July 19, 2017

Entertainment July 19, 2017

Today in Movie Culture: Movies in the Movies, 'The Disaster Artist' vs. 'The Room and More

Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Supercut of the Day:

We all love watching movie characters watch movies, and this supercut of cinema in films compiles a bunch of them doing so:

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Movie Comparison of the Day:

See James Franco’s portrayal of Tommy Wiseau alongside the real deal in this comparison between The Disaster Artist and The Room:

If you want to see how good James Franco is at being Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist, here are their performances at the same time pic.twitter.com/rQPvHmgtZW

— Jacob Oller (@JacobOller) July 19, 2017

Mashup of the Day:

Given how much The Graduate obviously influenced Garden State, filmmaker Kentucker Audley recut scenes from the former with the soundtrack from the latter for Talkhouse:

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Fake Poster of the Day:

With rumors going around that The Fast and the Furious 9 will be in space, here’s BossLogic’s fake poster for a futuristic installment:

Leaked #SDCC @FastFurious 9 Poster @vindiesel pic.twitter.com/OtRqui013Y

— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) July 19, 2017

Video Essay of the Day:

Ahead of this fall’s sequel, here’s Rob Ager on the hidden depths of Blade Runner (via Cinephilia & Beyond):

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Luc Besson, who returns to space this week with Valernian and the City of a Thousand Planets, directs some costumed exras on the set of The Fifth Element in 1996:

Filmmaker in Focus:

Speaking of Besson, here’s an episode of No Small Parts highlighting his movies’ strong female characters:

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Cosplay of the Day:

As we wait to see the cosplay of this year’s Comic-Con, here’s a cat dressed as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle:

Movie Location Spotlight of the Day:

Fandor highlights appearances of the Griffith Observatory in movies, including Rebel Without a Cause and The Terminator, in this edition of Location Scout:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 15th anniversary of the release of Kathryn Bigelow’s K-19: The Widowmaker. Watch the original trailer for the historical drama below.

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Health July 19, 2017

Republicans Scramble For A Health Care Endgame Strategy

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks after a weekly meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

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The forecast from the Congressional Budget Office on Senate Republicans’ latest health care strategy isn’t great — but it’s no surprise either.

The CBO estimates that legislation that repeals key pillars of the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) would trim $473 billion off the federal deficit, but result in 32 million fewer insured Americans in the next decade. It would also see premiums rise, and likely force private insurers to abandon the individual market.

And nearly every Republican has already voted for it.

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In 2015, after Republicans had won control of both the House and Senate, Congress enthusiastically sent a bill to President Obama that repealed most of his signature domestic achievement. Obama swiftly vetoed it.

For Republicans, that vote was a political two-fer: it delivered a dramatic confrontation with the Obama White House and it proved to voters Republicans were serious about delivering on their promise to end Obamacare. All they needed was a Republican president to finish the deal.

The legislation was dusted off this week after four Republican senators announced they would oppose a broader bill crafted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to repeal much of Obamacare, and replace it with a new system of tax credits and more money for states to control health care spending.

If “repeal-and-replace” can’t pass, McConnell said he would revive the “repeal now, replace later” strategy as a last-ditch effort. The legislation, if enacted, wouldn’t kick in for two years. In theory, that would give Congress enough time and a hard deadline to craft a replacement. Republicans also believe that it would force Democrats to the negotiating table.

The White House appeared to rally around the latest strategy on Tuesday, even though the administration rejected the same strategy when it was first floated back in January.

“President Trump and I fully support the majority leader’s decision to move forward with a bill that just repeals Obamacare and gives Congress time, as the president said, to work on a new health care plan that will start with a clean slate,” Vice President Mike Pence said in a Tuesday speech.

Pence has been the administration’s point man on health care. In the speech, he said “inaction was not an option” and kept public pressure up on the Senate to act. “Congress needs to step up. Congress needs to do their job and Congress needs to do their job now,” he said.

President Trump summoned Senate Republicans to the White House on Wednesday for a private meeting and, for some, a public reprimand. “Look, he wants to remain a senator, doesn’t he?” Trump said, as he was seated next to holdout Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada. “I think the people of your state, which I know very well, I think they’re going to appreciate what you hopefully will do.”

Administration officials are meeting throughout the week to try to find a bill that 50 of the chamber’s 52 Republicans can support.

McConnell is focused first on getting the votes he needs to clear a critical, procedural hurdle to begin debating any health care legislation. He needs 50 senators to vote “yes” on a motion to proceed to the bill. He says the first vote will be on the bill that only repeals most of Obamacare, but that could change if the White House can wrangle a deal before then.

“I think we all agree it’s better to both repeal and replace, but we could have a vote on either,” McConnell said after the White House meeting. “And if we end up voting on repeal only, it will be fully amendable on the Senate floor. And if it were to pass without any amendment at all, there’s a two-year delay before it kicks in.”

The only thing that seems certain — for now — is that the Senate will vote one way or another next week.

“I want to disabuse any of you of the notion that we will not have that vote next week,” McConnell added, “We’re going to vote on the motion to proceed to the bill next week.”

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Sports July 19, 2017

Los Angeles Dodgers Dominate Baseball Halfway Through Season

Just over halfway through the baseball season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking dominant. NPR’s Robert Siegel checks in with Jonah Keri of CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Over the past four baseball seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers have spent around a billion dollars on their players. That’s more than any other team. And they haven’t had much to show for it. Their playoff appearances always seem to come up short. Well, this year things look different. Just past the halfway point in the season the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, and they are on a remarkable hot streak. I’m joined once again by Jonah Keri of CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated to talk about this. Hi, Jonah.

JONAH KERI: How are you, Robert?

SIEGEL: And first, how good are the Dodgers this year?

KERI: Phenomenal. This is maybe my favorite stat, I don’t know, maybe ever. I love this. Since June 7 – so that’s a long time, this is almost a month and a half – they have lost one game to a National League team. One loss against a National League team since June 7 – remarkable. They’ve been phenomenal this season.

SIEGEL: It’s not as though they’ve lacked expensive players before. What’s different this year for the Dodgers?

KERI: You know, ironically, it’s not the expensive players that are doing the job. Clayton Kershaw certainly makes a lot of money, but he was a homegrown guy. It wasn’t like he was some sort of, you know, gun for hire. But it’s really their homegrown guys making basically nothing who are just doing great. You look at Corey Seager, who’s their terrific young shortstop. He’s fantastic. He was the rookie of the year last season. You look at Cody Bellinger, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the rookie of the year this year. He might hit 45 home runs. He’s been phenomenal.

And then somebody who doesn’t even get talked about that much in maybe broad circles, but a guy named Alex Wood who was acquired in a three-way trade. And he’s 11 and 0. He’s gotten an ERA in the ones. By the advanced stats he’s been phenomenal. A really great addition to the staff, too. So those are three focal points. And combined they’re making, you know, a couple million dollars, next to nothing in baseball terms.

SIEGEL: Now, I should say this for people who don’t know. Of course, Clayton Kershaw, the great left-handed starting pitcher for the Dodgers, may be the best pitcher in baseball these days.

KERI: Better than Koufax in my opinion.

SIEGEL: Hey, let’s watch it, Jonah. No, never mind. Won’t be getting…

KERI: (Laughter).

SIEGEL: In the other league, the American League, the team with the best record are the Houston Astros. They’ve also been a remarkable club for the past couple years.

KERI: They sure have. And that’s really just a total tear-down. There was such despair, honestly, in Houston for a while. Three seasons in a row with 100 or more losses. This one kills me. They had local television ratings multiple times – this is true – of 0.0, imperceptible television ratings. It was really a disaster for the Astros. And this was because instead of kind of easing into it and maybe we’ll trade this veteran, I mean, they went scorched earth on this thing. They got rid of anything that wasn’t basically bolted to the floor.

But now you’re starting to see the fruits of it. It’s all come together to create a magnificent team and, frankly, one that’s built to last. The core is still very young. Whatever Houston does this year, we could see them back in or near the winner’s circle in 2018, 2019 and so on.

SIEGEL: Well, it’s only mid-July, so how much does the success of the Dodgers in the National League or the Houston Astros in the American League – how well does that track with getting to the World Series and winning the World Series?

KERI: The thing about baseball you always have to remember is it’s quite different than let’s say basketball, for example. At the beginning of the basketball season you can come into it and if you flew in from Mars you would say, you know what? I think the Cavaliers and the Warriors are going in the NBA championship. And you’re right. That’s exactly what happened.

Baseball does not work that way. 2016 was an aberration. The Chicago Cubs, who were clearly the best team all year long, ended up winning the World Series. Usually the team with the best record does not win the World Series for various and sundry reasons. Number one, you have to go through multiple rounds. Number two, baseball is a game that you see things even out over time, but in small samples there can be kind of bumpy results.

A ball hits a pebble. Clayton Kershaw, who is a pitching god, suddenly can’t pitch that well in the playoffs. These things happen. So yes, the Dodgers and the Astros are clearly the two best teams. You would consider them the favorites to go to the World Series. But all kinds of stuff can happen between now and then.

SIEGEL: Jonah Keri of CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated. Thanks.

KERI: Thank you, Robert.

(SOUNDBITE OF ANDREW BIRD SONG, “TRUTH LIES LOW”)

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Business July 19, 2017

Congress Struggles To Keep Up With Regulations For Self-Driving Cars

Cars that drive themselves are a thing of the not-so-distant future. But Congress is having a hard time keeping up regulations to go with the technological change.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The tech industry and major automakers are rapidly pushing ahead on technology for driverless cars. Washington is in the slow lane. That’s because Congress is trying to figure out what safety or other regulations should be put in place. NPR’s Brian Naylor reports.

BRIAN NAYLOR, BYLINE: When it comes to autonomous vehicles, lawmakers in Congress are definitely in drive. Democrat Debbie Dingell, whose Michigan district is home to a big chunk of the auto industry and thousands of auto workers, says it’s an economic imperative.

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DEBBIE DINGELL: Automated vehicles are going to be developed whether we like it or not. The question is whether the United States will remain in the driver’s seat as opposed to China, Japan or even the EU, who are also making significant investments in this space.

NAYLOR: And for a Michigan Republican Fred Upton autonomous vehicles are an animated dream come true.

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FRED UPTON: So we can forget about the Jetsons. The future of the automobile is here.

NAYLOR: Upton and Dingell spoke at a House hearing today that gave initial approval to a bill laying out some rules of the road for driverless cars. So far the Department of Transportation has placed only some voluntary guidelines on the industry while states have been more proactive. The House bill would pre-empt state regulations and give the Department of Transportation broader authority to waive safety standards for industry as it tests autonomous cars. That worries pro-safety groups. Jacqueline Gillan is president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

JACQUELINE GILLAN: We see autonomous vehicles as a game changer in terms of making some meaningful and lasting reductions in the highway death toll. But we also have millions of vehicles right now that are under recall because of safety defects.

NAYLOR: Gillan says manufacturers should have to meet minimum safety standards before driverless cars can be sold.

GILLAN: There may be a time where we won’t need a steering wheel in your car, but you’re sure going to need that airbag if you’re in a crash.

NAYLOR: This may be a rare issue where bipartisan cooperation is possible. But as lawmakers consider how much to regulate the emerging industry, there could yet be some disagreement about just how much to pump the brakes. Brian Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

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Entertainment July 19, 2017

Songs We Love: Mashrou' Leila, 'Roman'

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Last year, the band Mashrou’ Leila from Beirut, Lebanon, slayed us with an unforgettable Tiny Desk Concert. Their potent mix of sweet sounds and heady lyrics are beguiling; it’s no wonder that superfans call themselves “Leila Holics.” And to accompany their current U.S. tour, the group has released a thought-provoking video for “Roman.”

Working with an emerging female director from Lebanon named Jessy Moussallem, the all-male members of the band (singer and lyricist Hamed Sinno, violinist Haig Papazian, keyboardist and guitarist Firas Abou Fakher, bassist Ibrahim Badr on bass and Carl Gerges on drums) take a back seat — quite literally — to a group of women.

With dark-hued beats and gorgeous falsetto harmonies haloing Sinno’s ardent tenor, this song will be a welcome find for casual listeners. But as ever with Mashrou’ Leila, there’s a lot of subtlety in both the text and the visuals to “Roman” that challenges stereotypes — from all comers. As the band explains, the women in the video are “styled to over-articulate their ethnic background, in a manner more typically employed by Western media to victimize them. This seeks to disturb the dominant global narrative of hyper-secularized (white) feminism, which increasingly positions itself as incompatible with Islam and the Arab world, celebrating the various modalities of Middle Eastern feminism.”

The women are dressed in an array of figure-hiding Middle Eastern clothing like caftans and abayas, and with many wearing various kinds of veils, from headscarves to the face-covering niqab — these are especially stereotypical outfits, given Lebanon’s diversity and what women there actually wear. While Sinno’s lyrics tend towards the elliptical, the song’s title might also be playing with the idea of cultural divides: Rum is the classical Arabic word for Romans, or Byzantines — i.e., non-Muslims — and later became associated with Christians and Europeans more broadly.

The thrust of the video, however, is one word from the song’s refrain: ‘Aleihum — “Charge!” It’s a cry for self-realization, as Mashrou’ Leila explains: a way of “treating oppression not as a source of victimhood, but as the fertile ground from which resistance can be weaponized.”

“Roman” is included on the deluxe version of Ibn El Leil, due July 21 via Shoop! Shoop!

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Entertainment July 19, 2017