Entertainment

W&W: Can Our First Cool President Afford His Cultural Agenda?

Happy Birthday us! On this, Wilshire & Washington’s one-year anniversary, hosts Ted Johnson, Maegan Carberry, and Teresa Valdez-Klein explore the role arts and culture should play in politics. Why is Obama emphasizing arts and culture – from hopping on the couch with Jay Leno to hosting Stevie Wonder at the White House – in such difficult economic times? Should he put down his NCAA bracket, as Coach K suggested, and focus on saving the country from assured disaster? Teresa says the president’s cultural agenda just may be the antidote to the “Crap Culture” that led to our nation’s collective coveting of that which we can’t afford, and Ted wonders why $50 million is being spent in the Economic Stimulus on the NEA when everyone else is being asked to sacrifice.

Joining us today in this spirited discussion is Leonard J. Aube, Managing Director of the Annenberg Foundation, one of the largest private family foundations in the United States. Aube talks about the foundation’s new photography space opening this week in Los Angeles and addresses a number of issues: how private foundations like his balance arts and public services in their funding, why investment in human potential is important, and what is most important in a non-profit leader. He also introduces us to the concept of universally accessible tree-houses and talks a bit about the new Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica.

We also break down yesterday’s big national press conference. Ted’s unconvinced about the level of populist anger out there over the financial indiscretions of AIG, and Maegan notes that the general public (despite a few batty-mad conservatives hosting tea parties) doesn’t seem as interested in piling onto Obama’s gaffes as the media does.

Finally, we talk some of our most memorable moments from the last year. Maegan recalls our talk with Harvard technology professor Zach Tumin the day after the election, getting philosophical about where the country will go next, while Teresa reminisces about the great post-debate shows last fall, and Ted reluctantly accepts his position as a new New Media Czar (even if he can’t stand twitter). – Blaise Nutter, show producer

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