New L.A. schools superintendent Ramon Cortines, a documentary about boundary-breaking women in war, and remembering designer Oscar de la Renta.
New LAUSD superintendent Ramon Cortines talks top priorities for LA schools
On Monday, Ramon Cortines took over as the superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District. The 82-year-old is replacing John Deasy who resigned from the post last week.
Cortines faces plenty of challenges as current head of the nation's second largest school district. But he's been in this seat before. Twice as a matter of fact.
Ramon Cortines spoke with Take Two on Monday, his first day back on the job.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS:
Did you ever think you'd be asked to fill John Deasy's seat if he left?
Never...I just never thought I would ever be interested again because I've retired so many times (about seven), but when I left here three and a half years ago it was final for me, or so I thought.
Why would you want to take on this role again?
If you know my history and having been superintendent in five districts and assistant secretary in the Clinton Administration. I do enjoy a challenge. I worked with this school district when it was in an economic meltdown... And because of the employees we made it through it.
I so respect the employees— teachers, administrators, librarians, counselors, mechanics, custodians, food workers— and I'm leaving out a whole bunch, but I wanted to show respect. And I was not sure what was happening with Dr. Deasy and I did not feel there should be a void.
What are some of your top priorities?
Well they're the district's priorities, they're not mine. I mean, the [MiSiS student tracking and class scheduling] information system in this district is broken and it's not in three or four schools. Some time next week I will release the number of schools when I know.
One of the things I think we have to do is use paper and pencil and get it right. But it really bothers me when students have not had the proper courses and they're graduating, and they've had some courses and gotten good grades, but not the right courses, and colleges and universities will not be accepting them. I think shame on the district.
We're going to fix that. But I don't want to mislead anybody, I think the problem is so large that it's not going to be fixed overnight. I think it will take us at least a year to get the information system up and running correctly.
Until the end of the year, former superintendent John Deasy will remain on "special assignment" with the district. Does this mean you'll be working together in some capacity?
Dr. Deasy did many things well, but I will not be using his services. He has a contract with the district, I agree. The board made that contract, and so you'll have to ask the board about that.
What do you see doing with the controversial iPad program that John Deasy championed while you're in charge?
I believe that students should have technology, but I don't believe it takes the place of printed material. And I'm chagrined to find out this morning that we do not have math textbooks except at one grade level... the problem with the iPad is not the iPad itself, it was the lack of planning for how it would be used.
What have you been able to accomplish so far on your first day back?
I've met with the leadership team, challenged them, let them know what I expect. I've met with the local district superintendents, challenged them. The policy is still in effect that I had the board approve in 2000 when I was here: decentralization of the district. And we will be doing more of that and going back to what is board policy. I've met with Dr. Perez, who is the deputy superintendent for instruction, to learn both the things that are good, but also the areas that are critical that we need to address.
To hear the full interview with Ramon Cortines, click on the link above.
Why Kashkari doesn't brag about TARP bailout plan
Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari once led the federal government's high-profile response to the 2008 economic meltdown.
But on the campaign trail, he doesn't spend much time talking about the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.
The California Report's Scott Detrow says, even though the bailout plan worked, it was pretty messy and complicated.
For more on the Nov. 4 election check out KPCC's 2014 General Election Voter Guide.
'Makers: Women in War' tells story of female trailblazers
For as long as conflicts have taken place around the world, women have been involved. As military nurses, in communications, as munitions experts and many other roles. But often the contributions of women in wartime are overshadowed by the achievements of men.
In its latest offering, the PBS documentary series, "Makers" examines the military and its female trailblazers in "Women in War". The film is directed by Rachel Grady. Her previous works include "Jesus Camp" and "Freakonomics."
'Makers' retired Major General Angela Salinas helped blaze trail for women in military
The PBS documentary series, "Makers" examines the military and its female trailblazers in "Women in War." One of the voices featured is Retired Major General Angela Salinas. She joined the Marine Corps in 1974 and went on to become the highest ranking female officer in the Marines.
Fifteen percent of those serving in the armed forces today are female, but that wasn't the case when Major Salinas signed up. When Salinas joined, boot camp was segregated and female Marines were trained in very different ways. “"You know, we were taught makeup and how to do your hair. And, you know, that was kind of expected because that was the face of a woman Marine," Salinas said.
But the times were changing in 1974. "Women are starting to demand to be recognized as a valuable resource for the nation," Salinas said. The country was going away from the draft and the armed forces began to realize the potential of an "untapped resource" of women with a desire to serve.
Salinas went on to officer training camp, which was not segregated and the women were trained in the same way that the men were, aside from different standards for the physical fitness test. According to Salinas, "These were like baby steps for the United States Marine Corps as they were trying . . . how best to [utilize] this untapped resource that was now beginning to flood the gates."
She went on to become the first woman in the Marine Corps to command a recruiting station and the first woman to serve as a recruiting district commanding officer.
Major General Angela Salinas was the highest ranking female officer in the Marines when she retired in 2013.
Makers: Women in War airs Tuesday, Oct. 21 on PBS.
Famed designer Oscar de la Renta dies at 82
The fashion world lost an icon of immeasurable influence and stature on Monday -- Oscar de la Renta.
He was 82.
Born in the Dominican Republic, he became one of America's best ambassadors of haute couture.
He also had an important influence on Hollywood -- it's rare when his name isn't uttered on the red carpet.
But that relationship was also important to keeping him relevant in the fashion world, explains Michelle Tyree, founder of Fashion Trends Daily.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Danay Suarez, Saul Hernandez, Daniel Lanois and more
Music critic
and
, Associate Editor of Latin at Billboard Magazine join A Martinez in the studio for the latest installment of new music segment - Tuesday Reviewsday.
Justino Aguila
Artist: Danay Suarez
Album: "Polvo de la Humedad"
Songs: “Wake Up,” “Directo al Alma”
Notes: Danay Suarez is soulful no matter what she sings. It’s in her voice, her lyrics and compositions.
In the deluxe version of he album "Polvo de Humanidad," the Cuban singer shows the complexity of her songs through rich storytelling in perspectives about her life and what she has seen as a child and beyond.
The 26-year-old singer’s ability to address dark and light themes of the world takes her album and work into a place of hope, heartbreak and everything else in between. Cuba lives in her writing and so does life from the pulse of humanity to the good and bad in people.
Two new songs are introduced in the new project including "Wake Up," which includes a collaboration with Roberto Carcasses, front man of Interactivo-one, an alternative group in Cuba, which features several artists.
"Wake Up" tells the story of Suarez when she was a child on her way to school in Cuba as she observed the neighborhood and those around her. It’s a narrative that includes observations about everything from the drugs to injustice and the many facets of a society. “I better go to school to stay out of trouble,” is a line that Suarez uses to convey the mood and feel of the song.
The entire album is soulful with a major reggae arc that’s felt throughout it. In "Directo al Alma," the idea of soul, says the singer, was the basis for the composition that is also themed around affection, words and problems in love and relationships.
A beautifully executed album, Suarez’s words and vocal power are true gems that deserve a wider audience who can appreciate the soulful collection of music.
Artist: Saul Hernandez
Album: "Mortal"
Songs: “Me Buscare,” “Te Levantaste”
Notes: Saul Hernandez, who in the ‘80s was the frontman of the rock en español band Caifanes, returns with a new album, "Mortal."
Both classic and new songs shape the latest project, which ultimately illustrates Hernandez’s impressive career with music that’s resonated with fans through the years.
"Mortal" is also an album that shows Hernandez as the rock singer whose own story shines through his poetic verses that are soulfully reimagined and performed through the man who has grown both personally and professionally.
The album, which features 21 tracks, also includes Hernandez’s 14-year-old daughter, Zoey, who is starting to show her passion for music in performances with her father. The pair sing "Entre Tu y Yo" (Between You and I), which establishes the connection as father and daughter.
Songs such as “Me Buscare” (Finding Myself) are lifted with beautiful guitar orchestrations that meld flawlessly with Hernandez’s voice and lyrics such as “I will look for you between your mysteries, in the mysteries of the cross and I will sleep deeply until I find my heart.”
In recent years, Hernandez has been touring with Caifanes to the delight of fans. The group will be performing in Mexico City in November and in recent weeks Hernandez was also honored in Mexico for his work.
Steve Hochman
Artist: Daniel Lanois
Album: "Flesh and Machine"
Songs: “The End,” “My First Love”
Notes: Genres are for suckers. Okay, harsh overstatement. But every day it seems that genre names are increasingly inadequate to describe what the most creative music figures are doing. Still, they remain a necessary evil. How else to concisely talk about music without some terms of convenience, some lines on a map with which to orient.
Which brings us to the latest project from Daniel Lanois, who has made a career out of refusing to recognize, let alone be restricted by, genres. At a recent gathering in his L.A. house to demonstrate what he’s going for on "Flesh and Machine" with his collaborator, the astounding drummer Brian Blade, Lanois spoke of waking up every day in a quest for new sounds, new ways of putting sounds together, new musical languages. But then this would be no surprise to anyone who’s followed Lanois since his early ‘80s work with Brian Eno — work saddled with the “ambient” label, but in truth so much more than that.
"Flesh and Machine" in many ways ties more closely to those early Eno-related albums than to Lanois’ most familiar superstar production work, though those too are marked by his sense of sonic adventurism — U2’s "The Joshua Tree," Peter Gabriel’s "So," Bob Dylan’s "Oh Mercy" and "Time Out of Mind," Emmylou Harris’ "Wrecking Ball," just to name a few. It also stands apart from the startling, somberly gorgeous hues of his cherished ‘80s and ‘90s solo albums "Acadie" and "For the Beauty of Wynona" or even his more recent "Black Dub" band album.
But ambient? Not remotely. Though there are some subdued passages, this is not background music by and large. This is very forward. The opening prelude “Rocco” is almost a tease in that regard, Lanois at the piano, playing a sparse tune adorned with some vocal and electronic chiffon. But that soon gives way to “The End” — which is where this adventure really begins. This is space music, in the senses of both Sun Ra and pre-“Darkside” Pink Floyd, but sounds like neither. Now, this is the most aggressive, most dialed-up episode of this album, but it sets a tone, a sense that all rules are ignored, all restrictions to be challenged.
At the other end of the aesthetic spectrum is “My First Love,” sentimental and lyrical, the pedal steel recalling Santo & Johnny’s dreamy instrumentals — at least in part an homage to the titular object, as this was the first instrument he tackled as a child. And the closing “Forest City,” a light wash of atmosphere, makes the connection to the Eno-era works explicit.
The easy assumption would be that “Rocco,” “My First Love,” “Forest City” and the other interludes of calm (the impressionistic “Iceland” being a prime example) are the “flesh” here, with the intensity and punchiness of other selections being the “machine.” That would be wrong. In his presentation, Lanois made the case for “The End” and others in which he’s “playing” various electronic devices being the “machine” part and ones that have him on crunchy electric guitar or sighing pedal steel are the “flesh.” Not to challenge him, but that’s wrong too. Even when most reliant on electronics, what Lanois does with them is no less human than him attacking guitar strings or plunking a piano. Everything here, and very much everything he did in his performance, was in and of the moment, and very much a conversation with Blade, a musician of rare talents and credits ranging from Emmylou Harris to Wayne Shorter’s current, astonishing quartet. This is all flesh.
Arguably, Blade is the key ingredient here, or really it’s about the relationship between the two musicians. When they really go at it, it’s not so much a competition or confrontation — though those elements are part of it. Rather it’s a series of challenges, jousts, thrusts and parries, Lanois setting a tone, a framework and Blade teasing and cajoling Lanois to get him to go outside whatever lines he’s drawn. Wait, that sounds like a description of jazz at its most exhilarating. So maybe this is jazz — not that it sounds like “jazz.” No, it is not jazz. And here we are, back at the pesky genre label nonsense.
So then, that tricky question: What to call this? The answer: It doesn’t matter, just listen. And even better, they’re going to be taking this on the road, with films commissioned for each piece to enhance the very spontaneous musical creations. So you can experience it, as it were, in the flesh.
Artist: Tony Allen
Album: "Film of Life"
Songs: “Moving On,” “Boat Journey”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH57frJigp4
Notes: Femi and Seun Kuti, the eldest and youngest sons of late Nigerian Afrobeat king Fela Kuti, are generally seen as heirs to their father’s crown. Nothing against them — they’ve both been making fine music and putting their stamps on the funky, fiery sounds. But with his new album, "Film of Life," drummer Tony Allen makes a strong case that the title is his.
Of course, given that he’s 74, it’s hard to tag him as an inheritor of anything. Having been at Fela’s side both before and during the revolution that was Afrobeat in the ‘60s and ‘70s, having been one of the key figures in that revolution, Allen today stands at the top of the form’s royal family.
It’s not because Allen’s music sounds like Fela’s. It’s because so much of it does not. That’s the truest realization of his boss/collaborator’s spirit. Fela had no interest in staying put and recreating the past -- nor does Allen. Sure, there are some familiar elements — the blaring ensemble horns on some tracks, the steely delivery of his vocals, the burbling funk. And behind it all Allen’s solid-as-Gibraltar pulse that has earned him the nickname the Human Metronome, a completely inadequate moniker that overlooks the colorful complexities of his rhythms and sells short the role he played as the true backbone of Fela’s music.
That same thing has been the foundation that’s allowed him to pursue a wide range of explorations over the decades, while both his credentials and open mind have brought some top names to his door. Past collaborations with Blur’s Damon Albarn, the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Flea, jazz frontiersman Archie Shepp, French electronicist Sebastien Tellier, Charlotte Gainsbourg only touch upon his range and reach. In 2006 he teamed with Albarn, Paul Simonon of the Clash and Simon Tong as the group The Good, the Bad & the Queen, and two years ago with Albarn and Flea as Rocketjuice and the Moon.
"Film of Life" encompasses all of that with a vibrancy all its own. Produced by French trio the Jazzbastards, the album sparkles and crackles with unexpected combinations of styles and sounds at every turn. Opener “Moving On” starts at the core: Allen’s mix of interlocking rhythms establishes a foundation to support ultra-funky horns. Next, “Boat Journey” builds with a skittering guitar line and such cinematic touches as dramatic timpani, as Allen speak-singing a cautionary tale warning those “running away from misery” will confront themselves and find “double misery.”
“Tiger’s Skip,” co-written by Albarn and featuring him on melodica, has some of the dub atmosphere the British artist has used with Gorillaz. “Ewa” is almost a jazzy ‘70s film soundtrack, an intricate construction spiked by Vincent Taeger’s vibes. “Go Back” features Albarn on vocals in an introspective soul turn. “Ire Omo” brings in female singers Adunni and Nefretiti for a classic Afrobeat sound.
Each song reveals something new, something unexpected. Each listen shows more layers and depth. Tony Allen could easily get by on his past achievements, but with this album he reaches new peaks — his "Film of Life" still being made.
What's behind San Francisco's ban on Lorde's 'Royals' song?
The battle between the Royals and the Giants has caught up an unlikely party – pop singer Lorde. Her song, “Royals,” has been banned by two San Francisco radio stations, while in Kansas City, a station has vowed to play it every hour on the hour.
"At the end of the day, I said let's do this," said Brian Figula, program director at KOIT in San Francisco, who said the station had received phone calls and emails requesting the ban. "This will be a fun way to get everyone pumped up for the series."
The reaction has been mostly supportive, he said, though he did hear from some San Francisco-area Royals fans.
"We've heard from them, trust me, whether it's through email or whether it's on my voicemail at three in the morning," he said. "We've definitely heard the feedback."
He even heard from a station in Wichita that is vowing to play the song non-stop all day long.
So what's a song Giants fans can get behind during the World series?
"Without a doubt 'Don't Stop Believing' is the theme song," said Figula, who noted that the ex-Journey front man Steve Perry is a well-known Giants fan.
Check out video of Perry rallying Giants fans during a recent game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjpT1X5WOO4
To hear this interview, click on "Listen Now" above.
Southern California wildfires: Homeowners defend themselves
Wildfire is a part of California life, the downside to living in the Golden State.
According to experts, strong Santa Anas and a unique ecology make wildfires in the southland behave differently from northern forests.
Firefighters are often unable to prevent fire from reaching neighborhoods, so homes without suitable defenses are left to burn.
Amy Quinton explains it's a problem with no easy solution, and some homeowners are taking matters into their own hands.
Start Halloween early with Charles Phoenix 6-layer cereal cake with Frosted Flakes frosting
Halloween is on the horizon.
But just in case you can't wait to get your sugar fix, boy do we have a recipe for you!
It's a six-layer, milk soaked cereal cake with Frosted Flakes frosting.
Joining Take Two to share about it is King of Kitsch - Charles Phoenix. See the cake recipe below.
Phoenix is one of several fabulous guests who will be joining the show for the Take Two Birthday Bash at the Redcat Theater on this coming Thursday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX7OaGz61jU
RECIPE: Six-layer milk soaked cereal cake with Frosted Flakes frosting
Cake (from top to bottom):
- Apple Jacks with Spice Cake
- Trix with Blue Velvet Cake
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch with Yellow Cake
- Peanut Butter Crunch with Chocolate Cake
- Froot Loops with Red Food Colored White Cake (Red Velvet Cake was not BRIGHT enough!)
- Cocoa Puffs with White Cake
- Fill six cake pans nearly to the brim, each with a different cereal.
- Pour each in separate bowl and add approx. one cup of whole milk, occasionally tossing to ensure that it absorbs evenly.
- When the cereal is milk-logged, pour off excess milk and drink (cuz it’s delicious).
- Now mix each with just enough batter to bind the cereal. Pour back into cake pans and bake.
- Cool cakes overnight in fridge.
Filling and Frosting:
- 7 tubs of vanilla frosting (set half a tub aside to crumb coat the cake)
- 1 large box Frosted Flakes
- Fold frosted flakes into vanilla frosting.
- Chill, fill and frost like you mean it!
- Don’t forget to crumb coat the cake with plain frosting before applying the fab frosted flake frosting.
- Finish with Lucky Charms Marbits, Trix, Froot Loops and Cocoa Puffs.
- Chill, present with much cereal fanfare and serve with style.
- Get out the electric knife and start sawing away.
- Serve with ice cold glasses of, what else, milk!
Will SoCal's love of pools dry up with the drought?
Swimming pools are an iconic part of life in Southern California, and more than 43,000 dot the region.
But the historic drought may force people into rethinking that relationship. Where did the love affair start, though, when there's already a huge body of water nearby that people can relax in: the ocean?
"In some ways, the proximity to the water makes it even that much more something you want to have in your backyard," says Ryan Reft who wrote the post, "A Dive into the Deep End: The Importance of the Swimming Pool in Southern California."
Writer Joan Didion explained that backyard pools were also a way for people to tame nature.
"A pool is, for many of us in the West, a symbol not of affluence but of order, of control over the uncontrollable," she once wrote.
The first droplets of what eventually became SoCal pool culture started in the 1920s with actors Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford who built a grand pool at their Beverly Hills estate, as well as the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle.
Americans were enraptured by what celebrities were able to create in their own backyard.
It wasn't until the 50s and 60s, however, that there was a boom in home swimming pools because it then became more affordable for the middle-class.
The blue waters on the silver screen
"The image of pool -- particularly in Hollywood -- it's about as much as what you put into it, like what emotions you imbue into the pool as the pool itself," says Ryan Reft. "The pool is like a mirror or a reflection of us."
In movies, it's a powerful symbol of malaise, sex and temptation.
In "The Graduate," for example, Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin Braddock idles away his life relaxing in the pool, avoiding any decisive action he's forced to make.
Meanwhile, in "Boogie Nights," the opening pool scene was a great image of hedonism, and it also became a way to illustrate the ambition of porn stars in the 1970s.
"It's supposed to be symbolic of the wide-open lifestyle of Southern California," says Reft, "but then when you get to the 80s, they open up with the pool but it's empty. Everybody's inside and it ends much more tragically."
The pool also became a symbol of reinvention in the documentary, "Dogtown and Z-Boys."
It showed that many pools were empty during another drought in the late 1970s. It was that time that people used the abandoned, concrete crevices as a new way to skate.
"A bunch of kids from Venice located empty pools and basically changed skating forever," say Reft.
Will SoCal's love for pools dry up?
California is in the midst of another historic drought. Having a cool, standing pool of water in the backyard isn't the best way to convey that you're passionate about conservation.
However, Reft says he's yet to witness people outright shying away from having a pool.
"It's rare that the people asking to have the pool filled in is because of the drought," he says. "And people will tell you that pools will hurt the value of your house in the longterm. But you talk to real estate agents today and they tell you people still want those pools."
Homebuyers are still entranced by the idea of a pool, even if it comes with a dark side: it's a symbol of upward mobility, even if it doesn't make logical sense.
But pools are an easy target, says Reft. "Pools did increase your water usage by 25 percent. However, just having a sprinkler system increases your water usage by 54-60 percent."
So he personally hopes that pools never dry up forever.
"They do have this iconic grasp in our imagination of Americana," he says.
Laugh Factory brings people together through 'Funniest Person in the World' contest
Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada has been on a quest to find the funniest person in the world. It's a search that has attracted comedians of all backgrounds, from all over the globe.
Masada's inspiration for the contest came after a night at the comedy club, with a show lineup featuring both orthodox Jewish and Arab comedians. That night he saw these two groups of people come together through laughter.
And Monday, the legendary club hosted the semi-finals for its "Funniest Person in the World" competition. It was a show that proved that laughter can really bring people together. Mr. Masada himself joined Take Two to talk more about the competition.
You can watch and vote for your favorite comedian here: Funniest Person in the World Competition. Voting will end on Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. PST.
Caption this image of a clown 'photobombing' William H. Macy
Recently Take Two had a visitor who, hands down, wins the award for best outfit.
The show is working on a special segment to air in the run up to Halloween on clowns and why these circus staples freak so many of us out.
Take Two producers got a little creative on this one and invited a real life clown Gilly the Clown, aka Guildford Adams, to join the conversation in full clown costume.
As luck would have it, he showed up just as the show was wrapping up an interview with actor William H. Macy.
Talk about a culture clash!
This clown was very excited to meet the actor and determined to get a photo with him.
Macy was quite the pro about it--not only did he say yes, but he went on to direct the photo shoot.
The result - perhaps the most bizarre and wonderful photo ever.
a typical day @taketwo @kpcc. @WilliamHMacy directs a photo shoot and has the clown photo bomb us. #lovemyjob pic.twitter.com/55cCb0zgiG
— Alex Cohen (@alexcoheninla) October 15, 2014
But we need a good caption for it!
That's where you come in. Please check out the photo and leave a caption suggestion in the comments section.
Comic actor Harry Shearer takes on real Nixon dialogue in web series 'Nixon's the One'
Forty years ago, Richard Nixon made history by becoming the first U.S. President to resign.
On Aug. 8, 1974, he delivered this televised message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEOGJJ7UKFM
Harry Shearer, the actor most known for his turn in “This is Spinal Tap” and “The Simpsons,” talks about his latest project, "Nixon's the One," in which he plays the former president. The YouTube series is made up of recreations from the Nixon White House tapes. As Nixon, Shearer recites the exact dialogue captured on the tapes.