Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said today that he’s prepared to take additional measures to keep the economic recovery moving forward. The Dow fell nearly 75 points Thursday to close below 10,000 for the first time since early July. Other economic indicators were mixed - jobless claims are down, but the jobless rate is still almost 10 percent. Fewer mortgages are in foreclosure, but the number of newly distressed mortgages is up. Goldman Sachs recently increased its odds of a “double-dip” recession to 25 percent. What do you think is preventing the economy from righting itself? Are officials doing too much or not enough?
Today, the average cable TV bundle can have over 100 channels, but a typical household only watches about 18 of them. Well, what if you could purchase cable television “a la carte”? A la carte pricing would allow you to subscribe only to the channels you want and advocates say this would significantly lower costs for consumers. On our laptops, we can watch the latest episode of “True Blood” and immediately switch to streaming “Family Guy,” so why can’t we do this on our television sets? Is technology changing the way we watch TV? Cable companies sure think so – paid TV subscriptions fell for the first time ever this year. If “a la carte” cable television is the answer, how would individual channels be priced?
Five years ago this Sunday, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the Gulf Coast. Then the levees broke, storm surge swallowed New Orleans, and Hurricane Rita wiped out the city’s fledgling recovery. As we look back at images of terror and destruction, we also take stock of New Orleans today. What segment of the population has returned? Is there adequate housing and social services? Can people find jobs? And, is this the story of a storm, or of the dire effects of poverty in America?
Guest host David Lazarus and KPCC film critics Wade Major of boxoffice.com and Andy Klein of Brand X discuss the week’s new film releases including Centurion, Mesrine: Killer Instinct, The Last Exorcism, The People I’ve Slept With and The Kid: Chamaco, TGI-FILMWEEK!
David Lazarus and FilmWeek critic Peter Rainer of the Christian Science Monitor discuss the new exhibit running from September 16th – December 12th, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, “Ingmar Bergman: Truth And Lies.” There will also be an accompanying film series at LACMA, “Cries and Whispers: The Psychological Cinema of Ingmar Bergman.” and film screenings at The Goethe Institute.
“Directors Cut,” “Special Edition,” “Expanded Edition,”… no matter what you call them, are repacked releases a gimmick? In light of Avatar’s theatrical re-release as a special edition with additional footage, David Lazarus takes your calls about Special Edition releases to theaters and home video….are they worth it? Which have you liked, or not?
