Producer, 'Press Play'
PROFILE
Christian Bordal
Kcrw Staff/Producer
FROM Christian Bordal
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Aretha Franklin in LA Aretha Franklin recorded her album “Amazing Grace” live at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in South LA in 1972. She was already a big star when she recorded it. But it became one of her most successful albums.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Trevor Noah on his brand of political comedy On Tuesday night, Trevor Noah spoke to Omarosa Manigault Newman, who’s been on the TV circuit promoting her anti-Donald Trump book. Trevor Noah has hosted The Daily Show for nearly three years. Now he’s nominated for an Emmy for the first time. We talk about that Omarosa interview, and using comedy to affect politics.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How bees play a crucial role in our food chain Much of the food we eat -- fruit, vegetables, nuts -- are all pollinated by bees. But bees are dying, and their hives are disappearing. Bees now have to be sent around the country to pollinate crops. We learn more about the nature of bees, and what’s at stake if their numbers continue to plummet.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Are short-term rentals taking over LA? When you think of short-term rentals like Airbnb, you might picture someone renting out a back house or a spare room. However, some LA property owners are turning entire apartment buildings into de facto hotels. That’s an issue for a city struggling with a housing shortage.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The fracturing of the far-right, one year after Charlottesville On Sunday, white nationalists plan to march on Washington -- one year after the rally in Charlottesville. We talk with a reporter who’s been tracking neo-Nazi groups behind that action, and investigating why law enforcement failed to intervene in the violence.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Crazy Rich Asians director: Win or lose, I'm supposed to do this movie Director Jon M. Chu talks about why “Crazy Rich Asians” is so personal for him and the actors. And why he wants people to look back 10 years from now and not even remember that Crazy Rich Asians was a thing. It’s the first major Hollywood studio film with an all-Asian cast in 25 years -- based on Kevin Kwan’s international best-selling novel.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What's next for USC as Nikias resigns C. L. Max Nikias is out as USC’s president. The university has been embroiled in scandal after scandal, the latest over gynecologist George Tyndall, who was accused of sexually abusing students for decades. In May, hundreds of USC staffers called for Nikias to step down. When there was no follow-up, they sent out another petition last week. Now USC trustee Wanda Austin is stepping in as interim president.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How 'Fly Girls' sought to beat the fastest men in air races In 1920s and 30s America, some 500,000 spectators came out to watch airplane races every weekend. Pilots earned tens of thousands of dollars for winning. They also crashed at up to 200 mph, right in front of fans. Men dominated the sport. But a few women broke into it and fought to beat the fastest male pilots.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Does firefighting technology need an update? Eighteen wildfires are scorching California today, with the Mendocino Fire on pace to become one of the largest in state history. But firefighters are using tools that haven’t changed in half a century. We look at new technology to fight the fire danger in California.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Paul Manafort's $15,000 ostrich jacket and other lavish spendings It’s day four of Paul Manafort’s trial in Virginia. The former Trump campaign chairman faces bank and tax fraud charges. The proceeding are full of accounting talk, documents and bank records. But it does get juicy -- in the form of a his luxury wardrobe. It includes a $15,000 ostrich jacket, and another coat of python skin.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What could the next space suit look like? NASA wants to send astronauts back to the moon, to Mars, and beyond. But their existing space suits are too bulky and from the 1970s. Dava Newman is a former NASA Deputy Administrator, and she and her team at MIT have come up with a relatively lightweight, custom fit “Bio-Suit.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What drives doctors to suicide Physicians experience burnout, depression, and suicidal thoughts at higher rates than the general population. That’s according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We speak with a U.S. family physician who’s spoken to thousands of suicidal doctors, and a British psychologist who’s out with the new book, “Also Human: The Inner Lives of Doctors.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How to make an addictive, drama-free reality TV show Fires, politics -- the news is stressful. It’s one reason why gentle TV shows are popular now. On the Japanese TV show “Terrace House” there are no fights, no drama, and everyone is respectful.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Wildfires from California to the Arctic -- it could get worse There are a lot of fires burning right now around the world: California, Greece, Scandinavia, the Arctic. Add that to heat waves in places like Japan and Canada. We speak with a climate scientist to understand what’s going on, and what trends could look like for years to come.
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The Business
Industry insights and lessons learned from memorable guests We have interesting guests on The Business, and sometimes our conversations are too long to fit into one show. This week we give you stories that were too good to leave on the cutting room floor, including some sharp insights on making it in the industry from David Mandel, David Simon, Shawn Levy and Matt Reeves.
Design and Architecture
Securing Public Spaces, Super Wealthy Asians Vehicles are increasingly being used as weapons, as seen in the London Bridge attack over the weekend and in New York’s Times Square last month. The Compton-based company Calpipe is designing security bollards to help make public spaces safer. And novelist Kevin Kwan satirizes the “crazy rich” Asian jet set and their luxurious tastes in his latest book, “Rich People Problems.”
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Previewing James Comey's blockbuster testimony Former FBI director James Comey testifies Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but his opening statement has been released. In it, he says he felt pressured by Donald Trump to declare loyalty to him and publicly clear him of any wrongdoing in the Russia investigation.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.