Today on the show, we'll start with a discussion about which Latino leaders from California got endorsements from Eva Longoria's Latino Victory Project. Then, a look at teacher diversity in the US. Plus, 60 years since Roger Bannister ran the four-minute mile, Nancy Silverton wins big James Beard award, Beverly Hills Hotel under fire for ties to sharia law-following Sultan of Brunei and much more.
2 Latino leaders from California win support of Eva Longoria's PAC
Yesterday, the non partisan political organization, the Latino Victory Project, announced a list of candidates that they would support.
RELATED: California Latinos win backing of Eva Longoria's PAC
The person behind the campaign is getting as much or more press. Actress Eva Longoria is one of the founders of the group, who's stated goal is to develop Latino leaders for public office and shape public policy, and two of these prospective leaders come from California.
One is U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz of the 36th Congressional District, encompassing desert cities in Riverside County. The first-term Democratic lawmaker is facing a challenge from Republican Assembly member Brian Nestande.
The other candidate getting support is Democrat Amanda Renteria, the buzz-worthy, Harvard-educated daughter of farmworkers trying to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. David Valadao in the Central Valley's 21st Congressional District
For more on this is KPCC's Josie Huang.
How Powerful Are Celebrity Endorsements in Politics?
It remains to be seen how successful the newly created Latino Victory Project will be or if a celebrity endorsement like Longoria's will really matter. For more on the power of endorsements, we're joined by Republican political consultant Mike Madrid.
Teachers in US not as diverse as their students
While the nation's students are growing more diverse, the make-up of teachers in public school classrooms is lagging behind.
Right now, 82 percent of public school teachers in this country are white. That's despite the fact that nearly half their students are minorities. Last week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan projected that this Fall's class of public school students will — for the first time in U.S. history —be mostly non white.
For more on what's behind this disparity and the effect it has on the classroom, we turn to Segun Eubanks, director of teacher quality at the National Education Association. The organization is releasing a new report called "Time for a Change: Diversity in Teaching Revisited."
60 years ago, Roger Bannister ran into history by breaking 4-minute mile
On May 6, 1954, on an Oxford University track, Roger Bannister made history by successfully running a mile in under four minutes.
His time, 3:59.4, is one of the biggest records to ever be broken in all of sports, and at the time was thought to be an impossible, even dangerous undertaking. John Bryant, author of the new book "Against the Clock: Beating the Four Minute Mile,” joins us to relive that day sixty years ago and what it meant for the running community around the world.
Idan Ravin brings new methods to basketball as 'The Hoops Whisperer'
You know the names LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Stephen Curry, but you may not know a name they have in common: Idan Ravin.
For years, Ravin has worked with some of the biggest names in basketball, with intense training sessions that bring out the best in the players that can survive his unique drills and challenging workouts. He's also the author of a new book, "The Hoops Whisperer: On the Court and Inside the Heads of Basketball's Best Players."
Ravin joins the show to talk about his journey to becoming a highly sought-after basketball trainer and some of the experiences he's had with some of the best in the NBA.
Excerpt: "The Hoops Whisperer: On the Court and Inside the Heads of Basketball's Best Players"
In the late 1980s, a television commercial aired for a new line of Reebok high- tops. The black- and- white ad began with several teenagers huddled together on the stoop of a brownstone, nodding their heads as an older man shared the story of a playground legend named Lamar Mundane. He described watching Lamar Mundane effortlessly release his jump shot from as far as fifty feet away, over the outstretched arms of defenders, with the onlookers shouting, “Money,” as the ball kissed the clouds before falling through the net.
I wanted to wear those high- tops. I wanted to do the things Lamar Mundane had done. I wanted to live on a city block within walking distance of a playground with a basketball court surrounded by a chain- link fence so an audience could witness my game. I wanted to take on the city’s best players. I wanted folks to talk about my game with the same reverence. I also wanted to trade places with those boys on the stoop, even for just a moment, so I could hear the tales of the playground legends.
A few years ago, I received a call from Carmelo Anthony’s agent at the time asking if I could assist on a commercial that Nike’s Jordan Brand was scheduled to shoot with Melo as part of the launch of his new signature shoe. Melo and I had worked together since he’d left Syracuse after his freshman year in 2003. The call from his agent surprised me, because generally I dealt directly with the players with regards to scheduling, training, billing, etc. Most agents were proprietary about their clients and felt uncomfortable knowing that someone had burrowed his way into their client’s circle without the agent’s blessing. In any event, Melo was “my guy,” as players I’ve worked with would say, and I would have flown to Timbuktu if he’d asked, even with only thirty minutes’ notice and just the clothes on my back. I was available and I suggested the production company contact me to coordinate logistics.
“You won’t be getting paid for this,” his agent reminded me.
Too bad we weren’t on Skype so he could see me smile.
Money was never my motivator. I loved what I did. Whatever came with it was just gravy.
I flew to Los Angeles several days later. I arrived on set a day early to meet with Jesse, the ad agency’s creative director on the account, and Brian, the director. They didn’t seem overly excited; they’d researched and prepared their treatment weeks earlier, and they probably thought I’d suggest things they had already seen, posted on YouTube by other trainers.
I’d recently come up with a few new drills for Melo involving tennis balls, hand gestures, cones, and multiple basketballs, and I thought these would resonate on camera. Their energy changed once I demonstrated the scope and complexity of Melo’s training. Brian positioned his hands in the shape of a camera lens to visualize how to frame and shoot each drill, while Jesse asked me to explain the drill and its purpose.
“Yes. Very cool! This is going to be great! I love it! You’re intense!” they said, maybe not in that order.
I didn’t tell them that I might have to audible from the intended outline, depending on what I felt from Melo once he stepped out of his trailer. You can’t be wedded to a script when working with superstars. Sensitivity to their rhythms is important.
If I sensed reluctance, I would pull back. If I sensed excitement,
I would push forward. If I sensed indifference, I’d play it by ear.
The following day Melo arrived in the early afternoon on a flight from Asia. He had spent the last several weeks representing the United States in the world championships in Japan. I assumed he would be exhausted from all the travel, practices, games, and off- court commitments required when you represent your country.
“Keep the takes to a minimum. He doesn’t have much gas left in the tank,” I told Brian.
Efficiency was paramount, not only for Melo, but also for the ad agency and production company under orders to deliver top content to their shoe company client.
Our first scene involved Melo shooting jump shots from beyond the NBA arc. The second scene showed Melo catching a tennis ball with one hand while dribbling with the other and moving in different directions based on my commands. The drill refined his ball control because it overloaded his senses to simulate the intense distractions he faces under game conditions: long and active defenders, screaming fans, teammates in motion, coaches calling out plays, clocks ticking down, referees circling, and television crews hoping to capture great footage.
The third scene showcased his ability to anticipate defensive pressure, identify passing opportunities, and handle the ball all at once. I stood almost directly behind him, just slightly offcenter. Keeping his back to me, he dribbled while I flashed different numbers with my fingers; relying only on his peripheral vision, he had to call out the number of fingers I signaled without losing the dribble. This went on for a minute, and I switched between his right and left side every few seconds.
The fourth scene highlighted Melo’s agility and explosiveness. Melo caught the ball near the foul line with his back to the basket. I stood behind him, pushing a big rectangular pad against his back to mimic the defensive pressure he can expect when he plays. He paused once he caught the ball to feel the contact from the pad, then rotated his left pivot foot inward and exploded to the basket, jumping off both feet for a monstrous two- handed dunk.
The fifth scene emphasized his efficiency and speed as Melo sprinted from baseline to baseline for a layup while taking just three dribbles, pushing the ball forward, and running after it. Brian wanted some additional takes, and the day of shooting was getting long. Melo never complained, but I noticed his stern look substituting for his usual warm smile.
The last scene demonstrated Melo’s lateral mobility as he took his defensive stance and quickly slid his feet from side to side to get to the passes I threw to his left and his right. As soon as Brian issued a thumbs- up, Melo pushed open the gym doors, tossed his headband to the floor, walked down the hill toward his trailer past the many fans stationed outside the gym, and collapsed on the couch in his trailer.
The ad agency called a few weeks later. My voice was muffled during one of the scenes, so they needed to rerecord. When I arrived at the editors’ offices, they handed me a script and headphones as they escorted me to a soundproof booth, then played the scene on a monitor in front of me. The script did not jibe with anything I would say to Melo, so I improvised. Afterward, we sat in another office, where they played the rough edits of the commercial.
Over the course of the next sixty seconds I felt disbelief, awe, gratitude, humility, relief, joy, and hope. I had never seen myself on television or even on video. When I played ball in high school, neither our coaches nor my parents ever recorded our games or practices. I had been working with some of the NBA’s best players for a number of years, but always deep in the shadows, in closed gyms and private circumstance, where the things I taught could be learned most effectively. But now a future audience of millions would see me, hear my voice, and view the unique relationship of trust I had built with Melo.
I privately wondered what the ad agency, the production company, the shoe company, and the athletes I trained would think if they knew my secrets. What if they discovered I didn’t have a traditional basketball background, that I struggled for so long, that I loved the game more than I could ever eloquently express, that I’d chased an orange leather ball for decades not knowing where it would take me, that I’d converted my lifelong romance into something my landlord could rely on each month, that I operated under a cloak of anonymity for as long as I could remember, that I didn’t know whether to cry or scream with joy at the moment?
Several weeks later I was running on a treadmill and saw the commercial on the television above me. I hit the stop button while in full stride, straddled the treadmill, and watched. I was not alone, but I didn’t bother to wipe away the tears that pooled around my eyes and trickled down my cheeks. I never could have imagined this life.
Once upon a time I was a teenager inspired by a commercial, and now, years later, I had become the teenager on the stoop, the man narrating the story of a playground legend, and had even traded places with the legendary Lamar Mundane.
Mozza's Nancy Silverton wins top honor at James Beard Awards
This year, California was a big winner at the annual James Beard Foundation Awards.
Taking home the top award in this culinary affair was none other than L.A.'s own Nancy Silverton.
The founder of Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza was named Outstanding Chef. It's the first time an L.A. chef has taken home that prize since 1998. Nancy Silverton joins us to talk about winning the James Beard Award.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Juan Gabriel, Rodrigo y Gabriela, 2014 FIFA World Cup album
It's time again for Tuesday Reviewsday, our weekly new music segment. This week, Billboard Magazine's associate editor of Latin music, Justino Aguila, is back with some new tunes.
Artist: Juan Gabriel
Album: "Mis 40 en Bellas Artes" (En Vivo Desde Bellas Artes, Mexico/2013)
Release Date: May 6
Songs: “El Noa Noa” and “No Discutamos”
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Mexican balladeer Juan Gabriel returns with a live album celebrating four decades in the music business—a road that has taken the singer/songwriter from humble beginnings to superstar status in Latin music with fans around the world.
"Mis 40 en Bellas Artes," a CD/DVD set, chronicles the singer's life really as an artist who in 40 years has built a career based on music that has repeatedly resonated with fans in a major way. Often called the soul of Mexico, Gabriel recently began his first North American tour which in early April was interrupted by a bad case of pneumonia.
New tour dates, with most of them now scheduled for September, are now in place and until then, fans can catch up with the 64-year-old singer with this live album which was recorded in Mexico City last year. The album is a reminder of the longevity of this mesmerizing entertainer who has penned some of the most wonderful songs through the years—everything from romantic ballads to pop songs that have shown his versatility as a composer.
This project features the latest versions of the romantic song "No Discutamos" ("Lets Not Argue") and "El Noa Noa," the song that pays homage to a little club, which like many of Gabriel's songs, has become an anthem of celebration during his concerts which often close with the pop ballad that leaves everyone dancing.
Artist: Rodrigo y Gabriela
Album: "9 Dead Alive"
Release Date: April 29
Songs: "The Soundmaker" and "Torito"
Born In Mexico City, Rodrigo y Gabriela set out early to make it in the music industry regardless of what roadblocks they faced. It was a gamble that has led to thriving careers.
In "9 Dead Alive," the pair return with their 4th studio album takes the pair back to their roots in a project that has minimalistic elements. Each song is dedicated to someone who is no longer alive but still influential. The duo navigates swiftly through rhythmic acoustic sets with their guitars. The set has to be heard, and seen, to be appreciated. Together they are as soulful as ever and on top of their game.
Rodrigo y Gabriela' s style of performance especially shines in "The Soundmaker" and "Torito," allowing the intricate sounds to build rhythmically as you hear the quick hand work move throughout each song.
The duo's lives have been more public than ever as their story was recently part of a documentary, "For Those About to Rock—The Story of Rodrigo y Gabriela." The filmmaker, Alejandro Franco, looked at the early work, the evolution and their path in the music business.
The "9 Dead Alive" 2014 U.S. summer tour was recently announced and will continue through the summer in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Artists: Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, Santana, Wyclef Jean, Avicii, Alexandre Pires, among others
Album: "One Love, One Rhythm – The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album"
Release Date: May 13
Songs: "One Love, One Rhythm" and "Dar um Jeito” (We Will Find a Way)
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The 2014 World Cup begins in June and a new album features a group of musicians known internationally. They will be featured in the official album.
Pitbull leads the way with the official World Cup Song with "We Are One," a fast-paced song that celebrates unity and also features entertainer Jennifer Lopez.
Other artists on the album includes Sergio Mendes, The Isley Brothers, Arlindo Cruz and Wyclef Jean. The album and the music will be heard around the globe and in some ways define the summer as the music will be heard on the radio, TV and spots in support of the global event.
Santana and Wyclef Juan team up in “Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way,” which is the official 2014 FIFA World Cup anthem; the song also includes Swedish entertainer Avicii, and Brazilian singer Alexandre Pires.
Ricky Martin recently introduced the “Vida” music video, which was recorded in Rio de Janeiro. The song was composed by Elijah King, winner of the SuperSong, and produced by Salaam Remi.
Climate Report: West to face more heat, drought and wildfires
Extreme weather in the U.S. is growing more frequent and intense, and that’s posing far-reaching consequences for how our cities are planned, how we get our food and how our economy runs.
That's especially true for communities here in the Southwest. The details are part of the Third National Climate Assessment released today from the Obama Administration.
For more, we’re joined by Gregg Garfin, climatologist at the University of Arizona and one of the lead authors for the report's chapter on the Southwest region.
Beverly Hills Hotel under fire for ties to Sultan of Brunei
The Beverly Hills Hotel has been a local icon since it opened more than a century ago, but recently, support from southern California businesses has been waning because of its ties to the oil-rich nation of Brunei.
RELATED: Sultan's Beverly Hills Hotel boycotted over Sharia law in Brunei
Take Two co-host Alex Cohen talks to Martha Groves, a staff writer for the LA Times, about the brewing controversy.
UCLA research shows how often men are victims of sexual assault
When many people think about sexual assault, they think about female victims preyed upon by males, but a recent study in the American Journal of Public Health finds that men make up a substantial number of Americans who are sexually assaulted.
Lara Stemple, Director of the Health and Human Rights Law Project at UCLA and the researcher behind the study, "The Sexual Victimization of Men in America: New Data Challenge Old Assumptions," joins the show with more.
UC Davis students seek posthumous law license for Chinese immigrant
A group of law students in Northern California are pushing to get a law license for a Chinese immigrant even though he's been dead for quite some time. In 1890, the state Supreme Court denied Hong Yen Chang’s application to practice law because he was Chinese.
It's a 124-year-old California Supreme Court decision that continues to be studied in law schools today. For more on this we're joined by Gabriel Chin, professor at UC Davis School of Law.
Obamacare in Jail: How San Francisco policy helps inmates
More than 1 million Californians signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Many of them signed up online, but also in health clinics, Big Box stores and other places targeted by Covered California.
Under a brand new law in San Francisco, they also signed up in jail.
The sheriff says making sure people have health coverage when they're released will help prevent them from committing another crime, and coming right back. But there's more to public safety than just issuing an insurance card.
For The California Report, April Dembosky has the story.
Do snobby salespeople make for higher sales?
If you do your shopping at high end boutiques, or even if you've just walked into one, you've probably encountered a less than friendly salesperson.
If you haven't, maybe you remember this scene from "Pretty Woman" when Julia Roberts' character Vivian walks into a Rodeo Drive boutique...
In this case, she takes her business elsewhere. But in reality, when it comes to luxury stores, the snobbier the salespeople, the better the sales. That's according to "Should the Devil Sell Prada?," a new study from the Journal of Consumer Research.
Lead author of the study, Darren Dahl is a professor at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. He joins the show to talk about the outcome of the study.