AirTalk

As with so many sectors of arts and entertainment, especially those that rely on live audiences, the pandemic has rocked the live theatre industry. The yearlong lockdown due to the coronavirus has forced live theatres and theatre companies to get creative and find ways to continue to put shows on virtually. But finally, it appears there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. 

Earlier this month, the California Department of Public Health released new guidelines for a number of industries, live theatre among them. It’s not a full return to normal yet -- according to the state’s criteria, live performances indoors cannot resume until counties are no longer in the purple, red, orange or yellow tiers. However, counties in the orange tier can start putting on live, outdoor performances at 20 percent capacity for regional attendees who live within 120 miles of the theatre.

Today, as part of our weeklong series exploring how different sectors of the arts and entertainment industry are starting back up, we’ll talk about how local theatres and theatre companies are preparing to return to live, in person performances when circumstances allow.

GUESTS:

Meghan Pressman, managing director and CEO of Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles

Gil Cates, Jr., executive director of the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood

Ben Guillory, co-founder, CEO and producing artistic director at The Robey Theatre Company, an African American theatre arts organization located at The Los Angeles Theatre Center in Downtown Los Angeles

Paula Tomei, managing director of South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa

Police on Tuesday identified a 21-year-old man as the suspect in the killing of 10 people at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket. Suspect Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was from Arvada, Colorado and had lived most of his life in the U.S., said Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty. 

He was undergoing treatment at a hospital and was expected to be booked into the county jail later Tuesday, Dougherty said. Authorities also identified nine victims after previously identifying a police officer who had been killed. The victims ranged in age from 20 to 65, said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold. The shooting Monday at the crowded supermarket sent terrorized shoppers and workers scrambling for safety and stunned a state and a nation that has grieved several mass killings. Herold said police engaged in a shootout with the suspect inside the supermarket and that is when Officer Eric Talley was killed. Investigators don’t know yet why the suspect opened fire inside the grocery store, Dougherty said. He said the investigation is in the early stages but that detectives believe the suspect was the only shooter. Today on AirTalk, we get the latest developments from a reporter following the story. 

With files from the Associated Press 

GUEST:

Natalia Navarro, reporter with Colorado Public Radio (CPR) who has been covering this story; she tweets @NataliaVNavarro

A McKinsey & Company report on race in the workplace found that Black workers are underrepresented in the highest-paying industries and geographies, resulting in their overrepresentation in lower-growth regions and frontline jobs, which tend to pay less.

According to the report’s findings, Black employees collectively face workplace challenges, including few advancement opportunities, high attrition rates, lack of sponsorship and allyship, scarce Black executives and management, and an overall perception of their workplace as less fair, accepting, and authentic. On the current trajectory, it will take 95 years for Black employees to reach talent parity—12% representation—across all levels of the private sector.

While many companies have taken steps in recent years to prioritize diversity and inclusion, attrition losses offset many of the small gains companies have made in recruiting and promoting Black professionals. We dive into the research.

GUEST:

Monne Williams, co-author of the report “Race in the workplace: The Black experience in the US private sector” and partner at the McKinsey & Company, a management consulting company

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Timothy Brewer with UCLA. 

Topics today include:

Trial review board raises concerns about AstraZeneca vaccine data 

New study finds that antibody drug shortens virus recovery 

Some nations could wait years for COVID-19 shots

They had mild COVID-19. Then their serious symptoms kicked in. 

Physician on the dubious origins of Long Covid

Health director says vaccines are likely beginning to reduce coronavirus spread in L.A. County

GUEST:

Timothy Brewer, M.D., epidemiologist and professor of medicine at UCLA’s school of public health; has served on the advisory boards of the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention

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