Today on AirTalk, we cover the latest COVID-19 headlines. Also on the show, we hear how outreach workers are fighting vaccine hesitancy and look into the state of movie theater reopenings.

For months, the studios behind a live-action Mulan and Christopher Nolan's drama Tenet have been hoping movie theaters could reopen in time to show their films. Now, California has answered their prayers, saying multiplexes can indeed start firing up their popcorn poppers.

The state announced last week that theaters can begin showing movies as soon as last Friday, but with dramatically lower capacities than before the pandemic. AMC Theatres announced that the company expected to have about 98% of its locations across the country reopened by last Friday. Cinemark Theatres said it’d have about 90% of locations opened by March 15, and the company plans to gradually reopen more. Laemmle Theatres shared in a blog post that it’s working to reopen L.A. locations in the coming weeks. The recommendations from California's Department of Public Health and Department of Industrial Relations come just weeks before Tenet (July 17) and Mulan (July 24) were set to premiere as the most prominent studio releases since the nation's theaters were shuttered in mid-March. The guidelines for exhibitors stipulate that cinemas must "limit attendance to 25% of theater capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower." The state also recommended that multiplex visitors and staff wear face coverings and practice "physical distancing to the maximum extent possible." They want seats to be taped off and have washable or disposable covers. They also want arrival times to be staggered so moviegoers don't enter the auditorium at the same time. The state's advice also applies to businesses such as bowling alleys and miniature golf courses. Today on AirTalk, we discuss plans for getting movie watchers back in front of the big screen, what the safety protocols and guidance will look like and the challenges for operators going forward. We also want to hear from you! Did you hit the movie theatre over the weekend? What was it like? Do you have plans to go soon, or are you holding off for now? Tell us by calling 866-893-5722 or commenting below. 

With files from LAist. Read John Horn’s full story here.   

GUESTS:

John Horn, arts and entertainment host for KPCC; he tweets @JGHorn

Greg Laemmle, president of Laemmle Theatres; he tweets @greglaemmle

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Kimberly Shriner, infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.

Today’s topics include:

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe, 79% effective in late-stage U.S. trials 

COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in US races ahead

Hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo may be associated with coronavirus, research suggests 

A rapid COVID-19 vaccine rollout backfired in some US states 

Miami Beach imposes a spring break curfew amid crowding and COVID-19 concerns 

California adopts 3-foot-spacing rule for classrooms, changing reopening equation

GUEST:

Kimberly Shriner, M.D., infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena

As more COVID-19 vaccines become available and the number of shots going into arms is ramping up, so too have efforts across Southern California to bring vaccine awareness and assuage concerns about getting the shot, especially in some communities of color where both vulnerability to COVID-19 and hesitancy about getting the vaccine are high.    

As part of its vaccine awareness efforts, Los Angeles County has partnered with more than 50 community-based organizations who have been doing outreach in communities across the county that are disproportionately affected by the virus. And as the Wall Street Journal reports, one area of focus of this outreach has been in some Latino communities, particularly among agricultural workers, where vaccine myths about government tracking and deportation can fuel hesitancy to get the vaccine.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll look at some of the strategies these outreach workers and organizations are employing to fight vaccine hesitancy in Latino communities and find out what’s working.

GUESTS:

Conrado Bárzaga, M.D., CEO of Desert Healthcare District & Foundation,  a nonprofit organization in Palm Springs that connects Coachella Valley residents to health and wellness services and programs through philanthropy, health facilities, information and community education, and public policy

Marisela Blancas, coordinator of community health programs at Vision y Compromiso, one of the organizations partnering with the Los Angeles County Community Equity Fund to do outreach on COVID-19 prevention and vaccination in underserved communities; she is also a “promotora,” a community health liaison that does outreach and connects residents in the area she serves with health and social services, and during the pandemic has been focused on vaccine hesitancy in Latino communities

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Lael Loewenstein and Andy Klein review this weekend’s new movie releases.

"The Courier" showing at Vineland Drive-In (City of Industry), Universal Cinema AMC (CityWalk Hollywood), AMC Burbank 16

"Zack Snyder's Justice League" on HBO Max

"City of Lies" showing at theVineland Drive-In (City of Industry), Harkins Theatres Cerritos 16 and VOD on April 19

"Happily" showing at Arena Cinelouge Drive-In (Hollywood) and VOD (including VUDU & FandangoNow)

"Rose Plays Julie" on Laemmle's Virtual Cinema and VOD (including AppleTV & VUDU)

"Perfumes" on Laemmle's Virtual Cinema

"Martha: A Picture Story" on Laemmle's Virtual Cinema and VOD (including Amazon Prime Video & iTunes)

"Her Name is Chef" on Laemmle's Virtual Cinema

"Dark State" showing in select theaters (check your local listings)

"Phobias" on VOD (including VUDU & FandangoNow)

"Deadly Illusions" on Netflix

Our FilmWeek critics have been curating personal lists of their favorite TV shows and movies to binge-watch during self-quarantine. You can see recommendations from each of the critics and where you can watch them here.

Guests:

Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and film columnist for the Santa Monica Daily Press; she tweets @LAELLO

Andy Klein, KPCC film critic

Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets @CinemaInMind

It’s ok to admit it -- a lot of people do it. Whether you’re the sharer or the one using a friend’s account, at least one of your streaming accounts belongs to your friend, your parents, your sister-in-law, or your cousin’s boyfriend’s trainer.

For a long time, it’s been easy to share passwords to streaming services -- streaming companies haven’t made serious efforts in the pass to deter users from doing it, and if you’re lucky enough to convince someone to share their password with you, it’s a way to skirt having to pay for all the different streaming services that are available. But as great as it is for users, it’s also lost revenue for companies. And recently, Netflix has started asking some users to verify their account via a text message. The Wall Street Journal reports Netflix would not tell them whether or not the streaming titan plans to start using two-factor authentication for all user logins, and it’s not clear whether this is a sign of things to come or just a friendly reminder that they do, in fact, know if you’re sharing your password, but it has created an opportunity for conversation about the ubiquity of password sharing when it comes to streaming services.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk about Netflix’s efforts to curb password sharing and talk about what efforts other streaming services have made to stop it.

GUEST:

Lily Hay Newman, senior writer at WIRED where she covers information security, digital privacy and hacking; she tweets @lilyhnewman

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Annabelle De St. Maurice of UCLA/Mattel Children’s Hospital.

Topics today include:

CDC reduces physical distancing guidelines for schoolchildren

CA logs record-breaking week of vaccinations

Cost to vaccinate Californians rises amid changes to Blue Shield oversight

Concerns about increased transmission in Florida during spring break

New U.K. study finds slow walkers more likely to die of COVID

Moderna testing vaccines on young children (a few days old but I think it’d be worth bringing up, given your area of expertise)

More than 4 in 10 health-care workers have not been vaccinated, Post-KFF poll finds

AstraZeneca COVID-19 shots resume in Germany after EU declares vaccine safe

Why side effects are worse after a second dose of COVID-19

GUEST:

Annabelle De St. Maurice, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases and the co-chief infection prevention officer at University of California Los Angeles/Mattel Children’s Hospital; she tweets @destmauricemd

Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest COVID-19 headlines and learn about Netflix's efforts to curb password sharing. Also on the show, KPCC film critics Lael Lowenstein, Andy Klein and Tim Cogshell review this weekend's new movie releases.

For major Hollywood studios launching streaming services, film archives are a lucrative and nostalgic selling point— but they are also home to films with racist, homophobic and other unsavory elements that viewers don’t want to consume.

So how is Hollywood addressing problematic film and television assets? Disney has gathered an advisory council of interest groups, including the African American Film Critics Association and the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, to watch and discuss stereotypical content and offer their ideas for how to proceed. Some shows wind up with disclaimers cautioning users about offensive content, and in other instances original content is being generated to contextualize what viewers might see in streaming service catalogues. Although streamers may use original content to draw new viewers, it’s the archival content that keeps them. On Disney + in 2020, almost 80% of demand was for licensed library content over originals; on HBO Max, that number is closer to 90%. In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, HBO Max scrambled to address criticisms of “Gone With The Wind,” an American classic which romanticizes slavery and perpetuates racist stereotypes. The streaming service initially removed the film after a Los Angeles Times op-ed by screenwriter John Ridley; HBO Max later reinstated the title with a four-minute introduction that framed the movie as one that “denies the horrors of slavery.”

Today on AirTalk, we’re discussing Hollywood’s rearview appraisal of problematic film and television shows. How would you like to see streaming acknowledge the issues in their catalogues? Comment below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.

GUESTS:

Rebecca Keegan, reporter at The Hollywood Reporter and author of the recent piece “Racist, Sexist … Classic? How Hollywood Is Dealing With Its Problematic Content”; she tweets @ThatRebecca

Gil Robertson, president of the African American Film Critics Association who sits on Disney's advisory council; he tweets @gilrobertson

The CDC’s current guidelines for schools is to keep masked students seated at desks “at least 6 feet apart when feasible,” but that guidance may soon shrink down to three feet.

A new study found that coronavirus infection rates did not significantly change whether masked students or staff were put three feet or six feet apart. If the guidance changes, it would help schools, particularly public ones, to bring their students back into classrooms with limited indoor space. But the guidelines are just one piece of complex reopening plans, which have had teachers, students and parents debating over how best to bring students back in for in-person instruction.

Today on AirTalk, we’re talking with students, teachers and parents about how they feel about the logistics of going back to school in person. How are you feeling? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or comment below.

GUEST:

Howard Blume, reporter covering education for The Los Angeles Times; he tweets @howardblume