** "One of the things that is really important to me, is that the film and the stories we tell reflect the world we live in. And really highlighting the diverse world - to help build this Latino community within..."

Oscar Week, Immigration, Diversity On Screen: A Conversation With Yvett Merino. As multicultural stories and characters have been emerging lately in movies, little spotlight has focused on those behind the scenes driving forces, enabling more realistic imagery in movies. And central to that dynamic at Disney in promoting that diversity when it comes to those stories as well as empowering Latinos in the workplace, is producer Yvett Merino.

Merino has also been nominated for an Oscar this week, for Zootopia 2 as Best Animated Feature - focusing on racism in the animal world. And she made history as well back in 2022 as the first Latina to win an Oscar, for Encanto.

Likewise an animated feature, Encanto is based on the historic flight of the population into rural Colombia as civil war raged, and leading to the revolutionary emergence of the FARC back then. While Encanto was inspired by Colombia's birth of magical realism - inscribed into that literary history from the pen of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

** "Let me tell you something, the devil's due, brother - I think this is it for the US empire..."

Pacifica Host Garland Nixon on crime scenes in progress, and crashing the one side to every story media. And what it has to do with nukes, 900 US bases around the world, Taiwan, Russia, the UK - and 'the two parties arguing over which country to go to war with...'

** "The three reasons why Vegas exists, and the growth of hopelessness..."

Paris Correspondent Professor Dennis Broe in a new cross-continental Arts Express intimate conversation episode. The self-described 'scholar, novelist and commentator on culture, politics and media who cares passionately about where our world is going' - in a discussion about the latest release in his Harry Palmer noir crime series.

And with connections to 'Hollywood's interesting relationship with the porn industry, gambling and the working class' - and 'the mob, financial interests, and the government, and where they started to become one...'

Plus...AE Religious Lunatic News: Trump receives the vision, blessed by the sign of his anointed divine mission...George Carlin...Endless wars...