Patt Morrison for Thursday, 7/8/2010

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, July 8, 2010

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

 

1:00 – 1:30

OPEN

 

 

1:30 - 1:40

Laurence Fishburne takes on a very different role in “Thurgood”

When the name Laurence Fishburne finds its way into conversation, the first image that pops into most people’s minds is that of The Matrix character Morpheus clad in leather duster and sunglasses. But Fishburne will trade in the black coat for a black robe as he portrays Thurgood Marshall in the stage production of Thurgood, which opens at the Geffen tomorrow night. Alex chats with Fishburne about his decision to take on the role and what it means to him.

 

Guests:

Laurence Fishburne, actor, writer, producer and director in film, TV and theatre

 

ON TAPE:

 

WEB: 

Laurence Fishburne

http://www.laurence-fishburne.com/

Geffen Playhouse - Thurgood

http://www.geffenplayhouse.com/thurgood

 

 

1:40 – 2:00

Navigating L.A.’s cultural landscape this summer

Oh, the sweet feeling of summer in Los Angeles—it’s the quintessential time when we throw our inhibitions to the warm wind and stay up a little later with the sun.  It’s also the time when we get to take adventures and explore and what’s a better place to do that than Los Angeles?  Home to some top sports teams, restaurants, museums and the registered hot spot for cool concerts and unique events, Los Angeles is the place to be this summer.  But with all the choices, what should you choose?  Alex lays out some of the fun and exciting things to do this summer in L.A., from a trip to the newly restored Natural History Museum or a jazz fest at the Hollywood Bowl.  What are some of your favorite things to do in L.A. in the summer? 

 

Guests:

Arvind Manocha, Chief Operating Officer for the Los Angeles Philharmonic & Hollywood Bowl

CALL HIM

 

Yatrika Shah-Rais (YAH-trih-kah SHAW-REES), senior program specialist and programmer of Sunset Concerts for the Skirball Cultural Center

CALL HER:  

 

• The Skirball’s free Sunset Concerts, celebrating musical traditions from around the globe, are presented Thursday evenings, July 22–August 26.

 

Jane Pisano (pih-ZAHN-oh), President and Director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

CALL HER: 

 

• The original home of the Museum: the Beaux-Arts 1913 Building is opening to the public on July 11, after a five-year renovation. The transformation includes a spectacular new Age of Mammals permanent hall; What on Earth?, a modern-day cabinet of curiosities; and Life through the Ages, an exhibition of paintings by the iconic Charles Knight.

 

WEB-PLEASE LINK:

Hollywood Bowl website:

http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/

Natural History Museum:

http://www.nhm.org/site/

Skirball Cultural Center

http://www.skirball.org/

LA Eventful website:

http://eventful.com/losangeles/events

 

 

 

2:00– 2:30

Reducing military and Pentagon spending… a bipartisan plan

An actual bipartisan agreement?! With heated tea party protests and a slew of budget and spending reforms coming from left and right, both literally and figuratively, it seems extremely difficult to make a bipartisan decision in Congress.  But a new proposed spending decrease by the Sustainable Defense Task Force may just be the answer to the country’s mounting financial woes and the bipartisan ticket to budget reform.  The plan: reduce military spending by $1 trillion while still keeping us safe.  But there’s a catch.  There would be a reduction of 200,000 military personnel and cuts in research and other programs.  Is this the best way to reduce spending and kick up our economy?  Should job loss be the sacrifice for our fiscal woes?  Patt talks with Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Ron Paul, the two seemingly different congressmen who’ve pushed for this bipartisan budget reform.  Is this the ticket to economic turn-around and will the military even agree?

 

Guests:

Congressman Barney Frank (Democrat-Massachusetts), House Financial Services Committee Chair; he oversees the Sustainable Defense Task Force

WILL CALL IN

 

Congressman Ron Paul (Republican - Texas), vice-chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee; Paul also serves on the International Relations committee and the Joint Economic Committee

CALL HIM: 

 

WEB PLEASE LINK:

Debts, Deficits and Defense: A way forward (full report by Sustainable Defense Task Force):

http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1006SDTFreport.pdf

Reuters article: Task force sees Pentagon cuts key to US budget fix

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1117080020100611

 

 

 

2:30 – 2:40

OPEN

 

2:40 – 3:00

Kevin Starr “Golden Gate: the life and times of America’s greatest bridge”

The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic symbol of the rise of the west coast and of the strength of the American worker.  Built during the Great Depression, the Golden Gate Bridge became a California and United States landmark, but its rich history is widely unknown, as most people just recognize it on a postcard.  State historian Kevin Starr chronicles the engineering, construction and life behind that golden (well, red) bridge in his latest book “Golden Gate: the life and times of America’s greatest bridge.”

 

Guest:

Kevin Starr, professor of history at USC; former California State Librarian and State Librarian Emeritus; he is best-known for his multi-volume series on the history of California, "America and the California Dream"