4/16/03

LC030416

JESS MARLOW>> TONIGHT ON LIFE AND TIMES --

TRYING TO SNAG A PIECE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM, BUT MANY WORKING PEOPLE IN LOS ANGELES CAN FORGET IT.

SARAH DUSSEAULT>> MOST STUDIES SHOW THAT THE HOUSING WAGE IN LOS ANGELES IS OVER TWENTY DOLLARS AN HOUR, SO THAT MEANS THAT IF YOU’RE A NURSE, IF YOU ARE A BUS DRIVER, IF YOU ARE A MECHANIC, YOU’RE SHUT OUT OF MOST HOUSING IN LOS ANGELES.

JESS>> AND THEN THE BROADWAY HIT THAT MADE NAZIS FUNNY. “THE PRODUCERS” IS HEADED TO LOS ANGELES WITH A BRAND NEW STAR-STUDDED CAST. TONIGHT WE’LL GET A PREVIEW FROM THE SHOW’S CREATOR, MEL BROOKS.

PLUS, IS SCIENCE REALLY OUR SALVATION? WE’LL GET AN EXPERT VIEW FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES SCIENCE WRITER, K.C. COLE.

IT’S ALL NEXT ON TONIGHT’S LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

JESS>> GOOD EVENING, I’M JESS MARLOW. VAL HAS THE NIGHT OFF.

WE’RE STARTING WITH ONE OF THE FACTS OF LIFE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THAT’S THE HIGH COST OF FINDING A DECENT PLACE TO LIVE. MORE AND MORE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S HOUSES AND APARTMENTS ARE SOARING OUT OF REACH EVEN FOR MANY TWO-INCOME FAMILIES. AND AS TONI GUINYARD TELLS US, EVERYONE MAY LOSE IF THE MIDDLE-CLASS GETS PRICED OUT OF THE MARKET.

TONI GUINYARD>> THE LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES HAS REACHED THE CRISIS LEVEL.

RITA ROBINSON>> AFFORDABLE HOUSING MEANS INCOMES IN EXCESS OF $50,000 OR $60,000. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT STILL CAN’T AFFORD TO BUY HOMES IN THIS CITY.

TONI GUINYARD>> FAMILIES ARE BEING FORCED TO RENT RATHER THAN BUY. HOUSING ADVOCATES SAY THAT RENTAL PRICES ARE SO HIGH THAT MANY FAMILIES CAN’T EVEN AFFORD A NO-FRILLS LOW END TWO-BEDROOM APARTMENT.

SAM MISTRANO>> THE MEDIAN RENT IS ALMOST $1100 PER MONTH FOR THAT, SO IN ORDER TO AFFORD THAT, A WORKER OR A FAMILY NEEDS TO BRING IN TWENTY DOLLARS AN HOUR. IF YOU ARE AT MINIMUM WAGE, THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TO WORK 124 HOURS A WEEK TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE MEDIAN RENT ON A TWO-BEDROOM IN THIS CITY.

TONI GUINYARD>> MISTRANO SAYS THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SEVERAL NONPROFIT DEVELOPERS HAVE RECOGNIZED THE NEED. WHEN COMPLETED, THE CASTELAR APARTMENTS WILL BE HOME TO FAMILIES WITH INCOMES BELOW FIFTY PERCENT OF THE MEDIAN AND NEXT DOOR THE CESAR CHAVEZ GARDENS REPRESENTS A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN THE LITTLE TOKYO AND CHINATOWN SERVICE CENTERS. IF THERE IS ANY DOUBT ABOUT THE NEED FOR THIS CONSTRUCTION, CONSIDER THIS.

BILL WATANABE>> A PART OF WHAT WE HAD HEARD IS BECAUSE IT’S RIGHT NEXT TO A MORTUARY. MAYBE PEOPLE WOULD BE CONCERNED. BUT ON THE FIRST DAY THAT WE OPENED UP FOR RECEIVING APPLICATIONS, WE GOT LIKE A THOUSAND APPLICANTS EVEN THOUGH THERE’S ONLY LIKE FIFTY-FIVE UNITS HERE.

BILL WATANABE>> “TWELVE ONE-BEDROOM, SIXTEEN TWO-BEDROOM UNITS, SIXTEEN THREE-BEDROOM UNITS AND THREE FOUR-BEDROOM UNITS, OKAY?”

TONI GUINYARD>> THERE ARE ACTUALLY ONLY FORTY-SEVEN RENTAL UNITS. OTHER UNITS WILL BE USED AS COMMUNITY MEETING ROOMS.

NEHA SHAH>> RENTS RANGE FROM $325 TO $725 DEPENDING ON INCOME. WE HAVE ONE TO FOUR-BEDROOM APARTMENTS AVAILABLE.

DEAN MATSUBAYASHI>> SO NOT ONLY WILL INDIVIDUALS BE ABLE TO LIVE HERE, BUT ALSO FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN SO THEY CAN DEVELOP A GREATER ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY.

TONI GUINYARD>> WITH AN ON-SITE CHILDCARE CENTER, MANY TENANTS MAY FIND THIS COMPLEX TO BE THE ANSWER TO THEIR PRAYERS.

BILL WATANABE>> A LOT OF THEM ARE LIVING IN VERY OLD, CHEAP, LIKE ONE-BEDROOM UNITS. THERE MIGHT BE THREE, FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE LIVING IN A ONE-BEDROOM UNIT. SOME OF THEM ARE LIVING LIKE IN GARAGES OR MAKESHIFT AREAS. OTHERS MAY BE LIVING IN UNITS THAT ARE JUST TOO EXPENSIVE FOR THEM AND THEY JUST NEED SOMEPLACE THAT’S MORE AFFORDABLE.

TONI GUINYARD>> BUILDING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS ON THE MINDS AND THE AGENDAS OF BOTH APPOINTED AND ELECTED CITY OFFICIALS. SARAH DUSSEAULT IS ASSISTANT DEPUTY MAYOR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

SARAH DUSSEAULT>> THE MAYOR HAS PUT IT AS ONE OF HIS TOP PRIORITIES, SO IT COMES RIGHT AFTER PUBLIC SAFETY. THE ISSUE IS THAT WE NEED TO BUILD ABOUT 60,000 AFFORDABLE UNITS BY THE YEAR 2005 IN ORDER TO KEEP UP WITH THE TREND OF NOT JUST PEOPLE COMING TO LOS ANGELES, BUT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE ALREADY.

TONI GUINYARD>> PEOPLE LIKE BRENDA WESTBROOK. SHE RECENTLY FOUND AN APARTMENT TO RENT.

BRENDA WESTBROOK>> OH, IT TOOK ME A WHILE. IT’S HARD BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DO CREDIT CHECKS AND BACKGROUND CHECKS AND THEN THEY WANT TO CHARGE YOU $25 FOR A SECURITY FEE OR A CREDIT CHECK AND IT’S JUST A LOT OF MONEY YOU WASTE ON DOING THAT TO TRY TO FIND AN APARTMENT.

TONI GUINYARD>> WHAT IS THE CITY GOING TO DO? I MEAN, THIS DIDN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. YOU CAN’T FIX IT OVERNIGHT.

SARAH DUSSEAULT>> YOU’RE RIGHT. IT DIDN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AFTER ALMOST DECADES OF NEGLECT. WHAT THE CITY IS DOING IS CONFRONTING THIS ON ALL FRONTS.

TONI GUINYARD>> DUSSEAULT SAYS THE CITY RECENTLY DEVELOPED A $100 MILLION DOLLAR HOUSING TRUST FUND TO GENERATE CONSTRUCTION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

SAM MISTRANO>> THE HOUSING TRUST FUND IS GREAT, BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH.

TONI GUINYARD>> MISTRANO BELIEVES INCLUSIONARY ZONING, GIVING FOR PROFIT DEVELOPERS INCENTIVES TO INCLUDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS IN THEIR PROJECTS, IS A VIABLE OPTION.

SARAH DUSSEAULT>> PART OF THE ISSUE IS THAT A LOT OF DEVELOPERS COMPLAIN ABOUT DEVELOPING IN LOS ANGELES, PERIOD. I MEAN, THERE’S A WHOLE TALK ABOUT HOW THE SPRAWL HAS HIT THE WALL. WE’RE ALREADY BUILT ALL THE WAY OUT.

TONI GUINYARD>> WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS, THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES IS CONSIDERING THE FEASIBILITY OF INCLUSIONARY ZONING.

SARAH DUSSEAULT>> AND THAT ISSUE WOULD LOOK AT WHAT ARE THE INCENTIVES THAT WE CAN DEVELOP TO ENCOURAGE DEVELOPERS NOT ONLY TO BUILD HOUSING IN LOS ANGELES, BUT WHEN THEY BUILD HOUSING, TO MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE A PORTION OF UNITS THAT ARE AFFORDABLE FOR WORKING FAMILIES AND SENIORS.

BRENDA WESTBROOK>> I HAVE FOUR KIDS. I WORK EVERY DAY AND I STILL STRUGGLE BECAUSE IT’S KIND OF HARD, BUT I’M MAKING IT. I’M SURVIVING. I’M STRUGGLING, BUT I’M SURVIVING.

TONI GUINYARD>> SURVIVING IN A CITY WHERE THE AMERICAN DREAM OF HOME OWNERSHIP OFTEN SEEMS OUT OF REACH.

JESS>> TONI GUINYARD JOINS US NOW. IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING AN OXYMORON?

TONI GUINYARD>> YOU BET IT IS, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. THEY SAY THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT HOUSING OFFICIALS HERE IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES ARE TRYING TO DO THINGS TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR SOME FAMILIES TO PURCHASE HOMES.

JESS>> WE THOUGHT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN SOLVED WITH THE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE INLAND EMPIRE AND THE ANTELOPE VALLEY. THEY WERE LONG COMMUTES, BUT THAT WAS CONSIDERED AFFORDABLE HOUSING. IS THAT NO LONGER THE CASE?

TONI GUINYARD>> IT IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR FOLKS WHO ARE WILLING TO MAKE THOSE COMMUTES. HOUSING PRICES ARE GOING UP. ONE THING THAT WAS POINTED OUT TO ME IS THAT HOME OWNERSHIP IN THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES IS ONLY AT THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT, SO THE CITY HAS REASON TO BELIEVE THEY CAN DO THINGS. THEY CAN HAVE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO AHEAD AND SPEND THEIR MONEY AND PURCHASE HOMES EVEN WHEN THEY THINK THEY CAN’T AFFORD A HOME. NOW DOING THAT IS THE TRICK.

JESS>> BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE FOR WHOM RENTING IS PREFERABLE TO BUYING, GIVEN THE PRICE OF HOMES TODAY.

TONI GUINYARD>> YEAH, A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD RATHER RENT THAN BUY. YOU DON’T HAVE THE UPKEEP. YOU HAVE SOMEONE ELSE TAKING CARE OF THINGS. BUT STILL, WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT RENTING AND YOU HEARD THE STATISTICS THAT THE AVERAGE NO-FRILLS APARTMENT, TWO-BEDROOM, ONE BATH, WILL COST YOU #1100 A MONTH, IF YOU ARE MAKING MINIMUM WAGE, THAT’S DIFFICULT TO SWING. YOU JUST DON’T HAVE THE MONEY, SO THEN WHAT DO YOU DO?

JESS>> AS YOUR STORY REPORTED, IT TAKES TWENTY DOLLARS AN HOUR TO AFFORD EVEN THAT.

TONI GUINYARD>> THAT’S CORRECT. ONE THING IN TALKING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, THIS IS PERSONAL. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY AREN’T ABLE TO BUY, THEY AREN’T ABLE TO AFFORD, BUT THEY’RE LINING UP. WHEN YOU HEAR THAT ONE GENTLEMAN TELLING ME THAT, FOR FORTY-SEVEN DIFFERENT UNITS, WE HAD MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE APPLYING, THAT TELLS YOU SOMETHING.

JESS>> IS THERE THE POLITICAL WILL TO REQUIRE DEVELOPERS TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

TONI GUINYARD>> THERE IS THE POLITICAL WILL, BUT THERE’S ALSO ISSUE ABOUT CAN WE HAVE THIS INCLUSIONARY HOUSING, AND THAT OPENS UP ANOTHER CAN OF WORMS. WE’LL GET BACK TO THAT ONE.

JESS>> THANK YOU, TONI. THANKS VERY MUCH.

TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, CLOSING ALL THE BOOKS ON L.A.’S GREAT UNSOLVED MURDER, THE BLACK DAHLIA CASE. IT BEGAN HALF A CENTURY AGO WHEN POLICE FOUND THE TORSO OF A YOUNG WOMAN IN AN EMPTY LOT. NOW A RETIRED COP SAYS HIS FATHER WAS THE KILLER, BUT WAS HE ALSO A SERIAL KILLER? SOME THEORIES TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES.

PHILIP BRUCE>> HERE IS TONIGHT'S LIFE AND TIMES "WHAT DO YOU THINK?" POLL. LOG ONTO OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG AND WEIGH IN ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: ARE L.A. HOUSING PRICES HEADED FOR A FALL? WE'LL COUNT YOUR RESPONSES AND REPORT THE RESULTS ON TOMORROW NIGHT'S LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> MOST OF US, I SUSPECT, HAVE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO IRAQ AND NOT MUCH ELSE RECENTLY, BUT THAT'S WHY WE MIGHT HAVE MISSED THE BIG STORY THAT COULD CHANGE OUR LIVES. THIS WEEK, SCIENTISTS COMPLETED THE MAP OF THE HUMAN GENETIC CODE, THE SO-CALLED HUMAN GENOME. THEY'VE IDENTIFIED THREE BILLION -- WITH A B -- THREE BILLION DNA LETTERS. NOW THE TRICK IS FIGURING OUT HOW THOSE LETTERS AFFECT LIFE AND DEATH AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. LOS ANGELES TIMES SCIENCE WRITER, K.C. COLE, PONDERS SUCH THINGS. SHE'S WRITTEN A BOOK CALLED "MIND OVER MATTER". THE AUTHOR JOINS US NOW. WELCOME. HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS DISCOVERY? NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE HUMAN GENOME?

K.C. COLE>> WELL, YOU KNOW, AS I'VE MENTIONED TO YOU BEFORE, BIOLOGY IS NOT SO MUCH MY FIELD MAINLY BECAUSE ALL THE WORDS ARE REALLY LONG AND HARD TO SPELL.

JESS>> BUT AS A NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST AND REPORTER, YOU TALK ABOUT ANYTHING (LAUGHTER).

K.C. COLE>> ABSOLUTELY. I DO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING ABOUT THIS IS THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU COULD SEQUENCE AND KNOW WHAT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE GENES DO, YOU COULDN'T STILL PREDICT HOW SOMEONE WAS GOING TO BEHAVE TOMORROW OR WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO DO BECAUSE THAT'S ONLY THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE INFORMATION YOU NEED IN ORDER TO DO THAT. TO ME, THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING TOO.

YOU CAN GET ALL THE NUTS AND BOLTS RIGHT, BUT THE MORE COMPLICATED SYSTEMS ARE BEYOND ANYBODY'S ABILITY TO REALLY UNDERSTAND. ODDLY, WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE UNIVERSE WAS DOING THIRTEEN BILLION YEARS AGO, THE BIG BANG, BECAUSE IT WAS SIMPLE BACK THEN, FAR BETTER THAN WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENETICS OR GENES AND ENVIRONMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, AND WHAT THAT'S GOING TO MEAN.

JESS>> YOU WRITE MUCH ABOUT BEGINNINGS. WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING IS THAT WE ALL BEGAN AS BACTERIA?

K.C. COLE>> WELL, WE CERTAINLY CAN ALL TRACE -- AS LIVING THINGS, WE CAN CERTAINLY ALL TRACE OUR ANCESTORS BACK TO THE SAME COMMON ANCESTOR AT SOME POINT. YET THIS HAS ACTUALLY BEEN QUITE WELL-ESTABLISHED FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. I THINK ONE OF THE REALLY INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT IT WAS THAT THE SMALL MICROBES, THE EARLIEST ONES -- WE TEND TO THINK OF, WELL, LITTLE MICROBES, THEY'RE NOT IMPORTANT, THEY'RE GERMS, THEY'RE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO WASH OFF YOUR COUNTERTOP -- BUT NO, THEY GAVE US OUR AIR FOR ONE THING BECAUSE, WITHOUT THEM, THEY'D BREATH THE OXYGEN, WHICH WAS A POISON TO EARLY ORGANISMS, INTO THE AIR. THEY CREATED THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE EARTH THAT WE ACTUALLY SEE TODAY. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LITTLE COOPERATIVE ORGANISMS, SO WHENEVER YOU SEE A CELL AND YOU SEE IT HAS ALL THOSE LITTLE BITS AND PIECES IN THERE, AT ONE TIME A LOT OF THOSE WERE SEPARATELY LIVING ORGANISMS THAT JUST GOT TOGETHER IN A KIND OF A COMMUNITY.

JESS>> IN YOUR BOOK "MIND OVER MATTER", YOU RANGE FAR AND WIDE ON A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS. PEOPLE OCCASIONALLY ASK, IS SCIENCE OUR SALVATION OR IS IT GOING TO KILL US?

K.C. COLE>> YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT'S GOT POTENTIAL FOR BOTH. THERE'S NO QUESTION BUT THAT THE SPIN-OFFS OF SOME SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES HAVE LED TO VERY, VERY BAD EFFECTS, THE MOST OBVIOUS ONE THAT WE'VE SEEN BEING NUCLEAR BOMBS. NO QUESTION. SO NOW WE UNDERSTAND WHY THE SUN IS SHINING AND THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING. THAT ALSO LED TO THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE ALL MADE OUT OF STUFF THAT WAS FORGED IN STARS. THAT'S REALLY COOL, BUT IT ALSO GAVE US BOMBS.

I THINK OUR BEST HOPE IS THAT, THROUGH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT SCIENCE BRINGS US, WE CAN LEARN TO GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER BETTER. FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT YOU BROUGHT UP ABOUT THE GENOME. THE FACT THAT WE'RE ALL RELATED. YOU MENTIONED NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF THE GENES BEING -- I MEAN, WE SHARE NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF OUR GENES WITH CHIMPS. WE SHARE FIFTY PERCENT WITH FUNGUS. WE ARE ALL RELATED SO THAT, MAYBE IF THIS KIND OF KNOWLEDGE SEEPS DOWN, IT CAN GIVE US THE KIND OF SOCIAL INVENTIONS WE NEED.

JESS>> THOSE WHO WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SUGGESTION THAT WE DESCENDED FROM THE BIG APES, THAT'S EASIER TO ACCEPT THAN THE SUGGESTION THAT WE CAME FROM FUNGUS (LAUGHTER).

K.C. COLE>> WELL, NOT CAME FROM, NOT CAME FROM. THERE WAS A MIRACULOUS SOMEHOW INORGANIC STUFF THAT CAME TOGETHER TO FORM STUFF THAT COULD SOMEHOW REPLICATE ITSELF, TAKE ENERGY FROM THE ENVIRONMENT AND BE WHAT WE CALL LIVING. THAT EXPLOSION OF LIFE FORMS, ON THE ONE HAND -- I MEAN, WE DO HAVE A COMMON ANCESTOR MOST RECENTLY WITH APES THAN WITH ANYTHING ELSE, BUT WE DIVERGED. WE WENT OUR OWN SEPARATE WAYS.

JESS>> YOUR BOOK IS THE COMPILATION OF SEVERAL COLUMNS YOU'VE WRITTEN FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES, AMONG OTHERS. ONE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT, AND YOU OFFER SOME COMFORT FOR, IS GENETICALLY ALTERED PLANTS.

K.C. COLE>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF UNKNOWNS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN YOU PUT GENETICALLY ALTERED FOODS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT. HOWEVER, IT IS COMFORTING TO THINK THAT, AFTER ALL, WHEN YOU THINK OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COTTON SHIRT WHICH WE THINK OF AS BEING NATURAL ORGANIC COTTON AND YOU THINK OF THAT TO, SAY, A NYLON SHIRT --

JESS>> -- POLYESTER.

K.C. COLE>> -- OH, YUCK, THAT'S HORRIBLE. WELL, YOU THINK WHERE DOES POLYESTER COME FROM? WELL, IT COMES FROM PETROLEUM. WHERE DOES PETROLEUM COME FROM? WELL, THAT COMES FROM ULTIMATELY PLANTS THAT HAVE LONG BEEN BURIED IN THE EARTH AND HAVE TURNED THAT ENERGY THAT THE PLANTS TOOK FROM THE SUN AND LOCKED INTO THERE. SO THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE MAKING THE SHIRT OUT OF. ULTIMATELY, BOTH COTTON AND POLYESTER COME FROM SEEDS.

JESS>> AND THE FOODS WE EAT, MOST EVERYTHING IS GENETICALLY ALTERED, IS IT NOT? OVER THE EONS?

K.C. COLE>> THAT'S TRUE. I THINK WHAT WORRIES PEOPLE ABOUT LOTS OF TECHNOLOGY AS WHETHER IT'S NUCLEAR OR GENETIC ENGINEERING OR ANY OF IT IS THAT CHANGES ARE HAPPENING SO MUCH FASTER NOW. EVERYTHING. CHANGING THE ENVIRONMENT, CHANGING THE EARTH'S ABILITY TO ENGINEER THINGS GENETICALLY. THEY ARE SO FAST THAT WE MIGHT BE PUTTING OURSELVES IN DANGER BEFORE WE CAN REALIZE IT AND STOP IT. THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.

SEE, YOU CAN BREED DOGS, FOR EXAMPLE, OR CORN. I MEAN, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT FOREVER AS LONG AS HUMANS HAVE BEEN DOING AGRICULTURE AND DOMESTICATING ANIMALS. BUT YOU CAN DO IT A LOT FASTER AND A LOT MORE DRASTICALLY WHEN, INSTEAD OF BREEDING TWO KINDS OF DOGS, YOU CAN BREED, SAY, A DAHLIA AND A DOG. NOW YOU'RE IN UNCHARTED TERRITORY.

JESS>> YES, INDEED. WE TALK OFTEN ABOUT SCIENCE FRONTIERS. WHERE IS THE NEWEST FRONTIER IN SCIENCE?

K.C. COLE>> IT'S REALLY, REALLY FUN (LAUGHTER). YOU KNOW, IT'S SO INTERESTING BECAUSE SOME OF WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK ARE THE MOST WAY OUT IDEAS THERE IN SCIENCE HARK RIGHT BACK TO IDEAS THAT WERE IN TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO. I JUST FINISHED WRITING A SERIES FOR THE LOS ANGELES TIMES ON WHAT THEY CALL BRAIN WHIRLS ON MEMBRANES.

DID YOU EVER HEAR THE FAMOUS PARABLE THAT PLATO CAME UP WITH? HE SAID THAT MAYBE WE'RE ALL THE REALITY WE CAN SEE OR SHADOWS CAST ON THE WALL OF THE CAVE. THE REALITY IS OUTSIDE OF THE CAVE AND, AS PEOPLE WALK BY ABOUT THEIR DAILY LIVES, THEY CAST SHADOWS. WE'RE CHAINED TO THE WALL OF THE CAVE. ALL WE CAN SEE ARE SHADOWS. WELL, ACCORDING TO THIS NEW PHYSICS, STILL IN THEORY BUT VERY SOLIDLY BASED, WE INDEED COULD BE LIVING ON A LOWER DIMENSIONAL MEMBRANE, THREE DIMENSIONS OF SPACE AND ONE OF TIME -- YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME LIKE I'M CRAZY AND I DON'T BLAME YOU -- WHICH EXISTS AT A MUCH HIGHER DIMENSIONAL REALITY, WHICH COULD BE FIVE OR SIX OR TEN DIMENSIONS OR MORE. SO THAT'S WHERE THE FOREFRONT OF PHYSICS IS.

JESS>> PHEW! PHEW! "MIND OVER MATTER: CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COSMOS". OUR THANKS TO K.C. COLE. AGAIN, THE BOOK IS "MIND OVER MATTER: CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COSMOS". THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

K.C. COLE>> THANK YOU. THAT WAS REALLY FUN.

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JESS>> MEL BROOKS IS ARGUABLY ONE OF THE FUNNIEST PEOPLE ON EARTH. WHO ELSE COULD HAVE WRITTEN A HIT MUSICAL FEATURING ADOLF HITLER AND A CHORUS LINE OF DANCING NAZIS? THEY ARE, OF COURSE, A KEY PART OF "THE PRODUCERS", THE BROADWAY MUSICAL ABOUT TO OPEN IN LOS ANGELES. TWO BIG STARS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE CAST AND MEL BROOKS SAYS IT'S LIKE OPENING NIGHT ALL OVER AGAIN. TONIGHT VICKI CURRY TELLS US LOS ANGELES THEATERGOERS ARE IN FOR A TREAT.

[FILM CLIP]

VICKI CURRY>> MEL BROOKS GOT HIS START AS A COMIC, BUT HE WRITES A LOT MORE THAN JOKES. MUSIC WAS HIS FIRST LOVE.

[FILM CLIP]

MEL BROOKS>> I WRITE SONGS ALL THE TIME. YOU KNOW, THERE WAS SOME SURPRISE. MY GOD, TWENTY SONGS FOR "THE PRODUCERS". HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? IF THEY HAD SEEN MY MOVIES STARTING WITH "THE PRODUCERS", WITH "PRISONERS OF LOVE" AND "SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER", THEY WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT'S WHAT THIS GUY DOES.

SUSAN STROMAN>> THE THING IS, TOO, ABOUT MEL, IN ALL MOVIES, HE DOES TAKE A BOW TO THE MUSICAL THEATER. YOU KNOW, HE EVEN GETS FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER TO DANCE, SO HE IS A MAN WHO LOVES MUSICALS. IT'S QUITE NATURAL THAT THIS MAN WHO HAS PUT MUSICAL MOMENTS IN ALL HIS MOVIES HAS NOW MADE A MUSICAL.

VICKI CURRY>> THE FORMER MELVYN KAMINSKY FELL IN LOVE WITH BROADWAY AS A KID IN BROOKLYN AND DREAMED OF BEING A SONGWRITER, BUT MEL BROOKS ENDED UP IN COMEDY WRITING FOR TV CLASSICS LIKE "YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS".

[FILM CLIP]

VICKI CURRY>> "THE PRODUCERS" WAS BROOKS' FIRST FILM. HE WROTE AND DIRECTED IT AND, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A BOX OFFICE FLOP, THE FILM INCLUDED TWO ORIGINAL MEL BROOKS SONGS THAT BECAME THE BASIS FOR THE STAGE SHOW, "PRISONERS OF LOVE" AND "SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER".

[FILM CLIP]

MEL BROOKS>> WHEN IT WAS FIRST A MOVIE, IT ONLY PLAYED IN LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO AND NEW YORK, SO NOBODY KNEW IT. THE NEW YORK TIMES TRASHED IT, CALLED IT BLACK COLLEGE HUMOR.

[FILM CLIP]

VICKI CURRY>> OVER THE YEARS, THE FILM BECAME A CULT CLASSIC. BUT WHEN MOVIE MOGUL, DAVID GEFFEN, SUGGESTED TURNING "THE PRODUCERS" INTO A MUSICAL, BROOKS INITIALLY TURNED HIM DOWN.

MEL BROOKS>> AND I SAID TO DAVID, IT'S FINALLY GOOD. LET IT ALONE. YOU KNOW, IT'S BECOME ACCEPTED. YOU'RE GOING TO KILL IT AGAIN (LAUGHTER) WITH -- YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE A MUSICAL -- I MEAN, YOU LET THE CRITICS IN AGAIN, WE'RE FINISHED.

VICKI CURRY>> BROOKS EVENTUALLY AGREED WITH GEFFEN, BUT IT WAS A LONG PROCESS TRANSLATING THE FILM TO STAGE.

THOMAS MEEHAN>> THE IMPORTANT THING IN A MUSICAL TO START WITH IS A KIND OF STRONG CENTRAL CHARACTER WHO'S BIGGER THAN LIFE.

[FILM CLIP]

VICKI CURRY>> BROOKS TURNED TO HIS LONG-TIME COLLABORATOR, MUSICAL WRITER THOMAS MEEHAN, FOR HELP WITH THE TRANSLATION.

THOMAS MEEHAN>> WE HAD TO TAKE THIS MOVIE APART. WE ALSO HAD TO DO A LOT OF THINGS IN THE MOVIE THAT WE DIDN'T WANT ON THE STAGE AND THERE WERE OTHER THINGS THAT WERE MISSING THAT WE NEEDED TO PUT INTO IT.

VICKI CURRY>> ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE TEAM IS DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER, SUSAN STROMAN.

SUSAN STROMAN>> THE THING IS, MEL HAD TO BE OPEN ABOUT CHANGING IT FROM A CINEMATIC SCRIPT TO A THEATER SCRIPT, AND BECAUSE HE WAS OPEN TO THAT, WE WERE HOME FREE.

THOMAS MEEHAN>> BUT "THE PRODUCERS" HAD IT BECAUSE IT WAS A BREAKTHROUGH STORY OF MAKING THE SWITCH. WE NEEDED A MUSICAL OPENING. WE COULDN'T OPEN WITH TWO GUYS SITTING IN AN OFFICE AND TALKING FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES, SO WE CREATED THIS IDEA THAT IT'S OPENING NIGHT OF THIS MOST RECENT DISASTROUS PLOT.

[FILM CLIP]

THOMAS MEEHAN>> IT TURNS INTO A MUSICAL RIGHT AWAY. IT'S NO LONGER THE MOVIE. WE MAKE IT AS SOMETHING ELSE.

[FILM CLIP]

VICKI CURRY>> IT MAY BE SOMETHING ELSE, BUT IT'S STILL ALL VINTAGE MEL BROOKS. EVEN JASON ALEXANDER AND MARTIN SHORT, WHO STAR IN THE LOS ANGELES PRODUCTION, FELL UNDER THE SPELL OF HIS UNIQUE BRAND OF COMEDY. THEY CALL IT THE WORLD OF MEL.

JASON ALEXANDER>> I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO HIS MATERIAL SINCE I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD. YOU KNOW, MEL BROOKS COULD EASILY BE A MEMBER OF MY FAMILY. ECCENTRIC JEWS ARE WHAT I GREW UP WITH. I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I FEEL SO COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT HE DOES AND WHAT HE OFFERS.

MARTIN SHORT>> MEL COULD HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF MY FAMILY, EXCEPT THAT SOMEONE WOULD EVENTUALLY SAY WHAT'S THAT ECCENTRIC JEW DOING WITH ALL THESE CATHOLICS? (LAUGHTER) I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.

[FILM CLIP]

VICKI CURRY>> AFTER MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS IN SHOW BIZ, MEL BROOKS IS BACK DOING WHAT HE LOVES BEST: SONGWRITING.

MEL BROOKS>> I'M THE GENTILE IRVING BERLIN AND SOMEWHAT THE JEWISH COLE PORTER. I LOVE BERLIN AND PORTER. WHY DO I LIKE THEM SO MUCH? WHY DO I LIKE THOSE GUYS? BECAUSE, LIKE FRANK LESSER AND JERRY RUBIN, THEY DO THE WHOLE THING. THEY WRITE THE WORDS AND THE MUSIC. IT'S NOT RODGERS AND HART AND IT'S NOT DOROTHY FIELDS WRITING FOR JEROME KERN. IT'S WORDS AND MUSIC AND I LOVE IT. THERE'S A WONDERFUL MARRIAGE IN THE SOUND AND THE JOY OF THE SONG WHEN THE WORDS AND MUSIC ARE WRITTEN BY THE SAME GUY.

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JESS>> "THE PRODUCERS" OPENS AT THE PANTAGES THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD ON MAY 2. THE PLAY RUNS THROUGH JANUARY. IF YOU'D LIKE MORE INFORMATION, CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN (213-365-3500) OR LOG ONTO THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.PRODUCERSLA.COM.

AND WE INVITE YOU TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG. YOU'LL FIND UPDATES ON OUR PROGRAMS AND PREVIEWS OF UPCOMING STORIES. NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, THANKS FOR JOINING US AND GOOD NIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

TO REACH US AT LIFE AND TIMES, CALL 323-953-5555. SEND US AN E-MAIL TO LIFEANDTIMES@KCET.ORG OR LOG ONTO OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.KCET.ORG TO SEND MESSAGES OR DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPTS OF TONIGHT’S PROGRAM.