it’s about pedagogy. That said, what we would want from larger urban school districts, and I’m sure what they’re gearing up to do, is to think about teacher training and capacity building. The course is only as good as it gets taught."
Of course, a plan like this requires not only the teachers and the technology, but the funding. Burch says it does not appear that the pilot program has any federal money attached, but instead it is all coming from private sources.
Missing Mexican student identified and how the protests impact the country's future
In Mexico, protesters demonstrate almost daily against government corruption and the fate of the missing students from the city of Iguala.
But some have wondered if the protests will ever ignite real political change, or if it will create a person that challenge Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
We talked about it with reporter Tim Johnson, he wrote about the unrest recently for McClatchy.
Dying on TV: When your character faces the final curtain
Think of some of the most popular TV shows these days – "Game of Thrones," "The Walking Dead," "Sons of Anarchy," "Boardwalk Empire," "True Blood." While wildly different in many ways, they have one thing in common: Mayhem.
All that violence takes a toll on the cast of characters. They're murdered, die in battle, are fatally attacked by zombies. Sometimes the victims are marginal to the story. Sometimes they are main characters, often beloved by the audience.
So, why do the writers kill Opie on "Sons of Anarchy," or Hershel Greene on "The Walking Dead"?
Writer Eric Overmyer has worked on shows where there were a lot of fatalities, including "Law and Order," "The Wire" and "Boardwalk Empire." He says in programs where violence is a rich part of the story, people simply have to die. As for the death of main characters, sometimes there is, as Overmyer puts it, a narrative imperative. The story demands that the character die.
Or sometimes, the writers just don't know what else to do. That may have been the case with the character Opie, played by Ryan Hurst on the FX series, "Sons of Anarchy."
Over the course of five seasons, Opie had been sent to prison and was freed, only to see his wife killed. Later his father was murdered by one of his fellow gang members. Opie ended up back behind bars. Says the show's creator and head writer, Kurt Sutter, " I just felt there were not a lot of places we could go after we'd damaged him so badly."
So Opie died. The writers killed him. They had him beaten to death with a pipe in a brutal prison fight.
Kurt Sutter had to break the bad news to the young actor.
"It's like telling a family member that someone close to them is dead," says Sutter.
The cast held a funeral of sorts for Hurst, taking turns shaving off the long beard he'd grown over his time on the show. It was an emotional moment, with no shortage of tears.
Scott Wilson had a similar experience. He played the beloved character Hershel Greene on AMC's "The Walking Dead." Wilson says everyone on the cast was a little uneasy about their job security.
"There was no way of knowing for sure," says Wilson, "but you did know you were likely to go at any time."
One day, Wilson got called in for a chat with the lead writer, and was told he was to lose his head to the sword of a megalomaniacal rival. On the day he shot the final scene, the entire cast and crew conspired to show their respect and support.
"I came up the set, and everyone was wearing suspenders," Wilson says, noting his character, Hershel, always wore suspenders. "They were all applauding, and it was really quite touching."
Afterwards there was a "death dinner" for Wilson, where everyone celebrated the character's life, and demise. It was almost like attending your own wake, something none of us get in real life.
That, and the whole process of dying on TV, made a lasting impression on Scott Wilson.
"Because, in a way, I'll never get that kind of recognition when I actually go."
Curiosity Rover provides possible evidence for water on Mars
Drought-stricken California is always on the lookout for water. But scientists are also on the water hunt more than 34 million miles away on Mars.
Popular theory says water on the Red Planet has only existed underground. But new information from NASA's Curiosity Rover suggests Mars may have once been wet and wild.
Ashwin Vasavada is with the Mars Science Laboratory at JPL. He says they have been trying to explain how a big mountain formed in the middle of Gale Crater. He says geological evidence, like the wet environment seen at the base of the mountain, now suggests water may have been the culprit.
"We had an inkling, a hypothesis really, that water was heavily involved inside the formation of the mountain inside Gale Crater, but only in the last year with out boots-on-the-ground inside the crater, looking at the geology, were we able to see evidence, and we saw a lot of evidence," Vasavada said.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Mary J. Blige, TriBeCaStan and more
It's time for Tuesday Reviewsday, our weekly new music segment. Joining A Martinez in the studio this week are music journalists Chris Martins and Steve Hochman.
Chris Martins
Artist: Mary J. Blige
Album: "The London Sessions"
Songs: "Right Now," "Whole Damn Year"
Notes: This, to me, is a story of artistic reinvention and aging very, very gracefully. We all know Mary J. Blige. This is her 13th album. She's got nine Grammys and is universally recognized as "The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul." And the past couple of years have been rife with nostalgia for the early-'90s R&B sound that she helped create and define. So, obviously she decided to just recycle old sounding material to cash in on this trend. Right? Wrong.
Mary moved to England to make this album, which is why it's called "The London Sessions." She worked with all of these incredible talents: house-pop duo Disclosure, soul sensation Sam Smith, Adele songwriter Eg White, Emile Sandé, and a bunch of others. There's a real scene over there, and she managed to plug right in, which is quite feat.
As I see it, any established, maybe past-prime artist can have her label source a few singles from whoever's hot at the moment. All it takes is money, and an email account to transfer the files. It's another thing to recognize quality amidst hype, and another still to fly across the ocean and embed yourself in someone else's world. And to find genuine chemistry there at the other side of that trip?
This album shouldn't sound as good, and as organic, as it does. And you can also hear the serious emotional depth and vocal charisma of Ms. Blige on songs like "Whole Damn Year." She's been through a lot over the years - addiction, depression, and abusive relationships. It's clear this London crew gave her a safe space to emote from.
Artist: Tētēma (Mike Patton, Anthony Pateras)
Album: "Geocidal"
Songs: "Tenz," "Irundi"
Notes: What we have here is nothing less than an attempt to "create a sonic universe from scratch." That sounds a bit lofty, but consider the constituent parts. Tētēma is Mike Patton - the most gifted and unhinged vocalist of our time - and Anthony Pateras, a genius composer, pianist, synth wizard who's been holding down the avant-garde in Australia. They also wrangle a 12-piece of classical mavericks to do their bidding.
Even if you don't recognize Patton's name, there's about zero percent chance you haven't heard that voice. He was, and is, the singer of "Faith No More," who are working on a new album.
"Geocidal" was recorded across three continents. Pateras started in France, where he locked himself in a remote convent for 10 days in order to figure out the framework. He then returned to Australia for over a year of orchestration. Finally, he visited Mike in S.F. and voila!
Conceptually, the album "investigates the murder of place" in light of the digital interconnectedness of everything. Does physical location matter? Why leave home? Is there something distinct out there, or is it all a big general culture mush? Not sure this'll answer the question, but to get an idea of what they're getting at, check out the track "Irundi."
Steve Hochman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiiP7Grx7Mw
Artist: Whitey Morgan and the 78s
Album: "Born, Raised & Live From Flint"
Songs: "Buick City Blues," "I Ain't Drunk"
Notes: We're approaching 40 years since the release of Wanted: The Outlaws, the compilation of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessie Colter and Tompall Glaser tracks that marked the official breakthrough of the outlaw country movement to the mainstream. Well, that edgy, rough-edged, plain-spoken sound is long gone from the country mainstream now, whatever the country mainstream is now. "Bro-country?" Kinda don't even want to know. Regardless, the Outlaw movement is experiencing a welcome new resurgence, with such artists as Sturgill Simpson bringing earnest, rowdy honky-tonk music up to date. The rowdy honky-tonk in question here was the Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan, from which Whitey Morgan and his band the 78s hail. The album opens with "Buick City Blues," an ode to his beleaguered town and the industry that made and broke it.
But his viewpoint is nationwide, and spans generations, tapping into the same spirit that's being heard in many places. The album's being released by Chicago's Bloodshot Records label, a long-time haven for gutty roots and country acts. Here in L.A. there's the regular Grand Ol' Echo events showcasing the latest generation of smart, frills-free California country. The titles alone tell much of the tale here, striking out from the "Buick City" working folks ode. And you might catch a theme with "Turn Up the Bottle," "Another Round" and then, implausibly, "I Ain't Drunk" - though in the next phrase he readily admits "I've Just Been Drinking."
You say tomato, I say another Bloody Mary, bartender. There are also several heroes honored, with versions of Johnny Paycheck's "Cocaine Train," Johnny Cash's "Bad News" and Dale Watson's tribute to Billy Joe Shaver, "Where Do You Want It." Only slightly off that road is Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire" as Waylon might have done it, with that alternating bass pattern and steel guitar. The album closes with a cover of Hank Williams' "Mind Your Own Business." Waylon, in one of his '70s signature songs, stared down the Nashville country assembly line and shook his head, singing, "I don't think Hank done it this way." Whitey Morgan isn't even paying any mind to Nashville. Hank and Waylon would approve.
Artist: TriBeCaStan
Album: "Coal, Again!"
Songs: "Good King What's His Name," "Little Drummer Boychick"
Notes: Raise your hand if you're already sick of holiday music. Yup. Well, here's a nice variation, some familiar tunes done in the traditional styles of the country of TriBeCaStan. Oh, there's no such country as TriBeCaStan? Of course not. It's a band from, as the name indicates, the TriBeCa slice of Lower Manhattan, which arguably is all countries, or at least has representations from multiple cultures among its culture-conscious populace.
The sprawling band, founded and led by multi-instrumentalist/multi-culturalists John Kruth and Jeff Greene, has made a name for a truly global reach, weaving together bits and pieces of music from all over, with neither the dilettantishness nor New Age-i-ness that infects many such attempts. It also brings in a lot of humor, where solemnity is often the case. Hence when it came to a holiday collection, it wasn't going to be just another in the ho-ho-ho-hum routine. Here we get "O Little Town of Bethlemayhem," jamming together "O Tannenbaum" and "Little Town of Bethlehem" with ska beats and steel drums.
"Silver Bells" transitions from Hawaiian-ized country to trippy Klezmer. "Little Drummer Boychick" rides Claire Daly's deep, deep baritone sax into "Peter Gunn" territory, if Gunn was on a case that took him along the Silk Road, that is. And then there's "Good King What's His Name," in which Javanese gamelan meets Central African flutes. "Carol of the Bells," it turns out, is already an adaptation of a Ukrainian folk tun, "Schedryk," so of course the TriBeCaStanis drag it in directions they say draw on free jazz iconoclast Albert Ayler and prog masters King Crimson. Sure, why not?
Arguably, the most impressive accomplishment is also the most serious, the closing 9-minute fantasy on "Jingle Bells," an ethereally wintry trip through many sounds and styles that will just, uh, sleigh you.
Picture this: inside Pasadena's police in the 1980s
These days the American public is all too familiar with the sight of cops busting criminals, thanks to the TV program Cops and the prevalance of cameras and cell phones.
But back in the 1980s, few people knew what it looked like to ride along with a cop. Bill Valentine did.
In 1985, William Carl Valentine was a young, aspiring photographer at Arizona State University and he spent his spring break riding around with the Pasadena Police force. His striking black and white photographs offered a rare insight into street patrol during a heady time.
The southern California city was a lot different back then.
"The northwest part of Pasadena had a lot of rock cocaine, there was PCP," said Valentine. "Whenever you have that much drug sales, there's a fair [amount] of violence, homicides and stuff like that. It was active."
Valentine, who's father was an officer and who himself went on to a career in law enforcement, said it was important to earn the trust of the Pasadena officers with whom he spent long hours.
"I grew up around the department, so it wasn't completely foreign to me," said Valentine. "I was used to being around it."
See more of Valentine's work at his website: http://www.williamkarlvalentine.com
McDonald's new plan to lure younger customers
Fast food giant McDonalds is trying a new item for their menu ... choice!
The same people that brought you the McFlurry, the McRib and the Dollar Menu are rolling out a new customizable menu to more than 2 thousand restaurants across the nation.
They're calling it the "Create Your Taste" menu.
Nancy Luna is a business and food writer for the Orange County Register and she sampled the menu for herself. We'll talk to her about it.
New e-book includes videos, custom websites and product placement too
The book publishing industry has not been faring well of late. As more and more readers turn to digital devices, it's tough for authors to make a decent living.
But one local writer has come up with an innovative way to get by in today's tough climate: product placement.
Hillary Carlip, author of the new novel and e-book "Find Me I'm Yours," joined Take Two to talk about the book and how the company sponsorship works.