Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Coastal Commission Shakeup, Sex In The Sea, Female Scripting
We start with a resolution to the battle for control of the California Coastal Commission. The executive director has been removed. Then, the commission cracks down on surfers who’ve controlled a Palos Verdes beach for decades. Next, a new book about the sex lives of sea creatures. Finally, a Twitter feed highlights the sexist way female characters in screenplays are described.
By Madeleine Brand • • 52m ListenThe California Coastal Commission Executive Director Charles Lester is out, in a move that environmentalists say favors developers at the expense of preserving the state’s cherished coastline. We’ll hear from a critic of the move, and the commission chairman.
Also, the commission is trying to crack down on a group of Palos Verdes surfers called the Bay Boys. They’ve ruled over a strip of beach called Lunada Bay, but their reign may be ending.
Next, we stay in the water and talk to the author of a new book about the sex lives of sea creatures.
Finally, a new Twitter feed highlights the sexist way female characters are described in screenplays. We talk to a TV writer who’s a fan of what the Twitter feed is sharing with the public.
In this episode
5 storiesThe Coastal Commission Removes Its Director
The fate of the embattled executive director of the California Coastal Commission, Charles Lester, has been settled. Lester has been removed from his post. Lester was appointed in 2011 to run the organization that decides what can – and cannot – be built along California's coast. We talk to a fierce critic of Lester’s ousting.
Read the story10 minThe Bay Boys of Palos Verdes
The California Coastal Commission is attempting to crack down on a group of Palos Verdes surfers who call themselves the Bay Boys. Other surfers who brave the waves they control report being assaulted in the water, having stones and dirt thrown at them, and having their tires slashed.
Read the story9 minThe Coastal Commission Responds
Though Coastal Commission Executive Director Charles Lester had hours of public testimony supporting him, the commission nonetheless voted to oust him. We heard from a critic of the move earlier. We talk to the chair of the commission, who voted to keep Lester as executive director.
Read the story11 min'Sex in the Sea'
When lobsters get ready to mate, the female woos a dominant male by dropping by his den every day for a week and shooting a stream of her pee at his head. That’s just one of the fascinating stories in a new book about procreation among sea creatures.
Read the story14 minFemale Descriptions in Screenplays
A new Twitter feed highlights some of the sexist ways female characters are described in screenplays. We the audience aren’t privy to these, but they’re essential in guiding the casting process as well as what kind of stories get greenlit.
Read the story8 min
