04/08/04

LC040408

Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times --

Turning Los Angeles into America's slot machine capital. Larry
Flynt thinks it's a good idea, but so does the county sheriff.

Lee Baca>> I don't have a stake in what people like to do with
their money. What I have a stake in is the public safety of the
people of Los Angeles County.

Val>> And then, remembering the Alamo. Hollywood takes another
shot at the Texas legend, but is this a film we should forget?

All that and more straight ahead on tonight's Life and Times.

Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of
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.

Val>> You've probably heard of the governor's efforts to
persuade Native-Americans to pony up more of their casino cash,
but you may not have heard of another proposal, a proposal that
would bring gambling to the very heart of Los Angeles. The plan
is all about putting slot machines where they've never been
before, including a poker club owned by Larry Flynt. And as
Philip Bruce reports, some high stakes and high rollers are
driving the measure.

Philip Bruce>> It may not be the biggest card club in Los
Angeles County, but it clearly has the biggest name. Drive by
Larry Flynt's Hustler Casino in Gardena and you get an eyeful of
the brand that took porn to a new level, but that's where it
ends. Inside, the casino is rated PG. No sexy models in lewd
poses, just pure poker and blackjack and a few California
specialty card games thrown in for good measure.

John Poindexter>> You walk in, it's a nice casino. Taking him
away from it, it's just a casino. It's a nice casino to be
here. I mean, it's quiet, it's clean. You know, it's good
gambling. The name really doesn't matter who owns it. I don't
think half the people don't even know what he looks like and
he's here.

Philip Bruce>> He's here, all right, but it's hard to imagine
that anyone doesn't know him. Most nights you'll see Larry
Flynt seated at his favorite corner table surrounded by a big
stack of chips and a crowd of fellow high rollers. Porn may be
Flynt's business, but poker is his passion. Here in Gardena,
he's managed to merge the two.

Larry Flynt>> I'm not looking to be some sort of gambling mogul
in the state or anything like that. We've got a casino here in
southern California which is doing very well and it gives me a
place for recreation.

Philip Bruce>> Make no mistake, though. To Flynt, the gambling
business is more than just fun and games. That's why he's one
of the driving forces behind a new statewide initiative that
would allow Vegas style slot machines in card clubs like his.
Right now, California's Native-American tribes have a lock on
slot machines and they're making a fortune with them. But since
the Indians have been reluctant to share the wealth with the
state, Flynt says it's time to give the card clubs a piece of
the action.

Unlike the tribal casinos, the card clubs would pay one-third of
their earnings in taxes at a time when the state is desperate
for cash. That's why, when you walk in the door of the Hustler
Casino, you get a chance to sign a petition to put the issue to
a statewide vote. They've only got a few more days to get
enough signatures to place the initiative on the ballot, but
Flynt is betting they'll have what they need.

Larry Flynt>> There are a lot of people that don't like
gambling, but there's a hell of a lot more people that don't
want their taxes raised. So if they can get funds into the
state coffers, the state programs, without slashing social
programs or raising taxes, you know, people are going to take
the gambling over that.

Philip Bruce>> Slot machines are the cash cows of gaming.
That's why everyone wants them and, if the statewide initiative
passes, Flynt alone will get one thousand slots here in Gardena.
But card clubs aren't the only ones that would cash in. So
would racetracks like Hollywood Park, which could get as many as
three thousand slot machines. The same is true for the
legendary Santa Anita Raceway near Pasadena.

Add them all together and you get thirty thousand slot machines
across Los Angeles County, a whopping number that would turn Los
Angeles into one of the world's biggest gaming capitals with
more slot machines here than in all of Las Vegas. If the card
clubs and the racetracks in Los Angeles County get slot
machines, how would that likely manifest itself? What would be
the practical impact that we would all see from that?

Professor Ralph Rossum>> I suppose the most immediate and
dramatic impact is that it would bring casinos from rural areas
where most of the Indian reservations are presently located and
where most of the gaming casinos are located. It will bring all
of those right into the midst of our major metropolitan areas.
I think a lot of people are going to be much less enthusiastic
about major gaming right in their own neighborhoods in their own
cities.

Philip Bruce>> Professor Ralph Rossum heads the Rose Institute
of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College. He
points out that the card club initiative is just one measure
that would greatly expand gambling in California. For example,
the Agua Caliente tribe in Palm Springs is pushing its own
ballot measure that would offer the state about nine percent of
the yearly profits from tribal casinos. But in exchange for
that, they want something.

Professor Ralph Rossum>> They want unlimited slot machines, and
this is dividing the gaming tribes themselves because the
smaller gaming tribes worry that, if the bigger ones can add
another thousand or two thousand machines, they will become such
attractive Meccas in destinations that it will be at the
detriment of the smaller, less impressive casinos that are left
in the dust.

Philip Bruce>> The backdrop for all of this is the governor's
plan to extract about one billion dollars from the state's
gaming tribes in exchange for letting them greatly expand their
business. And as those negotiations move forward, the governor
is trying to keep the card clubs and people like Larry Flynt at
arm's length.

Larry Flynt>> I don't know what's on the governor's mind. All
I know is, the initiative, when we first drafted the initiative,
we took it to the governor and he refused to take a position on
it at that time because he had not completed his negotiations
with the Indians.

Philip Bruce>> But look who is on Larry Flynt's side. Los
Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. He's promoting slot machines
for card rooms and racetracks and claims the revenue for law
enforcement and at-risk youth programs makes sense. Those card
club and racetrack operators also happen to be some of Baca's
major campaign donors, prompting a few to criticize the sheriff
for siding with the likes of the man who publishes Hustler.

Lee Baca>> I'm not a big person with these girl magazines.
It's not one of my pastimes. But at the same time, I also don't
even gamble. So I don't have a stake in what people like to do
with their money or their reading interests. What I have a
stake in is the public safety of the people of Los Angeles
County and I don't have stable revenue. I won't have any stable
revenue for at least five years due to the economy.

Philip Bruce>> At the same time, Baca is strongly opposing
efforts by the Tongva Indians to build a tribal casino in
Compton. He says that kind of gaming, which would not be
taxable or controllable, is the last thing that Los Angeles
County needs. But the sheriff has no trouble with the notion of
thirty thousand slot machines at the card clubs and the
racetracks, since that would mean no new gambling operations.

Lee Baca>> My biggest concern is for the average better that
goes in there thinking they're going to get rich quick. I mean,
that has always been the concern of all of us that worry about
people who somewhat wager away the milk money, as they say, but
that's their choice and this is America.

Philip Bruce>> Larry Flynt has always dreamed of a chance to
add slots to his casino. He even had the place pre-wired for
the machines just in case, but he never dreamed the chance would
come so soon. And he says it wouldn't have if the tribal
casinos had only shared some of their fortune with the state.

Larry Flynt>> By the Indians being greedy and not wanting to
give the state anything after making billions of dollars, they
shot themselves in the foot, you know? I mean, at some period
in time, greed don't make sense.

Val>> The state appears to be making progress in its secret
negotiations with the gaming tribes, but even if the deal goes
through, the card club initiative could still wind up on the
ballot. And if it passes, it may mean an even bigger flood of
slot machines across California.

Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and
Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts
and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most
interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life
and Times".


Val>> When it comes to staying healthy and looking younger,
there are basically two sides to the coin. One is taking care
of your medical needs, getting regular checkups and tests, and
the other is lifestyle choices. Dr. Judith Reichman is a
nationally known women's physician practicing in Westwood. She
has just finished her fourth book, "Slow Down Your Clock: The
Complete Guide to a Healthy, Younger You". I talked with Dr.
Reichman about diet, exercise and supplements. Dr. Reichman, so
nice to see you again.

Dr. Judith Reichman>> Likewise, Val.

Val>> You have an interesting chapter called Minuets -- it
deals with exercise -- Minuets and exercises?

Dr. Judith Reichman>> Minuets and other exercises to maintain a
longer life. What I tell women is that it doesn't matter what
you're doing. It could be a stately minuet. That's dancing to
perhaps walking, or it could be that you're going to go out
there and rap and you're going to really, you know, shake it up.
But the issue is, do something.

I give the lazy woman's schedule. What you can do, the least
amount without sweating, that will maintain your health. I try
to explain to women why it's so important. At one point, I say
there is no medicine that I or any other doctor can give you,
aside perhaps an antibiotic for some life-threatening infection,
that will have the impact on your longevity and health that
exercise will have.

Val>> And exercise effects so many things. You know, whenever
I read about disease or ailments or whatever, there is virtually
none that does not benefit.

Dr. Judith Reichman>> Absolutely. From Alzheimer's to
depression to heart disease to osteoporosis to osteoarthritis,
the issue of weight, the issue of keeping your muscle mass built
up. As we get older, by the way, we lose muscle mass and the
only way we can combat that is with exercise. Guess what
happens when we lose the muscle mass? We get it replaced by fat
and fat doesn't metabolize the calories as well, so we get into
this vicious cycle of laying down more fat. That's what I try
to explain in that chapter.

Val>> Next on the list, nutrition. You say you're going to
take a bite out of time. Can we really do that?

Dr. Judith Reichman>> Well, absolutely. We are what we eat.
We've all heard the big arguments about low-carbs, low-fat, what
we should do. What I basically do there is explain to women how
to select the type of diet and nutrition they want to be on, how
to stick on it -- how to stay on it, let's say, so the pounds
don't stick on them -- and I give them, again, a sample diet. I
tell them what I eat because a lot of women think I don't eat.
I'm thin. No, I eat all the time. I eat six meals a day.

But these are the things that you can eat without worry and then
it's an issue of portion control. I talk about what to eat in
restaurants, all the ethnic restaurants. I also explain that,
if you don't take a doggy bag home with you, you have failed
your restaurant experience (laughter), that our portions are way
too large, our portion control is a must, and that you can eat
the right things and feel good and have your treats and still
keep your weight down and stay healthy.

Val>> Huge industry in this country, supplements, herbs,
vitamins. Are they worth the investment? Do they really
deliver?

Dr. Judith Reichman>> Well, that chapter is called "Herbs,
Shmerbs and Verbs" (laughter). I think you get sort of a sense
of the way I'm going there. What I've done is I take every
single vitamin, explain what it does, how much we need, where we
can get it and whether we should supplement it. I do the same
with the herbs. I looked at what the FDA had to say. I looked
at the scientific data and I tried to interpret it so you really
know.

The problem is, you never know what's really in the bottle
because it is not FDA approved. So I try to give the reader
ways to read the bottle and figure out what she, or he in this
case, is getting and then I come up with what I feel is the
minimum. I think every adult should take a multivitamin. Women
all need calcium. I explain what kind and how much and when to
take it. Vitamin E is probably a good idea and then, if you
have certain conditions, you might have to add on extra D or
extra B.

Val>> But they are not the panacea that a lot of people may
think?

Dr. Judith Reichman>> No, and you cannot get your nutrition,
your vitality and your health simply by looking and purchasing
that bottle that looks so beguiling on the shelf.

Val>> Now, obviously, we would love for our beauty to emanate
from within, but there are some things we can still do. You say
beauty from the outside?

Dr. Judith Reichman>> Looking from the outside in, yeah. I
admit that we all want to look good, so what I did was try to
look at all the creams, the miracles in the jars, the
prescription medications, what the dermatologist gives you, what
the plastic surgeon can do. I list them, I explain them and I
say what they really do based on the literature. Then I give my
skin care plan which is very simple, not expensive and does
include certain prescription medication that you can get from
your doctor, as well as over the counter creams, moisturizers.
They can make a difference, but they don't have to cost ninety
dollars an ounce (laughter).

So I write what I do, but I also suggest that the most important
thing that we can do to prevent skin aging is to use a sun
block. Eighty percent of the aging of our skin is due to photo
aging, and that is the sun. What you do now, even at this point
in your life, can make a huge difference to the ongoing changes
in your skin.

Val>> Dr. Reichman, we hope to be back in fifty years.

Dr. Judith Reichman>> And I expect to see you then.

Val>> Thank you so much.

Dr. Judith Reichman>> Okay, to health.

To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us
by mail at this address:

Life and Times
4401 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90027

You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or
contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org.

Larry Mantle>> Welcome to FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm
Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC. Our first film this week is the
epic, "The Alamo", starring Billy Bob Thornton and Jason Patric.

[Film Clip]

Larry Mantle>> I'm joined this week by film critics Andy Klein
of CityBeat and ValleyBeat, and Henry Sheehan of
henrysheehan.com. We begin with "The Alamo" and, Andy Klein,
what did you think?

Andy Klein>> This film is not the catastrophe that the story
coming out of production would have suggested. It had a lot of
trouble getting to the screen. But nor is it very special or
very, particularly for material that's been done before. The
focus of this version of "The Alamo" which, for a whole
generation of us really, was the Davy Crockett TV show, is again
Davy Crockett, this time played by Billy Bob Thornton who's the
only one who really gets to do a lot onscreen.

Dennis Quaid has equal billing and gets barely there and, when
he is there, playing Sam Houston, he just pouts and has one
expression the entire time. He just grumbles around. The
battle scenes are nice, but you really don't get involved with
these characters very much. Jason Patric as Jim Bowie is really
not that great, I thought. This is an old story being told for
the millionth time and, if not dull, I just don't see much there
to draw people in.

Larry Mantle>> Henry Sheehan, what did you think of "The
Alamo"?

Henry Sheehan>> Well, it's a mistake like Andy indicated. I
think one of the strong points is the way it kind of puts the
geography of the Alamo on film and you see just how small and
rundown a place it was and how difficult it must have been to
defend. But the movie is really hurt by John Lee Hancock, the
director's, decision to be heroic and historic before dramatic.

I think, you know, rather than show us all the big names that we
know were there, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis, it
might have been better just to focus on one of them and bring
them all the way through. As it is, everybody is speaking as if
they knew they were going to be quoted down through the years,
especially Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett who is like
Socrates in the film. I think just more drama, more internal
drama, would have really helped this film. It's a little
tedious, you know, when it gets all those historic marks.

Larry Mantle>> Well, next we move from historic adventure to
comedy, to the sequel "The Whole Ten Yards" starring Bruce
Willis and Matthew Perry.

[Film Clip]

Larry Mantle>> Henry, "The Whole Ten Yards"?

Henry Sheehan>> This is truly an abominable picture. It's
about ninety-six minutes long and, if you're kind of a
connoisseur of disaster, I would suggest that you go and stay
for about forty-five minutes, any forty-five minutes, because
it's all equally bad. The press kit for this movie says that
this is a sequel to "The Whole Nine Yards" and came about
because, when they were doing press for that film, Amanda Peet,
Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry were talking about, gee, I wonder
what happened to these characters, you know, what they would do.
They built this sequel on that.

Well, when I read that before the movie, I thought, well, that's
a lot of hooha, but after I saw the movie, I thought, yeah, this
really is the result of a casual five-minute conversation
because talk about stretching. I mean, oh, my God, you know,
Bruce Willis is a professional hit man. At this point, he's
married to Amanda Peet. They're living down in Mexico, which is
actually Newport Beach and Olvera Street passing as Mexico
(laughter).

They have Kevin Pollak as a Hungarian gangster where it's like a
cross between the late Jack Cassidy and an ape is Kevin Pollak's
characterization. I mean, it's that bizarre, but bad. I mean,
the movie doesn't make any sense. It's not the least bit funny.
The audience I saw it with was kind of like stupefied. Please,
don't go.

Larry Mantle>> And our final film is a French production that's
shot here in southern California. "Twentynine Palms" also has
the distinction of being bilingual in French and English.

[Film Clip]

Larry Mantle>> So what would you say? This is "Frenchish"
film? We have "Spanglish", this is "Frenchish"?

Andy Klein>> Sort of, yeah. It's really a French film that
happens to have been shot in the town of Twentynine Palms which
is out near the Mojave, but the whole crew -- writer-director,
Bruno Dumont -- are all French. There is one American character
who's more or less a protagonist. He's a young photographer, I
guess, in his late twenties. He's out there scouting locations
for some sort of photo shoot and he takes with him his French
girlfriend who is lovable and adorable and then pouty and
impossible to get along with.

Basically, they go out to look for locations, but every time
they go out there instead they realize they just want to have
sex. So they do that and then they go back to the hotel and
they more sex and then, in the last fifteen minutes, it's like
it turns into a different film with no motivation and this
sudden amazing violence that comes out of nowhere.

Larry Mantle>> Are the sex scenes at least good?

Andy Klein>> I mean, I have to tell you, I despised this film.
I mean, I really, really hated it, so I don't think I could
judge it appropriately.

Larry Mantle>> All right. What did you think, Henry?

Henry Sheehan>> Well, I think the director, Bruno Dumont, has
made a good picture in the past, "Vie de Jesus", which, you
know, touched on the themes he's obviously trying to work here,
which is when you're in very passionate relationships, you can't
be sure what other passions will emerge. It's an okay point,
but he sure doesn't make it here. I agree pretty much with what
most of what Andy has to say.

I will add that I don't mind movies that are like totally anti-
American, you know, or critical of the United States, but this
film is full of cheap shots plus he doesn't get the milieu of
Twentynine Palms right. It's like he never visited the place
until he showed up with is camera crew. While I was watching
this movie, I said, boy, if he parachutes in an act of violence
to bring this movie to a close, people could get really ticked
off. Well, I'm really ticked off.

Larry Mantle>> Well, thanks for joining us for another edition
of FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC
joined by our critics Henry Sheehan of henrysheehan.com and Andy
Klein of CityBeat and ValleyBeat. Please join us again for
another edition of FilmWeek on Life and Times.

Val>> Remember that you can hear a full hour of FilmWeek every
Friday at 11:00 a.m. on KPCC public radio. And that's our
program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times,
thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.

Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of
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.

Val>> Next time on Life and Times, the man who wants to revive
Proposition 187. Ron Prince has a kinder, gentler version of
the ban on illegal immigrants, but can he get it on the ballot?

>> The corruption of the political process as well as the
judicial process has made it necessary for us to put this back
on the ballot, to let the people vote on it one more time.

Val>> That's next time on Life and Times.