Category: 1-HeadlineNews

It’s Emmy season, so we’re dropping another episode of our sister podcast, the “Envelope." Today, an in-depth conversation with actor Simone Ashley. 

Ashley has always been a fan of the romance genre, but before being cast as Kate in “Bridgerton,” playing the lead in a period drama seemed improbable to her. “I never imagined that a woman who looked like me could be a part of one,” she says. In this episode of "The Envelope" podcast, Ashley discusses embracing the political aspects of her career, how acting on “Sex Education” prepared her for "Bridgerton" and how her upbringing taught her to dream big. 

Subscribe to the "Envelope" here and never miss an episode.

In 2018, the L.A. Times began to follow Mckenzie Trahan, a pregnant homeless woman living in Hollywood. Over the next four years, a Times reporter, photographer and videographer tracked Trahan’s life as she tried to find housing and become a mom. Today, we hear about her journey. Read the full transcript here. 

Host: L.A. Times photographer Christina House

More reading:

Pregnant, homeless and living in a tent: Meet Mckenzie

She spent decades as a nomad. But her daughter’s pregnancy brought her back to L.A.

We chronicled one homeless woman’s motherhood journey since 2018

So many disasters, so little time. And it’s the same group of people on the front lines, year after year. What happens when they get tired? Today, our Masters of Disaster talk about burnout among firefighters, scientists, doctors and the people we trust to take on the biggest calamities nature throws at us — as well as how to hold on to a little hope. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times reporters Rong-Gong Lin II, Rosanna Xia and Alex Wigglesworth

More reading:

Hellish fires, low pay, trauma: California’s Forest Service firefighters face a morale crisis

Almost 9 in 10 Californians live in areas with high COVID-19 levels as BA.5 fuels infections

Editorial: Let’s make 2022 the year we all get angry about climate inaction

He’s animal royalty in the City of Angels; an ambassador for conservation and for the random beauty this megalopolis offers. But P-22 is also a poster boy for something sadder. The mountain lion is thought to be about 12, and nearing the end of his life. He’s an eternal bachelor, cut off from the rest of his species and a symbol of what’s left of LA’s once-incredible ecosystems that are just barely holding on.

Today, the story of the cougar who stole L.A.'s heart. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times enterprise reporter Laura J. Nelson

More reading:

He’s terminally single and getting old. What’s next for P-22, L.A.’s favorite wild bachelor?

A week in the life of P‑22, the big cat who shares Griffith Park with millions of people

Must Reads: Mountain lions are being killed on freeways and weakened by inbreeding. Researchers have a solution

 

It’s Emmys season, and the “Envelope” is here for it. So once a week for the next couple of weeks, we’re going to feature an episode of our sister podcast in “The Times.” First up: Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, who recently wrapped up their much-beloved Netflix series, “Grace and Frankie.” In this episode, the duo laugh and cry with us while reflecting on their decades long friendship, their mutual admiration for their “9 to 5” co-star Dolly Parton, who reunited with them for the final episode, and the lies people tell about aging and death. Subscribe to the "Envelope" here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Read the full transcript here. 

For over a year, L.A. Times entertainment reporter Stacy Perman tried to track down Lora Lee Michel, a former child star whose custody case scandalized 1940s Hollywood. Michel went through a string of marriages — and then disappeared.

In Part 2 of our miniseries, Perman finds out Michel’s shocking fate. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times entertainment reporter Stacy Perman

More reading:

Podcast: What happened to Lora Lee? Part 1

A child star at 7, in prison at 22. Then she vanished. What happened to Lora Lee Michel?

Explaining Hollywood: Your child wants to act. What do you need to know?

Throughout the history of Hollywood, child entertainers have consistently clashed with their parents and guardians who manage their money and lives. The stories of kid stars like Britney Spears and Gary Coleman are well known. But long before them, was child actor Lora Lee Michel. In the 1940s, Michel became a famed Hollywood actress at age 7, working alongside screen legends like Humphrey Bogart and Gary Cooper. But by the time she was 22, she landed in prison. Then she disappeared.

Today, part 1 of a two-part series tracing Michel’s life. It’s a story that reveals the underbelly of Hollywood’s Golden Age and the perils facing child actors. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Company Town reporter Stacy Perman

More reading:

A child star at 7, in prison at 22. Then she vanished. What happened to Lora Lee Michel?

An old VHS tape gives a son a glimpse of his father’s shot at fame in 1960s Hollywood

Explaining Hollywood: Your child wants to act. What do you need to know?

Lawmakers want California to eliminate the state’s carbon footprint altogether by 2045. They’re taking all sorts of steps to get to that ambitious goal; from phasing out gas-powered engines in new cars and lawnmowers to electrifying home stoves. But there’s an even bigger plan ahead, one that environmental experts say could derail it all.

Today, we talk about California’s plan to pump carbon gas into the ground. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, but that’s exactly what California says is key to be able to make the state carbon neutral. Can it work? Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times air quality reporter Tony Briscoe

More reading:

Pollution from California’s 2020 wildfires likely offset decades of air quality gains

How California will fight Supreme Court’s limits on EPA climate enforcement

In the 5 months since Russia’s invasion, the American public’s attention has turned back to problems at home — and US President Joe Biden hasn’t gotten a good grade for his handling of them. But last week, he was able to lead major policy breakthroughs at the NATO and G7 summits.

Today, can President Biden’s push to spread democracy abroad help him deal with various crises back home? Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times White House reporter Eli Stokols

More reading:

News Analysis: Bold in shoring up democracy abroad, Biden is criticized as timid on the domestic front

Biden commits to more U.S. forces in Europe as NATO invites Sweden and Finland to join

Implored by Zelensky, Biden and G-7 allies will increase Ukraine defense aid, economic support

Randall Emmett had built a career for himself in Hollywood over the past decade as a producer of schlocky action films featuring cameos of iconic actors like Bruce Willis and Al Pacino. But in recent years, he was at the cusp of finally gaining mainstream respect. He had a recurring role on the reality TV hit “Vanderpump Rules” and produced Martin Scorsese’s last two films. But a Times investigation found that multiple former assistants and people who worked for Emmett alleged improper behavior.

Today, we get into the rise and fall of Emmett, and what it says about the Hollywood of today. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times corporate media reporter Meg James and L.A. Times senior entertainment writer Amy Kaufman

More reading:

The man who played Hollywood: Inside Randall Emmett’s crumbling empire

Bruce Willis halts acting career after diagnosis with cognitive disorder

Randall Emmett’s drive to produce films is paying off