Republican Governors are meeting in Las Vegas this week to reflect on election outcome and brainstorm the future of the GOP. Then, we talk with Melissa Rosenberg, screenwriter for all five "Twilight" films about the success of the vamp series on the big screen. Plus, we take a look at the life of Wilbur K. Woo, an influential leader in L.A.'s Chinese community who passed away this week at 96. Also, a new study finds that California has the highest poverty rate in the U.S., and much more.
Republican Governors reflect on election outcome and brainstorm future of GOP
Executives of the Republican Governors Association are meeting in Las Vegas this week to discuss the election results and the future path of the party.
Attendees include Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, New Jersey's Chris Christie, and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. All three have been mentioned as potential Presidential candidates in 2016.
Joining us now from Las Vegas is Reid Wilson, editor-in-chief of the National Journal Hotline.
Wilbur K. Woo, businessman and leader in LA's Chinese community, dies
Wilbur K. Woo, an influential leader of L.A.'s Chinese community and father of the first Asian-American City Councilman, Michael Woo, has died at his home in Monterey Park. He was 96.
Woo was a successful businessman, and though he never held political office, he was influential in the Chinese community and was an avid political fundraiser.
Woo, a Republican, was a fierce supporter of his son, a Democrat, despite their conflicting political points of view. Michael Woo credits his father's family loyalty and quest to strengthen the Asian American community for bridging the political party divide.
"We really came from different generations, but despite our disagreements blood is thicker than partisan loyalty, and dad was a very devoted supporter of mine all the way through," said Woo on Take Two. "He thought, regardless of who was a Democrat and who was a Republican, what was really important was the Chinese American community and the Asian American community deserved representation."
Woo first immigrated to L.A. in 1921 at 5 years old, but then moved back to China with his family during the Great Depression. He returned to L.A. permanently in 1940.
Michael Woo joins the show to discuss his father's lasting legacy.
Goodwill charities push for greater regulation of donation bins
The holiday season is here, which means many people are thinking about donating to a local charity. In addition to monetary donation, some choose to clean out their wardrobes and donate clothes to collection bins found in parking lots or gas stations.
One of the largest charitable organizations in the world, Goodwill Industries, Inc., has been making a concerted effort to regulate and restrict these donation bins. However they recently faced a setback when Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation that would have required companies that own donation boxes to get permission before installing them on private property.
Kendall Taggart, a reporter for the non-profit California Watch, says that, according to Goodwill, local communities are seeing a flood of donation boxes popping up on commercial properties, often without the consent of property owners.
"Goodwill also says they want donors to be aware of where their donations are going, whether the box is operated by a non profit or for profit," said Taggart on Take Two. "They also want property owners to be able to remove the boxers if the owner didn't get permission for them without the fear of actually being sued for taking the box off their property."
Goodwill has already been successful in lobbying for regulation of donation boxes in Michigan and New Jersey, and in California cities like Berkeley, where they're now prohibited, and Sacramento, which now requires owners to get permits before installation.
Does California have the highest poverty rate?
According to a new measure of wealth in the United States, nearly nine million Californians, about a quarter of state residents, live in poverty. If the new figure is correct, that would make California the state with the highest poverty rate in the country.
U.S. Census Bureau Supplemental Poverty Measure
'Twilight' saga screenwriter reflects on success of vampire series on the big screen
Well, it's been several epic battles, countless lovelorn gazes, and quite a few shirtless hunks in the making. Now, the final installment of the "Twilight" saga is here.
So far the film adaptations have grossed $2.5 billion, and it's stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner have become touchstones for tweens, teens (and, let's face it, even some adults) around the world.
While the films have been directed by differen't people, all five films were written by the same person, Melissa Rosenberg. She's also written for the Showtime series "Dexter," and she's currently working on an upcoming drama for ABC called "Red Widow."
Interview Highlights:
When you were introduced to this project, did you have any idea of what getting into?
"No idea at all really, the producers mentioned, ‘you know this book is quite popular, it has quite an online following.’ I remember taking a peek online at the fan site and quickly pressing the escape button because if I knew how popular it was I would be paralyzed. These books have such a huge following there was just no way I would be able to satisfy all the people all the time. Hopefully I was able to satisfy some of them.”
What made you want to take it on?
“I love the mythology. Stephanie Meyer has created this world and this mythology and these characters that are so rich. There is something very universal about the relationship and the drive of our lead character, Bella. That pursuit of what she loves and who she wants to be, and that is something I really related to on that.”
Related: Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2: Los Angeles says goodbye to Bella, Edward, Jacob
It has been said that "Brokeback Mountain" was an inspiration for the movie, can you explain the relationship between the two?
“’Brokeback Mountain,’ from the novella to the movie, it was an incredible adaptation. They had the opposite problem I did, I had to take a book of 500 pages and condense into a two-hour movie; they had a book of 30 pages they had to expand. But they did so beautifully, I found it inspiring. There is also the relationship, the forbidden love aspect of the two characters, and them perceiving their own desires as being inappropriate or to be despised, so holding themselves back. And I think that is very much Edward’s point of view about himself. There are some emotional and character similarities.”
Some critics have taken issue with Bella, saying she is a bad role model… what is your opinion?
“I would argue [against] that actually, I would argue that Bella, in the film, is passive. This is something that Catherine Hardwicke [director of the first film] and I discussed at the front…we knew that a lot of young women were going to be seeing this and we wanted to present a character that had some chutzpah. So there is a marked difference in the character of Bella from book to film. That’s part of adapting a book into a film. In a book you can have a character be reactive because you are inside her mind and her thoughts are active. You can’t do that on a screen, your lead character has to be driving the story. For instance, in “Eclipse,” the scene in which Jacob comes to the high school to meet Bella. In the book that’s a much more reactive moment, he sort of goads her along, and she kind of goes along for the ride. In the movie she makes a conscious choice, she does it in front of Edward and it is a moment of rebellion against him. I’ve had many fans ask me, ‘why did you do that?’ Those are the choices that I felt needed to be made.”
Have you ever been mobbed by fans like Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson?
“That’s the beauty of being a screenwriter, no one knows what you look like. Although I did have the very first movie we went to Comic-con, this young girl, 12 or 13, pulls me aside in the aisle and says will you sign my book, and I looked at her and she whispered ‘I know who you are’ and I laughed.”
The other show you worked on, "Dexter," is a pretty grim show, how was it bouncing between?
“There were some similarities between Dexter and Edward the idea of having a demon that you must keep within control. How Dexter does that is by a code who he will and wont kill. He kills the bad guys. And Edward manages by only eating animals instead of people. There is always this risk with both of them with the code dropping out and doing something not good, the demon winning. And also for Dexter, I’ve sort of seen is it as this alien landing on the planet and studying what it is to be human, trying to pass as human, and that’s what it is for the Cullen family as well, just trying to pass as human.”
BP found guilty of criminal misconduct, to pay $4.5 billion fine for Gulf oil spill
The oil company BP will pay $4.5 billion to settle criminal charges related to the Deep Water Horizon explosion and oil spill. BP pled guilty to criminal misconduct charges related to the deaths of 11 workers who perished on the rig.
The wide-ranging settlement essentially resolves all criminal claims against the company, but BP still faces billions of dollars in claims from civil suits.
Joining us with more on all this is Abraham Lustgarten, reporter with Pro Publica, and the author of the book "Run To Failure," about the oil spill.
The Petraeus scandal and the shaky relationship between the FBI and CIA
The identity of the the FBI agent that broke open the scandal that ensnared General David Petraeus and General John Allen was made public yesterday.
Frederick Humphries, an FBI agent with the Tampa bureau, has been described as a "bulldog" by a former colleague. He's the agent who investigated the initial complaint of cyberstalking made by Tampa socialite Jill Kelley.
That trail eventually led the FBI to the extra-marital affair between CIA Chief Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Relations between the CIA and the FBI have been less than cordial in the past.
To discuss how this scandal might affect the two agencies, we're joined by Mark Riebling, the author of "Wedge: The Secret War Between The FBI And CIA."
Louise Erdrich, Katherine Boo winners of National Book Awards
Well, the lasting effects of superstorm Sandy didn't put a damper on the National Book Awards. They were presented at a gala in New York last night.
This despite the fact that the offices of the National Book Foundation, which presents the awards, are still closed due to flood damage.
Here to talk about the winners is our book critic David Kipen, founder of the book store and lending library Libros Schmibros in Boyle Heights.