A recap of Wednesday night's GOP debate, Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thorton talk 'Our Brand is Crisis,' expert advice on sprucing up your dating life.
GOP debate: USC professor analyzes what went down
The third GOP primary debate, hosted by CNBC on Wednesday night, was supposed to focus on jobs, taxes and the economy. But things didn't go exactly as planned for the cable news channel.
At times, moderators had trouble reining in the presidential hopefuls, who were quick to criticize each other and the CNBC moderators.
, associate professor of political science and gender studies at USC, gives her analysis.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
China ends its decades-old 'one-child' policy
The nation's ruling Communist party declared an end to its decades-old "one-child" policy. All married couples will now be allowed to have two kids.
Jeffrey Wasserstrom, professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, joined the show with more.
What Australia can teach us about the drought
For more than a decade, the "land down under" lived through what is known as "the big dry."
The parched lands were revived in 2010, bringing an end to the country's most severe drought on record.
Which is why a band of California public officials made a trip to Australia for some tips on how the Golden State can get through the current water shortage.
Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León of Los Angeles was on that trip, and told Take Two's Deepa Fernandez:
"I will say this that Australia is very impressive because they are a world leader when it comes to water conservation and water management," says de León.
The biggest difference he saw in water management was that Australians did not use drinkable water for irrigation, watering lawns, and toilets. It wasn't an easy change, but the country built the infrastructure and incentivized citizens to conserve.
de León also saw smaller scale water saving measures, like low-flow shower heads and dual-flush toilets.
But, to California's credit, he says the state has surpassed Governor Brown's mandate to conserve a minimum of 25 percent of water. To date, de León says California is at 33 percent.
"We're not out of the woods yet, especially because of climate change...we simply just don't know" says the Senator.
"But we have to be prepared, and I think learning from the Aussies has for me—at least—been valuable, because I am by no stretch of the imagination a water expert."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
'This movie has a real beating heart': Sandra Bullock, Billy Bob Thornton talk 'Our Brand is Crisis'
The nation watched as the Republican presidential candidates laid out their cases and tried to win over voters on Wednesday night.
But behind the scenes, many of their choices, their words, their gestures, even their outfits, were carefully overseen by shrewd strategists.
The influence of American political strategists can be felt throughout the world. In 2002, some of the top U.S. advisers traveled to Bolivia to lend a hand to struggling presidential candidates there. A documentary about that race serves loosely as the basis of the new film, "Our Brand is Crisis."
In it, Sandra Bullock plays Jane Bodeen, a cutthroat strategist inspired by flamboyant political operative James Carville. Jane is lured out of an early retirement when she hears about an opportunity to square off against a long time nemesis. Shortly after her arrival in South America, she encounters her rival, Pat Candy, played by Billy Bob Thornton, for the first time in years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLZo_ILZhfk
Bullock and Thornton recently sat down with host Alex Cohen to talk about their characters, and why anyone in politics would want to be behind the scenes instead of front and center at the podium.
Lab Notes: 3 scientific studies on the power of song
On this edition of Lab Notes, KPCC's
brings us three studies that have found music — especially singing — can have more powerful effects than we know:
- How singing can impact the emotional self-control of babies
- Do people bond better when music is part of the mix?
- The information conveyed by singers' head movements
To listen to Sanden's full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
The Wheel Thing: Cool concept cars from Tokyo Auto Show
The auto cognoscenti are gathered in Japan this week for the Tokyo Auto Show. All big, international car shows feature concept cars, but automakers have pulled out the stops at this one.
And the trend is clear - these cars combine non-polluting power packs with autonomous driving systems, painting a picture of a motoring tomorrow that's both emissions and hands free.
Our Wheel Thing pit boss, OC Register motor critic Susan Carpenter, ticks down some of the more interesting concept vehicles, and notes that many automakers are hoping these supertech designs will attract young people. So far, members of the smartphone generation - whether in Omaha or Osaka - have exhibited a good deal of ennui when it comes to automobiles.
Carpenter also has a little preview of next month's big LA Auto Show.
The art of the scare: John Murdy's decade of horrific mazes
John Murdy's job is to turn the horrors of cult classics into life.
As creative director of Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights series, Murdy has spent 10 years perfecting the art of the scare.
The Universal Studios Hollywood creative director describes mazes as "mini-theater," but with the same scene every 10 seconds. And Murdy's arsenal of scare tactics involves arming his "scare-actors," as he calls them, with small video monitors to know just the right time to break through hidden walls and passageways.
To see this master of maze in action, Take Two host A. Martinez headed down to Universal Studios Hollywood to ask Murdy what goes on behind the scenes of his favorite maze based on the film Halloween.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Interview Highlights
On the attraction of scary mazes
Murdy: I think its a little bit like the same desire to ride a roller coaster. I think part of it is pure adrenaline. You know, a lot of times when you watch people when they are being scared, they'll scream, but then they'll immediately laugh afterwards.
A lot of times I'll just sit at the exit of one of our mazes and watch people coming out. And yes, they're screaming and crying sometimes, but they're also smiling. I think it's escapism. I think, people always need to escape from their lives, and horror movies is one of the ways they'll do it.
On working with "scare-actors"
Murdy: I direct every single one of them. I go through every cast, and I block every single scene with them and really what's different about that type of acting is that we say there's a new show every 10 seconds, because that's about the length of time it takes a person to walk through a particular scene. So a lot of times what they're doing is very repetitive, but it has to be that repetitive because this isn't a ride...
On his daughter's love of horror
Murdy: My two-and-a-half year-old kept bugging me, "I want to see where daddy makes monsters, I want to see where daddy makes monsters."
So one day I brought my daughter down...and I walked her through the [Halloween] maze...I covered all the bodies. I got to be a responsible parent.
But I forgot about [the room] with all the Michael Myers and I went "uh-oh" and she just looked at them, and she looked at the mirrors and she went..."I love all the Michael Myers." And she started running around hugging them and kissing them.
I think she might succeed me one day.
Welcome to cuddle season: 3 tips to spruce up your online dating profile
As we move from Halloween and into November, many single people renew their focus on finding a partner for the holidays.
It so happens that fall is the peak season for finding love online. But as some lonely hearts may know, romance on the interwebs is not without its challenges.
But never fear! Certified dating coach
joined the show to offer some tips:
Cast several nets. Hoffman says it's OK to have more than one dating profile. "You want to have a profile that fits the tone of the site. I think it's a good idea to have multiple profiles and pictures that are going to appeal to the people that are on those particular sites."
Your mindset is key. "Online dating can be really exhausting if you go into each individual interaction expecting that person to be your match," says Hoffman. "If you go in looking to just have some fun, and get to know more about yourself and hear someone else's story, you're going to have much more energy to stick with it until you find the right match."
- A picture is worth 1,000 words. Really. Hoffman says choosing the right photo is the most important element of your profile. So, she recommends using what she calls the three Cs. "That's color, to make sure when you're in a line up, you're using colors so that the person searching — their eyes are drawn directly to you. Character. This is showing the weird, quirky, unusual side of yourself, and this is the thing that a lot of people miss. They think that, 'I have to look perfect.' You'll actually stand out more to the person you want to meet. And then, context. This is really important in this Instagram world we live in, showing who you are and what you enjoy doing through your photos, and telling your story visually is super important now."
Click on the blue audio player above to hear all of Damona Hoffman's online dating tips.
#UberKITTENS delivery! You can Uber yourself cats today
Having a tough Thursday? Maybe cuddling a kitten will help.
Today is National Cat Day, and for the first time in Los Angeles Uber will let you get cats right to your door.
It called UberKittens, and here's how it works: from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. you can open up the Uber app to order a driver to bring you two kittens.
It costs $30 for a 15 minute snuggle session, and all the money will go to the three pet shelters involved: spcaLA, Kitty Bungalow and Heaven on Earth.
"Cats are adorable and amazing when we look at them online, but I think there's that disconnect in person," says Miriam Davenport with scpaLA.
The organizations say unique and viral promotions like the one with Uber help to bring more attention to the needs of stray animals.
"Kitty Bungalow got involved with Uber because by bringing something creative to the table it helps cut through all of the news that's out there," says Shawn Simons from Kitty Bungalow.
Simons says it's also a chance for people to learn more about unique issues in Los Angeles, such as the relatively high number of feral and stray kittens compared to elsewhere.
It's one of the reasons that today's promotion is UberKittens and not UberOlderCats.
Another reason — if you're worried about kittens being in a car all day — is that they are more adventurous.
"It can be a bit daunting for an adult cat to go to a bunch of different places," says Davenport. "For a kitten, they're babies! They're having a good time and this is all very exciting for them."
It will be exciting for Southern California, too. UberKittens has happened in the past two years in other cities, but not Los Angeles.
Each time the kittens had pretty busy full schedules, so it's best to reserve them early for your chance at a snuggle.
Plus, after your session, you can stake a claim on a kitten for adoption.
"When you're talking about adoptions, people shouldn't be feeling sad," says Simons. "It should be a great day for you when you take home your fuzzy best friend."