Sony Pictures Chairman Amy Pascal is loved for her support of artists, but it can be her Achilles' heel; plus other films that have drawn political fire and Robin Williams' last appearance in 'Night of the Museum 3.'
Sony co-chair Amy Pascal in spotlight after 'The Interview' controversy
The decision by Sony Pictures to pull the Seth Rogan/James Franco film "The Interview" following a threat on movie-goers, has put the spotlight on the studio's boss, co-chairman Amy Pascal.
Under her leadership, the studio has taken on other controversial projects such as "Zero Dark Thirty" and financially risky ventures like "Moneyball".
Pascal is very supportive of filmmakers but it's a management style that can be detrimental, according to John Horn, host of the arts show The Frame on Southern California Public Radio.
"Hollywood is built on relationships... and Amy Pascal has the best relationships in Hollywood" said Horn. "She's very friendly to talent and very friendly to filmmakers... and it's been her greatest asset and I think, in this instance, her biggest liability."
Horn pointed out that there had been talk among Sony executives about changing the character of Kim Jong Un to a fictional person, but that the filmmakers insisted on keeping the North Korean leader's real name in the movie.
Sony's "The Interview:" not the first film to cause a stir
The extent of the blow-back from Sony's "The Interview" and the studio's decision to pull the plug on it caught many by surprise. After all, this is by no means the first time a film has caused such an uproar.
One film that stands out for addressing controversial issues is the 1940 movie "The Great Dictator," in which the great Charlie Chaplin depicted Adolf Hitler. Here is a powerful speech he gave at the end of the film:
Much later, Martin Scorsese's 1988 film, "The Last Temptation of Christ," was met with outrage by many Christians for showing Jesus Christ struggle with various forms of temptation, including fear, doubt, and lust. Most notably, the film portrays Christ in a marriage and intimate physical relationship with Mary Magdalene.
Here is actor Willem Defoe in the role of Jesus Christ, describing his struggles as the Son of God:
"The Last Temptation of Christ" opened amid protests in the United States and was censored and banned outright in several other countries, including Mexico, Chile, and Argentina.
More recently, one film caused more amusement than controversy in the United States, but didn't go over especially well in some other countries overseas. Sasha Baron Cohen's "Borat," about a fake and incredibly offensive Kazakh reporter, was originally denounced by Kazakhstan and banned in Russia because of scenes like this:
Despite the initial outrage, a few years later, the movie was actually credited by Kazakh officials for increasing tourism. Perhaps any press is good press.
Throughout the history of film, many more pictures have faced condemnation from one group or another. For more on Hollywood's long history of stirring the pot, Take Two spoke with Gloria Shin, Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Loyola Marymount University.
Director Shawn Levy says goodbye to 'Night at the Museum' and Robin Williams
The new film "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" is the third and last film in the series' franchise, and it coincidentally became the last movie that Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney would appear on screen.
"It was very poignant," says director Shawn Levy. "I think the movie expresses a certain love for these characters."
In this latest installment, the tablet starts losing some of its magical power. Guard Larry Daley, played by Ben Stiller, realizes he must travel to the British Museum in London to figure out how to fix it.
"Larry Daley's farewell to this museum family was also my farewell to my museum family," says Levy.
Levy says this series brought him a lot of joy because of the ability to see the inner-workings of some of the world's most esteemed museums up close.
"Ben Stiller was reminding me," he says, "that when we were filming a scene in the great court of the British Museum, before an actor does a scene there's always a start mark where they begin walking from. In the case of that night in the British Museum, their start mark was literally the Rosetta Stone."
But by far, Levy says he will miss working on this series and actors like Robin Williams.
"To get to watch that kind of inspired, truly rare -- like once a generation kind of talent -- up close, it's a privilege," he says, "but I'll treasure that more now that he's gone."
Cyber security: How to protect your data and what to do if your identity is compromised
All this week on Take Two we've been looking into the issue of consumer security and how to protect our financial lives. We covered a lot of ground, from identity theft to the impact of data breaches on business (the Sony hack, for instance).
You can read previous installments of the series on identity theft, the impact of cyber crime on small business, our attitudes towards consumer security a year after the Target data breach, how banks manage fraud and a company that hunts down hackers.
We've also been reaching out to you for your questions on the subject. Today we bring you some answers to your queries and concerns, and offer some tips on keeping your data — and your identity — secure.
How to protect your data:
Don’t leave your devices unattended in public
It is much easier for an attacker to get or corrupt information if they have access to your personal device. Be sure not to leave your smartphone or laptop unattended in public, the Department of Homeland Security’s United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team recommends. If you must step away, even just for a minute, be sure to lock it.
Have a better password than: “12345”
It is important to choose passwords that will be difficult for hackers to guess. Be sure to choose different passwords for different programs or devices. And, although it makes life easier, the DHS advises you not to choose options that allow your device to remember your passwords; it makes it too easy for hackers to access your information.
You know those software updates? They matter.
If you’re prompted to update the software on your device, do it. By installing the update, according to DHS, it will prevent attackers from taking advantage of the known problem with the software.
Do not keep remote connections/Internet on when they’re not in use
Some mobile devices have wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, that can be used to connect to other devices and computers, according to DHS. Be sure to turn off these services when they’re not in use to ensure the safety of your device's information.
Also, there is a higher likelihood that attackers or viruses scanning the network for available devices will target your smartphone or computer if you’re connected to the Internet. Depending on your device, disconnecting may mean switching off a wireless network, turning off your computer or cables.
Encrypt your files if you store personal or corporate information on your device
By encrypting your files, you can ensure that those who don’t have authority to see your files can’t view the data even if they have access to it, according to DHS. It’s important to remember your passphrases and passwords if you encrypt your files; if you forget, it is possible you will lose the data.
Check the security settings on your device
Most software, especially browsers and email programs, offer a variety of features you can tailor to your needs. Using features that provide convenience, such as automatic logins, may make you more vulnerable for attack, according to DHS. If you update your software, take the time to make sure the update does not change your settings.
Keep an eye on your credit/debit cards and bank account
Yes, it's painful to look at your transactions and reports but you need to check them often so you can spot any suspicious transactions. The California Attorney General's Office recommends asking your bank for online monitoring and alerts which will help give you early warnings about fraudulent transactions.
What to do if your identity has been compromised
Contact companies where you have accounts
Call companies that you hold accounts with to let them know that a person may be using your identity and find out if any unauthorized transactions have been made, DHS suggests. Close accounts to make sure that future charges are denied. In addition to calling, send a letter to the company so you have a written record of the problem. If you're concerned about having a written record, you could also call your local police to file a report or file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
Contact main credit reporting companies
Contact credit reporting companies, such as Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, to check your credit report to see if there has been unauthorized activity. Also, DHS recommends, have fraud alerts placed on your credit reports to prevent new accounts being opened without permission.
Think about what other information may have been compromised
If a thief steals your information, it's likely they'll have access to other details. For example, if an attacker has your Social Security number, contact the Social Security Administration, DHS says. Other possible stolen information may include your driver’s license or car registration, in which case you’d want to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Read more on protecting yourself from a "Take Two" conversation with Los Angeles Times consumer columnist David Lazarus:
Take Two: Advice for shoppers in general?
David Lazarus: My biggest, strongest advice when you're shopping — especially on the Internet — is do business with those you know and trust. For example, if you buy something from Amazon or through Amazon, chances are you’re not going to get burned. These guys know what they’re doing.
If you buy something from “Bob’s You Buy It Online,” ah! That’s kind of a roll of the dice. Maybe it’s going to work out. Maybe it’s not. Go in with your eyes open, because these sorts of things, you get out of it what they put into it. If they’re not putting the security into it, well chances are what you’re going to get out of it is a lot of heartache.
TT: What if I’m looking at one of those sites right now? And it says I can use PayPal, my credit card...? What do you recommend?
DL: I recommend a credit card in almost all circumstances. That’s because if there is fraud, they will cover it. That’s just part of the deal you have when you have credit extended to [you], is that they’re going to have fraud prevention measures in place.
DL: I recommend a credit card in almost all circumstances. That’s because if there is fraud, the card company will cover it. That’s just part of the deal you have when you have credit extended to [you], is that they’re going to have fraud prevention measures in place.
If you use your debit card, remember: it’s your money. You’re basically reaching into your checking account. That’s not to say you can’t get some fraud protection with debit cards as well, but it’s harder. So if you are shopping online, a credit card offers you much more protection than using a debit card.
TT listener question: Devices used to captured keystrokes to get your key code. Do we need to be worried about the magnetic strip? Do we need some sort of shield in our purse or wallet?
TT listener question: There are devices thieves use to capture keystrokes and get your key code. Do we need to be worried about the magnetic strip? Do we need some sort of shield in our purse or wallet?
DL: There are such devices, and they’re itty bitty things. They fit in the palm of your hand. There were reports in years passed that some disreputable servers at restaurants would have them. You would hand your credit card to the person, and they’d swipe it into this little hand-held device before taking it to the cash register — and thus making off with everything that was on [your] magnetic strip.
DL: There are such devices, and they’re itty bitty things. They fit in the palm of your hand. There were reports in years past that some disreputable servers at restaurants would have them. You would hand your credit card to the person, and they’d swipe it into this little hand-held device before taking it to the cash register — and thus making off with everything that was on [your] magnetic strip.
That’s not so common, to be honest. I mean, it can happen. The technology is there. Far more common now is the hacks we saw with Target, Home Depot and a number of other retailers. And in that case, what’s going on is sort of virus or worm or malware gets into the retailer's system, opens up a big hole for the hackers. And the hackers then can come through that hole and make off with all of the information that otherwise they could have gotten from the magnetic strip.
It’s all in the servers now and they can come away with your name, your address, your phone number, your email address, and then God forbid, things like your credit card number or your Social Security number. And that’s something that consumers can only take as an article of faith, because once you hand your plastic to the business or to the retailer, that's it. It becomes an act of trust. And you can only hope that these guys have the security measures in place to protect and be good stewards of your information.
I have to say, more often than not, I’m unimpressed by what we see in the business world. Far too few companies are encrypting information or putting up the sort of firewalls that would keep the hackers out. Until they do, we’re vulnerable.
TT: What to do if you’re traveling, someone steals your info and your card is cancelled?
TT: What should you do if you’re traveling, someone steals your info and your card is cancelled?
DL: Yeah, you’re up that proverbial creek without a paddle at that point.
Happily, or unhappily, this happens enough that there is some infrastructure in place to deal with a situation like this. So it’s not the end of the world is what I’m saying.
First of all, if you need money on the fly, what you’ll need do is either contact your bank or your credit card company or a friend or relative and have them wire it to you by Western Union or some other [service] like that to a locale that’s trustworthy, usually to another Western Union office or to your hotel. That’ll get you the money quickly.
After that, presuming you’re still going to be overseas for a little bit of time, the whole thing is getting the new plastic sent to you tout de suite.
So obviously, if you lose your card or you’re a victim of some sort of fraud overseas and you’ve got to cancel your card, the first thing you’re doing is contacting your credit card company, canceling, putting all the fraud alerts in place and all the rest and then immediately asking them to expedite the new card and send it to you via FedEx or some other overnight service as fast as they possibly can.
So obviously, if you lose your card or you’re a victim of some sort of fraud overseas and you’ve got to cancel your card, the first thing you’re doing is contacting your credit card company, canceling, putting all the fraud alerts in place and then immediately asking them to expedite the new card and send it to you via FedEx or some other overnight service.
Now these guys are used to this, so they can handle it. There is a good chance they’ll charge you for that expedited process or for the overnight, but you know if you’re overseas and you’ve already got your vacation planned, that’s the least of your worries, so I say go for it and worry about it later on.
Now these guys are used to this, so they can handle it. There is a good chance they’ll charge you for that expedited process, but you know if you’re overseas and you’ve already got your vacation planned, that’s the least of your worries, so I say go for it and worry about it later on.
TT listener question: My question is about identity protection and insurance, and I just had my credit card canceled because of fraud the last couple of days, and like he said, the bank covered that. They took care of it, no problem, but they picked it up of course. But what if they didn’t? What if someone gets my Social Security number?
TT listener question: My question is about identity protection and insurance. I just had my credit card canceled because of fraud and the bank took care of it. But what if they didn’t?
DL: Sounds like the question is, is there insurance for identity theft and is it worth getting? The answer is yes and no. First of all, yes there is insurance for identity theft. It won’t cover you for the losses as we’ve noted — usually the lender will cover you for that. What it will cover you for are the time you have to spend restoring your good name. So if you’re on the phone for a long time, if you got to miss some work, you know there are various things and it is a very time consuming process. ID theft insurance will compensate you for that, if that’s the kind of thing that’s going to be important to you.
DL: Sounds like the question is, is there insurance for identity theft and is it worth getting? The answer is yes and no. First of all, yes there is insurance for identity theft. It won’t cover you for the losses as we’ve noted — usually the lender will cover you for that. What it will cover you for is the time you have to spend restoring your good name. So if you’re on the phone for a long time or if you've got to miss some work. ID theft insurance will compensate you for that, if that’s the kind of thing that’s going to be important to you.
I’ve had my identity stolen more than once and I’ve had to jump through these hoops, and I can tell you, it’s a pain in the tuckus, but at the same time I don’t think I really lost that much money that I have to worry about filing claims for it. So I don’t recommend that you splurge on ID theft insurance.
I’ve had my identity stolen more than once and I’ve had to jump through these hoops, and I can tell you, it’s a pain in the tuckus, but at the same time I don’t think I really lost that much money that I had to worry about filing claims for it. So I don’t recommend that you splurge on ID theft insurance.
Instead what I recommend are preventative measures, and in most cases I don’t think people need to have credit monitoring in place — which is something that you have to pay for to make sure that your credit files are being watched. That’s something that you might want to wait until after you’ve had an incident, but that said, by law you’re entitled to one free credit report each year from each of the big credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
Space those out every three months or so and you get, well, year-round credit coverage. Also, in some states, it’s worth noting, AAA offers free credit monitoring via Experian to its members and if, God forbid, you are victim of identity theft, you definitely want to look at some credit monitoring at least for six months just to make sure that someone is watching your back.
Space those out every three months or so and you get year-round credit coverage. Also, in some states, it’s worth noting, AAA offers free credit monitoring via Experian to its members and if, God forbid, you are victim of identity theft, you definitely want to look at some credit monitoring at least for six months just to make sure that someone is watching your back.
And if you’re really concerned, and this isn’t a bad idea, look at what is known as a credit freeze. This is when you can slam shut your credit files. It costs about $10 per file to close them and then they can only be reopened with a pin, which only you have. Therefore, if someone gets access to your Social Security number for example and tries to get out a new credit card in your name, they can’t.
And if you’re really concerned, and this isn’t a bad idea, look at what is known as a credit freeze. This is when you can slam shut your credit files. It costs about $10 per file to close them and then they can only be reopened with a PIN, which only you have. Therefore, if someone gets access to your Social Security number for example and tries to take out a new credit card in your name, they can’t.
Weekend on the cheap: Skate with Santa, Alfred Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' and dog holiday bazaar
Assuming all your holiday shopping is complete, it's time to unwind and have some fun this weekend.
Southern California Public Radio's social media producer, Kristen Lepore has a run down of cheap things to do in the city.
This week: Skating with Santa in Downtown Burbank, a movie series at LACMA and coming together for a good cause.
You can check out Kristen's weekly column and recommendations here.
Here's one of the wackiest holiday displays in SoCal; what's your favorite?
The drive along the 5 freeway between L.A. and Orange County is not the most scenic. Throw freeway construction and rush-hour traffic into the mix and it's not just dull, it's infuriating.
But during the holidays, there's an unlikely bright spot along the way. That's because the folks at the Dunkel Brothers Machinery Moving company alongside the freeway really go all out with their holiday display.
Peter Dunkel is one of the owners of the company. The decorations have been his pet project for the last ten years or so.
"They say you start off believing in Santa Claus, then you don't believe in Santa Claus, then you believe you are Santa Claus," Dunkel says. "And basically you know [we] remember what made us feel special as little kids... and of course Hot Wheels was the big hit so we basically try to design it up like a Hot Wheels display."
The "Hot Wheels" display is made of a row of trailers cut open with real vintage cars in them. There's a white 1951 Nash-Healy roadster, and if you're heading south you can see a massive hole cut out of the side of the building to reveal a 1949 GMC car-hauler outfitted with multi-colored lights.
Then there's the giant "Merry Christmas" sign, nativity scene, huge gingerbread house, and the real attention grabber: Santa Claus riding a spaceship on skis.
Dunkel says he gets daily letters and phone calls about the decorations: "Most of them just say it's a boring drive to work every day and thank you for breaking it up."
And there's also the occasional complaint that "lookie lous" are slowing down traffic. That's why Dunkel says he's turned off the smoke and hydraulic action on the Santa spaceship to tone it down a little.
But with or without the hydraulics, it's still an impressive display. Even before the sun comes up, passersby pull off the road to get a better look and take pictures.
Ralph Maya from Oceanside says, "I see it every morning, so I had to record it. It's awesome, you never see anything like this down south where I live, on the side of the freeway. It's awesome! It's the best thing ever!"
But for Peter Dunkel, it's about more than just the decorations. "The biggest thing I enjoy is like sometimes I'm here doing paperwork at 10, 11 o'clock at night and I'll see three or four families pull off to the side, walking their kids up and down the sidewalk looking at each of those figurines and letting their kids enjoy it and you know then off they go."
Dunkel says the lights will be up until New Year's day, but this could be the last year to see them. The building is going to be demolished, and they'll have to move to a new location in a few months to make way for an expansion of the freeway.
That will hopefully make the drive along the 5 more pleasant. Around Christmas though, it definitely won't be quite as bright.
Let us know about your favorite wacky Christmas displays in the comments below!
Las Vegas approves plans to fund soccer stadium
Sin City is one step closer to housing a Major League Soccer team. The city recently approved plans to fund a brand new soccer stadium in downtown Las Vegas, a move that could persuade MLS to award them an expansion franchise. The city is up against Sacramento and Minneapolis.
Las Vegas Sun reporter, Conor Shine talks about what's behind the city's decision.